... 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 selfrespect. 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 ner 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.
