More on Leo Ascendant, Leo Rising Sign

• Leo Ascendant (Rising Sign) description
• Leo Ascendant (Rising Sign) with ruling planet, Sun, in the signs.
• Alternate descriptions of Leo Rising
• Famous People with Leo Rising

Leo rising people cannot help but be noticed. They radiate a special energy and magnetism that gets others' attention. Sometimes it's because they are loud people who pay a lot of attention to their personal appearance (especially their hair!); other times it's due to a regal manner that simply demands interest from others.

Leo Ascendant people are very self-aware and body-conscious. They are acutely aware of others, and how they come across. In fact, these people are especially aware of their personal "backdrop"--they consider what the people they're with, and the environments they are in, do to their own image. Often, Leo rising natives feel as if they are on stage, even in the privacy of their own homes! 

They are given to rash decisions, temper tantrums, and excesses. However, they have plenty of staying power, drive, and their idealism keeps them from getting into too much trouble. The desire to oversee the goings-on in their circle can sometimes amount to bossiness. If this desire doesn't go too far, however, it can just mean a person who wants to make sure the people they love are all right. Many Leo rising people are managers, either by profession or character. 

The tendency to overestimate things, and themselves, is generally present. This is due to a natural enthusiasm and optimism about any new undertaking. Sometimes, they are walking commercials. In fact, Leo rising people make excellent promoters. 

Leo rising people are generally demonstrative, and given to grand gestures. Drama comes naturally to these natives. In fact, some are so caught up in fiction, they're a little blind to fact. They have an unusual need to be admired.

Leo Ascendants often have a strong physical constitution. They pay special attention to their personal appearance and mannerisms. Usually, they choose clothing and hairstyles that are youthful. Their manner is authoritarian and strong.

No matter their age in real-world terms, Leo rising people are kids at heart. They are fun-loving and warm; generous and spirited.

Just how magnanimous and outgoing a Leo rising individual is will be modified by the placement of the Sun by sign and house. This is because the ruling planet of a Leo Ascendant is the Sun. For example, a Leo rising person with Sun in Virgo may not come across as strongly as a Leo rising person with Sun in Aries. No matter the placement of the Sun, however, Leo rising natives are quite self-aware and optimistic. They have a natural flair for presentation, an eye for quality, and a hard-to-resist warmth of style. They want to make things happen, and create a stir.

The Ascendant (or rising sign) is often considered the mask one wears when meeting others. Perhaps it is most aptly thought of as the automatic responses to one's environment. The Ascendant shows our natural defenses and how we cope with day-to-day issues. The energies of the sign and condition of the Ascendant are most overt and obvious to others. The Ascendant shows an individual's first, natural reaction to new people and situations.

The characteristics of Leo Ascendant described above are modified by planets conjunct the Ascendant, planets that aspect the Ascendant, and the position of the ruling planet of the sign on the Ascendant. For example, a person with a Leo Ascendant with its ruling planet, the Sun, in Sagittarius will respond to the environment a little differently than another person, also with a Leo Ascendant, but whose Sun is in Scorpio. Similarly, a person with a Leo Ascendant who also has Saturn conjunct it will "behave" differently than someone with a Leo Ascendant who does not have that aspect in their natal charts.

Leo Rising

The following interpretation of Leo Ascendant is from the Karmic Insight Report, and is written from an esoteric viewpoint.

The point that was on the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth is called the ASCENDANT, or rising sign. While the Sun describes your conscious direction and current life focus, and the Moon your subconscious predisposition and past, the Ascendant indicates a way of being that transcends and embraces past, present, and future. It describes the way you engage and merge with the outer world and how you bring through into life the energies depicted by the Sun, the Moon, and the rest of your birth chart. Everything is filtered through the Ascendant from an esoteric point of view. It indicates your soul's function and thus a key part of your destiny.

Leo Rising - General

Everything you do is done with pride, creativity and a sense of your own uniqueness. The desires to be a shining star and to stand out as an individual color all of your interactions with the world. At best, this motivates you to excel, to achieve at the highest level possible for you and to be a bighearted, generous, magnanimous, and honorable person. Others' successes and talents inspire you. You applaud and appreciate individuality, creativity and the spirit and joy of life wherever you see it being expressed. Warmth and benevolence flow from you and others are attracted to your heart, your radiance, your strength. You carry the qualities of the archetypal ruler. You are King or Queen of your realm.

If you express the lower side of this energy, however, the picture is much less lovely. You are terribly narcissistic, self-centered, excessively concerned with being impressive, respected and admired. You cannot share the glory and usurp the credit for others' contributions. You want to "out-do" everybody else. You do not admit your mistakes, you are domineering and cannot let people get too close to you lest they discover you are not as great as you would like them to believe. You are either overly self-conscious or you have to put yourself forward and be seen and heard on all occasions. Your very presence dominates the scene in ways that more subtle, quiet individuals find intrusive. However, if other factors in your birth chart give you a sense of proportion, humility, and a genuine awareness of other people, these negative tendencies are much less pronounced. Your soul-function does involve leadership, or being "out there" on the stage of life in a significant way. You can be even more effective and fulfilled in this if you stay focused on giving from your heart instead of your ego.

A Spiritual Interpretation of Leo Rising

The following interpretation of Leo Rising is from Your Spiritual Path Report.

