The Planet That Represents YOU in Your Birth Chart
The ruling planet of your ascendant was once considered to represent YOU in your birth chart. Now it is considered the all-important guide on your journey.
The Ascendant Sign
In traditional astrology, the rising or ascendant sign (AKA the sign that was ascending the horizon when you were born) was given even more clout than your 'zodiac' or sun sign.
Somewhere along the way in modern times, the ascendant sign lost some of the vital importance it was given back then.
Many people in modern times do not know their birth time and in certain places around the world in different time periods, birth times were not recorded on birth certificates. In order to feed horoscopes to the masses, the Sun sign was used. (After all, it is one of the easiest things to determine in the astrological birth chart.)
Pretty hard to get your Sun sign wrong, although, trust me, that does happen.
At one point in time, astrology and astronomy were one and the same. And a doctor would not dare examine you, let alone diagnose you without having a copy of your complete astrological chart.
I imagine that because astrology was so central to society, birth times were promptly recorded, and birth charts were done at the time of birth. The exact moment of birth is necessary for an accurate ascendant sign.
All of that to say, the ascendant sign, in the opinion of many astrologers, holds just as much weight in who you are as a person as your Sun sign does.
This leads me to the very important ruler of the ascendant, which can be thought of as your planetary guide throughout life.
See this imaginary chart (we'll call her 'Cosmic Candice'!) Here is an example of how to locate your ascendant sign! First, you'll need to pull up your full astrological birth chart on any astrology software, astrology site, or app. A great free tool can be found on astro.com.
The Ascendant Ruler: Your Planetary Guide
This is sometimes referred to as 'the chart ruler' by many astrologers and just that name in itself should clue you in on the importance of it.
(But keep in mind, some astrologers refer to the planetary ruler of your Sun sign (AKA zodiac sign) as the so-called chart ruler. I would hate for you to end up in cosmic confusion with another astrology fanatic because of that little mis-clarification.
But I digress.
What's the best way to understand the term 'ruler' as it relates to the birth chart? A planetary ruler is in charge of a zodiac sign. That planet leads that zodiac sign and holds dominion over it.
If the ancients considered the ascendant so important that the planetary ruler of your ascendant represented you, well then, your ascendant ruler is the head honcho, the H.B.I.C., the sovereign authority.
Although, now astrologers consider that planet to be more of a guide. (A common analogy is the helmsman who steers the ship that you are traveling on in this journey we call life.) Either way, this is pretty crucial astrological territory.
Hand of the King
As a lover of the action-packed, filled with twists and turns, HBO- hit series, Game of Thrones, I personally love the analogy of the Asc. ruler as 'Hand of The Queen/King'! If that term is foreign to you because you are a crazy person who has not watched that amazing series yet, it's essentially the right-hand person to the ruler of a kingdom or queendom. When you are ruling over a kingdom, who do you turn to when you need advice about critical decisions? Who do you trust to always guide you in the right direction?
It will always be helpful to check in with your ASC. ruler when you make big life decisions. YOU are your kingdom or queendom in this analogy. This is the planet that leads you and holds dominion over the blood-pumping ecosystem that is YOU in this body, in this realm.
Let's consider the archetypes and keywords for each of the planets and I want you to challenge yourself to imagine how you bring those qualities with you every day in your interactions with the world. Good and bad.
If some of these don't resonate, consider how you can bring these qualities to the forefront more regularly. How can you invoke the God or Goddess that is YOU in your birth chart?
