Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Mars on Vacation through April 3 March 1 - April 3

Well, I can't go a whole month without talking about Mars. Mars is going to be making his way through the strawberry fields of Taurus, Venus' earth sign, for the rest of the month, having entered Venus in February. For a bit longer, we will be free of Mars' intense, driven influence over major portions of our lives. That doesn't mean that we're all going to able to take this month off of our daily routine, but we can perhaps more easily find enjoyment and beauty in the work that we do. We can admire the strength and prowess of Mars as he camps at his leisure this month without feeling like we're in a war zone (unless of course, we're in Iraq.)

So, let your creative juices flow this month, don't fight the changing tides, stop and smell the flowers, and don't ignore that grumpy voice in your head that says, "That's never going to work." It may have a point. Find the seed of truth, plant it firmly and let the rest go.

Mercury Retrograde March 4 - March 25

Everyone's favorite astrological event is coming up again this month. March begins with Mercury having recently entered the sign of Pisces, traditionally its sign of debilitation. By 'debilitation,' we mean that Mercury basically has trouble doing what comes naturally to him in that environment. When I think of Mercury in Pisces, I think of how it is to talk under water, or to understand someone who is talking under water. It's possible to communicate verbally while submerged, but it's really difficult. Jupiter's water sign, Pisces, is nicely symbolized as the 'cosmic ocean' in which we find all knowledge and experience, and in which we can find universal understanding. The problem with Pisces is that cosmic awareness isn't easy to package and transport for mass consumption, which is one of Mercury's strengths. How does one communicate enlightenment? It brings to mind the first stanza of the first verse of the Tao Te Ching

The tao that can be told 
is not the eternal Tao 
The name that can be named 
is not the eternal Name.

At any rate, I've detected some Mercury-related difficulties in the past week or so, which are likely to maintain as Mercury begins its retrograde cycle. The good news is that by March 10, Mercury slips back into Aquarius, a sign in which he functions much better, and won't pass back into Pisces again until mid-April. To sum up, I recommend the usual remedies for Mercury during the bulk of this month: communicate with deliberation, double check and confirm the details of meetings and appointments, expect "weird" occurrences with communication media such as phones and computers. As with any retrograde, one of the main themes is "review." Since Mercury tends to reflect the quickness of our capacity for intelligent thought, this would be a good opportunity to spend time quietly thinking and reviewing thoughts and ideas, those ephemeral things that act as the seeds for many of our plans and projects.

Jupiter Retrograde in Libra Begins March 5

Jupiter joins the backwards-motion bandwagon on March 5 by beginning a retrograde cycle in Libra which will last through early July. What could this possibly imply for the next 4 months? Jupiter is the planet of expansion, and is currently located in the constellation of Libra, its sign of exaltation. Exaltation is the opposite of debilitation in Vedic astrology, and implies that a planet can really show its stuff in that environment. Libra is an air sign that is ruled by Venus, and is very much the realm of ideas and creative thought. Libra is a social realm and highlights consciousness of others; here we have a humanitarian, philosophical, charismatic sign that is not afraid to express and be known. It's possible that during the next four months, we could encounter a substantial "radical" voice rise from the masses to question social injustice and political abuse and to offer creative solutions for many of society's woes. This voice could very likely come from the art/music community, which has a substantial Libra membership. On a personal scale, it's a great time to explore artistically, to use that exploration to define your own personal philosophy, to use that definition to express yourself creatively and authentically. Jupiter's main function is to promote the expansion of spiritual truths; in Libra he has the opportunity to do that through art, music, and social interaction. Sounds good to me.

