Your soul is on an unfolding journey in which it eventually passes through each sign. Your journey through the 12 signs of the Zodiac is described by the Tibetan Master in Alice Bailey's "The Labours of Hercules: an astrological interpretation". At each 'stage' we can see that the soul is growing and developing. Some astrologers suggest that the soul spends up to eight incarnations in each sign, in which case we can see that it would take the soul up to 84 incarnations to complete one cycle through the Zodiac. It's not a simple linear progression from A to B, the soul's journey is more complex than that, but for our current level of understanding it's a good analogy.


Your Rising Sign can give you a sense of what your soul has come to do in this lifetime:


ARIES RISING: THE ARIES SOUL

If you have Aries rising you are here to inspire others with Divine ideas. Your challenge is to tame your mind, cultivate your intuition and cultivate self-awareness to the point where you can distinguish Divine inspiration from the needs and drives of your own personality.


TAURUS RISING: THE TAURUS SOUL

If you have Taurus rising you are here to release personal attachment and develop your senses for their highest purpose: to lead you to freedom, liberation, illumination and eventually enlightenment. Because Taurus resonates with peace, you tend to relax once you have all your creature comforts around you. Your biggest challenge is to not become complacent, and stay awake!



GEMINI RISING: THE GEMINI SOUL

If you have Gemini rising you are here to teach right human relations. To do this you have to 'marry' the head-mind and the heart-mind and deeply understand relationship as the interplay of light. Because Gemini is so curious you are interested in everything, so your biggest challenge is to stay focused on your soul path and not become distracted by mundane affairs.



CANCER RISING: THE CANCER SOUL

If you have Cancer rising you are here to find your inner light, keep it lit, and flow greater degrees of compassion into the world. Because Cancer is the sign of mass consciousness, you feel the fear of the masses. The biggest challenge for you is not succumbing to fear but to allow it to move through you and become transmuted into compassion.



LEO RISING : THE LEO SOUL

If you have Leo rising you are here to usher in an era of heart-centered leadership. Your biggest challenge will be to not become identified with your actions. You are NOT what you do. There is a real self, and a false self, and it is your job to figure out which is which. Once you do this you align with your soul purpose and your life becomes an expression of Divine Will.



VIRGO RISING: THE VIRGO SOUL

With Virgo rising you are here to be of service by flowing pure Divine love into the world through your work. Your biggest challenge is to not become discouraged and disheartened by the imperfection of the mundane world, which could leave you feeling anxious and critical. The perfection you seek is the perfection of the soul. Let go of ideas of how things 'ought to be' and flow your love anyway.



LIBRA RISING: THE LIBRA SOUL

If you have Libra rising you are here to bring in greater degrees of harmony and balance into the world through right relationship. In your case this comes from a deep understanding of the relationship between all things: including people and the beautiful planet we live on. Your biggest challenge is finding the balance between self and other in your own relationship. You matter as much as others. Not more, not less. Finding the point of balance which honors both is part of your life's work.



SCORPIO RISING: THE SCORPIO SOUL

If you have Scorpio rising you are here to transform darkness into light1 through your own journey. I've never met a Scorpio soul who had an easy life. You are learning about energy and how to flow energy in ways that are beneficial to all concerned. It often feels like your life is one big struggle, but it is a struggle which makes you stronger, and comes at the appropriate time. Like a chick pecking it's way out of an egg, it's time now to hatch. Your biggest challenge is to not get caught in confrontation but to transmute the energy of any potentially volatile situation, which transforms you and lifts you to your highest potential.



SAGITTARIUS RISING: THE SAGITTARIUS SOUL

If you have Sagittarius rising you are here to uplift humanity through the revelation of truth and wisdom1. To do this you have to know truth for yourself, the deeper spiritual truth that lies beyond mind and mental concepts. Since Sagittarius is the sign of the philosopher you love to think and formulate philosophies to guide our way of living. Your biggest challenge is to release all man-made mental concepts, go beyond opinions and philosophy, and discover the underlying truth of your existence.



