A Test: Sun or Moon on the Ascendant?

by Kyösti Tarvainen, PhD

Do astrological factors affect a person’s appearance and disposition? Here’s a chance to find out for yourself. In this unique, interactive essay, the author (an astrologer and a mathematician) also reports on his findings.

The reader is given a pictorial and video test on whether the Sun or Moon is on the Ascendant. With this kind of test, we can study how strong are the astrological factors in regard to appearance and disposition. In this piece, a similar larger test is reported, as well as a test concerning quadruplicities (qualities, modes of activity). Both of these large tests, made by the author, gave statistically significant confirmation to the contention that astrological factors affect the appearance and disposition of people to some extent.

The data for the test

Traditionally, the strongest factors that influence appearance and disposition are the Ascendant and the planets on it. The most powerful planets are the Sun and Moon, which have different astrological properties. Therefore, we may study whether there is a tendency to visible differences in disposition and appearance between people who have the Sun on the Ascendant and those who have the Moon there.

Accordingly, I put together two photo collections, A and B. The notable people in these two collections were found in the data library of Astrotheme (www.astrotheme.com, Jan. 2016).

Individuals with Sun on the Ascendant were selected in the following way. They had to have Sun in the 1st house and in conjunction with the Ascendant within an 8° orb. (To ensure that YouTube videos are still available to view, I selected people born only after January 1900.) Traditionally, placements like these strengthen the planets. In Astrotheme’s search program, the 1st house extends two degrees into the 12th house, and the Placidus house system is used.

Furthermore, those charts where the Moon is in a Ptolemaic aspect1 to the Ascendant or MC were rejected because these aspects, together with the prominent Sun, can produce strongly mixed Sun and Moon characters2.

For the other collection, charts having the Moon on the Ascendant, these were chosen by similar criteria – and, of course, charts with the Sun in a Ptolemaic aspect to the Ascendant or MC were rejected.

Additionally, the reliability of birth details was checked by reference to Astrodient’s data library (www.astro.com) – I selected only dates with the highest Rodden Rating classification ‘AA’ (namely, data obtained from birth certificate or birth record).

If several photos were available of an individual, I selected the one where the person is middle-aged, is facing the camera and has a facial expression that’s ‘typical’ of him or her. Note well that the reader can find more photos and videos on the internet of many test individuals, if you do not wish to follow specific video links published in this essay.

And your task…

The reader’s task is to try to tell in which data collection (A or B) all individuals have the Sun on the Ascendant, and all individuals have the Moon on the Ascendant. Before taking the test, the reader can get acquainted with the following Laurie Efrein’s descriptions for the rising or culminating Sun and Moon.

Descriptions of the Sun and Moon on the Ascendant

Just below are excerpts from the descriptions Laurie Efrein (1987) gives for the rising and culminating Sun and Moon. As the prominent Sun and Moon generally bring forth solar and lunar features, the reader can naturally (in addition to Efrein’s descriptions) also use his or her knowledge of these features.

The Sun rising
A prominent Sun in the natal chart – either rising or culminating – produces a robust-looking and -acting native. The carriage is more erect and dignified; personal assertion and confidence comes naturally. These people stand up for themselves and can ably push their own case.
The rising Sun tends to give a high-energy personality with good powers of endurance…they carry an air of authority which commands respect. The rising Sun will also tend to give a little more bulk or stockiness to the body. It stiffens the posture a bit and gives a more commanding tone to the voice. The face may be more open and broad.

The Moon rising
An angular Moon – especially rising or closely culminating – can be easy to spot. Look at the eyes. ‘Moon eyes’ are large, liquid and expressive, and they focus in a continually fluctuating way, here, there, there, as its natural way of functioning.
Quick responsiveness and open emotional exclamations are common with a prominently-placed Moon. These are reactive people – there are ‘oo’s’ and ‘ah’s’ and the voice may ‘catch’ or give a slight squeal. The feelings come out visibly and audibly, with a soft-edged expressive voice [that is] common. You also get more sentimentality, and ability to offer ready comfort and support to others.
You might also notice what I call ‘Moon lines’ on the outer edges of the eyes. They are radical lines, as though radiating from an imaginary half-circle at the edge of the eye, with an eye set that is deep and broad – almost like the eyes are set into a round ‘pool’ of space.
A strongly-placed Moon can also give round body lines – genuine rotundity at the extreme.

