The Ascendant or Rising sign is the name given to the sign on the eastern horizon during the time of birth of an individual. Having Aries as your Ascendant means that during your birth, the sign of Aries was rising from above the ground, the same way that the Sun rises. People who have Aries as their rising sign, have Mars (Aries’ ruling planet) as the governor of their natal chart.
Our Rising Sign is a very important astrological parameter, even though many theories are proposed by different astrologers and astrological systems. Still, most agree that the Ascendant defines our body and physical characteristics, and is playing a strong role in the development of our character. This is quite natural, as the 1st house (the Ascendant being on its cusp) is responsible for our ego, self-perception and behavior. We should keep in mind, that when the Ascendant is at the beginning of a sign, the sign’s traits are more potent than when it is placed at its end. When the next sign occupies the biggest part of the 1st house, it naturally gives a lot of its traits to the native’s character and even body. If your Ascendant is at the last degrees of a sign, you can consider the next sign as a co-ascendant. Many people though, experience the next sign to behave as the Rising sign a lot more than the one that is actually rising.
Before we continue with the traits that the sign grants, we should mention that depending on the geographical latitude, each sign needs slightly different time to ascend. If we are born near the equator, the differences are hardly visible. Yet, the closer we are born to any of the two poles, the better the differences between signs can be visible. This is also the reason why people born in rather extreme northern or southern latitudes can experience rather strange natal charts, with some houses being huge while some others quite small. As always, we propose to our readers to use the Placidus system in calculating their houses, because we find it to function better both on our own charts and on the charts of other people that we have analyzed. In the northern hemisphere, Aries is rising rather quickly. When someone is born at 50 degrees Northern latitude, the sign will need one hour to rise fully. At a city placed at 60 degrees Northern latitude, the sign will need around half an hour. Thus, a person born in the Northern hemisphere has statistically fewer possibilities to have an Aries Ascendant, when the average time a sign needs to ascend is two hours.
As we already mentioned, individuals with an Aries Ascendant will have Mars as their chart ruler. The red planet will be very important in their lives, and also strongly connected with their physical body, vitality and appearance. Their body and self will be affected not only by transits of planets on their ascendant, but also by transits to Mars. In addition, natal aspects of other planets to Mars, while also its location in a particular house, will play a strong role. People with Aries rising must take care to empower Mars in healthy ways, as its functions will always have an overall positive or negative effect on their chart, touching all their life areas.
Having Aries as your Ascendant feels like having Mars in your 1st house. The native’s body is athletic and active, highly energetic and capable of physical work. Such people like to exercise and generally pay attention to their shape. Many times, Aries Ascendant people tend to be shorter than individuals with other rising signs. Their body likes to function with discipline, and it is frequent to observe them have a military regime concerning their daily work-out. Their body likes automatisms, reacting very quickly. They can excel in martial arts, and all types of self-defense techniques. Their body acts before thinking, which can make them great in any profession, sport or hobby that needs quick responses. On the other hand, such automatic reactions of their body can become a problem in other areas of their lives, especially those where thinking before doing is necessary to prevent difficult situations.
The Aries Ascendant feels at home since the sign of Aries is the natural ruler of the first house. Such placement of the Ascendant signifies the archetypical first human being, which experiences through his body and ego the need to battle for his survival and to fight for understanding his own self.
Indeed, going backward in time, through the human history, we can notice that the first human being tended to behave exactly as the primal zodiac chart suggests. The first human being, as an archetypal creature, would symbolically have their collective natal chart at the zero position. This means that Humanity (or primal human being) had his chart and houses aligned with the natural houses of the zodiac.
Only later, through several thousand or millions of years of evolution, our species started to develop quite different behaviors. Did we start looking at the stars and wondering what they are, and what we are? Did the stars look back at us, and gave us answers about both? And maybe different answers to each one of us, making us differ from the rest of our species? We will never know what exactly happened. But we can definitely state that Aries Ascendant people, as a behavioral pattern, are the closest to how our species was at the dawn of time.
Aries Rising people will be impulsive, temperamental and quick in their reactions, movements and tempo. They usually walk slightly quicker than others and seem to function at an accelerated speed than the average person. Their metabolism is faster too, and as a result, they can easily keep their body in a better shape. Strangely enough, our statistical observations tend to show less obese or fat people than average within those with an Aries Ascendant. In addition, when the individual is a woman, this Ascendant will frequently create the “energetic miniature girl”. Short and small as a body, but quite active and even aggressive. In addition, such a masculine Rising sign may make the female body very athletic and male-like, with more sharp edges, small hips and less curves. When the native is a man, Aries Ascendant can give him a very masculine appearance with strong and strict lines, especially on their face and more particularly their jaw.
In addition, a pattern that appears with all the fire signs as Ascendants (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) is the loss of hair and the possibility that the men become bold earlier than other people. Aries gives a very hot and dry type of energy, not allowing the head to have its “natural plantation”. Another usual phenomenon is red details on an Aries Rising individual. Their skin may get red easily, especially on their face and probably because of the strong blood circulation. In addition, many of them will have a strong forehead, exactly like the ram, which is the archetypical symbol of Aries. Usually, their overall health is very good and the condition of their body stays unchangeable for ages, especially if they offer to their ruling planet Mars the necessary amount of energy that it requires through exercise. Yet, they should always be careful of all the unexpected things ruled by Mars, such as accidents, machinery, guns and sharp objects.
The Aries Ascendant body is governed by Mars, so it may also experience dysfunctions connected and ruled by the sign and the planet. Aries rules our head, so they may be prone to headaches or accidents connected to it. Mars and Aries may bring high fevers, rushes and dermatological problems on the face, while also cuts or surgeries on it.
Always have in mind that any planet located near the Ascendant point will definitely alter both the physical appearance and the characteristics of the native. We could say that it will have the strongest influence on the Ascendant if placed in the first 10 degrees of the first house, while also the last 5 degrees of the 12th house. The planet’s energies blend with the Ascendant ones; we can imagine the sign as a canvas while the planet as the paint that will create the unique picture of the individual. Of course, it is possible to have more than one planet (or astrological point/asteroid) in conjunction with the ascendant – furthermore complicating the big picture. To better understand your body, your Ego and how they function, you should analyze all those planetary influences. This is why knowing your Ascendant does not necessarily mean jumping to correct conclusions about your life.
You can use our free birh chart calculator, in order to understand better not only your Rising Sign but also any possible planets that are present near it. Also, do not forget to pay attention to your natal Mars placement, so that you discover the functions of your chart ruler and how it will affect your life and priorities. Finally, do not forget to read the article about natal Mars in the 1st house, as it has many similarities to having Aries as your Ascendant.