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is the natural enemy of collectivization, because collectivization destroys myths and takes away the whole drama of the oppressor and the oppressed.
There is definitely a chivalric quality about Aries. Not that he's unsophisticated; some of the most polished, brilliant, intellectually aware statesmen and thinkers are Ariens. But deep in the Aries soul, the age of Courtly Love isn't over. He's still looking around for the knightly order, the Round Table which can join to declare himself a True and Devoted Knight, and also for the damsel in distress that he can rescue. You might notice that Aries is very concerned for damsels in distress. Half the fun of a relationship for Aries is the whole chivalrous display of the rescue. Then the knight rides away again, of course. Knights never stay home and fix the fuses in their castles. They need adventure; otherwise they go pale and lifeless and distressed. And Aries needs adventure. It might be making money, or establishing a school, or developing any new idea which is bound to change or alter the world around him. But adventure he must have. Contentment and serenity and sameness give him psychic indigestion.
The ruler of Aries is the planet Mars, the mythological god of war and passion. All his qualities, when you read about them in such sources as the Iliad, sound like Aries exaggerated. He's courageous to the point of foolhardiness, and his courage is mixed with the liberal dash of personal glamour. (Behind-the-scenes courage is more a Scorpio trait, the darker face of Mars). If you read history, you will come across some interesting descriptions of the age of chivalry, and one of the most interesting is the Hundred Years War. The flower of French knighthood lost some disastrous battles at Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. They all behaved like Ariens. There was no discipline in the French ranks, largely because each knight was so committed to his own honour and prowess that he couldn't receive orders from a superior. They fought constantly among themselves, because there was no real spirit of cooperation; every knight was a nobleman, and every nobleman an autocrat. They overweighed themselves with flamboyant armour and banners to the point where if a knight fell off his horse there was no way he could get up again without the help of a couple of squires - or a crane, which hadn't been invented yet. Notice the Aries trait? Naturally the English armies, much better disciplined although far less colourful, mowed them down. Not all Ariens get mowed down, of course. But often this quality of foolhardiness takes a few years before it's tempered by the realities of life. Ariens tend to grow up late. It takes a few hard knocks and a few confrontations with other people's stubborn resistance to teach them that it can't all happen right this minute according to their own unique creative vision.
Aries will always behave with honour toward both friend and enemy alike; he will be generous and loyal to his friends, and, although scathingly contemptuous, will rarely stoop to revenge or petty behaviour toward his enemies. He does tend to make a few enemies, though, and not just because he's inclined to be rash and impulsive. He also inspires a kind of mean jealousy in other people, because in one way or another he's just a little larger than life. He tends to mythologize himself, and act accordingly. There is also a strong streak of impatience bordering on arrogance in Aries; he doesn't suffer fools gladly, or insubordination, or slowness, or stupidity, or indirectness. In fact, he just doesn't suffer gladly at all, unless it's noble suffering.
Like all the fiery signs, Aries is a child at heart. This sometimes means he can be childish; at other times it means he's childlike in the most spirited, warm-hearted way. He can get wildly excited and heated up over things which other, more jaded souls simply miss or overlook; no matter how old he is, from six to eighty, he can still throw himself into his work or his special projects with enthusiasm and energy. Many Ariens are so infuriatingly energetic that you get tired just watching them. They rush about with eighteen irons in the fire, all heating, as though they had some kind of invisible pill which made it unnecessary to eat, sleep, rest or contemplate. This quality of dynamic energy is one of the most noticeable things about Aries. That, and the fact that he's
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