Summary
Jupiter – Venus War March 1 – 2
Full Moon in Leo/Purvaphalguni March 7
Venus Transits Aries March 11 – April 5
Mars Transits Gemini March 12 – May 10
Saturn in Shatabishak March 14 – October 15
Sun Transits Pisces March 14 – April 14
Mercury Transits Pisces March 15 – 31
New Moon in Pisces/Uttarabhadra March 21
April 2023 Headlines

Summary

For an in-depth analysis of specific planetary placements, please continue with the full planetary forecast.

Jupiter – Venus War March 1 – 2

Venus joins Jupiter in Pisces from February 15th through March 11th. This is a positive, auspicious conjunction in a water sign ruled by Jupiter, the final sign of the zodiac where Venus is exalted. The last time this occurred was April 15th – May 7th, 2011.

Nothing is ever perfect, and it has been difficult to ignore that despite the good dignity of Jupiter in Pisces, since mid-January Pisces has been between a rock and a hard place, with Rahu occupying Aries on one side and Saturn occupying Aquarius on the other. At this point, we have little choice but to use the fantastic dignity of Venus and Jupiter to create and grow out of a narrow bed that has the pressure of Saturn creating structure on one side and the unpredictable whims of Rahu inviting innovation on the other side.

Jupiter and Venus share the role of teacher, with Jupiter, or Guru, being the dean of natural law, comprising of interpretation of universal principles. Venus is the dean of social law, extending to the jurisdiction of human and interspecies interactions. This nearly one month of both planets occupying Pisces will yield a dwi guru yoga, an auspicious combination of Jupiter and Venus that could see us focusing on our teachers, students, relationships, educational trajectories, and goals for growth.

When two planets occupy the same sign we can feel this strong yoga, or connection that could push decisions and situations in our life in one way or another. When the two planets reach the same degree, this push could be intensified. On March 1st and 2nd, Venus will pass through Jupiter's position at 18 degrees Pisces. When two or more planets are occupying the same degree of the zodiac, it is known as "planetary war."

The rules of engagement are different depending on which astrological scholar you are asking, so let us not get mired in them. Just imagine two people attempting to occupy one seat on a train, in this case, Venus is crawling over Jupiter's lap to get further ahead in the car.

Let's assume that during the most exact part of any conjunction like this, the two planets will be forced to join voices and share space. This could go either harmoniously or cacophonously, depending on the planets and location involved.

With Venus and Jupiter in Pisces joining during the first couple days of March, there is expansive potential to establish new relationships and launch fresh trajectories. We may feel as if we are pushing off from the ashes of the recent past into welcoming waters that we hope will transport us to our next safe harbor.

18 degrees Pisces falls in the first quarter of the nakshatra called Revati, the final nakshatra of the zodiac that occupies the last 13 degrees 20 minutes Pisces. Revati is ruled by the planet Mercury and by the devata known as Pushan, one of the twelve Adityas. Pushan is associated with marriages, journies, making the roads safe, nourishment, and guiding souls through transitions.

After Venus clears Jupiter's space, we may begin to feel more enthusiastic about how we will create our lives in the pending landscape toward which we move. Keep your eyes open for deep lessons that are begging to be integrated as Venus and Jupiter join in Pisces between February 15th and March 11th.

It is interesting to note that Venus' best friend Mercury will be in a planetary war with Saturn simultaneously as Venus' encounter with Jupiter. Mercury crawls over Saturn's lap at 6 degrees Aquarius, in the 4th pada of Dhanistha, which pulls together the Saturn, Rahu, and Mars vibes. Mercury and Saturn here are playing a strong game of learn those lessons, let it go, move on, find the new rhythm.

This compound war that involves the energetic inner planets Mercury and Venus each passing by the weavers of time and space, Saturn and Jupiter, strongly points to the first days of March feeling like a welcome turning point.

May the goodbyes be sweet and the far horizons beckon you onward.

Full Moon in Leo/Purvaphalguni March 7

As the inner planets push past the outer planets during the first week of March, the Moon is waxing and relatively free of negative aspects. The Moon becomes full at 23 degrees Leo on March 7th, which falls in the nakshatra of Purvaphalguni.

The full Moon falls in a pushkara navamsa degree, which emphasizes the themes of nourishment, regeneration, healing, and transformation. While this may sound exciting, some of these themes require navigating instability and obstruction with not much more than courage in your heart.

The Moon stands alone in Leo during March, which could reflect the demand to act independently, even in a state of vulnerability. Additional challenge comes from a trio of difficult aspects falling into Leo. The planets currently in Aquarius, Saturn, Sun, and Mercury, are pushing their agendas at Leo. From Aries, Rahu is aspecting Leo and from Taurus, Mars adds his heat to Leo.

This is a host of masculine, rough and tumble energy being beamed at the shiny, pretty, silvery Moon. With all of the changes underway, the demand to lead when you're not sure where you're going could arise. Draw on the strength of experience and remember that there is a thrill in encountering the unknown.

