.
Cardinal (Initiating, asserting, inventing) Fire (intuitive, passionate, direct)
I (Self-directed, self-absorbed, youthful) Positive (Extroverted, expressive)
First House (Identity, body, self-image) Mars (Energetic, forceful, physical)
Aries in balance: firm boundaries, independent, earnest, determined, outgoing, warm, executive, guileless, generous, spontaneous, idealistic, encouraging, authentic, present, in sync, good timing, assertive, self-starter, motivating, directive, confident, expressing, passionate, self-directed, leading, quick, alert, sharp, courageous, pioneering, innovative. At the highest level, Aries brings new ideas, visions, and truths to the world. They can "catch the world on fire" and set both small and great events in motion.
Aries in excess: overzealous, crude, lustful, inflicting pain, blaming, rejecting, jealous, dumping feelings on others, inappropriate, self-righteous, overconfident, exaggerating, out of sync, poor timing (always rushing), impulsive, aggressive, indiscreet, overdirective, defiant, dominating, macho, biting, intimidating, angry, self-centered, arrogant, egocentric, intrusive, monopolizing, blurting (over-disclosing), reckless, impatient, irascible, self-absorbed, extremes of self criticism or pride, too quick to jump to conclusions, competitive, cocky, rude, narcisstic. May be blind to own faults, poor judgements, biases, and untenable positions, and stubbornly refuse to face the truth.
Medical Aries: In excess, fevers, cuts, accidents, eyestrain, headaches. Head-centered.
Aries insufficiency: afraid to assert, timid, vacillating, discouraged, listless, tired, gives up easily, passive, indecisive, defensive, indifferent, unable to initiate, repressed, withdrawn, self-neglecting.
Rulerships: Mars rules Aries and the first house. The Sun is exalted in Aries, Saturn is in fall in Aries, and Venus is in Detriment in Aries.
Famous Aries: Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Houdini, Doris Day, William Shatner, Rene Descartes ("I think therefore I am"), Leonardo da Vinci, Aretha Franklin, Billy Holliday, Madelyn Murray O'Hair, Caesar Chavez, Gloria Steinem, Joseph Campbell. Isadora Duncan had Moon in Aries rising at night above her Aries Ascendant.
The Ascendant
The Ascendant is the point where the path of the Sun's orbit (the Ecliptic) crosses the Eastern horizon. It marks the beginning of the First House (remember the houses run counter-clockwise). All of the planets and signs rise here, and the sign at the Ascendant is called the Rising Sign. (The terms Rising Sign and Ascendant are used interchangeably by astrologers).
Everything in your chart expresses itself through the "mask" or filter of the Rising Sign. If you have an extroverted Rising Sign (i.e. an air or fire sign rising), you initially appear and connect to others as an extrovert, even if you are basically introverted. (And vice versa.)
Air signs rising (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) can appear either intellectual or artistic to others. They have a certain detachment and are interested in observing life.
Fire signs rising (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius) are more outgoing, self-expressive, and when healthy appear to enjoy themselves and think of life as a playground or place to explore.
Water signs rising (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) can be more receptive, and appear either secretive or sympathetic. They are strongly plugged into life (at a feeling level) and need to retreat at times.
Earth signs rising (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn) seem embodied, serious, and often professional. They approach life conservatively, or as a place to master, and build upon.
Cardinal rising signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) are active and initiate contacts with life and others.
Fixed rising signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) have a solidness and strong will and sometimes wait for things to come to them.
Mutable rising signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) can seem restless, distractable, and changeable, appear younger than they are, and are very curious.
Remember that any planet at an angle (top, bottom, rising, setting) or in the first house will modify the expression of the Ascendant.
Mars
Astronomy: Fourth planet from the Sun, the red planet, ½ the size of Earth, 24½ hour day, four seasons, 2 year period (through the signs of the Zodiac) as seen from Earth.
Correspondences: Lodestone, ruby, bloodstone, coral, flint, cinnabar; arsenic, sulphur, iron, steel; weapons, knives, spears; coffee, ginger, chili, peppermint, radish; red, scarlet, carmine; eagle, spiders, beasts of prey, insects; Tuesday; sharp angles and points; acids and pungent odors; the Army, surgeons, butchers, tanners, carpenters, athletes, dentists, mechanics, fireman; the head, blood, muscles, gonads, eliminative organs, adrenals, sympathetic nervous system; fever, headaches, eyestrain, accidents, bruising, cuts, burns, eruptions; 42 to 56 years of life.
Principles: Action, force, power, survival, heat, energy, arousal, drive, strength, self-assertion, passion, sex, territoriality, intensity, physicality, separateness, mastery of the Earth plane.
Actions: Thrusting, marching, hunting, fighting, confronting, taking, commanding, erecting, cutting, competing, attacking, beating, defending, encountering, conquering, raping, destroying, exploding, eliminating, clearing.
The Gifts of Mars: Setting appropriate boundaries and limits, feeling the life force flowing through your body, attaining proficiency at sports, expressing God through the body (e.g. dancing, Tantric sex, Aikido, and Tai Chi), radiant health, free expression and release of inner feelings, protecting and defending one's loved ones, brilliantly advancing and pioneering new horizons, dealing with issues directly,
The lessons Mars has to learn: Patience, compassion, forgiveness, receptivity, cooperation, facing oneself honestly, learning from one's mistakes, walking in another's shoes, persevering when things bog down, looking before leaping, and listening.
The First House
Eastern Hemisphere: self-determining Ruler: Mars
Scope: First 3rd: personal territory & needs Mode: Angular: initiating, leader
Lower Hemisphere: subjective, personal Axis: self (1st) vs other (7th)
The First House is usually what you see when you first meet someone. It indicates how someone appears to others, their self-image and self treatment, the conditions at birth, overall vitality and relationship to their body, and ways of expressing themselves.
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