Linda Goodman's Sun Signs (3 page)

The Mars-ruled person will look you straight in the eye, with unabashed honesty and rather touching faith. You're his friend aren't you? You like him, don't you? No? Then the tears will start, but inside. He'll never show it on the surface, if he can help it. If you see him openly weeping, you can be certain that he's been cut to the very soul in some way. Aries would rather be caught dead than be caught weak—and some of them literally risk the former to avoid the latter.

The ram will seldom glance nervously around the room. When he does, he's no longer interested in talking with you. Something else has caught his attention, and for the moment, you are forgotten. So is what you're saying. Don't be offended. Remember the baby and his toes and fingers.

He will undoubtedly be at the head of his chosen career or involved in a profession on his own. If he's not, then you can easily recognize him by the discontent he clearly shows at being forced to submit to others. You can look for a liberal attitude, lavish generosity with both time and material things, and a marked desire to lead all the marches—with loud cymbals. But don't look for subtlety, tact or humility. The average Arien was behind the barn door when those qualities were passed out. He's a little short on patience, too. In a coffee shop, he'll quickly criticize the waitress and the sandwich, if the first is fresh and the second is stale. But he'll probably leave an unnecessarily big tip when the service is good.

Aries is very direct, to put it mildly. Deceptiveness and deviousness are entirely foreign to the Mars nature. Frankness and refreshing honesty are Arien trademarks, yet rams don't make the best credit risks. Some of them lack stability and evidence a child-like lack of responsibility. Even those who have matured can forget debts in the excitement of the ever-present new challenge of the moment, which will always consume their entire attention. They'll eventually pay their bills cheerfully and willingly, but you may be out of breath when you catch up with them.

Although Aries is the firebrand, who forges his way through life with daring, initiative and enterprise, there's a strange quirk to his bravery. He'll face the abominable snowman or the Frankenstein monster without the slightest trace of fear, yet he can't stand physical pain. He's never a moral coward, but he can be a huge sissy about anything that hurts. The dentist is not one of his favorite people.

Every Arien, at some time in his life, will indulge in rash behavior that brings an injury to the head or face. Cuts and burns are also likely, and severe or even migraine headaches, which could stem from kidney infections. The ram would be wise to steel himself and see that dentist regularly, guard his eyesight, watch his diet, treat head colds seriously, and stay away from alcohol (not only bad for the kidneys, but quite combustible when combined with the Mars temper). Skin rashes, painful knee caps and stomach disorders also plague those born in late March or April. The ram's constitution is strong and tough, if he doesn't abuse it, which he usually does, by ignoring it. When you see him confined to bed with little to say, you know he's really sick. Even so, it may require handcuffs to keep him down. He can survive fevers high enough to kill the average person, and many of them are brought on by his headstrong Mars tendency to carry through under adverse circumstances, at the wrong times with the wrong people. The angry impatience and frustration this always triggers is the real cause of his health problems. His reaction to delay makes him ill, and the conscious cultivation of patience and cautious deliberation would keep the doctor away. Not that he'll take such advice. He keeps the doctor away for years at a time anyhow, until he either drops in exhaustion or reaches an age when he gets more sensible. There's not much danger of an Aries becoming addicted to drugs. Normally, the ram won't even take a sleeping pill. He'd much rather stay wide awake. (He's afraid he might miss something.)

Because of his forceful optimism, Aries (along with the other fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius) seldom falls victim to the chronic, lingering diseases—which astrology has always taught and medical science now realizes are triggered or intensified by melancholy and pessimism. The fire signs are more susceptible to raging fevers, fulminating infections, strokes, high blood pressure and violently acute illness. Say what you will about his impulsiveness, the ram is seldom guilty of gloom. The seeds of depression, even if planted, will die a quick death in Arien soil. But that precious idea Aries holds, that no one else can do anything as efficiently as he can, may run away with him and lead to a thousand disasters. He'll carry through his schemes with dash and confidence, seldom realizing that he's overreaching himself and headed for ulcers or a nervous breakdown. No one ever accuses him of laziness.

