Partially because Kassie's a smartass, partially as a shoutout to my Aries homies.
I like astrology, not as a predictive thing, but as a descriptive one. Here are some of my favorite descriptions of what it means to be an Aries (taken from Linda Goodman's Sun Signs and Love Signs- the language in both is a bit antiquated, but they are really fun, charming, and surprisingly accurate reads):
Aries: The Ram
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. It represents birth, as Pisces represents death and consciousness of the soul. The ram is conscious only of himself. He's the infant of the zodiac-the newborn baby-completely absorbed with his own toes and fingers. His needs come first. An infant doesn't care whether or not his parents or the neighbors are sleeping. When he's hungry or wet, he yowls in discomfort, and don't be pokey about it. When the Aries person has an idea or something he wants to get off his mind, he'll call you at four in the morning without a qualm. Why shouldn't you be awake to listen to him? He's awake. That's all that counts. He wants something. He gets it. Like an infant, Aries is concerned with the world only as it relates to himself. But who could call a small baby truly selfish? He's perfectly willing to lavish his smiles and favors on those who satisfy his demands. It's hard to resist a baby, because he's so totally unaware that he's causing anyone the slightest inconvenience. So it is with the ram. His innocence hangs over him and mellows his aggressiveness, like the innocence of the newborn softens his egocentricity.
***
The Mars-ruled person will look you straight in the eye, with unabashed honesty and rather touching faith. You're his friend, aren't you? You like him, don't you? No? Then the tears will start, but inside. He'll never show it on the surface, if he can help it. If you see him openly weeping, you can be certain that he's been cut to the very soul in some way. Aries would rather be caught dead than be caught weak-and some of them risk the former to avoid the latter.
***
A realist, yet a decided idealist, Aries often defies emotional description. No one can show such tough, forceful behavior. Yet, few others are capable of such sentimentality, wistful innocence and belief in miracles. Mars people are literally incapable of accepting defeat. They won't recognize it-even when it stares them in the face. They're incurable optimists about the end result of anything from love to a baseball game. Being very clever in-fighters, the rams battle best with their heads, meaning their minds. They enjoy opposition because of the challenge it presents, and they'll go out of their way to meet an obstacle and conquer it long before it comes to them-and often when it might have been headed in the opposite direction.
***
Aires has an innocent wistful facet to his nature, and a kind of eternal, joyous, naïve faith, blended with the blind zeal of a born crusader. Like the diamond, his mars horns are hard and dough to crack.
***
Once involved in helping you through a rough time, Aries will walk the extra mile without hesitation. But show your gratitude, please. He'll be deeply hurt, if not downright angry, when you don't appreciate his strenuous actions, which went far beyond the call of duty, and also probably far beyond what you needed or wanted. He enjoys doing favors; the larger the charitable gesture the better; but the ram wants his credit when it's coming to him. If thanks are withheld, however, it probably won't keep him from helping again. His amazing faith in himself is matched only by his naïve trust in others, which is why he's almost constantly disillusioned, and complaining that someone has let him down. Of course, he won't stay down for long. He'll pick himself up, dust him off, and soon be ready, willing and able to blast away again, after a typical binge of violent but brief depression.
***
The ram knows that bread cast on the waters not only feeds his go and returns again increased, but it makes people happy, one of the things he enjoys most in life. To Aries, miracles are a dime a dozen. If you run out, he'll make you some more, wrapped in brave, scarlet dreams.
The Aries Woman
So you're in love with an Aries girl. I don't know whether to congratulate you or sympathize with you.
When Byron wrote that "Man's love is of man's life a thing apart; 'tis woman's while existence," he forgot about the Aries woman. She may think love is her whole existence, but she's to vitally absorbed in the world around her, not ot mention in herself, for it to be the beginning and end of her life. She can get along without a man easier than any other female you'll ever meet.
