So are you a cowardly custard?
I’m not frightened.
Neither am I frightened.
Well, then, take it.
Well, then, you take it.
Rams are winners. Indisputably. Winning is their chief occupation. They list it that way on their resumes. Occupation: WINNING! Whatever the game may be—love, friendship, business or family life—they’ll win it. That puts Aries right at the top.
Leos don’t waste their valuable time trying to win anything. They don’t need to compete. They were born superior to everyone else, clearly the most important person in any love, business, friendship or family contest. That puts Leo right at the top too—with much less effort and energy. The question is, will there be room at the top?
Well, yes … in a large arena with lots of space, they could each grab a share of the spotlight and sweet rounds of applause. But on a stage of any smaller dimensions, like an office, schoolroom, apartment or house—it might get a little crowded. Something would have to give. Namely, someone’s gigantic ego.
I’m not going to fool around with tact. It will hurt less if the message is direct and swift. It is the ego of the Ram that must bend and bow to the majesty of Leo, because the Lion and Lioness were born to lead, born to command, born to be first—BORN FREE! That means free of anyone’s domination, including the government, the Internal Revenue, employers, teachers, neighbors, friends, relatives, astrologers—and especially pushy Rams. The Aries half of this team will have to be content with knowing he or she can fight any of the other Sun Signs and win.. (well, maybe not Scorpio).
But all is not lost. (Aries considers nothing lost, just temporarily misplaced.) When I said Aries can’t win against Leo, I meant in the sense of grabbing the trophies in front of an audience. Privately, the Ram can win just about anything from the Big Cat, simply by listening respectfully to those long, Leonine lectures, heaping on the praise—and keeping personal intentions and opinions to himself (or herself). The first part is easy. Aries enjoys lifting people’s spirits, and showering compliments on anyone who excites the Mars admiration of power and strength (which Leo has in abundance). However, keeping quiet about the ultimate goal is a tough order for most Rams. Aries people do like to boast about it when they win an election, a kewpie doll at the carnival or an argument. Too much bragging in this double Fire Sign combination, and the Leonine half of the team may stalk off in injured dignity, when it becomes obvious that he (or she) is being manipulated or out-staged, either of which shatters Leo’s pride. It’s no coincidence that a group of Lions is technically termed a pride.
If a Lion or Lioness is in a position where stalking off in injured dignity is not possible (like an under-age child or a legal mate), he—or she—will sit in a corner and pout, looking out with reproachful, sad eyes, and stroking his or her vanity. Then too, there’s always the chance that Leo will roar like the MGM Lion, and fiercely attack the injustice perpetrated by a mere peasant. That can be dreadfully noisy. It’s safer for the Ram to allow a Leo of either sex to believe that he (or she) has won any game the two of them might be playing. No one, in or out of the jungle, can be as magnanimous, cheerful and just plain huggable as an emotionally and physically pampered Leo. Pampering, however, is a talent in which Aries definitely does not excel.
Aesop, in his fables, points out how easy it is for the Lion to be managed by a lesser animal, the jackal. When the Lion becomes furious with him and roars in great anger, the clever jackal restores himself to royal favor easily—simply by reminding the Lion, at the height of his rage, that he’s the King of the Jungle, the Ruler of All Beasts, and therefore mustn’t expect too much from a lowly jackal. It works like a charm.
The trouble is, a Ram is not a jackal. Aries is more likely to order Leo, in the heat of battle (and oh! there will be battles) to either give in—or get out. This will immediately create an emotional dead-end street. Since giving in is a total impossibility for a Leo—and getting out is a cowardly action, beneath the dignity of royalty (what true monarch ever retreats?), the Lion or Lioness is left with no choice except to roar louder, with increasing arrogance. Eventually, when Aries discovers that even a Ram’s tough horns will not topple that splendid Leonine courage and stamina (emotional, mental and physical), it’s all over but the shouting, which can last an exhausting length of time, since both these Sun Signs are rather fond of dramatic speech and posture.
