The ascendant is very difficult to define since so many factors go into calculating it. Before computers, it took at least 5 books to construct a horoscope showing the ascendant and other positions. Little wonder then, the ascendant is difficult to visualize, and understand. I will try then to avoid the technical definitions you may have seen, and attempt a 'real life' example you can act out right now.
Let us pretend that where you are standing now is your place of birth. Let's also say you are being born right now. Look to the eastern horizon where the Sun would come up that morning. Whatever sign of the zodiac that is now on, or rising on the horizon would be your ascendant.
In the picture shown below, a person is being born at 12 noon (with the Sun in Capricorn). The starsign that is rising on the eastern horizon in this example would be Aries, which would be the ascendant. If this person was born approximately 6 hours earlier - that is, with the Sun was just rising above the horizon - this one would then be a Capricorn WITH a Capricorn ascendant (commonly called a double Capricorn). Keep in mind as the Sun moves across the sky in this example, so does the zodiac circle with it. So, when the Sun is setting on the western horizon, the opposite starsign, Cancer would be the ascendant.
Ascendant - Historical information
The first known individual horoscope with an ascendant dates back to 70 BC. in ancient Greece. The roots for this development, however, can be traced back to a school of astrology established on the Greek island of Cos in 280 BC. - whose disciples also correctly estimated the earth's circumference, the distance from the earth to the Moon, the size of the Moon, and the precession of the equinoxes.
During the renaissance, the importance of the ascendant began to 'outshine' even the Sun position in interpretations. Louis XIV, a Virgo, insisted on being known (and still is today) by his ascendant Leo - the "Sun King". It wasn't until the 20th century and the rise of commercialized astrology publications for the masses, that the Sun sign returned in importance. This came from a direct result of the media phenomena to satisfy the public desire for instant knowledge on astrology.
The ascendant and character
Since the ascendant relates to the exact moment and place when and where one begins an independent existence, it is a key factor making your horoscope chart unique and personal. For example, even if two people were born at the exact time on the same day, they could still have different ascendants (or different degrees of an ascendant), since they were born in different places. Even twins - those born in the same place - will have a different horoscopes, since they are born anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes apart. (The average time it takes for a sign of the zodiac to move across the horizon is 2 hours. Since there are 30� in each sign, this averages to a new zodiac degree appearing every 4 minutes. In certain places and times of the year, this can change even faster)!
Another reason many astrologers consider this part of your horoscope so sensitive has to do with physics. Grab a string that's attached to a ball and swing it around. Feel that tension of the string at certain angles as it circles around your hand? Now you can actually feel the forces at work from your ascendant. This same type of 'pull' is what reaches from the horizon to your place of birth. It is from this force the ascendant has come to represent first impressions you make on others, and even your physical appearance.
Outside influences
While the Sun and Moon in a horoscope represent some very basic characteristics, your ascendant can represent tendencies forced upon you. Let us use the example of an artist, whose parents want them to be a lawyer. In this case, the Sun represents the individual's basic expression (to be an artist), while the ascendant represents the outside world's pressure (to be a lawyer). Even with only a modest amount of outside influence, our artist would very likely spend a large amount of time as a child considering being a lawyer. Depending on the pressure, our subject may even find themselves in law school, or even not notice their artistic talents to begin with.
So many times we find such individuals who express more their ascendants, rather than
their basic tendencies of their Sun sign, or the emotional nature of their Moon sign. A
correctly calculated ascendant will often show an influence you must deal with strongly,
yet quite often is the one you're least aware of. That's why many astrologers are so
eager to get your exact time of birth, for without an accurate birthtime, a chart showing
your ascendant can not be calculated.
If you do not know your birthtime, checkout the section "What if I don't have my BIRTHTIME which will give you some places to look that may have your birthtime recorded, and some meditations to do which contact your subconscious to help you remember. If no birthtime can be determinded, then a SOLAR horoscope chart is usually made (which simply puts the current position of the Sun at the ascendant. While this does not allow you to see the house positions of all the planets, it does allow for a general reading for aspects occuring that day.
Pre-computer ascendant calculations
If you are one of those who had a horoscope calculated by hand before the computer came into use, then you may want to have your degree of the ascendant double - checked. Studies have shown at least 30% of the charts prepared by even published astrologers (from 1905 to 1970) have some kind of error in house cusps and ascendant calculations. This is no surprise. Besides going through those 5 or more books as mentioned earlier, one also had to go through at least that many hours of calculus, algebra, maps, geometry, and time changes, to figure the ascendant and house cusps.
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