The first thing that comes to mind when most people think about astrology is probably their sun sign. After all, you often seek up that sign while reading your horoscope or researching the compatibility of your stars with your crush. But if you’re prepared to delve more deeply into your own astrology, it’s critical to comprehend the distinctions between your sun, moon, and rising signs.
Think of your sun, moon, and rising signs as your most important astrological indicators. These are referred to as your “big three” signs in astrology. Each of these three signs controls over a different aspect of your personality and entire self in your birth chart, making them extremely significant. You might think of your rising sign as a representation of your outward self while the sun and moon stand for the essence of who you are.
Astrologer Renée Watt tells Bustle that by getting to know someone’s rising, sun, and moon signs over time, you may “peel back the layers of their psyche.” Typically, you’ll learn about someone’s rising sign first, which serves as something of a social guard. Then, once you’ve earned their trust, their sun sign personality will emerge to welcome you.
Even if you don’t believe in astrology, it won’t be long before someone asks you for your big three, so it’s about time you learned yours. In order to explore your birth chart and get the most of astrology, let’s go through the fundamental definitions and distinctions of sun, moon, and rising signs. Discover more about this significant astrological trio by reading on.
Meaning Of Your Sun Sign: The Center Of Your Individual Solar System
A lady is backlit by the sun and waves her hair. What sign are my sun, moon, and rising? Your top three as
When it comes to traditional astrology, one’s sun signs are by far the most well-known aspect of their birth chart. It’s the only symbol that some folks are familiar with! When someone asks you what your sun sign is or shares their own with you, they often mean one of the many horoscopes that are based on sun signs. The month and date of your birth are typically all you need to determine your sun sign; you can enter these details into an online sun sign calculator to get an exact answer.
The sun sign is highly regarded in astrology for a reason. Your sun sign symbolises the essence of who you are, much as the sun is the centre of our solar system. According to astrology, the sun represents a person’s essential life energy, spirit, mind, and identity in their natal chart, astrologer Ashley Otero tells Bustle. “The sun is the emblem of centeredness, illumination, and life since without it, we would cease to exist,” says the poet. “It is the sole star among the other nine spheres that our Earth mingles with in space.”
Your solar sign governs your sense of self, including your ego, as well as your creativity, vigour, and drive. It speaks to your life’s overarching objectives and lofty ambitions. The sun represents our will and ego. Astrologer Lisa Stardust tells Bustle that it “shows what inspires and drives us, what propels us to achievement.” “Our desires are determined by our sun sign.”
Author Grant Lewi penned the following in his book Astrology For The Millions:
The Sun is who you are, and to be your best self in terms of your Sun is to direct your energies along the path where they will receive the most support from planetary vibrations. You may think, dream, imagine, and hope to be a thousand different things according to your Moon and other planets, but the Sun is who you are.
It seems logical that astrology places more focus on this section of our birth chart as the sun sign is ultimately seen to be our highest manifestation of ourselves. According to Watt, “your sun sign is related with your distinct identity and serves as a reflection of how you show yourself to the world.” The position of the sun in a chart may frequently be used to predict how someone will express themselves and how their creativity will develop.
Your shadow side, based on your moon sign
Let’s leave the warmth of the day and enter the tenderness of the moon-ruled night. Your moon sign in astrology is governed by the moon, just as the moon in the sky rules the night and all that lurks in the shadows. It has to do with the more inward and sensitive aspects of who we are. You’ll need your birth date, year, and, in most cases, the precise birth time to determine your moon sign (including the time zone). Once you know that, you may either use an internet moon sign calculator or see an astrologer to determine which zodiac sign regulates your lunar self.
According to Stardust, “the moon represents the mother/maternal energy in our charts.” It “represents our internalised wants, feelings, and memories—all that we do not share with others.” In other words, the moon in astrology governs your private aspects; consider delicate things like emotional closeness, enduring emotions, and sentimentality. It controls the less obvious aspects of your personality that only your closest friends and family can perceive.
According to Watt, “Moon signs provide us a lot of information on how one behaves intuitively and tell us a lot about how one processes emotions.” Additionally, depending on what element governs your moon sign, the energy of the lunar zodiac might appear in quite different ways. According to Watt, “earth moons typically find comfort via financial security, whereas water moons frequently find comfort through emotional affirmation.” On the other hand, fire and air signs typically experience their happiest times when they are liberated from obligations and allowed to be who they truly are.
The energy of your moon sign is considerably more inward than that of your sun sign. It’s linked to the more private aspect of your nature, which seeks security and comfort before opening out to others.
According to Otero, “the moon symbolises the soul, our emotional responses, and our sense of belonging.” “It fits with the many periods of life, especially the early years when our survival depends on the support of caretakers. The moon thus represents our past, our place of origin, and our comfort zone.
Rising Sign Indicator: You Initially
Your ascendant, also known as your rising sign, is the sign that is always ruled by the first house in your zodiac chart (which is where your birth chart begins). The first of the chart’s four angles, according to Otero, “symbolises the fusion of soul and body.” One of the most important parts of a chart is the rising sign, which is the sign that was on the horizon when you first drew a breath. Your rising sign, however, is unrelated to a planet or a luminary, in contrast to your sun and moon signs. According to Otero, the ascendant is the location of the sun’s daily rise since it is the place where the sky and the earth converge.
Your precise birth date, time, and location are required to determine your rising sign because rising signs shift every two hours on average. This implies that even persons who were born on the same day might have a wide variety of rising signs. Find out your rising sign by retrieving your birth certificate, calling your mother, or using an internet rising sign calculator.
Your rising sign represents the aspects of yourself that are instantly visible on the surface, such as how you come across to others, how you respond to situations spontaneously, how you interact with others, and your general attitude. You may notice that you look or dress more in line with the energy of your rising sign than that of your sun or moon signs. This is because, according to Otero, it represents “the body, its appearance, and the character.” Consider it to be a “first impression” sign. According to Watt, “rising indicators might be the mask we put on when we meet someone new to shield our inner self.” Additionally, it provides information about self-awareness and environment adaptation.
While it’s true that our sun sign is a noticeable and significant component of who we are, your rising sign is really more likely to describe the version of you that people initially perceive. “The ascendant or rising sign is the face we present to the outside world. It’s the face we present to the world,” Stardust explains. People tend to notice the traits of our rising sign more than those of the other signs in our chart, which means that we exhibit more of who we are under this sign. If people seldom attribute you to your sun sign, it’s usually because they’re interpreting the energy of your rising sign.
What Do You Do Now That You Know Your Big 3 Zodiac Signs?
Because there are so many possible combinations of planets, signs, and relationships to take into account, discovering our own astrological make-up can take a lifetime. But the best way to start making sense of it all is to learn your sun, moon, and rising signs. You may get a thorough analysis of your chart by consulting a professional astrologer, but if you’re prepared to put in a little more work, you can also start reading your birth chart at home. You’ll give yourself a strong basis for studying astrology and learning to know your cosmic self by utilising the power of your big three.