What your sun, moon and rising sign really means
Words: Emma Vidgen //@emma_vee
Imagery: Christal Yuen // Unsplash
Ever felt like you’re a Cancer in Capricorn clothing? There’s a reason we don’t all clearly fit into the cookie cutter definitions of the zodiac – because each one of us has every sign in our chart. Mind-blowing, right?
Any astrologer worth their ephemeris will tell you there’s so much more to your cosmic makeup than what you might get dipping in and out of your regular horoscope.
Short of going to get your chart read (which we highly recommend doing), a good place to start is finding out your moon and rising sign (also known as the Ascendant). You can cast your chart for free here but you will need to know your time of birth. OK but what does it all mean we hear you ask? We asked astrologer Jules Ferrari to break it down for us…
What your sun sign says about you
Your sun sign reflects the essence of who you are. “The sun sign is essentially the life force, it’s like the CEO of the personality – so everything you do is filtered through that sign,” says Jules. If you don’t feel an affinity with your sun sign, don’t stress. Often it’s the sign we evolve into throughout our life, and it isn’t always necessarily an easy road – take it from a very untidy Virgo sun! “It’s the core of who you are. So if you’re not living out your sun sign attributes that’s when it can feel you’re off course or depressed.”
What your moon sign says about you
In astrology, the moon represents the emotions. Whatever sign your moon falls in gives a clue of your own personal perspective on life. “The moon is the emotional self, it’s our habits, it can be our early childhood, it’s our memories,” says Jules. Think about it as the sign that shows how your process emotions. For example, you may be a Virgo sun, but with a Libra moon your internal dialogue is preoccupied with keeping the peace and making sure the people around you are happy. “I see it as our emotional intelligence and it’s how we develop psychologically through an emotional standpoint throughout our lives,” says Jules.
“The sun sign is essentially the life force, it’s like the CEO of the personality”
What your rising sign says about you
Your rising sign (aka the ascendant) reflects how you project yourself to the world. It can manifest in the way you come across personality-wise and even in your physical appearance.
“The ascendant is the sign that is rising in the horizon at the time you were born,” explains Jules. “It’s your outer identity, how you’re physically perceived by others.” If you’re an armchair astrologer like us (no judgement!) and you’ve tried to pick someone’s sign when you first met them, often it’s their rising sign that you’re likely to figure out.