Astrology-Central

Aries: Divinatory Meaning

0 degrees of Aries is considered the beginning of the Spring season, the Vernal Equinox. All Cardinal points are the seasonal changes of the solstices and equinoxes.

Aries is also the Beginning of the astrological wheel, a person building a Personality. The energy is self-directed, selfish. The Self (I AM) is the most important. Aries want to do what they want to do and when they want to do it. Intiative and courage (sometimes too much) describes them. Impatient, they rush into situations. They are pioneers, the first to go, the first to try something. As good as they are as starters, they are equally bad as finishers. They tend to lose interest quickly and leave things undone, for others to finish.

With natural leadership abilities, Aries don’t make good subordinates or followers because they are too "take charge". They may be unwilling to obey or submit to directions for which they can see no reason, or with which they disagree. They are much concerned with self, both positively and negatively; self-reliant but also self centered and concerned with their own personal advancement and physical satisfaction. Their immense energy makes them aggressive and restless, argumentative, headstrong, quick tempered, easily offended and capable of holding grudges if they feel themselves affronted.

In personal relationships, Arians are frank, direct, candid, have a high sex-drive, and make enthusiastic and generous friends. They are also easily irritated by slowness or moderation in others and can be insensitive to others.

Aries has seeming boundless energy, yet the ailments they suffer from (like headaches) come from tension and failure to relax.

As sure as they seem of themselves, deep down, there is a feeling of inadequacy. They need to avoid negative emotions such as resentment, regret, and self-pity. They need to work on self-control, coordination, conservation of energy, and completion.

Aries is the Divine Spark, the Beginning. Where it falls in your chart is where you, as Spirit, begin to operate.

 KEYWORDS for Aries

Medically Speaking

Aries rules the head, face, brain, and upper teeth. Head injuries and headaches may plague them, as well as fevers and inflammations. They need to learn to relax and finish what they start.

Kabbalistic Connection

The letter Dalet that created Mars, the planet of war, is the tyrannical ruler of Aries (and Scorpio as well).

Moses knew that in the month of Nissan/Aries, being a fire sign with Mars as ruler of the month, you can take advantage of Mars energy and power in order to wage war on the negative power of Egypt, meaning the negative power of the absolute Desire to Receive for oneself alone on the negative side. Break free of addictions to anything that keeps us in bondage, go out from slavery to freedom.

John of Berry’s Petites Heures
France, Paris 14th Century.

The Cardinal signs are associated with initiating and starting action or being an "enterprising" individual. They are forceful and aggressive and have the will to accomplish something, often something new. They project into the world, push outward, are restless, outgoing, ambitious, like to be in charge. They are creative in the sense that they cause things and start things. — also hasty, inconsiderate, domineering, and fail to finish what they start. 

Moveable Signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn are called moveable and Cardinal: moveable, because when the Sun enters into Aries and Libra, the Weather and Season of the Year quickly varies and changes; they are called Cardinal, because when the Sun enters into any of those Signs from that time we denominate the Quarters of the yeer. For from the Sun entering into Aries and Libra the Equinoctial or the Spring and Autumne arise; from the Sun his entrance into Cancer and Capricorn ariseth the Solstice of Summer and Winter.
— William Lilly, Christian Astrology (1647)

The Moveable (signs are so called) because the time changes when the Sun enters Aries and the air gets warm after it has been cold and humid. In Cancer, the humidity goes away and dryness comes instead. In Libra the heat turns to cold and in Capricorn the dryness turns to humidity.
— Avraham Ibn Eza (1092-1167 C.E), The Book of Reasons

These signs are the 4 points of the compass: Aries is East and Spring, Cancer is North and Summer, Libra is West and Autumn, Capricorn is South and Winter. These also correspond to the beginning of our calendar seasons. Spring begins when the Sun reaches 0 degrees of Aries (Vernal Equinox). Summer begins at 0 degrees Cancer (Summer Solstice). Autumn starts when the Sun arrives at 0 degrees Libra (Autumnal Equinox). Winter begins at 0 degrees Capricorn (Winter Solstice).

HOUSES: The Angular Houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) correspond to the Cardinal Signs and the four directions: 1st (Ascendant) is East, 4th is North, 7th is West, and 10th is South. Planets in these houses are strong and signify someone who takes charge of her own life. These are also public houses and actions shown by these placements are of a public nature and will become public knowledge.

ARIES (rules 1st House)

Action, initiative, new beginnings. It charges right in and holds nothing back. People with strong Aries emphasis in the horoscope generally like to be first – and may even have some head scars/injuries from physically being first! Patience is a concept they do not understand. The location of Aries in your chart shows where you tend to be active, energetic, and take initiative.

CANCER (rules 4th House)

The sign of Instinctive action. It will figure out a logical solution and then do the opposite because "it feels better". It can be enormously tenacious when denied something that it wants. As soon as it gets it, it loses interest. However, Cancer is nurturing and emotionally sustaining. Without these qualities, life would be cold indeed. The location of the sign of Cancer in your horoscope shows where you tend to be moody, emotional, instinctive, and intuitive.

