Understanding Your Child's Rising Sign

Note: the rising sign is NOT the same as the sun sign. The rising sign is the zodiac sign that was on the horizon when a person was born.

Knowing your child’s rising sign can be a wonderful way to better understand them. Whereas your child’s sun sign indicates their life path and true self, your child’s rising sign indicates how he or she interacts the world, what their focus in life is, and how they try to relate to people around them. These two signs (or if the child was born at dawn, then they will be the same signs!) blend together to create your child’s unique temperament.

To find your child’s rising sign, you will usually need to know exactly what time your child was born. If you know your child’s birth time, go to a free astrology service like www.astro.com to enter in your child’s birth date and place, and it will tell you what the child’s ascendant or rising sign is.

Remember that the rising sign will be strongly affected or changed by these things: 1. Their sun sign and moon sign 2. The placement of their ruling planet (I have listed the ruling planets below) by sign and house 3. and any planets aspecting the ascendant in the child’s chart.

Aries Rising

These children are ruled by Mars, the planet of war and passion– and they are headstrong and independent. Bright, eager and full of energy, they tend to assert themselves confidently, sometimes acting before really thinking. They need lots of fun and stimulation and may have trouble sitting down and listening. These children often have tempers. They love sports and active games and are competitive, so you can usually engage their cooperation with a challenge and plenty of outlets for energy. These children benefit from the discipline and challenge of sports activities, and can be soothed by a harmonious and peaceful home life. Teach them to use their abundant energy to challenge themselves and buoy others, for there bouncy and usually optimistic energy can be a bright spot to lift other people’s spirits.

Taurus Rising

These children are ruled by the planet Venus. They do not like to be rushed. They are not fond of change. They like time to adjust to new ideas and routines slowly. They are often musical and artistic in a quiet, methodical way. They are not flashy or dramatic, but they can be very stubborn and tend to dig their heels in when pushed. On the flipside of this, these kids really stick with things more than most. They are generally willing to put the work in to achieve their goals. The key to engaging their cooperation is respecting their need to secure one position before moving on the the next. Transitional objects and rituals are very helpful. These children tend to be loyal and reliable and often make good babysitters. They benefit from the security of feeling a sense of “having enough” in their lives, which helps them feel relaxed.

Gemini Rising

These children, ruled by Mercury, are bookish and sharp and playful. They may be sarcastic or dry and often speak very articulately for their age. They often seem a little unusual, something a little bit more grown-up about them. They require independence or else they will assert it through mischief. If you want to develop a strong relationship with your Gemini Rising child, talk to her about what she is reading, and about what you are reading, and about the world around her, and give her freedom to roam in her social circles. She is always eager to soak up knowledge. These children benefit from being grounded with high ideals and a sense of adventure about the world around them. Help them use their book smarts to make lofty goals and let them accomplish them at their own pace. They are likely to change their minds frequently but this is part of the learning process for a Gemini Rising. Sometimes these children can seem a little cold but they need cuddles and hugs as much as anyone.

Cancer Rising

These children are ruled by the moon and their moods may seem to change with the moon phases. They are usually gentle and sweet and also tend to be shy and reserved at first. Sometimes they may be shy and reserved even with their own family. Other times they are goofy. They are very sensitive and will withdraw into a chilly, dignified silence if they feel offended, which may be often. But they are easily drawn out again by sincere kindness and affection. These children are very family-oriented. They are usually very bonded to their parents and the things they learn from their parents in childhood will continue to have a huge affect on their lives as they go through their adult lives, more so than for other risings signs, because Cancer Rising’s tend to romanticize and cling to the past. These children, boys and girls, love babies and tend to be wonderful and responsible big brothers and sisters. Music and arts, especially photography, will help them find an outlet for their grumpier moods.

Leo Rising

These children, ruled by the sun, are proud and have a sense of nobility. They also have a dramatic flair and some may act as though they are constantly in the spotlight: they usually are. These children tend to be popular and become natural leaders among their peers. Boys or girls, they are very aware of their image and may change their outfits frequently or fuss with their hair quite a bit. This is not because they are vain (although they may be), but because they are very visually sensitive to the impression that their manner and appearance makes. They can be easily encouraged to be generous and helpful and responsible by appealing to their high standards of personal conduct. But they are also much more sensitive than they seem– be sure to offer plenty of validation! You will engage their cooperation by being respectful and allowing them to explore their artistic outlets. They benefit from being encouraged to not be afraid to experiment and be themselves, and by encouraging them to use their popularity to champion positive causes.

Virgo Rising

These gentle children are polite and soft-spoken and are the most helpful of all. They may be timid and prone to worries and low self-image. They spend a lot of time analyzing things and trying to figure out how they work or how they could work better. They are worriers: very concerned about the welfare of others and for themselves, may worry more than other children about “fitting in”. They feel any little criticisms more keenly than other children do, as they tend to be perfectionists. They benefit from feeling connected to nature, which helps ground them. Be sure to support their all-around health rather than demand a certain standard of behavior, because focusing on their behavior only enforces their tendency to perfectionism. These children, who may be frequent hand-washers, benefit from learning to feel at peace with all elements of nature, including “germs”. They are able to relax when they feel unconditionally loved and accepted. They tend to be drawn to dreamy romantic or mysterious games and stories.

