Aries in the Ancient Zodiac

Aries is the eighth sign in the Zodiac.

It shows the final result of the victory of the One who was to come—Jesus Christ. Aries is shown as a living ram (male sheep) with its head lifted up.

In modern horoscopes, if your birthday is between March 21 and April 20, you are called an Aries. These horoscopes claim to tell you how to find love, luck, money, and good health.

But what did Aries really mean in ancient times?

In Virgo, we saw that the Bible states that God made the zodiac constellations as Signs from the beginning of mankind. In this ancient story from the stars each chapter was for all people. Let’s look at the original meaning of this sign from the stars—given by God to teach all people.

Be Warned! Learning the true meaning of Aries might surprise you – leading you on a new journey, different from simply checking your daily horoscope…

Constellation Aries in the Stars

Here are the stars forming Aries. Can you see anything resembling a ram (male sheep) with its head held high in this photo?

Even when we connect the stars with lines, the image isn’t clear. So how did people long ago know it was a ram?

*Aries Constellation with stars connected by lines*

This sign goes back as far as we know in human history. In ancient Egypt, over 2000 years ago, a drawing of Aries was found in the Dendera Temple, circles in red below.

*Aries in the ancient Egyptian Dendera Temple Zodiac*

Below are traditional images of Aries that astrology has used as far back as we know.

What is the meaning of the Ram?

What is the significance for us?

The Original Meaning of Aries

In Capricorn, we saw a goat that died so that the fish (Pisces) could live. But Pisces also showed the fish still held by a band—this meant trouble, suffering, and death still affect us today. We grow old and die.

But Aries shows hope—a ram stepping toward the band to break it. This means freedom from death and decay is coming.

An amazing thing happened to that Goat (Capricorn) which died. The Bible tells it like this:

⁶Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. ¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” ¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹²In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” ¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” ¹⁴The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5:6-14

This Lamb is Jesus, who died but is now alive. This is the same as Aries, the living Ram. The Lamb was killed to take away sin and now lives in heaven.

Aries – The Lamb Who Lives!

The great news is that after being killed, the Lamb comes alive again – as planned from the beginning of human history. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, thinking back to the sacrifice of Abraham, he said:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29

Jesus died but rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion. After forty days with His disciples, the bible says He returned to heaven. He is alive, just like the living Ram in Aries.

Later, John saw in heaven:

⁹After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9-10

These are the people (shown by the fishes of Pisces,) who have followed Jesus (come to the Lamb). The bands of decay and death have been broken. Aries has broken the bands holding the fishes of Pisces. Now, they are free from death and have received eternal life.

Aries Horoscope in the Writings

The word horoscope comes from the Greek word “horo” which means hour or time. The Bible speaks about important times or “hours” (horo). But for Aries, the Bible uses a different word: “skopus”, which means to look at, think about or consider. Aries pictures the eternal Lamb of God thus giving no definitive time period to focus on.

We are told to consider the Ram himself.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking (Skopus) to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:3-11

There is no hour de-limiting Aries the Ram. But the Ram has gone through degrees of glory. First we see him in the nature (or form) of God. He planned from the beginning to be a servant by becoming a human and dying.

Virgo showed that He humbled Himself and became human. Capricorn expressed that He obeyed even to the point of death on a cross. Because of this, God raised Him to the highest place. Death was not the end – it could not hold him and now the Ram is lifted in heaven. Aries shows this journey: first going down in humility, then being lifted up in glory.

It is from this power that the Ram begins the final unit of the Zodiac, starting with Taurus. No longer the servant, He is preparing to come in Judgment to defeat his enemy, as Sagittarius of the ancient Zodiac story predicts.

Your Aries Horoscope Reading

You can apply the Aries message to your life in this way:

Aries declares that the brightness of morning comes after the dark night. Life has a way of bringing the dark night to you. You might be tempted to give up, quit or settle for something less than what you were made for. To find the resilience to keep on going you need to look past your circumstances and situation. You need to see your ultimate destiny.
You do so by scoping out Aries. If you belong to Aries you will ride on his coattails and he is at the highest place and he will take you there with him. For if, while you were God’s enemy, your relationship with him was restored through the Capricorn sacrifice, how much more, now being compatible with Him, will you be saved through Aries’ life? It is just that you have to follow his path, and his path went down before it went up – so yours will have to as well.
How to keep going? Rejoice in Aries’ life always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident in all your relationships. Aries is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, bring your requests to God. And the peace of God, which goes beyond your understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in The Ram. Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

In Summary:

Aries teaches us that after the dark night comes the bright morning. Life can be hard. You may feel tired, hopeless, or want to quit. But like Aries, your life has a purpose. Look beyond your problems. Think about your final goal. If you belong to Aries (Jesus), He will lift you up because He is already at the highest place. If you have been saved by His sacrifice (shown by Capricorn), you will also be saved by His life.

But remember: His path went down before going up. You will need to walk that same path—through hard times before glory.

The Return of the Lamb

This ends the second unit of the ancient zodiac story that focused on the benefits given to people who receive the gifts of Jesus’s (The Lamb) victory. Why not receive his gift of life?

The final unit of the Zodiac Story focuses on what happens when Aries the Ram returns – as he promised. This is said in the vision of the Lamb when John saw:

They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
Revelation 6:16

Think about good and pure things. Let your heart rest in God’s peace. This will give you strength to keep going, no matter what you face.

In the ancient zodiac this is shown in Taurus. See Virgo to begin that Zodiac Story.