Here’s Everything To Know About Having An Aries Rising Sign

The more you learn about astrology, the less you’ll realize you know — which makes it all the more fascinating. Think you know everything there is to know about Aries? If you’re talking about the sun sign, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Where things get really interesting in the cosmos is when you start digging into your rising sign, or ascendant. What does it mean if you have an Aries rising sign? It is decidedly *not* the same thing as having an Aries sun.

Your ascendant sign influences everything from your physical appearance to what people think about you when they first meet you. You may be a sweet, dreamy Pisces sun, but if you have an Aries rising, you’re probably perceived as more fiery at first. Everything starts to make more sense once you understand your ascendant. It determines a lot about a person, including how you present yourself in the world, which is why it’s commonly known as your “first impression” sign.

“The rising sign represents the first part about your life, which is the person living it: you,” professional astrologer Maren Altman tells Elite Daily. “It is your character, vitality, much of your personality and mannerisms, and overall vibe.”

Here’s the exact vibe you give off if you’re an Aries rising, according to astrologers:

What Is A Rising Sign?

Your rising sign is what makes you uniquely you. At the exact moment you’re born, one of the 12 zodiac signs rises over the eastern horizon. To figure out which sign it is, you’ll need to use an online birth chart calculator and input your exact date, time, and location of birth.

The rising sign sets up the rest of the chart as far as the houses in astrology go. The houses are essentially representations of the different facets of life (more on that later). The ascendant is the first of the 12 houses, meaning the order that signs stack up in the rest of your houses starts here. So, even though two people born on the same day in the same town will probably have the same sun, moon, and Venus signs, having a different ascendant is why these people won’t have the exact same personality.

The ascendant covers how people perceive you because it influences how you outwardly act and interact with the world, but that doesn't make it a mask or a shield over who you really are. “It is very personal in some ways,” professional astrologer Taryn Bond explains. “I think of it like there’s a turtle. And the turtle has a shell. The shell would be the rising sign — so the turtle isn’t the shell, it’s the turtle. But we can’t picture a turtle without the shell. And the turtle couldn’t really exist without a shell, like we need the rising sign.”

Aries Rising Personality Traits

According to Miami-based astrologer Valerie Mesa, the rising is part of the life mission, but also an energy you grow into over time. “People who have rising Aries are typically assertive, quick to respond, quick on their feet, very fast-moving, very fast-thinking, risk-takers, [and] very passionate,” she says. Each astrological sign is ruled by a certain planet that comes with its own set of traits. For Aries, that’s Mars, which is a planet that’s all about action, movement, and passion. It’s also a cardinal sign, which is the astrological modality characterized by leadership and initiation.

Altman uses the phrase “courageous impulsivity” to describe how Aries means “very well, but means very quickly.” If you’re an Aries rising, you might make decisions immediately, but also lose your attention span just as quickly. “But other times,” Altman notes, “it means doing the right thing without a second thought.”

If you have Aries as your ascendant, you have an extra special birth chart. The rising is your first of 12 zodiac houses; Aries is the first of the 12 zodiac signs; both the first house and the sign of Aries represent the key phrase “I am.” According to Mesa, “It’s that first spark of life. Having an Aries rising is almost twice as potent just because it’s the first house and it’s also the first sign.” This means that your chart is exactly in the order it belongs — lucky you.

With the sign that’s all about the “self” being in the house of “self,” Aries risings tend to be very at home in their own skin. “They’re just very authentic, honest, like ‘what you see is what you get,’ so they have this comfort with who they are,” Bond explains. This no-filter placement is not going to hide parts of themselves in ways that the other risings might.

Aries Rising Physical Appearance & First Impression

What do Aries risings look like? Aries rising physical traits stem from their fire element and Mars planetary ruler, according to Altman. “Therefore, Aries risings often have sharp bone structure, high pointy eyebrows, and smaller, more intense eyes,” she says. “Often they have flushed cheeks or a rosy tone to their hair and skin.” Each of the zodiac signs also rule a specific area of the body, with Aries in charge of the head, so they usually have prominent features there, often the forehead in particular.

Aries risings will often have a more athletic build, according to Bond. “Sometimes [they are] on the shorter side, but again, genetics and the rest of the chart will play a role too,” she tells Elite Daily.

When an Aries rising enters the room, people take notice. With Mars on the forefront, they have an intense outward energy that can be intimidating at first. They’re so comfortable with themselves that they don’t need to people-please. “If they’re about it, they are, and if they’re not, they’re not,” Bond says. After any initial intimidation, however, people are generally really comfortable around Aries risings. As the first of the 12 signs, Aries is known as the baby of the zodiac, and as the baby, Aries is super passionate and excited, which makes them easy to get along with.

