If you know some astrology, you have probably heard the term chart ruler thrown around. If you have been wondering what it means and how to find your chart ruler in astrology, you have come to the right place. The planet that rules your ascendant becomes one of the most important planets in the natal chart.
In this article, you can learn everything about your chart ruler in astrology. To find it in your natal chart, you have to know your rising sign also known as the ascendant.
The chart ruler is the ruling planet of the ascendant. If you are not sure which planet rules which sign, there is a list below that can help you.
There are ten planets in the birth chart, and all are uniquely important. However, if a planet is your chart ruler, its significance doubles.
In your natal chart, you have to pay special attention to your chart ruler‘s position by sign and by house. Its aspects are also important,. This planet represents you in the natal chart, so all influence it gets from the planets reflects your key traits. Understanding your chart ruler is very useful in understanding yourself on a deeper level.
Rulership is an exciting but complex part of astrology. It’s what takes chart reading to the next level. Don’t worry if it feels overwhelming in the beginning. With a little bit of practice, you will understand it in no time.
Keep reading to learn more about the meaning of your chart ruler in astrology!
How to Find Your Chart Ruler in Astrology?
How to know which planet is your chart ruler? To find this out, first, you’ll need your ascendant.
The ascendant is the degree of the sign that was coming up on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth, as observed from the place where you were born. It is also called the rising sign. It is one of the most important features of the natal chart.
It represents the mask you wear in the world, your attitude to people and their attitude to you, but also how you approach new beginnings. People often identify with their ascendant more than with their Sun sign at the beginning of their lives. The ascendant shows what role were you assigned in your family when a child.
As you can see, the ascendant and its ruling planet, which is the chart ruler at the same time, are not to be ignored or taken lightly.
The chart ruler is the planet that rules the sign on the ascendant. Every zodiac sign is ruled by a planet in astrology. Some of them have two ruling planets: a modern ruler and a traditional ruler.
To calculate your ascendant, you have to know your exact time of birth.
Here’s a list of which planet rules your ascendant for the twelve zodiac signs in astrology:
- Aries rising: Mars chart ruler
- Taurus rising: Venus chart ruler
- Gemini rising: Mercury chart ruler
- Cancer rising: Moon chart ruler
- Leo rising: Sun chart ruler
- Virgo rising: Mercury chart ruler
- Libra rising: Venus chart ruler
- Scorpio rising: Pluto and Mars chart rulers
- Sagittarius rising: Jupiter chart ruler
- Capricorn rising: Saturn chart ruler
- Aquarius rising: Uranus and Saturn chart rulers
- Pisces rising: Neptune and Jupiter chart rulers
If you are an Aries rising, your chart ruler is Mars. If you are a Taurus rising, your chart ruler is Venus. If you are a Gemini rising, your chart ruler is Mercury, and so on.
There are three zodiac signs that have both a modern and a traditional ruler. These are Scorpio: the modern ruler is Pluto and the traditional ruler is Mars, Aquarius: the modern ruler is Uranus, the traditional ruler is Saturn, and Pisces. The traditional ruler of Pisces is Jupiter, while its modern ruler is Neptune.
If you happen to be a Scorpio, Aquarius, or Pisces rising, you should look to the position of both rulers.
Now that you know your chart ruler in astrology, you can look up its meaning by houses in the birth chart.
Rulership in Astrology in a Nutshell
Rulership is one of the key concepts in astrology. You might be wondering why it is so significant-without it, you cannot read a chart properly. After you learn the basics of astrology, it’s time to put the pieces together, and this is what rulership is all about.
Besides aspects, the relationship between the houses through their ruling planets is what makes energy flow in the chart. The houses that are connected through planetary aspects indicate life areas that are linked together, for better or worse.
Every zodiac sign has a ruling planet. When you look at the natal chart, you can see that there is a sign on the cusp of each house. In the chart, the ruling planet of this sign rules the house that has this sign on its cusp. For example, your first house begins in Libra. In this case, the ruler of your first house is Venus. If your third house begins in Aquarius, this house is ruled by Uranus.
Which house is ruled by which planet is unique in everyone’s chart.
Through rulership, you can see the matters of which house supports the matters of which house. For example, the ruling planet of the second house (personal resources) in the ninth house (education, travel, spirituality) can mean that the person spends most of their money on traveling. There are various ways house rulership can manifest.
The chart ruler is the ruler of the first house in your natal chart. Its position by house reveals a lot about your motivations and where you expend the most effort.
The Chart Ruler in Houses in the Natal Chart
In the birth chart, the position of the chart ruler is very significant.
The house of the chart ruler shows life areas that are particularly important for your soul. Usually, the corresponding life areas require a lot of your focus in this lifetime.
When talking about how the signs, houses, and planets come together, you have to understand the difference between them. The planets show what happens, what energies are there, the houses show in which life area these energies are present, while the signs describe how the planets manifest.
You can learn more about the houses in astrology here.
Chart Ruler in 1st House
This placement suggests that some personal issues are a major focus in your life. Learning to embrace the real you becomes very important here. The chart ruler in 1st house usually means that you are authentic and the impression you make on others is important to you. Sometimes you are insecure about yourself and you can be self-conscious, particularly about your body. Often, developing physical strength can help you tremendously. When young, you tend to care too much about the opinion of others.
You count on yourself rather than on others. The chart ruler in the first house suggests a person who is a leader and a go-getter. Most often, this planet is in its own sign when placed in the first house, and your rising sign becomes even more a big part of your identity. This sign becomes more emphasized with your chart ruler there in its own sign.
Chart Ruler in 2nd House
If you have your chart ruler in your 2nd house, you are a grounded person with a great deal of common sense. You are good at guessing how much effort something takes and if it’s worth it to you.
