I’m edgy, impulsive, self-centered and an instigator. What are you?

When I was a child, I would read anything I could get my hands on. Cereal boxes, newspapers, whatever was lying around. And as the horoscopes were always near the comics, I would usually end up reading what the stars had in store for me long before I understood what any of it actually meant.

Then I became old enough to understand that it was a bunch of baloney. How is it that everyone who was born within a certain month would have similar fates for the day? Or even similar character traits?

But then one day, I must have been a freshman or sophomore in high school, my friend Susan brought over a book called “Love Signs” and we devoured it together. And oddly, as I read Linda Goodman’s description of Aries, I felt as if I was looking into a mirror. How could my date of birth explain so much about my character traits?

I still don’t know the answer to that. And what I know about astrology in general you could probably fit into a small box. I know enough to be confused: There are moon signs, rising signs. It’s not just about the day you were born but what time and where. For example, my sun sign is Aries, my moon sign is Sagittarius and my rising sign is Aries (yes, three fire signs, and yes, two Aries, which explains a lot.) 

If you want to learn about these, I’ll show you a quick place to do some research. Most of these astrology web sites are horribly designed and are full of pop-ups, but I did manage to come across some decent information.

Sun sign – Aries.

Of course, there’s a million and one things that can be said about sun signs. I’ll keep it brief.

Aries traits: Adventurous and energetic, Pioneering and courageous, Enthusiastic and confident, Dynamic and quick-witted

On the dark side …  Selfish and quick-tempered, Impulsive and impatient, Foolhardy and daredevil.

To read about your sun sign, click here. What does it say about you?

Moon sign – Sagittarius.

Adventurous, friendly, optimistic, full of ideas, always on the move. Likes outdoors and travel, hates anything boring and ordinary.

To read about your moon sign, click here. What does it say about you?

Rising sign – Aries.

“You express your vital energy in a very cut and dried way, you do not resist taking the driver’s seat and you may come across as arrogant. Charging ahead also implies hurting yourself and being suddenly overcome by doubt. As a result, your courage, your honesty, your enthusiasm and your straightforwardness may turn into aggressiveness, rebellion and vulnerability that no one ever suspected. Fortunately, the level of your energy is very high and your instinctive and pugnacious side will not leave you helpless for too long and will set you back on the often perilous road to conquest and glory.

With this Ascendant, you come across as courageous, enthusiastic, dynamic, quick, extroverted, direct, warm, impulsive, adventurous, bold, and competitive. But you may also be gullible, dominating, self-centered, impatient, foolish, thoughtless, childish, irascible, reckless, primary, with a foot in mouth disease.”

To find your rising sign, click here. What does it say about you?

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To dumb it down, the more I read about Aries, the more I know there was a reason I was born early (I would not have made such a great Taurus.)

Lately I’ve been following @zodiac facts on Twitter. I love it because I can get astrology fun facts while reading through my Twitter feed. Of course I think about people I know when I’m reading about their signs. Last night I decided to share some of the Aries traits on Twitter and Facebook. I’ll give you a few here, for those who are also Aries or for those who want an insight into my head …

• “Stick to your word, because an Aries has no tolerance for broken promises.”
• “As an Aries, you prefer to get emotions out in the open rather than gloss over unpleasantness for the sake of harmony.”
• “An Aries is well liked for their edge, so making new friends is never a big problem for them.”
• “As an Aries, your impulsive nature alone is enough to get you into some financial trouble.”
• “Aries are very loyal, but need to feel they are number one. It is hard for them to take a backseat to anyone.”
• “Don’t play games with an Aries, they’re far too intelligent and they’ll probably lose their tempers real quick.”
• “An Aries serve as the catalysts and instigators, inspiring others into action.”
• “Remember that an Aries has to be No. 1 — whether it’s by winning a triathlon or receiving your loving attention.”

I could go on and on but I’ll stop before I bore any non-Aries (although it really is about Aries, is it not? Kidding, kidding. Not really.)

So, what about you? What’s your sign, and what traits do you identify with? If you don’t, look up your moon and rising signs and tell me if that describes you better.