CAPRICORN RISING: THE CAPRICORN SOUL

If you have Capricorn rising you are here to express your vocation for the greater good1. Our 'vocation' is our spiritual calling, you are here to listen to your spiritual calling and make the sacred manifest in the world. At the highest level the Capricorn soul is an engineer of light, you have an innate knowing of alchemy and how to manifest heaven on Earth. Your biggest challenge is to use your talent and energy for spiritual purposes: to aspire to spiritual heights rather than becoming lost in the trappings of worldly wealth and achievement.



AQUARIUS RISING: THE AQUARIUS SOUL

If you have Aquarius rising you are here to flow the dual waters of love and life into the world in ways that benefit humanity1. Your biggest challenge will be to get out of your head and into your heart. The spiritual energy of which we speak flows through the heart and, as the fixed air sign, Aquarius is very much a sign of the mind. It is too easy for you to be lost in ideas. When you access the power of your heart you will use your mind as the vessel, the vase of Aquarius, through which you steadily direct the love and light that flows from your heart.



PISCES RISING: THE PISCES SOUL

If you have Pisces rising you are here to flow universal love into the world1. The biggest challenge for you is to create appropriate boundaries, and not take things personally. Because you can feel what others feel, it is easy for you to take on other people's feelings. It is important for you to realize that everything you feel isn't yours, and that other people are responsible for their own feelings. Allow others to learn their own lessons, and stay in the place of love. This way you become a 'spiritual pacemaker', striking a heart-tone that others can follow.



What you are here to do and how you will do it...

So that's what you are here to do! How you will do it, depends upon other factors in your chart, in particular your Sun and Moon signs.

For example if you are a Cancer Soul with a Gemini/Leo personality (Gemini Sun/ Leo Moon) you are here to flow compassion into the world (Cancer Soul) through writing, speaking, communicating (Gemini) and creative self-expression (Leo).


Whether you will experience and actualize the full spiritual potential of your Rising sign or not, depends upon your level of consciousness. If you are spiritually asleep, you will naturally experience the qualities of your Rising sign as an inherent part of your personality. As you awaken to your spiritual purpose you will feel a quickening, experiencing the subtle stirrings of your soul’s calling, through your Rising Sign. The Rising Sign bridges the worlds between sleep and awakening.

In Esoteric Astrology, the Tibetan Master gives a soul 'keynote' for each sign. It can be helpful to meditate often on the keynote for your Rising Sign.

Some are quite esoteric and their meaning is not immediately apparent. They aren't meant to be figured out intellectually either (which could be misleading), it's not a puzzle! They are best used simply for meditation, then notice what deeper insights arise in you, from your Soul.

This can help to awaken your Soul's resonance, and support you in aligning with your Soul Purpose in this lifetime. Below are the Soul Keynotes for each of the twelve signs - remember to meditate on the one for your rising sign (not your Sun sign). I'd also be curious to hear your experience - let me know!

Have you ever noticed where you put most of your attention in your life? Is it home, family, learning, relationships, self-discovery, personal advancement, business growth, something else? Whatever it is, your main motivation and where you place much of your attention is likely to be connected to your Rising Sign, and can be a vital clue to your Soul’s purpose for this lifetime!

This can be in contrast to your Sun which indicates your vitality, or your life-force energy. You will most likely invest a lot of time and energy in the area of life indicated by the house where your Sun is, and express this energy in the manner according to your Sun sign - your ’style’. But your underlying motivation, your reason for doing whatever it is that you are doing, is very likely to be associated with your Rising Sign (ascendant) and that is where to look for deeper clues about your Soul purpose in this lifetime.

It is important in your self-observation to keep checking your underlying motivation as you go through your day to day activities. This will give you important information about your Soul's path and purpose. For example if you have Cancer Rising, a main underlying motivation for you may be the urge to nurture (see this earlier newsletter for a more in-depth case study of Cancer Rising).

