The Rising Sign or cusp of the First House (and likewise the other eleven Astrological Houses) anchor the individual to Earth, connecting all his experiences to the cyclic phases of the day that evolve from dawn (represented by the Ascendant) to dusk, like the lifetime of a man which progresses from birth to death (Earth, Space, Time and his Becoming are elements of a fractured and ostensible reality represented by the Matrix or Maya which the individual tends to impersonate, thus losing touch with his real essence which is outside the limits of Time and Space).
The Rising Sign, being a Zodiacal sign that appears in the Orient at the sun’s rising, places in relationship Time with geographical latitude; its importance in the Natal theme is second only to ones personal Zodiacal sign. This "House building" (the subdivision of the Zodiac in twelve Houses) of the Sky Chart begins from the Cusp (start) of the First House and proceeds in a counter-clockwise direction.
Rarely in a Natal theme do we find ourselves faced with a pure Rising Sign, indeed it only occurs in Aquarius and Leo where the Cusps (respectively, at the beginning of the First and Second House) start and finish in the same Zodiacal Sign, therefore usually we have to study the combined influences of more signs. These influences manifest themselves in our social lives, in the way we interrelate with each other. It is through the Ascendant that the individual expresses and affirms his own personality, and thus comprehends (beyond the physical aspect) the first impression that he forms on others. An Rising Sign in the Air or Fire Signs is able to render more extrovert a person belonging to the Earth and Water Signs and vice versa.