We get it, astrology can be confusing, what with all the talk about astrological elements, planets, and rulers. However, you don’t need to be an expert in astrology to have some sense of how the planets and points impact the bigger picture of your birth chart. In the case of the meaning of your rising sign, reading your horoscope per your rising sign can give you a more personable prediction of your life path.

If you’re not a fan of change—or maybe this news totally changed the trajectory of your cosmic direction—we get it. You may be accustomed to reading your horoscope for your rising sign. But if you’re hoping to acquire an even deeper understanding of yourself and others, it’s time to think beyond your sun sign and branch out into the other signs, via your ascendant.

What does the rising sign mean in astrology?

Before we jump into the importance of rising signs, here’s a primer on the ascendant, one of the three points in the celestial holy trinity, or “big three,” as they’re called. Locationally, your rising sign indicates the sign that was literally rising on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth.

When it comes to your rising sign, it’s often referred to the “first impressions” facade you project before some get to know you. In a deeper sense, your rising sign determines how you’d like to be perceived, your expression of energy, and how others perceive you.

Your rising sign is an important part of your chart, not just because it discerns the kind of personality you want to channel, but because, “The rising sign also determines the planetary ruler of your birth chart, which is arguably the most important planet/luminary in your birth chart,” says astrologer and host of the Kiss My Astral podcast, Erin River Sunday.

“The rising sign also determines the planetary ruler of your birth chart, which is arguably the most important planet/luminary.”—Erin River Sunday, astrologer

Also called your chart ruler, the planet that rules your rising sign colors the cosmic vibe of your birth chart, including the themes and the general direction of your life path. If your rising sign is Aries, for example, then your chart ruler is Mars. So, you have a strong sense of assertiveness, especially when it comes to your passions, and can feel very intensely, even if your sun sign is an unemotional Aquarius.

How to find your rising sign

I know what you’re thinking: “What’s my rising sign?” To calculate your rising sign, you can use an online ascendant sign calculator like this one to draw up your natal chart, aka a snapshot of where the planets were in the sky when you were born. Note that you’ll need to know your birthday, birthplace, and the time you were born for this information. Your rising sign will have a glyph with the letters “Asc”. It’s also located in the first house of your natal chart, the house of the self and individuality.

What’s the difference between the sun and rising signs?

As mentioned before, your sun and rising are part of your “big three” placements, meaning they’re major points in your chart that discern the basics of your personality. Your sun reflects your identity and general personality, while your rising sign expresses how you show up and the kind of energy you pour into your world. “The rising sign changes every couple hours, but the sun sign only changes every 30ish days,” explains Sunday. “The rising sign is much more specific to a person than their sun sign, which is a very general grouping.”

While they’re two separate points in your chart, these two placements blend together to create the dynamic of who you are and who you want to be. Understanding the traits, strengths, and needs of both your sun and rising can give you a deeper understanding of not only who you are, but also the path you’re on.

Why you should read your rising sign

If you’re a creature of habit who has long relied on their sun sign, you might be reluctant to tap into your rising sign daily horoscope. However, astrologer and horoscope writer Mackenzie Greer says that your rising sign is so much more accurately attuned to your real life and all of its complexities—hence why it’s worthwhile to learn how to read your rising sign.

“People usually protest this suggestion, wanting to cling to their sun sign as their one and only truth, but the problem with that approach is that accurate sun sign horoscopes are, strictly speaking, big-picture oriented—they’re not fine-tuned to the nitty-gritty details of the here and now,” says Greer.

“Reading for your rising sign gives your horoscopes a dead-on accuracy that you just can’t get from sun signs.” —Mackenzie Greer, astrologer

We’re not saying you should completely abandon how you read your horoscope, but your sun sign can only tell you so much of your quirks and personality traits—if you want to dive deeper into the direction of your life path, consider reading for your rising sign, too. “Your rising sign determines where all the houses or areas of life are set up in your birth chart, so reading for your rising sign gives your horoscopes, if they’re reliably written, a dead-on accuracy that you just can’t get from sun signs.”

In that way, by reading your rising sign, you’ll have a better understanding of your own life and inner intricacies, while also having a defense (should you feel the need to have one) against the nay-sayers who claim that all horoscopes are simply broad tellings that can be applied to anyone. Which is ultimately to say, rising signs are more reliable.

How To Read Your Rising Sign

When you read for your rising sign, you’re reading for your very present, public-facing self, and the instantaneous things you might experience. It’s not that the sun sign interpretation won’t have some truth to it, or that your sun sign isn’t who you are. Rather, your sun sign is just a bit too broad to address the immediate goings-on in your life.

“Let’s say you’re a Leo rising, but a Cancer sun,” Greer says. “You faithfully click on your Cancer horoscope to read ‘The sun has moved into Scorpio today, thus bringing a month-long boost to your creative personal projects, a slew of romantic rendezvous, and a fearless approach to taking center stage.'”

In this case, you might go along thinking, “Jackpot, baby! This is fantastic news!” But as the month goes along, your sex life remains stagnant, your family relations have piqued in intensity, and as for your art? You haven’t felt more plagued by self-doubt since the middle school talent show. So, WTF happened there?

“If you had read for Leo, since that’s your rising sign, you’d know that Scorpio season was actually taking you into an underground, deeply psychological, family-focused arena,” Greer says. “Nowhere close to the glowing reviews that Cancer promised.”

None of this means you should throw away your sun sign love (and phone cases, T-shirts, and a list of cosmically sanctioned excuses based around that archetype). It just means that you can focus on your rising sign first when reading your horoscope because that’s ultimately where the action is.

“Reading for your sun sign is like only loosely focusing on the background of a set rather than tuning in to the actual actors narrating the story right before you,” Greer says. “Aim to read for your rising sign first for that clear-cut detail, then have a peek at your sun sign secondarily to get a feel for what’s going on in the big picture.”

And, if you like to keep track of your horoscopes, consider buying an Astrological Planner ($45) to more fully digest everything you learn from the stars in the year to come.

What your rising sign says about you

You have the basics of rising signs and the importance of using it to read your horoscope. Now, what does it mean in terms of your expression of energy and how others think of you? Here, Sunday breaks down the key traits of the rising signs and their corresponding planetary ruler (aka your chart ruler).

• Aries rising (Mars): Driven, headstrong, go-getter, center independent pursuits
• Taurus rising (Venus): Nature-loving, indulgent, steady, focused on longevity
• Gemini rising (Mercury): Colloquial, witty, curious, cerebral
• Cancer rising (Moon): Nostalgic, psychic, nourishing, need for security
• Leo rising (Sun): Optimistic, warm, courageous, attention-seeking
• Virgo rising (Mercury): Efficient, adaptable, supportive, conversational
• Libra rising (Venus): Peacekeeping, balanced, beauty-driven, aesthete
• Scorpio rising (Pluto, Mars): Powerful, private, passionate, driven
• Sagittarius rising (Jupiter): Spiritual, knowledgeable, cosmopolitan, expansive
• Capricorn rising (Saturn): Mature, resilient, hardworking, legacy-focused
• Aquarius rising (Uranus, Saturn): Forward-thinking, rebellious, change-maker, unique
• Pisces rising (Neptune, Jupiter): Empathetic, imaginative, intuitive, creative