Aries

When you know your dominant personality through astrology, you can better help others understand why you are the way you are.  For anyone born with their Sun in Aries, this means you are here to be a risk taker.  You are here to follow your instincts and live a life full of adventure.  Courage is the virtue you are cultivating, and patience is something you have to work on.  You can be impulsive, aggressive, competitive, and blunt but you can also be 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 pioneer and about as independent as they come.  You get bored easily and need a challenge – something physical that can make 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 describe the 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. Aries need to do something that makes them feel alive - and this often 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 domestic duties. This would only deaden their spirit and erode their sense of self. The reason it's so vital to understand the nature of Aries is because they need to live life as a risk taker. They need to be free and unencumbered to accomplish goals that take courage to pursue.

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, 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, assertive approach to fulfilling their own needs.  Once they feel they have fulfilled their life’s mission, they will then 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 therefore, need to have the 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 an 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.