ARIES: The Fire of Creative Impulse
and the Warrior of Mind

The horoscope is a blueprint of our character. Character is destiny. There is nothing static in this universe in which we dwell. We can change by changing our attitudes and patterns of behavior. In so doing, we change our destiny. An understanding of planetary influences allows you to take your like into your own hands and intelligently utilize the planetary influences that will help you in your evolution if you but will.
             Isabel Hickey, Astrology—A Cosmic Science

Spring has come and the potency of the regenerating Pulse of Life has resurfaced in all the kingdoms of nature. A latent primordial force lies ready to burst forth, bringing with it the various expressions of life that will take on greater solidity later in Taurus.

Aries is that initiating Will-to-Be, the endless creative fire that emerges through the aethers, stimulating evolution on all levels and in all forms. Aries is transcendental in that it carries within itself a myriad of as yet unformed possibilities for manifestation. The Ram is but an initiatory piercing, a head arising out of primordial creative possibilities with a body as yet unseen and unknown. Aries is also immanent as urgently moves its message forward into the immediacy of its environmental circumstances. This message states unequivocally that I am here and I bring the urge to emerge and manifest!

In esoteric, soul-centered astrology we consider Aries as the Light of Life Itself, a pure emanation from the Mind of the Great Architect of the Universe. Aries therefore takes into life as we know it a message from that place where the Will of Good is known. Thus according to the Ancient Wisdom Teachings the celestial Ram is the initiating focus for the expression of Life, making Aries the birthplace of ideas. It is through Aries that a separate, individualizing ray rushes form from the body of the Sun (here symbolizing Universal Mind) and descends to Earth as an initiating creative impulse.

When Aries is on the cusp of a house in the natal horoscope, it points to that area of one's life where such initiations take place and thus speaks of promise but not of process nor of completion. It tells the astrologer where someone begins a cycle of creativity and where the sense of oneself is at its most focused, most urgent, and often most primitive as the force of Aries needs to be ripened and matured through its evolution through the other eleven signs.

Aries on the cusp of the First House: The Ram on the Ascendant gives an urgent need to express itself through constant self-projection upon the field of circumstances in the immediate environment. A person with Aries rising tends to react to these situations instinctively as a challenge to come forward. This is usually accompanied by undue haste or highly personal enthusiasm. Aries on the First describes an eager and often impulsive individual, but one who through his intense self-projection, often overlooks the larger, overall picture of what lies in front of him. A person with this sign/house combination often needs to learn how to balance his incessant urge to plunge ahead by the attainment of a more diplomatic and comprehensive attitude when dealing with others. Successes in life are more forthcoming when the goals are short-term and immediate. Life is experienced as a series of confrontations for one with Aries on the First and patience with more long-term situations is often lacking. However, where most others will give up and fall behind, Aries will rise up to meet the immediate test and push on through.

Aries on the cusp of the Second House: The relationship we have to the material factors of life and to our sense of our own self-worth are dealt in a highly projective manner. Aries on the Second often expresses itself as a strong urge to live up to the challenges of proving oneself in the material world. The way to accumulating money often has many starts and stops along the way. This would be especially the case should Mars be afflicted by Saturn. If a trine or sextile exists between the two, then the individual will have a slow but steady progress in the way of achieving rewards for the use of his or her talents, abilities, and resources. But no matter what, Aries on this cusp gives a never say die attitude and the need to overcome material challenges or to succeed in material quests will all be quite prevalent in one's nature. One important caution: there may be a tendency to spend money impulsively, especially funds that one as yet does not possess. If this characteristic is not tempered, the challenge that one will face will be indebtedness.

Aries on the cusp of the Third House: The way we communicate is modified by this sign/house combination by the tendency to be very direct in our thoughts and subsequent actions. This will certainly be the case should there by any strong aspect between Mars and Mercury in the natal chart. There is very little subtlety of thought when the Ram tenants this house as the orientation of this individual is to get right to the point as quickly as possible. There is also a definite urge for adventures in travel and in youth, this is a person who always tended to explore his or her neighborhood. This combination does not tend to produce many siblings and when brothers and sisters to exist, sibling rivalry characterizes these relationships, especially if Mars is afflicted by Mercury or the Moon. Mars in strong aspect to Uranus with Aries on this cusp leads to the feeling that one is completely different from one's siblings.