How dare you! Don’t raise your voice to me! Don’t give me orders! You won’t get away with that! I will not do as you say! Oh, yes you will! This has gone far enough! Do you know who you’re pushing around? You will do as I say! Never! Do you hear me? NEVER! It goes on—and on—and on. If they sold tickets, they’d have a packed house. Nothing on or off Broadway has the dramatic impact, suspense and action these two manage to pack into each Act of one of their Ego plays—and the Finale inevitably calls for an Encore. I know one Aries-Leo pair who punctuate their turbulent sessions by taking turns flipping the volume up on the record player. Even a hard-to-please Broadway critic would call it a hit musical.
However, although Leo must win in the final analysis, this Sun Sign is not a conqueror to be feared, ready to grab the spoils of war and grind the vanquished beneath his (or her) boots. Both the Lions and Lionesses are noted for their generosity and nobility of attitude toward the defeated. Of course, it must be admitted that Rams are not good losers. But if it’s possible for Aries to ever lose gracefully, it will be with a Leo.
These Sun Signs are astrologically trine (harmonious) and influenced by the magical 5-9 Sun Sign Pattern (see the Sun Sign Patterns section in the front of this book). Therefore, each senses the other’s superior qualities, when compared with anyone else either of them knows. Since a genuine admiration for each other is seldom lacking, when peace descends and an armistice is declared, it’s often full of vows (dramatic, naturally) of eternal loyalty and devotion. Until the next battle. Then it starts all over again.
In the family circle—in the classroom or office—or between lovers or legal mates—the relationship can be a warm and happy one, as long as Aries is willing to look up to Leo as a guide, preceptor, counselor or teacher—and as long as Leo continues to wrap Aries in the cozy warmth of the kind of loving kindness and protectiveness the Sun-ruled can give so effortlessly. It will be, on the whole, a successful association, even though not always tranquil, because the Aries-Leo relationship is blessed by the grace of the magical 5-9 Sun Sign Pattern vibration. Leo will provide plenty of sincere and extravagant compliments, something Aries needs as the flowers need rain. And vice versa. Totally vice versa. Both Aries and Leo not only seek appreciation, they quite frankly demand it. If one of them has a conflicting Moon Sign or Ascendent, their quarrels may be more serious and hurtful; yet forgiveness is, even then, usually the final resolution.
One trouble area will be those long dissertations of wisdom from Leo, which often begin with the words, Now, listen to me, and I’ll explain how wrong you are. Since the Ram has enough trouble coping with bossy people in day-to-day living, to be forced to sit through the same sort of thing each night at dinner may ignite the very short fuse of the Mars temper…. but I’ll tell you a secret. Actually, Aries will privately give Leo a lot of credit, and sincerely respect the advice given so freely and constantly, a lot more than he or she lets on. This may be because the advice given by a Leo to Aries is so frequently cushioned in real affection and concern. Rams desperately need loving guidance, and the chances are better than average that they’ll get it from the Lion—or Lioness. As long as it is clearly loving, not arrogantly authoritative.
If only the Ram could learn to ask Leo to do things, instead of commanding, Do it now, and don’t ask questions—the relationship between them would be smoother. No one orders royalty around like that, not even Prime Ministers. It requires lots of effort for the Mars-ruled Ram to learn to be more gracious when trying to get Leo to do something, but it’s an effort that must be made, or the struggle for dominance will disintegrate into continual dispute.
When there is mutual consideration, this can be a singular and extraordinary relationship, for Leo senses the hidden insecurities and dependency just behind the spectacular, brave Aries personality, and knows the Ram’s surface sureness is not backed up by inner conviction—while Aries will grow to depend on Leo, not just for the well-organized Leonine mind and steadiness in a storm, but also for the ability of his (or her) sunny nature to give warmth and meaning to each moment of life. The Ram knows how quivering and sensitive Leo’s heart really is, never mind the cover of superiority and bravado. These two have much natural sympathy. You can tell it when they smile at each other. It’s a strangely intimate smile, a grin of gratitude that says: Thanks for understanding me—I understand you too.
In each other, Aries and Leo will find the excitement they are constantly searching for. They’re both essentially dynamic personalities, driven by a desire to live life fully, missing nothing. They know that stars grow wild, like a field of daisies, somewhere high above and beyond the banal and the mundane. And even though their goals may be different, unless one of them had the Moon or Ascendent in a more financially cautious sign at birth, like Cancer, Scorpio or one of the three Earth Signs, they both believe in arriving at their destinations by traveling First Class, not just in a material sense but in every way. That may need some careful thought to be comprehended.
