Everything You Need to Know about the Clever, Curious Aquarius Ascendant

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Fast Facts

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Personality

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Appearance

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Love

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Work

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Friendship

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Thriving as an Aquarius Rising

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Expert Interview

Aquarius risings are known to be gorgeous, fascinating intellectuals. But with this ascendant sign, that's just beginning. Below, we're walking you through all of the secrets and surprises that come along with the Aquarius rising lifestyle. From love, to work, to friendships, we're covering it all in-depth below. Ready to learn more? Let's dive in!

Things You Should Know

Aquarius risings are thought to be clever, moral, unique, and a little aloof.
This rising sign has an ethereal, otherworldly air to them. They tend to have big, curious eyes and sharp features.
Aquarius risings tend to attract misunderstood and unconventional people, because this placement is often understanding in nature.

Section 1 of 7:

Fast Facts

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Aquarius risings are thought to be whip-smart and unique. Rising signs are sometimes called your “mask,” because some believe that they’re the personality you wear on the surface, before people truly get to know you.^{[1]XResearch source} When you first meet someone, your rising sign affects the way they perceive you. Though, others actually feel that rising signs are more true to a person's personality than sun signs (the sun sign is the one you probably already know. It correlates directly with your birthday). As we unpack the Aquarius rising placement below, we encourage you to lean into whatever feels right—you might decide that your rising sign has a heavy presence in your life, or that it’s effects are a little subtler.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Element: Air
- Modality: Fixed
- Planets: Saturn & Uranus
- Symbol: Water-bearer
- House: 1st House (if you're interested, learn more about the astrological houses)
- Celebs: Barack Obama, David Bowie, Audrey Hepburn, Zendaya, Amy Poehler, SZA, Elizabeth Olsen, Yara Shahidi, Nicki Minaj, Ashton Kutcher

Section 2 of 7:

Personality

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Smart. Aquarius risings are known to be super intelligent and very quick. You know those people who, even when you’ve just met, you can tell that they’re really plugged into life? That’s Aquarius rising. This ascendant sign carries a clever, curious air with them everywhere that they go, and because of that, they're usually immediately respected by new friends and connections.
- This is, in part, because the sign Aquarius is ruled by air—which is the element of ideas, flexibility, and intellect. Though, it's worth noting that of the air signs, Aquarius is thought to be the sharpest.
- When Aquarius risings pipe up with an opinion, everyone naturally quiets to listen. They might also attract bullish, aggressive personalities. Why’s this? Because when someone has a big ego (and needs to prove they’re the smartest person in the room), Aquarius rising is who they’ll want to beat!
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Unconventional. Aquarius risings seem like aliens walking among us. They immediately strike others as being sort of otherworldly—it just feels like they follow a different set of rules. This can come across differently depending on the Aquarius (they might express their uniqueness through style, silliness, art, anything!). But one thing’s for sure: Aquarius rising's eccentricity and authenticity are refreshing to the people around them.^{[3]XResearch source}
- This quality might also look more like spontaneity. Because Aquarius risings aren’t rigid people, they may be more into random adventures and wild antics.
- The sign Aquarius is ruled by the Planet Uranus, which represents progressiveness, individuality, and ability to invent and bring new ideas to life. So, it makes total sense that Aquarius risings tend to march to the beat of their own drum!
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Aloof. Aquarius risings are often seen as detached, maybe even “too cool.” It’s funny, because they’re actually the opposite—this is one of the least judgmental placements in the zodiac. Still, their minds are usually too focused on other things, and they’re definitely not people pleasers. As a result, Aquarius risings sometimes seem a little like they're off in their own world.
- This, paired with Aquarius rising’s innate confidence and wicked intelligence, means that others sometimes become desperate to impress this rising sign. Aquarius risings might find that people in their life just seem to need their approval, and this is why.
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Moral. Aquarius risings have a reputation for being humanitarians. Aquarius placements are deeply kind—not so much polite or agreeable, but more so, they care about people on a systemic level, and are willing to give their energy to humanity. So Aquarius risings might be the type to casually call out problematic comments made by strangers, or to bring up important issues in regular conversation.
- If Aquarius rising is paired with another empathetic or do-good sun sign (like Cancer or Pisces), it transforms them into a real-life superhero!
- The sign Aquarius is of the fixed modality. Meaning, the sign is associated with certainty, rigidness, and steadfastness. As a result, Aquarius risings are unlikely to just act moral when it's convenient; instead, they'll probably be very consistent.

Section 3 of 7:

Appearance

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Face & body: Aquarius risings are known to have a sort of ethereal, otherworldly look to them. Specifically, they might be more likely to have curious, wide eyes set under a broad forehead. They might also have sharp bone structure and some sort of unique, striking feature—like a birthmark. Their bodies are thought to be tall and slender, sometimes athletic as well.
- Of course, no two Aquarius risings look the same! According to astrology, these ascendant signs are more likely to have these qualities, but there’s no guarantee.
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Style: An Aquarius rising might be the single most recognizable placement by their clothes alone. Again, though this isn’t necessarily the case for every Aquarius rising, they definitely lean more in the direction of wild personal style. Aquarius risings are less likely to feel tied to trends. Or, they might just love to wear something small that says: I’m not playing by the rules.
- You might be more likely to see wild hair colors, unconventional costume jewelry, or bold makeup looks.

