Linda Goodman's Sun Signs Read online

  You won’t be as hurt when a Capricorn doesn’t “ooh” and “ah” over the gift you gave him, after you’ve remembered that he’s deeply grateful, but incapable of showing his pleasure openly. His insistence on duty will chafe less when you know that he disciplines himself as severely as he does others. Putting up with the endless Libran arguments and hesitations is somehow more bearable with the Sun sign knowledge that he’s only trying to be fair and reach an impartial decision. The Aquarian won’t seem as rude when he roots into your private life if you stop to think he was created with an uncontrollable urge to investigate people’s motives.

  Once in a great while you may come across a Leo, for example, with, say, five or six planets in Pisces. The Piscean influences will obviously project themselves strongly, making his Sun sign harder to guess, since they’ll greatly subdue his Leo qualities. But that will happen only rarely, and if you’re completely familiar with all twelve Sun signs in detail, he can’t disguise his true nature forever. No matter how hard the fish tries to hide the lion, that Leo Sun sign will never be totally eclipsed—and you’ll catch him unawares.

  Never make the mistake of skimming the surface when you’re trying to recognize Sun signs. Not all Capricorns are meek, not all Leos are outwardly domineering and not all Virgos are virgins. You’ll find an occasional Aries with a savings account, a quiet Gemini or even a practical Pisces. But look beyond the one or two traits that threw you off. You’ll catch that flashy Capricorn peeking at the social register—the shy Leo pouting over a slight to his vanity—and the rare flirtatious Virgo buying insecticide by the case, because it’s cheaper. The quiet Gemini may not talk fast, but her mind can operate at jet speed. The exceptional thrifty Aries will wear a bright red Mars coat to the bank or talk back to a rude teller—and the practical Pisces secretly writes poetry or invites six orphans for dinner every Thanksgiving. No one can successfully hide his or her Sun sign from you, if you keep your eyes and ears open. Even your pet will show unmistakable Sun sign traits. Don’t move the food dish of a Virgo cat to a strange spot—and never try to ignore a Leo dog.

  It’s fun to practice with famous people, politicians, fictional heroes and heroines. Try to guess their sign, or what sign they most represent. It sharpens your astrological wits. You can even try comic strip characters. Good old Charlie Brown is obviously a Libran, and Lucy could only be a Sagittarius with an Aries ascendant and her Moon in Virgo. As for Snoopy, well, anyone can easily see he’s an Aquarian dog, the way he wears that crazy scarf and the World War I aviator’s cap, while he chases an imaginary Red Baron from the roof of his dog house. (Snoopy may also have an afflicted Neptune.) Try it yourself, and you’ll have gobs of fun. But what’s more important, as you play the Sun sign game, you’ll be learning something very serious and useful: how to recognize people’s hidden dreams, secret hopes and true characters—how to understand their deepest needs—how to like them better and make them like you—how to really know the people you know. It’s a happier world, and people are pretty great, when you look for the rainbows hidden inside them.

  Isn’t that really life’s major problem? Understanding? Abraham Lincoln said it simply and clearly: “To correct the evils, great and small, which spring from positive enmity among strangers, as nations or as individuals, is one of the highest functions of civilization.”

  Start right now to study your Sun signs, use reasonable caution when you apply them, and people will wonder where you got all your new perception when you begin to unmask their real natures. In fact, understanding the twelve Sun signs will literally change your life. You’re on your way to understanding people you’ve never even met. You’ll soon feel closer to strangers, as well as to friends, and isn’t that really rather wonderful?

  It’s nice to know you …

  Linda Goodman

  ARIES the Ram

  March 21st through April 20th

  “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,”

  said the Queen …

  “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible

  things before breakfast.”

  How to Recognize ARIES

  They would not remember the simple rules

  their friends had taught them: such as

  that a red hot poker will burn you

  if you hold it too long;

  and that, if you cut your finger

  very deeply with a knife,

  it usually bleeds.

