- Dates
- 21 March to 19 April
- Symbol
- ♈ the Ram
- Element
- Fire
- Modality
- Cardinal
- Ruler
- Mars
What the Aries sign means
Aries, the Ram, is the first sign of the zodiac and the archetype of the pioneer: fire by element, cardinal by mode, and ruled by Mars. In astrology, someone is "a Aries" when the Sun was in Aries at their birth, roughly 21 March to 19 April. Those cusp dates shift by a day some years, so if you were born near the edge, only your actual chart settles it.
The Aries temperament
Fire signs run on warmth, momentum, and the appetite to act. As a cardinal sign, it initiates: it is happiest starting things and setting a direction. Put together, Aries tends towards starting before it is safe, and chafing against anything that asks it to wait, and like every sign it holds both a gift and its shadow. Vela reads none of this as a verdict on who you are, only as a lens for noticing.
If Aries is your Sun sign, where do you recognise the pioneer in yourself, and where is it a costume you have outgrown?
Read Aries in depth
Your sign is one of three placements that matter most. Read Aries as a Sun sign, your Aries Moon, and your Aries rising, see the personal planets in Aries (Venus, Mars), read today's Aries horoscope, or explore Aries compatibility.
Frequently asked
What are the Aries dates?
The Sun is in Aries from about 21 March to 19 April each year. The cusp dates move by a day some years, so if you were born near the edge, casting your chart is the only way to be sure.
What element and ruler is Aries?
Aries is fire by element and cardinal by mode, ruled by Mars.
Is astrology a prediction?
Not in Vela's hands. Your sign is a lens for reflection, a way of noticing patterns in yourself, never a forecast of what you must do or become.