Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Mercury Transits Aquarius March 5 - March 22

Mercury moves out of Capricorn, and out from the heavy influence of Mars on March 5. During Mercury's two week transit of Aquarius, he remains relatively uninfluenced by other planets due to proximity, which will allow the Mercury energy that we use to communicate and exchange to express in a more free fashion. Aquarius is a friendly sign for Mercury, so this transit may give us the opportunity to express ideas that are somehow revolutionary for us, or that center around analyzing current situations in order to make changes that will benefit both the self and others. Mercury will directly oppose Saturn from March 18-20, so we may feel a bit slow or blocked in our communication during that time. Mercury in Aquarius encourages the exchange of philosophical ideas, and communication based on equality rather than hierarchy. This is a good position for free thinking and communication.

Venus Retrograde in Pisces March 7 - April 18

In the past couple of months, Venus has dominated the evening sky with her brilliance and beauty. Prepare to say farewell for now to that spectacle, transient as it is. Venus begins her retrograde cycle on March 7. (The last time Venus began a retrograde cycle was July 2007; this occurs about every 18 months.) In the evenings, you will see Venus slipping closer to the horizon, eventually merging with the Sun and becoming lost from sight toward the last week in March. Venus makes a conjunction with the Sun on March 27 and then begins the part of her journey as the morning star, which will become visible early in the mornings during the first week of April.

Venus making this transition in her sign of exaltation, Pisces, is especially powerful. Venus is the planet of connection, relationship, love and beauty and it is located in Pisces, Jupiter's water sign, that represents the domain of universal understanding and wisdom. Venus here will tend to get extremely devotional and there may be more focus on universal rather than personal love. Retrograde motion in general engenders an air of review, retreat and retrospect, so this may be a good period to step back from relationships in order to renew understanding of what love is, how love serves one, and how one serves love. This could be a time of rich inspiration for creative pursuits of any kind, especially with the conscious intention of opening creative channels to divine inspiration.

As Venus disappears from our view in the evenings, we have the opportunity to recognize the transient nature of beauty and love and to deal with the loss of that which makes life sweet. Venus then rises again, transformed, giving birth to a new cycle of beauty and love. As Venus begins her retreat, a need for solitude may arise within each of us, as we allow ourselves time to re-connect with the universal energy and reorient ourselves to the next cycle of love and connection with others and with the earth.

Mars Transits Aquarius March 8 - April 14

Mars moves out of his sign of exaltation, Capricorn, and into Saturn's air sign, Aquarius, on March 8. This should create some interesting astrological weather in the sense that Mars and Saturn will occupy opposite signs. The tension between the two planets will mount as they move closer to exact opposition, which occurs in the first week of April. Mars is a youthful, pioneering, powerful planet that urges forward movement and will be located in Aquarius, where the concept of the group and concern for others is prominent. This is an interesting position for Mars, whose vast stores of personal power come with the side effect of an overblown ego. The self-negation that Saturn encourages both as owner of Aquarius and by aspecting Mars may feel uncomfortable to Mars. For us, it may feel as if we're constantly encountering obstacles and cautions as we try to move forward with projects. It may feel annoying because we have confidence in our plans, but there are these inexplicable flashes of doubt and twinges of cautious fear. Rather than fighting these opposing feelings, make room for both so that they can both function and do their jobs at acceptable levels. There could be themes of challenge between the old and the new, the aged and the youthful, the traditional and the innovative, the ruling class and the masses. Saturn is about destruction of outdated form, while Mars is about building new form. When space is created for each, even disparate functions can serve a common purpose.

Full Moon in Leo March 10

The Moon reaches the culmination of its cycle, begun on February 24, at 26° Leo as it opposes the Sun in Aquarius and conjuncts Saturn. We may witness or experience events that could be referred to as a "healing crisis" during this time. The opposition between Mars and Saturn as discussed above only deepens with the full Moon occurring on the same axis. Events that seem unpleasant or destructive may occur that are difficult to handle, but which are essential to creating a pathway for healing or repair of a situation. The lunar mansion that the Moon occupies during this full Moon is called Uttara Phalguni and is associated with service to humanity, kindness and healing. The lesson of this full Moon is that we must look outside of ourselves, to realize that the health of the masses is essential to the health of the individual, to learn that compassion and kindness directed toward others is equal to compassion for the self.

Mercury Transits Pisces March 23 - April 6

Mercury joins his friend Venus in Pisces on March 23 for a quick two week tour of his sign of debility. Mercury rules an air sign and an earth sign; he is concerned with the exchange of ideas (air) and commodities (earth). In the oceanic environment of Pisces, Mercury cannot move or speak with the alacrity he prefers, so this may manifest for us as difficulty in communicating our ideas, swirling thoughts, lack of mental focus. This may not be the best two week period for activities requiring sharp communication and extreme attention to detail. So, let's finger paint! Mercury does tend to pick up on the energy of other planets around him, so he may benefit from proximity to the exalted Venus, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'd want him in the air traffic control tower during this time.

New Moon in Pisces March 26

The new Moon occurs at 12° Pisces on Thursday March 26, and we'll have the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury very closely joined for the kick-off of this new moon cycle. This conjunction of planets occurs in the 26th lunar mansion, Uttara Bhadrapada, "The Warrior Star." This nakshatra is associated with the personal manifestation of energy known as kundalini, with fertility and also with the need for seclusion. Uttara Bhadrapada is ruled by Ahirbudhnya, the Serpent of the Deep Sea, and represents hidden or untapped sources of power. There is a very spiritual bent to this nakshatra, so we can use this new Moon, while harnessing the transformatory quality of Venus' current condition, to establish a new foundation for spiritual practices, especially ones that exercise our capacity for discipline and self-control. Again, there is a theme of solitude woven into Uttara Bhadrapada, alone time that is necessary for certain aspects of spiritual growth and rejuvenation.