Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, is ruled by Mars, the God of War. Whenever an Aries energy swings into life, war, strife, and contention are possibilities called out by astrologers. That is the low level of Aries but, unfortunately, one so very common on this planet that you’d think we were living on Mars, not earth.

The highest level of Aries/Mars is there too but might not make the news – honoring and accepting self as is and refusing to accept treatment that does not honor the self. People throughout history have fought for the rights of self (the individual) from the basic human right of self-determination to the right to secure housing, safe food, clean air, and clean water.

In the tarot deck The Emperor represents dominion over self – positive Aries energy. Those who have a strong sense of self often become leaders of groups of people or countries. Often the energies of leadership are a mixture of fire and fixed – Leo being the pinnacle of this. It matches energy (fire) and possibility (fire) with focus (fixed) and determination (fixed).

Aries as cardinal fire sign also makes a good leader if it can curb the desire to start but not finish efforts and avoid impulsive decisions. Aries tends to leap before it looks.

To “live like a king” in our minds is to live in a way where all needs of the self are met and we have the power to make our own decisions. The real life of kings, historically at least, was a constant vigilance and battle to retain power.

Aries – Libra Polarity

In life I’ve learned that giving folks a blank slate – tell me what you want – is often more challenging to them than providing an option and having them react: do you want this or that? I’ve noticed some have more trouble finding a parking spot when there are many spaces over a busy parking lot with a few spaces: too many choices can cause confusion. You’ll notice this too if you go to an ice cream shop with lots of flavors.

Reaction is easier than action, multiple choice is easier than blank slate. Aries is the open slate, the choices made based on one’s very individual wants and needs. Aries isn’t looking for the instruction manual of life – that’s not very energizing.

The opposite of Aries is Libra, the other. As human selves, we seek the other in family (Cancer), partnerships (Libra) and social interaction (Capricorn).

In these cardinal signs, we are given the parking lot, the templates of human interaction. In Cancer, we have the model for family life, in Libra we have the ideal partner, and in Capricorn, our place in society. Each culture defines these relationships differently.

And then there’s Aries, which says, “hey, it’s still me here,” within all these experiences. Aries is the first to challenge the family, the partnership, or the social hierarchy. Aries can lead us out of negative social experiences. Aries leaves the bad marriage; Aries challenges the family structure; Aries defines new social roles.

People want kings

When we want to subsume ourselves in family, partnership, or social position, we avoid Aries self-determination. It takes some energy to be “Aries” and define our own lives in our own ways. It’s much easier to react. It’s easier to follow a template.

When reading the Christian Bible so long ago, I was struck by the warning against kings. It’s right there! (Of course, every religious work tells us not to kill but we do it anyway, socializing and normalizing it in some way).

Here we are being told that Kings (Capricorn authority) will use us for their own ends.

From the Bible Gateway

1 Samuel 8:10-22

English Standard Version

Samuel’s Warning Against Kings

10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

Neptune in Aries: Outsourcing the Self

Messiahs and Martyrs

Neptune glorifies and glamorizes what it touches. In Aries, it will put a halo around both positive (self-dominion) and negative (warrior) Aries. Messiahs are those who hold our power for us, who show us what it’s like to be fully within ourselves. Martyrs are the power of victimization, representing those that died for a cause, who died asserting their rights of self.

Vigilantism is Aries taking the law into its own hands. For some, this is a criminal, for others a martyr. Vigilantism is already occurring with Neptune in Aries and we’re only a few months into the transit which will last 15 years. When the culture is ready, the lesson appears.

Outsourcing the self

Social structure demands hierarchy and roles to function. There’s a leader at the top that represents the interests of the entire hierarchy. All normal stuff. No one of us can be responsible for the whole. Ideally within this Capricorn structure we have chosen (Aries) our role within it based on our abilities and needs.

Working within a healthy, functioning hierarchy is not the same as giving away one’s power. Abdicating responsibility for self can come from many seeds: lack of personal power in the hierarchy, desire to control others, lack of energy to define one’s path, and disconnection from the self.

“I was just following orders.” “This is how it’s always been.” “It may be wrong, but it’s the law.” “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.” Ninety Five Theses. The Bill of Rights.

All Neptune in Aries.