We can take the world others created or imagine a new world. Aries and Leo would rather imagine a new one into manifesting, maybe the kind they dreamed of when they were children. This may be it, they muse when they meet, or at least the start of that new world. There’s no telling where it will lead. but it won’t be boring.
Aries Woman and Leo Man
How clever I am, he crowed rapturously, oh, the cleverness of me!
Wendy was shocked. You conceit, she exclaimed…. of course I did nothing!
You did a little, Peter said carelessly, and continued to dance.
A love affair between a Lion and a Ram, although it can be a warm and wonderful experience, will also produce frequent emotional storms—especially when they’ve frozen each other’s considerable pride into icicles. But icicles melt quickly between two Fire Signs, and storms have a way of clearing the air, so that afterward, everything looks all fresh and green again.
It often starts like this: he promises to call her at five o’ clock, then doesn’t phone till midnight, and refuses to apologize. He tells her she can’t spell, and she wears too much makeup. Then he tells her to shut up, and listen to him for a change. He does what?
Well, that slices it. She’s had enough of his overbearing arrogance, and impulsively decides to toss him out of her life. Who needs him anyway, with his bossy Napoleon routine? She does.
With all her independent I can take care of myself airs, at last she’s found someone who knows she can’t, and who calls her bluff. It’s no good telling him to go get lost. That’s just what he won’t do. Later, she’ll remember how his voice was warm and gentle when he finally called, never mind the lateness. She’ll recall how affectionately he scolded her about the purple eye shadow, and spelling cat with two t’s. Maybe he was only being tenderly protective instead of insufferably condescending and …. . maybe she should forgive him. (She might as well. She’s been conquered. Now she knows how Josephine felt, not to mention France.)
It won’t be long until he’s instructing her in all sorts of things she wasn’t even aware she didn’t know until he came along to point out her ignorance. What’s more, she’ll shock herself by blissfully basking in it. Of course, after the novelty wears off, she’ll come down off the ceiling and top him a few times, just to keep the score from getting lopsided—and her Big Cat will discover how a Lion feels in a cage with a Lion tamer. First surprised, then resentful.. then outraged. But finally subdued. Or at least, finally willing to smooth the rough edges of his superiority complex. Actually, her fiery temperament is all right with him, as long as it doesn’t reach the place where it interferes with—or outshines—his own. It never will. He’s concerned over nothing, really. Since when did Mars ever outshine the Sun? Interfering with his own is another matter.
This is the powerfully magnetic 5-9 Sun Sign Pattern, and so, when these two Fire Signs see Venus together, the romantic scene is explosive, but it’s also a blinding light turned on an enchanted garden. Maybe those old dreams he packed away aren’t so impossible after all. They’re his dreams, aren’t they? That’s enough to make her positive they’ll come true—and Mars faith makes mountains fly! As for her domineering ways and flashing independence, these are only distress signals for someone to guide her in the right direction. Isn’t that what Lions do best—organize other people’s lives, and save them from their own mistakes? She’s certainly a challenge, and when did a Leo ever run away from a challenge? She may sock him in his masculinity with some rough blows, but Lions aren’t weaklings. He should just sock her right back (figuratively) and let her know that he’s the one who whistles for taxis and things. After he directs her Mars energy into his own groove, he can relax—while she supplies all the fire he needs, when he needs it—and he does need it.
Since he’s more practical and sensible (Leo is a Fixed Sign, remember), she’ll sometimes accuse him of being pokey and stuffy. Since she has more instant vitality, sometimes he’ll accuse her of wearing him out. Eventually, she’ll loosen him up—and he’ll slow her down—so it will come out even, and they’ll both be ahead. Most of their quarrels will be instigated deliberately anyway, on a subconscious (occasionally conscious) level, for the pure pleasure of making up and reassuring themselves of each other’s love. Reconciliations provide the repeated thrill of feeling the magic all over again. Their friends may wonder why they stay together, fighting the way they do, but they’ll know why.
