Astrology of March 2023
“It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer ( Natal Saturn in Pisces and Pluto in Aquarius)
March is the month when things that have been balancing on the thin line for years are finally being pushed over the threshold. So much is happening, but I want to say one thing that is essential to understand now. Astrology transits are not a one time event that we anticipate, fear monger around and shortly are done with. Astrology is a study of cycles that like rivers flow one into another, nothing is separate or unrelated. Thinking about these changes as the continual evolution of our experience can be very helpful. With that said, the changes that are coming in will unfold slowly and it will take time for us to grasp the deep meaning of these shifts in relation to our lives, both collectively and individually. With Saturn, Mars and Pluto changing signs this month, not even mentioning faster moving planets, we are gonna be tested on our ability to stay centered as everything around us is in flux.
Go slowly, observe the signs and listen, as the bells are going to be ringing all over. Awareness of what has transpired often doesn’t happen in the moment, it is a recollection of the event, it is the memory and it comes with time. Fear and doom can become a centerpiece when we sit in anticipation of a rapture, our job is to have this experience, and to hopefully grow into embodiment of the lessons it will teach us. March is a month when we need to listen as much as we can, we’ll get plenty of cosmic intel and as one version of reality is coming to a close and another is emerging, we shall be greatly expanded in the process.
March 1st - Venus conjunct Jupiter in Aries
March starts off with this very optimistic and hope infusing transit. Venus coming together with a great expander Jupiter is as benefic and sweet as it gets. These two have been hanging in the sky for a bit now, and what a supportive touch it brings to the place of our chart where Aries falls. With Jupiter and Venus in the house of Mars we can be sure that impulsivity, desire for pleasures and fiery need to stand up for what is of value to us will all come up one way or another. Indulging in things that are actually distracting us from the opportunity to make a leap through a lot of obstacles is very possible here, just be mindful.
As this conjunction is squared by the Moon in Cancer, if we do not feel safe within our immediate environment, making positive changes can feel a bit unsettling or uncomfortable, make sure to find enough inner stillness today to see through the deeply rooted ways of self preservation, that are not preserving anything anymore. Chiron in the close proximity to this conjunction is a call for healing of our ability to speak about needs and desires that have been neglected for too long.
March 2nd - Mercury enters Pisces
Mercury enters Pisces and the tone and emphasis of our communication changes from more analytical and socially oriented to symbolic and internally focused. Mercury is considered to be in detriment in Pisces, it might feel out of its depth within the infinity of choices and energies coming forward, so the choice in itself becomes less important. Allowing whatever comes through from the unconscious to slowly take shape and direct the stream of our thoughts towards the perceptive, experimental way of processing information can open new ways of seeing reality. But don’t forget that mercurial downloads are only happening when we are grounded enough to receive them, especially when in Pisces. Your thoughts can be a bit more abstract, colored by immediate feelings and need for emotional response. Observe, one can learn a lot about themselves while Mercury is in Pisces. This learning can happen while you are sleeping or daydreaming. May the messages coming through be heard, seen and felt.
March 7th - Saturn enters Pisces. Full Moon In Virgo
Saturn enters Pisces and we have the Moon coming to her fullness in Virgo on the same day. As Saturn makes its first steps in Pisces, the Full Moon in Virgo is forming a supportive trine to Uranus in Taurus and Mars is approaching the final square to Neptune in Pisces. This is the lunation that requires us to be as disciplined as possible in how we process the need for changes in regards to our daily habits and long standing routines. Because the ruler of this Full Moon, Mercury, is in its fall sign of Pisces, we can get overwhelmed with the messages coming in and start making decisions that do not serve our long term spiritual and physical well being. Get grounded here, Virgo Full Moon is about slowly filtering through the messages that are coming from the collective, from the people in our lives and from sources beyond our immediate awareness, and taking in only what truly matters.
Saturn is Pisces can trigger collective disassociation, but that is not our best option if we choose to swim upstream, we need to figure out what is the alternative to dissociation? Ritual is going to be essential, differentiating between solitude that is fear based and solitude as a spiritual practice. Since Mercury is debilitated and Venus is exalted in Pisces, we can have a hard time talking about our fears and sense of isolation, and self soothe instead, through indulgences of sorts. Keep this in mind. The trick is that Saturn brings forth the fear of the unknown, fear of losing oneself in something we cannot control, that’s why cultivation of self trust might be the most important thing for the next couple of years. Crisis of faith is the result of misplaced priorities, lack of trust in the universe and the desperate need for control over something that has a span of development well beyond our comprehension of time ( read full Saturn in Pisces post here).
March 12th - Jupiter conjunct Chiron in Aries
We have been in the orb of this conjunction between Jupiter and Chiron in Aries from the beginning of March. The opportunity to tap into the awareness of the courage we possess innately and the sense of self is beautifully expanded by Jupiter here. Healing resides in the cultivation of trust in our abilities, it resides within the will to stand up for oneself. The fire with which we move right now is a purifying force indeed. Healing is not always about serenity or stillness, sometimes it has to be about boldness and ambition, daring is also healing. This is the time we dare to step into our full agency. With the ruler of this conjunction Mars being in Gemini, what we say can really pierce through so many layers of inner stagnation and self limitation. Learn new skills, write, express yourself through working with your hands, explore different art modalities, learn to be playful again.
