The Sun moves into Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac, on the Spring Equinox. All the qualities of Aries—action, initiation, new beginnings and emergence—are present as the Spring begins, and we can drink in those qualities every day. Aries brings us to our core selves, to our identity, to a pure expression of who we are. Emerging into Springtime, we are called upon to leave the Winter behind, and often that means letting go of the comforts, distractions and defenses that shored us up over the long dark night. In Spring, we long to throw open the windows and clear stuff out, and that goes for both our interior and exterior spaces. Aries helps bring its fiery clarity to this task.
Aries makes us question: Who am I, as a magician/witch/priestess? What are my deepest values? What are my skills and talents? How can I best express them, and deploy them to their highest, best use? What is my Work? What do I feel passionate about? Where do I expend my day's energy, and is this in line with my values? This is the perfect time to ask these questions.
Take a piece of paper and write out the phrase “ I am...” and complete it. How many answers come to mind in one minute, or in ten? Go through the list and highlight similar answers. What patterns emerge here? Take another piece of paper and write out a typical day's activities. No need to get into too much detail, but if someone followed you with a camera for a day, what would they actually see you doing? Compare these lists—how do they overlap, how are they in contradiction to each other? This can indicate places where we aren't really acting in accord with our intentions, which is a sure fire way of derailing our magick. Too much space in between can mean a lack of focus or follow through. We are not in full integrity when this happens, and things don’t work as well.
Aries is about action, purposeful and deliberate movement in our chosen direction. When we see the gaps between our actions and our intent, we can correct our courses. Here's a recent example: For a long time I felt very low-energy and I wasn't getting much done, either in my mundane or my magickal life. I felt so depleted all the time, that I asked the question every day: How can I fuel myself better? In looking at what I was doing, I found many places where, despite good intentions, my habits were sapping me of the strength and mental energy to accomplish things. Once I saw that, I began to slowly tweak and adjust what I was doing. It has not been a complete fix—some habits die hard—but over the first few weeks of Spring, I found myself drinking more tea and water, and opting to skip sodas. I found myself choosing to get active in the morning, instead of staying in bed ten more minutes. It is a slow process, and sometimes days it is frustrating that so little has changed. And then I realize, I did have more energy today, I was able to breeze through this chore or that work task much easier. I realize I feel better, and I'm sleeping better at night as well. I could not have stuck with all the new habits if I had set out a strict new regimen of diet and exercise. But because I made small corrections in the gaps between intent and action, the changes took root, and even expanded a little. And I am closer to my goals than I was.
Aries is the cardinal Fire sign, ruled by Mars. At the beginning of Spring, the Sun powers up this source of pure energy, and we can ignite our work and illuminate our souls in its brilliance.