***
The Aries girl is rather a pushover for flattery, if it has an honest base. Let her know you admire her, but don't be too flowery or sugary about it. Her loyalty in love is gigantic, as long as you keep the sentiment alive, for she is deeply sentimental. There's the typical Arien contradiction in her: she doesn't want to be obviously chased, yet she quickly loses interest if you're too detached. She doesn't want a completely domineering male, but neither will she warm up to a man who sits adoringly at her feet.
***
To injure her pride or dampen her enthusiasm will almost break her heart. Others will constantly be doing just that to her. The world resents a female who talks back to it and who thinks she's smarter than everyone else. When she discovers she really doesn't run the universe after all, she'll come running into your arms in tears, her world all dark and dismal. Then you'll have a chance to see her as she really is, defenseless and vulnerable in the extreme, for all her outer confidence. She's not really Tug-boat Annie. She'd just like to be. She admires strength and tries to imitate it. The Aries idealism and optimistic faith in human nature is often dashed to bits by reality. Comfort her with tenderness at these times, and you'll probably never lose her. Always defend her against her enemies. She can never forgive you if you fail to fight for her or take her side. (But be prepared to make up with them when she does, which may be quickly.) At least she's fair about it. She'll also defend you. An Aries woman will throw away fame or fortune defiantly right in the face of anyone who hurts a friend of hers. If she loves you, her indignation will have no bounds. These women are nothing if not loyal.
The Aries Child
Aries boys and girls may fall into the early habit of neglecting homework, an dusing your more obedient little Capricorn, Cancer, Virgo or Pisces child as an example will hardly impress him. (I'm assuming you don't have more than one Aries offspring. The planets don't do that to parents very often.) Instead of shaming the Mars youngster into studying, challenge him. He'll lap up a challen ge like that favorite stray alley cat of his laps up cream. Just thell hium (or her) that he's probably just slow, or not as birght as the toher students, inferiour in some way, but you don't mind. You love him anyway. My! How the dust will fly off htose schoolbooks, as he sots out to brove what a ridiculous theory that is. Someone who can top him? That will be the day-or night.
* To which my mom said, "Huh. It never occurred to me to tell you that." I laughed.
The Aries Love Mystery
To the Aries soul, Love is a necessity of life, which is taken for granted; for in its infancy of awareness, Love is synonymous with existence itself. Therefore, devotion is instinctively expected and joyously accepted, but with little comprehension of how to return it. Aries demands Love, for like the infant, without Love, Aries dies. When emotional abandonment (symbolically) can mean death, even the hint of it can bring on unreasonable panic, and inexplicable terror, calmed only by repeated reassurances. Aries continually needs to be reminded that "if winter comes"….. the miracle of spring cannot be far behind.
So, much of that is applicable to me. I am terribly egocentric by nature. It's something I try to be conscious of, but it doesn't always work. I do try, but sometimes I need a gentle nudge. It's an absentminded sort of thing, rather than malicious or uncaring.
I respond well to directness and am easily manipulated by flattery (so long as it's genuine!).
This is what I mean when I say I value astrology as a descriptive thing. In understanding the basic things of your friends/loved ones signs, I think a lot of hurt feelings and misunderstandings can be avoided. For example:
My feelings aren't hurt if my Aquarian friends forget we had plans or flake out and don't respond to an e-mail.
I don't get irritated when my Libra friends take awhile to make up their minds about something or respond to a rant with, "To be fair..." (Okay, maybe that still irritates me, but I don't take it out on them, because I know they can't help it!)
I know it's not worth pressing an issue when my Taurus friends have dug their heels in, thus saving myself a lot of frustration.
I know to appreciate gestures made by my Capricorn friends, but not in an overly-effusive way that would embarrass them.
I know to be overly-effusive with my Leo friends in telling them how fantastically brilliant they are. (Not that they don't already know.)
I try not to take advantage of the patience and empathy of my Pisces friends because I know they would never tell me when I am.
And most importantly, I strive to be forgiving of my fellow Aries when they mistakenly try to turn a conversation to them when we were clearly not done talking about me yet. (So, so difficult, but I do strive!) ;D
Whether or not you believe, that's fine. If you think I'm a flaky granola hippie because I believe, that's okay, too. I find it fascinating. YMMV.
