Every moment of each day, the Earth turns slowly on its axis, and because it does, it appears to those of us on the surface of the planet that the sky is passing over our heads. Astrologers of old, both in the West and the East, were aware of this fact and also observed that a fragment of the zodiac could be seen passing overhead during the hours of darkness. They believed that the sign of the zodiac occupying the eastern horizon at the time of any person's birth would have a significant part to play in the ultimate character of that individual. This zodiac sign is known as the Ascending or Rising sign.

The Earth's relationship with the stars is a complex one, and in Western Astrology the Ascending Sign is not easy to establish. However, the Chinese were able to split the day equally and to attribute a part of it to each zodiac sign, so it is not especially difficult to work out which one you fall within, of course assuming that you have some knowledge of your time of birth. All you have to do in order to discover your Chinese Ascendant is to look at the table on the following page.

Each hour of the day is listed, together with the Chinese Zodiac Sign which is said to rule it. Once you have discovered your Ascending Sign, you can refer to the pages that follow to discover the interpretation of your animal Ascendant.

Most Astrologers believe that the Ascendant will make itself known in the way that you appear to other people in your day-to-day life. Don't forget though that your Animal Year and also your Moon Sign will also have a significant bearing on your nature. It is this combination of influences that is so important when it comes to assessing your nature.

COMPARISON CHART

Many readers will also be interested in the connection between Chinese and Western Astrology. It's true that every one of the Chinese signs does have a more familiar Western counterpart, though what most people consider their Astrological sign, or `Sun Sign' in the West, becomes the `Moon Sign' in Chinese Astrology. Overleaf is a useful comparison table, so that you can compare the signs in both systems of Astrology.

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