All Times Pacific: Astrology Report Mar 5 to Mar 12
“The stars are like letters that inscribe themselves at every moment in the sky. Everything in the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated. All things depend on each other. Everything breathes together.” Plotinus
Friends, this week brings a big change as Saturn leaves Aquarius for Pisces on Tuesday, otherwise this week is quiet, astrologically speaking. March brings many changes including Saturn in Pisces, the beginning of spring, Mars at long last leaving Gemini, and Pluto entering Aquarius for about three months. If you’ve been feeling stagnant this is the month you’ve been waiting for.
Sunday March 5 watch out for moon inconjunct Pluto and moon opposition Saturn in the early evening. Risk should be avoided with these aspects so take a little extra care Sunday night. While the feeling is that the pandemic is over scientists report that the possibility of a more dangerous mutation remains. In Los Angeles for example we’re averaging over a thousand new cases a day, about a dozen deaths daily, and a 5% positivity rate. If you’re going to be in situations where there is greater risk of contagion do take precautions. The percentage of people suffering dire consequences is low, but that is little consolation for the unfortunate or foolhardy, so take it easy out there, especially as Mars square Neptune and inconjunct Pluto is approaching. More on that below.
Mon Mar 6 sun sextile Uranus is exact around dawn. This can be a liberating and energizing aspect, but also indicated is the potential for detours and surprises. Doing things differently might turn out to be advantageous.
Tue Mar 7 the full moon in Virgo arrives at 4:40 AM and then at 5:35 AM Saturn enters Pisces. For Pisces Saturn brings a roughly three year period of learning, teaching, simplifying, gaining more respect and responsibility. Saturn can indicate depression, pessimism, feelings of being overwhelmed by limits, and of course exhaustion, especially when we are sleep deprived and/or lacking sufficient quantity and quality of nutrition. As Louis-Ferdinand Celine wrote: “Never believe straight off in a man’s unhappiness. Ask him if he can still sleep.”
Saturn in Pisces can be a time of solitude, but this solitude can be valuable. Even if the pandemic is truly behind us we have a couple years of dealing with the repercussions in our physical and psychological worlds. As Jean Genet wrote: “Solitude, as I understand it, does not signify an unhappy state, but rather secret royalty, profound incommunicability yet a more or less obscure knowledge of an invulnerable singularity.” But also, as Bell Hooks wrote: “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving.”
Similar opportunities and challenges for Virgos, but for them the Saturnian is externalized and there is a need for sensitivity to balancing. Saturn in Pisces can be a time when people may return to familiar religious institutions. Problems with water are not uncommon. There can be a preoccupation with nostalgia and the personal past. Keep in mind Celine’s warning: “You can lose your way groping among the shadows of the past.” Powerful spiritual experiences and the desire to capture or structure them can lead to mystical masterpieces. We may be more likely to learn lessons in dreams.
Wed Mar 8, Thu Mar 9 and Fri Mar 10 only lunar aspects are exact. With Saturn now in Pisces and Pluto approaching Aquarius we might want to keep in mind T.S. Eliot’s lines: “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
Sat Mar 11 Venus sextile Mars is exact in the morning. A harmonious but weak aspect that can bring pleasant interactions between the genders. The desire to play sports, be creative, or romantic, may make this a memorable weekend, or at least a pleasant one. As Bell Hooks wrote: “Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust.” Saturday afternoon Mercury sextile Uranus is exact. The danger is in saying too much, perhaps causing shock. Avoid sudden movements in traffic. The mind may be very sharp but may jump incessantly from distractions to diversions and back never getting to what needs to be done. Conversations, reading and research can lead to enlightening insights. Make your life easier by exploring new tech and choosing something that solves an unnecessary struggle.
Sun Mar 12 Jupiter conjunct Chiron is exact about two hours after midnight. This aspect is with us until April 12. For all of us but especially for Sagittarius here is the opportunity for great healing. Look carefully at your life and see if you have been making any progress in that direction recently. If not, time to tune in to what ails you as healing is indicated as not only available but what we might call fortuitous. Chiron can indicate healing that begins with crisis, especially when we ignore the obvious. The more we plod forward without adjusting to messages we are receiving from our bodies the more we invite the crisis side of Chiron. Now’s a good time to be led toward greater well being. From here we are eight days from spring and eleven days from Pluto entering Aquarius.
Mid March we will find Mars taking center-stage with Mars square Neptune followed by Mars inconjunct Pluto near the end of the month. War and associated propaganda will be in the news. Anger tends to be especially exhausting with these aspects, and can be more easily triggered by misunderstandings or manipulation. Anger turns more easily into violence so avoid angry people. Both of these aspects are pandemic indicators, with Mars inconjunct Pluto potentially indicated another mutation. Despite the relief of spring it may be wise to be a little more cautious during these Mars aspects, which are gone by April 7. By remaining mindful we can avoid danger to ourselves and others.
Pluto in Aquarius is a big change, breaking the hold Pluto in Capricorn has had on us since 2008. What are some Pluto in Capricorn themes? Failed institutions, rule by old men, destructive weather, pandemics, problems with distribution, threats to well established traditions, elites who restrict the rights and powers of people they disagree with, refusal to cooperate because only one view is correct, ruthless business and politics, and wars fought indirectly. We’ve pretty much checked all the boxes for Pluto in Capricorn.
Pluto in Aquarius last time around brought the American, French, and Haitian revolutions, the beginnings of industrialization, and preoccupation with liberty and equality, discovery and invention, and the future. On the negative side we have the danger of collectivist as opposed to elitist autocracy, decisions that harm individuals made by statistics and AI, the chaos of the impact of AI and robotics in workplaces, but for those planning to keep their religious dictatorships going, whether in nations or institutions, they will find the going rough. Aquarius is often associated with youth and it will not be surprising if we see the blossoming of a new youth culture this spring. But Pluto returns to Capricorn for the rest of 2023. We’re getting a glimpse of what twenty years of Pluto in Aquarius might bring, but we don’t really get started until 2024. Then, as Paschal Beverly Randolph wrote: “We have left the land of the probable, and are journeying in the regions of the possible.”
