March 2008: The Positive Side of Slowing Down

NOTE: Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday March 9, 2008 at 2:00 am and goes until Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 2:00 am in the United States.

March 2008 is a month where your feelings of stagnation may actually be a blessing in disguise. During the first few weeks of this month, life continues to move slowly. As the month comes to an end, many of the changes that you seek start occurring. Basically, by life being so slow right now, you are in a better position to assess what needs to change and implement those changes in a positive manner when the time comes.

Your feelings of stagnation actually began when the Sun entered Aquarius on January 20, 2008 and a stellium in Aquarius started. This stellium was emphasized when the annual solar eclipse occurred at 17° of Aquarius on February 6, 2008 and was further reinforced when the total lunar eclipse on February 20, 2008 occurred at a conjunction to Saturn. The entire feeling of the energy was that of Saturn: A planet that represents constrictions in life and the need to build a foundation in a very slow manner. Any attempt to speed things up just meet with resistance. Therefore, you feel like your life is stagnant.

As March begins, Venus in Aquarius forms a conjunction to Chiron at the same degree of the annual solar eclipse which occurred in February 2008. Friendships and social commitments are very important right now: But to a point. You need spiritual satisfaction. If your friends aren’t giving you spiritual support, it’s time to reevaluate that friendship. If your commitments to social organizations are zapping your energy, it’s time to cut back on those activities. With energy levels being low, there’s only so much you can give.

Under normal circumstances, a conjunction between Venus and Chiron indicates that financial matters improve. However, not this time. With stagnation in the air, this translates to a stagnant economic picture. You need to be cautious when it comes to taking financial risks. The stock market is still reacting to the global economic picture. And, that picture is just as sluggish as your own physical vitality.

Mars re-enters Cancer on March 4th and presents opportunities for changes to occur and secrets to be revealed. (Mars originally entered Cancer on September 28, 2007. It turned retrograde on November 15, 2007. It re-entered Gemini on December 13, 2007. And, it turned direct in Gemini on January 30, 2008.) Since Mars was originally in Cancer from September 28, 2007 to December 13, 2007, it’s very important for you to think back to that time period and see what actions you tried taking. Many of those actions didn’t materialize as you expected. Or, they may have seemed to disappear. Now the actions that you took at that time turn into positive results. For example, if you were job hunting between September 2007 and December 2007, jobs you applied for may have suddenly been put on hold. Now, however, all that job hunting is bringing in offers.

Any secrets that you held between September 2007 and December 2007 are revealed at this time. If those secrets were not devastating, you have nothing to fear. However, if those secrets led you on the path of deceit, your actions do come back to haunt you and disrupt your life.

March 5th is particularly critical for those of you who have held on to secrets. When Mercury in Aquarius forms its conjunction to Chiron on this day, words hurt. Even your own words will be used against you. If you need to discuss this matter with other people, be very cautious. On March 6th, Venus in Aquarius forms a square to Ceres in Taurus and also a conjunction to Neptune in Aquarius. There are several things that could occur today. Your loved ones may feel that you deceived them to the point that they can no longer support you. Or, more information regarding your secrets comes out, again creating problems in your life.

The new Moon, with both Sun and Moon in Pisces, occurs on March 7th and Ceres in Taurus forms a square to Neptune later in the day. This does not bode well for various stock markets on the international economic scene or for leaders in the United States. A new Moon period usually indicates that it’s time for you to move either in a new direction or more up to the next level of your life. In Pisces, this new Moon indicates that compassion needs to be expressed. However, with the strong Neptunian energy today, there is also a danger that you may be reacting to unknown fears. That’s why the stock market becomes erratic. It doesn’t like the unknown.

You may feel erratic if secrets were revealed. You may not totally know what the implications are in your life. So, for that reason, you may go into “protection” mode. Protection mode is not always the same for everyone. You may feel that silence is one way to protect yourself. You may feel that explanations are one way to protect yourself. It’s just very important that no matter how you want to react, you try and reach out to your friends so you don’t need to be in this situation alone.

The next few days are going to be very difficult because of the various aspects Mercury makes to both Neptune and Ceres. Neptune deals with a time in your life where you need to let go of things. Ceres deals with a time in your life where compromise is important. And, as Mercury makes these aspects, the energy of the Aquarius stellium is beginning to abate. It will start to dissipate by March 12th when Venus separates from it’s conjunction to the Moon’s North Node and Mercury makes its conjunction to the Moon’s North Node. However, as both Venus and Mercury enter Pisces, they form an opposition to Saturn retrograde and this energy of stagnation won’t change until March 18th when Mercury in Pisces forms a trine to Mars in Cancer.

The best way to work with this energy is to understand that physically you are still feeling tired. You need a lot of rest right now. It’s also important to protect your physical vitality by eating well and exercising. Another way to work with this energy is to understand that truth is very important right now. You can’t just ignore the facts. Nor can you hope that others will ignore the facts.