Saturn-Venus Opposition March 11

Venus and Saturn will occupy opposite houses throughout the month, giving them an opportunity for a bit of "face time." Venus transits Capricorn, Saturn's own earth sign, while Saturn continues on slowly, retrograde, through the middle degrees of Cancer, ruled by the Moon. Venus and Saturn are friendly with one another by nature, so Venus' occupation of Capricorn is a comfortable place for her. This opposition, exact on March 11, has a couple of implications. First, relating to Jupiter in Pisces, is that Venus, as Jupiter's current lord, is in turn being ruled by Saturn. This places a certain amount of seriousness into the mix. On one hand, one could see it as rain on a parade, but on the other hand, one could see it as the mature voice of reason, used to guide us wisely through our creative expansion -- calling to mind what we've learned in the past -- what worked, what didn't. Second, Venus in Capricorn is great for creative work, and I stress the "work" part of that phrase. Often, we get caught in the glamor that surrounds Venus; we can grasp at the illusion of beauty rather than contacting that which is real, vibrant, and creative. Saturn's influence on Venus will act as both a grounding wire and a source of stamina that we can all access as we work through our creative projects this month.

Sun Moves to Pisces/Full Moon in Virgo March 14

The Moon reaches its full point in Virgo this month just hours after the Sun transitions into Pisces on March 14. The Sun will have just exactly conjuncted with a still-dripping-wet retrograde Mercury, back in the late degrees of Aquarius after his foray into Pisces. I feel that we could be susceptible to feelings of overwhelming proportions this month. Pisces is both sensitive and nebulous, and while the fiery power of the Sun has the power to penetrate like none other, when that type of light shines through the element of water, we get a diffusion of that power. We see through reflection of light in water that what seemed to be one is many, and yet still one. We get to lose ourselves in the cosmic soup; a great place to find yourself "one with everything." This enhanced level of sensitivity and cosmic vision could be great for the Venus/Jupiter related happenings already discussed. It may not help overmuch with creating order and clear communication, which we could be lacking a bit while Mercury is retrograde. This full Moon may shine light in a direction that makes us realize that we really need to get organized, but leaves us with minimal resources to actually do anything about it. Time may be better spent letting the creative juices flow in your work or play than fighting to bring order to chaos this month.

Full Solar Eclipse March 29

This new Moon also brings us a full solar eclipse, visible in Brazil, across the Atlantic, North Africa, and into central Asia. Solar eclipses always happen at the time of the new Moon, when either of the Moon's nodes are in close proximity. In this case, we have Rahu at 10° Pisces and the new Moon at 14° Pisces. The view of eclipses in the Vedic tradition tells us that the moon's Node has the opportunity to consume the power of the Sun and Moon, thereby negating any positive influence they may bring by the merit of their position in the zodiac. Generally, eclipses are viewed as disruptive harbingers of catastrophe, as they literally have the power to darken our two major luminaries.

This eclipse is especially interesting due to the fact that in the Vedic tradition, the new Moon in Pisces is considered the New Year, and astrological predictions for the year to come are based on reading the chart of the Pisces new Moon. This eclipse will occur in the nakshatra of Uttara Bhadrapada, known also as “The Warrior Star,” which is ruled by Saturn and also influenced by Jupiter, due to it's location in Pisces. Together with the previous lunar mansion, Purva Bhadrapada, these two asterisms are known as “the scorching pair,” and it can be fiery territory. Uttara Bhadrapada, the site of the eclipse, has the ability for control and restraint, the ability to channel that fire, which accounts for the “warrior” association. Another feature of this asterism is that it “brings the cosmic rain.” Since an eclipse essentially negates the influence of the Sun/Moon in whatever sign they may be placed, this implies that we could be looking at a fiery year ahead, without the boon of “cosmic rain,” which I think can extend to “actual rain.” The path of the eclipse travels over several African countries that have been afflicted with drought for a period of time. I think there will be little relief in sight. A good remedial measure that could be taken to balance the energy of the eclipse is to donate to organizations that supply drought relief.

New Moon in Pisces March 29

The Sun and Moon conjunct this month in Pisces, during the day of March 29. The new lunar cycle begins under the influence of Jupiter's watery Pisces, and it will be a good time to expand upon projects that may be already under way, but that are ready to be taken to the next level. We may feel a bit closer to stability because Mercury will have resumed direct motion by that time, but as things are progressing, I feel that many of us may feel pushed and pulled as if by tidal forces, which are generally unpleasant only if you're fighting them.