Okay, I guess I ought to work on something else now. Feel free to tell me what a special snowflake I am!!
Aries: The Ram
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. It represents birth, as Pisces represents death and consciousness of the soul. The ram is conscious only of himself. He's the infant of the zodiac-the newborn baby-completely absorbed with his own toes and fingers. His needs come first. An infant doesn't care whether or not his parents or the neighbors are sleeping. When he's hungry or wet, he yowls in discomfort, and don't be pokey about it. When the Aries person has an idea or something he wants to get off his mind, he'll call you at four in the morning without a qualm. Why shouldn't you be awake to listen to him? He's awake. That's all that counts. He wants something. He gets it. Like an infant, Aries is concerned with the world only as it relates to himself. But who could call a small baby truly selfish? He's perfectly willing to lavish his smiles and favors on those who satisfy his demands. It's hard to resist a baby, because he's so totally unaware that he's causing anyone the slightest inconvenience. So it is with the ram. His innocence hangs over him and mellows his aggressiveness, like the innocence of the newborn softens his egocentricity.
***
The Mars-ruled person will look you straight in the eye, with unabashed honesty and rather touching faith. You're his friend, aren't you? You like him, don't you? No? Then the tears will start, but inside. He'll never show it on the surface, if he can help it. If you see him openly weeping, you can be certain that he's been cut to the very soul in some way. Aries would rather be caught dead than be caught weak-and some of them risk the former to avoid the latter.
***
A realist, yet a decided idealist, Aries often defies emotional description. No one can show such tough, forceful behavior. Yet, few others are capable of such sentimentality, wistful innocence and belief in miracles. Mars people are literally incapable of accepting defeat. They won't recognize it-even when it stares them in the face. They're incurable optimists about the end result of anything from love to a baseball game. Being very clever in-fighters, the rams battle best with their heads, meaning their minds. They enjoy opposition because of the challenge it presents, and they'll go out of their way to meet an obstacle and conquer it long before it comes to them-and often when it might have been headed in the opposite direction.
***
Aires has an innocent wistful facet to his nature, and a kind of eternal, joyous, naïve faith, blended with the blind zeal of a born crusader. Like the diamond, his mars horns are hard and dough to crack.
***
Once involved in helping you through a rough time, Aries will walk the extra mile without hesitation. But show your gratitude, please. He'll be deeply hurt, if not downright angry, when you don't appreciate his strenuous actions, which went far beyond the call of duty, and also probably far beyond what you needed or wanted. He enjoys doing favors; the larger the charitable gesture the better; but the ram wants his credit when it's coming to him. If thanks are withheld, however, it probably won't keep him from helping again. His amazing faith in himself is matched only by his naïve trust in others, which is why he's almost constantly disillusioned, and complaining that someone has let him down. Of course, he won't stay down for long. He'll pick himself up, dust him off, and soon be ready, willing and able to blast away again, after a typical binge of violent but brief depression.
***
The ram knows that bread cast on the waters not only feeds his go and returns again increased, but it makes people happy, one of the things he enjoys most in life. To Aries, miracles are a dime a dozen. If you run out, he'll make you some more, wrapped in brave, scarlet dreams.
The Aries Woman
So you're in love with an Aries girl. I don't know whether to congratulate you or sympathize with you.
When Byron wrote that "Man's love is of man's life a thing apart; 'tis woman's while existence," he forgot about the Aries woman. She may think love is her whole existence, but she's to vitally absorbed in the world around her, not ot mention in herself, for it to be the beginning and end of her life. She can get along without a man easier than any other female you'll ever meet.
***
The Aries girl is rather a pushover for flattery, if it has an honest base. Let her know you admire her, but don't be too flowery or sugary about it. Her loyalty in love is gigantic, as long as you keep the sentiment alive, for she is deeply sentimental. There's the typical Arien contradiction in her: she doesn't want to be obviously chased, yet she quickly loses interest if you're too detached. She doesn't want a completely domineering male, but neither will she warm up to a man who sits adoringly at her feet.