Aries Rising In Social Settings

Ever hang out with a group of friends and there’s that one person who just has to do everything first? They’re probably an Aries rising. “They’re just always ready to go,” says Mesa. “They’ll be answering your question before you even ask them.”

They’re typically liked by everyone in a room and can be a certified charmer. It’s go, go, go — they like to entertain and be goofy, silly, and social — but it’s not constant. “[They’re] loud, but not [in an] ongoing [way],” Altman tells Elite Daily. “Usually they make a spectacle or speech and then pipe down. They are not consistently in your face.”

Aries risings are likely to make stops all around the room. They’ll do their “look at me” bit, then go off somewhere, and you’ll be left wondering where they went. But often when they disappear, it’s to actively try to include the people who may be feeling excluded. “Aries risings have a unique gift of picking out the person in the room who’s not doing the best, feels left out, or is shy, and they’ll go over there and talk to them and make them feel special,” Bond explains.

Aries Rising Compatible Placements

Know someone with an Aries Venus? They probably think you’re hot AF if you’re an Aries rising. According to Mesa, Aries risings complement Aries Venus well, while the Venus person will likely be very attracted to the Aries rising. She adds that this fiery combo is *very* hot together.

Altman explains that the attraction between an Aries Venus and rising comes from an alignment with Aries qualities. “One person’s sense of what they appreciate in the world lines up with what Aries risings represent,” she says. These two will naturally connect over how they express and feel love — also true of an Aries rising-Aries moon pairing. Bond tells Elite Daily that both moon and Venus synastry (the comparison of two astrological chart placements for compatibility) with someone’s rising will make the rising person feel loved thanks to the gooey, soft, and sensitive nature of these planets.

People with their natal Mars placement in Aries can also feel a strong connection to an Aries ascendant. “It triggers that passion within each other,” notes Mesa. “It’s a little more fiery as opposed to [compatibility with Aries] Venus, which is more sensual, romantic, and exciting.”

You can pretty much expect any dominant fire or air sign placements to get along with an Aries rising. “There’s a lot of ease with fire signs,” Altman says, “and Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini offer opportunities for filling in each other’s gaps.” Libra risings in particular can have a very strong attraction with Aries risings, as it’s the opposite sign of the ascendant.

How Do Aries Risings Flirt?

Aries gets the rap of being pretty straightforward, so a lot of Aries risings will make it obvious if they have a thing for you. As the CEOs of the “all or nothing” attitude, Aries risings might show they like you in two ways: telling you straight-up, or playing hard to get.

When this baby zodiac sign is flirting, they play up the childlike charm to the max. They might be mean to you for no reason, but in a cute and teasing way. “They also can have a goofy energy,” Bond tells Elite Daily, “with the jokes they’ll say when they’re flirting with someone… it’s very real, very authentic.”

You can easily tell if an Aries rising is into someone because they’re giving them all of their attention — if they’re not playing hard to get, that is. Their chart is set up to experience the present moment fully, Bond says, so that means they’re not going to waste time on relationships and connections that aren’t feeding their passion.

Aries Rising Careers

Usually people with Aries in their first house will have Capricorn in their 10th house of career and public image. Having Capricorn here represents a more traditional, streamlined, and structured career. “Though this may seem antithetical to an Aries personality, they often do well in general oversight careers like CEO or business development leads, where they can put a lot of effort out at once to trickle down to others,” Altman explains, adding that they thrive in leadership — hello, cardinal sign — and oversight more so than routine and monotonous tasks. They don’t want to feel boxed in and definitely crave some level of autonomy and freedom.

A lot of Aries risings want to own their own business or climb the corporate ladder, says Mesa. Aries risings just have what it takes to be successful. Think Rihanna, Jeff Bezos, Shakira, Stevie Nicks — all Aries rising celebrities and entrepreneurs. “They’re go-getters,” notes Bond. “Especially when there’s a Capricorn midheaven [10th house]… because those two together are boss energy.”

These charismatic firecrackers are people you can’t help but want to be friends with. Their fun, loving energy is infectious and will have everyone around them following their lead, asking, “What’s next?”

Experts cited:

Maren Altman, professional astrologer, cryptocurrency trader and investor, and author with a background in philosophy from New York University

Taryn Bond, professional tropical astrologer practicing synthesis of evolutionary, modern, traditional, and intuitive techniques rooted in a humanistic, soul-based astrological approach

Valeria Mesa, professional astrologer, soul coach, and writer