Aries, the Ram, represents the excitement of spring. The earth is stirring and so is the passion. The flowers are budding and the sap is rising…the young men went off to war and the hunt was renewed or the plow was biting into the soil.
Aries is a cardinal fire sign. So the mode is directive to begin a season and the element is hot and zesty. Aries fire is like a forest fire…you better get out of the way while you can.
In the tropical zodiac, which most western astrologers use, zero degrees Aries begins at the Vernal Equinox…the first day of spring. This date currently ranges between the 19th and the 21st of March. In 2017 it was on the 20th. The glyph used to represent Aries is the Ram. The person with their Sun in Aries is here, like their namesake, to butt challenges out of the way and thus grow courage. Think of dangerous jobs, soldiers, police work, excitement, high-energy endeavors, rock-climbers, sky-divers. Their energy is child-like as one who acts and thinks about it later. They love to begin new things but might have some difficulty finishing them. Of course, you need to be careful with statements like this because you have to look at a person’s entire natal chart to get a better handle on their tendencies in each area of their life. This energy, when well worn, is the protector of the weak like the beloved sheriff who has served his/her community well. When one who has a lot of this energy in their chart is living negatively, however, it can make for some badly scarred knuckles and hard times…the choice is always up to them.
Mars is the planet of high energy, quick thinking and actions, conflicts, and anger. As such it is called the ruling planet of Aries. The idea of a planet “ruling” a sign simply means it carries an energetic match for the perceived qualities of that sign or has an affinity for it.
In antiquity, Mars was the God of War and, doubtless, many virgins were sacrificed to placate the red planet’s wrath, however, a better key word for Mars is more like assertiveness. It corresponds to the part of your mind where your will resides. It is how we get stuff done and without it we can be doormats. Think of the energy you need to face a mugger. That is not a time to be counting daisies, but, rather, all circuits are on full alert. Rather than shrinking from this energy we need to embrace it wherever it shows up in our natal chart. As you seek to evolve your life, you can make better and better use of this martial energy to accomplish great things and rise above its dark side. Of course, defending yourself is not the dark side of Mars…that would be the mugger.
The first house is about meeting people, new beginnings, excitement, overcoming obstacles, being decisive, the party mask, the first impression, the infant, and self-interest. Being the area of life that represents the energy of Aries, first house actions embody Arian ideals.
The first house is all about beginnings whether it is beginning an acquaintance or casual meeting or starting a project. The cusp or leading edge of the first house is called the Ascendant because it is literally the degree of the zodiac sign which is “dawning” on the eastern horizon at the time and place of your birth. It represents the place in you where everything hidden meets everything that is seen…from below to above the horizon. Because of this, it represents how you feel comfortable meeting your world as well as the first impression people have when meeting you. It is like being seen though tinted glass…you don’t tell someone everything about yourself when you first meet them but have a “party persona” or mask which fronts you. The Ascendant, together with the Sun and Moon form the core of your personality.
One way to look at the houses is to view them as the territory taking you from cradle to grave. It is a great metaphor to use in order to develop an understanding of the energy behind them. The astrologer Howard Sasportas wrote a great book about the houses which employed this metaphor. I will be using this idea to help explain the energy of each house. That being said, the first house is all about the energy of the infant. An infant puts amazing lung power into getting its needs met…right now. There is real urgency here and so it is the first thing that gets your attention about someone you meet, that is, you see what they want you to see…right now.