Most students see the Ascendant as that part of the chart that influences physical appearance, or that governs one's personal view of life. Traditionally, it has been viewed as the way in which we find personal expression through the ego (our own conception of self).

  If we look a little bit deeper, however, we realize how much our conception of self is based on our effective relationship between our being and the outer world in which it tries to manifest.. When people are not using their ascendant correctly, the inner being misinterprets its relationship with the external world. As a result, some people experience personal difficulties or problems with their personality. When the ascendant is used correctly, the inner being and external environment can flow through the personality like a two-way current, creating new progress in both.

  As we study the horoscope in order to better our lives, it becomes too easy to look for potentials while overlooking reality. Thus, instead of seeing the individual as he or she truly is, we envision future possibilities which may or may not manifest. Every person's chart contains within it all of the possibilities that the person needs for a full life. But, it is only when we are "plugged in" to the way in which our inner being receives and gives illumination (from and to the outer environment) that the fullness of life becomes a realizable fact.

  I feel that the Ascendant is the expression of each person's reality. When we think of the world as being composed of the totality of all individuals, then the Ascendant shows us the true structure of world reality.

  The potential of an individual, or the potential evolution of the human race as a whole, is an important ideal. But the reality of an individual functioning with what they are in touch with is what truly makes the world the way it is. The Ascendant then, becomes a doorway to understanding reality-- not through the potential it can reach, but rather through the essence that it is reaching..

Excerpt from The Ascendant Your Karmic Doorway (edited for screen) © Martin Schulman. All rights reserved. Classic Legend Books, West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.