Aries

Now the zephyrs diminish the cold, and the year being ended,
Winter Maeotian seems longer than ever before;
And the Rain that bore unsafely the burden of Helle,
Now makes the hours of the day equal with those of the night.

-Longfellow— 

I love Aries, and not because I am an Aries; actually, having been born on the cusp, I've always leaned more towards being a Pisces.  And, if you should ask anyone who knows me, they tell you that surely you must jest.  Actually, I love Aries for everything it brings...Spring, rebirth, new beginnings, blue skies and the gentle rains that encourage growth. 

Aries, the Ram,  is the first sign of the zodiac.     A fire sign, it is one of the four cardinal signs that represent action (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn).   Aries represents the beginning of a new cycle; hence, it is indicative of the birthing stage and can include some of the themes that we associate with this stage for as we begin a brand new cycle of the Zodiac, we also initiate the season of rebirth within ourselves.   Life is beginning to
rise up through the soil as seeds begin to germinate deep within the earth. Spring lambs are seen scampering in the fields.  It is the sign of Spring, a time of new beginnings which evokes thoughts of renewal and new hopes for the future for all of us. 

It's ruling planet is Mars.  Roman Mars himself was originally a god of wild nature and the herds, and a wolf was his early symbol.  Mars is the outermost of the personal planets and represents pure energy.  Aries is irresistible force and the principles of resurrection and individualization.  Mars is a dry, hot and masculine. The Mars color is bright red. Mars metal is iron, and its day is Tuesday. The Mars number is 9 which represents inspiration and the perfection of ideas.   Mars is action and how we assert our self The planet Mars is the planet of war, violence danger, action and discussions. It denotes impetuosity, passion, expansion.

In the Greek myth of Aries, we find the young hero, Phrixus, and his sister, Helle, on the back of a ram, fleeing from their wicked stepmother, Ino.
During the journey, Helle lost her hold and slipped off the ram's back, falling off into the sea at a point now which was later named Hellespont,  which today separates Greece and Turkey.  But Phrixus managed to escape and later sacrificed the ram in tribute to Jupiter. He hung its fleece in the grove of Ares where it turned to gold and was later to be pursued by Jason of the Argonauts.  The golden fleece had the power to restore life to the dead, an noticeable allusion to the creativity that is restored to the earth upon the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere.  The Aries
symbol represents the spiral horns of a Ram. 

The constellation Aries marked the vernal equinox from 1800 B.C. to 1 A.D.; the Mesopotamians believed the world was created when the sun was near this constellation.  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.  The Assyrians saw this star group as an altar and sacrificial ram. For the Mesopotamians the constellation stood for military power. Among the Hebrews it was known as the lamb that overcame death. The Sumerians called the sun, Subat, meaning the Ancient Sheep or Ram and the planets were known as the Celestial Herd.   Aries, the ram, was known to the Arabs as Al Hamal, the  The Chinese knew Aries as the dog, Kiang Leu. Later they knew it as  the White Sheep.

Aries’ energy is good for the soul. It’s a time to shake loose all those stuck places in ourselves. You won’t hear an Aries say, ‘I can’t do that.’ Aries is fire that moves through the soul, the fire that creates new life, new experiences and new psychological patterns. Aries is the pioneer who initiates change and blazes new trails.

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

-Still I Rise, Maya Angelou -