Rāśi 1 · Meṣa · Mesha
Aries
Movable fire, ruled by Mars — beginnings taken without waiting for permission.
- Modality
- Cara — movable. Initiates, changes, does not stay.
- Element
- Agni — fire. Direction, will, visibility.
- Ruled by
- Mars
The first sign, and movable fire. A graha in Meṣa acts first and considers afterwards — it starts things, and its characteristic failure is starting more than it finishes.
Mars rules it, so anything placed here takes on some of Mars’s quality: force applied directly rather than negotiated. The Sun is exalted in Meṣa and Saturn is debilitated, which tells you most of what you need: this is a sign for assertion, not for patience.
- initiative
- directness
- speed
- competition
- the head
Source: BPHS ch. 4; Sārāvalī ch. 3