By: Gabriel A. Guzman, MSA Graduate Assistant
“this Aries season I want us to think about pleasure” – Gabriel A. Guzman
Aries astrological season begins on March 20th to April 19th. Aries is a fire sign and its astrological symbol is represented by the ram constellation. Those born under the sign of the ram are known to be energetic, adventurous, dynamic, and impulsive. I would also add spontaneous, self-serious, drifting, and nurturing.
The Aries modality is cardinal. People born with a cardinal modality are known for being traditional, reasonable, and natural-born leaders. Each of the cardinal signs usher in a new season, or in others serve as initiators.
This brief article is written by an Aries and aims to synthesize and provide insight to what it is like to be an Aries during their astrological season.
The beginning of Spring is upon us and with that comes brighter, longer, and hotter days. Aries season defines this trajectory.
I want to underscore pleasure especially during this transition. Pleasure is a complicated notion for us all. Within those complexities, arises an embodied story. Other times, we may seek punishment as pleasure because we feel like pleasure warrants punishment. Pleasure is unwarranted and emerges through the challenge of creativity. Pleasure must be earned but must resist being simply compartmentalized as a reward.
For me, prioritizing pleasure has been a tool of world-making possibilities. I believe it can for you, too. In prioritizing your pleasure you’ll discover that this praxis is not solitary but always a politically charged act. Participating in acts of pleasure is a relational process, think of this as a being beside with something. Pleasure is about understanding that the world exists to serve life and not capital.
This blog excerpt from Alice Sparkly Kat (my favorite online astro-resource) follows through this playful reimagining of working through pleasure during the Spring: “When you doubt your responsibility to pleasure, consider watching a cat when it demands to play. My cat doesn’t doubt her right to fun. She brings her favorite toy to me with her mouth, stands up on hind legs, and clings her front paws onto my leg while meowing in a demanding tone. If I don’t get up, she jumps right onto my keyboard. She doesn’t care that I’m working. She doesn’t try to control my reactions and she doesn’t live in fear that I will not accept her desire for pleasure. She simply asks for what she wants. If I don’t give her what she wants, she makes a stink face. She doesn’t punish me.”
I find that this metaphor of the cat urges us to continue asking for the things that we want. Being critical of ourselves allows us to anticipate rejection which can interrupt our change to experience rejection. It is important to allow ourselves the time regardless of the lack of time. The connection between capitalism and productivity is a threat to us leaning into pleasure as a valuable praxis for ourselves (and besides others!)
Allow this cat to be your role model this Aries season. Manifest and declare the things you know you exactly want. If you don’t get what you want, it is okay to recognize and acknowledge your disappointment. In doing so, don’t punish yourself for asking what you want when you don’t get what you have asked for. The lesson here is not to be afraid of the art of demand even if the world quivers from that ask.
Something that has resonated with this Aries season is being okay with wasting some time. Letting go of my desire to always be in control has helped me learn experientially (i.e: almost missing a plane, overpacking for a two-day road trip, watching Nicki Minaj explained theories on YouTube). Accepting that I can’t and won’t always learn from trying to dictate my time has been key. I find myself this Aries season especially learning from giving myself the time and space to imagine.
Again, centering your pleasure and honing your time echoes the message the notion that we do not live long enough to always prioritize using our time productively. It is the whimsy from these moments of just being that enables ongoing curiosity. The most generative lessons that I am working through is negotiating between moments of uselessness and being useful. Allowing yourself to impactfully rest in a way that inspires you is where I find revivification. No guilt trips, no procrastination, and no self blame—just waste your time. I hope that my meandering thoughts around experience have been as reflexive to you as they have been for me.
Here are some invitational questions to consider for March 2021 [Borrowed from Alice Sparkly Kat]:
- What do you want to demand? Why are you afraid of being demanding?
- What does your body anticipate when you start to acknowledge what it is that you want?
- What happens if you stop trying to avoid rejection and accept that you cannot control when it happens?
I also want to leave everyone with this note as you navigate relationships during the Aries astrological season. Most of these asks have begun to unfold for me:
Cited article/helpful links