Planets conjunct the Ascendant are fun to study because they jump right out. They were literally on the horizon at the moment of your birth. The Ascendant is your own personal “dawn”. It is the way you dawn on others too. Everyone has this Rising sign to effectively project and best express the rest of the Horoscope.
When Pluto is on the Ascendant what might manifest is a kind of cultural icon-energy particular to the sign it’s in. This is because their identity (Ascendant) is merged (conjunction) with something much bigger than themselves (Pluto).
Ascendant troubles arise when you notice that you are not feeling so comfortable in your own skin, so to speak. I have Libra Rising and I notice that I will start to feel very un-myself when I’m frazzled (Libra likes peace) and also if I slip into the habit of being too anti-social (Libra needs to mingle).
Anybody with Leo rising will be settling into a style of self projection that is not shy of attention. Leo is the sun, it is bright and warm and radiant. Pluto in Leo is a whole generation of people (the Baby Boomers) who share a very deep perspective (Pluto) on what it means to stand out and be this radiance (Leo).
Christopher Reeve’s “S” on his Superman shirt may as well also stand for “Sun” because they both do the same thing. He saves the day, the Sun creates the day and saves every living thing again and again. Hulk Hogan embodies the King-like energy of Leo. He struts around in Royal costumes and golden belts to further intimidate his competitors and excite his fans.
Tim Curry gives us the taste of Rock n Roll as Dr. Frank n Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This is fire energy, more specifically FIXED fire energy. The sun blazes a constant fire, it sustains, it is FIXED. It is confident and it needs do nothing else but radiate in it’s own glory. The other fire signs need to take the energy forward (Aries, Cardinal) in the pursuit of something new, or let the energy change them into new ways of thinking or being (Saggitarius, Mutable). Leo just basks and lives for the day.
In the spirit of this present moment exuberance we have kids falling under the spectrum of Leo. Andy Kaufman and Eric Idle are sparkling images of the power of silliness and laughter. They pick our spirits up when things get too drab with the flick of a facial expression. The warmth of humor sustains us like the warm rays of the Sun.
As a Leo Sun, I deeply appreciate these cultural icons who remind us to dream big, lighten up or go for a little flair. After all — YOLO!
Toroidal Zodiac 