Because of their guileless nature, subtle tricks of strategy are impossible for these people. One Aries I know well, with his fiery, contagious enthusiasm, got a financial angel to back one of his original ideas. Just as the deal was about to be closed, and this ram was about to realize his fondest dreams, the angel logically suggested that a well-known expert oversee the operation. The Aries was positive that no one could run it as well as himself, and he was fearful of getting involved with someone from whom he might have to take orders, so he responded quickly, with the usual Aries humility. He waved his cigar in the air in a superior gesture, and asked bluntly, “How do you want your no, fast or slow?” The financial angel just as quickly withdrew his backing, and the poor Aries promoter soon developed a severe case of business leprosy. For many frustrating months, those who had formerly been behind him one hundred percent were mysteriously out to lunch or in Europe every time he called.

A little tactful diplomacy could have kept his dream from exploding, but it takes the average ram many years to reach the diplomacy of an Arien like Colin Powell. People who have arrived at the top through hard and patient work justifiably resent an aggressive Aries, who thinks he knows far more with far less experience. He learns modesty and humility only after many dismal failures. But once he's learned, he can make a project pay off like a gusher, adding stacks of creative ideas, and intuitively making the right moves. He reaches leadership only by first respecting those above him in credit and stature, yet success, when it comes, is normally gigantic and impressive. Strangely, most Aries people often create wealth for others rather than for themselves. Lots of rams pay rent most of their lives, and seldom own their own home. It doesn't seem to break the Mars spirit that cash doesn't always cling to him, perhaps because what he seeks is not necessarily in the bank.

Though Aries pushes ahead with confidence, caring little for the feelings of others, and his attitude, especially in youth, is “me first,” he can be the warmest and most generous of all the Sun signs. He's not cruel. He just honestly believes that he can do anything better than anyone else, and he's psychologically unable to stand by while others fumble and flop. Give him a choice of money or glory, and he'll take glory any time. He's as fond of a dollar as the next person, but he's just a few shades fonder of praise and fame. The ram has a way of making instant decisions without the authority of his superiors. His speech can be satirical and cutting in invective. Arien anger flashes forth with the speed of sound, but it's usually gone before the victim knows what it's all about, and the happy, child-like smile quickly returns. One can't help being reminded of a certain impulsive ram, Nikita Khrushchev, who once banged his shoe in a fit of childish temper, on a table at the United Nations, in full view of a television audience, and the devil-take-the-hindermost. He was being ignored, and what Arien cares about tact when he's being ignored? Yet this same Aries was truly heartbroken when he missed enjoying the magic wonder of Disneyland.

Mars people are often accused of having a terrible temper. They have. But they also have a complete inability to remain angry, and once over with, the grievance is generally buried and forgotten. He's hurt and surprised that you still remember the rash things he said but didn't mean. Given the chance, Aries will apologize to his worst enemy, regardless of any dire threats he made in the throes of emotion. He seeks acceptance, even while he heedlessly and deliberately courts rejection. Aries people seldom become angry with individuals. You may get the shower of sparks, but the fire is actually directed toward an idea or a situation he finds intolerable.

The ram is capable of trying to tell a small white lie, if it will put him foremost or save one of his cherished ideals, but most of the time, he has little use for lies, which is fortunate, because he gets caught every time. Blunt candor is quicker, and since the main interest is in getting to the point in a hurry, he prefers to tell the truth. He has no time at all for gossip. That involves discussing others, and Aries is far too interested in himself to waste any excess energy speculating on the inner secrets, behavior or motives of anyone else. Besides, people are normally either black or white to him. He doesn't bother with the gray tones. Don't mistake this for prejudice, however. If he has heavy planetary afflictions of his natal chart, the Aries impulsive disregard for the facts may come forth in the form of cruelty or prejudice; but this is extremely rare. The typical ram will dine with beggars and kings with equal ease and genuine affection. Any reputation he gets for prejudice comes from his tendency to lump people into two distinct camps—his friends and his enemies—and he'll expect you to line them up the same way, if you're close to him.

