Sun in Pisces, Aquarius Rising

The Sun just behind the Ascendant: 2nd house, Aquarius rising

Counting from Aquarius, Pisces is the second sign, the Gate of Hades place of the Hellenistic scheme, linked with money, possessions and the means of staying alive. The Sun makes no aspect to the Ascendant, so it is in aversion. You were born in the hours before sunrise, by the Sun's clock, with the Sun just under the eastern horizon and about to rise. In Pisces the Sun has no dignity of its own, and Jupiter decides much of how it fares.

Aquarius is fixed air and Saturn's day house, with Uranus as modern co-ruler, and Saturn rules the chart. Jupiter, the Sun's dispositor, takes part in the air triplicity of Aquarius, so Saturn and Jupiter share a place at the front. The 10th house is Scorpio, so the public role has an intense, private cast. In the sequence of the zodiac the Sun is the next sign along, not yet seen.

Friendly, cool and slightly out of reach

Aquarius rising arrives with an interested question and a certain distance. You tend to talk to everyone in the same way, hold a few firm opinions about how things should be and wear something that is yours alone. People find you pleasant, clever, original and not easy to know.

The Pisces Sun is behind this, in the 2nd house, the house of what you have and what you are worth. It is the part that feels, gives and yields, and which is not always shown. It is the quiet generosity, the tendency to absorb other people's trouble and the private belief that something larger holds things together.

The friction is air against water. Aquarius steps back to observe and Pisces steps forward to merge, so you may seem cool and then suddenly overwhelmed. Learning when each is speaking is half of understanding this chart.

Friendship first, with Leo across the horizon

Leo is on the Descendant, ruled by the Sun, so partners often seem warm, proud and expressive, which is the self-display the Aquarius manner keeps in check. The Sun in the 2nd house links love to security: what you value in a partner is also what you rely on.

You want a friend, a free thinker and a tender heart, and you may find that these live in different people. Closeness feels like a loss of air, and distance feels like a loss of water. A partner who gives you room to withdraw and return is a good fit. Say what you need before you pull back. Venus and the Moon in your chart will tell you more about affection than the Sun and Ascendant do.

Humane work with a vision of the future

The 2nd house is income and resources, and Aquarius adds reform and technology. Tendencies include technology and design with a humane purpose, science, the arts, music and film, healing and counselling, charity and non-profit work, spiritual teaching and research. Saturn as ruler favours work that is built slowly and responsibly.

You work best with independence and a cause you believe in, and you are best paid when you name a clear price. The risk is under-valuing yourself: Pisces gives work away and Aquarius says it is only a principle. Decide what your time is worth before you are asked.

Letting the Sun rise

Find Saturn in your chart and note its sign and house; Uranus adds where you break convention, and Jupiter's house shows how the Sun is supported. Put a price on one thing you do for free. Notice which feelings you experience in company and which only alone. Tell a friend one tender thing.

In the Tarot, Aquarius is the Star and Pisces the Moon: open hope and the path through the night. The pair matures when the cool front can carry the warm Sun, and when giving comes from choice.