For one thing, they don’t spend all their time together in dispute. Influenced by the 5-9 vibration as they are, they will have many moments that will be marvelous and mad, merry and miraculous, full of lilacs and raindrops, druid dust, violets and enchanted carousels. Her genuine guilelessness moves him strangely, touching a chord of response in his own idealistic heart. Her sparkling excitement is contagious, matching his own sunny enthusiasms. Aries is the symbolic Infant of the zodiac (as explained in The Twelve Mysteries of Love section in the front of this book); therefore her naivete and air of innocence stir some deep well of tenderness in him. He’s compelled to protect this bright, brave spirit, who, like the real infant, hasn’t the slightest notion how many yawning chasms lie in wait for her to stumble into . . in the darkness. He’ll help her avoid them, affectionately, with his wiser, more mature judgment, for Leo is ahead of Aries on the karmic wheel of life.
She will, living up to the infant essence of her Sun Sign, stop demanding her needs, and lose her fear of falling with no one there to catch her, once she’s experienced the warm security of the Lion’s devotion. His strong arms will catch her if she falls, and he’s clearly capable of meeting . . any needs . . she may have. And so, she relaxes, becomes calmer, more tranquil … gently soothed by the Lion’s loyal lullaby of love. A Mars-ruled woman admires strength, of both the physical and the moral sort, and this man possesses it. She will place her trust in no other kind of male, however much she may struggle against submission.
Aries and Leo strike a powerful vibration of physical response in each other, which is intensified by constant emotional stimulation. Sexual expression between them can be wonderfully healing, because each fulfills what the other requires of mating: passion, blended with affection. That’s not as common a need as you may think. Most people desire—and are able to give—only one or the other, not both. The result could be a stirring of feelings they both thought were safely buried with the lost ideals of childhood. That’s pretty heady stuff, the kind of happiness they’ll pursue together at almost any cost in temporary tears or heartache … or punctured pride. But Leo won’t pay the price of being possessed for it. He wants to roam the jungle, unfettered by the clanking chains of jealousy. So does she. Therefore, does the freedom bit work both ways?
It does not. She’ll have to give him plenty of rope, while he’ll permit her just about enough with which to hang herself. As frustrating as it is for the Aries woman to turn the other cheek to her Leo lover or husband, it’s immeasurably more agonizing for the proud Lion to humble himself. Humility is a virtue he constantly preaches but nearly never practices. She’ll have to be the one to forgive first, and try to understand. I wish her luck and courage. She’ll need it.
Their sexual compatibility will not be without some sharp growing pains. A female Ram has this strange quirk. She knows how small her chances are of finding a male virgin, but she comprehends this with her head. Her Mars-ruled heart has other ideas. Incredible though it may seem, she’d like to believe she’s the first woman he’s ever touched, whispered to or conquered sexually. Since romance is as natural as breathing to Leo males, she’s indulging in a vain hope. When she prods him into admitting every passionate sigh in his past, with names, dates and places included, this fact will be driven home. All right, so he’s made love to other women. She’ll accept that, though it will be painful. (Rams always face unpleasant truths with courage, once they’re recognized as inevitable.) But another shimmering Aries dream must yet be subjected to the cold, hard realities of human nature. It doesn’t have to follow that he enjoyed it, does it? Perhaps he was seduced; maybe some vixen handcuffed him or tied him with ropes while he struggled desperately, and he still has nightmares about the ugliness of it all?
Now, there’s no use expecting a Leo male to plead frigidity. He’s too proud and honest. No, he wasn’t tied to the bedpost with square knots, or handcuffed. (Remember, we’re talking about romantic experiences before they met, past tense. There’s no way she’ll be able to forgive or forget a present or future tense infidelity, not after they’ve given themselves to each other, and made a commitment. It isn’t that she won’t forgive, she can’t. That’s the way Aries is.) Anyway, after she tricks him into relating his former affairs by touching his swollen vanity, he’ll hasten to tell her that he didn’t give his heart away to any of those women, not until he found her. But she may not hear him. She’ll be too busy picturing wild orgies. He doesn’t really belong to her, as he said. It was all an illusion. Her knight-in-shining-armour has muddy feet; his white horse has turned into a splotchy, grey donkey.
It’s this sort of shattered dream of misty purity that can destroy the sexual harmony between the Aries idealist and a Lion with a long romantic history behind him. Her past love life? That’s different. It will be rationalized away by a dozen different excuses. She didn’t enjoy it, you see. (I keep telling you that Rams are unintentionally selfish.)
