Mention of Mercury going Retrograde has been known to bring astrologers out in a rash, such is the reputation of the communications planet entering malfunction mode for three weeks. However, so far in 2018 every planet has been in forwards motion – i.e. no retrogrades – bringing with it a relentless, exhausting quality. Mercury stopping in its tracks on March 23 and rewinding until April 15 might therefore come as a welcome relief, allowing the world to catch its breath.
That Jupiter, also turns tail on March 9 for a few months also suggests the pace of events may slow. However, March is no month for slackers. It opens with a full Moon on March 2 (in Virgo), then bustles on to the new Moon on March 17 and the Spring Equinox on March 20 (at 16.15 GMT).
Astrology considers the Sun’s arrival in the skies of Aries the Ram to be the real start of the year, arriving with a surge of energy. There is certainly a lot of frisky Ram energy around later in the month and onward into April. That the Sun and Mercury will be at odds with three stern planets in Capricorn – Mars, Saturn and Pluto, hardly a trio of smiles and gaiety – suggests no shortage of conflict on the world stage. But then as much is already the case.
Talking of reading the planetary runes. Your astrologer notes that the instability on the world’s stock exchanges occurred in tandem with the total lunar eclipse of January 31
(the ‘super blue blood moon’ that so excited the media), and that the next total lunar eclipse, again across the Leo-Aquarius axis, arrives on July 27. Watch this space.
Determining the date for Easter has long (very long!) been a source of dispute in the Christian church. The current formula for the non-Orthodox church is that Easter comes with the first full Moon after the spring equinox, meaning that the ‘Paschal Moon’ shines out over Easter, exact at 12.36 GMT on March 31. A happy Easter to all my readers.
Pisces
What does being a Piscean mean to you? How do you sum up your sign’s qualities? Does it, for example, make you one of nature’s great escapologists, a slippery customer not easily fooled? Does it make you more intuitive, more touchy-feely than most folks? Or perhaps your Piscean qualities take the form of creativity or even, getting literal, make you an ardent sailor or angler.
Your astrologer mentions this because your horoscope is pretty much at peak Pisces just now. It’s your birthday month of course, but as March opens you have Venus, Mercury, Neptune, asteroid Juno and planetoid Chiron in your skies alongside the Sun. Oh, and a full Moon in opposition on the 2nd.That line-up should deliver whatever form of Pisceanness (Piscularity?) you fancy, though you have to get your skates on, as Mercury and Venus have moved on by March 6.
Never mind, you have a new Moon to come on March 17 – a bonzer omen of a new chapter if that’s your birthday – while Neptune’s presence adds potency to any magical thinking. Cast your spells. Jupiter is nicely aligned to this Moon, adding vision to your crystal ball/ a good haul from your latest canvas/ a free ticket to a far away shore….delete according to taste.
Neptune can, of course, amplify less savoury Piscean qualities, like drifting off to sea/sleep or otherwise refusing to accept reality. However, outside forces are not especially challenging just now, at least once Mars reaches Capricorn on the 16th, while planets moving into Aries after the 6th put a shine on your cash flow. In business, as suggested last month, the more you haggle and horse-trade, the better the outcome. Happy birthday.
Aries
You are heading into an eventful and, indeed, auspicious period of the year, even before the Sun arrives on the 20th to launch your birthday season. The timetable is complex, however, and comes studded with aspects that promise the ride won’t be without turbulence.
Given that outlook, the best option for the opening week of March is rest. You doubtless have work commitments but the more you suffuse yourself in sauna and sleep, therapy and inner communion the better.
The arrival of Venus and Mercury on the 6th brings in deadlines (desk to be cleared before Mercury retrograde on March 23) and a fine three weeks for social circulation, flirtation and shopping. Keep the parties coming, especially over the weekend of the 10th.
The turbulence begins right on cue at the Equinox, when your ruler Mars squares the Sun. Consider it a livener for the birthday month. Mercury’s switch to retrograde motion on the 23rd slows down your world and asks you to revisit and if necessary revise and reshape recent plans, productions and attitudes. There is a lot of air-clearing to be done, along with actual space-clearing and de-cluttering. The Sun’s square to Saturn on March 29 may bring push to shove on an important career or property decision.
