Read on to continue learning about the Aries rising native (also commonly known as “Aries ascendant”) in astrology!
Below you will find information about the personality tendencies, physical attributes, spiritual growth lessons, and consciousness evolution opportunities for the individual with an Aries ascendant (or Aries rising) in their natal chart.

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The rising sign in a birth chart is different from the sun sign (which is determined by birthdate), as it is determined by the exact time of birth of the individual. The rising sign in a birth chart has the function of showing the individual’s instinctual reaction to life, especially to new things, and their reflex way of being.
Just as we are unable to see what we look like without a mirror, in the same way we are unable to clearly see the way that our ascendant sign behaves with objectivity. The rising sign, ascendant, or ASC is the energy that we are learning about, through instinctual action, which is then mirrored to us via the relationships that show up in our descendant. (The descendant or DSC is directly opposing the first house and acts as a balance between self and others.)
For the Aries rising person, the understanding of autonomy and responsibility to self is “rising” into their consciousness.
The individual who had Aries on the eastern horizon when they were born are learning, through instinctual action, about independence and trusting their instincts in this lifetime.
Because the instinctual response to life in this situation is one that is focused on one’s own needs and desires, this energy can come off as being overly self focused or self-centered. This self focus is actually an important part of their life path. In actuality, this person is not self-centred, they are just energetically structured to learn to consider their own journey before anything else, which is the necessary road to discovering independence and self- sufficiency.
So, for the individual with Aries on their ascendant, the independent, action driven, enterprising nature is how the individual responds to life without forethought. The “reflex” response. This is especially pertinent to new situations.
ARIES RISING IN RELATIONSHIPS
Through the crucible of relationship, Aries ascendant people will find themselves often drawing relationships towards themselves where there is a type of imbalance that benefits the other person. This imbalance will create an information feedback loop that will require the Aries rising person to go towards their real mission, which is understanding “how can this relationship be more balanced and fair?” and “What is it that I am in need of in order to function well?”.
In this way, by being confronted by imbalances in their close relationships, the Aries rising person is forced to create a way of living that recognizes and prioritizes their own needs and wellness.
ARIES ASCENDANT (RISING) PERSONALITY
The Aries Zodiac sign is known for being “fiery” or quick tempered. This is not because Aries Risings are inherently angry, rather it is because the objective of this energy is to forge a new path and new direction.
Because Aries energy is connected to the heart (fire sign), it is passionate. It is also an energy that is about exploring, trailblazing and creating new paths. It is about “doing” rather about thinking or feeling like the air or water signs, respectively. The best way to do this trailblazing, of course, is by being allowed the necessary freedom. When that freedom is somehow stopped, the anger response arises because the energy feels blocked or restricted.
Aries is also a cardinal sign, meaning it is about initiation, and individuals with an Aries Ascendant sign more often than not tend to be natural leaders or find themselves in leadership positions. These are enterprising individuals who are full of the excitement of life.
Because this energy is so instinctual (Aries is at home in the first home) and connected to the body, individuals with Aries rising (or even Mars as their chart ruler) will tend towards impulsivity, as the Aries energy wants to move and take action, and have little patience.
These are “get it done” type of people.
The energies of the sign of Aries want to take action, try new things, explore their outer world and use their qualities of boldness to forge a new path. These are individuals who are not typically so known for having a chill disposition, but rather for having a strong work ethic, independent manner and direct manner about them.
They are interested in the present moment and are not people to shy away from taking risks or leaps into the great unknown. Typically, the individual with Aries on their ascendant is not known for being ultra emotional or empathetic, which is not a reflection of a lack of heart or caring, but rather an expression of their action oriented- solution focused nature.
The positioning of the chart ruler, Mars, for the Aries ascendant person will influence the way the Aries Ascendant energy is expressed. The location and aspects of the ruling planet will “flavour” the way that the ascendant energy is expressed and experienced.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN 1ST HOUSE
This is a trifecta of this energy as Aries and Mars are already at home in the first house. This will lead to an exponential expression and experience of this energy. The individual with this placement would benefit from taking time to consider a choice before they act on it, and learning to connect to their body through things like meditation and mindfulness.
The connection to the intelligence of the body will be especially strong in this situation and much benefit could come from learning to listen to the body’s cueing and leading, possibly through meditative practice. Physical activity, physical labour and leadership are natural strengths for this individual.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN TAURUS
The joining of the 2nd house energy (ruled by Taurus) in conjunction with the Aries rising energy will put a natural damper on the Aries tendency towards impulsivity, lending a more stable, long term approach to projects and objectives.
