Journaling Prompts for Exploring Your Rising Sign
Your rising sign (also called your ascendant) is the zodiac sign that was coming up over the horizon when you took your first breath. It’s one of the major markers of personality in your astrology chart and describes the way you present yourself and how other people perceive you. It also describes how you navigate through life in general and may reveal everything from how you make big life decisions to how you start your day.
Your rising sign marked your grand entrance into the world, and it informs every other entrance you make too. Walking into a party? That’s your ascendant. Meeting someone for the first time? That’s your ascendant. Starting something new? That’s your ascendant.
You can read all kinds of things about what it means to be an Aquarius rising, or a Capricorn rising, or a Pisces rising, but I think it’s more powerful (and accurate) when you define it yourself.
Grab a journal and explore the following prompts. Don’t think too much about your answers, and try not to fit them into things you may already know about your rising sign. Go with what comes up first. (Initial reactions are also your ascendant.)
What are three things you hope people feel when they interact with you?
When making a big life decision, what’s your process? For example, are you a planner or do you fly by the seat of your pants?
When starting something fresh, how do you approach it?
When you receive new information, how do you process it?
When met with a new opportunity, what’s your kneejerk reaction?
Now, reread your answers and underline any key phrases or repeating themes and words. This is how you express your rising sign. Your answers may or may not match pop astrology descriptions. And that’s great. Why? Because real astrology is nuanced. Trust yourself. You can’t do your rising sign “wrong.”
Pro tip: One thing that may really set your answers apart from mainstream descriptions is if you have a planet in the first house, especially a planet conjunct your ascendant degree. For example, a Libra rising with Pluto on the ascendant may express very differently from a Libra rising with no planets on the ascendant. To get more information about how this planet may flavor your personality and life direction, connect with it in planet channeling.