First impressions are the most lasting. ~Proverbs

The first impressions matter a lot. Although, I admit that they do change over time but yes when it comes to little schemes of life, they do matter a lot.

There is a concept in Astrology that strives to determine the first impression that we make on people and it is known as Ascendant.

What is an Ascendant?

An ascendant refers to any zodiac sign that is rising on the Eastern Horizon at the time of the native’s birth. The Lagna or the rising sign reflects the first impression of the individual that he/she leaves on others. Ascendant has a profound effect on the native. The outer persona of the native, the mask that they wear is what the Ascendant or the rising sign strives to define.

How is the Ascendant ascertained in Vedic Astrology?

To ascertain the ascendant, the astrologers refer to the kundali or as it is most commonly called ‘Natal Chart’. There are 12 houses in the kundali or the natal chart of an individual. Out of these 12 houses, the first house is the house of ascendant or Lagna.

This particular zodiac sign which is situated at the eastern point is considered as the ascendant or lagna of an individual. One zodiac sign stays for 2 hours at an eastern point. The house of the ascendant is the first house in the birth chart and is considered important than other houses. The ruling planet of the rising sign is also the ruling planet of the entire kundali birth chart.

The earth takes 24 hrs to complete rotation. During this duration, it passes through all the zodiac signs. It remains in one zodiac sign for 2 hours. The first house of the kundali is called ascendant and if the house of ascendant has number 1 written on it then this determines the ascendant is Aries, if there is number 2 written on it then the ascendant is Taurus and so on and so forth.