Ascendant

That line before the first house but right after the twelfth house on the left side of the Zodiac wheel is the most critical point in an entire birth chart. It denotes the beginning and the end of our life cycles, the face we show the world, the physical body, and the area where we see the most growth and transformation via transits. It is the realm where we are all born and where we eventually end up dying. This point is the Ascendant, an imaginary line that delineates where the eastern horizon meets the earth the moment we take our first breath.

The sign that is on the Ascendant when you were born is called your rising sign, and it is only possible to know this sign if you have the exact date, time, and location of your birth handy. Your rising sign itself gives clues to the image you present to the world. It is how others see you when they first meet you without having a clue who you really are inside. It can also give people a "first impression" kind of instinct about you; one that is often quite subconscious and not made with any rational judgment.

Book by its cover

In this manner, this sign on the Ascendant is traditionally tasked with providing clues to our physical appearance. You may have heard that Leo rising is regal, Sagittarius is tall, Taurus is beautiful, etc. There is some degree of truth in these claims, though the aspects to the Ascendant tend to influence a person's appearance a bit more than just the sign.

Positive aspects to the Ascendant, such as a Venus or Mars trine or Jupiter conjunction, can make a person traditionally beautiful, alluring, or magnanimous and approachable. Afflictions from Saturn, Pluto, or other planets can do the opposite and cause health issues that persist throughout the life cycle.

The Ascendant is also a very important point on the chart for transiting planets to cross, for this indicates the end of one cycle and the beginning of another relative to its journey through the twelve houses. This is where the life and death reputation of the Ascendant comes in. The end of the twelfth house represents our journey out of this realm, and the beginning of the first house is like a new baby being born.

Your avatar

How you come across to others in the world is undergoing a transformation under transits from Chiron, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, luto and Eris. Sometimes this can even be seen in a change of hairstyle, appearance, or presentation. This is especially the case with Uranus, which likes to encourage normally more traditional people to dress in a counterculture manner, pierce body parts or get tattoos. Unless that is the style, in which Uranus will just encourage the opposite.

The Ascendant is our avatar in the world, in a sense. It is the shell we show to others, and this shell is malleable. It cannot be overstated how important the masks we show the world are in also affecting our inner character. If we are presenting an image of confidence but feel broken inside, this disparate nature can be spiritually crippling. If we are acting standoffish but wondering why people do not want to be close with us, this can cause a rift between ourselves and the world, and our greatest gifts may never see the light of day.