What is the Ascendant?
The Ascendant is the name given to the zodiacal sign found on the beginning (or the cusp) of the 1st House which traditional astrologers called the House of Life. In a horoscope, its location corresponds to the 9 o'clock position on a clock face. (Figure 1) The particular sign a person has on their Ascendant is based not only on their birthdate but also their birth time. This is why the time of birth is so very important for the Astrologer.
Astronomically, the Ascendant is the name given to that point where the ecliptic intersects with the eastern point of the local horizon. In antiquity, the Greeks called this point the horoskópos or horoscope which later on came to be the term associated with the chart as a whole. (Its astronomical relationship to the celestial sphere is discussed in a current online article. See the website's Guest Writer area)
What is its importance?
We have already mentioned in lesson 2 that the Ascendant is the most important consideration in the horoscope and symbolizes the most individual and unique part of a person. To stress its value, we say that it is about 80% of the horoscope! First and foremost, the Ascendant is the body, the physical constitution with its natural predisposition. It is also the psychological organization of the person, the mask of habitual reactions that stand between the outside environment and the internal and subjective private world of a person.
From the viewpoint of observation, the Ascendant is defined as the range of reactions by the person to the environment. A person will respond to and be characterized by the affairs associated with the zodiacal sign on the Ascendant. It will be those affairs that will always be in the back of the person's head; it is their ambience. In our example horoscope (figure 3), the person has Cancer rising, which corresponds to the Zodiac’s Fourth Sign (figure 2). The Fourth Sign, Cancer, is the sign connected with the home, parents and family and the past in general, and as a consequence, these affairs are always going to be important life long to the person with Cancer rising.
The person will respond to and behave according to the affairs connected with the Fourth Sign. Through the character of the sign, the person is naturally predisposed to react towards the environment in accordance to its nature. Thus, our first task will be to understand why Cancer, which is a feminine sign, is so important for our example horoscope.
The Role of Gender vis-à-vis the Zodiacal Signs.
Before we start the study of any horoscope, we always ask ourselves three important questions: Is the chart that of a man or a woman? How old is the person? What is their social or cultural background? These factors along with other anthropological considerations will condition how the person reacts to the environment. This is the meaning of Aristotle's maxim, "The stars and man generate man" (Physics, Book 2, Section 7) .
For the purpose of this lesson, we are only going to consider the first point, the question of gender. Why is this issue of gender so important? In a phrase, it is gender confusion. There is always a danger of an overreaction to the environment when it comes to the issue of behavior. Some signs of the zodiac are too masculine for a woman while other signs are too feminine for a man. In a general way, a woman with an Aries or Sagittarius Ascendant - both very masculine signs - will complain that she does not feel feminine enough, or that she cannot fall in love, or that she is too freedom loving. Similarly, a man with Cancer or Taurus rising, both feminine signs, will feel very maternal, nurturing, or feel lacking in athletic ability or interest. Such a person would rather be cooking, working in a garden, or doing some activity that allows him to bring out his feminine side.
Most societies, including so-called progressive ones, expect men and women to conform to traditional gender roles. This single consideration - a person being of opposite gender to their Ascendant sign, i.e., a man having a feminine Ascendant - will create feelings of inadequacy. This can lead to issues of poor self-image and problems with self-esteem. Further on in the lesson, we will see how the man whose horoscope we are going to analyze suffers by this consideration.
We have to recognize that the issue of a zodiacal sign going against the gender of the person influences the outlook of the person from birth onwards and without some form of intervening education will continue to create problems lifelong. An explanation of this phenomena of gender confusion, requires that we consider the factors that constitute the zodiacal signs.
Division of the Zodiacal Signs by Polarity.
While we can analyze the signs in terms of their orientation (Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable) or their element (Fire, Air, Water, Earth), it is the division by polarity (Masculine or Feminine) that is the most basic and important consideration. Six signs are masculine and six signs are feminine. Regardless of what we know or may say about the character of any of the twelve signs individually, in general, six act and six react. The masculine (or odd-numbered) signs are active, expressive, spontaneous, assertive, and are able to start an action. The feminine (or even-numbered) signs are reactive, impressed, and defensive. They respond much more strongly to the environment than the masculine signs but being reactive does not imply weakness. One only need consider that Capricorn, Scorpio, and Taurus are among the strongest signs. The difficulty lies in reacting even when one does not want to react.
