Aquarius Rising – What Is The True Meaning Of Your Aquarius Ascendant

by Dawn Rose

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Understanding your Aquarius rising sign and how it fits in with your Sun and Moon signs can be a bit confusing.

This is why I have created a separate article on the Rising Sign Meaning, which you can check out here.

In short, the zodiac sign, which stands as a rising sign in your horoscope determines the specific manner in which the energies and qualities of your Sun sign will be manifested in your lifetime.

For example, someone with a Sagittarius Sun sign and an Aquarius rising will have the chance to manifest their explorative, broad-minded, intellectual, philosophical nature a lot more easily, because they will be driven by the inner motivation to be independent, progressive, inventive, and innovative – all qualities of their Auqarius rising sign.

The very same person would find it a lot harder to realize this Sagittarius-driven nature with a Taurus ascendant, which would make them a lot more conservative and home-oriented.

This is why one of the very first things to be analyzed in a natal chart is how harmonious the interaction between the rising sign and the Sun sign is. Whether they are placed in signs that complement or contradict each other.

In addition, we should also consider and closely examine the planet, which rules the Ascendant and therefore the whole natal chart (in the case of Aquarius rising, the ruler is Uranus); where this planet is placed by sign and by house, and how it interconnects with the Sun and Rising signs.

Usually your physical characteristics are determined by the combined influences of the signs, where the Sun, Moon, rising, and the ascendant ruler are placed.

For example, if you are a Virgo with a Sagittarius rising and a Leo Moon, and your Jupiter (the ruler of your ascendant) is placed in Gemini, we will say that your Sun sign is Virgo, your Moon is in Leo, your Rising is in Sagittarius, and your horoscope and ascendant ruler is in Gemini. The latter will further color the characteristics of your rising sign.

The rising sign is something that you need to manifest and demonstrate gradually throughout your life, and this is why some of the traits and characteristics of this sign can be overemphasized and more obvious than some of the qualities of your Sun sign.

For example, someone with a Leo rising is ‘more Leo than the Leos’. They wish to be noticed at all cost, and they suffer if they don’t receive the attention they seek. Their strong desire to be the center of attention provokes their inventiveness, but their manners would also be a bit more demonstrative than those of a Leo Sun sign. In comparison, someone with a Leo Sun has the calm confidence that they are the king and he or she receives the attention they deserve with dignity.  A Leo Sun attracts this attention effortlessly.

To learn all the meanings of each zodiac sign, planet, and house, Download The Fast Track To Astrology Cheat Sheets.

Now that you have a good idea of the meaning and significance of the rising sign, let’s move on to

Aquarius Rising Appearance

Aquarius rising individuals are the ones, who always stand out from the crowd with some form of uniqueness in their appearance or vibe.

Aquarius rising are often tall and thin. They move freely and prefer the unisex style of dressing and behaving.

The forehead is clear, high, and beneath it sparkle the eyes with an electric glow. There may be some asymmetry in the face.

Aquarius Rising Meaning – An Overview

Their life path leads them abroad or towards activities related to large groups of people, social associations or companies.

Much more often than Aquarius suns, Aquarius rising look strange or unusual in the eyes of others. Either their profession and occupations are out of the ordinary, or their lifestyle is unsettled, unstable. They are often associated with informal and non-profit organizations.

For a full list of words and phrases, associated with Aquarius and all other signs, planets, and houses, Download the Fast Track to Astrology Cheatsheets.

Aquarius Rising Traits – Psychological Motivation

When Aquarius rises on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth, the individual is born with a psychological motivation that is quite different from the generally accepted one.

The majority of people in their actions are motivated by the desire to accumulate money, material possessions, to gain fame, to have power, to advance in their career, or are dedicated to the partner, children, family, etc.

For those with an Aquarius rising, however, these aspirations are not sufficient in themselves. They like to look at every aspect of life from their own, different point of view.

For example, if a new hit TV show is released that everyone goes crazy about, they will say it’s nothing special. At the same time, they may like music, bands, clothing, design, etc., which are generally not accepted by society and are characterized by great strangeness, originality and unusualness.

This inner motive is the leading one for Aquarius rising in starting any new activity.

Because among the main keywords for Aquarius are independence, love of freedom and autonomy, these qualities are manifested in them at the level of internal psychological motivation.

