Step 2 - Calculate the Ascendant (Rising Sign)

The birth chart is depicted as a wheel, divided into 12 segments (houses). The far left of the wheel shows the Ascendant Line - the line that marks the exact degree of the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the date, time and place of birth. The Ascendant (or Rising Sign) is probably the single most important factor in any birth chart interpretation.

Each of the 12 houses is made up of 30 degrees. The degree of the Ascendant changes approximately every 4 minutes, so there is a new Ascendant sign about every 2 hours, which is why it's essential to have an accurate time of birth. The place of birth is also important as the sign rising in the east will be different to a greater or lesser extent depending upon where in the world the birth took place.

To calculate the Ascendant, we need to know the Sidereal Time, which we found in Step 1.

The Table of Houses is an astrological reference table that lists the zodiacal positions of house cusps at various latitudes according to sidereal time. You'll need to find the nearest Sidereal Time (located in the first column) to that of the local Sidereal Time at birth, and check across to the column marked 'Ascen' to find the sign and degree of the Ascendant. For example, a local sidereal time of 11 am reads as an Ascendant of 20 degrees 54 minutes of Scorpio, whilst a birth time of just 1 hour later would read 1 degree 18 minutes of Sagittarius.

The table below lists the Ascendant at 54° North latitude, which runs approximately halfway across the UK, through York, Harrogate and Blackpool. Minor adjustments should be made for those born north or south of this.