There are two possible solutions. The first one is for her to grow up emotionally and realize that the Present, if it’s strong and beautiful and good, cannot be soiled by Yesterday, which is already gone and forgotten. In light of the typical Mars temperament, however, that solution is highly unlikely. It’s against her basic nature, unless she has a more detached and objective Moon Sign or Ascendent, like Gemini or Libra. (An Aquarian Moon or Ascendent will work too but may cause her to be too detached and objective to suit him, creating other problems.)
The best solution is for the Lion to tell her frequently and periodically about the negative reactions he had to his discarded past sexual experiences (till she feels safe from falling into the darkness of loneliness)—and then to enumerate all the aspects of his sexual fulfillment with her which are not only superior to the others but firsts, between them alone. There’s no need to explain here the meaning of the word firsts. Any Aries-Leo couple will immediately understand.
Her frank admiration of his courage and confidence and wisdom arouses all the Leo male’s masculinity (although she may also, at times, considerably dampen it with her other qualities). His firm refusal to be dominated brings out a latent femininity in her she never knew she possessed, and perhaps she didn’t …. . until him. However, although she may submit to her Lion emotionally and sexually, she’ll never give up her individuality and independence, not even for him. He needs large amounts of worship to feed his hungry ego, and to her worship is analogous to meekness, a quality she’s never acquired. Leo will give her ample opportunity to cultivate it. She knows he’s stronger than she is, and this turns her on. Yet, if he uses his strength to boss her around like an arrogant male chauvinist, it will turn her right off again. An Aries woman will never conform to any form of feudal feminine fiefdom. But she’d better take it easy if she wants to be liberated by this Lord and Master. When she demands her rights, he’ll roar at her in frustration a Great and Mighty Truth: I can only permit you to be my equal if you first acknowledge my superiority! It shouldn’t be difficult for an intelligent Aries female to interpret such a command. It simply means that a proud Leo King, whose supreme sovereignty has been properly and duly recognized, will then have the confidence and power to place his Aries Queen on a throne as high as his own, and allow her to reign beside him. (She can wear the diamond tiara, but he’ll hang on to the sceptre.)
She’ll admire him, respect him and love him intensely. She will also remain quite fond of herself, and of doing her own thing—though she may permit him to show her how to do it. There will be moments when he drowns her enthusiasm by scolding away her hopes with Leonine practicality. There will be other times when she wounds his pride by interrupting him, or forgetting to ask his advice. Then he’ll freeze her with his regal dignity, and she’ll outrage him with her stormy anger. But when his icy aloofness melts, and her fury subsides, happiness will always return to these two. After the flames of indignation have flared and died away, the overwhelming need to run into each other’s forgiving arms again will create the miracle of spring—eternal magic.
As with all 5-9 Sun Sign Pattern couples, the Ram and the Lion will discover that their devotion for each other spills over into a larger love and compassion, because their powerful trined Suns vibration is influenced by the benevolence of the 9th house ruler, Jupiter. Every 5-9 Sun Sign association in which the two people involved are really serious, feels Jupiter’s beneficent rays, to some degree, in their relationship. When you really love someone all the way through, I mean love him (or her) so much that everything seems to be part of everything else, you understand better how everybody feels. You know how it is with people when they hurt, when they’re lonely. Somehow, you want to share with them your own peace and joy. And in some manner, you find a way, together, to do this.
Love is a benediction to Aries and Leo because of what they see when they look deeply into each other’s eyes. He sees a woman vulnerable enough to need his wisdom, yet independent enough to challenge and stimulate him. She sees a man gentle enough to treat her tenderly, yet strong enough to protect and conquer her. And they both see…. something else…. some mystery of Yesterday, some promise for Tomorrow…. something they can’t define, accompanied by the music of memory. Between Aries and Leo, the chemistry is right. The moment they touch, then together make a wish on Venus in the morning sky, whole waiting galaxies of stars are watching in wonderous joy, and making a wish on them … in anticipation that the birth of love between these two might herald the long ago prophecies of Peace promised to the world … when the lamb shall lie down with the Lion.
Aries Man and Leo Woman
… and we return to them as their mouths close, and their arms fall to their sides. The pandemonium above has ceased almost as suddenly as it arose, passed like a fierce gust of wind; but they know that in the passing it has determined their fate.