This is why the Aquarius rising natural reaction at the start of a new beginning or initiative prefer to  remain distant and emotionally unconnected to others.

Aquarius rising life mission is to find new paths and ways to move forward.

For a full list of words and phrases, associated with Aquarius and all other signs, planets, and houses, Download the Fast Track to Astrology Cheatsheets.

Aquarius Rising Traits – Biggest Strengths

As a positive personality feature we should point out the huge ingenuity and originality of these people.

Aquarius rising are characterized by a strong mind, affinity for technology and new inventions, intellect, prudence and logic. They react to the outside world through their desire to study and get to know it in an objective and scientific way.

Aquarius is also known for its strong altruism. Aquarius rising are the people, who would rebel against inequalities, racism, and anything else that seems ‘unequal’ and ‘unfair’ in society.

Aquarius rising are the ones, who will form foundations, organizations, and associations that fight for various causes – collecting money for poor children; for underprivileged groups; for animals; eco-activism, etc.

Aquarius rising have an unstoppable power and enthusiasm to be the great reformers, who introduce the ideas of human rights in society. They are the ones, who strive to promote acceptance and to integrate everyone, who is deemed as ‘different’ and ‘misunderstood’.

In life, whenever certain structures have already outlived their usefulness and purpose, they are destroyed and other structures are built in their place. Aquarius rising are able to fine-tune and capture the frequency vibrations that precede these social trends and events before anyone else.

Aquarius Rising Emotional Profile

Aquarius rising are not very susceptible to emotions and feelings. Sometimes from the outside it seems as if they are completely deprived of normal human feelings – sympathy, antipathy, joy, sadness, surprise, etc.

This is especially noticeable when there are a number of planets in Aquarius. Then the expression of these people is like a stone mask. Emotions are naturally present beneath it, but they are extremely restrained. That is why sometimes they leave the wrong impression in others that they are cold, calculating and cold-blooded, completely devoid of feelings.

In my practice, it is always difficult to choose the right words when I have to explain the above-mentioned facts to clients, born with this placement. They usually look at me with a stony expression on their faces and declare that what I say is not true. Then, with the same expressionless face, they continue to convince me that they are, in fact, very emotional and sensitive people.

No one denies that deep down they may indeed be such, but this is not apparent at first glance.

A client with several planets in Aquarius, coinciding with the ascendant, after a long and quite painful conversation on the subject finally burst into tears when I mentioned certain facts about her father.

It turned out that even on his deathbed he did not believe that she had ever loved him. In fact, this woman loved her father very much, but she could never openly and warmly show it to him. She later admitted that she did not remember the last time she cried.

This is the nature of the Aquarius rising. Under the icy shell of external insensibility and disinterest hides a warm and heartfelt nature, which extremely strongly wants to give and receive love. Only that they don‘t know how to do it.

For a full list of words and phrases, associated with Aquarius and all other signs, planets, and houses, Download the Fast Track to Astrology Cheatsheets.

Aquarius Rising Challenges

If Aquarius rising don’t want to feel like aliens from another planet, they should learn to develop and show outwardly some of the most typical human emotions – warmth, interest, compassion, sympathy, empathy, and love.

This is not an easy task, especially for those, who also have planets in Aquarius. Still, the result is worth the effort. They will start to feel a lot better integrated, accepted and loved.

Some of those born with this placement have an irresistible desire to explore in great depth every aspect of their behavior and the behavior of others. If this trend goes unchecked, it can lead to a number of psychosomatic symptoms and even hypochondria.

Aquarius rising need to learn to relax and calm their mind. Sometimes you just have to stay afloat and spontaneously enjoy the good things that life has to offer. Under the control of Aquarius are the blood circulation and nerves, therefore, these are the areas that require their special attention.

The heart is under the control of Leo (the opposite sign of Aquarius), so it is recommended for them to keep in good shape through regular exercise. As such, running, cycling, tennis, rowing, swimming, etc. can be recommended. The spine is also under the control of Leo. In those born with an Aquarius rising, the connection between increased nervousness and back pain is quite clear.

For a full list of words and phrases, associated with Aquarius and all other signs, planets, and houses, Download the Fast Track to Astrology Cheatsheets.

