Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Venus Transits Aries February 29 - March 28
Full Moon in Leo March 9
Mercury Direct March 9
Sun Transits Pisces March 14 – April 14
Mars Transits Capricorn March 21 – May 4
New Moon in Pisces March 24
Venus Transits Taurus March 28 – August 1
Jupiter's Capricorn Preview March 29 – June 29

Venus Transits Aries February 29 - March 28

As Venus transitions from exaltation in watery Pisces to the fiery environment of Aries on leap day, February 29, the stage is set for some potent astrological energy in March. Venus will be occupying Mars' fire sign all month while hot and powerful Mars is sitting with Ketu and Jupiter in Sagittarius, Jupiter's fire sign.

When we think of the fire element, we are focusing on the process of transformation of matter to energy, without which our lives on Earth would be much different. With fire, we can produce force (Aries), power (Leo) and growth (Sagittarius.) The trio that will be in occupation of Sagittarius for most of March: Ketu, Mars and Jupiter is poised to support us as we launch, transform and take off after what may seem too long of a time in preparation. Sagittarius is the final fire sign of the zodiac, initiating a phase of progress that is mature, positive and dynamic.

The lord of Sagittarius and master teacher of the way of life, Jupiter, will be in occupation of his own sign most of the month, until March 29, projecting his warmth and joy into all of the fire signs, including Aries, where Venus transits until March 28. Venus, as steward of the water element, finds herself a bit out of her element in Mars' Aries. This may trickle down into everyday life this month; we may find that supplementing our environments with moisture keeps our heads a bit cooler as we navigate the expanse of intense transformative energy.

With some extra cooling of the jets as part of the plan, feel free to ride the wave of creative, juicy Venus into the initiatory energy that Aries provides. This is a great time to cook up new, creative ventures that could grow quickly and produce lasting fruits.

Full Moon in Leo March 9

To further drive home the fiery point, the Moon reaches fullness in a fire sign this month, pulling into the Sun's sign, Leo, on March 8 and then coming into exact opposition with the Sun at 26° Leo on Monday, March 9.

The regal full Moon will be receiving no negative aspects and will be shining brightly in the nakshatra of Purvaphalguni, ruled by Venus and the lord of wealth, Bhaga. This moment shows our two water planets, Moon and Venus, strongly placed in fire signs, with the other fire sign occupied by Mars, Ketu and Jupiter.

The predominant energies are fire and air at this time, with Mercury, Sun and Rahu in occupation of air signs. Saturn is anchoring us by his occupation of Capricorn, but overall, this is not the most grounded energy could be combustion prone. There may be a flurry of plans, ideas and exchanges around this time, especially as Mercury is nearing the end of his retrograde cycle later that same day.

Try to take all of the brainstorming in but don't feel the pressure to act. This is a good moment for clarity and inspiration, so write down the ideas as they come with the intention of testing them out later.

Mercury Direct March 9

As March 9 closes, Mercury comes to a halt and spins on his heel at 5º of Aquarius. Thus ends the first retrograde cycle of 2020, in an air sign, which is the theme for the year: Mercury retrograde in air signs. Mercury loves air signs, so we can have some fun riding the currents and doing extra barrel rolls while aloft during the next couple Mercury retrograde cycles: Gemini in June and Libra in October.

Let's explore what Mercury can do in the next month after going direct. Aquarius is a comfortable place for Mercury, as he is friendly with both lords: Saturn and Rahu. Additionally, Mercury and Rahu are in an exchange of signs, which makes them both super-enthusiastic and brilliant through April 7, when Mercury moves to Pisces.

The things fire needs to thrive are fuel and oxygen. This month the transformative, active and fiery energy has already been revealed. Feeding it with plenty of breeze are the airy planets in the windy signs. Rahu is currently exalted in Mercury's air sign, Gemini, while Mercury is wind surfing across the cool expanse of Aquarius.

This could be a very fertile month for communications, multi-media projects, networking, initiating new connections, content creation and outreach. With air and fire dominating, our minds will want us to go on indefinitely. Make conscious efforts to rest, eat nourishing foods and hydrate in order to balance the brains on hyperdrive.

Sun Transits Pisces March 14 – April 14

The reliable pace of the Sun takes him through the sign of Pisces in the month between March 14 - April 14. When the Sun moves into Pisces on March 14, we will have planets in each consecutive sign starting with Jupiter, Mars and Ketu in Sagittarius and ending with Venus in Aries. This pattern will hold until March 28 when Venus moves to Taurus. Mars does switch signs on March 21, but it doesn't disrupt the "graha malika," the succession of planets in contiguous signs.

In general, the occurrence of a graha malika in a natal chart shows a sequence of events in one's life. In this current transit, we may find that things are flowing nicely, step-by-step during this last two weeks of March.

The Sun is in friendly waters in Pisces, ruled by Jupiter, a natural friend of the Sun. There is some challenge to Pisces coming from Saturn's aspect, which is known for applying pressure and creating resistance. Additionally, Pisces will feel the force of Mars' aspect until March 21, which combined with Saturn energy can create frustration in the sense that part of the team may be ready to launch and the other part of the team may be delaying for possible valid reasons.

Even with the challenging aspects, the Sun in Pisces is in good dignity. Whichever house in the personal chart that Pisces occupies should benefit from the Sun's transit here this year. With the lord of Pisces, Jupiter, also well situated in the other sign that it rules, Sagittarius, we should all benefit from this positive transit.

Mars Transits Capricorn March 21 – May 4

Mars moves out of Jupiter's fire sign, Sagittarius, and into his sign of exaltation, Capricorn, on March 21. His transit there will last until May 4, bringing him into an exact conjunction and planetary war with the lord of Capricorn himself, Saturn, from March 30 – April 1.