Simultaneously, the final days of the month see Venus conjoining Prometheus in your skies, quite a moment for birthdays circa 16/17 April, or for any Rams whose romantic life has been, shall we say, unorthodox or frantic in recent months. Suffice to say the closing few days of March are powerfully aspected in terms of meeting someone special, jettisoning an outworn relationship or making the peace with an estranged other (beau, belle, ex or friend). The full Moon on Saturday March 31 is opposite you, making for one light-headed holiday weekend. Keep things breezy and upful rather than intense.
Taurus
Eclipses often ask awkward questions of those in their path, and if you survived February without a poser or two (chief suspect, career), congratulations. March is unlikely to prove as prickly. The cosmo-scape is dominated by planets in earth signs and water signs – both obliging for you. All you have to do is show up with a grand plan up your sleeve and, in the latter part of the month, a little patience.
No point in holding back as March opens, however. A full Moon in Virgo on the 2nd is perfect for a weekend of partying and mellow mayhem. Opposite that pleasure-oriented full Moon is a swathe of planets in Pisces that for much of the month can oil the wheels of your social life and the part of it that spills over into business – perfect, in fact, for networking and schmoozing. If you can loosen up a little from your fiercely pursued agenda and see things from other people’s point of view, so much the better. You have to give as well as take.
Planets moving from Pisces into Aries change the mood as the month progresses, though the new Moon of the 17th is in your favour, and the crescent Moon in your skies on March 21/22 lends you a winning touch. After that you can take your foot from the pedal. Many Taureans have planets in adjacent Aries, but even so the retrograde of Mercury beginning on March 23 slows things down and calls for a little inward meditation.
Not too much of the ‘inner me’ however. Keep in mind that fellow earth sign Capricorn is hosting Saturn, Pluto and, from March 18, two months of Mars. That is one slightly alarming trio, though fortunately for Taureans, all in favour of achievement, money and property, with an international outlook. Might as well milk it.
Relationships? Do you have time enough? Jupiter’s turn to retrograde early in the month is a point for assessing where you are up to with yo- know-who. Your ruler, Venus, arrives in your skies at dawn on the last day of the month, after which you are the very flower of romance.
Gemini
There is a degree of push and shove going on in the Twins’ horoscope. It’s nothing like the demands (or self-proclaimed initiatives) that have been heaped upon you over the past couple of years (unless you are a 1989 birthday), but a jostling for influence at work, and, perhaps, in a major relationship.
The latter is the more easily handled, simply because Mars in opposition is a short term transit, and the red planet, full of confrontational energy, moves on midway through the month. Meanwhile any contretemps are best handled by deflection and patience rather than by locking horns.
Power grabs in the professional sphere are another matter. A raft of planets in the life-path zone of your ‘scope are not necessarily bad news – as your astrologer has pointed out previously, you can spin your reputation under a lunation in which Neptune is the main player. Gemini Donald Trump even claims he would go bare-handed into a fight with a gunman, a case of believing your own bull. The flip side of Neptune is being fed faulty information from above; turn on your sensors.
There is more clarity a week into the month, when your Mercury ruler changes sign to Aries. The quicksilver planet goes into retrograde on the 23rd, but even then is nicely positioned for networking and deals, especially if they revising rather than initiating.
Venus in Aries from the 6th and the mighty Sun from the 20th likewise oil the wheels of your social and working lives. The encounter between Venus and Prometheus on the 29th makes the final few days of the month a rare moment for encounters of the unorthodox kind. Enjoy. The full Moon shining over Easter weekend is in your sector of play and romance; pursue the holiday accordingly.
Cancer
Saturn in opposition (since Christmas) often means fighting for every inch of professional progress (June birthdays take note), and to rub in that message comes Mars in opposition for a couple of months from March 18. The astrological Crab, while tender on the inside, is well-armed, and those claws may come in useful for repelling critics.
But, as the old song says, let’s accentuate the Positive, and the swathe of planets in watery Pisces as March opens is majorly affirmative, especially with ‘lucky’ Jupiter in watery Scorpio as well. Whatever your plans – hard-nosed professional, yearningly romantic, inspirationally creative – March is an optimum moment to pursue them, bearing in mind that from March 23 Mercury in retrograde asks you to revise rather than initiate.