Among the group of six feminine signs, some are unusually reactive. In particular, the signs of Cancer and Taurus are very very feminine. Both signs come under the rulership of the Moon. The Moon is the natural ruler of the sign of Cancer and is said to be in Domicile or "at home" in that sign. The Moon is also said to be exalted in Taurus. Exaltation is a technical term used in Astrology to denote purity of a planetary influence. Exaltation of a planet is like the grand reward of a person being received and honored by a king. When a planet is said to be exalted in a particular sign, it means that the sign in which it is placed permits the nature of the planet to come out in its purity. The sympathetic relationship of the Moon with these two signs is the explanation to their femininity; their natural behavior is analogous to the Moon’s behavior.
Just as the Sun in Astrology represents the masculine principle, so the Moon represents the feminine principle. Cancer and Taurus express most directly and immediately what we experience and recognize as feminine. These signs, like the Moon, are highly reactive, very feminine, emotional, nurturing, loving, and security conscious as a response to the environment. Constitutionally, Cancer is not a strong or vital sign but its outlook on life a very serious sign whose goal is the creation of life and for that, they need a life partner and a home. The sign of Taurus is completely sympathetic to these feminine values.
The explanation to gender confusion lies in the need to understand what role exaggeration plays in a horoscope. Recall that we said that the Ascendant is 80% of the entire chart. It's not just the fact that the man whose horoscope we will study has Cancer rising, it's the fact that the sign is connected with the most important part of the entire horoscope. By virtue of having a feminine sign rising, we have predisposed the man to normal healthy feelings, but with the understanding that the need is exaggerated. The extent of the needs is too great and raises the issue of what role exaggeration plays in a horoscope.
The Role of Exaggeration.
Every time we use the word "too" or "very" when we describe something, we are expressing the idea of exaggeration. The danger of "too much" is that there could be too little of something else. For example, when we consider the idea of femininity and say that there is too much femininity, we also are implying that there is too little masculinity. If there is too little masculinity, a man will not feel independent enough, that he cannot express his will strongly enough on the environment.
This issue of femininity is not an issue for a woman as it does not go against the expectations of society. In a society that prizes independence, masculinity, aggressiveness, and other qualities as an ideal for a man, too much femininity is a problem as it goes against expectations. If the man cannot find an outlet or profession to express those needs, there will be problems. Therein lies the danger for exaggeration to destroy.
Example Horoscope (See FIGURE 3)
When we review this man’s background, we learn that he has experienced illness and other tremendous difficulties in childhood, and later on in adulthood, serious relationship problems with women. Knowing what Cancer represents and the importance it gains in a horoscope when it's found on the Ascendant, we start to get a glimpse into the basis for this man’s misfortunes.
The Necessity to Prioritize Values.
When it comes to interpretation, we have to prioritize our considerations in terms of importance. The guideline is, "What you mention first is more important than what you mention second and what you mention second is more important than what you mention third, and so on."
The first image we have of the person comes from the Ascendant. Everything you mention thereafter is either going to reinforce or modify or mitigate this initial impression we have gained from the Ascendant. Whether a person is going to be doing well in life or not, depends to a great extent on the character and potency of the Ascendant.
We start an interpretation at the Ascendant.
The initial goal of interpretation is to get a basic impression of the person and this image comes from observing the sign found on the Ascendant.
In practice, to understand the behavior of a person, we have to know more than just the Ascendant’s sign. The Ascendant is only one half of a story. To know how a sign functions, we have to look at nature of the planet that rules the Ascendant as well as the sign in which that planet is placed. The Cancer Ascendant in this example horoscope (figure 3) is ruled by the Moon. The Moon represents everything that is feminine, and this femininity will be governed by or at the disposal of the sign in which it is placed. This means the person’s temperament, character, emotional behavior, physical constitution, etc. will be modified and very much controlled by Taurus, the sign in which the Moon is placed.
We now have to ask ourselves two further questions. Where is the Ruler of the Ascendant posited, first by house position and second, by sign position? This will give us very important additional information about the person.
The Ruler of the Ascendant.
The Ruler of the Ascendant or First House in another house always determines the life and habits of the person in the direction characterized by the affairs of the house where the ruler is found. In this case, we see that the Moon is physically placed in the 11th house, the house connected with friends and also hopes and wishes. This means that the person has and will continue to have lifelong, a great interest in 11th house affairs.
