April March 21- April 19: Aries

In ancient Rome, March was the first month of the year, as war god Mars (Ares in Greek) was their favourite god. The constellation Aries (or “ram”) is still the first sign of the Zodiac. It represents the “chrysomallus”, the winged ram with the golden fleece, that rescued two children from their wicked stepmother. At Kolchis, the ram’s fleece was exhibited in honour of the gods. Later, prince Jason of Iolkos would be sent out to retrieve it, on his famous mission with the “Argonauts”. As Aries is the first sign – which suits them, because they really like to be number one - they haven’t taken in lessons from the previous signs, so they could come across as impulsive and overconfident. But it also means they face the most challenging situations with boldness and ambition. As the sign is ruled by Mars, an Aries likes things to move quickly. They live in the moment, and can just as easily explode with anger as burst into laughter. Yet, they are loyal friends, and will lift everyone’s mood with their contageous optimism.

Ares kneeling, volute crater, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Construction of the Argo, terracotta bas-relief, British Museum, London, UK