I read my Aries horoscope this morning, and there was a reference in it to the Golden Fleece. Having time on my hands now that I’m retired, I decided to look up the actual myth and see what it referred to.

I have believed that Aries the ram is known for head butting their way around. I have to admit, that I can be aggressive and when I know what I want, push until I get it.

The actual ram which symbolizes Aries, I found out this morning, is a WINGED ram. I never knew that. The myth is that the winged ram saved the powerless children of King Althamas and his first wife Nephele. Althamus had been convinced by his jealous second wife that the children must be sacrified.

The ram was sired by Poseiden, god of the sea, and Theophane, a granddaughter of Helios, the sun god. The children of Nephele were saved by this golden ram, who put them on his back and flew them across the sea to safety. Nephele’s daughter fell off the winged ram, into the sea, in the strait now named for her. The ram was later sacrificed by the son Phrixus to the Poseiden. The golden fleece was hung on a tree guarded by bulls with brass hoves and breath of fire, and a dragon whose teeth became soldiers when planted in the ground. The winged ram, upon sacrifice, became the constellation Aries.

Thus I discovered that while we Aries are aggressive, we generally use that agression to help the powerless. And when I read that I thought, Oh yeah. I spent a good deal of my life trying to save people who were lost. Lost in a way that they did not know their own worth. The winged ram did not push with his horns to save the children, he didn’t fight with anyone. He simply carried them on his strong back and flew them away from danger.

Somehow, that fine point of description of an Aries made me like my sign better. The strength, and aggressiveness of the Winged Ram is combined with a wish to save powerless, endangered people. The strength of Aries the Winged Ram is in his back. The shiny golden fleece makes them attractive to those who are ready for betrayal, according to astrology-zodiac-signs.com.

Which all hits home for me. I had a perception that I must always be aware of my tendency to push my agenda on others. That I was a ram, aggressive and pushy. With big horns, ready to butt my way into things. As it turns out I am a winged ram, who was not known for fighting, or pushing, but for saving people, for being courageous. Attracting people who want to be saved, as well as those who just want the golden fleece or some part of it. I think I’ve found both, sometimes in the same person. I still have all the other Aries traits, lol, like being impatient and short tempered. Well, we are all a work in progress, aren’t we?

It was an interesting foray into Greek mythology. It gave me some additional insight into my sign, and thus a better kind of understanding of myself. I’ll be honest though….I don’t want a relationship that involves saving anyone at this stage of my life. I am really looking for someone who has the strength and ability to save themselves. Just looking for a mutual admiration society, lol.

Love and light, all.