Aries on the cusp of the Fourth House: The relationship to one's domestic life in general is characterized by this position by the urge to be in control of one's home and the events that go on within the home life. If Mars is afflicted especially by Saturn or the Moon, the individual most likely came from a very difficult early home environment. It is often difficult to penetrate into the psychological core of a person with Aries on the Fourth without meeting up with some sense of territorial resistance. Home to this person is definitely the central HQ and foundation for personal power. The Ram on the Fourth often reveals a strong mother, one who took control of family circumstances. If Mars is afflicted by Saturn, she could have been a single mom with all the struggles (and strengths!) that this condition entails.

Aries on the cusp of the Fifth House: The individual's urge for his or her creative self-expression and the pursuit of personal pleasures that characterize the Fifth House in the horoscope tend to be bold and direct. The urge to initiate creative projects is also likely to be quite strong. The Fifth is the house of romance and with Aries on the cusp, Mars rules this house. Thus, the urge for sensual intimacy is likely to be quite high. People with this sign/house combination tend to be lusty in their urge for love, unafraid to take risks when conquering the objects of their desires and rather impulsive in their romantic pursuits. Children are also the province of the Fifth and with the Ram on the cusp; children are usually few in number highly important to one's life. With Aries on the cusp, children tend to be viewed as extensions of the parent, which is cause enough for conflict! If Mars is well inspected by Venus, the Moon, or Jupiter, such problems are often avoided or greatly lessened in intensity. The parent with this house/sign combination usually promotes the advancement of his or her offspring, and is eager for their advancement in life.

Aries on the cusp of the Sixth House: An individual's general health as well as her attitude relative to her job is strongly affected by Aries on this cusp. In terms of the latter, there is a definite I am out to prove myself, attitude. There is the urge to overcome any obstacles that may arise in the work area of life. If Mars is well placed in the natal map, it produces a person who feels totally competent in what he does. But even a positive Mars may not lessen the urge to prove one's dominance over his job both to himself and to others. The need to dominate in the work sphere can give conflict with underlings or co-workers. If Mars is well inspected to Venus, the individual has an instinctive sense about how to cooperate with others so that all may succeed. Pioneering work, as well as jobs that involve the use of sharp tools and instruments may easily be part of one's life. In terms of health, the areas of the body to watch with Aries on this cusp are the head, face, and especially the nose and right eye.

Aries on the cusp of the Seventh House: This is of course the house of relationships and partners and with Aries on this cusp the individual tends to seek himself in others. As Libra would be on the Ascendant with this position, the creation of relationships is very much connected to our self-image and is a primary motivational factor in life. The Ram on the Seventh can easily initiate relationships without an overall understanding of the consequences of such contacts. There is almost an unconscious, naive simplicity in the underlining urgency to partner. Should Mars be afflicted to Jupiter, one needs to be careful of overly idealizing one's partnership urges; if Neptune is the afflicting planet, lack of discrimination and/or fantasy in choosing partners will often result. Aries on the Seventh can so easily submerge his or her own identity with another that co-dependency may easily result. But should the ego structure be mature, Aires on this cusp can bring great vitality and direction into any relationship, creating new and exciting avenues for mutual exploration and growth.