Libra Rising

These children, ruled by graceful Venus, often appear very peaceful and soft and lovely. They are generally very well-liked because they are so sweet and thoughtful. They are ruled by their sense of harmony, justice and aesthetics and in a happy environment, seem to float through life as little peacemakers, trying to right every wrong and make the spaces around them look “just so.” But they are easily disturbed by injustice or dischord, and if their environment is in any way chaotic, they will be very argumentative and oppositional and obstinate. They will seem genuinely offended by the offense of a “lived-in” looking house while at the same time feeling perhaps too relaxed to keep their own room picked-up and neat! They can be best guided by appealing to their sense of justice and harmony. Their grumpy moods can be softened by creating an environment with soft sounds and good smells. Because they tend to have a very relaxed pace of living, they benefit from a parenting style that includes a lot of gentle but firm cheerleading and peppy energy.

Scorpio Rising

These are the most strong-willed children of the zodiac. Ruled by Pluto, the planet of destruction and rebirth, they can grow up to become great agents of change in society if they learn to be at peace with their own powerful energy. You will rarely worry about them “getting theirs” in life. Instead you find yourself worrying about the people who may fall in their path. Don’t worry too much– you still have time to soften the Scorpio Rising child’s ways. They tend to be territorial and possessive but they are confident and assertive. They actually enjoy engaging in power struggles and they tend to win them, too– even (or especially) with their parents. They benefit greatly from learning healthy boundaries in a kind and gentle way, by having their parents and caregivers model cooperatively solving problems so that everyone can be happy. This is key. These children are charismatic and charming, even as babies. They are unusually emotionally savvy for their age and good at reading people– you would do well to trust their instincts. Deep down under their strong and sometimes domineering exterior is a fear that there won’t be enough for them. A strong and constant assurance of unconditional love helps them learn to relax a little. They are usually soothed by gentle physical touches like hugs, cuddles, massages and playing with their hair.

Sagittarius Rising

These children, ruled by fun and magnanimous Jupiter, are the most playful and silly and may enjoy playing the clown. They loves jokes, gags and tricks, so watch out! These children may tend to come across as rude or uncoordinated at times due to their higher priorities of adventure and gaiety. They are also outspoken and opinionated and usually don’t mind telling you exactly what they think. They do prioritize learning though, if you can get them to stop and listen for a minute, and are often eager to pursue dreams of higher education, travel and general adventure. To secure their cooperation, inspire them with a sense of adventure. They can also be encouraged with an appeal to their strong sense of integrity. It is very important to Sagittarius Risings to “do the right thing”. The wise parents will help them understand the need to trust other’s to know what is right for them, and not be judgmental– and to stop and listen sometimes. Read to them frequently and have lots of conversations about philosophy and the world at large.

Capricorn Rising

These children, ruled by responsible, hardworking Saturn, tend to be reserved and proper. Like Leo Risings, they are very conscious of their images, but unlike their Leo Rising peers, they do not desire to stand out but to fit in. They are generally impressed with rules and authority and so tend to be obedient and docile and helpful. Like Cancer Risings, they make good big brothers and sisters, if not always the most FUN babysitters. But you can certainly count on them to be safe and follow the rules, so that’s something every parent should appreciate! These children can be encouraged by gentle nurturing and love to feel secure enough to let loose and have some fun. They need to be assured that they are enough as they are, and that they don’t need to prove anything to be good enough. They also need to feel very safe in order to bring out their best. They can be encouraged in their life ambitions by respecting their time and desire to study or work on their various projects. With a strong family support system, these children are likely to accomplish much in their lives.

Aquarius Rising

Ruled by rebellious Uranus, there is usually something about these children that seems different. These children just don’t fit in, and unlike Virgo or Capricorn Rising, they usually don’t mind one little bit. If raised in a secure home environment, they enjoy and celebrate being “weird” and love to ruffle other people’s feathers! These children tend to be progressive and idealistic from a young age. They really need to rebel against something, so if they are happy at home, they will rebel against injustices in the world. They tend to be revolutionary and original in their thinking and ahead of their time. They often have a special talent with science, electric things and/or computers. They have a wide range of friends and are usually very socially connected, or should be. They feel most secure with a strong parental influence who respects their individuality, guiding them confidently at home. This allows them to take their places as leaders of change in the world. Remember that they need to be given lots of room for self-direction or else their energy will be dissipated in rebelliousness.

Pisces Rising

There is something ethereal about these gentle children who seem not-quite-of-this world. Ruled by dreamy Neptune, they tend to be soft-spoken and retiring and strangely enchanting. They often have moments of generosity and selflessness that will melt your heart. They are drawn to  mystic and mysterious things and do best when grounded by nature and numbers and routines. Their tendency is to just kind of float along through life, being sweet and caring but not necessarily “all there”. They will just tune-out if you try to pin them down, though, so don’t push. They don’t like definite plans and prefer to keep their options open. Help them feel secure with a dependable daily routine but when it comes to the future, just encourage them to dream. They benefit from learning firm boundaries for asserting themselves so that they don’t escape into self-destructive activities. However, their imagination and daydreaming should be encouraged, as it is their way of finding their direction in life.