The Sun, Moon and the Ascendant signs are what we astrologers like to call the “Big three”. These are some of THE most important placements in the birth chart. The Sun and the Moon are the largest lights in the sky and therefore have the biggest impact on our chart. The Ascendant is the point on the Eastern horizon that was rising at the moment you were born, which is why it is often referred to as the “Rising Sign”. The only way to learn your Ascendant (Rising sign) is to have an accurate birth time and location. When considering the most important points of your personal birth chart, the Sun, Moon and Ascendant signs can paint the best picture of your personal attributes and explain the ins and outs of who you are.
The Sun represents your life-force energy, your ego and your vitality. Your Sun sign shows who you are to your core, inside and out. Your Sun sign can tell a lot about who you are and what qualities you can expect to develop over the course of your life. The Sun sign placement can show you and others what brings you to life and gives you joy. The sign and area of life the Sun is in on your birth chart shows the qualities where you shine.
The Moon placement shows us our inner life and emotions, our habits and the subconscious patterns that emerge and submerge periodically. Each day and night, the Moon goes through phases and we as individuals are also going through our own phases alongside the nighttime luminary. The Moon sign is important because it shows the side that is not visible to the outsider but is deeply personal and hidden to all but those who know us well. The Moon represents a huge part of who we are on a deep level.
The Ascendant is the place on the birth chart that represents the split between the night and the day shown by the horizon on the East. It's place on the birth chart starts the first house of "self' or is in the first house of "self" depending on which house system you are using (more on that in future posts). It shows our personality traits, our physical appearance and is pretty much the “first impressions” that we make on those we meet. Some people don’t resonate with their Sun sign, and often when this is the case, the Ascendant says everything the Sun does not. Most people can see for themselves, or it makes sense to those around them why their Ascendant says so much about them.
When you put these three placements together, you get a broad sense of who this individual is. It paints a picture of how you are seen by others. It’s how you show up in the world and how you express your emotions, your ego and even what you physically look like. You can gain many insights just by learning about your Sun, Moon and Rising signs. The Sun and the Moon can be anywhere in your chart and can play a huge role in any aspect of your life. The Ascendant is also called the “Rising sign” and it really is where you “rose” on the day that your were born, it is your own personal “sunrise”. The Sun, Moon and Rising signs give you a place to start on your Astrological journey and can give you incredible insights and a language to describe what makes you, you! There are plenty of free websites that can calculate your birth chart, just type "Birth chart calculator" in your search engine and start exploring. If you would like an in-depth personalized reading with me, check out jennyofthesun.com and use coupon code JENNY10 for 10% off your purchase.