Intro to ascendants
The ascendant or rising sign in the Vedic chart is given more importance than the Moon and the Sun sign of the individual. The ascendant is essentially the first house and each ascendant determines where the Mooltrikona signs are placed.

It is then seen if the Mooltrikona sign occupies any of the Dusthana Houses or also called malefic houses, (the sixth, eighth or the twelfth house) beginning the initial stages of determining the strengths and weaknesses in the individuals chart. The ascendant and the planet ruling the ascendant are key factors in the analysis of a birth chart.

The ascendant changes signs approximately every two hours whereas the Moon changes signs every two and a half days and the Sun will change every month therefore, it is the ascendant which brings its own unique trait to the individual. Twins that are born minutes apart could in fact have different ascending signs.

Here are the 12 signs and their elements as follows:

To the Beginning

This article was written by John R. Fyfe