Ascendant

uh-SEN-duhnt

greek: Ὡροσκόπος (Horoskopos) · latin: Ascendens

Definition

The Ascendant (often shortened to ASC) is the point of the zodiac climbing over the eastern horizon at a particular time and place — for a birth chart, the moment and place you were born. As the Earth turns, it moves on by about one degree every four minutes, which makes it very sensitive to the exact birth time. In most house systems the Ascendant marks the cusp — the start — of the 1st house; in whole sign houses, where each house is one whole zodiac sign, the entire sign holding the Ascendant degree is your 1st house.

In Tradition

Astrologers count the Ascendant among the most personal points in a birth chart — it speaks to how you meet life, your outward manner, and your physical makeup. In traditional practice, the state of the Ascendant's ruling planet is one of the first things weighed when judging the overall quality of a chart.

In Practice

In reading a birth chart, astrologers use the Ascendant to set up the house framework and to identify the chart ruler — the planet that rules the Ascendant sign. They examine the sign on the Ascendant, that ruling planet's sign, house, and aspects, and any planets sitting right on the Ascendant degree. In horary astrology — which answers a question from the chart of the moment it was asked — the Ascendant stands for the person asking. In electional astrology, where you choose a favourable moment to begin something, the rising sign is picked to suit the nature of what you are setting out to do. Because the Ascendant moves on by roughly one degree every four minutes, an accurate birth time is essential.

Historical Origin

The Ascendant was called the horoskopos, the Hour-Marker, in Hellenistic astrology. The word "horoscope" itself comes from the Greek for "watcher of the hour," and originally referred to this Ascendant degree.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Further Reading