These descriptions depict two different ways a person behaves in the presence of other people (the sphere of the 1st house). Briefly, the ‘Sun person’ carries slightly an air of authority, being steady, self-assured and independent; but the ‘Moon person’ is more like “one of the group”, being sensitive, emotional, sympathetic and more expressive.

No photo or video can give a clear indication as to which of the two groups (A or B) each individual belongs. This is because there are many other astrological factors which may play down the Sun or Moon on the Ascendant – The Astrologer’s Handbook by Sakoian and Acker mentions over five hundred factors.

For example, the Moon’s influence seems to be reduced by an Aries Ascendant and by angular planets Pluto and Jupiter, in one test. In another case, it is reduced similarly by the same factors, except for an angular Mars instead of Jupiter. For one individual, the Scorpio Ascendant dampens the expressiveness of a rising Moon.

Regarding the Sun, a photo or video does not always reveal the Sun’s energy and self-reliance as clearly as these properties are shown during the person’s whole life. Sometimes, a mutable Ascendant can be so expressive that it more-or-less covers the Sun conjoining the Ascendant. Note also that when the Sun is on the Ascendant, the Moon can be in the 1st house, or vice versa, so that both may appear strong.

Among the test persons having Sun on the Ascendant, there is one exceptional case: an individual, who is so expressive and reactive to the interviewer that one would guess that the Moon is on the Ascendant (even if he/she clearly has also the Sun’s self-assurance). In fact, in this person’s Astrodient chart, the individual has a square between the Moon and Ascendant, but not in the person’s Astrotheme chart, which uses a smaller orb of 7.8° for this aspect. This may indicate that Astrotheme’s orb is too small.

In addition to the astrological influences, there are naturally also heredity and ethnic differences. For example, it is thought that people in South-Europe are generally more expressive than North-Europeans. So, one could compare, for example, Frenchmen in the two groups. There is also a gender difference: it is thought by some that women tend to be somewhat more expressive than men. Also, age has an effect on, for example, the broadening of the face.

Even if the charts are based on birth records, there may be inaccuracies in the birth data.

In all, the reader should try to see each collection as a whole. One suggested approach is to count how many ‘clear or rather clear’ cases of prominent Sun and Moon there are in each collection.

Before the test, a few exemplary individuals will illustrate and supplement Efrein’s descriptions.

Example pair 1

Let's first compare the Italian poet Cesare Pavese, whose Sun is on the Ascendant, with the actress Simone Simon, with Moon on the Ascendant.

Example 1a, the Sun on the Ascendant: Cesare Pavese, poet; Youtube video (0:33-8:30).	Example 1b, the Moon on the Ascendant: Simone Simon, actress; Youtube video (0:09-0:17, 1:04-1:51); on the web, there are also full-length movies.

Even in the photographs, we can see clear differences between these two individuals. Simon has emotional, soulful eyes. They are also quite large (it should be noted that when Efrain speaks of the “big eyes of the Moon”, he only means that the eyes are bigger more often than usual). In contrast, Pavese’s look is confident, not emotional.

At the beginning of Simon's video, we see how she reacts emotionally, expressively and kindly to her reception. Pavese, on the other hand, appears steadfast, convincing and confident, with an economy of expression (if judged by the perceived ‘national character’ of an Italian).

Example pair 2

Example 2a, the Sun on the Ascendant: Paul-Louis Halley, French businessman; Youtube video (1:25-1:45).	Example 2b, the Moon on the Ascendant: Les Paul, US musician; Youtube video (0:19-).

Halley's photo and video depict, in accordance to Efrein's description, a solid, active (business) leader, a straightforward, persuasive, self-confident person (the face is wide, more common when the Sun is on the Ascendant).

Paul, with Moon on the Ascendant, responds emotionally, expressively, vividly and benevolently to the interviewer's questions. He is animated by the interview situation. So, he looks continually at the interviewer, whereas some of the Sun people may be so focused on their important message that they look less often, or more formally, at others. Paul does not look like an authority such as Halley, but just an ordinary individual among others, even though Paul is a famous inventor of electric guitars.

Example pair 3

Example 3a: the Sun on the Ascendant, Greg Morris, actor; Youtube video (1:10-).	Example 3b, the Moon on the Ascendant: Emilio Pucci, fashion designer; Youtube video (0:20-).

These two may not be as straightforward as the preceding pairs. Greg Morris has both solar features (self-confident appearance, straight posture, powerful voice and personality) and lunar features (an emotional, lively presence). In practice, it is customary that even if the person has the Sun or Moon on the Ascendant, often the other planet may be influential in another way.

