March 2024 astrology; Spring arrives and an eclipse!

 

This month the Sun leaves Pisces for Aries and spring officially begins on March 19^th! Mercury will enter Aries and Venus leaves Aquarius for romantic Pisces. Mars also enters Pisces or the last sign of the zodiac, and Jupiter crosses the halfway mark in Taurus on March 20th.

We will experience a New moon in Pisces and the first eclipse of the season will fall in Libra on March 25^th. There are no retrograde planets in March but Mercury will enter its shadow period on March 18-April 1^st. Now, the details.

Happy New Year and spring solstice

The Sun completes its yearly transit through Pisces and enters the first sign of spring on March 19^th. At 11:06PM, EDT the Sun enters Aries, which is the spring solstice and spring is finally here.  Each year when the Sun reaches 0 degrees of Aries the astrological New Year begins and we start anew for another 365 days.

During the Pisces season we are typically focused on merging with others to the extent we can typically overlook or not place the biggest emphasis on ourselves. When the Sun moves from Pisces into Aries we come back to what our own desires and needs are and how to go about meeting them. Often we begin new ventures and projects at this time.

Aries is not only a Fire sign, but a Cardinal Fire sign which means Aries are ready to handle just about anything that comes their way. Cardinal signs are the natural leaders in life and like to be in the circle of movers and shakers. They typically exude confidence and don’t let grass grow under their feet. As the Sun enters Aries we will all take on more of these characteristics.

Aries is ruled by Mars, the planet of action and war. Mars is a take charge planet, and can be determined, brash, and assertive and always seeks movement or action. Aries cannot stand inertia or being bored.

Aries rules the first house of the zodiac or the self. When this happens we tend to be focused on our own needs, what we want to do and how we can get there. For this reason Aries is sometimes considered a selfish sign, so while we should seek to understand and act on our own needs, it is wise to remember that when interacting with others we need to consider their feelings as well.

Aries qualities include bravery, a take charge attitude, bold ideas and actions, confidence, enthusiasm, honesty, and passion. Aries main weaknesses are being short tempered, moody, impulsive and overly aggressive.

As Aries represents the beginning of the astrological cycle there is often a big emphasis on new starts, new beginnings, or seeing potential in new projects and situations. Like the spring flowers and vegetation that begin to grow, we too can start anew and plant our seeds for the rest of the year to come. Now is the time to take a direct, bigger and bold approach to what you would like to do or start and you may be surprised at how successful and convincing you can be to others.  Aries typically does not wait for around for things to happen, they make things happen. We all get a bit of the same take charge attitude becoming more focused and driven to make things happen.  Aries likes freedom and now is the time to enjoy just being you.

The less desirable side of Aries has to do with making decisions too fast and moving forward without thinking things through first. If this is the case however, we can review things and make appropriate changes when the Sun moves into the more earthy and solid sign of Taurus April 20^th.

Aries is sometimes accused of being overly aggressive or demanding but this comes from a desire to be straightforward and get things moving. Those who find this energy the most difficult are Water signs but Air and Fire signs should thrive on this energy.

At best the Fire energy of this sign can motivate and drive you toward working toward your goals whatever they may be. For some, this transit will involve feelings of new beginnings and new opportunities to take advantage of. You may feel emboldened to really be your true self and put your desires out there.

Your confidence will likely be inspired over the next month, even if you are normally a shy or retiring person. You probably won’t need the validations of others, as you will give it to yourself.

Happy astrological New Year and Happy Birthday to Aries!

Mercury enters Aries

Mercury enters Aries March 10^th where it will remain until May 15^th due to its retrograde on April 1^st.

Mercury is the planet that rules our thinking and communication. Our style of communication with each other is influenced by the particular sign Mercury is in and it changes about once every 30 days or so unless it retrogrades. While Mercury has been in Pisces communication has typically not been direct and often confusing so its move into Aries will change this dramatically and quickly.

While in Aries communication as well as thinking will pick up speed and shift toward a style of getting straight to the point, sometimes to the point of even seeming abrupt.

For some, especially the Fire signs this will seem very natural and comfortable, and for others (especially Water signs) this type of communication may seem too harsh or outside their comfort zone.

Conveying information and ideas will be faster, sharper and without beating around the bush but we must watch out for overly assertive communication with others or getting carried away with ideas that have not been thoroughly thought out as our mind may be moving so fast.

At its best Mercury in Aries can provide us with a mental state that is optimistic, encouraging, on point and self-confident. At its worst Mercury in Aries can come across as rude, thoughtless, aggressive, impatient and without respect as we can sometimes forget to approach conversations in a thoughtful manner with others. Details can be missing in conversation as Aries is prone to streamlined thinking and communication and does not like to get bogged down in details.