At work, with Venus working for you, a charm offensive may be the best way to disarm those opposing you. The spring equinox, when the Sun reaches the zenith of your solar chart, is often a pivotal moment for career matters, though the end of the month looks more purposeful. Strategies that others think a bit bonkers may also prove the correct way to proceed – planet Prometheus, awakener and inventor, is potent in your ‘scope this spring, not least at the end of March, which is also an opportune moment for a hot, if unorthodox date.
Prior to the equinox comes a new Moon in Pisces on March 17, a boon for birthdays around 17-19 July, for whom a global perspective may prove rewarding. Luna, the Crab’s ruler, reaches your skies over the weekend of 24th/25th, a perfect time to entertain and exhibit you skills at a hygge lifestyle. The same goes for Easter itself, when your ruler, Luna, is full in the home zone of your ‘scope.
Leo
Money is something of a vulgar subject for astrological royalty (i.e. you) – after all, true royals never actually keep the stuff to hand – but the planetary action in March is much exercised by finances, in particular whether the dosh is in place rather than disappeared into some financial manager’s back pocket or been gambled away by a daft partner. Best check.
That said, the full Moon of March 2 is promising in terms of a windfall, or discovering a few readies at the back of the sofa. Still, Saturn’s current and ongoing position for the next two years is there to remind you that scrupulousness and industry are better than a cavalier attitude to wealth.
There is, however a rather cavalier spring in your horoscope’s step in March. Mars in fiery Sagittarius shines on your romantic life and encourages a go-get attitude to dating. Planets arriving in the third fire sign (after your own), Aries, also perk up your perspective. Venus here from the 6th promises to keep relationships on an even keel (providing the eclipses last month haven’t done away with your friendships and romances) and smiles on long-distance affairs.
The spring equinox (March 20) is always a positive omen for Leo, as your Sun ruler begins its journey round the zodiac in Aries. The same is true this year, despite an irksome three week retrograde of Mercury in Aries from the 23rd that favours revision and reassessment of practical concerns.
Your emotional life is another matter. The new Moon of March 17 has a healing quality – if you have been hurt by love you can lick your wounds – while the encounter between Venus and Prometheus on March 29 is one to watch out for and hopefully savour (especially for birthdays circa August 18). You may think you know your ‘type’, your horoscope suggests otherwise.
Virgo
A full Moon in Virgo is quite the way to start the month (it’s exact on March 2 at 00.51 GMT), especially as it’s bang opposite Neptune; ideal for an enchanted evening or two, though the more dissolute and downright foolish side of Neptune must be guarded against (by partners as much as by sensible ol’ you).
The swathe of planets opposite in Pisces is startling, and while ruler Mercury and Venus soon move on (at March 6), you will be juggling with Significant Others until the spring equinox and likely beyond. Neptune is moving on to positions the giant planet has not occupied since Victorian times, opposing birthdays circa 8/9, at best lending you and your romance(s) a glamorous touch, at worst bringing deceit…all planets come with their good and bad qualities!
The new Moon in Pisces on March 17 is safely out of Neptune’s orb (i.e. influence), and is a point of renewal for birthdays circa September 19, with specific reference to partnerships. The emotional life of all Virgoans get a perk at this time however, Mars arrives in Capricorn, also on March 17, for a two month stay. While Saturn, recently arrived in the same sign (and in your fifth solar house, fact fans) sounds a cautious, responsible note in your romantic dealings, Mars brings zest and confidence; a happy balance.
The spring equinox, and the month of fiery Aries, may also impinge on your love life, though it is concerned with what you choose to keep hidden as much as what you wish to declare.
Also involved are moneys and property you share with your other half (or with organisations, banks, and the like), and with ruler Mercury going into reverse motion for three weeks from March 23, there is no better time to overhaul your portfolio/ settle your accounts. The full Moon on March 30 may even deliver a bonus. Just before that, on the 29/30th, Luna is in Virgo’s skies – advantage you!