In the case of Emilio Pucci, a top Italian designer in his day, the Moon is not as striking as in the two previous examples. Pucci’s Moon is seen as a more modest presence (compared to Morris’ self-assurance), as he gives a solid gaze to the interviewer; that is, Pucci has a strong presence and contact in the interview, acting as an equal partner, not as an authority. Pointedly, the Moon on the Ascendant has a good herd instinct, while the Sun on the Ascendant refers to authoritarian features.

Here we are looking at external human behaviour; but the inner personality layers of an individual, with the Moon on the Ascendant, may have considerable self-confidence and authority, as the top fashion designer Pucci displays.

Example pair 4 

Example 4a, the Sun on the Ascendant: Bruce Lee, master of the martial arts; Youtube video (0:00-).	Example 4b, the Moon on the Ascendant: Félix Labisse, painter; Youtube video (0:00-)

Efrein gives the impression that it is easier to see the Moon than the Sun on the Ascendant. But Lee is an example of the Sun not necessarily appearing clearly in the external being of a person.

In Lee’s video, we see an energetic and self-confident man, but with flexible movements: he lacks the rigidity and dignity of the Sun. Lee has strong astrological factors associated with mental and physical flexibility. The Sun on the Ascendant was most clearly seen in his very energetic pursuit and promotion of martial arts. The Sun often refers to an exceptionally active person who is also physically stronger than normal.

Labisse, with his dignified, self-confident presence, would suggest the Sun at the Ascendant. In fact, Labisse has other astrological factors to explain the self-confidence. But also the Moon at the Ascendant is clearly visible in the video: he has an equal, lively conversation with the interviewer and his face is a manifestation of mind movements. The effect of the Moon is not easily concealed completely.

Example pair 5

Example 5a, The Sun on the Ascendant: Michel Serres, philosopher; Youtube video (0:05-1:02).	Example 5b, The Moon on the Ascendant: Vladimir Jankélévitch, philosopher; Youtube video (1:05-2:10)

These two philosophers are in a discussion in this video (the two links are the same). Firstly, Serres speaks: his Sun on the Ascendant can be associated with his robust, smiling, self-confident essence, and an open, broad face. In Jankélévitch, nothing much very clearly refers to the Moon on the Ascendant, but he is somewhat more vivid than Serres (see also the picture) and he has a slightly better eye contact than does Serres (the latter from time to time evidently dwells on his important thoughts). Jankélévitch is humble compared to Serres.

Test photos and links to example videos

Below are the photos for the collections A and B. To find a video of a test personality, write the name (with possibly the word “interview”) into the YouTube search engine and select the display of videos. Your task? To decide in which collection everyone has the Sun Ascendant and in which collection everyone has the Moon on the Ascendant. The answers can be found at the end of the Endnotes – so don’t look first!

Collection A

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1: Walter Annenberg, publisher. 2: Álvaro Cunhal, politician. 3: Lucille Ball, actress. 4: Patty Andrews, actress. 5: Juanita Kreps, Minister of Commerce. 6: Gordon MacRae, actor. 7: Antoine Duhamel, composer. 8: Erika Köth, soprano. 9: Pete McCloskey, politician. 10: Audrey Hepburn, actress.

Collection B

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1: John Cage, composer. 2: François Dalle, late Managing Director of L'Oréal. 3: Pierre Sudreau, politician. 4: Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, author. 5: Jean-François Revel, author. 6: Stephen Bechtel Jr., engineer and businessman. 7: Livio Paladin, politician. 8: Sonny Jurgensen, American football player. 9: John Madden, football personality. 10: Cyril Atanassoff, dancer.

A large test concerning the Sun or Moon on the Ascendant

An additional 292 individuals (with the birth hour obtained from the birth certificate) were considered by the author. The test persons were selected slightly differently from the above test. Each person had either the Sun or Moon on the Ascendant (5° orb). These people were found in the program AstroDatabank (now owned by Astrodienst, which presently is not selling the search engine).

In this test, the task was to decide, based on internet photos, which people had Sun or Moon on the Ascendant. There were 91 individuals who proved too difficult to decide on, and no conclusion was reached. The right selection (Sun or Moon) was made 120 times and the wrong selection 81 times (success rate 60% among the made selections).

Since, as in the above test, there are many other factors, the success rate can be regarded as an indication that the Sun and Moon on the Ascendant is a powerful factor affecting appearance and disposition3.

