First Impressions & Your Rising Sign
Most people come to astrology trying to understand themselves better. They want to know why they react the way they do, why they feel misunderstood, or why certain things feel easy for them when other people seem to struggle. And while a lot of that lives in the sun and moon signs, the rising sign often explains the part we’re least aware of—but that everyone else notices first.
Your rising sign is how you move through the world before you've decided who you're going to be in a situation. It's your default setting. The energy you naturally lead with, especially in unfamiliar spaces or with new people.
Think of it as your cover. Not in a fake way, but in a very human, self-protective, this-is-how-I-learned-to-survive way. The rising sign shows how we learned to show up in the world before we fully understood who we were.
It governs things like:
Your body language
The way you speak when you're not thinking about it
What people assume about you
The energy you put off without trying
Psychologically, it’s your adaptive self. The part of you that knows how to read a room, adjust, and protect the deeper parts underneath.
Some people feel totally at home in their rising sign. Others feel like it’s just the packaging. Not the truth of who they are, but the first thing people see. Either way, it plays a huge role in your relationships, how you present yourself professionally, and why people respond to you the way they do.
Understanding your rising sign can help you:
See yourself more clearly from the outside
Understand why people misunderstand or overestimate you
Align your presence with your purpose, instead of reacting by habit
It’s less about “performance” and more about awareness. The rising sign isn’t meant to be hidden or judged. It’s part of your chart for a reason. And when you work with it, instead of against it, you show up more intentionally. You get to lead with clarity instead of default.
Because first impressions do matter. Not in a superficial way but in a “this is the first thing people feel when they meet you” way. And knowing that? That’s power.
The next step on your journey should be to go to The Shop and download my free Rising Sign PDF and use it to better understand yourself and those you care about….or even those you don’t like at all.