But we can look at the placement of the ruler of his Ascendant from another point of view. It's in his 11th house, but how do other people which are represented by his 7th house, experience the ruler of his Ascendant? We can also say, that his Moon is in the 5th house, the house of love, of the 7th house, the other people. (This concept of counting houses from another house in a chart is called derivations. It's a marvelous and amazing technique which we will discuss in a later lesson.)
If the Moon as ruler of his Ascendant is in the 5th house of the 7th (his 11th house), it means that he has a great need to be the love interest (their 5th house) of other people (7th house).
Second, we see that by sign position, the Moon is posited in Taurus, a sign that is analogous in nature with the Moon. We know the Moon represents the feminine principle in general and that Taurus is the most feminine sign in the Zodiac. By this consideration of the ruler's sign position, we have increased the idea of femininity
Building the image through Repetition.
As the general significator of femininity, the Moon, also happens to be the particular Ruler of the Ascendant in this horoscope, we have an additional consideration that strengthens our impression of this person’s femininity. By this combination, we have to ask ourselves if the person will now feel more masculine or more feminine? Naturally, the person will feel more feminine.
The Ruler's Placement Relative to the Horizon.
What other important information do we gain by observing the house position of the Ruler of the Ascendant? House meanings aside, in a more general way, we see that the Ruler of the Ascendant is above the Horizon, in a house that is next the 10th house the house that holds the highest position in a chart. Why is this significant? If the ruler of the Ascendant or the First House is above the Horizon, it gives the person a feeling that they are above the others and contrary-wise, if the ruler is below the Horizon, it makes the person feel below the others. In a way a ruler placed high in a chart gives pride. How is this observation of the Ruler’s high placement in the chart a repetition of an earlier observation?
The Importance of Repetition.
The Moon is exalted in Taurus. When the Ruler of the Ascendant is exalted, it gives the person a feeling of being superior and special. This feeling combines very nicely with the elevated position of the Ruler which not only adds pride but also makes the person feel important.
As the person feels very feminine and his Ruler is in the 11th house, it means that he depends completely on his friends, reacting very strongly to them, and that they will always play an important part in his life. It also means as we have already said, that he has a great need to be the love interest (their 5th house) of other people (7th house).
Does Femininity Cause Life's Misfortunes.
We know that the man is feminine and as a consequence, he reacts strongly to the environment but this is certainly not an explanation to his suffering. Many men and women have very feminine horoscopes but do not undergo such misfortunes. Femininity is not a cause of misfortune; it only predisposes the person to react more strongly to the environment. That is not the cause of his misfortune. It is the exaggerated influence of something that destroys.
Aspects to the Ascendant and the Ruler of the Ascendant.
Our analysis of the Ascendant is not yet complete. Not only do we have to consider the sign rising and its ruler; we also must observe what planets send aspects to the Ascendant and to the Ruler of the Ascendant. This consideration will give us a more accurate picture and fuller understanding of the person’s behavior and misfortunes.
Can One Planet be an explanation of this man's suffering?
In this example, we want to determine the extent and strength of Saturn’s influence on the Ascendant, that is Saturn's impact on the life of this person. The question we have to ask ourselves is, can the influence of Saturn be the cause and the explanation of this person's misfortune both in terms of health and relationships?
The Ways a Planet influences the Ascendant.
A planet can influence a house in four possible ways. In order of importance, the greatest impact of a planet is by physical position, then by its rulership over a particular house or another planet, then by aspect to another point in the horoscope or other planets, and finally by Ricochet. The word Ricochet as used in Astrology is a technical term. It means the following; wherever you find a planet in a chart, automatically the planet also influences the opposite point in the chart. For example, if the planet Jupiter is found in Aries, Jupiter would automatically influence the opposite point in Zodiac, which is Libra.
Is Saturn the cause of this man's misfortune?
We can see that the planet Saturn is not conjunct, that is, not physically near the Ascendant or even physically placed in the First House. We can also see that Saturn does not rule the First House. So, by our four considerations of the influence of a planet on a house, the first two considerations, influence by position and influence by rulership, do not apply. Let's now look at the third consideration, the influence of a planet by aspect to an important point or another planet in a chart.
