Astrology of
Wellness
Aries: Leader
of
The Spring Trilogy
by Ted PanDeva Zagar
Note: The author uses Sol and Luna instead
of generic terms like "sun" and "moon" when referring to the
two most important spheres in our solar system. Folk remedies, herbs, foods,
micronutrients, and other substances and therapies are included as information
and not as replacements for the diagnoses, advice, and treatments provided by
competent wellness professionals.
The book of life teems with the rhymes and
rhythms of nature. Each passing year is a chapter detailing a new circle of
growth which, not unlike the rings within trees, marks our personal feasts and
famines, our times of joy and sorrow. Life is also a drama, played out annually
in four acts which we call the seasons. Each season summons a trio of actors to
the stage, and spring's thespians are Aries, Taurus, and Gemini.
Because the seasons are reversed in the
southern hemisphere, it is there that the signs of the Ram, the Bull, and the
Twins become the astrological months of fall. However, the cosmic science is
valid the world over, as opposing signs share very similar traits. For example,
Cancer (June 21-July 22) governs the mother, while Capricorn (December
22-January 19) is associated with the father. During both months, we tend to
find ourselves more immersed in our roles as children, grandchildren, parents,
or grandparents. Likewise, the opposing signs of Taurus (April 20-May 20) and
Scorpio (October 23-November 21) rule matters of an economic nature. Therefore,
the opening weeks of May and November find us focused upon ways and means to
generate and sustain our personal and collective material resource bases,
regardless of where on Earth we dwell.
ARIES
Aries (March 21-April 19) and opposing Libra
(September 23-October 22) start their respective reigns on an
"equinox" (Latin for "equal night," that is, the night is
equal to the 12 hours of daylight). Mars, the sphere just beyond Earth which is
associated with Aries, appears reddish owing to its iron-rich surface. Unlike
many other elements of which our physical bodies are composed, iron is
concentrated in a constantly moving medium, hemoglobin, the pigment found in red
blood cells. Friction and heat result when two surfaces move across each other,
and the dynamic flow of blood coursing through our complex network of arteries
and veins generates the warmth associated with the first sign of the zodiac.
The dynamic, often explosive nature of
Aries/Mars relates to acts of initiation. The zodiac's first sign celebrates a
month-long period of both beginnings and renewals. Cultures past and present
often call out to their deities of rebirth during the reign of the Ram: witness
the Christian tradition of marking Easter -- the resurrection of Jesus -- on the
first Sunday following the first Full Moon of the new zodiacal year. Fertility
symbols, like eggs and rabbits, make their annual appearance at this special
time of year.
With winter's cold, lengthy nights past,
spring brings forth a promise to renew both vegetable and animal forms of life
with each lengthening day. As if by cosmic command, the reborn light and warmth
direct the sap to flow, the buds to appear, and the blades of grass to emerge
from the dark, moist soil to hide and nourish the furry babes of spring. Earth
and all that dwell therein, it seems, are blessed with another round of being.
Earth welcomes Aries with a volley of
earthquakes and volcanoes. The best among humankind feverishly launch a spring
cleaning of home and heart, while the worst in our midst misdirect the fire of
Mars into acts of warfare and violence. Aries and the "cusp" days
leading in and out of spring's first sign have served the assassins of a number
of notables from Julius Caesar to Abraham Lincoln to the Reverend Martin Luther
King, Jr.
That such murderous hotheads would prevail
during Aries is appropriate for the astrological sign governing the top of the
body (head and brain). Each succeeding month refocuses this vital influence
further down, until Pisces (February 19-March 20) renders our feet more
sensitive than normally is the case. Aries also rules the muscles, adrenal
glands, and, of course, the iron-rich red blood cells. This month is a good time
to become acquainted with the virtues of feverfew herb tea (migraines),
essential oil of tea tree (applied topically to cuts and burns), and the best
food sources of iron such as chlorella, dulse, and lentils.
*****
Spring is act one in the grand drama that
celebrates the annual passage of Sol through the 12 signs of the zodiac. It is
that season of the year when we learn the merits of initiation (Aries),
consolidation (Taurus), and diversification (Gemini). May you find wellness of
body, mind, and spirit this spring season!
To read the other signs
covered in this series, click here.
Copyright
©1999 by Ted PanDeva Zagar, Wellness Astrologer
NOTE: This article (the first in a series)
was published in the spring issue of ASTROLORE, an astrological magazine
published quarterly in Britain. |