In addition to the twelve 'stages' of our Soul's development, the Tibetan also groups the Zodiac signs into three major stages of development which he calls 'preparation', 'crisis' and 'service'. This helps us to understand the overall picture and get a sense of what is actually unfolding. As you read this remember your ascendant is the indicator of your Soul's journey and some astrologers believe we have the same Soul sign for up to eight incarnations. So that gives a sense of perspective in terms of your Soul journey.

Preparation: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer

That said now let's take a look at these three stages of preparation, crisis and service. The first four signs are said to be signs of preparation: Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. Perhaps it's because of my background in Midwifery but I can really relate to this idea of stages. In all aspects of our growth and development, there is a stage of preparation. In which we must simply wait, experience, and grow. This is a vitally important stage when much is happening to prepare us for who we are becoming. I think of the embryonic stage of development in the womb. 

During the embryonic stage something very amazing and miraculous happens. It is a process of cell division and definition. What I mean by that is that following the initial sperm and egg coming together, not only do the cells multiply fast, but they take on form appropriate to purpose. At first it's difficult to tell the difference between the embryo of a fish, a puppy, an elephant or a human! In those very early stages they are all similar, but it is during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy that the embryo defines itself. It's cells not only grow and multiply but they become distinctly human.

This is not a matter of conscious awareness or thinking about doing anything: it is a process that is guided by the Soul that began before the incarnation, and unfolds naturally. The incarnating entity is in blissful ignorance of what he or she is about to become! So it is with our Soul's development in the first four signs. We may or may not be consciously pursuing a spiritual path. We may be in blissful ignorance. However, at a Soul level we are still taking form and shape: in preparation for who we are to become as fully awakened beings of light.

Crisis: Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio

Then we come to the signs of crisis: Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio. The word crisis is very interesting. We often think of a crisis as something traumatic, or bad, happening. However, one dictionary defines crisis as "A crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point." Indeed our modern word crisis has it's origins in the Greek word krinein which means 'to decide' and refers to a 'decisive point'. So a crisis forces us to act or to move. It pushes us into the next stage of our development that is necessary for our growth. Imagine our infant growing nicely in the Mother's womb. He or she can't stay in there forever! Soon the day of 'crisis' will come, when that decisive turning point arrives and it is time to be born into the next phase of our existence outside the womb.

So it's appropriate that the first sign of crisis is Leo: because our first 'crisis' is the crisis of individuation. Our journey of independence and individuation begins with birth. So it is at Soul level, when one has Leo Rising, one's whole life is about the journey of individuation. Indeed this theme of individuation continues through Virgo and Libra until we reach the final stage of crisis in Scorpio, where we undergo another major transformation. The Tibetan says we 'do battle' in two signs: Leo and Scorpio. In Leo we battle for our individuality, in Scorpio we battle for our Soul. Scorpio brings a crisis between the temptations of our lower personality and the higher calling of our Soul, which 'pushes' us into the final stage of our development.

Service: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces

The final four signs, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, are said to be the four signs of service. As a result of the experiences and development through the stages of preparation and crisis, the Soul now has capacity. The preparation is done, and the Soul is now 'fit for purpose'. So what is this capacity and purpose? It is the capacity to bring greater degrees of light into the world through the body of humanity, for the purpose of evolving consciousness, through the evolution of human consciousness. No small task!

In astrology we are always talking about energy and how energy flows. From looking at the basics of your horoscope - your Sun, Moon and Rising Sign, then next thing to study if you really want to understand how the energy of your horoscope is playing out in your life, is your 'ruling planet'.

First of all, let's look at this term 'rulership' as it is used astrologically. Rulership is a very old term from the days back when the king or 'ruler' was the custodian of his land and his people. We can't really relate to this in our modern era where we see the effects of malevolent 'rulership', dictators, war and power games every day in the news, but this is not what is meant in the astrological sense. It is not something or someone that has power over us, but rather something that supports us in our growth- much like a loving gardener who knows exactly what conditions are necessary not only for the plants to survive but to thrive and reach their highest potential. So in this sense the 'ruler' is more like a guardian or custodian.