Section 4 of 7:

Love

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Aquarius rising attracts: unique, misunderstood, silly, or curious people. So many amazing types are naturally attracted to Aquarius risings' beautiful, unconventional way of navigating the world. Specifically, people who also march to the beat of their own drum find Aquarius risings to be a comforting presence. People who feel misunderstood by their loved ones are drawn to this placement’s understanding nature. Silly, curious people who love exciting, unique personalities find Aquarius rising to be totally refreshing.
- Specific placements that Aquarius risings might pair well with: Scorpio suns, Pisces suns, Capricorn moons, Gemini risings, and Sagittarius risings.
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Strengths in love: Aquarius risings are thoughtful, understanding, refreshing, and inspiring in love. Basically, they’re a super dreamy partner! Aquarius risings know how to truly accept their partners, and that’s a superpower in love. They can empower you to be a more kind, considerate, and moral citizen of the world. They can shake up your life and expand your horizons. In short, Aquarius risings are a life-changing partner to experience firsthand!
- If you're an Aquarius rising, use your strengths to your advantage: take your crush for a spontaneous road trip. Challenge them in a rigorous debate. When they open up to you, make sure they understand that you don’t judge.
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Challenges in love: Is it all a walk in the park for Aquarius risings? Not quite. This sign gets a bad rep for being a little too emotionally unavailable in love. Generally speaking, Aquarius placements are a little uncomfortable with their feelings, and prefer less mushy gushiness. This can cause a strain in their romances, because most people feel that to connect, you have to get vulnerable.
- Our advice for Aquarius risings: be brave and open up! It’ll be hard to find someone who genuinely doesn’t need any emotional conversations to grow a relationship. And besides, you might find that by challenging yourself to get vulnerable, you feel yourself growing, too.
- It'd also be a good idea to get more context by finding the rest of your birth chart. Especially for long-term loves, rising signs are not everything. If you have a more expressive sun or moon sign (like Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio, or Leo, for instance), you might not have any issue with this at all!

Section 5 of 7:

Work

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Professionally, Aquarius risings are a force to be reckoned with. As we’ve established, this is a sign that immediately projects an authority that people can’t seem to ignore. Aquarius risings come off as super smart, so everyone around them is automatically interested in their opinion. Plus, they’re genuine, principled people, so they’re agents of good in their workforce. They also naturally know how to make others feel appreciated and understood, which makes them great managers.
- It might be that rising signs are especially important in a person’s career, because coworkers aren’t necessarily getting to know each other on a deeper level—so you might be interacting more with one another’s rising signs than sun or moon signs.
- Aquarius risings might enjoy roles where they’re managing others, being challenged intellectually, or getting to fight the good fight. Specifically, they might like an executive position, engineering, or non-profit work.

Section 6 of 7:

Friendship

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Aquarius risings are dependable, silly friends to all. This ascendant sign knows how to immediately make others feel comfortable—with their antics and natural eccentricity, they subtly give others permission to be as goofy, wild, and wonderful as they truly are at heart. Even though, as mentioned, some people might feel a natural need to please Aquarius risings (because of this placement's intense intelligence!), in reality, these people are deeply understanding and comforting at heart.
- Aquarius risings are great at giving advice to pals. They believe in true morality, so even when it’s tough, they’ll be honest and point friends toward the right decision.
- They’re fascinating conversationalists, too. Always armed with a fresh take or an unconventional opinion, Aquarius risings are the types of friends that you don’t get bored of.
- Though, if you’re a mushy gushy person, you might sometimes feel strained in your friendship with an Aquarius rising—they usually have a little trouble sharing their emotions with friends!

Section 7 of 7:

Thriving as an Aquarius Rising

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Lean into your unique qualities. In rare cases, an Aquarius rising might end up feeling bad about all of their lovely, strange qualities—as an Aquarius rising, being different is your birthright. And that’s powerful! Instead of wasting time feeling uncomfortable with your uniqueness, embrace it. Other people admire you for the way you naturally stand out. And you should too!
- Create a daily mantra. To remind yourself of just how wonderful you are, craft a mantra that feels right to you. When you wake up in the morning, repeat it to yourself in the mirror: “I’m smart, good, unique, and wonderful!”
- Remind yourself that if someone doesn’t accept you, that’s their problem. So next time someone passes judgment, remember: maybe you're not "weird," but the other person is just boring!
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Always stick to your beliefs, even if you run into naysayers. As an Aquarius rising, you probably have an interest in progress. So when you’re dealing with people, companies, a world that isn’t as forward-thinking as you, it can feel frustrating at times. But to harness your Aquarius rising powers, you can’t let rigid old systems hold you back. You deserve to make things happen and to go after your dreams, and the naysayers will have to deal with that!
- Set big goals. Write them down so that they feel more concrete. Make smaller, incremental goals that help you push the needle over time.
- Be honest about your beliefs. We probably don't need to tell you not to hold back. But in case you needed a reminder, your unique POV is a superpower Aquarius rising—use it!
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Keep Aries, Libra, and Gemini risings as friends. There are all kinds of things that make or break a person’s astrological compatibility beyond rising signs, but still, these can be a big indicator of who might make great company for you! Surround yourself with these rising signs, and you’ll feel like you can take on the world. You’ve got big dreams, and these are the people who’ll help you get there!
- Aries rising will inspire you to take action and lend you energy on the day-to-day.
- Libra rising will challenge your ideas and force you to think about things in a new way.
- And your Gemini-rising pals will make you laugh! After all, that’s an important thing to find in friendships, too.