An aspect is a specific angular distance between two points. For example, if the planet Jupiter is 120 degrees of arc away from the Ascendant, it is said that Jupiter TRINES (see figure 4) the Ascendant. An aspect not only modifies the behavior of the person according to the nature of the planet sending the aspect, it also raise the issue of QUANTITY. One of the goals of this lesson is to measure quantity, that is, how much of a specific planetary influence impacts a particular part of a horoscope?
Saturn's influence on the Ascendant by aspect.
We always have to measure the sharpness or exactness of an aspect to important points in a chart. In our example horoscope (figure 3), we see that the planet Saturn sends a sharp trine aspect to the Ascendant. As the Ascendant is positioned at 13 degrees Cancer 42 minutes and Saturn is placed at 15 degrees Scorpio 54', Saturn is only 2° 12' of arc from an exact trine to the Ascendant. Influence of a planet on the Ascendant by aspect is also considered to be very important and as a consequence has a profound effect on the physical constitution and personality of the individual.
You may point out that Saturn is not the planet which most closely aspects the Ascendant; this distinction belongs to Venus which is only 1°02' of arc from forming an exact trine to the Ascendant and so should have the greatest impact on the Ascendant. This is a correct if we went no further in our analysis but the quantitative influence of a planet is not only determined by the usual four considerations of physical position, rulership, aspect, or ricochet. These are the four ways a planet can influence a house with physical position having the greatest influence, but we can yet increase the impact of a planet in an additional way.
Impact by Repetition.
The increase in the quantitative impact of a planet can also be had by repetition. The more times you can connect the same planetary influence to a point in a horoscope, the greater will be the impact of that planet on the life of the person.
We can see that Saturn sends an opposition aspect (see figure 4) to the Moon which has the dual role of being the Ruler of the Ascendant and also the indicator of the person’s instinctual needs.
We know that the Moon is swifter in motion than the slower moving Saturn, so the opposition is approaching exactness. The Moon is moving from 11 Taurus 49 to 11 Taurus 50 and at 15 degrees Taurus 54 minutes, the Moon would be only 4° 5' of arc from an exact opposition of Saturn at 15 Scorpio 54. Remember the rule, "Exactness confers intensity". By this approaching exact aspect, the planet Saturn has an enormous impact on the Moon. Saturn's influence on the psychology and health of the man is due not only to its elemental qualities but also to its heaviness. Among the 10 planets, the Moon is considered to be the lightest, most subtle, and most easily influenced of all the bodies while Saturn is considered to be very heavy and ponderous.
Furthermore, we can add one additional influence of Saturn on the Ascendant. Among the major aspect forms, the opposition aspect is analogous in nature to Saturn. Therefore, we see that Saturn impacts the Ascendant three times. First by sending a trine aspect to it, next, by opposing the Moon, ruler of the Ascendant, and lastly, by virtue of an opposition to the Ascendant's ruler, which is analogous to Saturn.
Before we add our final comments about Saturn concerning the great importance of its opposition to the Moon, let’s recall what each of these bodies represents.
What do the Moon and Saturn represent?
The Moon represents our constitution, its durability and disposition to diseases and secondly, our instincts, our so-called second nature. The Moon is connected with habit formation, memory, and in a general way, our instinctual needs. (There is a very intimate interrelationship that exists between the Moon and the Ascendant, which the ancients called the Trutina Hermetis. We will discuss this consideration at length at another point but it is the explanation for giving the Moon such great importance when it comes to health and other issues.)
If someone would ask you why do you want to eat when you are hungry, how would you answer? You would say, you want to eat because hunger hurts. It’s the same with the Moon. The Moon shows your wants and what will satisfy the Moon’s hunger. And what does Saturn represent?
We know that the constructive side of Saturn gives concentration, foresight, goal setting, discipline, responsibility, ambition, and so on. It is also the planet of the realist and the pessimist. For Saturn, there is no joy in life. It is also the planet of limitation and every manner of block and obstacle. Even the best Saturn sees only limitations.
The negative side of Saturn will be to bring excessive pressure to bear on a situation and to restrict or squeeze in some destructive way or fashion. Saturn is the planet of survival that is expressed as the instinctual reaction to plan and set future goals for the sake of security. Everybody needs some influence of Saturn in his or her life then without it, survival for the person would become questionable.
Some of the more negative common reactions to the excessive influence of Saturn are anxiety, frustration, hardship, insurmountable obstacles, and slow-developing difficult-to-cure sicknesses that in time destroy life. Those who are too much under the influence of Saturn lose all joy and have a very hopeless outlook on life. The influence can go so far as to make death look more attractive than life.
