Spirit Animals And Your Ascendant
Everyone who touched the matter of esoteric knowledge and found a way towards energetic work knows how important our grounding and our connection to Mother Earth are on our path to live the land of ideals we carry in our hearts and minds. It is the sensation in our body, how we treat our physical world, and the simplicity of instinct in its core that guides the way to a fulfilled life. Alive and breathing, Earth is the ball of change and absolute balance, and while we might worry about its wellbeing, on a scale larger than our human race, we can rest assured that it will live its wondrous destiny, with or without us to witness its cycles.
The Animal Within
The obvious signification of our inner animal is found in Mars, Scorpio, and the eighth house of one’s horoscope. Still, there seems to be something larger that defines our body in this lifetime and this information is found in our ascendant’s ruler. General signification will help us understand the impact of our animalistic side on the course of our lives, how well we connect, and show us if we were marked by fata to recognize it as our greatest task in life or not. The first house ruler is the one to speak of our primal instinctive nature and the specific mission we came here to follow.
Although guidance from animals mentioned in this article has a slim chance of being the absolute match for your complicated inner world, it may help you feel the direction your energy is looking for to express and manifest in the real world.
Ascendant Rulers and their Pets
Every planet has one animal to describe it best, but many colors and shades are given to the interpretation. It isn’t an easy task to determine where our guidance hides and usually takes years of meditation, practice, and learning to find where we connect to the animal world. Still, it is nice to know the general atmosphere of our first house ruler to better understand the energy flow we are prone to and start understanding what animals have to teach.
Moon
The Moon rules the sign of Cancer and those born with their ascendant in this sign are to connect with the nature of the Wild Horse. An animal such as this one describes their search for home in their own heart, and the energy needed to follow tracks of ancestors, connected with others through emotion, in absolute freedom, until they find a place to rest. They need to run free, feel the ground shake beneath their feet, and gallop quickly but only as much as their state of heart allows them to. Beautiful in their natural setting, free to move wherever they feel right, untamed, they can be wanderers without a final destination, for as long as they have a herd to belong to or someone to get close with.
Mars
To understand the nature of Mars in lives of those born with their first house in Aries or Scorpio, we will observe Bison as their power animal. Grounded, strong and heavy, this is the animal hunted down and used for numerous purposes in the past. With every single part of a bison used, to bring warmth, food, and tools into the lives of the natives, it speaks of the ability to see the potential of the real world in all detail and approach it practically and resourcefully. Bulls don’t prefer company until the mating season, showing the importance of sexuality in relating to others. Always on the move and always hungry, they need to keep their energy in a constant loop, thinking about physical needs and ways to use the material world before anything else, or they might get detached and lost in anger or anxiety.
Venus
When one’s ascendant is in the sign of Taurus or Libra, their ruling planet’s animal is the Dolphin. Always wearing a smile, jumping high in all acrobatics, and playing most of the time, we may recognize the loving nature of these individuals. Their role in the world is to entertain, inspire, and move, never fully asleep and turned to pleasures of life. A dolphin in confinement gets depressed, and without company, it will commit suicide. This is why social world and connecting to others in freedom serves as the most important predisposition to happiness of those born under the rule of Venus. Speaking a special language of the Universe only they understand, recognizing their link to all others, they swim through life as carriers of love and all joyous activities.
Sun
When we think of the Sun and those born with their ascendant in the sign of Leo, it is instantly obvious that the king of the animal kingdom is the only one who deserves to represent them in their primal energetic signature. Being in touch with the Lion, they search for ways to play, sleep twenty hours a day, and have others serve their meals when they are hungry. Ready to fight for their territory and their partner, they are to make their own choices when they wish to socialize and when they don’t. The world supports this nature mostly in leading positions that allow them to carry the burden of fame and creative expression through childish joy. It is up to them to bravely and without fear make bold steps and conquer new territories, while being rewarded by the easiness and warmth of life in return.
Mercury
An ascendant in Gemini and Virgo speaks of one’s connection to the animal world through Mercury and the Wolf. It is the howling and the social bonds that define the life of these individuals, and the easiest way to understand them is as members of a pack rather than individuals ready to perform. Seemingly easy to tame, they really aren’t, although they may seem to remind everyone of someone else, all the time. In their natural habitat they have the freedom to choose a mate for life, but only someone equal to their set of values, beliefs, and strengths. If they are an alpha in the pack, their partner must be an alpha too. Survivors in all habitats and extremely quick in their movement, they are adaptable and spread out through the world as a network of grounded communication.
