einstein, knievel, gates ang, leo, ron
The Signs and Accomplished People, 12 Part Series, Aries.
In the course of teaching 2 hour long classes on each sign of the zodiac, I learned a lot more about each sign and collected charts of very well know people who were good examples of each sign to share with my students. I present this, the signs and those that we know who exhibit them, as evidence for the validity of the tropical signs.
Aries. This is the first sign of spring, fresh and youthful. It’s fire and cardinal; enthusiastic, able to fire people up, spiritual, and active. It’s association with the east, shows it to be lively and its association with the key phrase “I am”, shows it to be identity oriented and the “me” sign. It’s rulerhip of the head associates it with intelligence and its connection with the ram, shows it forging ahead in leadership. I tell my students, it’s like a little red sports car dashing down the road. The head and ram symbolism show Aries to represent executives and those at the top or in front. Mars, the god of war, the armed swashbuckler, rules Aries and brings in images of soldiers at war and all that this brings to mind: courage, action, destruction. The golden Fleece is an Aries story and Jason and his Argonauts were heroes.
If we tried to get to the bottom line with Aries, we might choose energy and action. The gifts of Aries are youth, energy, entusiasm, and joy. The opposite sign is Libra and naturally the sign is about others and relating to them. Aries can be so focused on his identity, agenda, and action that he forgets others.
Here are some favorite notions by other astrologers about Aries.
Kustesky, in his “Hermetician’s Guide” says that aries is little influenced by precedent or environment becaue it is 1st degree emmination. He describes Aries as being despotic, quarrelsome, pugnacious, and having a firey will and duantless, pioneer spirit. Aries needs competition.
Allen Oken, in his Complete Astrology says Aries stimulates and refreshes all that he comes into contact with. And he says Aries has a sense of urgent immediency and needs Taurus friends to calm him down. In career he needs freedom to express and lead. He says Aries has too much passion and too little compassion. Finally he notes that planets in fire signs stimulate and project the things of the planets in them.
Isabel Hickey notes in her “Astrology, a Cosmic Science” that Aries needs to learn coordination, conservation of energy, and completion. She says the house of Aries is where you operate as a spirit.
Evangeline Adams in “Astrology”says that Aries’s mind is on the expediency of the moment.
Allen Leo in his “Astrology For All” says that Aries needs daily exercise, peace and quiet, and rest.
Leslie says the baby boomers have Neptune in Libra and Uranus and Pluto spent some time in Libra in the late 60’s through early 80’s. This shows activation of the Aries/Libra axis and explains quite a bit of the drug use and the idealism of the era.
Zippora Dobbins in her “Expanding Astrology’s Universe” says Aries wants to be free to do what he pleases right now.
Famous People.
Einstein has Mercury, Saturn, and Venus in Aries in the wholesign 10th. When we think of intelligence, he comes to mind immediately. Here is a literal translation of Saturn conjunct Mercury in Aries in the 10th house. Fame (10th) for the ultimate (Saturn) theory (Mercury) of energy (Aries). That’s E = MC2. Incidentally, St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica cites and agrees with the astrologer, Ptolemy that, “When Mercury is in one of Saturn’s regions at the time of a man’s birth, and he is waxing, he bestows on him a quick intelligence of the inner nature of things.” Special note: in a no orb for aspects situation he would have Uranus, planet of brilliance, in the 3rd opposing the Sun and squaring the Moon.
Evel Knievel. A retrograde Saturn in Aries in the 3rd is his first house ruler, that is, him. He’s Aquarius rising. Aries is daring and the 3rd is travel.
Bill Gates. Here’s another smart guy with the Moon in Aries conjunct the MC. Since he’s Cancer rising, the Moon is him. So he’s smart, elevated, and a leader. His late Cancer Ascendant conjuncts Uranus in early Leo. This shows him coming into contact with Uranian things, computers. This is important and was unusual at the time. Malcolm Gladwell explains in “Outliers” that it was hard to get computer time at that time and Gates had a connection that allowed him enough time on computers to get good at it. Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours of practice to get good at something. P.S. Gates has Pluto and Jupiter in the 2nd house. This translates to extreme wealth.
Angelina Jolie. Angelina has Mars, the Moon, Jupiter, and the MC in the wholesign 10th. Since she is Cancer rising, she is the Moon. She’s elevated and Aries like. The conjunction of the Moon and Mars makes her especially Mars like. She’s played masculine action roles and done her own stunts. She’s been obsessed with blood and tattoos. She has a knife collection and used to cut herself in order to feel something. She’s a beauty and has Venus very close to the Ascendant. She’s been divorced 4 times and has Venus about 11 degrees from Saturn. This reads as unhappy in love. Incidentaly, Brad Pitt has Mars, Mecury, Moon, and Venus in Capricorn squaring her Aries planets and Jupiter in Aries conjunction her Aries planets. This is a strong conneciton of planets in active signs.
Ron Howard. Howard has a natural chart with Aries rising. He has a bubbly personality and he is bald, both Aries qualities. He has Mars in Sagittarius in the 9th. This is two counts for the Church being angry at him, The Divinci Code and Angels and Demons.
Finally, Leonardo DiVinci has Mercury in Aries in the creative wholesign 5th. His Mercury opposes Saturn which is similar to Einstein’s conjunction of the two.