The Mystery of Aries

The Sun in the sign: From March 21-22 to April 20-21
The graphic symbol: Ram horns or The Fountain of Life
The ruler planet: Mars
The planet in exaltation: the Sun
The element: Fire
The modality: Cardinal cross
The polarity: Masculine
The part of the body: The head
Key concepts: Identification, expression, impulsive actions

Mythology

The Greek myth about the constellation of Aries moves us with its tragic meaning. It tells us about the misfortune of the boy Phrixus and the girl Helle, children of the king Athamas, who was the son of the god of the wind. Their stepmother, the fairy Ino, was trying to get rid of the legitimate heirs by all means, so that her sons could inherit all the kingdom of Athamas after his death. She secretly invited all the women of the city to her place and persuaded them to dry the wheat their husbands had left for seeding, convincing them that by doing so the fields would become incredibly fertile. Next year, when the parched wheat did not rise and a famine affected the population while diseases affected humans and cattle alike, Athamas sent messengers to the Pythia – the prophetess of Apollo – to find out the cause of this misfortune. But the wicked Ino bribed the messengers, and they brought the false news that the fields would only be fertile if Athamas gave his children Phrixus and Helle as a sacrifice to the gods.

The symbolic image: A mountain ram with golden wool standing at the top of a mountain, turning back its head and lifting one leg above the chasm. It is the symbol of a brave and a very active ram, taking its flight and bringing the whole of humanity with him. The symbolic image of Aries warns us: do not lose courage and confidence in your strength and you will jump over the abyss and carry all the others on the other side. Otherwise, you will die and will not save anyone.

Athamas could not oppose the will of the gods. But when the children, who were not suspecting anything about their tragic fate, were taken to the altar, a ram with golden wool suddenly appeared from behind the huge oak. This ram was sent by the goddess Nephele to save the children. They got on the back of the animal, who was particularly cuddly, but as soon as the person who accompanied them approached the ram, he flew away with the children, rising increasingly high and disappearing behind the clouds. Helle was afraid of the altitude, let go of her grip and fell down, drowning in the sea. Phrixus was brought by the ram into the kingdom of Aeëtes – the son of the god Helios.

The ram with the golden wool who saved the boy was sacrificed to Zeus, the saint patron of travelers, and Aeëtes hung the golden fleece of the ram on a large oak tree in the sacred wood of the god of war Ares (Mars). Because the ram saved the life of Phrixus, the gods transformed him into a constellation, where it also reminds people of the crimes of the fairy Ino.

Characteristics

Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac and it represents the initial stage of human evolution. The sign symbolizes a grain that shoots its sprouts in different directions, which explains why the person born under the sign of Aries often does not know in which direction she needs to go. But on the other hand, the sprouted grain is the symbol of life, and the seed gives rise to a sprout, so the purpose of Aries is to start, to become a pioneer, to create a new way of life. Aries comes out of the collective consciousness of Pisces, in which countless links between all existing things had become too restrictive. To continue evolution, it is necessary that a part of infinity gets separated and forms a distinct identity – this is what constitutes the essence of the sign of Aries.

The individual born under the sign of Aries demolishes all barriers and destroys all restrictions. He is a leader and he does not feel comfortable if others command him or impose limitations on him. He is courageous, full of inspiration, passionate, original and independent. Aries is under the governance of the planet Mars, so his particularity is a direct and deliberate action, and his energy is always totally honest and frank.

Aries is a cardinal sign, so the person is occupied with the creative process: she begins, takes action. Being at the same time a fire sign, Aries put special emphasis on the questions of self-identification. In other words, in the end she will be focused on the creation of her individual characteristics and will tend to manifest her energy freely, impulsively and in an unlimited way.

The main lesson that people of this sign must learn is to consider the people around them. One of the key words in the dictionary of an Aries is Me. He does not want to insult anyone, but he’s just so busy concentrating the energy that is needed to make a breakthrough and to express his own individuality, that he is unable to understand that his actions can hurt others. Aries can sometimes be aggressive and belligerent, but not by wickedness: more so because they see the shortest path to their goals and aim at taking it, regardless of whether there will be someone in their way or not. Aries’ is the most impulsive energy in astrology, it pushes one to act without thinking, which is why they need to learn the art of restraining the desire for their own satisfaction and to control their impulsivity.

The supreme program: to be an energetic pioneer, able to sacrifice himself; to save his own life and to preserve the lives of others. To hover over the abyss: on the one hand to overcome his oversized pride, and, on the other hand, to avoid becoming a resigned, silly animal succumbing to panic. To respect the individuality of each person.