This individual will tend towards enterprising initiatives that are connected to the material plane (for example, building a house or landscaping or real estate), with a focus on financial stability and security.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN GEMINI
This third house energy is an air energy, having to do with the mind, which is an interesting addition to the Aries energy. Individuals with this placement will be quick to speak or to share their thoughts and opinions. There will be a natural challenge with speaking in a way that comes off as aggressive or overly direct, which is an offshoot of the Aries need to move forward and take action…no time for small talk, just say it like it is and let’s get on with it.
This Gemini energy (Gemini rules the third house) enmeshed with the Aries energy will naturally give a person who is not only enterprising, as Aries is, but also full of new ideas, thoughts and perspectives, with strong mental energies. The Gemini objective is to gather information, so, together, the Mars in Aries individual is learning about sharing and taking action on their thoughts and ideas, and expressing these ideas (both in word and writing) in order to establish new directions.
The person with this placement should take caution to not spread themselves too thin, as the Gemini energy likes to wander and be a jack of all trades. Learning about intentional focus on a desired outcome, rather than flitting from project to idea to project is a key part of your destiny.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN CANCER
The Aries rising with Mars in Cancer individual will have a certain intensity and strength of emotion, as Cancer is the sign having to do with our emotional structuring and identity.
There will be a certain emotional impulsivity with this energy and this person will stand out as an independent free spirit in their family tribe. The soul objective with this energy is to establish new ways of relating to family matters and being within the family unit. This will be done through having an identity that is somehow different from the rest of the tribe, as well as an instinctual attachment to the home, the family, children and the emotional realm.
This is a strong defender of home. The bold fiery energy of Aries is tempered with the cautious, emotional, receptive energy of Cancer, creating a strong emotional intelligence and intuitive connection, although expressed with far more caution than the pure Aries energy typically moves with.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN LEO
For the individual with Aries on their ascendant, and Mars in Leo, they are called to a passionate existence. With both Aries and Leo being fire signs, there is a deep connection to the heart space.
This is an energy that is naturally very self focused, expressive and creative. There is a real challenge with this placement of becoming trapped in the bubble of personal ego, or getting caught up in their own hype about their persuasive charm.
The strength of this energy combination is an exceptional industriousness and creativity which, when activated through the lens of “how can my giftings serve humanity?”, will give a strong impetus for self actualization, paired with the creative ingenuity and necessary action to do just that. This working out of the balance of self expression vs. connection to group will be the best use of their time.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN VIRGO
With Aries already being very physically focused, the addition of the Virgo energy creates an individual with a strong focus on health, wellness and personal goals, and a strong sense of perfectionism.
The individual with this placement will have a natural strength of initiating projects and understanding all of the necessary steps that are involved in seeing the project through to success.
This Virgo energy is a stable, earthy one, which is supportive of being able to continually assess and work towards an end. Where as the Aries energy alone is excellent for initiation, but not so much for follow through, this Mars in Virgo energy is excellent for staying the course.
This 6th house energy (Virgo rules the 6th house) is also very connected to service, and so the individual with this placement is energetically structured to be able to see where there is a practical need, and in response initiate that support.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN LIBRA
This is an interesting placement in that the Aries rising individual naturally will be in tune with the Aries- Libra dynamic, and that much more when Mars is is Libra, which would be the descendant for this individual.
With Mars in Libra for the Aries Ascendant person, there will be a tendency towards desiring to make everyone happy or create harmony. This desire falls contrary to the instinctual action of the Aries rising person to pursue autonomy and independence.
The soul work for this individual will be in learning to manage the balance between understanding one’s own needs, and figuring out how to work with others in a balanced and fair way in order to meet their goals.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN SCORPIO
For the individual with Aries on their ascendant and the ruling planet of Aries (Mars) in water sign Scorpio, the soul work to be done has to do with establishing their sense of personal power by choosing to take the courageous leap onto new paths.
The physical intensity of Aries is enmeshed, in this situation, with the emotional intensity of Scorpio (which is already a tenacious sign), resulting in an individual who is very goal driven and determined to succeed.
The challenge here is the fact that nothing lasts forever, and so the climb to success is an empowering one, however the fall from that same place when something, inevitably, ends will create a situation where this individual will be forced to accept their journey.