Jupiter
Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces and when the first house cusp is found in these two signs, it is possible that the spirit animal guiding one through life is an Eagle. With a forceful sense of sight, this is someone ready to spot the smallest of details from high above. Their perspective gives them the ability to see the bigger picture, flying through life free to hunt for anything that will feed them. They soar alone, rarely flocking with other eagles, but search for a mate to spend their life with. It is interesting to observe that they prefer their nests in high position and as close as possible to water, for this makes it easier to spot their prey and use their eyesight. Water standing for emotion, we must recognize that staying in touch with their feelings, they see more and collect more from life than when they get entangled in forests of practical things.
Saturn
The animal that stands as Saturn’s guidance for all those born with their ascendant in Capricorn and Aquarius may be the Crow. It is the bird of the afterlife, often shown in her black magnificence as one to fly souls from one world to the other. In many cultures, it is recognized as the creature of the night and stands for one’s connection to dark matters and the unseen. It is the bird of our dreamland, our unconscious world, and gives individuals born in these signs the ability to see beyond the obvious and accept ways of the world that may seem depressing to others. They are believers and understand laws of karma, fully grasping the concept of flight in the rainiest, most inhabited, littered, and darkest of nights here on Earth.
Uranus
Whale is the animal that represents the nature of Uranus in the animal kingdom, one of the mystical creatures of the oceans to ptotect the sign of Aquarius. Sounds they produce may be perceived as our connection to the Universe, and their magnitude speaks well of the inability to fit into anything small and limited in everyday life. This is the animal of guidance to different worlds, be it the unknown of the outer world (the ocean of life) or the inner world (trapped in the belly of the whale). Supporting change and subtle but incredibly grand movements, it is our connection to the wondrous creativity of the Universe through magnificence put right here, on planet Earth. The inability to return to the ocean once the whale reaches the shore puts an accent on the importance of emotion in lives of those guided by Uranus, for without the Divine love and faith, they cannot move, live, or find their way through life.
Neptune
Neptune rules the sign of Pisces and the Dragonfly might just be the spirit animal of those born with their first house cusp set in this sign. Apart from carrying the ancient in all its beauty, this is a subtle animal that shines in all colors and brings the atmosphere of magic into lives of others. Allowing one to dream, to follow their guiding wind to whichever flower they may land upon, it leads the way into the land of fairies, mystical creatures that inspire and live in the unseen. It is up to a person to believe in their dreams, in themselves, understanding their true colors and their ability to find their place as sensitive as they are in the world they were born to. It is believed that this is the animal able to heal all wounds and bruises and true faith will make people under its guidance true healers.
Pluto
To represent the energy of Pluto in the animal world, and with it the sign of Scorpio on one’s ascendant, Salamander is peaking through the grass in all its glory. It may be poisonous when attacked, but the contact with the Earth through its every pore gives this animal a special place in our world. It was believed that it protects humans from evil spirits and demons, and its symbolism allows one to shine a light on mysteries of the Earth through deepest, most grounded senses. Giving the ability to regenerate and be reborn, this spirit animal raises awareness of needed changes and transformations in others and oneself. Intense in appearance and their deep truths, those born with their ascendant in Scorpio are to get as close to flows of Nature as possible to use the gift they were given.
Signs Ruled by Two Planets
Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces each have two rulers and it isn’t always easy to define which one describes a person born with such an ascendant more closely. Typically, their life path will be seen mostly through the ruler closer to planet Earth for this is visible and easy to grasp on. However, spirit animal linked to their primal nature often turns out to be the one of distant planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), giving a higher sense of meaning to their existence through their primal nature, however difficult to notice in the first place.
Other Animals and Interpretations
Although a giraffe speaks well about a different approach to Jupiter, a polar bear stands for another side of Mars and a medusa or a dove bring us in touch with the sensitive Moon combined with Neptune, animals we mentioned in this article teach us about the basic nature of our chart ruler. This is just a foundation for understanding of our instinctive and primal needs, but to understand our wholesome Self, we must go a lot deeper than that. It is a good start to meditate from time to time to determine which animal our Soul connects to on our current path, for this helps us see our role in the process we go through and what we need to embrace to complete a lesson life served us with.