The birth chart is our map to selfhood, revealing everything from our past lives to attachment style, sexual proclivities to a preferred mode of expression, relationships to money.
Most folks who dabble in astrology are familiar with their big three — their sun, moon and rising signs — but many overlook their true overlord.
You see, while your rising sign is the energy that describes you, your chart ruler paints an even more illustrious portrait of who you are: what challenges you, what changes you, how you move through the world, and how you can live in accordance with the energy that moves through you.
What is a chart ruler?
Every zodiac sign has a corresponding planet of rulership.
Your chart ruler is the planet that rules your ascendant or rising sign. In essence, your chart ruler is your power point, the planetary energy you rise and shine with. A quick note: some signs have two planetary rulers, both modern and traditional, as they were assigned their original planets before the discovery of those far-flung luminaries of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
How to find your chart ruler
To find your chart ruler, you’ll need to identify your rising sign. If you’re uncertain, use a birth chart calculator like this one.
See below for a list of rising signs and their corresponding planetary rulers:
Rulership through the signs
Mars
Mars is the chart ruler for Aries rising. Named for the god of war, Mars is about personal autonomy, vital action and unshakable will. Getting it on, getting it done and doing it fast. It’s giving fearless leader at best — and relentless tyrant at worst.
Venus
Libra and Taurus risings are ruled by the bougie, blooming energy of Venus. They seek to find the beauty in all things and all people and are also concerned with acquiring material wealth and social currency as a means to understand themselves.
Mercury
Gemin and Virgo risings are ruled by Mercury, the planet of information, technology and travel. The Mercury-ruled person is synonymous with the pursuit of knowledge. They are born to mine meaning from life and share their findings, engaging in an endless conversation. Mercurial folk must remember that it is just as important to feel as it is to know.
The Moon
Cancer risings move like the moon. They’re devoted, intuitive and psychically sensitive. They can easily pick up on the needs of others, a power that can be beneficial, dangerous or just plain exhausting. They must master the lesson of tending to their own wounds before they suture others’.
The Sun
Leo risings shine like the glory hog sun itself. This major star quality makes them magnetic but emotionally aloof. They are here to draw others to them and draw attention to causes that matter, to wield their irrefutable light as a beacon, and to hold the line between confidence and bluster.
Pluto
Scorpio risings are ruled by Pluto, the planet of death and transformation. As such, themes of power, loss, obsession and turning destruction into fuel for regeneration will be highly present.
Jupiter
The chart ruler for Sagittarius rising is luck-doling, good-time-loving Jupiter. Their energy is one of enthusiasm and expansion, going big and going for broke. Jupiterians are here to experience life in all of its glory, to blow their own minds, seek self-improvement and true purpose, and to humbly guide others toward new horizons.
Saturn
Capricorn rising is ruled by stern daddy Saturn. The illustrious Ivy Underwood AKA 0degreestaurus describes these folks as, “Painfully aware of the limitations the world puts on them, this person either commits to live life as an outcast or resolves to break barriers so they can be their true selves without restriction.”
Uranus
Aquarius risings are ruled by “weird is the only way” Uranus, the planet of reaction and rebellion, lightning, shock and awe. Those ruled by Uranus will only find their way by going their own way, their paths marked by wild coincidence and reversals of fortune, forsaking the establishment in favor of the new, the novel and the revolutionary.
Neptune
Pisces risings are ruled by Neptune, the planet of dreams, delusions, intoxicants and escape. This ruler indicates a deep tie to the unconscious mind and the currents of the collective. This ruler feels more than it knows and sees deeper and further than most. The aim of Neptune is universal oneness, recognizing that we are each but a drop of rain in an eternal sea.
Where does my ruler live?
But it’s not just the planetary ruler of the chart that’s important — we must also look at what sign and house that planet falls in to get a clear picture of how the chart ruler will reign in the life of the person in question and what themes will be central to their development.
For funsies and because an accurate time of birth is available online, we’ll use Kim Kardashian’s birth chart as an example. Kim’s rising sign is Sagittarius, making Jupiter her planetary ruler. Within her birth chart, Kim’s Jupiter falls in the sign of Virgo in her 10th house of acclaim, accomplishment and public perception.
Jupiter is the planet of power and fortune, and it expands/enriches/gilds and gluts everything it touches. We can see Kim’s ruler (Jupiter) at work in the sign of Virgo (daily rituals and purification, all in line with her aesthetic and wellness brands) in the house of fame and acclaim.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling.
