Aries

If you were born with the Sun in Aries, you are here to be a risk-taker. Courage is the main virtue you are cultivating, and patience is something you have to work on.  You may be impulsive, aggressive, competitive, and blunt but you are also brave, passionate, and bold enough to put your life on the line for something you believe in. Quick to act, you can always be counted upon in an emergency.

You are here to travel the road less traveled, and in some cases, make your own.  You are a bold-spirited pioneer with a fiercly independent nature.  You get bored easily and need a challenge - especially a physically demanding challenge that makes you feel alive.  Aries is a fire sign ruled by the planet Mars, so it’s no surprise you embody the warrior energy more than any other sign. Like any great warrior, you need something to fight for, something to defend, and something to dedicate your life to. 

Here are two tales to grasp the primordial needs of Aries:

A young male Aries is excited to embark on a career in the military where he can serve his country and challenge himself physically as a marine.  His mother, a sensitive caring Cancer sign, discourages her son from taking this next step on his path because she fears she could lose him forever, and that pain would be unbearable.  The son respects his mother and loves her, so he decides not to go.  He resigns himself to a 9-5 job close to home where he can visit his mother often... and he hates it.

Years later that same young man has another opportunity for adventure - this time to go to Alaska and work on the Alaska pipeline with a few of his best friends.  There is excitement welling up inside as he thinks about it, and everything in his body screams, Yes!  But once again, his now elderly mother fears for his life and vehemently discourages his decision to go. So yet again, his dream is shot down as he respects his mother’s request over his own soul’s yearning.  Sadly, this man never lives his life for himself and becomes old and bitter.

Here is another story of a young female Aries who grew up as a tomboy and always had the dream of becoming a professional basketball player.  Her father, another fire sign like her - a Sagittarius - encourages her competitive nature and supports her desire to play pro basketball instead of settling down, getting married, and having children.  So, the girl follows her dream, uninhibited by parental resistance, and experiences a fulfilling, rewarding career as a professional basketball player.

In both stories, the young Aries people are subjected to two very different types of parents – a Cancer sign – which is the least likely to understand an Aries’ drive for adventure and independence – and a Sagittarius sign which is the most accepting of Aries’ drive to step out into the unknown and lead an exhilarating life.  

In both examples, there is a deep inner yearning to chase a dream and follow one's ambitions. If your Sun is in Aries, you need to honor the call for adventure and go wherever it leads you - even if it involves taking physical risks and going against the mainstream of "how to live a successful life." Aries needs a challenge; not a comfortable, quiet life filled with hum-dum routines and domestic duties. This would only deaden its spirit and erode its sense of self.

Here are some keywords to describe Aries’ nature:

Feisty

Brave

Self-confident

Independent

Assertive

Action-oriented

Competitive

Aggressive

Warrior-mentality 

Acting on instincts

Leadership qualities

Survival focus 

Things to guard against if you have strong Aries placements:

Impulsivity, selfishness, unmanageable anger, brash behavior, being ignorant of the needs of others, having a short temper and a short attention span.

What you need:

Regular physical exercise to release emotional tension.  Permission from yourself to go your own way – even when others may not agree – and a healthy self-regard to recognize your strengths including your courage, your resilience, and your fearless nature.    

In conclusion

Aries are here to take a proactive approach to fulfilling their destinies.  Once they feel they have fulfilled their life’s mission, they will have more time and space for their loved ones.  Beforehand, however, if you try and nail an Aries down to domestic duties or a simple life, they will surely rebel, leave, or become depressed from repressed anger.

Aries signs possess the opposite of co-dependent energy, and thus, need to have freedom to explore themselves before they can serve others.  They need to be permitted to go their own way, make their own mistakes, and challenge themselves physically before settling down into daily life.  The most compatible signs with Aries are other Fire signs and Air signs. The best way to love Aries is to set them free.  Give them the space they need to discover who they are, and they will respect you so much more for it.