Aries - Sun Sign - Dates: 19th April to 13th May
Definition: [Sun Signs - Solar Zodiac] [See also: Age of Aries] Aries, the sign of the Ram, is the 2nd sign of the Real Solar Zodiac.
Aries Astrology: Below can be found the fundamentals of the astrology of Aries. The quotations are from the Magnum Opus of astrology, Tetrabiblos, composed by Claudius Ptolemy [c 130 - 170 AD] - the father of Classical astrology.
| The Power of the Fixed Stars: | "The stars in the head of Aries, then, have an effect like the power of Mars and Saturn, mingled; those in the mouth like Mercury's power and moderately like Saturn's; those in the hind foot like that of Mars, and those in the tail like that of Venus. " |
| Character of the Sign: | "Equinoctial" [now Solid (Fixed) - see below] |
| Planet and House: | "Mars; Masculine Aspect." [now Mercury; Masculine Aspect - see below] |
| Triangles: | "First Triangle - Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius: Masculine. Ruled by the Sun in day and Jupiter at night." |
| Exaltations and Depressions: | "Sun exalts in Aries. Saturn is depressed in Aries." |
| The Egyptian Terms: | "Jupiter = 6; Venus = 6; Merkur = 8; Mars = 5; Saturn = 5" |
| The Chaldean Terms: | "Jupiter = 6; Venus = 8; Merkur = 7; Mars = 5; Saturn = 4" |
| Countries: | "Britain, Gaul, Germania, Bastarnia; in the centre, Coelê Syria, Palestine, Idumaea, Judaea." |
| Effect upon the Weather: | "Now the sign of Aries as a whole, because it marks the equinox, is characterized by thunder or hail, but, taken part by part, through the variation in degree that is due to the special quality of the fixed stars, its leading portion is rainy and windy, its middle temperate, and the following part hot and pestilential. Its northern parts are hot and destructive, its southern frosty and chilly." [Aries no longer marks the Equinox in the Age of Pisces.] |
Movement of the Ages : Ptolemy's astrology described the heavens in the Age of Aries. However, nearly two thousand years later we are now in the Age of Pisces. Therefore, some of the astrological features noted above are no longer accurate. Aries is no longer a Equinoctial sign, but is now a Solid sign. In modern terminology this makes it a fixed sign. [See Tetrabiblos Book i Chapter 11]
Which planet makes its 'house' in Aries [in modern terms the planetary ruler] is even more complex. In the Age of Taurus, 4000 years ago, Leo was the Summer Solstice sign in the northern hemisphere and hence the Sun made its 'house' in Leo and the rest of the signs followed from this starting point. But by the time of Ptolemy, in the Age of Aries, Cancer was the Solstice sign and should have been assigned the Sun. However Ptolemy assigns Leo the Sun. Even Ptolemy kept out-dated astrology, as we do today. [See Tetrabiblos Book i Chapter 17] In our time at the end of the Age of Pisces, Gemini is the Solstice sign and so should be assigned the Sun. Hence in the Age of Pisces the planet Mercury makes its 'house' in Aries.
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The Powers of the Stars of Aries : |
Aries, the Ram. From Uranometria, Johann Bayer, Augsburg, 1603 AD. |
| Sun Sign | Meaning | Dates | |
| 01: | Pisces | the Fishes | 12 Mar to 18 Apr |
| 02: | Aries | the Ram | 19 Apr to 13 May |
| 03: | Taurus | the Bull | 14 May to 19 Jun |
| 04: | Gemini | the Twins | 20 Jun to 20 Jul |
| 05: | Cancer | the Crab | 21 Jul to 9 Aug |
| 06: | Leo | the Lion | 10 Aug to 15 Sep |
| 07: | Virgo | the Maiden | 16 Sep to 30 Oct |
| 08: | Libra | the Scales | 31 Oct to 22 Nov |
| 09: | Scorpius | the Scorpion | 23 Nov to 29 Nov |
| 10: | Ophiuchus | the Serpent Bearer | 30 Nov to 17 Dec |
| 11 | Sagittarius | the Archer | 18 Dec to 18 Jan |
| 12: | Capricornus | the Sea Goat | 19 Jan to 15 Feb |
| 13: | Aquarius | the Water Carrier | 16 Feb to 11 Mar |
| * | The Non-Zodiac Constellations | ||
© Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian
Historical Astrology
See the new Astrological Index for the meaning of other astrological words and phrases