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Aries tarot cards

21 Mar – 19 Apr (approximately) · Cardinal fire · ruled by Mars · suit of Wands

beginning · courage · initiative · impatience · self-assertion

Aries opens the zodiac at the spring equinox, and its cards carry the push of something starting. The Emperor gives it shape: a ruler who builds order out of raw will. Its three decans, the Two, Three and Four of Wands, move from a plan held in the hand, to ships watched on the horizon, to the first celebration of a home made. Mars rules the sign, so its energy is direct, quick to act and quicker to get bored. In tarot it is the part of a situation that wants to lead.

The cards of Aries

The EmperorMajor ArcanaThe Emperororder, authority, structureTwo of WandsDecan 1Two of WandsMars in Aries · 21 Mar – 30 Marplanning, looking ahead, a bold choiceThree of WandsDecan 2Three of WandsSun in Aries · 31 Mar – 9 Aprmomentum, expansion, foresight rewardedFour of WandsDecan 3Four of WandsVenus in Aries · 10 Apr – 19 Aprcelebration, homecoming, a milestoneQueen of WandsCourt card (modern scheme)Queen of WandsCardinal firewarm leadership, confidence, magnetism

Aries cards in a reading

When the Emperor and the early Wands gather in a spread, the reading is usually about taking the first step yourself rather than waiting for permission. Watch for the shadow too: a fight picked because it felt like movement, or a plan dropped the moment it needed patience.

Reading for an Aries

Reading for an Aries, give them something to do. Questions that end in an action land better than long reflection, and a reversed Emperor or Four of Wands often points to restlessness with a structure they built themselves.

A Aries season spread

Aries season (about 21 March to 19 April) suits fresh starts. Draw this before you begin something, then look back at the end of the season.

  1. 1. The spark: What is ready to begin in me now?
  2. 2. The first step: What one action starts it?
  3. 3. What tests my nerve: What will try my courage?
  4. 4. Fuel: What keeps the fire going once the novelty fades?
  5. 5. By the season's end: Where can this be by late April?
Draw the Aries season spread

Questions

What tarot card is Aries?
In the Golden Dawn system used by the Rider–Waite–Smith deck, Aries is The Emperor. Its three decans are the Two of Wands (Mars in Aries, 21 Mar – 30 Mar), the Three of Wands (Sun in Aries, 31 Mar – 9 Apr), the Four of Wands (Venus in Aries, 10 Apr – 19 Apr).
What court card is Aries?
In the modern scheme that gives cardinal signs to Queens, fixed signs to Kings and mutable signs to Knights, Aries (cardinal fire) is the Queen of Wands. Older Golden Dawn tables split each court card across two signs, so you will see other answers.
What planet rules Aries?
Mars rules Aries in classical astrology, whose tarot card is The Tower.
Can I use tarot without knowing astrology?
Yes. The astrology is one layer of meaning built into the cards; every card can be read from its picture and its written meaning alone. The correspondences help when you want another angle, or when several cards of one sign or planet turn up together.

Correspondences follow the Golden Dawn system the Rider–Waite–Smith deck was made within (tropical zodiac, dates approximate; they shift by a day in some years). Other traditions assign some cards differently. See the full table for all 78 cards.