As winter turns to spring, the skies heat up in March. While I wouldn’t say that this month is going to be entirely one of confusion, it will certainly be one in which we find things shifting rapidly and in unexpected ways.
Uranus moved into Taurus for a while last year, then retrograded back into Aries. Starting on March 6th, he’s in the sign of the bull to stay. Uranus in Taurus will have us moving in two directions at the same time: on the one hand, we’ll be embracing new technologies and innovations that will affect our bodies, the economy, and our food supply, while on the other hand, we’re likely to see a strong back to the land movement that rejects our cyber social world, Frankenfood, and screen-addicted lifestyles. On one side of the equation is Bitcoin, on the other is bartering. Uranus is great for pulling us in two directions at the same time, and while the split is likely to be very apparent on the collective level, each of us will also be feeling it within.
Mercury’s retrograde (March 5 – 28) deserves special attention this time around. Yes, the usual caveats about buying a car or computer, signing contracts, and communication snafus apply, and even more so with Mercury swimming along in Pisces, a sign in which he can struggle to keep facts straight. The power of the retrograde is amplified as Mercury meets Neptune on March 24th, and is extended by their meeting again on April 2nd.
With the Sun also meeting with Neptune on March 6th at the new moon, we might view the entire month as a time when we go within to reexamine. It’s an incubation period, a time when the creative potential grows within us and needs to be nurtured. April’s vibe will be much more outgoing – despite a host of retrogrades.
March
March begins with a flurry of activity that is likely to be confusing on many levels. Mercury stations to retrograde on the 5th, then Uranus moves into Taurus on the 6th, which is also the day of the new moon in Pisces, which is closely conjunct Neptune. While it’s usual to look for signs of how a planet will manifest in a sign on the day of its ingress, the message on the collective level is likely to be a confused jumble of misread facts and overblown reactions – even at the quiet of the new moon.
This new moon is a seeding time for our spiritual and imaginal journeying for the next year, and it is packed with creative potential. Yet it could be very difficult to figure out exactly what is being seeded. It’s a time to go within and trust your intuition, while keeping a skeptical eye on any facts that are presented to you.
Stretching towards mid-month, we have a period of relatively easy energy that can help to unpack the powerful but vague experiences of the first week of the month. While the time around the 13th to the 15th could see increased polarization and the tendency to bend data to fit opinions and beliefs, we’re generally inclined to review the claims and make informed decisions.
If the energy of early March pulls us inward, the full moon in in Libra on the 20th announces the awakening of energy. This full moon comes less than five hours after the Sun enters Aries, signaling the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and the beginning of the astrological year. It’s a time of beginnings, and is likely to feel like a bold wake-up call after some weeks of more internal focus.
Passions also start to stir, as Venus squares Mars and sextiles Jupiter on the 21st. These aspects, coming at the full moon, can push romance to new levels. There’s openness to new ideas, and a willingness to take the plunge around this time. What we struggle to say in words can find outlet in actions.
A different vibe prevails on the 22nd, as the Sun meets with Chiron in Aries. It’s the first time the two have met in the sign of the ram since the 1970s, so those of us old enough can look for some resonance with that time. For all of us, this aspect calls us to question our individuality – who we are and how we stand up for ourselves. With the full moon in relationship-oriented Libra still ringing in our ears, we consider how much we need to give to partners and partnerships, and how much we need to assert our independence.
As Venus slips into Pisces and sextiles Uranus a few days later, on the 26th and 27th, we can find ways to ease those relationship questions towards practical answers. Allow entrenched patterns to give way to more flexible, flowing approaches to partnership.
The time from the 24th through April 2nd is colored by Mercury’s station to go direct, conjunct Neptune. This is a very poor time for practical decisions – consider it a hyper-Mercury-retrograde period. Double and triple check all work, and defer important decisions if you can.