Venus enters Pisces

The planet of love enters Pisces on March 11th and will remain here until April 5^th.

If Venus in Aquarius has seemed somewhat aloof, Venus in Pisces will be quite different as Pisces is one of the most romantic and sensitive of signs and Venus is well placed here. Venus is in Pisces is gentle, perceptive, artistic and emotional, creating a great ambiance for love. Pisces is one of Venus’s favorite signs and love has no barriers here. Pisces is also connected with compassion, understanding and intuition.

Now is the time to embrace romance, love, fantasy, creativity and dreams and Pisces is all about all of these things. Pisces is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of expansion as well as Neptune the planet that rules the imagination, our dreams and fantasies. Giving to others comes much easier as and our desire to focus on meaningful and bonds will be powerful. Neptune frequently brings about a desire to merge with others on a deep level and Venus is operating at its highest octave in this sign.

While now is the time to feel romantic thoughts and experience love at its fullest we must also remember that since Pisces is co-ruled by Neptune, Venus in Pisces can also mean putting on rose colored glasses and failing to judge a situation for what it really is. Love can be grand, but we must also pay attention to warning signs that tell us if the person we are interested in is not all in the relationship. This can be a fine line to walk; feeling the yearning for romance and yet maintaining boundaries and a clear perspective. In other words, Venus in Pisces does not mean throwing caution to the wind. The desire to merge with others will be significant and complex but we must be careful who and what we choose to merge with.

Mars enters Pisces

Mars enters Pisces March 22^nd and will remain in this sign until April 30^th. Mars joins Venus in this sign and the two planets that rule our love life will dance together once more until April 5th when Venus moves into Aries. 

When Venus and Mars travel together this can present new opportunities in love for those born under the signs Venus and Mars are in or compatible with. Those most influenced by this will be Pisces, Scorpio and in particular Scorpio or those born with a Cancer ascendant as Venus and Mars will be transiting together in their 5^th house of love.

Mars is the planet that motivates and drives us toward our goals. When Mars enters Pisces we act more on intuition, sensitivity to others and at times, spiritual, psychic or moral convictions.

Mars in Pisces will bring about a noticeable energetic shift as Pisces is the most laid back of signs. Pisces is ruled by both Jupiter and Neptune and compassion and understanding will be the key this month with so many planets in the sign that rules spirituality, understanding and the psychic world. Don’t be surprised if you don’t also experience vivid dreams as Neptune also rules dreams. Confusion may also filter in as Neptune is also the planet of illusion, confusion and delusion.

Mars in Pisces will come across as more compassionate and understanding than Mars in other signs and our action may be broader and in some cases more scattered or confused. Mars in this sign does not operate in a direct manner, but rather moves sideways much of the time. There is method to the madness however; as Mars-Pisces is so intuitive, action often comes at the right moment.

During Mars transit through Pisces keeping the peace becomes more important than it does at other times. People born with Mars in this sign often go with the flow in life rather than approaching things in a head on manner and they often end up being correct in their approach to timing if they are paying attention.

As Pisces is a mutable sign, what we want may be quite changeable as this is the nature of all mutable signs. Above all else mutable signs are most interested in the freedom to evolve and change as they go along.

At times Mars in Pisces can seem like moving through fog, not knowing where we will end up. The greater gift of this sign however is being able to conceptualize the bigger picture and wait until the time if right as opposed to jumping on every apparent opportunity that comes up. You may feel inclined to wait to act when the spirit moves you to do so.

Since Pisces is the most sensitive and spiritual of signs so we will be prone to look at the world through a different lens that values compassion and understanding over direct confrontation and approaching things in a head on manner.

Mars in Pisces will work well for the water signs. It may be a little more difficult for the Fire signs that are used to taking direct action as opposed to waiting for the right time to approach something.

March’s New Moon in Pisces March 10th

This New Moon falls at 20 degrees of Pisces and the peak is at 5:00 AM, EDT.  Daylight savings time will begin at 2:00 AM, EDT. Pisces rules the 12^th house of endings and its planetary rulers are Jupiter and Neptune.

This new moon is considered a Super Moon. Super Moon’s are tied into significant earth and weather changes. Since this Moon is in Pisces it is likely we will see some dramatic water related weather conditions at this time, or some other type of natural occurrence. Super Moons appear closer to the earth and have a stronger gravitational pull.