"The first four signs incorporated the seed of intuition, the desire for expression, the capacity for thought, and the depth of feeling and potential for reproduction. Now, with the Leo Ascendant, you experience the capacity of will. For the plant kingdom, will expresses in the ripening of the fruit. Will, for us, is the drive to creativity in the material world, and aspiration on the spiritual plane.

You only need to observe the activities of children between the ages of ten and twelve or thirteen to understand the power of will. At their best they are fully engaged in life, seeking a wide range of experiences, and creatively interacting with their peers. They are testing their wills against those of parents, teachers, and acquaintances. They are learning how to manage the force of will that drives them. There is a blending or fusion of all life's experiences for this age group that reflects the energy of Leo on the Ascendant quite well. Leo will gather information on the intuitive plane, measure it against what is perceived through the physical senses, and then mobilize the spirit behind whatever action is taken. This process results in a degree of self-consciousness that was not there previously.

The focus of physical energy is on the heart and the spine. Clear intuition often comes through the heart center, and clear effort depends on mental and emotional structure like that of the spine. The two need to work together to accomplish anything on either the physical or spiritual level. Perhaps the most powerful piece of writing I have encountered that speaks to the fusion of intuition and will is the Heart Sutra. This Buddhist text is a short poetic expression of the true nature of things. Here I wish to include a couple of thoughts:
1. "Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form." This basic statement incorporates the paradox of existence in its basic form. It is possible for the Leo Ascendant to grasp the nature of the paradox and make it the spiritual guide for the Will.
2. The mantra, or spell, included in the Heart Sutra is as follows:
(Gate is pronounced gah'tay)
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
Gone gone gone beyond gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail!

Because the mantra is from Sanskrit, reciting the Sanskrit words may have more power (this is probably true of all spells and mantras). However, the English translation retains both the rhythm and the "g" sounds that are integral elements of the mantra. Imagine a room full of monks repeating the mantra in their deep voices. The mantra is heard, but the vibration also affects the heart directly."

Leo Ascendant from the Cosmo Natal Report:

"Ferociously proud and somewhat vain, you like to be impressive and to be seen as Somebody Special. You are not timid, meek, or self-effacing, and are rarely content being in the background or in the subordinate position. You are a natural leader, and do not take orders from others very well. You must have something of your own, something creative - be it a business, a project, a home or whatever - that you can develop and manage according to your own will and vision. Whatever you do, you do it in a unique, dramatic, individual way. You like to put your own personal stamp on it.

You also have a very strong sense of dignity, self-respect, and personal honor and are deeply offended if someone treats you in a humiliating or dishonorable way. You will rarely confront the offender - you are too proud to do so - but you will lose your affection and respect for them. You dislike pettiness and hate to be snubbed or ignored.

You admire others who are strong individuals like yourself. When you befriend someone, you are tremendously loyal, sincere, and willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make that person happy. You are very giving and generous, but your gifts are never anonymous - you expect recognition and appreciation for them. You also expect the intense loyalty that you offer to your dear ones to be reciprocated. However, you often have trouble working with people who are as strong as yourself, for you do not really cooperate or share the leading role very easily. If you are not in the leading role, you aspire to be and will compete with the person who is.

You have great heart and courage, and people often look to you for strength, encouragement, and affirmation. You always have your best face forward and rarely allow others to see you hurting, disheartened, or vulnerable. You also have a very strong need for love, admiration, appreciation, and praise, although you don't like others to realize just how important it is to you.

Your outlook on life tends to be very personal and rather self-centered. Your own self-expression, self-actualization and self-realization interests you more than anything else. You feel that if you do your best where you are, the rest of the world will take care of itself."

Famous People with Leo Rising:

Muhammad Ali (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Capricorn)
Maya Angelou (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aries)
Ingrid Bergman (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Virgo)
George W. Bush (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Cancer)
Natalie Cole (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aquarius)
Howard Cosell (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aries)
Carson Daly (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Cancer)
Johnny Depp (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Gemini)
Dale Earnhardt (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Taurus)
Morgan Fairchild (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aquarius)
Chris Farley (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aquarius)
Anne Frank (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Gemini)
Ava Gardner (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Capricorn)
Al Gore (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aries) 
Katie Holmes (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Sagittarius)
Ashley Judd (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aries)
Naomi Judd (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Capricorn)
Jessica Lange (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Taurus)
Sean Lennon (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Libra)
Paule Lynde (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Gemini)
Steve Martin (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Leo)
William Masters (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Capricorn)
Henri Matisse (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Capricorn)
Ashley Olsen (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Gemini)
Mary-Kate Olsen (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Gemini)
Al Pacino (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Taurus)
Luciano Pavarotti (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Libra)
Matthew Perry (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Leo)
Pablo Picasso (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Scorpio)
O.J. Simpson (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Cancer)
Nancy Sinatra (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Gemini)
Ricky Skaggs (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Cancer)
Aaron Spelling (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Taurus)
Mark Spitz (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aquarius)
Princess Stephanie of Monaco (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aquarius)
Meryl Streep (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Cancer)
Justin Timberlake (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aquarius)
Tanya Tucker (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Libra)
Tina Turner (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Sagittarius)
Lily Tomlin (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Aries)
Flip Wilson (Leo Ascendant, Sun in Sagittarius)

Ashley Judd	Katie Holmes	Olsen Twins	Meryl Streep
Justin Timberlake	Carson Daly	Matthew Perry	Steve Martin

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