Whether you’re on the hunt for a forever person or just in it for a good time, going through the highs and lows of the dating scene isn’t for the faint of heart. If you’re anything like me back in my casual dating days, you feel like you’re just walking around with a giant question mark over your head wondering what in the world is going on. Advice is flying in from all angles, and it all seems to be contradictory. Thankfully, we have a tool right at our fingertips to help us navigate these uncharted waters in a way that works for our own unique makeup–our birth chart!
Knowing your rising sign can help you unlock a whole new understanding of your personality and astrological makeup, including your dating style and the best way for you to approach the dating scene. Once I dove deeper into my own rising sign, I had the awareness to switch from the casual hookups that were exhausting my nervous system to pursuing the more intimate and deep relationships that I was secretly craving.
Even if you’re not on the hunt for a soulmate, understanding your dating style and what works best for you can help you take your dating game to the next level.
How Your Rising Sign Can Help With Your Dating Life
Technically speaking, your rising sign is the sign that was coming up over the horizon at the moment you were born. In the birth chart, it represents how we express ourselves and interpret the world around us. If our Sun Sign is an actress, the rising sign is the character they play. More importantly, when we know our rising sign, we know the placement of other aspects in our chart that tell us about things like our career preferences, spiritual practices, social circles, and yes…our dating life.
How to Find Your Rising Sign
To find your rising sign, you’ll need to know your date of birth, exact time of birth, and location of birth. Once you have this info handy, head over to astro.com and pull up your birth chart. Be sure to select “Whole Signs” for the house system.
The rising sign is represented by “AC” in the birth chart and is always located in the First House. Below, you can see that my rising sign is in Scorpio. It’s also listed at the top of the chart next to “Ascendent”.
Source: astro.com
What Your Dating Style Is, Based on Your Rising Sign
Aries Rising: Playful and Passionate
Aries Risings know their way around a good time, but all the better if they can fall in love and have a passionate romance along the way. While they’re often the life of the party, they secretly crave something a bit deeper–if not a lifelong partner then at least someone who will treat them like they’re the center of the universe and dole out unlimited affection. They bring a playful energy to the dating scene but tend to walk around with a pair of passion-tinted glasses and fall for their dates quickly.
Taurus Rising: Comfortable and Cautious
This sign is romantic at heart, but only if the numbers add up. Their tendency to be critical of their dates comes from a place of wanting to make sure their time doesn’t get wasted and they don’t let the wrong person in. There’s nothing wrong with having standards and taking things slow, but casual dating can lead to a lot of disappointments. Taurus Risings thrive best in the dating scene when they connect with people through their hobbies, interests, and social circles.
Gemini Rising: Flirtatious and Sentimental
Gemini Risings possess a natural talent for dating because they can connect with just about anyone. They easily woo their dates through their flirtatious charm and magnetic energy, whether they’re actually into the date or watching the clock until it ends. Because of their talent for connection, they often fall into serial monogamy, moving from one monogamous relationship to the next. They thrive best when they’re in a partnership rather than alone and are great at keeping the romance alive in long-term relationships.
Cancer Rising: Intimate and Open
Quite frankly, if someone isn’t ready to get real and open up to a Cancer Rising, they shouldn’t even bother. They’re not interested in surface-level flings or nameless one-night stands. They demand that their date bares their soul and lays all the cards out on the table from the very beginning (how else are you supposed to build trust?). While they can find their way around the casual dating scene, they’re also intense and do best in the intimacy of a committed partnership or at least a somewhat stable situationship with good sex.
Leo Rising: Adventurous and Free
Leo Risings can do well with both casual and more serious dating as long as they’re allowed to fully be themselves along the way. While they can start feeling restless if their date is the controlling type, they’ll happily stay with a long-term partner who respects their need for independence and has a similar love for exploration and adventure. This placement reminds me of dating people during my traveling days where it was normal to have a passionate romance with another hostel guest for a week or so and then amicably part ways to continue down the road.
Virgo Rising: Serious and Slow
Similar to their fellow earth signs, Virgo Risings have high standards when it comes to dating. Because of this, they like to take things slow (super slow sometimes) until they’re sure they’ve found the right one. This sign does not take mistakes lightly and would prefer to avoid making one at all costs. Dating to find a partner makes more sense to them than doing it for fun, but they’re often too focused on work to commit themselves to the game. Meeting someone with a similar work ethic, or at least an understanding of their ambition, could help things flow more naturally.
Libra Rising: Social and Casual
With a love for socializing and spending time with friends, Libra Risings are at their best when dating in groups or when their date is down to hang out with their friends. Libra Rising Geri Halliwell (AKA Ginger Spice) said it best when singing “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends”. This sign relies heavily on the opinions of their social circle when it comes to deciding whether to pursue a date further or not. Because of their love for social interaction, ethical non-monogamy or other non-traditional relationship styles can be a great choice.
Scorpio Rising: Dreamy and Wistful
When it comes to dating, Scorpio Risings have their head in the clouds and their feet right up there with it. Speaking from experience as a Scorpio Rising myself, they can’t help but imagine a whole life with someone after a conversation or two (it’s exhausting honestly). They’re also highly sensitive and can be quite devastated when things don’t go according to their imaginary plan. It’s especially important to prioritize alone time in order to feel grounded and keep from falling too quickly for the fictional version of their date that they have in their head.
Sagittarius Rising: Ambitious and Challenging
Like all fire signs, Sagittarius Risings start getting bored when things get too easy. They’d rather strike up a conversation with a stranger in a coffee shop than meet someone through an app. Instead of easy, comfortable, and stable relationships, they gravitate towards the type of romances that keep their head racing at night and their heart pumping out of their chest cartoon-style. They’re in it for a good time, not necessarily a long time, unless their partner shares their passion and a love for creative expression.
Capricorn Rising: Old-Fashioned and Refined
Capricorn Risings love being taken to nice restaurants or whisked off on a romantic trip to France, but appreciate smaller thoughtful gestures (like a home-cooked meal) as well. More than any other sign, Capricorn Risings are old-fashioned. They like to take things slow when it comes to dating, and appreciate a partner who wants the same. As they take their time getting to know someone, it’s important that they feel comfortable, but they can also benefit from someone who pushes them out of their comfort zone and into new experiences.
Aquarius Rising: Non-Committal and Diverse
Aquarius Risings are exceptional at casual dating. After all, why would they settle down with just one person when they can date a whole bunch of different people instead? While they’re often super interesting individuals to be around, they don’t take kindly to being tied down. Once their curiosity is satisfied, they’re ready for the next adventure. Variety is the name of the game. Much like their fellow airy Libra Risings, Aquarius Risings often do well in open relationships, but are also perfectly content staying single and dating around.
Pisces Rising: Caring and Selfless
Casual dating? No, thank you. Pisces Risings are eager to settle down and create a life with someone. Like the other water signs, they can fall in love quicker than the average person, causing the dating process to be a constant ebb-and-flow of passionate love and heartbreak. They don’t like the feeling of constantly having to impress another–they’d rather just stay at home in their partner’s arms. Once they find their match, this sign is incredibly selfless and thoughtful, consistently going above and beyond for their other half.
