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 a Pisces Ascendant means that during your birth, the sign of Pisces was rising from above the ground, the same way that the Sun rises. People who have a Pisces Ascendant have planet Neptune as their overall chart ruler. As Neptune is a planet who was discovered in 1846, the rulership of Pisces was attributed to Jupiter before that. Still, Jupiter is considered a co-ruler of the sign, and thus Pisces Rising people should also examine Jupiter’s condition to understand how their body and self functions.
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, also 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 to his 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 which is actually rising.
Before we continue with the traits 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, Pisces is rising faster than the average of the signs. 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 only around 35 minutes. Thus, a person born in the Northern hemisphere has statistically less possibilities to have a Pisces Ascendant, when the average time a sign needs to Ascend is two hours.
As we already mentioned, individuals with a Pisces Ascendant will have Neptune as their chart ruler. This mystical planet, connected with spirituality, the arts and selfless sacrifice will be of utmost importance in the lives of such individuals. Furthermore, this celestial body will have a strong effect on the native’s physical body, vitality and appearance. Their body and self will be affected not only by transits of planets through their Ascendant, but also by transits to their natal Neptune.
In addition, natal aspects of other planets to Neptune, while also its location in a particular house, will play an important role. People with Pisces rising, must take care to empower their Neptune in healthy ways, as its functions will always have a positive or negative effect overall on their chart, touching all their life areas. Neptune is considered to be the planet of illusions, and thus it is very important to keep some balances between the realms of reality and fantasy through proper grounding.
Having Pisces as your Ascendant feels like having planet Neptune in your 1st house. Both Pisces and Neptune have rather ethereal characteristics, acting either as a fog or a mirror – distorting the real image of the person and rather creating an illusion in the eyes of the other people. Such individuals have rather magnetic characteristics, and a hypnotizing aura which can even make them appear somehow non-defined in the subconscious of other individuals.
Other people might find difficulties remembering certain details of a Pisces Ascendant person’s appearance, unless they communicate with them on a frequent basis. Instead, they may have distorted memories about how they look like, or apply to their visual memories characteristics that do not exist in reality, yet are created through the atmosphere that surrounds them and any type of interaction with them.
Curiously enough, people with a Pisces Ascendant do enjoy shifting their style and appearance, or even hiding it. Many individuals with this Rising Sign enjoy dressing up for masquerade events, or even use masks as a type of artistic expression. This of course can have the natural outcome to appear as a pattern in their sexual life too. In addition, such individuals may enjoy cosplay, especially if they are part of subcultures connected with comic books, anime or other thematic series and movies.
Of course, getting into roles is an attribute they enjoy in general – which can even make them good actors even on an amateur level. We should not forget that Neptune is a planet strongly connected with the arts, yet mostly with those parts of it that do not prompt the native to make a career. A Neptunian person becomes an artist only for the sake of experiencing it, not caring a lot about some financial gains or about getting glorified as a public figure.
A Pisces Ascendant creates rather compassionate people, who because of this have faint borders between them and others. They are natural empaths, able to feel the emotions hovering around them – even from people they do not know. These low levels of defence against energies outside them may make Pisces Rising individuals susceptible to manipulation and psychic attacks, or just absorbing negativity from random individuals that might just be sitting near them in a bus or a cafe.
This is why such natives should try to impose more borders between themselves and others, and even pass some time alone once in a while to clear their mind and organism from emotions that actually are not their own, and any other “psychic STD’s”. Of course, they should guard against people who want to use them, as Pisces is a rather passive sign which cannot easily impose “No” as an answer, and generally should dedicate time to reinforce their Ego.
Pisces Rising people are usually shy, as Pisces and Neptune are traditionally ruling the 12th house which represents seclusion. These introversive tendencies though, develop a very deep inner world and aid the expansion of their fantasy. They daydream a lot, and barely have one foot on the ground. This of course can help them develop their abilities in arts – more particularly in the ones that are rather abstract such as poetry and dancing. They have this eerie atmosphere surrounding them, as if they do not belong to our material world but just happen to have a presence here. These characteristics may make them loners and quiet, preferring to be on the edge of groups rather than in the center of attention.
In their relationships, natives with a Pisces Ascendant tend to have the passive role, while also idealizing their partners. Such people tend to be rather romantic, fascinated by the concept of pure selfless love. They have huge capacities of developing emotions, but can get easily disappointed as other signs usually do not reach the same levels of selfless giving. Pisces Rising people though can experience their own fairy-tales, even if the reality is totally different from how they perceive it in their minds.
Pisces Rising people are not famous for having the most robust bodies. Their organisms tend to be a bit fragile, and many times any body issues that appear are not visible due to the veil of fog that the sign applies. This is why Pisces Ascendant people should regularly do check-ups, to prevent any possible hidden problems.
In addition, such people should guard against depression and mental diseases, which can later develop into something more material as the mind is of course connected to the body. In any case, they should abstain as much as they can from alcohol, drugs and even be careful with medication and poisons; all these Neptunian substances can create problems if consumed without being careful. As Pisces rules one’s feet and toes, difficult transits to their Ascendant can have some effect on that part of their bodies.
Their appearance can be of a pale nature, as many times happen when a water sign occupies the Ascendant point. Their characteristics tend to be oval or round, especially concerning their face. Big eyes, with light or even blue colors – that seem to be abstractly looking inside you rather than towards you. They usually have small and beautifully emphasized feet, which can also be a part of their body that is very sensitive to touch. Their height is below average, and there can be tendencies to gain some kilograms especially in the latter stages of their lives.
Always have in mind that any planet present near the Ascendant point will definitely alter both the physical appearance and the characteristics of the native. We could say that in the first 10 degrees of the first house it will have the strongest influence on the Ascendant, 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, in the end, create the unique picture of the individual. Of course, it is possible to have more than one planets (or astrological points/ asteroids) in conjunction with the ascendant – furthermore complicating the big picture. To understand better 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 natal 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 Neptune placement in the houses and signs, 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 Neptune in the 1st house, as it has many similarities to having a Pisces Ascendant.