With this placement, your possessions and belongings become more important. The second house is about your assets and resources. These include financial assets, but your talents and even your body in some way belong here. Besides tangible possessions, the second house is also the house of values. The chart ruler here suggests that you have a solid value system and it is very important to you.
People with their chart ruler in 2nd house can be possessive. Depending on the planet here, you are either frugal or the contrary, hedonistic. Achieving a comfortable lifestyle is one of your priorities. The chart ruler in the 2nd house can also indicate challenges with your self-esteem. Feeling unworthy of love and appreciation is a common issue here.
Chart Ruler in 3rd House
What happens when the chart ruler is in the third house? With this placement, connecting with others will be key. People with their chart ruler in 3rd house are often outgoing, bubbly, extroverted (especially if this planet is in a fire sign or the dominant element in the birth chart is fire), and they have good social skills, unless the planet is very afflicted. This placement suggests that you feel authentic when you communicate and chat around.
With the chart ruler in third house, you enjoy learning and you often keep absorbing information as long as you are alive. They possess some traits of Gemini, such as curiosity or versatility. The downside of the chart ruler in 3rd house is nervousness and restlessness.
Chart Ruler in 4th House
The chart ruler in 4th house emphasizes the importance of your home and family. These are a major focus in your life. You seek security. The chart ruler in the fourth house is in the natural house of Cancer, and you are somewhat emotional and family-oriented, too. You spend a lot of time at home.
The chart ruler in the fourth house suggests that one of your parents is particularly important to you. You have a strong bond with your homeland and ancestors.
Chart Ruler in 5th House
The chart ruler in the fifth house suggests a creative person who is fun to be around. For you, self-expression is essential. You suffer in an environment where you have to follow the rules and where you feel invisible. Children can also be important for you with your chart ruler in 5th house.
The chart ruler in fifth house needs a lot of attention. With this placement, you enjoy taking up the central space and you love it when people adore you. Your personality was made for the limelight.
Chart Ruler in 6th House
There are two key themes to the sixth house, it is the house of work and health in astrology. The chart ruler in 6th house often suggests a workaholic. You don’t want a job, you want a vocation. You have a strong sense of duty in a way Virgos do.
With the chart ruler in sixth house, daily routines are important to you. You feel the best when you have healthy habits, such as getting enough physical exercise, sleep, eating healthy food. You prefer a simple lifestyle. Others see you as reliable, modest, hard-working.
Chart Ruler in 7th House
The chart ruler in seventh house emphasizes one-on-one relationships. Here, you often don’t feel complete on your own, and struggle when young. The chart ruler in 7th house suggests that you feel the best when others. When you have to do something on your own, you can be indecisive in a way most Libras are.
The nature of the planet is important here (beneficial planets, such as Venus or Jupiter) are easier to work with than malefics, e.g. Saturn or Mars. The seventh house rules committed relationships and marriage, and this placement suggests that you seek yourself in other people, but you tend to be too submissive in a relationship.
Chart Ruler in 8th House
The chart ruler in the eighth house is in the natural house of Scorpio. This placement suggests a mysterious, intense, somewhat dark person. You possess strong charisma. Privacy is very important to you, and you keep many things secret. You are usually an introvert who needs a lot of time alone.
With the chart rule in 8th house, the life areas of joint resources, sexuality, investigation, finances, psychology, or even criminal take up a lot of space in your life. You have a strong intuition with this placement. Transformation happens all the time in your life, sometimes through crisis and life-changing events.
Chart Ruler in 9th House
Your chart ruler in the ninth house absorbs some Sagittarian energy. Here, you see life as an adventure. You want excitement and you search for it in many ways. You want to learn more about the world and understand it better. The chart ruler in 9th house suggests that you enjoy philosophy, religion, reading about various topics. You also love to debate, but you are sometimes bold and impatient.
You get bored easily, and change is the only constant in your life. The hart ruler in ninth house indicates a love of travel and foreign cultures. Sometimes you move abroad with this placement. If fire is strong in your chart, you have high energy levels and you are an inspiring person.
Chart Ruler in 10th House
People with their chart ruler in 10th house are often career-oriented. They have high ambitions and feel the best when they are in control. Professional success is very important to you with your chart ruler in 10th house. This placement suggests a person who works hard and often becomes successful. There is some Capricorn energy to you with this placement.
The chart ruler in tenth house often indicates that a parent was particularly important. The influence of this parent in some way motivated you to work hard and be ambitious. This sometimes stems from rejection. At the same time, this position can indicate a fear of intimacy and being vulnerable.
Chart Ruler in 11th House
The chart ruler in the eleventh house indicates a outgoing, extroverted person. Your social circle is very important to you with this placement, it’s where you feel that you can be the real you. You are often quite popular and have a lot of friends and acquaintances. At the same time, individuality is essential for you, and you strive to be original.
The chart ruler in the eleventh house often indicates humanitarian work or fighting for social causes.
Besides groups and organizations, the eleventh house is also about your goals and wishes. Depending on the planet here, you are committed to your goals and you always find a way to achieve them. You often do so with the help of like-minded people.
Chart Ruler in 12th House
People with their chart ruler in 12th house are sensitive and introverted. They are often shy and prefer to stay in the background. This is especially the case when they are young. The chart ruler in the twelfth house suggests a powerful intuition, sometimes even psychic abilities.
This placement often indicates work behind the scenes, in an institute, being involved with charity, or a solitary profession. This position can suggest periods of isolation in some form, such as time spent in a hospital or periods when you don’t interact with people.
An afflicted chart with the chart ruler in the twelfth house can indicate criminal or illegal actions. But for this to be the case, there have to be several indicators in the birth chart.
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