LIBRA (rules 7th House)

Aries acts and its opposite, Libra, reacts. Aries is individual action. Libra is joint action. Aries charges right in. Libra wants to explore all options – "weigh" the possibilities. Libra rules manners, diplomacy, and the social graces, things which make cooperation and civil society possible. The location of Libra in your horoscope shows where you tend to cooperate, seek partners, love peace, quiet, and harmony, and show "good taste".

CAPRICORN (rules 10th House)

The sign of careful, calculated, planned action. If Cancer is like pure water that dissolves and expands., then Capricorn is like a saturated solution from which crystals form. Capricorn is the organizer of the zodiac, the builder. Ruling the human skeletal system, it governs structure. The location of Capricorn in your horoscope shows where you tend to be efficient, organized, careful, and ambitious.

The Fire Triplicity is represented by the choleric or bilious temperament, exhibiting a rash, feverish, easily-excited or impulsive nature with sudden fevers or illness, generally acute but usually of short duration.

Fiery types are energetic, explosive and volatile. They live by enthusiasm and faith in the future, they are adventurers, leaders and innovators. Their weakness is a tendency to burn themselves out and they should make sure their physical and emotional health is not neglected. They are impatient and react badly to obstacles and delays. They are also impractical, and rely on the earth signs to carry out their requirements.

The Fire Signs themselves (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) represent the vital spirit, the bodily heat and combustion, and all of them make for Action / Activity – be it political, military and speculative interests.

Related HOUSES : The Fire Signs naturally rule the 1st (body), 5th (soul), & 9th (spirit, mind) houses and are considered the Houses of Life or the Personal Houses.
Many planets in these houses makes the native dynamic, energetic, and philosophical.

Keywords: adventurous, ardent, arrogant, assertive, blunt, creative, egotistical, energetic, enthusiastic, exciting, explosive, forthright, honest, hot-blooded, hot-tempered, impatient, impractical, impulsive, initiating, intuitive, magnetic, masculine, optimistic, outgoing, passionate, positive, quick, spontaneous, strength, thoughtless, uncomplicated, vitalizing, volatile, warm

In Medical Astrology and Astro-Meteorology the Fire element is of the humour Choleric, being hot and dry. Planets that are such are the Sun and Mars.

ARIES: Cardinal Fire 

Aries: The sign of Aries shows (in the chart) where you can initiate action immediately, forcefully and directly. The Cardinal Signs take action and Aries has a reputation for charging right in. The placement of the sign of Aries in your horoscope shows one of the places where you tend to take initiative and plunge right in. The other place you act this way is shown by the placement of Mars, the ruling planet of Aries.

LEO: Fixed Fire

Leo: Fixed signs like to stay put and have everything else around them move. Leo is Fixed Fire and shows where you are creative, where you can really put your heart into something. Leo is ruled by the Sun, and, just as the Sun is the center of the solar system with the planets dancing around, so those with a Leo emphasis like to stay in the center of things and have everyone else dance around them. The house that has Leo on the cusp shows one place where you want to express yourself and receive praise or admiration. That can also be the place where you want to be treated royally and have others do things for you. The motto of Leo is “Nothing but the best”. It takes very hard work to be the best and Leo is the place where we don’t want to be embarrassed by failure. This means that we will either work very hard there and tend towards perfectionism, or give up the struggle, be lazy, and fool ourselves into thinking that we are above it all.

SAGITTARIUS: Mutable Fire

Sagittarius: Mutable signs are communicators. Gemini gathers facts quickly. Virgo gathers them slowly and carefully, but just as Virgo is the sign of details, Sagittarius is the sign of the Big picture. Never mind this fact or that. How does it all fit together? Sagittarius is Mutable Fire, the sign of wisdom. Its placement in your horoscope shows where and how you can understand things and make sense of it all. In your horoscope, the house with Sagittarius on the cusp is one of the places where you tend to feel optimistic, safe and secure, so you will be more adventurous in this area of your life. Since “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”, this can be a place of your biggest achievements. On the negative side, it will show the place where you can be over optimistic, charge in thinking that nothing can go wrong, and fall flat on your face. The other place in your horoscope where this will tend to be true is the house position of Jupiter, ruling planet of Sagittarius.

CLASSICAL RULERSHIPS (traditional astrology)

This set of signs is ruled by Sun by day and Jupiter by night. Given that the Aries triplicity comprises Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, we might expect that it would be ruled by Mars, Sun and Jupiter, the respective rulers of these signs. However, Mars cannot be accepted as a ruler because it is assigned to the nocturnal sect and this triplicity is diurnal. Saturn is therefore substituted for Mars and acts as a co-ruler for the triplicity both day and night. Considered hot and fiery. Aries trigon – Sun, Jupiter, Saturn Cancer trigon – Venus, Mars, Moon Libra trigon – Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter Capricorn trigon – Venus, Moon, Mars Most early astrologers used all three planets, rotating their priority by day and night, but many later ones, including Lilly, chose to use only the principal rulers. Perhaps they rejected the convoluted logic that lay behind the definition of sect, or perhaps they were confused by Ptolemy who only mentions two rulers for the Aries and Capricorn triplicities, yet mentions three rulers for the others!