Aquarius Rising Traits and its Ruler – Uranus

Aquarius is ruled by Uranus. However, this planet was discovered only in 1781. Until then, for thousands of years, Saturn was the traditional ruler of this sign.

Saturn’s influence in Aquarius rising may be noticed in the need to strengthen their own significance and sphere of influence by being part of a team or association. At the same time, Saturn’s doubts arise as to whether the group to which the individual currently belongs is the most suitable for achieving their goals and tasks.

Saturn is always worried about whether he is on the “right path”, whether he is doing the “right” thing and whether what he is doing at the moment is “good.”

On the other hand, the influence of Uranus on Aquarius rising  is such that it encourages them to strengthen not so much their personal strength and power as that of the group or the collective of which they are a part.

Aquarius rising devote all their strength and abilities not so much to affirming their own ego, but rather to improve the conditions for the existence and development of the team and society as a whole.

Aquarius Rising Life Mission

In general, the life path of Aquarius rising is to work selflessly for the common good.

One of their main earthly tasks is to learn altruism, collectivism, brotherhood, equality and abandonment of personal interests in the name of the common idea.

Famous people born with this disposition are Abraham Lincoln, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Barack Obama.

Those born with an Aquarius rising also learn that blood ties are not very important in our age.

Most of the people they work with and have an extremely close relationship with will not be their relatives.

In this way, Aquarius rising embody the crucial importance of spiritual relationships in our age as they bring together many people in the name of their common goal  and ideal.

We should not forget the opposite sign Leo, which lies on the descendant of Aquarius rising. This means that the latter can have a hidden desire for personal domination and power within the group or collective.

Some people with an Aquarius rising tend to make acquaintances and friendships for the sole purpose of gaining more personal power. They would not hesitate to use force if someone tried to attack them directly or publicly offend their personal pride. Therefore, if Aquarius rising want to avoid potential internal and external conflicts, they must also be aware of this side of their personal motivation.

Aquarius Rising Compatibility and Love Life

When someone is bound to something or someone, they are no longer free in their actions. For example, an unmarried individual can afford to go live in another city or another country, can easily change their place of residence and place of work.

They may temporarily stop working and continue their education instead. Or they may decide to travel. In all of these situations, freedom from family duties makes it relatively easy to find original ways to pave new paths.

On the other hand, the family man with three children is very limited in his choice. He carries responsibility for the family he has built and for the children he raises. He can’t leave work and go on a trip around the world. And in general, every time we form a long-term relationship, we must be aware that we voluntarily take on additional responsibilities and deprive ourselves of part of our personal freedom.

This contradicts the fundamental energy inherent in the sign of Aquarius.

Not accidentally Aquarius rising have the reputation of people, for whom it is most difficult to get married and create a family.

Aquarius is also one of the fixed signs. It is extremely difficult for these people to change their already formed opinion on an issue. This can also conflict with their partner’s understanding. Often they want to have a partner by their side, who always and under all circumstances agrees with them.

They should not forget that equality of partners is a prerequisite for the duration of a union. Therefore, they must learn to compromise. Compromises in a relationship should include voluntary deprivation of part of one’s own freedom and acceptance of another’s point of view.

Due to the fixation of this sign, those born with an Aquarius rising can find it extremely difficult to change and take action in this direction, although they understand intellectually that they must do so.

Ultimately, Aquarius rising need to ask themselves whether they really want a permanent relationship or not. Their spontaneous answer will probably be yes, but they should also realize what this will cost them. Their enthusiasm may then evaporate.

No one else is able to answer this question for Aquarius rising, but if they are really determined to try, they must be fully aware of the sacrifices they should make to achieve this goal.

Many Aquarius rising loudly declare that they want a long-term partnership. Upon closer analysis, however, it may turn out that they can’t tolerate one partner for a long time.

Please remember that Sun Moon and Rising signs are not enough to properly evaluate compatibility or one’s personality.

You can see a very accurate and beginner-friendly step-by-step guide on how to check compatibility with your partner, taking into consideration the most important elements in the birth chart here.

And if you wish to order a full in-depth analysis of your natal chart that examines the interrelatedness of all elements and also provides a report with remedies on how to overcome your weakest points and challenges, you can do so here.