You’ve probably heard of the “Big 3” in astrology (your Sun, Moon, and Rising), but have you heard of your Chart Ruler? Did you know that there is a placement in your chart that shows the direction your “ship is steered in” or more clearly, the underlying theme or motivation present throughout your entire life? Well whether you’re aware of this or not, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll explore what exactly the Chart Ruler is, what it tells you, and how you can find this enriching information for yourself!

What is the Chart Ruler?

The Chart Ruler is the planet that rules your Rising Sign. Every single zodiac sign is associated with a planet, a planet that metaphorically speaks the same language or has the same energy as that zodiac sign. For example, jubilant and adventurous Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter, the planet of abundance, optimism, wealth, and growth, whereas anger-prone and competitive Aries is ruled by the planet Mars, associated with war, motivation, conflict, and action. You can see how each zodiac sign is flavored by the planet that “rules” it, largely imbuing its planetary meanings into the signs they’re associated with.

Okay, so back to your Chart Ruler… If you know your Rising Sign, then you can easily find out your Chart Ruler. As a note, since I practice modern/spiritual astrology, I will offer both the traditional and the modern rulers of each sign, but if your Rising Sign is one of those two-for-the-price-of-one situations, I recommend looking more closely at the traditional, non-italicized ruler first and then adding in an extra layer of flavor with the italicized, modern ruler (see list below). For the sake of this post, I will only talk about the traditional rulers since I see the modern rulers as secondary when using this ancient technique.

Here is a list of all of the ruling planets (or Chart Rulers) for each Rising Sign:

• Aries – Mars
• Taurus – Venus
• Gemini – Mercury
• Cancer – Moon
• Leo – Sun
• Virgo – Mercury
• Libra – Venus
• Scorpio – Mars and Pluto
• Sagittarius – Jupiter
• Capricorn – Saturn
• Aquarius – Saturn and Uranus
• Pisces – Jupiter and Neptune

Now that you know your personal Chart Ruler, let’s dive into what this means exactly. I know I mentioned that it says a great deal about motivation and purpose in life, so it’s about time I own up to these claims! Let’s keep going…

What exactly does the Chart Ruler tell you?

As I mentioned before, the Chart Ruler “steers your ship”. If your Rising Sign is the bow/front (physical appearance of the ship, approach to the journey, etc.), then your Chart Ruler is the one at the helm! Who’s steering the ship based on a very clear set of intentions and motivations? Your Chart Ruler!

To keep it simple, I like to think of your Chart Ruler as your personal compass; if ever you feel lost and uncertain, you can surely rely on your Chart Ruler to steer you safely back home.

So, let’s get into the motivations and purpose of each of the possible Chart Rulers:

Aries and Scorpio Risings

If you’re ruled by the planet Mars, then your life path and direction revolves around fighting for who/what you believe in, staying persistent even in the face of challenge, and leaning into your inner sense of strength and confidence. Sure, you can probably piss people off sometimes, but just remember that your determination, power, and desire for action are your greatest superpowers!

Taurus and Libra Risings

If you’re ruled by the planet Venus, then your life path and direction revolves around creating beauty and social harmony. Venus is associated with love, harmony, beauty, luxury, collaboration, and sensuality, these will be important themes in your life. How can you create beauty in situations and times when others doubt it’s possible? How can you unite people together and create social cohesion even in times of conflict? How can you bring your social charm, love of peace, and desire for beauty into a world that desperately needs it?

Gemini and Virgo Risings

If you’re ruled by the planet Mercury, your life path and direction revolves around the digestion, integration, organization, and sharing of information, knowledge, and skills. You loveeee to learn! You loveeee to think! It’s important as a Mercury-ruled person that you strive to strike the balance between taking in information and sharing it. That quick and curious mind of yours won’t be satisfied without a constant stream of new information, but without turning around and sharing that information in whatever way you do best, you’ll be stuck in the “input” rut forever with no “output” to show for all of that learning. Take in, and give back. That constant revolution of knowledge is why you’re here.

