Astrology Articles

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.~ TS Eliot

In The Beginning...

The zodiac sign of Aries is the point where the zodiac recycles itself. The signs of the zodiac have a circular, cyclical relationship, one sign evolving into the next.

Actually, it's like a spiral: we've passed through this sign before, but it's never exactly the same. Every March or April, there's a New Moon in Aries, but the Sun and Moon form new aspects to the other planets, and the other planets form new aspects with each other. This creates an whole new context for each New Moon energy.

Aries is considered the first sign of the zodiac. In our cyclical model, Aries also marks the transition point from the old cycle into the new one. Aries, therefore, represents the idea of leaving the old behind and launching into new beginnings, new adventures, and setting off into unknown territory. It is the archetypal Big Bang by which new ideas, new identities and new possibilities burst forth into the world of actuality.

Aries is the seed which projects future possibilities into the unknown. The seed planted now will sprout, blossom and bear fruit later in the cycle but that's then and this is now. What comes first? Identity. Acknowledgement of existence. Before you can grow anything, you must first recognize it, identify it, name it. You can't nurture what you don't acknowledge.

Aries, archetypally, is associated with human identity and personality; how we identify ourselves, distinguish who we are, and name ourselves. This includes how we project ourselves physically and spiritually into the world (1st house), our will, passions and actions (Mars), and our ability to take risks and meet the unknown with a stout heart and a hero's courage (Aries). It is the basic instinct that says: "I AM!"

It all begins with a seed of impulse: a spark of something new, a motion to pursue a different direction, a desire to grow a new...well, just what do you want? This is the primary Aries question. Choose your seed wisely: whatever evolves over the month following the New Moon in Aries will be rooted in the seeds that are planted now.

Sometimes the seed chooses you! Around the New Moon, you may find yourself seized by a situation that demands attention. Or, you may suddenly feel dissatisfied with some area of your life, perhaps brought on by outside circumstances.

Life has a way of making the wind blow an unexpected seed into your life which starts growing there, but like most seeds, you don't always know what the finished product will look like. It may look beautiful at first but evolve into something that has thorns and makes you itch! Or the new seed may put down roots that initially choke out established growth in your life, but later bear fruit that is worth the sacrifice.

Watch carefully as your seed grows over the coming weeks and months. There will be results and implications over the coming month (the current lunar cycle), as well as over the coming year (the eclipse cycle). Conditions at the time of the Aries New Moon Eclipse may also be rooted in events from around 6 months ago (the last eclipses). Be open to a new awareness and watch as the new growth makes itself known. Notice. Allow. Respond when the time is right.

The Energy of Mars

Mars is the planetary ruler of Aries, symbolizing energy, impulse, action, will, wanting, desire, sex, anger, courage, assertion, aggression, violence, conflict, war and weapons.

Although Mars can indicate conflict and a hair-trigger temper, Mars is not all bad. Without this planetary energy we would have no motivation, no drive to pursue our dreams or accomplish our goals.

Too little Mars makes us afraid to stand up for ourselves, shrinking from confrontations and risk taking. Too much Mars can make us aggressive, over-reactive and defensive about anything that interferes with what we want. Either extreme increases the stress and conflict in our lives.

The key is moderation and balance. The Mars/Aries energy, in its purest form, wants aggressive, immediate action.

However, Mars is best integrated into the real world when balanced by a sensitivity to its impact on the outside world (Venus/Libra), connection to the past and one's true needs (Moon/Cancer), and a sense of purpose and direction (Saturn/Capricorn) — in other words, the Cardinal signs.

© 1996, 2004, 2005 Wendy Guy. All rights reserved. Originally printed in Transitions Astrology Newsletter, Aries-Taurus 1996 Issue.