What is your authentic Self projecting to others in your environment?
The ascendant and the first house are synonymous terms and are used interchangeably in astrology texts. The sign on the first house is referred to as the rising sign. This is because it is the sign on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. Each sign has characteristics unique to it that make up its energy signature. The energy signature of your rising sign describes the energetic characteristics of your personality. These characteristics are what others observe when they first meet you. They are your instinctive rather than conscious behaviors. The zodiac signs on and planets in your first house influence how you approach new situations and people instinctively, how you view the world, and how you meet life. In other words, it is the identity that you and others recognize as your Authentic Self’s personality.
Your Authentic Self is the “I” that is you, not one of the roles you play such as mom, dad, boss, brother, or sister. It is who you are, rather than what you are or what your social station in life is or what others expect of you. “It is all of the things that are uniquely yours and need expression, rather than what you believe you are supposed to be and do.” (Dr. Phil, ‘Self Matters’, online article) Your ascendant is that part of your Authentic Self that is your personality identity, the outer you. Your identity is your Authentic Self’s way of presenting itself to the outer world. It is instinctive and is what you feel naturally inclined to express as “you” in your personal and professional life.
In some astrology books, the ascendant is portrayed as the front door of your chart. This is another way to understand how it functions in your life. Just as the front entrance of your home sets the energetic tone of your home (Feng Shui, For the Soul, p. 33), your ascendant sign sets the energetic tone of your personality (the outer you). Your ascendant, as the front door of your chart, represents the transition point between your inner self and your outer self. “It is not only how you step out into the world, but also how you take it in.” (Essential Astrology, p. 169) It is your instinctive attitude and demeanor as you go about your day-to-day life. It is the identity that others will respond to when they are first getting to know you.
As you walk out the “front door” of your secure and safe inner world, you want to be able to do so in a way in which you instinctively feel is the appropriate and right way to present yourself to the outer world. To do this, you dress your Authentic Self, literally and figuratively, in the clothes that reflect and support your personality identity.
As you go about your daily life, it is helpful to feel energetically supported as you interact with others and encounter new situations. You can boost this energetic support by applying Feng Shui principles and techniques to your home and work environment. You can further strengthen this feeling of energetic support by implementing specific Feng Shui techniques that align with your rising sign’s energetic needs. The energetic signature of your rising sign will give you practical information on what these needs are.
Your home environment plays a role in energetically supporting you. It can either support the expression of your personality identity or it can frustrate and even block that expression. This is where Feng Shui can help. Implementing Feng Shui enhancements and adjustments specific to the characteristics of your personality’s energetic needs will help you to create a home environment that will encourage you to express yourself clearly and naturally. This chapter will cover the energy needs and vulnerabilities of each sign followed by Feng Shui suggestions that will address these needs and vulnerabilities. In this way, you will not only have a basic understanding of your rising sign and the part it plays in your Authentic Self’s outer world identity, but, you will also become familiar with Feng Shui techniques to energetically support it.
Components of the Energetic Signature:
The energetic signature of each of the twelve zodiac signs is unique and is comprised of a polarity, an element, and a modality. Polarities are yang/masculine and yin/feminine energies. Elements are basic temperaments. They represent the basic energetic approach of the zodiac sign. The elements are fire, earth, air, and water. Modalities are qualities of behavior. They describe how the sign expresses its element. The modalities are cardinal, fixed, and mutable.
Six zodiac signs have the yang/masculine polarity and six have the yin/feminine polarity. Yang energy is active and is energy expressed outwards, to others. It is assertive, direct, and impartial. Yang influenced choices are made on factual information and the end result desired. Yang energy is competitive. The fire and air signs have yang energy. Yin energy is receptive and is energy directed inward, to yourself. It is nurturing, reactive, and emotional. Yin influenced choices are made based on feelings and inner experiences. Yin energy is collaborative. The earth and water signs have yin energy.
The elements and their corresponding temperaments/energetic approach are:
- Fire’s Temperament: Creative, passionate, and intuitive
Fire’s Energetic Approach: Enthusiastic—Leaders
- Earth’s Temperament: Practical, realistic, and sensing (the five senses)
Earth’s Energetic Approach: Cautious—Builders
- Air’s Temperament: Intellectual, idea oriented, and unemotional
Air’s Energetic Approach: Cerebral—Communicators
- Water’s Temperament: Emotional, security conscious, and feeling
Water’s Energetic Approach: Deeply emotional—Nurturers
The modalities and the way they express their corresponding elements’ energy are:
- Cardinal Mode of Behavior: Initiates; Activates; Develops
Cardinal Expression: Assertive; Decisive; Controlling
- Fixed Mode of Behavior: Stabilizes; Secures; Completes; Determined
Fixed Expression: Passive; Stubborn; Persistent
- Mutable Mode of Behavior: Adapts; Changes; Scatters; Jumps from one thing to another
Mutable Expression: Flexible; Tolerant; Trusting
Each energetic signature has positive and negative traits. The expression of the positive traits tends to create a comfortable, easy flow of energy in your environment and interactions with others whereas the expression of the negative traits tends to create energetic blockages. The negative traits are expressed when you are feeling thwarted by or vulnerable to situations outside your control. “If you are prevented from expressing your Authentic Self, either by your own actions or the actions of others, a feeling of being disconnected and emotionally drained of energy may arise preventing you from pursuing the things you truly value.” (Dr. Phil Self Matters).
The scope of this chapter will be to first describe how the energetic signature of each sign influences the Authentic Self’s identity/personality in the world. Next, the environmental factors that support and frustrate this authentic expression will be described. Finally, the Feng Shui enhancements and adjustments you can make to your environment to align the energy of your surroundings to your ascendant’s energetic signature will be provided.
In this book, you will discover:
- What your rising sign says about the identity you instinctively present to others and that others recognize as you
- The three attributes of your rising sign that make up your rising sign’s energetic signature
- The positive and negative traits of your ascendant’s sign
- The energetic qualities, positive chi, you need in your environment to energize, encourage, and support the positive expression of your personality’s energetic signature
- Energetic triggers, negative chi, in the environment of your daily life that disturbs or blocks the positive expression your personality’s energetic signature
- Feng Shui enhancements to align the energy of your surroundings to your energetic signature
- Feng Shui adjustments to reduce and where possible, eliminate the negative energy in your surroundings
Creating an environment in which you feel energetically supported will be very helpful to you as you go about your day-to-day life meeting new people and dealing with new situations. The Feng Shui adjustments will further strengthen the expression of your authentic self, therefore helping you to feel not only more comfortable in your own skin, but in your home environment as well. The more you can express the unique person you are in your environment, the more energized and encouraged you will feel.
This expanded knowledge of yourself will assist you in coming to an acceptance of all the parts that make up the whole Being that you are. By integrating the principles of astrology with the Feng Shui enhancements you make, you can transform the energy of your surroundings into an environment that aligns with your own astrological expression of happiness, harmony, and well-being.
Feng Shui for your Rising Sign 