Medical Astrology 101- Aries
I am going to be doing a fairly in depth look at each Sun sign. I will go over their common health concerns, vitality, holistic ways to manage each signs health, and so much more. This is in part because I really want you to understand your Sun Sign better and your overall health as well as introduce you to my new E-book that just released. I hope you enjoy it!
The Sun is your vital force or life battery if you will. Depending on which sign it is located in will determine your overall health and wellness, how well your immune system works, and how long your life will be.
The Sun prefers to be in certain signs over others and as such those signs will have more abundant vital force in some ways over the ones who the Sun really does not prefer to be there. Now this does not mean that you can't overcome that or help your vital force grow and change, but you may just have to work at it a little harder than another.
Today, we are starting with Aries. (This Cardinal Fire sign is the first sign of the Zodiac and absolutely shines there. Aries is a strongly masculine energy sign, meaning its very much about going and doing and being active in how it presents itself to the world. It is hard to find an Aries that likes to just sit down and be doing nothing. This is one of the most dynamic signs in the zodiac. )
Aries is the sign of the ram and is represented by a glyph that looks like a V that curves out at the tips.
In astrology, we have 3 different modes that represent what part of the seasons each sign is positioned in. These are cardinal, fixed, and mutable.
Cardinal are the signs at the beginning of each season. They are catalysts and jump start each season. These signs tend to be very dynamic in nature and change makers in life. Fixed signs are in the middle of the season. These signs are just that, fixed into place. by the middle of a season, things have kinda calmed down some, weather is more stable, all the flowers and fauna are at their peak and things are usually more calm. Mutable signs bring the season to a close and get ready to start the next one. As such these signs are very changeable. Think about spring moving into summer. You get those quick summery type storms one day, bright sunny days the next, windy another day, and those burning hot days. The weather seems to change even up to every 10 minutes as a season ends and a new one begins. As such these signs are very quick and active, change their minds often, pursue new things constantly, and dislike doing the same things over and over again.
Aries is a cardinal sign.
Not only is it the sign of the beginning of the spring, but it is the first sign of the Zodiac. This is apropos because Aries tends to be a leader and will be most likely to charge head first into a situation and take control of it quickly.
Many people ask why we start the Zodiac in march and not January. For the majority of the time that humans have been keeping track of the years, the years always started in March, when spring began and Nature started awakening again. This marked the beginning of the new year with all the new life and growth and the uptake in energy that humans also started getting. Starting the year in the middle of the winter just did not make sense to anyone and tbh, it still doesn't to me. In our house we celebrate the new year in march with the holiday Ostara.
The next thing that we look at for each sign is the element that is associated with it.
In Aries case, that's the element of fire. Anyone reading who is an Aries or knows one close to them, knows how fiery that Aries natives can be in their personalities sometimes.
They are quick to a temper many times, but just as quickly burn out and head back to a better mood. Fire signs are considered a more masculine energy. And if dividing the energies into male and female is something that doesn't resonate with you, then think instead of the typical masculine energy as the "Active/doing" energy. This is the energy that gives you the desire and ability to get shit done. The typical feminine energy, think of a "passive/being" energy. This is the energy that pushes you to receive others energies, rest, just be. Its a very receptive energy. It allows others energy in and discerns how to respond to that energy. Having a good balance of each of these energies in your life is important to having a well balanced happy life. Too much going/doing/being active can lead to burnout. Too much rest/receiving others energies, can lead to feeling overwhelmed and like you have lost yourself.
Aries, being not only a fire sign, but a cardinal fire sign, means that resting and just being can be more difficult for natives of this sign. One of the things that Aries needs to learn this time around the Sun is to take time to rest, receive, just be, and relax. You do not always need to be going going going. Things will still be there if you take some time off to yourself. I promise. Life will not leave you behind if you take a break.
Aries is ruled by Mars.
Mars is considered the warrior planet and is named after the god of war in the Roman pantheon. Aries is the Greek god of war and is the warrior of the planet Mars. These two make a good, albeit, hot and fiery pair. In Medical Astrology, Mars is actually considered to be a hotter planet that the Sun. This planet is therefore known for causing inflammation, caused by that heat, in the body. Aries, therefore does so as well, albeit at a lesser degree, especially depending on its placement in your chart.
Aries rules the head, the adrenal glands, the upper jaw/teeth, the febrile mechanism and co-rules the iron in the blood with Mars.
Aries rules the first house on the wheel of the zodiac. In Astrology there are 12 houses on the Natal Chart. Each house is governed by a sign in the zodiac, starting at house 1 with Aries and going counterclockwise in order to house 12. The first 6 houses are below the horizon on the chart and are considered the "personal houses". They govern the themes of daily life, community, and family. These are the more internal or subconscious side of yourself. The last 6 are above the horizon and are the "Interpersonal houses". these rule relationships, travel, and friendships. These are the conscious houses of the self.
In Medical Astrology, the first house is responsible for your overall health and vitality.
Depending on which sign is in the first house on your Natal chart you may be more prone to illness or someone who doesn't get sick often, or somewhere in between. It is the general ruler of your life battery. This house is one of the most important ones in a medical astrology reading.
