Like Glinda the Good Witch, “I know about popular.”
Writer, drug enthusiast and legendarily bad marksman William S. Burroughs said of popularity, “I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them. I don’t care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do…My affections are not spread all over Hell in a vile attempt to placate sulky, worthless s–ts.”
Old Bill understood that living true often means falling on the other side of popular. His stance speaks to the spirit of Aries, the cardinal accelerant of the zodiac. First born but nobody’s favorite they’re out of the gate running, guns blazing, hair on fire with no time for niceties.
While Scorpio and Gemini are oft maligned in internet memes and casual conversations they are not expressly unpopular, that distinction belongs to the hell cat rulers of the first house of the self. As lords of that particular manor, the emphasis for Aries is on meeting their own needs as quickly and directly as possible.
Cardinal energy initiates and cardinal fire sign energy is intent on clearing the path and lighting the way for fresh ideation and decisive effort. Ruled by war boner planet Mars, Aries is doubly action oriented.
Unbound by the need to please or be liked, they are here with a battle plan to raise, rage and set purposeful fires. Kind but not necessarily nice, Aries abjectly refuses to cosign anyone’s bulls–t, they’re going to give it to you straight no chaser and most of us prefer a sidecar of subtlety with our hard truths and marching orders.
In fairness, Aries can be abrasive but they are always authentic. They are unpopular not because they are unlovable but because they refuse to be palatable.
The word popular derives from the Latin popularis, “Belonging to the people, general, common; devoted to or accepted by the people; democratic.” By this definition, Libra, the sign that sits opposite of Aries on the zodiac wheel also sits at the head of the popular kids lunch table.
Represented by the scales and balances, Libra rules the seventh house of partnerships. By contrast, the Aries archetype has no desire to be democratic, their modality is impatient, impulsive and insolent with little regard for the feelings of others. What they lack in tact (and my dudes, they lack) they make up for in heart and effectiveness.
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Active, willful and impenitent these people are physically incapable of hiding how they feel or steering clear of a fight.
Their bald honesty and confrontational nature can be off putting but it could be argued that their quick to temper quick to tamper approach is good for the complexion and healthier than stewing in racor or internalizing ire.
By and large and to our own detriment, we fear our anger and sidestep conflict and Aries serves to remind us that anger is an indictor of imbalance and conflict a conduit for breakthrough.
Aries folk will not apologize for who they are or what they want which makes them unpopular in a world that often demands we conform ourselves and contain our desires.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.