Libra
The stellium of planets in Pisces as March opens, the full Moon of March 2 and the new Moon of March 17 are all concerned with the mind-body-spirit of axis in your ‘scope, and ask for you to be more Virgo-like, more of a clean machine, more introvert meditator than extrovert party animal. This is not forever, nor is it an exclusive dictum – balance is Libra’s thing recall – but your stars are firm about it.
March is an unfolding story, however. By the 6th Mercury and ruler Venus are in opposition. Messenger Mercury spends nine weeks here, with three weeks in retrograde (from March 23), so there is, even by your standards (which are formidable) a lot of talking to get done, a lot of catching up with pals and fellow travellers.
Venus underlines that strand in your affairs and adds a happy romantic agenda, especially if you are in the dating game. Those who are settled but grumpily so can make peace with your spouse and rekindle the partnership.
The bearings of your emotional life were likely rocked by February’s eclipses, so march and the month of your partnership sign, Aries, is the chance to re-orientate. The spring equinox may nonetheless unsettle you – the Sun in opposition finds no sign at their strongest. You will be glad you put in the hours on the gymn treadmill (as requested!).
You are also asked, as last month, to keep a weather eye on property and the domestic scenario. With Saturn at the root of your ‘scope, all weaknesses in your plumbing/heating systems and arrangements with co-inhabitants will be tested and, where necessary, found wanting! Mars arrival at the nadir of your ‘scope on the 7th for two months underlines the point.
The month’s most fascinating planetary events arrives late in the month. Ruler Venus passing planet Prometheus on March 29 describes an encounter with a wild thing and/or a bust-up with a romantic partner. Or perhaps just a crazy social occasion, one of those bells that now and then rings. It’s followed by a full Moon in Libra on March 31 (precise at 12.36 GMT); enjoy, but don’t let Saturday night get out of hand. Balance is all.
Scorpio
Given all the time-honoured wiles of Scorpio – your smouldering sexuality, powerful intuition, spooky spell-casting (not forgetting your willingness to wield the stiletto when necessary) – you should be able to make something special out of March’s stars.
You begin the month with a full Moon opposite a swathe of planets across the friendship/romance axis of your ‘scope, and with Neptune and an exalted Venus in the mix, there are powerful currents of romantic enchantment running through the opening week of the month. Pursue! Or alternately simply enjoy yourself, dress up to the nines and go dancing, dash off a new play or hit single…you get the picture.
Amplifying the themes of play, creativity and infatuation is Jupiter. The giant planet of optimism, benevolence (and exaggeration) has been in Scorpio’s skies since your birthday and remains there until November. On March 6 Jupiter stops and goes into reverse mode for a few months. It is still ‘active’, so to speak, while retrograde but at a less forceful level. When stationary, any planet is reckoned extra strong, so Jupiter’s alignment with Venus deserves a note in your diary ready for its return to the same spot in early October. And birthdays circa November 15 might expect something of a ‘lucky’ break (albeit one you have worked for!).
By March 6, Venus and Mercury have left Pisces and your fifth house of pleasure for more sober climes, but you still have another dozen days of the Sun in Fishes to celebrate, with a joyous new Moon on March 17, again in super aspect to Jupiter. Stay on the front foot, and believe that your best considered plans can prevail!
The month of Aries, beginning at the Equinox on March 20, asks for due diligence on routine matters – think busybody Virgo as a role model – and the three weeks of Mercury retrograde may turn into a trudge through unaddressed paper work if you haven’t been keeping up with your tasks (been overdosing on pleasure maybe). Ruler Mars, in high energy mode in Capricorn from the 17th should help you tackle mundane matters and shine a light on your skills set, and in particular matters pertaining to writing and education.
On the last day of the month Venus moves into your complimentary sign of Taurus – just right for romance.
Sagittarius
You appear to be at full gallop, at least in your head, which is no bad thing given the retrograde Mercury that lies just down the road. Red-blooded Mars is with you until the 17th, so crack on with whatever tasks you have. The full Moon on March 2 concerns your career direction, but since it is opposite slippery Neptune, the long term may be in fuzzy focus. Better to stick with tasks at hand.
Leave plenty of room for play and pleasure, and, if you are interested, romance. By March 6 Venus and Mercury have arrived in the zone of courtship, parties and showing off – in your ‘scope, that’s Aries – later to be joined by the Sun at the spring equinox. Mercury turns backwards shortly afterwards (on March 23), but the fiery dynamic between Centaur and Ram remains – good moment to revise that epic poem you have been working on, or to chase up that intriguing date that never quite happened.