March 16th - Venus enters Taurus
Venus entering her domicile during Pisces season is such a mood for exploring the idea of magnetism. Venus in her home sign allows us to recognize that our sense of personal value is greatly beneficial for the community at large, having our needs met is not a luxury, it is really our right. Taurus teaches us to savor each moment, to identify what is truly of value, for what is of value will act as a stabilizing and creative force, not destructive and depleting force. It is about harmony and contentment with all that we have been so generously provided by nature itself, it is about infinite gratitude. We know we are out of alignment, collectively, when we cannot be present, in gratitude and humbleness for the plentitude of what is available to us.
March 18th - Mercury enters Aries
Mercury in Aries is like a jolt of energy awakening our need to connect, communicate and move, and it comes with a sense of urgency to it. The urgency to make agreements and initiate new connections, as the Piscean fog is dissolving around Mercury we start gaining clarity and sharpness of thought. The value of the present moment, the birth of new ideas, the impulse to share what comes to mind are all manifestations of Mercury in Aries. Just gotta be careful and remember not everything that comes to mind has to be spoken out loud. Mercury in Aries is in mutual reception with Mars in Gemini until March 25th, and when Mars moves into Cancer at the end of the month communication can be colored by the immediate emotional reactions that have nothing to do with the situations at hand. Speaking with much care is advised during the second half of Aries season.
March 20th - Spring Equinox. Sun enters Aries
With the Sun crossing 0 degrees of Aries we welcome spring, we set intentions for this new astrological year, we press the begin again button. Spring Equinox is one of the major power points of the year, the time when we receive the energies to step into the role of initiators and changemakers for this new cycle of our life. Aries season is always about bursting through the fog of the past, bursting through the self imposed limitations. With Jupiter being in Aries, and ruler of the season Mars spending the greater part of the season in Cancer, we need to distill the essentials, we need to step back to gain perspective about what are our driving motives, we need to expand in our understanding of the foundation from which we operate. Aries energy is linked to birth, the potent creative potential of this fire sign can create life where there was none. Fire is the element of spirit, and spiritedness is the key quality we have a chance to tap into this season.
March 21st - New Moon at 0’50 degrees of Aries at 1:22 pm EST
New Moon at 0º degrees of Aries takes place shortly after the beginning of Aries season. Zero degrees points us to see a level of innocence and faith needed to get the ball rolling. With Mars in the square to this lunation we are cultivating and fine tuning the mix of patience, consideration and self reliance. With the conjunction to Mercury and sextile to Pluto the emphasis is strongly placed on our ability to communicate clearly, honestly and with passion about what we desire to create, about our vision and our need for boundaries. The new algorithms of how we relate to the world are being formed, they depend on how we see ourselves and how much of ourselves we are willing to show. The self and the other dynamic is going to be explored profoundly in the months to come.
March 23rd - Pluto enters Aquarius
Transit I have been looking forward to for years now is here. I am going to be writing an extensive post about Pluto in Aquarius soon. This ingression of Pluto in Aquarius is not final, we are just going to get a taste of the energies it carries our way. It is always interesting to experience something none of us lived through or know someone who had, we all are equally unfamiliar with what's coming, possibly this shared unknowingness can be bonding, in a true Aquarian fashion, right? Pluto understands evolution, and evolution doesn’t have to be kind. But we need to stay kind during this process. With Pluto in Aquarius the extremes of dogma and righteousness, separation and control can become really pronounced. Pluto doesn’t really create havoc, but it will reveal all that is deeply hidden within the Aquarian archetype, the shadow of this energy, before we can start transmuting it into collective power. Our relationship with information and data will come to great importance. The question here is, do we use data, or does data use us?
March 25th - Mars enters Cancer
After almost 7 months of Mars transiting through the sign of Gemini, teaching us patience, mental stamina and hopefully awareness of using our words with care, it moves into the sign of Cancer on March 25th. For us it signifies a time of deep, sometimes emotional and not always rational bursts of deeply buried energy. Mars is far from comfortable in Cancer, in the sign of its fall the planet of action feels confused and disorientated by the intense Cancerian undercurrents. Now we need to reflect on the triggers that have been a part of our paradigm since before we can remember, whatever comes up during this transit, be it old hurts resurfacing, self-sabotaging tendencies or instinctual knowing of what needs to be repaired to move forward, we need to pay close attention to it. Mars in Cancer can be a beautiful transit that leads us to the action that brings forth healing, that helps us create a safe and secure energetic cocoon for the healing to manifest.. This Mars can be absolutely fierce when it comes to protecting home, the idea of home or homeland, and channeled wisely and with purpose Mars in Cancer is the ultimate guardian of ancestral wisdom. The sensitivity of perceptions with this placement can be a doorway to the expansion, but only if the response is based on love.