The Eternal Renewal of Life
Happy Spring Equinox, folks! It’s been a wild ride of a year, right?!
Are you ready to reset and begin again? I know I am!
When the sun enters the zodiac sign Aries at the Spring Equinox, the astrological new year begins. At least here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a time of rebirth after the long, cold days and nights of Winter. This Spring Equinox, in particular, comes after the long, “cold” Winter of Covid 19. We’re all worn out. We’ve all been in some type of hibernation. It’s been a struggle to keep our hearts and minds buoyant with the knowledge that Spring will indeed return, and life will renew itself on schedule, as she does over and over again, eternally.
Spring has sprung! The Spring Equinox has hit the reset button! Buds are beginning to appear on the trees. Animals are coming out of hibernation. Birds are singing with renewed exuberance. Mating rituals are in full swing. Earth is happily growing various shades of bright green. New life is exploding all around, as a renewed zest for living ignites hearts and minds. The time has come to sing, to play, to love, to create, like this is the first moment of our lives and the beginning of the rest of our lives. As we begin to wake up and embrace this new year, what can we learn from the Aries spiritual path?
The Path of the Courageous One – The Warrior
Each of the zodiac signs represent a path of learning and evolution. From the perspective of the soul evolving through multiple physical incarnations and lifetimes here on Earth, you could say that each zodiac sign represents a spiritual path. Here, I use “spiritual path” to refer to a set of inner values, needs, and motivations that propel us into life experience and support our learning, growing, and ultimately, becoming more intimate with our spiritual natures. Also, meditation is a part of all spiritual paths, and I’ll define meditation as the conscious “practice” of presence and awareness.
Aries is a warrior’s path. There are other archetypes that reflect the Aries path, such as the pioneer, trailblazer, daredevil, and leader, but here, I will focus on the warrior aspect of this path.
It takes courage to be born into this world and to defend ourselves against the many “predators” who would
“eat” us. It takes courage to stand out as an individual and make our own way in the world. Let’s face it, life is often scary as hell! And when afraid, our animal bodies are wired to fight or flee. If we run every time we are afraid, well, that would quickly turn into a humiliating life of victimhood! Sometimes, we just have to stand our ground, look fear right in the face, claim our right to exist, and prepare to fight.
Aries is a part of the wiring in all of us that helps us to fight! On the Aries path, “fighting” can simply mean taking any action at all in the face of stress, panic, and/or fear. Aries must fight. She can be a wise, spiritual warrior and come to blows only when absolutely necessary, but she must fight. She has the inner need, drive and motivation to take up space in the world, to be independent, enthusiastic, eager, adventurous, active, and to win. Competition will always find her, and she must rise to the challenge in order to win. She is born to have a sense of “enlightened selfishness,” as evolutionary astrologer Steven Forrest likes to say.
As a meditation, the Aries path asks us to consciously practice presence and awareness in relation to our individuality, our unique hungers and desires, our ability to take action and go after what we want in life, as well as in relation to what frightens us and how we handle stress and challenge. It asks us to consider whether we are meeting life head-on (like the ram!) or shrinking from it and playing the role of the victim.
With all of this talk of the warrior life and fighting, we have to look at the darker possibilities of walking this Aries path. One possibility already mentioned above is becoming a victim. In exploring this idea, I in no way intend to place fault or blame on the victim. The realities of predator and prey, perpetrator and victim, abuser and abused are complex and very real. At one time or another, we all experience being a victim. But the darker side of this path is identifying only with defeat and refusing the call of courage to fight in whatever ways are possible.
Another shadow possibility is only identifying as the predator, the winner, and leaving a trail of blood, tears, and broken bodies in our wake. This is the path of the cruel and brutal coward, rather than the courageous one.
Or, one on this path could simply fall into endless bickering, arguing, and fighting with easy targets (not the more important targets that would require more courage!) in the environment. This pattern creates ongoing, petty battles where everyone loses.
Ok, enough with the darkness! Let’s move on to one of the highest virtues of this path.
A Cause Worth Dying For
Do you have something in your life worth dying for? A cause or principle? A person? Is there something for which you would courageously take up your sword and shield and do battle? If you can say yes to this line of questioning, then you are resonating powerfully with one of the highest virtues on this Aries path of life experience.
Aries folk can appear and be quite selfish as they pursue their interests and do their best to win. I’ll leave it for you to decide how healthy some of this apparent or actual selfishness is. But a high side of those on the Aries path reveals warriors who are courageous enough to go into battle for others. They will defend those who cannot defend themselves. They will fight for justice. They will go into the trenches for a cause they believe in, and they become heroic in their efforts to support humanity.
There is a Warrior in All of Us
Those who have their natal sun, moon, and/or rising sign in Aries are definitely exploring the Aries spiritual path this lifetime. But all of us walk this path to some degree because all of us have Aries somewhere in our birth-charts (as we have all of the signs in our birth-charts).
For example, in my natal chart, Aries sits on the cusp of my 10th House of Vocation/Calling in the World. This means that this area of life tends to be my battlefield where I have to find the courage to be independent, to stand up for something I believe in, and to act in spite of challenges, bullies, and fear. Here is where I can either shrink in fear and become a victim or stand and fight. I think I’ve been doing fairly well with this evolutionary path, but I’ll let you know for sure on my deathbed. It ain’t over yet!
You may have Aries on the cusp of your 7th House of Marriage/Partnerships, which would reveal the evolutionary need for long-term partnerships with Arian type folk (warriors!) and the need to cultivate courage in your capacity to be in intimate relationships and be fully yourself – to even fight for the right to be yourself!
Or perhaps Aries is on your 2nd House cusp, the area of life that has to do with your material resources, income, and your sense of confidence and self-worth. With this astrological signature, your potential to be independent and courageous would be linked to your self-esteem and ability to make money. Your battlefield would be in the area of material security and the use of your resources.
You get the picture. All of us are cultivating courage in our lives and being called to the warrior’s path…which brings us back to the Spring Equinox.
Birth
Here we are at the beginning of a new astrological year. Something is ready to be born, and it doesn’t necessarily come easily. Birth is messy. It’s violent. It’s an intense, transformative rite of passage. As a collective, do we remain in the dark? Do we stay in the womb of ignorance? Or do we rise to the challenge of birthing something new and beautiful as we trailblaze our way into the unknown?
At this Spring Equinox we are all getting a dose of Aries medicine. We are being invited to be warriors, to stand up, and if necessary, to fight for what we believe in. I think the best way to walk this Aries path (and all paths!) is with love and compassion for ourselves and each other. We all matter. Perhaps at this time of renewal, we will each have an opportunity to see more clearly who we are and what we stand for, so that we can summon the courage to do what only each of us as individuals can do.
So, step out into the sunshine, into the light of a brand new day. Smell the fresh air. Feel the new potential within and all around. Spread your arms wide and declare for all the universe to hear, “I am alive, and I am here, now!’
Do your hear your inner warrior calling?