An Overview of Sun Sign Characteristics for Aries
Aries
is the first sign of the zodiac, ruled by Mars. It represents
offensive power and begins at the spring equinox. In Aries we move
from the potential to the actual; from dormant to active participation.
Desire, initiative, courage and action are words which best
describe Aries.
Personal traits of an Aries person are openness, enthusiasm and individualism. They are outspoken, alert, quick to act and speak. They prefer to speak than listen. Arians are ambitious, with lots of drive and a strong desire to lead. They make poor followers. Fiercely independent, they usually take the side of the underdog in any controversy. They are champions of lost causes and losing battles. This trait is due to a strong belief in their own abilities to turn any situation around.
Clay lies still, but blood's a rover;
Breath's a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad: when the journey's over
There'll be time enough to sleep.
From: Reveillé by A. E. Houseman, born March 26, 1859
Arian values are more intellectual than spiritual. Primarily people of action, they demonstrate little subtlety or cunning. Frank and amiable, they make quick decisions, and grasp ideas just as quickly. Quick of mind, and just as quick to anger, Arians are known for their impatience, and are prone to be arrogant.
Aries have a strong self image, the ability to think fast and size up most situations in an instant. Arians calculate risks with lightning speed and make decisions accordingly. An adage that fits the Arian well is 'A straight line is the shortest distance between two points'. Arians don't waste time and energy beating around the bush, they come straight to the point, and leave the bodies where they fall.
Symbolic representation of the constellation Aries,European manuscript, sixteenth century.
Sun Sign Personality Traits for Aries
Some of the negative traits of Arians come from what can be labeled 'a tragic flaw' in their makeup. A high energy output is cause for great anxiety in some Arians. Sometimes, this anxiety is so intense and unmanageable that it becomes cause to abandon a venture out of fear of failure. They then redirect their energy into something new. Another flaw in the Arian makeup is a fear of rejection. Rejection is near the top of their list of fears. If the Arian is not certain of acceptance, to avoid rejection, they do the rejecting first. The best defense is a good offense.
"There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go."
—Tennessee Williams, born March 26, 1911
On the more positive side, Arians are known to be generous people. They give of their time, effort, money and sympathies. They have both moral and physical courage and will give support to anyone they believe is being treated unfairly, or to any cause they deem worthy. Such traits can be recognized in the actions of famous Arians William Morris, Charlie Chaplin and Paul Robeson. The Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer Morris dedicated much of his life to illuminating the social inequalities of Victorian England. The films produced and stared in by Chaplin bear a near universal theme of the underdog getting back at a system which treated him unjustly. Robeson put his career as an actor and singer, even his life, on the line to speak out against the racial iniquities of his time. There's a calling to crusade running through the veins of every red-blooded Aries.
Artistic Interpretation of Constellation Aries.Vocational Interests Suited to Aries Tendencies
In their professions, Arians need to take charge. The routine or monotonous was not meant for you. Your originality, imagination and great mental and physical energy require work where you can utilize all of these traits. You prefer to work on your own or direct others. You are in your element in a position where you can communicate and form public opinion. Journalism, publicity, advertising, publishing, radio and TV are natural professions for you to prevail in.
The military is another field that is ripe for Arians with its many leadership possibilities. Law enforcement is another commanding vocation that is attractive to Arians. In a similar capacity Aries make excellent surgeons and surgical nurses. In the arts and entertainment field, Aries also does very well. You are endowed with so many valuable assets; a keen intellect, initiative, intuition, inventiveness, energy, leadership qualities and enthusiasm that you'll shine in any profession that you set your sites on.
The symbolic representation of AriesAstrological atlas, seventeenth century.
Arians have to watch their impatience, lack of thrift, and a domineering attitude. Your ego also requires more than a fair share of continual approval and acclaim. Without this approval, your effectiveness can take a nosedive. Aries thrive on challenge, and they truly believe they can do anything - so they have a tendency to bite off more than they can chew. Acquiring patience, persistence and perseverance will go a long way in helping you to make the most advantage of your great gifts.
In summation, Arians are spontaneous people. They never ponder, they act. They are frank, open and not prone to be devious. The Arian takes definite steps, achieves definite results, is of help and benefit to those who need it, and attacks before waiting to be attacked.
The Lore of Aries in Mythology
Mythology is closely interwoven with Astrology. Despite all that we do not know about the origins of either lore it is certain that starwatching began with passion on humanity's first night beneath the open sky. Somewhere in time, shapes were perceived, figures imagined, names given and stories were told about the densely populated tapestry of the heavens. All elder cultures throughout the world developed tales of the constellations which over time were imbued with meaning to explain various phenomena of our existence within the cosmos.
Mythology in general is far more than a collection of "make believe" fantasies created by primitive societies to explain away what they could not understand. The role of Myth in a society was to set the abstract complexities of Nature within a context of story that the human mind could comprehend. Wondering long on what keeps the world from falling through space or whether the dawn will follow night is a costly distraction when there is hunting to do and crops to tend. Story sets cosmic ideas in a scale we can relate to, human scale, which establishes a sense of accord and instills a faith that all is well with the universe.
Astrology and Mythology serve a similar function in this regard. We benefit from Astrology not so much as a tool of fortune-telling but as a directional guide to understanding who we are individually and what our unique role ought to be in this life. As Carl Jung stated, Astrology claims only that we each possess the qualities of the year and of the season in which we were born. To discern just what those qualities are ... is as fascinating to each of us as the night sky.
'Mars disarmed by Venus and the Graces.'Nineteenth century oil, by Jacques-Louis David.
Throughout the ancient Mediterranean region, the ram figure was associated with the constellation Aries or Arietis to the Greeks, Kriya and to the Egyptians, Arnum.
Ares was the Greek god of war and pestilence. He was the son of Zeus and Hera, consort of Aphrodite. The Romans associated Ares with Mars, the enemy of the tyrants and defender of the just. Originally an agricultural god associated with the affairs of spring, Mars assimilated many of the characteristics of Ares since battles were often coordinated at this same time of year.
The Greek myths tell that the son of Nepele, Phrixus, was falsely accused of ravishing Biadice and condemned to death. In a variant tale, Phrixus was to be sacrificed to assure a bountiful harvest based upon a false oracle. In either version Phrixus is rescued, hastened to safety on the back of a golden ram sent by the god Mercury. At the ram's request, Phrixus sacrificed the animal to the god Zeus to honor the initial ritual offering. For his courage, the ram's likeness was set into the heavens. The ram's brilliant fleece, set within a temple, was later to play a central role in the tale of Jason and the Argonauts.
