Spring

In the beginning . . .

Astrology presents a symbolic picture of life as a circular or cyclic process that gradually lifts into a spiral. The point at which the Zodiacal circle begins, and where it lifts into a spiral is 00o Aries, otherwise known as the Spring Equinox. At this point, daylight, which began to increase at the Winter Solstice, 00o Capricorn, reaches equality with the dark time. We can say that light has now overcome the dark, for it increases steadily until the next yearly turning point, at 00o Cancer, the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. After the summer Solstice, daylight begins to diminish, reaching equality at the Autumn Solstice, 00o Libra, continuing to diminish until Winter Solstice. These fall on or near the 21st days of March, June, October, and December.

Equinox (borrowed from Wikipedia)

In astronomy, equinox can have two meanings:

1)The moment when the Sun is positioned directly over the Earth's equator and, by extension, the apparent position of the Sun at that moment.

2)The time at which the vernal point, celestial equator, and other such elements are taken to be used in the definition of a celestial coordinate system—see Equinox (celestial coordinates)

An equinox in astronomy is that moment in time (not a whole day) when the center of the Sun can be observed to be directly above the Earth's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year.

More technically, at an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points—the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may be used to denote an equinoctial point.

Easter

We note that Easer falls early this year. For much of the world, Easter is a religious holiday, intended to celebrate a return to life of one, Jesus ben Joseph, who had been executed by the Roman state, with the Sanhedrin an accessory.

Easter is a moveable holiday with the selection of its yearly date based on the Hebrew luni-solar calender, probably with an intent to link Easter to Passover. The current rule puts it on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox.

The name for this holiday, Easter, has a different source. It is a version of Astarte/Ishtar, a Babylonian creatrix and goddess of fertility. Her major celebration was in the spring. We probably owe bunny-rabbits, colored eggs and Easter lilies to her. Incidently, the historical roots of astrology come from that time-space.

The synthesis has created an opportunity for us all, Christian, Jewish, or Pagan to joyfully celebrate a time of year when the apparently-dead seeds of the past return to life, springing up, reaching for the light and a renewal of hope. Whether we speak of resurrection or of reincarnation, it reminds us that within every ending lies a new beginning, that death is temporary, that life is eternal. Somewhere in the dark of a womb, or the dark of the soil, a quickening occurs, and life reaches for the light again.

Aries

Aries begins with the Spring Equinox which is the astrological new year. It is also a symbolic incarnation point, for Aries signifies spirit quickening physical ova, to begin a process that will lead to birth/Cancer. Notice that this is a stirring in the dark which will not emerge fully until later. It is a promise of joy, of life to come, of emergence into the light.

Aries signifies the sprouting of a seed underground, that will lead to the greening of Earth in Summer. By extension, it can be the first stirring of thought, that leads to creation. It is the sign of inception, and of the entrepreneur. Aries is not about finishing things, it is about beginning them. It is the first outreach of desire, the desire to be, to have or do, to become.

Aries is Survivor first and survival is often an issue with its natives. This is especially true when Aries rises in a chart, for Survivor becomes the name or identification by which we recognize ourselves and are recognized by others. The great challenge for the Survivor is to realize that, by divine mandate, we are absolute survivors-- that nothing and no one can take our lives without our permission. All too often, Aries challenges life to do its worst, from some sense that we must prove our indestructibility. Only when we realize that our survival is a fact, that it needs no proof, are we free to become pioneers.

The Aries Pioneer goes where angels fear to tread. Here the survival issue is channeled into survival of humanity, from the knowledge that life, by definition, must move, grow, change, become. It is about forward motion and Aries moves out, at the head of the group, leading the way into tomorrow. This sign is very much first and in this phase the Aries ram has evolved to become the Shepherd, the one who leads the sheep. Aries may not always seem to have common sense, but they prove the value of uncommon sense! They take humanity across its fears, to places where it otherwise would not go.

In its most evolved form, Aries becomes the Seed Being. These seed new ideas into the general consciousness, breathing new life into old belief systems, finding new applications for ancient principles, literally lighting the way into the future. They show us new perspectives, teach us to recognize previously unknown talents and abilities, to claim our heritage as first cause.

As the first sign, Aries is somewhat primitive. S/he is also the innocent of the Zodiac. S/he does not know the meaning of “no” or “cannot”. Aries is the person you see hurrying down life’s path, through all the mud puddles, over all the rocks–falling down, skinning knees, jumping up and hurrying on, never noticing the blood running down his legs. And because she is so fearless–or some would say heedless–Aries gets where others never do. It simply never occurs to us that we cannot get where we decide to go!

We do, sometimes, butt our head against the wall, making us see stars! But when we see stars, our urge is to move toward them! So when life, or our own single-mindedness knock us down, we get up, shake our heads, and keep on going! It often looks foolish to the world, but it comes from a deep wisdom. Two things, we know better than other signs:

Life is eternal so death can only be temporary.

Sheep cannot be driven, only lead. Even so, humanity will not move into the unknown without someone to lead. We move forward, even against conventional wisdom, to show the way, out of the past, into the future.

This Aries loves spring, loves daffodils and dandelions as manifestations of golden light and the promise of more beauty to come. . . Yes, I know, dandelions are weeds–but then I believe that everything is good for something!

(Actually, I learned to really love them when I lived “two miles high” in Leadville, Colorado, where little else blooms!)