How Do I Find My Rising Sign? What Do The Numbers On The Chart Mean?

The picture is of the left side of a standard chart. The planet symbol I’ve circled shows Venus in Scorpio (check your cheat sheet).

The numbers mark the position of Venus in degrees and minutes. If you look closely you will see the degree and the minute symbols next to the numbers. What is circle would be read, “Venus at 16 degrees, 59 minutes of Scorpio.”

Now think. 59 minutes is almost 60 minutes. This means that Venus is at nearly 17 degrees.

This is not horribly important, I just want you to understand what you are seeing. It’s like 11 7/8th inches is almost a foot. I want those numbers to mean something rather than seem arbitrary.

The planet is moving in the sky. A chart is a map of exactly where each planet was when you were born. Keep that in mind. You are alive and so is this chart.

Another common question is how to find the ascendant or the rising sign. First, they are the same thing! You can find your ascendant by checking the the sign on the cusp between the 1st and 12th houses (I circled the numbers).

The line between houses is called a “cusp”.

This chart has a Scorpio rising… or more specifically, the ascendant is 25 degrees, 21 minutes of Scorpio. See it there on the outside?

What is your rising sign, the degrees and minutes?

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