  Have you recently met an unusually friendly person with a forceful manner, a firm handclasp and an instant smile? Get ready for a dizzy dash around the mulberry bush. You’ve probably just been adopted by an Aries. Especially if you found it a little tough to take the lead in the conversation.

  Is he committed to some idealistic cause and angrily defending the underdog? That figures. Male or female, these people will fight what they feel is an injustice on the spot, and they’re not bashful about voicing their opinions. The ram will talk back to a traffic cop or an armed gangster with equal vigor, if either one happens to annoy him. He may regret it later, but caution won’t concern him in the heat of the moment. Mars people come straight to the point, with no shilly-shallying.

  Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. It represents birth, as Pisces represents death and consciousness of the soul. The ram is conscious only of himself. He’s the infant of the zodiac—the newborn baby—completely absorbed with his own toes and fingers. His needs come first. An infant doesn’t care whether or not his parents or the neighbors are sleeping. When he’s hungry or wet, he yowls in discomfort. He wants his bottle, and he wants his diaper changed now, and don’t be pokey about it. When the Aries person has an idea or something he wants to get off his mind, he’ll call you at four in the morning without a qualm. Why shouldn’t you be awake to listen to him? He’s awake. That’s all that counts. He wants something. He gets it. Like the infant, Aries is concerned with the world only as it relates to himself. But who could call the small baby truly selfish? He’s perfectly willing to lavish his smiles and favors on those who satisfy his demands. It’s hard to resist a baby, because he’s so totally unaware that he’s causing anyone the slightest inconvenience. So it is with the ram. His innocence hangs over him and mellows his aggressiveness, like the innocence of the newborn softens his egocentricity.

  This disarming naiveté is also why Aries people are so fearless. The baby fears nothing and no one, until he gets burned. Even then, he’ll trustingly try again, when he’s forgotten the hurt. There’s not a trace of cunning wile in the ram, and he’ll remain this way throughout his lifetime; forever believing with all his heart, always falling down and getting up again to try once more. Any doubts he collects along the way are immediately displaced by the next person who’s kind to him, just as the baby forgets the pain of the safety pin that accidentally stuck in his leg the next time someone sprinkles the powder.

  The ram can make believe from here to tomorrow, and spin fabulous dreams, but he can’t lie worth a tinker. What you see before you is what he is. There’s nothing hidden or complicated about him. He’s just as vulnerable as the baby, and just as helpless. When stronger, more mature people force him or take things away from him, he reacts in the only manner he knows—yelling and causing so much disturbance, that people give in just to get peace. He doesn’t need delicate strategy. Lung power and self-absorbed determination suffice beautifully to allow him to get his way. Perhaps helpless is not the right word. Vulnerable, yes—but helpless, no.

  It’s a cinch to recognize the physical appearance of the ram. Aries people have decided features, usually sharp, seldom soft or blurred. The well-marked brows often join with the narrow bridge of the nose in forming the sign of the ram, perhaps as a warning to anyone with the silly idea of trying to stop or conquer him that those symbolic horns mean business. You may notice a mole or a scar on the head or face, a reddish cast to the hair in the sunlight, and more color than average in the complexion. You may also sense invisible sparks shooting ou
t in all directions. The movements will usually be quick and capable, with a mental process to match. Both the male and female rams normally have broad shoulders, and they may walk with the body slightly bent forward, leading with the head, so to speak, and almost always in a great hurry. (Often, they’re in a hurry to get to a brick building to knock down, though their horns may get bent in the butting.) There’s little that’s graceful about the ram, unless it’s his smooth way of handling a crisis (which never fails to surprise people who underestimate him). The bone structure is fine and strong, and few Aries people slump. Their posture reflects their supreme ego and self-confidence. If you see an Aries with drooping shoulders, he’s probably a sheep type, who was badly hurt in the ego when he was young. It may take him some time to recover, if the wounds went deep, but he’ll straighten up someday. You can count on it. Nothing keeps these people down forever, failure least of all.

  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.