Aries Constellation Meaning

Aries Constellation Stars [Stellarium]

Constellation Aries the Ram, is an ecliptic constellation laying between constellation Pisces and constellation Taurus. A small constellation, it spans only 20 degrees longitude in the zodiac sign Taurus.

2000	B	Star Name	Mag.	Orb
03 ♉ 11	γ Ari	Mesarthim	4.62	1°00′
03 ♉ 58	β Ari	Sheratan	2.64	1°50′
07 ♉ 39	α Ari	Hamal	2.01	2°10′
14 ♉ 19	μ Ari	Koleon	5.74	1°00′
15 ♉ 08	π Ari	Al Butain I	5.26	1°00′
16 ♉ 08	33 Ari	Barani I	5.30	1°00′
16 ♉ 55	ρ Ari	Al Butain II	5.58	1°00′
16 ♉ 56	35 Ari	Barani II	4.65	1°00′
18 ♉ 12	41 Ari	Bharani	3.61	1°20′
18 ♉ 22	39 Ari	Lilii Borea	4.52	1°00′
18 ♉ 29	ε Ari	Al Butain III	5.20	1°00′
20 ♉ 51	δ Ari	Botein	4.35	1°00′
21 ♉ 56	ζ Ari	Al Butain IV	4.87	1°00′

Aries represents the ram with the golden fleece, a gift from Mercury, upon which Phrixus and his sister Helle escaped through the air from their step-mother Ino. On arriving in Colchis, Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Jupiter and its fleece was hung in the Grove of Mars, whence it was subsequently carried away by Jason (see Argo). According to another account, it was the ram that guided Bacchus to a spring of water in the Libyan desert.

Ptolemy’s observations are as follows: “The stars in the head of Aries possess an influence similar in its effects to that of Mars and Saturn (malicious, thieving, merciless, fiendish, repulsive, liar, accidents, violent death. If culminating, military preferment but final disgrace): those in the mouth act similarly to Mercury, and in some degree to Saturn (subtle, studious, keen and profound mind, often shameless liar, interested in occult or serious subjects); those in the hinder foot, to Mars (violent death, ultimate ruin by folly or pride. If rising, wealth, power, courage, generosity, ingenuity, rise to authority, martial success, subject to cuts, wounds, accidents, sores and injuries to the face, pains in the head and fevers. If culminating, martial eminence, success in trade and in occupations of a Mars nature. If afflicting Mercury, deafness); those in the tail, to Venus (if rising, good fortune, happiness, gifts, fortunate for love and marriage, gain by legacies and inheritance. If culminating, honor and success, dealings with and help through women, success in occupations of a Venus nature).” By the Kabalists Aries is associated with the Hebrew letter He and the 5th Tarot Trump “The Pope.” [1]

Of all the animals to be seen prancing on our Easter Cards, the lamb is surely that one most popular, though, of course, many other animals also have young at this time, the root of the lamb’s popularity is astrological. Aries is just as much a lamb as a ram. The astrological theme is seen in religion too. Christian litany is full of references to Jesus as The Lamb (of God), and the foundation of Christianity is commonly said to have coincided with the start of the ‘Piscean Age’, when the cusp Aries, the Sign, moved out of the Constellation into its preceding neighbor Pisces…This did not happen until the year 217 A.D., but then the new religion likewise took three hundred years to become established, in 325 A.D. So the coincidence of the two can be said to be accurate enough.

Aries Constellation Star Map [Urania’s Mirror]

Other commentators have seen the astrological significance in the story of the near-sacrifice of Isaac by the patriarch Abraham, which ended with the father being directed instead to sacrifice a ram Divinely caught in a nearby thicket. Isaac had a half-brother, Ishmail, so the story is reminiscent of the many myths of one of two brothers being sacrificed for the benefit of the other: Cain & Abel, Castor & Pollux, and so-on. The suggestion here is that the Isaac incident marks the end f the Gemini era of ‘twin sacrifice’, the shifting of the Vernal Equinox into Taurus, the Constellation and Sign most associates with the culture that began with Abraham, and a looking forward to the Aries era yet to come, when the culture which the patriarch was just initiating would burst forth to conquer all around it, remembering as we should how Aries is considered ruled by Mars the planet of war and conquest. We may also note that the name Abraham or Abrahm, means ‘Servant of the Divinity’ or, in its form Ibrahim, ‘Servant of the Merciful One’, in the culture which derives its descent through Ishmail especially.