***
To injure her pride or dampen her enthusiasm will almost break her heart. Others will constantly be doing just that to her. The world resents a female who talks back to it and who thinks she's smarter than everyone else. When she discovers she really doesn't run the universe after all, she'll come running into your arms in tears, her world all dark and dismal. Then you'll have a chance to see her as she really is, defenseless and vulnerable in the extreme, for all her outer confidence. She's not really Tug-boat Annie. She'd just like to be. She admires strength and tries to imitate it. The Aries idealism and optimistic faith in human nature is often dashed to bits by reality. Comfort her with tenderness at these times, and you'll probably never lose her. Always defend her against her enemies. She can never forgive you if you fail to fight for her or take her side. (But be prepared to make up with them when she does, which may be quickly.) At least she's fair about it. She'll also defend you. An Aries woman will throw away fame or fortune defiantly right in the face of anyone who hurts a friend of hers. If she loves you, her indignation will have no bounds. These women are nothing if not loyal.
The Aries Child
Aries boys and girls may fall into the early habit of neglecting homework, an dusing your more obedient little Capricorn, Cancer, Virgo or Pisces child as an example will hardly impress him. (I'm assuming you don't have more than one Aries offspring. The planets don't do that to parents very often.) Instead of shaming the Mars youngster into studying, challenge him. He'll lap up a challen ge like that favorite stray alley cat of his laps up cream. Just thell hium (or her) that he's probably just slow, or not as birght as the toher students, inferiour in some way, but you don't mind. You love him anyway. My! How the dust will fly off htose schoolbooks, as he sots out to brove what a ridiculous theory that is. Someone who can top him? That will be the day-or night.
* To which my mom said, "Huh. It never occurred to me to tell you that." I laughed.
The Aries Love Mystery
To the Aries soul, Love is a necessity of life, which is taken for granted; for in its infancy of awareness, Love is synonymous with existence itself. Therefore, devotion is instinctively expected and joyously accepted, but with little comprehension of how to return it. Aries demands Love, for like the infant, without Love, Aries dies. When emotional abandonment (symbolically) can mean death, even the hint of it can bring on unreasonable panic, and inexplicable terror, calmed only by repeated reassurances. Aries continually needs to be reminded that "if winter comes"….. the miracle of spring cannot be far behind.
So, much of that is applicable to me. I am terribly egocentric by nature. It's something I try to be conscious of, but it doesn't always work. I do try, but sometimes I need a gentle nudge. It's an absentminded sort of thing, rather than malicious or uncaring.
I respond well to directness and am easily manipulated by flattery (so long as it's genuine!).
This is what I mean when I say I value astrology as a descriptive thing. In understanding the basic things of your friends/loved ones signs, I think a lot of hurt feelings and misunderstandings can be avoided. For example:
My feelings aren't hurt if my Aquarian friends forget we had plans or flake out and don't respond to an e-mail.
I don't get irritated when my Libra friends take awhile to make up their minds about something or respond to a rant with, "To be fair..." (Okay, maybe that still irritates me, but I don't take it out on them, because I know they can't help it!)
I know it's not worth pressing an issue when my Taurus friends have dug their heels in, thus saving myself a lot of frustration.
I know to appreciate gestures made by my Capricorn friends, but not in an overly-effusive way that would embarrass them.
I know to be overly-effusive with my Leo friends in telling them how fantastically brilliant they are. (Not that they don't already know.)
I try not to take advantage of the patience and empathy of my Pisces friends because I know they would never tell me when I am.
And most importantly, I strive to be forgiving of my fellow Aries when they mistakenly try to turn a conversation to them when we were clearly not done talking about me yet. (So, so difficult, but I do strive!) ;D
Whether or not you believe, that's fine. If you think I'm a flaky granola hippie because I believe, that's okay, too. I find it fascinating. YMMV.
Okay, I guess I ought to work on something else now. Feel free to tell me what a special snowflake I am!!