Our ruling planet is showing us the major theme of our life and helps to create the conditions for growth. If (as we mentioned a couple of weeks ago) the Earth is the stage upon which the play of our life is being acted out, then the ruling planet is showing us the main storyline in the script. How do you know what your ruling planet is? Your chart ruler is the planetary ruler of your Rising Sign (ascendant).

Always remember, in determining your chart ruler, to look for the planet ruling your Rising Sign. Here are the conventional planetary rulers for each of the twelve zodiac signs:

Aries is ruled by Mars

Taurus is ruled by Venus

Gemini is ruled by Mercury

Cancer is ruled by the Moon

Leo is ruled by the Sun

Virgo is ruled by Mercury

Libra is ruled by Venus

Scorpio is ruled by Mars and Pluto

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn

Aquarius is ruled by Saturn and Uranus

Pisces is ruled by Jupiter and Neptune

You can see that some signs are ruled by more than one planet, and some planets rule more than one sign. They will have different expressions as their energy is colored by the quality of the sign. For example while Mercury always relates to our mental processes, language and communication, his expression is different in airy Gemini than it is in earthy Virgo.

Once you know your chart ruler you can see the 'story of your life' in your chart by looking where it is in terms of sign and house position, and any aspects to other planets. This is something you can keep returning to as the story of your life unfolds, and you become accustomed to using your horoscope as a compass and guide in your life (Of course when I say horoscope I mean your actual natal chart which is symbolic of your energy mandala, not the so-called 'horoscopes' that appear in the press)!

You will have a wealth of information at your fingertips, before you even take into account another layer - what your Soul ruler is! In Soul Astrology we consider the conventional ruler to be the 'personality' ruler, and we also have a 'Soul' ruler. Once we know both we can see the higher and lower expressions of our Rising Sign. 

Now we'll look at the Soul rulers for each of the twelve signs and if you'd like to go even deeper into this fascinating subject, I highly recommend Alan Oken's excellent book on the subject: "Rulers of The Horoscope: finding your way through the labyrinth".

Understanding the flow of energy is key to understanding astrology because, after all, astrology is simply a language of energy and light.


If you've ever experienced a sunrise, you'll understand that each new dawn has a very special feel to it. There is a unique energy signature. It brings a new energy into the day and carries that energy forward. Likewise the sign that was dawning at the point of your birth was bringing in the energy of your Life and Soul, that you are carrying forward.

This is why the Rising Sign is considered the most important sign in Soul Astrology - it is carrying the energy signature of your Soul. As we can see, looking at the planetary rulers in your chart can indicate the story, or main theme, playing out in your everyday life. When we also look at the Soul Rulers of that same sign, we can see the theme that your Soul is wanting to develop in this lifetime.

The Soul Rulers for the twelve signs are:

ARIES: Mercury

TAURUS: Vulcan*

GEMINI: Venus

CANCER: Neptune

LEO: The Sun

VIRGO: The Moon

LIBRA: Uranus

SCORPIO: Mars

SAGITTARIUS: Earth

CAPRICORN: Saturn

AQUARIUS: Jupiter

PISCES: Pluto


By understanding the soul and personality expressions of your chart rulers (the planets ruling your Rising Sign) you can clearly see the 'story of your life' (as in the everyday theme that is unfolding) and the 'story of your Soul', in other words what is also wanting to happen for your Soul's growth and development!

If you really want to track your chart ruler, you need to see where it ‘goes’! This means looking at transits and progressions. Transits show us where the current planetary positions are interacting with your birth chat, while progressions show us how the planets have moved on - or progressed - from your birth chart (We don’t have the space here to go into this in depth but you can see earlier newsletters for more on transits).

You can track transits of your chart ruler by looking at the current position of the planet and seeing how that relates to your chart. For example if your Rising Sign is Gemini or Virgo your chart ruler will be Mercury. Next you look to see the current position of Mercury. There are lots of ways to do this. You can just Google ‘current planetary positions’ - also on my websites at RuthHadikin.com and Astrology-Symbols.com I have added a table to the sidebar where you can quickly check the current position of any planet.