Mars and Saturn have one of the most interesting relationships amongst the planets. On one hand, they are in separate camps, so are not considered friends. Mars rules a fire and water sign, Saturn rules an earth and air sign; they just have different jobs. However, Mars gains exaltation in Saturn's earth sign, Capricorn, but Saturn becomes debilitated in Mars' fire sign, Aries.

So while these two planets may have different methods and goals, if the right production schedule, materials and leadership can be agreed upon, Mars and Saturn together can move mountains.

After the conjunction, Mars will move ahead of Saturn and toward his degree of exaltation at 28° Capricorn, which he reaches on May 1. April 2020 could be a great window for digging in and getting some serious work progress moving.

For reference, the last conjunction of Mars and Saturn occurred from March 7 – May 2, 2018 in Sagittarius. For even further reference, the last conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Capricorn occurred from February 10 – March 20, 1992, when interestingly, the Rahu/Ketu axis occupied the same space as now, but reversed (in 1992, Rahu in Sagittarius and Ketu in Gemini.)

New Moon in Pisces March 24

In the pre-dawn hours of March 24, the Moon slides into home, joining the Sun at 11° Pisces for the quiet and still moment of the new Moon. This meeting occurs in the 26th nakshatra, Uttarabhadra, ruled by the planet Saturn.

The Sun represents the collective soul that enlightens the collective mind, represented by the Moon. From Earth's perspective, the Moon dances through a different phase and relationship with the Sun's ever-bright light each day, giving us the collective experience of fluctuating light and shadow, which translates in daily life through activity like ocean tides and human moods.

The new Moon occurs when the Moon aligns with the Sun and they occupy the same degree of the zodiac. At these times, we on Earth are unable to view the Moon due to its proximity to the blasting light of the Sun. During this "dark Moon" time, we are so close to the source that we don't have perspective. This makes for feelings of vulnerability that can translate as mental or physical fatigue. The day leading up to the new Moon, Monday, March 23, would be a good day to keep a lighter schedule and plan for some self-care.

The fiery, creative energy from early March will be propelling us through new projects, chapters and avenues. In a larger sense, we're focused on taking things that we may have been practicing for an extended time to a new level of mastery.

The nakshatra Uttarabhadra grants us the wisdom of balance as we spiral upward toward lofty goals. The deity associated with this nakshatra is Ahirbudhnya, the two-headed serpent from the depths. The grounded, practical experience of Saturn comes through here as the planetary deity and combines with the expansive, lofty aspirations of Jupiter, the ruler of the sign of oceanic Pisces which is the container for Uttarabhadra nakshatra.

With Mars and Venus shifting into signs of good dignity within a week either side of this new Moon, we will be riding a strong and slow rising tide. Take this new Moon time to pause and examine the foundations of what you may be building. Be willing to see the cracks with open eyes and repair them before they cause future issues. The detachment of Saturn paired with the hope of Jupiter can make a keen tool when the balance is just right.

Venus Transits Taurus March 28 – August 1

Planets transiting through the signs that they lord are considered empowered to act strongly and on their best behavior. Venus, the ruler of our social interactions and our connection to earthly beauty and vivacity, will be gracing the earth sign of Taurus from March 28 – August 1.

This four-month transit is rather a long stay for Venus in any sign and is enabled by a retrograde phase of Venus from May 12 – June 25. The last retrograde cycle of Venus occurred in October 2018, while Venus was in Libra, the other sign that Venus lords.

Each year, we experience three retrograde phases of Mercury and one retrograde phase for Saturn and Jupiter. Mars and Venus, the planets that circumambulate the Sun on either side of Earth, give retrograde cycles every couple of years on average (Venus retrograde happens more frequently than Mars retrograde.) In 2019, neither Venus nor Mars gave a retrograde cycle. In 2020, Venus retrogrades in Taurus through the summer months and Mars retrogrades in Aries-Pisces during September-November.

Generally, this Venus in Taurus energy will be supportive of sustaining and building creative projects and relationships. We will delve deeper into Venus' role in the April forecast.

Jupiter's Capricorn Preview March 29 – June 29

The buoyant Jupiter spends about one year in each sign, taking about twelve years to make his circuit around the Sun. March begins with Jupiter occupying the late degrees of his own sign of Sagittarius, he follows Mars into Capricorn on March 29 for a three-month preview of how things may shift a bit later in 2020, when Jupiter will re-join Saturn in Capricorn on November 20, 2020.

There are pros and cons to this upcoming Capricorn preview for Jupiter. First to note that Jupiter finds himself debilitated in Capricorn, a cold, earthy sign of his enemy, Saturn. Second, Saturn himself is also in the room, which can put the brakes on Jupiter's positive outlook.

On the other hand, we find it positive when Jupiter can be monitoring Mars and encouraging him to put his firepower in the right direction, so that is positive, as Mars is very strong in Capricorn. Also, Jupiter's separation from Ketu could act to remove some of the obstacles that have appeared during the past six months.

Another twist in the story is that planets in debilitation can springboard out of trouble by retrograde motion. This will happen for Jupiter in May. In fact, May could bring a slew of reversals, editing, backtracking and do-overs. Saturn will be retrograde in Capricorn May 10 – September 29, Venus retrograde in Taurus May 12 – June 25 and Jupiter retrograde starting in Capricorn on May 14 and going direct in Sagittarius on September 13.

While March comes in like a lion, bringing fire and initiative; as the Sun moves to watery Pisces mid-month, the energy may cool down and slow down as planets shift from fire signs to earth signs. Get ready for inspiration that can be translated into practical and tangible progress.