Traditionally,
astrologers view Aries as the first sign in the zodiac. It’s also a cardinal
sign, so it’s a ‘mover and shaker’. Aries is the initiator, the pioneer – the
one who comes up with the ideas. Again, apologies
for the northern hemisphere bias – but Aries, for me, really does connect to
the ‘first breath of spring’. To take a
breath in is to in-spire; this is the time for inspiration, for setting intent,
for coming up with the seeds of ideas. Ideas
hatching from the egg.
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| ‘Aries’ ©Alison Coals |
In the sky, it was originally referred to as a farmhand, but in late Babylonian times, through associations with shepherds and the ‘shepherd kings’ of ancient Syria, it became associated with the figure of a ram. Amun, a Kush deitry, was often shown as having a ram’s head; later, Amun became merged with the Egyptian sun god Ra – another ram’s headed-figure, representing creativity and fertility. Through its position at the vernal equinox, Aries became known as the ‘Indicator of the re-born Sun’, and also the ‘Lord of the Head’. Today, Aries is still said to rule the head in astrology.
Aries
is ruled by Mars, the planet named after the Roman god of war. This gives Aries its drive and determination,
its enthusiasm for things new. Mars is emotional and passionate about the
things it believes in, and will defend self and others against attack. It also
symbolizes the thrust for life, and the enjoyment of a good battle, of
challenges and competitions for worthy causes.
Champion of the underdog, maverick...that’s Mars, and by association,
Aries. (The Ram’s Head Device, or
Military Mountaineer Badge, is a military special skill badge of US Army
National Guard.)
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| ‘Alchemical Aries’ ©Alison Coals |
It’s
not all about war and battles, though. Although we tend to think of the ram
when we talk about Aries, the lamb represents the other side of this sign – the
compassion and the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. The Lamb of God (‘Agnus Dei’), the Paschal
Lamb of Passover, refers to the sacrifice of Christ. This – again in the
northern hemisphere – is the time when we see lambs bouncing around in the
fields. And note that Easter and Ostara
fall in Aries. We come back to the idea
of breaking out of the egg, representing new, or renewed life, waking up and
seeing the world with fresh eyes – it’s all part of the ‘first-ness’ of
Aries. The time to set your intention
for the coming year – and enjoying the vision, the rush, the buzz of it NOW!
