Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, the sign of the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sign of pure beginning. It is the spark that starts the fire, the first step of a journey, the moment of courage when one decides to act despite not knowing the outcome.
Element: Fire — active, expressive, warm, and alive. Mode: Cardinal — initiating, moving, and seeking to create change. Ruler: Mars, the planet of drive and assertion.
Aries energy is direct, impatient, and honest to a fault. It does not calculate, does not hesitate, does not look back. It sees what it wants and moves toward it. This gives Aries its great strengths — courage, initiative, authenticity — and its great challenges: impulsiveness, insensitivity, and a tendency to start things it cannot finish.
In the body, Aries rules the head, the face, and the eyes. In traditional astrology, it is associated with warriors, pioneers, and anyone who goes first.
When a planet is placed in Aries, it takes on something of this quality. Mercury in Aries thinks quickly and speaks bluntly. Venus in Aries loves with passion and directness, declaring affection openly. Saturn in Aries struggles with patience, learning the hard lesson that not everything can be done immediately.