They will need to come to an awareness of and understanding that the learning and transformation throughout the journey was the whole point of it all, not the specific success point that they have reached.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN SAGITTARIUS
The individual with Aries on their ascendant and the ruling planet, Mars, in Sagittarius has soul work to be done in the area of faith, spirituality, and their relationship to people who are different than them.
They will have very strong beliefs and, in this lifetime, are being called to explore, seek, wander and listen. This journey of exploration and Sagittarius conviction, paired with the natural fire of Aries makes for an individual who is both exploring their own understanding of faith and spirituality, while at the same time very energetically structured to support causes that are for the people.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN CAPRICORN
The Aries rising individual with Mars in the sign of Capricorn will be especially ambitious and motivated. The earthy energies and long term perspective of Capricorn create a mix where the individual is quick and eager to establish new directions, and also has a deep sense of personal responsibility to the group about the way that the project plays out and effects the community.
This pairing of energy can be especially stubborn and driven, and so it is important for this individual to practice listening to their body’s cue so as to not burnout or push themselves too hard.
The soul objective of this energy is to work through the (long) process of becoming an authority, which means putting a reign on the natural impulsivity aspect of Aries, while also committing to the long haul.
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ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN AQUARIUS
For the individual with Aries as their rising sign and Mars in Aquarius, the soul work to be accomplished has to do with embracing their own uniqueness, while at the same time learning how to be a functional member within the group.
The natural trailblazing nature of the Aries energy is enhanced even more by the connection to the airy Aquarian energy, which aims to also bring innovation and break patterns and traditions in order to support evolution.
Their is an inner ideal of humanitarianism with this placement, which will seem like a contradiction to the desire for solitude and working alone. While this energy is somewhat detached, the pursuit of innovation is not one that is led by the prospect of personal gain, but rather the ideal of human progress.
ARIES RISING WITH MARS IN PISCES
The dreamy, effervescent, other-worldly quality of Mars in Pisces here, paired with the ambitious, physically grounded energy of Aries rising gives an individual with a deep emotional reservoir and a keen focus on spirituality in their lifetime.
This is an individual who has an innate desire to pursue their spiritual connection in a way that is solitary (the Pisces energy is already one that prefers solitude, and paired with the Aries energy this preference for solitude is ever increased).
The highest expression of this energy has to do with using the force and stamina of the Mars energy as a means to protect, defend and serve the world’s outsiders.
ARIES RISING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
This first sign of the zodiac is a very physical one, connected to the body and the will, and so people with Mars (Aries’ ruling planet) in their first house or with an Aries rising tend to be athletic, competitive and have a strong need for regular physical activity in order to feel well.
Upon first impression, it seems that they have impressive physical stamina and are often known for being industrious and trailblazing.
The Aries rising individual will tend to have an athletic build and a high sex drive and be of average height. They also tend to look youthful, probably because of their propensity for physical activity that keeps the body looking young.
ARIES ZODIAC SIGN SYMBOL

The Aries symbol is the ram, which is known for the horns on its head. In the same way, the sign of Aries rules the head. Because of this connection to the head, things such as headaches, migraines, sinus issues etc. are usual physical complaints of this position.
FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH ARIES ON THEIR ASCENDANT
Heather Locklear, Joan Baez, Barbara Hershey, Chris Rock, Kourtney Kardashian, Joan Rivers, celebrity influencer Paris Hilton, James Dean, Ron Howard, Jeff Bezos, Stevie Nicks and Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler are just some of the celebrities with Aries rising on their birth chart, whose faces and personalities you can look up to get a better idea of the Aries Ascendant energy.
Learning about the ascendant sign is an excellent way to understand your own reflex responses, and why you approach life in the manner that you do.
As humans, our instinctual responses tend towards the negative, so gaining a deep understanding of both the higher and lower expressions of our ascendant energy is an excellent tool in growing in consciousness.
I hope you enjoyed this article about the Aries rising sign in astrology and found it both useful and informative.
Still climbing,
xx,
-Celeste
To go back to read about the other rising signs, click here

Aja Celeste is a mom to 6 beautiful children and a twin mom! She is also creator and writer of That Zoi Life and a professionally trained Evolutionary Astrologer who has been doing astrology for 7 years. She is also a health care assistant, has a Bachelor of Ministry Degree, and is passionate about supporting people in conscious parenting. She also does Psychosomatics using Recall Healing.
Please contact her at [info@ThatZoiLife.com] if you would like to find out more about working with her.