Astrology is… weird. And by that, I mean, astrology is either presented in a really basic, overly simplified way – or an insanely overcomplicated, ‘you have to read thousands of pages to really understand it’ kind of way.
How about let’s find a middle ground where we present the Basics+ (™ pending).
(j/k, you think we have the money for that?)
Anywho. This will be the first installment of an ongoing series. Some of this might be repetitive for those of you seasoned, but it’s meant to be fairly comprehensive. And hey, if you have questions or comments or suggestions about topics for this series or really any other pagany topic you’d like our newsletter to expand on, drop a comment and reach out!
Astrology is a festival of lights….
Or… a study on human nature. Much like the moon has a physical effect on the tides of our planet, it’s believed that you are impacted in a similar way based on when and where you were born. ‘When’ being the time and date, ‘where’ being the location on the planet Earth. And just like people track the location of the stars in the sky backwards and forwards in time to determine sun rise times, the phase of the moon, etc; Astrology tracks the ‘location’ of your birth respective to every other body in the heavens.
Your birth literally has a G(alaxy)PS location in the universe that is unique to you… (I mean, relatively unique, we’re pinpointing based on latitude and longitude essentially, not small city blocks; Bobby up the road might have been born at the exact same time in another hospital a couple miles away, so he’s going to have the same charting data.)
Where do we start? With Aries.
And why are we starting there? Because not everything is about Jesus, Karen!
But for real, the Zodiac Calendar (the breakdown / separation of the standard 12 Zodiac signs) begins with Aries in March. Why? Simple. Before our current calendar was forced upon most of the world, it was a lot like the Chinese New Year, which syncs to the Lunar Calendar. New Year was when Spring began; at the Spring Equinox. Our ancestors tracked the movement of the planet and called the ‘equinox’ the day when the hours of light and dark were equal, and would begin shifting back into longer days. Life, Sun, and warmth were returning to the Earth after a colder, darker winter (and there was much rejoicing).
Side note, yes, we’re using a system based on the Northern Hemisphere as this is where modern notions of astrology were developed. Do I understand that March in the Southern Hemisphere is their Fall Equinox? Yes. For the purposes of this conversation, do I care? No. Proceed forward with that in mind.
And you might ask yourself, ‘How did I get here?’…
Or… why is the ‘date’ of when the sign changes not always the same?
Well, again, it’s not based on our current calendar, but functions more similar to how GPS uses degrees of latitude and longitude to track you. If the Earth moves in cycles, a circle; a ‘wheel of the year,’ then it has 360 degrees. We start on the equinox when the day is in balance, that’s our Zero degree, and when you divide 360 into 12… you get 30 degrees. So, it’s a processional, or never ending circle, where every 30 degrees we shift into a new sign.
Astrology is studying observed patterns of human behavior, comparative to what was in the sky when you were born. Is there hard scientific data to back up these patterns?… Not really. At least, not yet. A long time ago, our ancestors watched and saw the tides rising and sinking. They didn’t always know why, but they could track a pattern. Humans are good at that. It’s one of our handy survival evolutions ::thumbs up::.
Eventually, we came to understand gravity and the Moon’s impact. But just because we couldn’t always understand it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t always happening. It wasn’t something primitive humans were imagining. The water was sure as shit rising and falling.
Do we know exactly how we’re being impacted by, not just the Moon, but the other planets and bodies in the sky? No. But the pattern is there. And if you can recognize the pattern… Well, it just might help you understand yourself and the people around you just a little bit better.
Each sign of the zodiac is named based on the constellation that was in the skies during that time frame. Aries is the Latin word for ‘ram.’ The people looking up at that sky thought that the constellation looked like ram horns.
Constellation naming is also weird…. I guess when you live in a world without the distraction of modern technology and spend, what was probably countless, hours staring up into the voids of space… you might see shit too. But that’s a whole other discussion we’re not going to delve into here.
The ‘natal’ or ‘birth’ chart is your personal G(alaxy)PS coordinates on paper. It charts the position of things in the sky when you were born. We refer to your ‘Sun’ sign as the constellation that the Sun was positioned in when you were born. Again, the sky is a circle, a big pie. Which slice of the pie was the Sun hanging out in when you were born? When you’re asked, ‘what’s your sign?,’ this is what most mean – ‘what is your Sun sign?’
You are impacted by all the things in your chart, not just the Sun’s position. However, it is the biggest body in the sky and carries with it the biggest weight in terms of impacting personality. Basic astrology typically focuses on that Sun sign.
So, about Aries…..
Aries runs from about March 20th until April 20th.
Its anima is the Ram.
The ram has big horns, and they’re not afraid to use them.
Aries are full of energy and fighting spirit. They’re always looking for a challenge. They thrive on competition. When there is no competition to be had, or conflict to partake in…. they might make some. They can pick a fight, not always out of anger, but out of boredom.
You know how some people love a good ‘Dare?’ That’s Aries.
Tell them they can’t do something? They’re going to do it, and make sure you see them do it. Tell them they shouldn’t do something? They laugh in the face of danger, throw caution to the wind, and do it anyway, just for fun.
Passionate. Excitable. Motivated. Driven. Energetic. … … Stubborn. Pig-headed. Argumentative. Reckless…. (This ‘two sides to every coin’ bit, is a running theme. We all have good and bad qualities. The goal is to mitigate as best you can.)
As an Aries, that passion and drive makes for great leadership. When most of us see someone excited and energetic, we tend to gravitate towards that person. That energy can translate into positivity and drive to achieve goals. That energy can also become restless and easily bored. Boredom can breed creation and innovation, invention. They want new and different and exciting, and they know sometimes they have to make it themselves.
They’re motivated by a challenge and they want to win.
Doesn’t matter what the game is, they want to win.
They take the love of competition usually reserved for sports and apply it to their entire lives.
Don’t tell them what to do or how to live their life. They’ll do whatever they want, and sometimes things they don’t want out of pure spite.
The tendency to have a temper can also create a fierce warrior when the need arises. When pushed, they’re not going to reach out their arms and push back. They’re going to get their car and run you down. They’re protective. When you are on the good side of an Aries, they will literally go to war with, and for you. End up on the other side of the battlefield… good luck.
Next month: Taurus
