At the moment you are born, the 360 degree snapshot of the heavens forms a blueprint for your soul’s journey. If you make the effort through self-study or with the help of an astrologer, the information in your birth chart can serve as a guide to keep in mind for the rest of your time here on earth. While the natal chart never changes, it can truly become a rabbit hole of self-discovery. As your self understanding evolves, the placements, aspects, and even the degrees in your chart can come more actively into consciousness as they come into communication with the energetics of the current reality. Even if you never concern yourself with anything besides your birthchart, you are likely to receive plenty of relevant information for whatever it is you are encountering. It can be incredibly validating to receive and interpret this impartial piece of data. It’s not a personal attack that you have faced certain challenges; rather, seeing yourself as one facet of the bigger picture under the heavens can be incredibly healing.
In my case, born not long after the solstice, the setting sun blocked any chance of seeing Neptune with a telescope or otherwise, while a waxing moon had risen in the east. Jupiter was almost directly overhead, while Venus and Mercury shone in the west. What didn’t meet the eye were the remaining outer planets as well as Mars, who glittered below the ecliptic. Nineteen minutes before I came earthside, the constellation Cancer peeked over the horizon line. As the earth rotated on its axis, more of the constellation revealed itself, rising from out of view. Thus, when I finally did show up, seemingly quite reluctantly, I was born a Cancer rising. Cancer can be a shy sign, preferring to move sideways in crab fashion, rather than facing things head-on. With the sun in Capricorn and the moon in Taurus, I was truly not one to be rushed from the time I was born. My mother had gone into labor around 2 AM that same morning. If I had been born quickly, I could have been a Scorpio rising with both Mars and Pluto in my first house. Rather than coming off as nurturing and approachable, I could have given a quite intense first impression! Pluto and Mars DO cohabitate under the sign of Scorpio in my chart, but rather than immediately confronting everyone with this energy, they light up my fifth house, which is a little more out of view. (Transformation and alchemy ARE fun!)
A friend recently dubbed the natal chart as a “cheat code,” which could certainly feel that way. (Is it cheating if this is available to everyone?) However intimidating a chart may appear, astrological knowledge has become super accessible. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to study or book a reading, the internet is full of free content and even an automatically generated birth chart interpretation can offer at least a partial picture.
To follow the thread of the video game analogy, you do get to choose your avatar to navigate the hologram. As with the more commonly known sun signs, there are the twelve basic rising sign categories with a more unlimited number of combinations in relationship to the placements, planets, luminaries, and aspects that exist in the chart. Your rising sign is what determines which of the twelve houses all of the above fall under, which is why you should always prioritize it when you are reading or listening to horoscopes. In order to know your rising sign, you do need to know your birthtime and location because the rising sign changes every two hours. For folks who don’t have a clear birthtime, you can work with an astrologer to rectify your chart. I do offer this service on a beta-testing basis as I’m currently learning how to do this.
Most commonly, it is said that your rising sign is your first impression or how you are typically received externally. That isn’t incorrect but there is definitely more to be said. Your rising sign not only speaks to your appearance and your demeanor, in my experience it holds a significant role in how you navigate your life in terms of a hero’s journey. Generally, the gifts of the rising sign are what we should turn towards again and again as we face life’s challenges. Rising to the occasion, so to speak. Depending on other factors, it may or may not come naturally to us to continuously embody this energy throughout difficulties. Rather, we may be inclined to fall into more of the shadow aspects of the sign and as time passes we either learn and evolve or we become more solidified in our habitual responses. At the same time, we have the energetics of our entire chart to support us in numerous circumstances, which further indicates the importance of knowing your rising sign in order to have a clearer picture of the rest of the chart.
On a slight tangent, if you are getting to know someone new (or trying to reach a deeper understanding of someone already known), sharing birth information is actually incredibly courteous and time-saving! While free will and choice are the most important factors in navigating any relationship, having even a basic understanding of someone’s natal chart can help you ask better questions, keep an eye out for red flags, and keep an open mind. It is really important to ask for consent, however, because as your understanding of astrology increases, you may learn things about this person that either they may not be ready for you to know or that you may not yet want to know. Furthermore, as with all tools, tools in the hands of a conscious and loving person are going to be expressed much differently than those same tools in the hands of someone who is acting from a wounded place. Lastly, barring any non-negotiables, you still have to get to know the person and reciprocal energy and communication is a necessity. The way their chart appears on first glance versus how those energetics manifest in real life may be quite nuanced and they may or may not have found solutions or healing. As with anything, we do not want to make assumptions (nor do we want to be delusional). Do not objectify other humans into data or a science experiment, but do remain curious, ask good questions, and make observations while keeping your side of the street clean.
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive Part 2. I’ll show you how to pull up a free birth chart, offer explanations for the twelve houses, as well as my interpretation of the rising signs.