Despite his shocking forwardness, the ram can also be the epitome of social grace. He can converse for hours in an exciting, interesting manner on subjects he knows absolutely nothing about. There's a lot of surface polish to cover that aggressive Mars drive. Patience with detail isn't his strong point. He'd rather leave the minor, petty statistics to someone else. That's sensible enough. Someone else would handle them far more efficiently. Time spent pinning down the facts is resented, because the ram cares nothing for yesterday's lessons, and tomorrow is too far away to worry about. Today is his natural residence. This hour and this minute. He's totally consumed in the action of the present.

A realist, yet a decided idealist, Aries often defies emotional description. No one can show such tough, forceful behavior. Yet, few others are capable of such sentimentality, wistful innocence and belief in miracles. Mars people are literally incapable of accepting defeat. They won't recognize it—even when it stares them in the face. They're incurable optimists about the end result of anything from love to a baseball game. Being very clever in-fighters, the rams battle best with their heads, meaning their minds. They enjoy opposition because of the challenge it presents, and they'll go out of their way to meet an obstacle and conquer it long before it comes to them—and often when it might have been headed in the opposite direction. They don't wait around for success to drop in their laps, either. They'll chase it at a furious pace, which is why you'll find very few Ariens on welfare lists.

Just thinking about the energy of the ram wears out most people. But Ariens are also capable of being calm, wise and serious when they choose. Unfortunately, they usually don't choose until youth has passed and maturity has mellowed their rash idealism and sense of driving haste. They can arouse popular sympathy easily, yet they don't necessarily make good politicians. Thomas Jefferson and Nancy Pelosi are rare exceptions to the rule. Of all the Ariens who have tossed their hats in the ring, most have had comparatively brief or troubled political careers. We haven't had an Aries president in the United States since John Tyler in 1840. The field of politics is difficult for the average ram. For one thing, he's not the very best economist in the world. For another, he's impulsive in his speech and he hates to hedge, both deadly traits for a politician. Most politicians wait to see what people want before airing their positions. The average Aries has his own ideas of what the people need, never mind what they want, and he'll see that they get it, sooner than might be politically expedient. Still, he's so idealistic, that once the Arien has come before the public, he fires their imagination and makes them believe in themselves again. The freshness of Mars candor can blow through the smoke of political back rooms like a breeze.

But most Aries people are usually happier in business or the creative arts, where they're so desperately needed. Others may excel in planning strategy. Calmer heads and more practical minds may be better at efficient organization. But without the direct action, energy and originality of the rams, the most desirable projects would fall to the ground or make little headway.

You may find an occasional Arien who is shy, but you'll never find one who's uncertain where he stands. It's difficult to express your own individuality around these people. Aries is far happier when he's talking about himself and his plans than about anybody or anything else (with the exception of the loved one, when he's caught in the clutches of a romance). Once you get his interest—and lots of luck—he'll be an attentive listener, especially if your ideas are exciting and progressive. He'll promote you to the skies, and offer you his time, money, sympathy and loyalty. When you're in the hospital, he may forget to send a card, but he may choose the hospital for you, drive you there himself and refer you to his own doctor. Once involved in helping you through a rough time, Aries will walk the extra mile without hesitation. But show your gratitude, please. He'll be deeply hurt, if not downright angry, when you don't appreciate his strenuous actions, which went far beyond the call of duty, and also probably far beyond what you needed or wanted. He enjoys doing favors; the larger the charitable gesture the better; but the ram wants his credit when it's coming to him. If thanks are withheld, however, it probably won't keep him from helping again. His amazing faith in himself is matched only by his naive trust in others, which is why he's almost constantly disillusioned, and complaining that someone has let him down. Of course, he won't stay down long. He'll pick himself up, dust himself off, and soon be ready, willing and able to blast away again, after a typical binge of violent but brief depression.