The opposition of a heavier body such as Saturn to a lighter one like the Moon has the ability to push away and delay the latter's progress. Saturn will suppress the needs of the Moon. It will harm the Moon's normal instinctual needs to create life and introduce an exaggerated fear about life. It creates deep feelings of insecurity and a compulsive need to be perfect.
Final points about the influence of Saturn.
Observe that Saturn is placed in the Fifth House, the House of Pleasure and Children and it also rules over the Seventh House, the House of Partnerships as the sign of Capricorn placed on the Seventh House cusp is ruled by Saturn.
Recall that we mentioned that a planet can influence four ways, viz. physical position, rulership, aspect, and ricochet. Saturn not only sends a trine aspect to the Ascendant, but as Saturn by nature is a destroyer of life and placed in his Fifth House, the house connected with pleasures, it denies or obstructs or eventually destroys the affairs of that house. Moreover, as Saturn also rules over the Seventh House, we can combine the meanings of the Seventh and Fifth Houses and say that other people in general are the cause of his unhappiness. They block him or refuse to cooperate with him as Saturn is in his 5th in opposition to the Moon, the ruler of the Ascendant in the 11th, or the 5th of the 7th. For his part, Saturn's trine to the Ascendant and its placement in the 5th House promote an inability to trust and to communicate with others out of fear. This makes intimacy very difficult.
How is Saturn received by the Ascendant?
Saturn sends a trine aspect to the Ascendant in Cancer. This means that Saturn is received by Cancer in its detriment. If we want to get a deeper understanding of his psychology, we have to ask the following question. How does he receive or react to Saturn's influence? We can use the metaphor of water being frozen by cold to explain his poor reaction to Saturn's influence. The coldness of Saturn will freeze the water of Cancer. This will bring anxiety, isolation, and mistrust. It will bring difficulties in handling human relations.
We have now exposed the primary causes that have contributed to his misfortune and all our additional comments about this horoscope will either reinforce or mitigate this gloomy diagnosis.
Synthesizing the different considerations.
Let's summarize the reason why we give such a negative interpretation. When it comes to interpretation, seldom will one consideration alone acting in isolation destroy life to such a degree that the person cannot function or have some joy in life. What destroys is exaggeration which in this case is represented through repetition. There is the repeated influence of Saturn on the most delicate and easily influenced part of the horoscope. From this systematic observation of the chart, we are able to diagnose and deduct a gloomy prognosis.
We have demonstrated how the man’s predisposition and the very powerful influence of Saturn on the most important part of a chart forms the basis of his past misfortunes and promises a bleak and dismal forecast for the future. We see how the very exaggerated influence of Saturn combined with a sensitive disposition has created so much unhappiness.
Whatever else we may say about this horoscope, whatever else life may bring this person, whatever else this person chooses to do, it will always be conditioned by the impact of Saturn. This person will always look at life, at circumstance, at the future, through the eyes of one unduly influenced by Saturn. There is no joy for this person; whatever this person does in life will be a suffering.
Even should all the other considerations in his chart be excellent, they will always have to be seen in context with these original considerations. They could never overwhelm these first and most important impressions. In this horoscope, the man has his Sun beautifully placed in Sagittarius and its ruler Jupiter in the sign of Cancer which is excellent, but we have seen that his Sun sign does not in any possible way reflect his life to date. It is weakly placed in a cadent house and not connected to the Ascendant and thus does not receive its benefits.
FINAL NOTE
The choice of this horoscope was deliberate. Some people might wonder why did we pick such an unfortunate horoscope to analyze. Why did we not pick a cheerful successful individual's chart? The reason is simple. For the beginner student, the interpretation of this horoscope is easy. This horoscope was not chosen with the intent to gawk at the misfortune of another but, like the first year medical student who must take his or her first pathology course, to demonstrate the virulence of malignancy (in this case from Saturn) on a sensitive soul.
The value of this horoscope for a student is that all the considerations go in one direction. It's the repeated frequency of the same considerations that allow an easy interpretation. With advancing experience, the example horoscopes will be more difficult as the student will see that for every negative thing in a particular chart, they will also detect something that is very good. This is what makes judgment difficult. The only solution to this situation is exposure to a greater number and broader range horoscopes combined with continual practice. With more experience, the student gains an ever more subtle eye to differences which allow more accurate interpretation.
END