This Moon will sextile Uranus bringing about the opportunity to look at and experience our emotions in a new and different manner. It also conjuncts Neptune, its planetary ruler. This can create a feeling of confusion, or there may be a lack of clarity about something.

Mercury sextiles Pluto giving us the ability to speak in a very deliberate and convincing manner, especially if it involves groups.

Mars squares Uranus and is exact March 9^th, so this becomes part of the New Moon energy. Mars-Uranus aspect lean toward unexpected events and can be volatile in nature, so we can expect this to play out on the world stage.

The lunar eclipse in Libra

The first eclipse of the year falls in Libra and this is a Full moon. It will reach the peak at 3:00 AM EDT or 12:00 AM on the West Coast. Libra rules the 7^th house of partnerships, marriage and relationships with others of all types. The 7^th house also rules courts.

Eclipses are like wildcards and one of the ways we learn how and what we need to change so our life can evolve. An eclipse can seem good or bad, depending on what it aspects in your personal chart, and often an eclipse is dramatic, or reveals important information if it aspects a significant point in your own chart. An eclipse often brings news pertaining to life's biggest events. The energy of an eclipse can last for months and in some cases years.

Almost always unexpected information comes to light and at this time something may be eclipsed completely out of your life, or into your life.

Libra/Venus not only rules romantic relationships, but relationships of all kinds, including work, friendships and even relationships on a bigger level between countries.

Since Libra is the ruler of the 7^th house of committed relationships we can expect to see many situations occurring in personal relationships and marriages, some good, some not so good, depending on what else is happening in your personal chart and what the eclipse is aspecting. An eclipse is personal to everyone depending on what it does in your chart.

Libra/the 7^th house also rules courts of all kinds. The symbol for Libra represents the scales of justice.

Libra’s planetary ruler is Venus, the planet of love and money, so the focus of this eclipse will be relationships and love.

Venus is sextile Jupiter which is a pleasant transit that peaks the day before the eclipse. This is often connected to favorable financial matters, love and social events.

This eclipse favors harmonious cooperation and seeing another’s point of view. Working with others will get us further at this time.

What this eclipse does in your chart specifically depends on what it aspects, along with any other significant aspects at this time.

Other aspects of significance:

Jupiter conjuncts Uranus

During March Jupiter is rapidly approaching it’s conjunction with Uranus in Taurus. While technically this aspect isn’t exact until April the affects will begin to play out in March.

Jupiter-Uranus is an unpredictable transit and can be prone to both positive and negative but in many respects I lean toward the positive especially if this is aspecting something nicely in your personal chart.

Jupiter-Uranus can affect monetary gains and losses, new opportunities and can be considered a ‘gambler’s paradise.’  It’s best to take chances on things that are a safe bet with an aspect like this which can go either way. We experienced the first landing on the Moon in 1969 on a Jupiter conjunct Uranus and the French Civil War began on a Jupiter-Uranus aspect as well.

When Jupiter was in Taurus in 2011, the US credit was downgraded, and this occurred again in 2023 with Jupiter in Taurus. Will this occur a 3^rd time since another shutdown is looming on March 1^st? Time will soon tell.

Mercury stations to retrograde

Mercury turns retrograde April 1^st, which means it comes to an almost complete stop March 29^th-31^st. During these few days Mercury is not yet retrograde but the energy is changing and it will retrograde in just a few days.

It is during this time that we start to notice Mercurial changes and things going haywire, so now is not the time to begin new projects or buy high ticket items.

Mercury will have been in its shadow period since March 18^th. If you need to wrap anything up, do it well in advance of the end of the month if you want things to run smoothly?

March 3^rd, Venus squares Uranus-Expected the unexpected, especially when it comes to love and/or money.  While this is not an inherently negative transit it is changeable.  Some may view this day as exciting and sense an electric feeling in the air.

March 8^th, Mercury conjuncts Neptune-Mercury and Neptune aren’t really pals so expect this day to be tiring and there is a strong potential for confusion and misinformation.

March 9^th, Mars squares Uranus-This is probably the most explosive transit of the month. This is prone to clashes of all types and changeability. Use caution while driving and expect some things to be changeable including tempers. Unfortunately this will play out on the world stage and it is volatile.

March 17^th, the Sun conjuncts Neptune-This can increase dreams and psychic feelings but also paranoia and confusion. Make sure you have all you facts straight as it is prone to misinformation.

March 21^st, Venus conjuncts Saturn. This is not a positive transit for love or social activities. It is prone toward responsibilities and obligations and at time it can be beneficial in business. If it aspects your chart in just the right way a break up could occur but there would also have to be bigger and more significant aspects to bring this about.