How Your Sun, Moon and Rising Zodiac Sign Affect Your Personality

When our body enters the world, we’re left with an energetic imprint from the moment we were born. How the planets aligned around you when you took your first breath say a lot about how you will behave, what your personal challenges will be, and what you’ll be like in relationships.

Often we think that our star sign (Sun sign) totally encapsulates our personality — but astrologers are crying out for us to pay more attention to our Moon and Rising sign too. Our Sun sign is important and usually, most people resonate closely with theirs, but it only influences one dimension of our personality.

It’s the combination of these 3 astrological pinpoints — our Sun, Moon and Rising sign — which can give a better picture of how you’re likely to express yourself through your personality.

This is the one you probably already know!

For example, I was born on 12th May which makes me a Taurus. Our Sun sign is the most well-known because it reflects our outward identity and who we think we are at our core. It can explain a lot of our habits and mannerisms, as well as being an indicator of how we like to express ourselves and recharge our energy.

• Sun in Air signs — Libra, Gemini, Aquarius — express intellectually & recharge by thinking and talking
• Sun in Fire signs — Aries, Leo, Sagittarius — express through goals and aspirations & recharge with physical activity
• Sun in Earth signs — Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn — express through the material world & recharge through the physical senses
• Sun in Water signs — Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces — express through emotions & recharge through emotional experiences

Often when we meet someone with the same Sun sign as us, we find that we have a lot in common with them. This is because your Sun sign establishes some outwardly obvious preferences in terms of what you do and don’t like, both within your own life and from other people’s behaviour. This is why some Sun signs are said to be “incompatible” with each other because our preferences can clash with someone too similar or too different.

The moon is the hidden force controlling the state of your inner world.

As the moon affects the tides of the sea, your Moon sign affects your emotional state and how you react internally to events in your life. Unlike our Sun sign, we may not show this part of ourselves to others. Sometimes it can be obvious what Sun sign someone is, but as our Moon sign rules our emotional life — it’s mainly an inward experience for the individual.

• Moon in Air signs — Libra, Gemini, Aquarius — emotional response to events in your life usually includes trying to understand them mentally
• Moon in Fire signs — Aries, Leo, Sagittarius — emotional response to events in your life usually includes finding strength, confidence and taking action
• Moon in Earth signs — Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn — emotional response to events in your life usually includes maintaining stability and taking a practical approach
• Moon in Water signs — Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces — emotional response to events in your life usually includes feeling through them deeply and sensitively

Your Moon sign can also change the tone at which you express your Sun sign by either amplifying it or muting it. For example, if you were a fire Sun and Moon sign then your expression of both would be more vivid. Whereas if you were a fire Sun sign but a Water moon sign, then it could make you more mellow and careful with your actions.

Your Rising sign (or Ascendant) is how you relate to other people.

It’s determined by the zodiac sign that was on the Eastern horizon when you were born and — unlike the Sun or Moon signs — changes every 2 hours, so an accurate birth time is required to find out what yours is.

• Rising in Air signs — Libra, Gemini, Aquarius — you have a tendency to want to understand the meaning behind your encounters
• Rising in Fire signs — Aries, Leo, Sagittarius — you have a lot of energy and come across as confident; sometimes even blunt
• Rising in Earth signs — Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn — you are seen as a stable influence by others and you may find that people tend to rely on you
• Rising in Water signs — Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces — you are sensitive and empathetic with people, and you may even take on the emotions of others

Our Rising sign gives us hints about how our friends, family and lovers see us; unlike our Moon sign which determines our inner world and our Sun sign which determines our identity. Your Rising sign dictates your whole astrological birth chart as it decides the 1st House in your chart — where it begins — and therefore, where all of the other houses will fall after it. This means that, if you get a professional birth chart reading, the reader will want to know exactly when you were born to be able to give you the most accurate insights.

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If you never felt like you massively resonated with the traits of your Sun sign — or you know someone who you wouldn’t really describe as theirs — it’s probably due to the influence of a Moon and/or Rising sign. There are so many astrological clues about our life’s journey hidden within our birth chart, and the only way to fully understand how the planets affect our personality is to get a full birth chart reading by a professional astrologer.

Tarot readers who forecast the monthly energy for each star sign often advise “cross watching” and paying attention to your Rising sign in particular, as we’re complex cosmic beings who are affected by so much more than just our Sun sign!

So, I’m curious to know — what’s your Sun, Moon and Rising sign?

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