Cancer Risings

If you’re ruled by the Moon, your life path and direction revolves around your intuition, inherent ability to nurture, and emotional intelligence. As a Moon-ruled person, you are sensitive, caring, compassionate, and sometimes, even a psychic sponge. These are all beautiful gifts that will require nurturing in order to bloom. Steer clear of your ability to get clingy or dependent on others by pouring your nurturing into yourself and creating healthy boundaries that leave you feeling nourished.

Leo Risings

If you’re ruled by the Sun, your life path and purpose revolves around the pursuit of your heart-driven accolades and accomplishments, BUT with it comes the need to learn to disconnect your feelings of self-worth from what you’ve accomplished. Allow your radiant, dramatic self to enjoy life with your inner child on full display! Get used to applauding yourself and leaning into the nourishment of your own compliments and attention rather than relying on the applause of others. You will shine the brightest when you learn to maintain your sense of confidence and self-assurance regardless of outside circumstance. Feel that pride and let your roar be heard!

Sagittarius and Pisces Risings

If you’re ruled by Jupiter, your life path and purpose revolves around the unquenchable thirst for meaning in life and the maintenance of optimism through all of life’s journeys. Jupiter-ruled souls have this larger-than-life ability to inspire through wisdom and hope. They are romantic-minded dreamers and speakers who believe in possibility, but they must make sure to “put their money where their mouth is”. When lucky opportunities arise for you, because they will, take them and be a humble guide and teacher for others who don’t possess your luck, optimism, and zest for life.

Capricorn and Aquarius Risings

If you’re ruled by Saturn, your life path and purpose revolves around the serious pursuit of high achievements through hard work, discipline, and responsibility. While Saturn isn’t a guarantee for fun and jubilation, it does teach persistence through challenge and patience through delays, obstacles, and restriction. While Saturn isn’t always an easy planet to be guided by, its gifts of discipline and hard work lead to a life of hard-earned legacy and the building of something that will truly last.

Ok, there’s one more step. What is it?

Now that you know what your Chart Ruler is and how it may direct your life using a general theme or motivation, it’s time to take it to the second and final step, which will color the way your Chart Ruler likes to guide you.

The second step is locating your Chart Ruler in your birth chart by sign, house, and aspect. For example, if you’re a Libra Rising, which means your Chart Ruler is Venus, you may find Venus in Aquarius in the 5th house. A big part of your purpose is probably creative expression or even imaginative work with children (Venus, 5th house) in a quirky, out-of-the-box, unconventional way (Aquarius). 

Finding your Chart Ruler in your chart shows the ways in which you’ll embody the motivations and methods of your Chart Ruler. For example, having your Chart Ruler placed in the creative and expressive sign of Leo would operate very differently than a Chart Ruler placed in the disciplined and serious sign of Capricorn. The energy of your Chart Ruler placement influences its manifestation just as much as knowing what the Chart Ruler is to begin with. Here’s a more specific example:

Let’s say someone is a Gemini Rising, meaning that Mercury (the planet of communication, learning, speaking, and writing) is the Chart Ruler. If that Chart Ruler were placed in the dreamy yet semi-out-of-touch-with-reality sign like Pisces, that person may love to write poetry, read fantasy novels, and learn about meditation and manifestation VERSUS a Mercury in Capricorn would probably like to stick to the facts and be obsessed with the accumulation of practical knowledge. These are just possible manifestations of course; I’d have to see the full chart to interpret the placement more accurately. If you want help interpreting your Chart Ruler, feel free to book a session with me here!

So, here we are at the end…

The direction and purpose of your life are inherently linked to your Chart Ruler, or the “captain of your ship”. As you’ve now learned, you can gain insight into your direction and purpose by first naming your Chart Ruler (the ruling planet of your Rising Sign) and then locating that Chart Ruler in your birth chart. Once you have all of this information, feel free to do a little Googling, book a session with me, or simply place a hand on your heart and ask yourself how those themes show up in your life. In what ways does your Chart Ruler guide your life? How does the placement of your particular Chart Ruler color the way your “personal compass” works?

Still want more?? Feel free to book a reading with me here!