A Lioness is not easy to live with, and sometimes just plain impossible to handle. She can be proud, aloof, vain, self-centered and arrogant. She can also be a strong, vital, warm and generous woman, if her obvious superiority is recognized and respected. Although she never surrenders herself lightly, with an Aries man who’s careful never to destroy her dignity, and who makes it clear how much he admires her, she will be unexpectedly docile. No one who knows her will believe it possible, because they’ve never seen her conform to anyone’s wishes as willingly as she does to his.
Astrology practically guarantees harmony and happiness to this 5-9 Sun Sign Pattern April-August relationship, especially if the aspect between their luminaries is beneficent. In this case, the affair or marriage could nearly be made in Heaven. Even when the Sun-Moon aspect in their comparative horoscopes is unfavorable, these two will tolerate each other rather well. He won’t mind her extravagance as much as a man born under one of the other Sun Signs would. In fact, he may encourage it. It quite probably matches his own. Of course, Leo women don’t like to admit they’re extravagant. They’ll tell you they are very economical, and in a way, some of them are. Leos can be level-headed and practical regarding normal expenditures, but they seem to go into a trance when it comes to luxuries, and frequently are penny-wise and pound-foolish. The Aries man is usually both penny-foolish and pound-foolish. If either of them has a thrifty Moon Sign or Ascendent, all this may not apply, but even so, sooner or later the two of them will reveal their Sun Sign essence in gestures of generosity. They both love giving and receiving gifts.
Not too surprisingly, the Aries man who loves a Lioness will encourage her to live up to her birthright pride and dignity. A queenly attitude becomes her, he believes. (It also makes him seem like a real winner for having managed to capture her.) Although the Ram expects other females to wait on him and to exist solely for the purpose of gratifying his desires, he’ll often display a softer side of his nature with this woman, be more considerate of her wishes. Perhaps he places her on a pedestal to win and keep her royal favors, but more likely the reason is that he honestly feels she deserves a bit of worship, because she’s so very special … so very much like him(!).
One of the happiest marriages I know is between a Lioness and a Ram, Rosemary and Norman. For years, he cheerfully fixed her meals, kept the house in order and coddled her lovingly to make sure she got enough rest, while she was moving smoothly through medical school, then post-graduate work, finally becoming a successful psychiatrist. The experience served to mellow his Aries me first nature considerably, without making a dent in his masculinity. Because Norman cherishes his beautiful Lioness, she treats him with a gentle graciousness that leaves no doubt which one is Tarzan and which one is Jane in their marriage. When she’s not working, Rosemary serves his meals; when she looks at him her brown eyes sparkle with real affection, and there is in her manner the quiet sweetness of a female who is completely fulfilled as a woman. He gazes at her with open admiration, even proudly permits her to be the center of attention when they have company; yet there’s always the distinct impression that he is the man of the house.
It’s not that these two don’t have their share of disagreements. Psychiatrists are no more immune from occasional emotional tension than dentists are immune from a toothache. But between Fire Signs, a temporary clash of wills brings the spice of excitement . . and the much-to-be-desired lifting of spirits that comes with making up. An occasional quarrel keeps Aries and Leo from taking love for granted, which can be boring and uninspiring. These lovers have a basic need for periodic re-charging of their initial passion.
Aries men are always driving hard toward some goal, and there’s a chance the Ram may be so intent on getting where he’s going he may fail to praise her enough. When a Leo woman feels she’s not being properly appreciated, she becomes cold, indifferent—and even lazy. She either neglects her femininity, taking no interest in her appearance (a sad and serious warning symptom of her inner agony), or she’ll turn to the opposite reaction, placing undue concentration on glamour, and openly soliciting the attentions of other men. The Aries male who will accept his woman’s flirtations or an actual affair with another man has not yet been born. The merest suggestion of infidelity will produce a wild scene of jealousy. In the long run, this may be helpful, if it causes him to realize he’s been neglecting to pay her the romantic homage she’ll always seek as long as she lives.
Actually, neither of these two can be said to be untouched by jealousy. Now and then, one may get the notion it might be fun to tease the other just a little by pretending an interest in another person. The resulting free-for-all between these two Fire Signs is usually about as fun as tickling an angry gorilla under the chin with a feather.