Not allowing fear to paralyze us, not allowing the shaking ground to startle us, not allowing anger to cloud our vision, we can get through this and come out the other end knowing that we can.

Venus Transits Aries March 11 – April 5

Since Mars departed Aries on August 10, 2022, Rahu has been spinning alone in Mars' fire sign, except for a brief monthly visit from the Moon. On March 11, Venus ends this seven month void by moving out of Pisces and into Aries for a quick transit from March 11th to April 5th.

Experiencing Rahu's influence is like navigating a smoky environment where confusion is amplified and clarity is elusive. The sign where Rahu sits in any moment or in any chart tends to be a call to dive into chaos even though we're on the road to find out. Rahu conjunction with other planets tends to amplify the other planet's desire and agitate their normal functioning.

Since mid-August, we've had Rahu's immediate environment of Aries relatively clear of this ability to confuse the other planets, but have still felt the effects that come through aspects to other signs: Leo, Libra, and Sagittarius. Now, we're beginning to have a small parade of planets passing through Aries, led by Venus and followed Mercury, the Sun, and Jupiter. This will change the environment quite a bit, which could feel like us jumping into the changes we had planned, but not having accounted for every eventuality and being faced with rapid engineering.

Venus doesn't favor Aries as it is fiery and masculine. This could be a good span of time to let go of asthetics in favor of utility, even if it is temporary. When Venus moves through Taurus from April 5th through May 1st, attention can be redirected toward beauty and comfort.

In the meantime from March 11th through April 5th, know that things could get a little spicy and dicey when Venus moves through Rahu's realm. Venus and Rahu are excellent partners in crime when it comes to politics, relationships, creative multimedia collaboration, and making even difficult experiences fun and beautiful. Let things get messy because that's what happens when we are born into new chapters.

Venus exactly conjoins Rahu at 12 degrees Aries, around the time of the new Moon and Spring Equinox, March 21st.

Mars Transits Gemini March 12 – May 10

After a remarkably long transit through Taurus, Mars moves forward into Gemini for a couple of months from March 12th through May 10th. Mars represents how we manage our power and resources, how we protect and transform our energy. When Mars travels through any given sign, he is subject to the rules of that environment, dispensed by the planet that we consider "lord" of that sign.

Since August 2022, except for a month between October 15th – November 13th, Mars has been grazing in the pastures of Taurus, ruled by Venus. In the same way that Venus doesn't love being in Aries or Scorpio, Mars may not relish moving through Taurus and Libra due to the fact that in order to keep the peace, the volume needs to be dialed back, the punches need to be pulled, and the aggressive forward progress needs to languish.

With Mars moving to Gemini for a couple of months, we could feel our pace pick up. From Gemini, Mars powers up three of the four dual signs: Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius, as well as his sign of exalation, Capricorn. If these are prominent signs in a personal horoscope, the fire power of Mars could begin to simmer as he moves into Gemini on March 12th.

With Mars getting into a more efficient groove in Gemini, we could also begin to feel as if there are slight increases in controlling the quality of our output. Because of the chaos king, Rahu, transiting through Aries, we must rely on Mars to govern how Rahu's effects reverberate into the world. With Mars moving out of Taurus and into Gemini, we may feel as if we move from the back seat into the driver's seat, allowing us to respond more powerfully to what life is throwing at us.

Saturn in Shatabishak March 14 – October 15

Saturn moves slowly and will be covering the sign of Aquarius from January 16, 2023 – March 25, 2025. Overall, this is a good environment for Saturn, since he co-lords Aquarius with Rahu. This is Saturn in an air sign, which could prove to be a lighter, more mobile version of steady Saturn, compared to Saturn in Capricorn from January 2020 through January 2023, which could have been a bit more intense, hard, and serious.

Each sign has the presence of three different nakshatras. The first part of Aquarius up to 6 degrees 40 minutes is covered by the last half of Dhanistha nakshatra. From 6 degrees 40 minutes to 20 degrees Aquarius is covered by Shatabishak nakshatra. From 20 degrees Aquarius to 3 degrees 20 minutes Pisces, we have Purvabhadra nakshatra. We can expect some slight differences in effect as we see Saturn move between these nakshatras while still remaining in Aquarius.

This six month transit will see Saturn in Shatabishak nakshatra, ruled by Rahu and by the devata named Varuna, lord of the waters. It is perhaps here that we see why this is the sign Western astrology symbolizes with the "water bearer." Shatabishak is the only nakshatra in Aquarius that is entirely contained in Aquarius. The other two span from Capricorn and into Pisces.

Saturn will be retrograde from June 4th through November 4th, which returns Saturn to Dhanistha nakshatra on October 15th. Then we get a final Saturn reprise in Dhanistha from October 15th through November 23rd, when direct Saturn returns to Shatabishak.

