Aries - Astrology Aditi

A few weeks ago, a woman, who is a Pisces ascendant and had recently suffered the breakup of her romantic relationship, asked me why Aries and Pisces hate each other. Hate seemed like a strong word, so I assumed that she meant that the two are incompatible. Apparently the ex-partner is an Aries ascendant. This question left me somewhat bewildered because, as a Vedic Astrologer, I do not believe that a zodiac sign is inherently incompatible with any other. Sure. Factors in a person's horoscope can point to potential problem areas in a romantic relationship that should be addressed if it is to be successful. However, a blanket statement about Aries being incompatible with Pisces struck me as curious. I conducted a couple of Internet searches on the topic and was surprised, and a little bit dismayed, to learn that the belief about the incompatibility of Aries and Pisces is pervasive. So, I decided to address the issue here. Aries and Pisces neither hate each other nor are they innately incompatible. There are many successful couples that are these two zodiac signs. At the same time, Aries and Pisces are not innately compatible either. While each member of a couple brings their own unique challenges into a romantic relationship, its success or failure largely is dependent upon the level of commitment and amount of effort that the members put into it. So there you have it. There simply are too many factors, both inside and outside of Vedic Astrology, that can affect the success or failure of a marriage, relationship, or friendship. To ignore these in lieu of ascribing the failure of a relationship to another person's zodiac sign would be unwise. But doesn't each zodiac sign have certain characteristics? Yes. But characteristics is an unfortunate term because it suggests that they always are present in a given sign and that they do not change. A more appropriate one would be general tendencies. Whether a tendency is expressed in a particular at all and to what degree depends on various factors in your natal chart, along with the presence or absence of a large number of social influences. Now that we understand that Pisces and Aries are not inherently incompatible, let's investigate some stereotypical tendencies that might cause these two signs to clash. To get us started, I've assembled the chart below for easy reference. AriesPiscesEnergyMasculineFeminineRuling PlanetMarsJupiterExalted PlanetSunVenusDebilitated PlanetSaturnMercuryElementFireWaterModalityMoveableDualContrary SignLibraVirgo If you would like to know more about the general of these two zodiac signs, I recommend that you consult my articles Aries and Pisces. Aries likes action Aries is a fire sign and its ascendants tend to be assertive. They like to initiate things but do not always stay directly involved in them to completion, as is common for moveable signs. (For more information about moveable signs, I recommend that you check out my article 5 fundamental concepts in Vedic Astrology.) This is because their minds work at a very fast pace. They also tend to be impatient with details and are eager to move on to the next challenge. This might irritate Pisces. They are inclined to linger and savor the various processes involved in completing a project, particularly establishing deeper relationships with coworkers. Pisces are prone to discuss their feelings and want others to be supportive of their travails. The two signs could clash over this. Tensions might arise if Pisces feels pushed by Aries or Aries believes that Pisces is not keeping pace. The solution to this challenge is effective and respectful communication. Neither Aries or Pisces are particularly good at sharing their true feelings. Instead, they keep them bottled up inside. This can lead to distortions of reality. For example, Pisces might conclude that Aries only cares about their own recognition and Aries might believe that Pisces is deliberately slowing things down. Effective communication - expressing how you feel without being judgmental of the other person - can avoid potential problems escalating to the point of emotional outbursts. Pisces can talk too much At first, Pisces ascendants typically are content to passively listen to and observe others speaking. However, once given an opportunity, they will unveil all of the thoughts and advice that they've been amassing while listening. In doing so, they can drain all of the energy out of a room. Complicating matters, they do not have clear emotional boundaries. Consequently, some of their comments can be interpreted by others as hurtful, offensive, or betraying trust. This behavior can be annoying for Aries. Remember, they are all about action. Aries want to be moving, not sitting around casually discussing feelings and other things. Being action oriented also makes Aries impatient, which in turn can cause them to act impulsively. By always wanting to move things along, Aries can unintentionally deprive themselves of hearing valuable insights and ideas. It is somewhat ironic that Aries ascendants also are known for talking too much. They always make sure that their viewpoints are heard, at times to the point of imposing them on others. They also are very competitive. If you disagree with them, be prepared for a long drawn-out debate, in which they will treat it as a contest and seek to have the last word. Pisces are known for being tolerant of the idiosyncrasies of others, but will find Aries' style of communicating thoughts and ideas irritating. Pisces is more apt to prefer a give and take style. These factors are potential sources of tension for an Aries-Pisces relationship or friendship. However, they are not insurmountable. Developing