Aries is poor in prominent stars, and is hardly noticeable with the naked eye in less than perfect clear sky without moonlight. Just three of its stars, α Arietis, Hamal, then β, Shearatan, and γ, Mesarthim, figure in astrology.. All three of these Aries stars have been in the sign (Taurus) for about 200 or 300 years now. Hamal just over 600 in fact, and in this same period we have seen large-scale aggression change its nature from barbaric raiding and migrations of earlier centuries to the building of large empires which had to be administered and kept in peace and good order, as well as exploited by their conquerors. This is typical both of the sign (Taurus) and of the planet Saturn”. [2]

Among astrologers Aries was a dreaded sign indicating passionate temper and bodily hurt, and thus it fitly formed the House of Mars, although some attributed guardianship over it to Pallas Minerva, daughter of Jove whom Aries represented. It was supposed to hold sway over the head and face; in fact the Egyptians called it Arnum, the Lord of the Head; while, geographically, it ruled Denmark, England, France, Germany, Lesser Poland and Switzerland, Syria, Capua, Naples and Verona, with white and red as its colors. In the time of Manilius it was naturally thought of as ruling the Hellespont and Propontis, Egypt and the Nile, Persia and Syria; and, with Leo and Sagittarius, was the Fiery Trigon.

Ampelius said that it was in charge of the Roman Africus, the Southwest Wind, the Italians’ Affrico, or Gherbino; but the Archer (Sagittarius) and Scorpion (Scorpius) also shared this duty, Pliny wrote that the appearance of a comet within its borders portended great wars and wide-spread mortality, abasement of the great and elevation of the small, with fearful drought in the regions over which the sign predominated; while 17th-century almanacs attributed many troubles to men, and declared that “many shall die of the rope “when the sun was in the sign; but they ascribed to its influence “an abundance of herbs.” Its symbol, ♈, probably represents the head and horns of the animal. [3]

“The Ram, who is rich with an abundance of fleecy wool and, when shorn of this, with a fresh supply, will ever cherish hopes; he will rise from the sudden shipwreck of his affairs to abundant wealth only to meet with a fall, and his desires will lead him to disaster; he will yield his produce for the common benefit, the fleece which by a thousand crafts gives birth to different forms of gain, now workers pile into heaps the undressed wool, now card it, now draw it into a tenuous thread, now weave the threads to form webs, and now they buy and sell for gain garments of every kind; no nation could dispense with these, even without indulgence in luxury. So important is this work that Pallas herself has claimed it for her own hands, of which she has judged it worthy, and deems her victory over Arachne a token of her greatness. These are the callings and allied crafts that the Ram will decree for those born under his sign: in an anxious breast he will fashion a diffident heart that ever yearns to commend itself by its own praise.

When the Ram emerges above the surface of the waves and the curve of his neck appears before his horns, he will give birth to hearts that are never content with what is theirs; he will engender minds bent on plunder and will banish all sense of shame: such is their desire for venture. Even thus does the ram himself rush forth with lowered horns, resolved to win or die. Not for them the gentle ease of a fixed abode with none but peaceful cares; it is ever their delight to travel through unknown cities, to explore uncharted seas, and enjoy the whole world’s hospitality. The Ram himself gives you evidence of this: once furrowing a trail through the glassy sea, he tinged it with the gold of his fleece, when on his back he carried Phrixus, bereft of his sister (Helle) by fate’s decree, and brought him to the banks of the Phasis and to Colchis. [4]

This is pictured by a ram, or lamb, full of vigour and life; not falling in death as CAPRICORNUS is. In the Denderah Zodiac its name is Tametouris Ammon, which means the reign, dominion, or government of Ammon. The lamb’s head is without horns, and is crowned with a circle.

The Hebrew name is Taleh, the lamb. The Arabic name is Al Hamal, the sheep, gentle, merciful. This name has been mistakenly given by some to the principal star, α. The Syriac name is Amroo, as in the Syriac New Testament in John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” The ancient Akkadian name was Bara-ziggar. Bar means altar, or sacrifice; and ziggar means right making; so that the full name would be the sacrifice of righteousness.

There are 66 stars in this sign, one being of the 2nd magnitude, two of the 4th, etc. Its chief star, α (in the forehead), is named El Nath, or El Natik, which means wounded, slain. The next, β (in the left horn), is called Al Sheratan, the bruised, the wounded. The next γ (near to β ), is called Mesarim (Hebrew), the bound. [5]