Aries on the cusp of the Eighth House: The necessary crises that lead to our evolutionary growth as well as the expression of our sexuality characteristic of the Eighth are modified by Aries with great urgency. This is the horoscope of someone who is constantly confronting the challenges of personal transformation. In most cases, Aries on the Eighth will have Virgo on the Ascendant and the latter sign/house combination reveals a person who is constantly searching for those methods, techniques and processes of self-improvement. With Aries challenging the road to personal development (the Eighth House), it is little wonder then that such an individual experiences the urge to change and develop with great intensity. Sexuality is experienced as a potent urge, usually demanding (but not always getting!) instant gratification. The transformational door which is opened as a result of sexual contact is often seen as a challenging but exciting area of life experience. In terms of the other important feature of the Eighth (other people's resources) care has to be taken that what belongs to someone else is not necessarily one's own to use freely according to the whim of immediate personal desire.

Aries on the cusp of the Ninth House: The desire to expand the horizons of one's life through higher studies or foreign travel is expressed through this sign/house combination with a strong urge for adventure. Aries on this cusp gives the stamina and courage for long distance travel. This is especially the case if there are strong aspects between Mars and Jupiter and/or the Sun. This is a person who is definitely oriented for self-exploration, one who does not accept any higher truth or doctrine unless he tries it out for himself. It is an individual who needs to chart his own course of studies, one who does not easily accept the status quo just because it is given. This would be especially the case if Mars were in a major aspect to Uranus. In general Aries on the Ninth says: I know, because I have proven what I know to myself.

Aries on the cusp of the Tenth House: An individual's orientation to career and for achievement in life is characterized by this position by the urge to be either self-employed or to dominate a very particular area within the structure of a larger corporate setting. Should Mars be in a strong aspect to Saturn, personal ambition will be very strong. If the aspect is a square or an opposition, then the road to success will be harder to accomplish than if that aspect is a sextile or a trine. If the latter is the case, success will still take a while to achieve, but the road will be a lot easier with a series of lesser successes along the way. With Aries on this cusp, the person has to be the captain of his own ship. If he is too domineering or ruthless, he just might find that the crew will abandon the vessel! The Ram on the MC is in need of constant new challenges, beginnings, and adventures. This is a person who brings courage, initiative, drive and passion into his or her field of endeavor. Problems come about when one starts more projects that one can successfully complete, a loss of patience with others sharing one's plans and projects, and a naive approach to structuring time and energy. The father tends to be either a highly competitive man, with whom one fought many battles, or a staunch and supportive ally. Changing your set of values. On the surface, Uranus in this position will bring changes into your economic and material life. These can definitely be for the better as you seek to rid yourself of old patterns of dealing with money that have limited your economic progress. If Uranus is "acting-up", you may find that you are spending recklessly and using your resources in ways that you may later regret. You may also find that your possessions are possessing you and will search out ways to distribute and use your material goods to better advantage.

Aries on the cusp of the Eleventh House: The nature of our friendships and group relationships will be very important to a person with this sign/house combination. This is an individual who has to prove herself in society. She does this often by taking on a leadership role in group situations and can often serve to bring focus and direction to organizational activities. When positive, this is a man or woman who stands up for the causes in which he or she believes and is a protective and loyal friend. With Aries on this cusp, the tendency is to identify oneself with ones hopes and aspirations. The latter usually take on a social or humanitarian perspective. Should Mars be in a strong aspect to Uranus, look for this person to be a pioneer in advancing new or otherwise revolutionary social causes. If this aspect is a square or opposition (and especially if Saturn is also involved), the individual is likely to encounter a great deal of social opposition in the implementation of such visions.

Aries on the cusp of the Twelfth House: This sign/cusp combination may often give the tendency to mask personal assertiveness, giving rise to the tendency to have a passive-aggressive type of personality. It also may easily contribute to a sense of victimization or even powerlessness. This would be especially the case if Mars were afflicted by Neptune and/or Saturn. There is also a more positive side of the effects of Aries on the Twelfth. This results in a person who quietly assists others from a position of support that may be behind the scenes, but is nonetheless quite effective. Aries on this cusp has a very spiritual potential connected to it as it shows that an individual may identify him or herself (Aries=I am) with the universal waters of this, the natural house of Pisces. The test is whether the individual will be able to purify these waters with Aries' intense fire or will that fire drown and be overwhelmed by the emotional pollutants also found in this collective stream?