ARIES
Aries
in a birth chart
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, a cardinal fire sign ruled by Mars. In a birth chart it describes the part of a person that starts things: direct, quick to act, and more comfortable beginning than waiting.
- Dates
- March 21 – April 19
- Element
- Fire
- Modality
- Cardinal
- Ruler
- Mars
The sign itself
Aries begins at the March equinox, the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator. That placement in the year is the whole character of the sign: initiation, first movement, the impulse before the plan.
Being cardinal fire, Aries starts rather than sustains. Ruled by Mars, it acts on appetite quickly and recovers from conflict faster than most signs expect.
Where Aries shows up in a chart
A sign reads differently depending on which placement it colours.
- Sun in Aries — purpose pursued directly; a life organised around having a go.
- Moon in Aries — feelings arrive fast and hot, and pass quickly; comfort comes from movement, not discussion.
- Rising in Aries — a brisk, forward first impression, and a chart run by Mars.
- Aries on a house cusp — that area of life is where you act first and think later.
At its best and at its cost
At its best: courage, honesty, and the willingness to be the first one to move. At its cost: impatience, a short fuse, and starting more than can be finished.
In a child's chart, Aries reads as physical energy and blunt frustration rather than ambition — a body that needs to run before it can settle.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions people ask
- What are the Aries dates?
- The Sun is in Aries from about March 21 to April 19 each year. The exact boundary shifts by a day either way, so a chart calculated from your birth time is the only way to be certain near the edges.
- What planet rules Aries?
- Mars rules Aries, which is why the sign reads as direct, physical, and quick to act.
NEIGHBOURING SIGNS
See where Aries actually falls in your family's charts.
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