Children's Charts: Rising Versus Sun

 

February 4, 2005

 

http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/feb4.html

 

Dear Eric:

With the adult horoscope I usually read the rising and find it is pretty right on. Should we do the same with the kid's horoscope, or as the article describes would it be best to read the Moon sign horoscope for a real accurate report?

 

Thanks

Gia

 

 

Dear Gia,

This raises two questions: one, what is the 'right' way to use a Sun-sign horoscope and two, what is the best way to read the astrology of a child? Both would make good full-length articles, so this response will only begin the discussion. (I have, by the way, covered the Sun sign horoscope question in detail previously -- it's in the archive of the Q&A column.)

 

Addressing the Sun vs. rising sign question, I suggest you read what works for you. Reading a horoscope column is a form of divination. So you want to have some guidelines to follow and not get yourself confused. Personally, I'm something of a purist. I figure if my favorite horoscope writers have a message for me, I'm going to find it under Pisces. I also don't like to do a lot of thinking; I just go to that particular 'meeting point' and get the message that's waiting there.

 

If reading the rising sign works for you, that's the way to go. Astrology is certainly mystical, but you know, when the shoe fits, wear it. I know that I write my columns with the expectation that people will read both their Sun and rising sign, and sometimes the themes of the rising sign are equally appropriate to my own life (including some interesting predictions in my own column that have come true) as the Sun sign. However, we are doing solar astrology in these columns so you can't deny that the Sun is an influential player in horoscope columns.

 

As for kids. I have a hunch the rising sign is pretty important for children, since their ego consciousness (as represented by the Sun) is not fully formed. And they are 'ascendant' people -- growing up, rising up. I know that in my own life, as a kid I expressed my rising sign much more distinctly than my Sun sign, and others have reported the same thing. The rising sign, seen this way, can represent something we had in childhood that we lost as we became adults and then strive to recover as we develop into adulthood.

 

The clue here is that, if you're aware of your child's rising sign, to help them keep those attributes as they grow into teenage and young adult years.

 

However, newspaper horoscopes aside, the Moon sign is vitally important for children because it's the first place we can find out information about what they NEED. When you think of a child's Moon (and in fact of those of adults) think of that one word. It also tells us about the quality of mothering they are likely to get. So if your child has a 'challenging Moon' -- by sign placement, for example, or by aspect -- your might want to consider making some adjustments to your mothering/parenting style based on what you learn from that aspect.

 

I think that knowing a child's astrological chart can go a long way toward helping parents address the individual needs and concerns that children have, particularly the ones they cannot express for themselves.

 

NOTE TO READERS -- I publish a journal on astrology and parenting at http://PlanetWavesParenting.com/ where you can read the Cosmic Child horoscope free each month. There is a really interesting feature under the articles section called "Growing Up Now," where we interview 25 children and then reveal their astrology. This was a very enlightening experience for all of us who worked on it! Check it out at the link above.