Sun Transits Pisces March 14 – April 14

The Sun's movement through the zodiac sees him spend two consecutive months in unfriendly signs alternating with two consecutive months in friendly signs. Each planet has a group of natural friends. For the Sun, the group includes Moon, Mars, and Jupiter, so the signs ruled by those planets are considered friendly. It simply implies that the planet will be more apt to express its positive traits and be equipped to push its agenda.

The Sun's agenda includes helping us define our individuality and unique expression that comes naturally from our heart and soul. We must form a healthy, practical, and realistic version of what "I, me, mine" means as we walk our path through life.

After two months of carefully considering the feelings of everyone else on the planet while moving through Saturn's signs, the Sun moves into more relaxing and welcoming environments as he transits his friend Jupiter's sign of Pisces from March 14th through April 14th and his friend Mars' sign of Aries from April 14th through May 14th.

Let's recall that while Pisces has the positive influence of Jupiter during this transit, we are still seeing Pisces being squeezed by the hardness of Saturn on one side and the instability of Rahu on the other side. Just as we saw the potential of Venus combining with Jupiter in this environment, we can see this creative and positive potential from the Sun combining with Jupiter from mid-March through mid-April.

For the sign of Virgo, this transit could bring some clarity and drive, especially combined with the push of Mars from Gemini. As Sun rules the 12th house from Virgo and aspects Virgo from Pisces, moving ahead could mean having to leave something else behind.

Mercury Transits Pisces March 15 – 31

The wings on Mercury's feet go into full fledged flapping, pushing him quickly through Pisces from March 15th through 31st. During this latter half of March, we could feel ourselves recalibrating our pace, realizing that we must keep moving to keep our momentum.

Mercury moves to Pisces on the heels of the Sun, in full combustion, meaning that his movement is indiscernable due to the light of the Sun drowning it out. By March 17th, Mercury has moved ahead of the Sun. On March 27th, Mercury moves into planetary war with Jupiter. By March 31st, Mercury moves into Aries and out of combustion, joining his party friends, Rahu and Venus.

Mercury is considered debilitated in Pisces, but the magic of Mercury is that he can adapt to many situations easily. Jupiter being in Pisces with Mercury could also be helpful. We can use this transit to delve into our communication and educational projects, leaning into difficult situations with teachers, lesson plans, and financial plans. The deep lessons we encounter here may have to do with reckoning the expectations we have of other people's behavior.

New Moon in Pisces/Uttarabhadra March 21

The Sun and Moon join at 7 degrees Pisces on Tuesday, March 21st. This momentary monthly meeting of the luminaries can be a good starting point, where we intentionally process what needs to end and reorient for forward progress in the month to come. Joining the Sun and Moon in Pisces are Jupiter, lord of Pisces and his favorite student, Mercury.

For those with the sign of Pisces prominent in personal horoscopes, this could mark a good time for renewing growth by gracefully integrating lessons of the recent past, cutting off what no longer serves a relevant pupose, and transitioning into next phases of development. Whatever realm of life is represented by Pisces in personal horoscopes will benefit from this regimen of renewal.

This new Moon coincides with the vernal equinox, which marks the point in the tropical zodiac that we consider the beginning of Spring season. The Sun begins to grow in power during the Spring, enlivening the roots and shoots for new growth cycles.

The sign that the Sun occupies at vernal equinox delineates the great "ages" that we pass through, each one lasting approximately 2000 years, making each cycle in the Precession of the Equinoxes about 24,000 – 26,000 years. Hence we remain in the Age of Pisces through 2521 CE, when the Sun moves into Aquarius at the vernal equinox.

Back to this new Moon! The nakshatra where the Sun and Moon will join is Uttarabhadra, ruled by Saturn, the 26th of 27 nakshatras. We talked earlier about Revati nakshatra, the final nakshatra and meeting point of Jupiter and Venus at the beginning of March. Jupiter will be passing through Revati until he moves into Aries on April 22. In Revati, we are going through organizational changes needed for big transitions. This is big picture stuff.

In smaller picture stuff, at this new Moon and change of season, we may be pulled into the energy of Uttarabhadra, which lies completely within the sign of Pisces, ruled by Jupiter, and also carries the energy of its planetary ruler, Saturn. The challenge and opportunity offered here lies in striking the balance between stability and dynamism.

Saturn encourages us to sink down into our roots, surrendering to the natural cycles of growth and decay. Jupiter reminds us that with strong roots, we can continue to branch out in sustainable ways, allowing fruit to grow and cycle. Uttarabhadra nakshatra at this new Moon allows us to balance in the liminal space between what has passed and what is to come.

The deity associated with Uttarabhadra is Ahirbudhnya, the blemishless foundation, pointing to the lord of the universe himself, Narayana. Let us study the effortless mastery of holding on loosely but not letting go as we move through this new Moon and transition to spring.

April 2023 Headlines

Mercury in Aries March 31 – June 7
Full Moon in Virgo April 5
Venus in Taurus April 5 – May 1
Sun in Aries April 14 – May 14
New Moon in Aries April 19
Mercury Retrograde in Aries April 21 – May 14
Jupiter in Aries April 22