A Leo woman needs to be told frequently how much—and why—she is loved. Then she won’t be so suspicious of the time he must spend away from her. The Ram who spoils his majestic mate won’t be sorry. She may be somewhat demanding, but that’s not as hard to live with as her disposition when she’s neglected. When this woman fancies she’s being ignored, she will begin to attach unreasonable importance to trifles. The very same reaction to being ignored can be expected from the Ram. He can, with enough provocation, imaginary or real, be almost childish in his demands, downright petulant with resentment when he thinks he’s not being loved or noticed enough. Experiencing ingratitude will drive him into fiery anger—and her into frozen hurt. In both of them, the desire for adulation is over-emphasized, yet still a necessity for self-respect. When they don’t find enough of it in the outside world, which they seldom do, they can give this valuable gift to each other, to make up for the lack of it elsewhere.
Sexually, they are unusually well mated. Their mutual instinct for uninhibited passion in lovemaking is tempered with their shared need for tender affection. Although they are both lovers, in the warmest sense of the word, they are also both idealists. A gentle kiss on the cheek is as important to her, and to him, as the more erotic expressions of sexual Oneness. The Aries man possesses within his nature an abundance of both sentiment and fire, which never fails to bring an answering response from the Lioness. What they are both searching for, when it comes to physical fulfillment, is the wild abandonment of Lady Chatterley and her lover, mixed with the poetic tenderness of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning—in equal parts. The chances are much better that they’ll find this rare emotional blend with each other than with most others. If anything disturbs their idyllic sexual relationship, it will be his resentment of her old flames. Old flames have a way of never dying out with a Leo woman. The coals still burn, years later, not because she wants to rekindle a discarded affair, but because she’s reluctant to part with souvenirs of past worship and adoration. These memories never lose their luster for her.
If the Ram should come across any of her old love letters, which she may save and read periodically to feed her romantic hunger, he’ll be nearly as hurt and furious as if he had caught her in an actual act of infidelity. He’ll probably question her about her past loves reproachfully, whether she saved the mash notes or not. Since she’s sure to brag a little, perhaps even exaggerate the whole thing, he’ll lose his cherished illusion that he’s the only male who ever came close to conquering her—and losing that illusion can seriously harm their sexual harmony. Aries must be first (and last) in the game of love, as in every other game he plays. He also likes to be first in getting attention at parties; therefore he may not ignore any females who glance at him with admiring interest. (Rams are not selfish, just thoughtless sometimes.) What happens then? How can you ask? Remember that the Lioness wants everyone to know she’s adored by the man she has allowed to love her. He would be unwise to so humiliate her before others, however innocent his intent, because this woman will not tolerate such an affront to her dignity. She may be confident enough of her own charms to be certain that she’s adored by her lover or husband, but it’s important to her for others to be equally aware of this. Let him peel a grape for another woman in public, and he’ll see his bright, sunny and affectionate mate transformed into a clawing cat before his eyes … or worse, into a marble statue of icy disapproval. Later, when they’re alone, there will be an emotional explosion.
But they’ll make up, almost before her tears have dried . . and there will be another reason for him to tell her how dear she is to him, and mean it—another chance for her to let him know how much she needs him—another chance for both of them to assure each other how shallow they find other people after experiencing the depth of their own kind of love and friendship. For the Ram and the Lion are graced with this most desirable of all blessings from the gods—the ability to be friends, as well as lovers. They may take turns inflicting unintentional emotional hurt, but in every other way, they trust each other more than they trust anyone else. A disagreement always brings home this happy truth to them when it’s over. That’s the beautiful thing about quarrels between Aries and Leo, unlike quarrels between other Sun Signs. As the bitter chill in the air when you walk through winter winds makes the coming of spring a great miracle, the misery caused by hurt pride makes being happy together after almost losing each other even sweeter than before.
The impulsive, impetuous Ram will find a warm home in the heart of the Leo woman, and she will lionize her Aries mate. In return he’ll bring to her the splendid gift of himself—all of himself—and that’s something he never quite gave to anyone…. until he found her.
| Aries | Virgo |
| Fire—Cardinal—Positive | Earth—Mutable—Negative |
| Ruled by Mars | Ruled by Mercury |
| Symbol: The Ram | Symbol: The Virgin |
| Day Forces—Masculine | Night Forces—Feminine |