Natives of any of the zodiac signs can exhibit traits and behaviors that are either more desirable or less desirable based on how well they have integrated the sign into their chart. I refer to these as the high expression and the low expression of the sign. Many people with a less evolved integration will spend more time in the low expression, leading to many issues in their health as well as their relationships.
Aries in its high expression:
willful, direct, energetic, strong, pioneering, adventuresome, courageous,
enthusiastic, ambitious. Aries is very uniquely designed to lead the way and chart new pathways in life. Aries is always seeking something new to explore. These are the visionaries of the Zodiac, always expanding and seeking new experiences and opportunities. Very good at charting new territory and inovating new technologies, products, systems etc.
Aries in its low expression:
anger, frustration, competitive, insensitivity, impatient, cruel, arrogance,
tendency to dominate, stress, tension, selfishness. Difficulty starting or finishing projects or tasks on their to do list. If an Aries does not consciously choose their challenges in life, they will lean toward conflict in their life instead. Aries wants a challenge and if they do not work at giving themselves appropriate challenges they will find themselves dissolving into conflict with others. Aries contains a HIGH amount of vital force and as such must push that into evolutionary change and growth as a person instead of unnecessary confrontations. In this expression, these are the people you find in online spaces that go looking for fights and comment things that people would not normally choose to say to anothers face. It can also lead to someone who constantly picks fights with their loved ones and attempts to hold others to the nearly impossible standards they hold for themselves. Aries need a channel and resource for channeling that amazing amount of fire energy they contain.
Common Health concerns:
You can see Aries warrior nature in the Sun placement in the fact that most Aries individuals have a very strong immune system response in the event of any invader being present in the body.
Aries present with a quick onset HIGH fever that burns bright and HOT HOT HOT for several hours and then disappears almost as soon as it appeared. They tend to not hold onto sickness for very long at all and have a hard time convelescing, so you will rarely see a sick Aries laying around. You are likely to find them still working and going and doing while having that 104+ fever. This can in turn extend that illness for some of them. One of the things Aries really needs to learn to do is to lean into their feminine energy and just be. Be still. Learn to receive instead of always pushing and going.
The silver lining to this tendency of a quick swift immune system is the fact that Aries is one of the most long-lived signs, if an accident of stupidity doesn't end their lives first. Aries is the adrenaline junkie of the zodiac. These are the people that you always see skydiving, bungee jumping, riding motorcycles at high speeds, BASE jumping, etc. Due to this they suffer many injuries and can, in some instances, end their life early. Aries need to learn to balance their need for adrenaline rushes with caution and proper planning instead of rushing right into it without thinking as they are prone to do.
other common health issues this sign is prone towards is headaches. These are usually quick to appear and come on hot and heavy and can cause some pretty intense pain for many people. They also tend toward adrenal fatigue. Again this is because Aries is a sign that doesn't like to rest and tends toward burnout in many areas of their life. a tendency toward sleep disturbances is common as well. Aries can lend toward hot digestion as well, meaning that there is poor absorption and a fast transit time. Like everything else with Aries even their digestive system wants to keep moving and not taking its time to slow down and properly do its job.
Herbs under Aries governance:
The herbal actions that we look for when assessing which herbs are governed by Aries are stimulant, diffusive, adaptogenic, inflammation modulating, diaphoretic. The nervine action is an opposing quality and often indicated for Aries.
Some of these include: Nettle, Ashwaganda, Cayenne, Elder
• Antipathetic: Skullcap, Milky Oats, Passionflower, Licorice, Oregon Grape, Lavender.
(Note: many of the anti-pathetic herbs for Aries are ruled by the Moon, which brings in the cooling, relaxing quality they often need)
Holistic ways to prevent health issues:
If you are an Aries Sun, Here are some holistic means you can start incorporating into your life, starting today, to help prevent any of those health concerns that Aries is prone to.
~ Daily movement. Aries, with its fast moving nature, needs plenty of movement daily. Without it, dis-ease and disharmony in the body sets in quickly.
~Strong tendency toward dehydration, so if you notice an increase in dry skin, dry eyes, and acid reflux, this can be a sign of not enough water or fats in your diet. Increase both and see how you feel. That said make sure you have enough electrolytes in there as well.
~Brain health is a huge thing here in Aries. So ensuring you get plenty of healthy fats in your diet daily will ensure that you have a happy, healthy brain. Cold-pressed organic oils are best.
~Headaches are common in this sign. Most are caused by an imbalance somewhere in the body. Either too little Vitamin A, D, or E. Or not enough hydration, leading to kidney issues, which then leads to headaches. Always tend to proper diet and kidney health. Nettles are great for the kidneys as is Uva Ursi.
~Sleeping issues can occur as well, so ensuring you have a good sleep routine in place will help as well.
Alright, So that is the very quick, semi in depth look at Aries from a Medical Astrology standpoint. Aries Sun placements are very dynamic, amazing people and when tending to their health in the way that is best for them, are one of the longest living signs of the Zodiac.
I hope you enjoyed this. If you are an auditory learner, head over to my podcast, The Herbal Eir, to listen to this article instead.