A test concerning quadruplicities

Similar tests can be made for many other astrological factors. I conducted a further test concerning quadruplicities (qualities, modes of activity). For this pictorial test, selected persons (from AstroDatabank) had to have the Ascendant, Sun and Moon all in the cardinal signs or all in the fixed signs or all in the mutable signs. Efrein (1987) has good descriptions for cardinal, fixed and mutable physiologies.

In this test, we have three alternatives for each test person. But it is easier to consider only two alternatives. Therefore, firstly those with cardinal or mutable factors were filtered, and, looking at each photo, it was judged whether the person has the three major factors in cardinal or mutable signs. Then a similar test (with different persons) was conducted concerning cardinal versus fixed and fixed versus mutable signs.

In all, there were 124 persons too hard to assess. The right selection was made by the author 161 times and the wrong one 106 times, meaning a 60% success rate4.

Conclusions

A small pictorial and video test was presented to illustrate how, by using data collections and internet photos and videos, one can set up interesting challenges to learn and study astrology5.

Two larger tests, conducted by the author, gave statistically significant support to the contention that astrological factors influence appearance and disposition to some extent. Naturally, hereditary factors have also a great influence. And other astrological factors, as discussed by (for example) Efrein (1987), have their effects.

In particular, tests concerning the Sun or Moon on the Ascendant could be used as introductory teaching material for persons who are not familiar with astrology. In this way, even a sceptic might become quickly convinced of astrology when he or she sees, with their own eyes, how the influences of Sun/Moon on the Ascendant differ.

On the other hand, these tests also show that, due to the large number of different astrological and non-astrological factors, not all descriptions given by astrologers – for example, Laurie Efrein – hold for each person, but just more often than expected by chance.

The tests described here are personal tests. But it is probably possible to develop face- and body-recognition computer programs which could accurately match physical/dispositional characteristics with appropriate astrological birth chart data.

Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to astrologer Raimo A. Nikula for the initiation of this study.

References:
Efrein, Laurie, How to rectify a Birth Chart, The Aquarian Press, 1987.

Endnotes:
1 Astrotheme uses the following orbs for the Ptolemaic aspects: conjunction 10.8°, opposition 10.0°, trine 8.3°, square 7.5°, sextile 5.7°. If the Sun is involved, 0.3° is added; similarly for the Moon.
2 If these charts are not excluded, there are several persons with mixed Sun and Moon features. In the large statistical test explained later in the paper, these charts were not excluded and it was nevertheless possible to make the correct identification more often than expected.
3 We may also calculate the probability (the so-called p-value) that the observed hit rate would have happened by pure chance. The p-value for this case can be determined easily by the spreadsheet program Excel using the following formula: 1-BINOMDIST(120-1, 120+81, 0.5, TRUE), which gives p = 0.004. Here, 120 is the number of right selections, 81 is the number of wrong ones; the numbers 1 and 0.5 (chance probability) are constant. A result whose p-value is lower than 0.05 is said to be statistically significant. Thus, the obtained 60% hit rate with p = 0.004 is statistically significant.
4 The corresponding p-value can be determined in the same way as in the previous Endnote, and we obtain p = 0.0005, meaning that this test gives strong statistical support for the fact that the quadruplicities have an effect on appearance.
5 Closely related to the paper's example test, another test could be set up where Sun and Mars are conjunct the Ascendant versus the Moon and Neptune on the Ascendant; or a test (with less available data) where the masculine planets Sun, Mars and Jupiter are in the 1st house versus the feminine Moon, Venus and Neptune there. Many interesting tests using internet photos and videos can be set up.

Answers to collections A and B challenge:
In Collection A, the Moon is on the Ascendant. In Collection B, the Sun is on the Ascendant.

First published by: The Astrological Journal, Jul/Aug 2018

Author:
Kyösti Tarvainen has a M.Sc. in technical mathematics from the Helsinki Technical University, 1974; and a Ph.D. in systems engineering from Case Western Reserve University, USA, 1981. He is an emeritus docent in systems analysis. While studying in the USA, he became interested in astrology through radio shows hosted by John Manolesco who gave answers to listeners' questions based on their horoscopes. Kyösti joined the Finnish Astrological Society, and later became its president for seven years. Statistical studies became his special area in astrology. His email address is kyosti.tarvainen@gmail.com.

Image sources:
Sun and Moon symbols: CC0 Creative Commons, via pixabay.com
Celebrities: CC0 Creative Commons, for public use

© Kyösti Tarvainen - 2018

All articles at a glance