a strong sense of empathy toward each other can help a lot. The two of you can learn to care for each other. Aries can easily recognize when Pisces is sharing too much and Pisces can identify when Aries is being overbearing. Aries has a volatile temper Aries ascendants can be quick to express anger. On the positive side, they are ready to fight for others and for what they believe in. But what happens when there is no pressing cause to defend? What happens to that rage energy? It remains inside Aries and it surfaces in unpredictable and sometimes destructive ways. Aries has a tendency not to think before they act, especially when they are angry. This can result in some unfortunate consequences. Pisces is inclined to be intimidated by confrontation and, let's face it, a person raging with anger is the quintessential form of confrontation. In this situation, Pisces tends to escape. However, this is inadvisable and can create conflict. The legendary rage of Aries usually burns out quickly. In most cases, they simply want to be heard and understood. By escaping, physically or emotionally, Pisces could inadvertently fuel the fire of Aries rage for a longer period. Pisces tends to be much more subdued when they are upset, often expressing anger in a passive-aggressive manner. This too can create conflict. Aries doesn't deal well with nuance. They like things to be direct. Pisces can be indecisive Some people experience difficulties in making decisions because they feel overwhelmed with the sheer number or types choices before them. The process can be agonizing. Pisces are not apt to struggle this way. Instead, the ideal for them would be to experience all of the choices concurrently. Of course, this isn't feasible so they just seem to oscillate between options. After all, when everything seems equally possible, choosing just one can become an impossible task. Aries would tend to experience great difficulty accommodating the indecision of Pisces. They are prone to be impulsive and make decisions without planning or fully thinking them through. Aries doesn't worry about a decision not working out. Their unbridled enthusiasm and optimism would lead them to just regroup and try another. Aries is egocentric As an action-oriented sign, Aries brings a lot of enthusiasm and optimism to any endeavor. They are natural leaders. Because of this, Aries can have a tendency to be overbearing. They believe that their ideas and opinions are more important than those of others. This can result in them downplaying or disregarding alternative points of view. At times they can come across as downright dictatorial, taking a "my way or the highway" approach and alienating everyone in the room. Pisces initially will be drawn to Aries enthusiasm and optimism, but will not react well if it becomes overbearing. They are free spirits that don't like feeling confined by others. Pisces likes to process feelings and will become lost in examining all points of view. Because of Aries' impatience, this likely will lead to tension. They experience difficulty identifying with the feelings of others unless they feel the same. Pisces is not very punctual Pisces ascendants are almost always late. This is because they spend more time lost in their own dream world than they do facing reality. Consequently, they are major procrastinators and wind up making people wait. Pisces tendency toward indecision comes into play here as well. After all, with so many things competing for their attention, many of which are in their make-believe world, it's difficult to prioritize. Pisces prefer to do things in their own unique way and do not thrive in situations where they have to follow a schedule. Therefore, despite procrastinating, their highly creative and imaginative mind enables them to accomplish tasks eventually in unique and surprising ways. Aries would find it difficult to tolerate Pisces chronic lateness and tendency toward procrastination. In fact, they would be downright incensed by it. They are impatient and want to get things going. On the other hand, Aries also would be attracted to Pisces' independent spirit and creativity. So, they might be willing to accommodate a certain amount of procrastination. Final Thoughts Let's get this straight. Aries and Pisces probably will experience some difficulties, but they most certainly do not loathe or hate each other. I have explored some of the most popular stereotypical observations about Aries and Pisces that might lead people to believe that these two zodiac signs are incompatible. The key word here is stereotypical, which is an exaggeration of peculiarities exhibited by some individuals in a group that are inappropriately applied to all members of the group. Few, if any, individuals that are Aries or Pisces ascendants exhibit all of the tendencies listed above all of the time. Our lives are more nuanced than that. Vedic Astrology also is more nuanced than the rigid set of characteristics ascribed to each zodiac sign that too often are referred to as absolute, especially in cyberspace and popular media. As I said at the beginning of this article, no two zodiac signs are intrinsically incompatible. All friendships and romantic relationships experience challenges. But challenges do not automatically signify incompatibility. On the contrary, challenges often create opportunities for two people to grow closer. It is our level of commitment to open and honest communication, our willingness to empathize and compromise, and the degree of effort that we put forth to make a friendship or relationship work, that will determine its success or failure over time. Vedic Astrology definitely can help you in your journey, but it cannot dictate it for you.