Aries Time: Happy Astrological New Year!

On March 20 at 10:46 am EDT the Sun ingressed (entered) into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. This event marks the start of the astrological New Year. The Aries Point is the first degree of the 360 degree zodiac and occurs at the vernal equinox each year, when day and night are equal in length. It represents beginnings, initiations and a much anticipated reset as we say goodbye to Winter.

Spring brings new life. The tender shoots of new flowers emerge, trees begin to bud, baby animals and birds are being born. Their eyes are closed. They can’t feed themselves. They are vulnerable to predators, unable to defend themselves. Survival is uncertain. Aries is the sign of the Warrior. The connection between fragile new life and the Aries warrior archetype provides the basis for our understanding of the first sign of the zodiac.

New Life bursts forth boldly, despite all of the threats to its existence. Aries is concerned with survival and finding the courage to claim your right to exist, to take up space. It’s not easy being among predators who look at you as their next meal. The world can be a dangerous and scary place. New life faces an environment that is challenging and in order to survive you need some grit.

Aries knows the value of competition. The kitten begins life assertively claiming his share of milk from Mom. He pushes his brothers and sisters aside, and as they push back, the entire litter becomes stronger as they engage in healthy competition. Next, momma cat teaches her brood how to hunt. The kittens practice learning this behavior through play. Before long the poor baby bird who didn’t learn to fly becomes the cat’s prey. Survival is not always pretty. It can be harsh and those who learn to take care of themselves survive. Aries knows this. Often, survival depends upon being competitive. There are 2 dogs and only one bone. (Steven Forrest) Aries shows us where we need to stand our ground, be assertive and where we may encounter stressful circumstances that require us to act with courage. They understand that in order to have the strength to take care of others, they must first take care of themselves. Every pre-flight instruction reminds us to first put on our own oxygen mask before assisting others.

With Aries, the element of stress is present. The evolutionary intent is to develop courage so Aries tends to attract experiences that require bravery. Think of the firefighter rushing into a burning building to save lives. This heroic act requires impulsiveness. When faced with a crisis, Aries acts. They may fall apart afterwards however, in the moment, they control their fear and leap into action. Aries takes the initiative giving the sign a talent for leadership.

When we talk about any sign of the zodiac, its expression is not limited to the Sun sign alone. We all have Aries somewhere in our charts. Aries is ruled by the planet Mars. Mars brings energy, passion and a boost of adrenaline to help us function in times of stress. Understanding where Aries resides in your chart provides the insight needed to respond effectively, in a way that helps us grow strong and confident. For example, look at Mars in your chart to see the nature of your stress you are meant to face. Ares is the Greek god of war and Mars is the Roman god of war. Conflict is unavoidable. Our buttons will be pushed; we can lose our temper. Dealing with anger is one of Mars’ hardest lessons.

Aries is honest and unapologetically themselves, like children who say exactly what is on their minds. Sometimes endearing, sometimes annoying. And like children, they can be quite loud!

When Aries goes wrong:

Face your fears or they will be sent to you. For example, you have a fear of flying and decide to drive 3,000 miles to your destination. During your road trip, a situation arises that makes you wish you had taken that flight! Whatever it is that you encounter will frighten you and test your courage. And it will be a whole lot scarier than a mere airplane flight. One way or another you are required to be brave. You can’t run away from it. Far better to choose to overcome a fear than to have a scary and stressful encounter thrust upon you.

A poor response to Aries can result in selfishness, folly, succumbing to fear, making enemies, uncontrolled temper, violence, unwilling to compromise, always wanting to get their own way, excessive use of force and bullying.

Even if we are not born under the Sun sign of Aries, the Warrior lies somewhere in our natal chart. We look to see the placement of Mars by sign and by house. Is your Mars in Gemini? You may defend yourself with words. In Scorpio, Mars seeks deep connections with others by being brave enough to tell the unvarnished truth. With Mars in the fourth house, we think of protection of home and family. The ninth house? The courage required to embark on an adventure through travel, cross-cultural experience or higher education.

The sign of Aries itself (unless intercepted) rules one of the twelve houses in your natal chart indicating where the action will take place. Does Aries rule your second hour? If so, facing fear gives your self-esteem a boost. If Aries rules the eleventh house you may embrace a leadership role within a team or organization.

How does Aries show up for you? A natal chart reading provides the answer. During the month of April use code SPRING26 to claim your 15% discount on a natal chart consultation.