Developments elsewhere in your horoscope are less animating. Mars moves on at mid-month to join Saturn in your zone of cash and value, a meeting with a pragmatic quality that can see you checking out the loft for stuff to sell or just check out its worth.
Less worldly is the position the Centaur’s undisputed ruler, Jupiter, which remains ‘behind the scenes’ in Scorpio. The giant planet goes into retrograde motion on March 9, but since its position in the twelfth house concerns health, wholeness and the spiritual path, this isn’t big news. However, Jupiter aligns purposefully with the new Moon of March 17, and if you are looking to expand your living quarters or buy property, it’s an apposite moment (signing documents isn’t favoured until Mercury straightens out on April 15).
The final few days of the month have an appealingly giddy quality. Venus passing Prometheus on March 29 has ‘crazy weekend’ scrawled over it, while the Libran full Moon of March 31 favours more civilised celebrations.
Capricorn
Providing you are obeying the demands of your Saturn ruler – steady, conscientious work, pragmatic approach to problems, a little icy when it comes to the sticky, emotional stuff…business as usual in fact! – then most of March looks straightforward.
The full Moon of March 2 is in kindred earth sign Virgo, while the Sun and a swathe of planets/asteroids in watery Pisces is similarly accommodating for you. Wheeling and dealing, education and alliances with siblings come under these helpful stars.
Venus and Mercury soon move on (at March 6) to the more challenging sign of Aries, but promise but minor bumps in the road until the spring Equinox (March 20) when the Sun starts squaring your Capricorn planets while Mercury’s retrograde from March 23 promises to scramble your carefully prepared schedules.
Prior to that come two significant events, both on March 17. The new Moon in Pisces refreshes projects, communications and, if you’re in trade, even sales. Simultaneously warrior Mars arrives in the goat’s skies for a two month stay. Mars is considered potent in Capricorn – ‘exalted’ as old-timers put it – and adds va-va voom to your enterprise. Of course, not everyone is going to cede to your prowess and determination (not Mercury retrograde for example!), but private passions are another matter, especially in April.
Talking of thwarted control freakery and private passions: the Venus/Prometheus conjunction on March 29 suggests an engrossing surprise encounter or two, romantic or otherwise, while the full Moon of March 31, though on Easter weekend, may illuminate a tricky professional matter. On the same day Venus slips into her own sign of Taurus to introduce an arty, romantic note into your ‘scope. Enjoy.
Aquarius
As your birthday month may have shown you, 2018 is an unusual year for Aquarians – last month’s eclipses were potential game changers, and the feeling of ‘out with the old, in with the new’ persists in March.
The early part of the month is heavily Piscean – not ideal for an air sign like yours, though some of you will have planets that sign. In your solar ‘scope Pisces represents cash flow – the new Moon of March 17 is a good omen for more of the folding stuff coming your way, but the full Moon that opens the month on March 2 is conjunct Neptune, a potential recipe for disorder and deceit. In terms of the latter, the new Moon is the moment to go after debts and dodgy dealings.
Planets moving into fiery Aries are more obliging. Venus and Mercury move into the Ram on March 6 to liven up your social and business life. Mars in Sagittarius is doing much the same until the 17th. Although Mercury turns retrograde on March 23, after which old business is as good as new, there is everything to play for throughout the month. The Sun’s shift into Aries at the spring equinox works in your favour, and the full moon in airy Libra that follows on March 31 may prove inspirational in terms of both your romantic life and your long term plans.
‘Lucky’ Jupiter remain atop your ‘scope in the zone where you declare your hand and carver your professional path. The giant planet draws to a halt on March 9, though in astrological thinking its stationary position only magnifies its ‘influence’ – a good moment to stage a show-stopping performance, especially for birthdays circa February 12.
The traditional ruler of Aquarius, Saturn, remains somewhat behind the scenes, unlike its modern rival, Prometheus, which will be at the heart of the planetary action this spring. The encounter between Venus and Prometheus on March 29 promises some electrifying (in the nicest possible way) encounters.