Through reflection and truth, you can learn a lot about yourself. You can also find solace in your relationships with others who are on the same spiritual path. This is a time to use your creative spirit as you make changes in your life. And, this is a period when meditation will help you find that inner guidance you need.

On March 20th, the Sun enters Aries and the Aries Equinox begins in the United States. (In other parts of the world, the Aries Equinox actually begins on March 21st.) This is the beginning of the astrological year. The Equinox chart provides the foundation for the upcoming year. This chart varies for different countries as it is set up for the capital of the country you live in or wish to study. Some astrologers follow the old rules which indicate that a fixed Ascendant on the Aries Equinox chart lasts throughout the year while a mutable Ascendant lasts only a few months. However, in my experience it doesn’t matter whether the chart has a mutable, cardinal, or fixed Ascendant. What does matter is that the Ascendant and degree of the Ascendant form a sensitive point for that country throughout the year. Planets and energy points to that Ascendant do emphasize the particular underlying themes at different times throughout the year, if not for the entire year.

No matter what the Ascendant of the Aries Equinox chart is, there are specific patterns that are found throughout all the charts which set up important themes. The most important theme is that of a cardinal T-square created by the Sun, Pluto, and Mars. This indicates many rapid changes in the world, especially in military and commercial activities. In a T-square, there is always a missing sign. In order to achieve balance in the changes that come from a T-square, the missing sign needs to be addressed. In this case, the missing sign is Libra. And, what needs to be addressed are relationships that leaders in various countries build with each other. Through building positive relationships, various agreements can be reached that improve diplomatic and economic relationships

This same holds true for you. The cardinal energy is one where new action can begin. It can bring new things into your life. As these changes occur, it’s very important that you also focus on your relationships with other people. That’s the underlying theme of the Aries Equinox and this astrological year.

Right now, circumstances can be very intense. You may feel that you need to fight for your rights. Yet, perhaps through negotiations you can achieve more success than you ever might if you tried to fight your way for the win.

And there seems to be spiritual support for seeking allies and working with other people. On March 21st, the full Moon occurs. The Sun is in Aries and the Moon is in Libra. The Sun represents your ego. So, you want to go out and experience life. Meanwhile, the Moon represents your emotional needs. In order to experience life, you need to develop healthy relationships with other people. Since Mercury in Pisces is approaching a conjunction to Venus at the time of the full Moon, communications are extremely important. There’s a tendency, when Mercury is in Pisces, to believe that other people in your life know what you need. But, the reality is that other people can only help you when you ask for that help. You’ll be surprised to find that many people really are willing to help you out.

So, while the full Moon indicates that it’s time to let go of something, the full Moon also indicates where you can create better circumstances in your life. And, in this case, the better circumstances come from your relationships with others.

As the month draws to a close, Mercury in Pisces forms a conjunction to Uranus on March 27th and Venus forms a conjunction to Uranus on March 28th. This really gives you an opportunity to see things from a new perspective. You may have been thinking about things for a while, but earlier this month you felt stuck. Now, realizations just seem to leap into your mind. Issues that you couldn’t resolve now have solutions. Activities that you tried to undertake earlier suddenly have momentum. There really a sense of a new beginning.

Jupiter in Capricorn forms a sextile to Uranus in Pisces not long after Venus formed is conjunction to Uranus on March 28th. This aspect will actually occur two more times this year, on May 21, 2008 and November 13, 2008. When a particular aspect occurs more than once, it means that the first time it occurs, you need to use the energy to review your life and perhaps start doing some new things. When it occurs a second time, it means that you reassess what you’ve been doing with your life since the first time it occurred. And, by the time the same energy occurs for a third time, it means that you are about to receive any rewards from the actions you took during this time period.

Jupiter in Capricorn represents the need for you to consider the foundations of your life and how those foundations apply to developing future plans. Uranus in Pisces represents the importance of understanding any changes you make in your life need to be filled with compassion for other people. In other words, your personal actions are those which don’t create difficulties for other people in your life. When two planets are in sextile to each other, you may have the opportunity to take new actions, but you need to initiate those actions. Luck just doesn’t happen.

As each day goes by this year, there are major shifts in the global paradigm, especially in the global economy and your personal relationships. These changes have an impact in your life. It’s important for you to look at these paradigm changes at this point and decide which ones impact your life. From there you need to determine what to do about those impacts. Do you need to look for a new job? Do you have to reevaluate how you’re handling your finances? Will you need to make any changes in your personal life? These questions really can only be answered by you, perhaps with the help of your family and friends.

Jupiter forming a sextile to Uranus does represent that you have an opportunity to grow spiritually through understanding how the world impacts you personally. This is actually a very creative time period. With the world changing it really is time to begin making changes in your life.

The stagnation you felt at the beginning of the year and even the first few weeks of this month may not have felt good when it was happening. But, in reality, it slowed you down enough to take care of your needs and assess your life. It even gave you a change to determine some of the changes you need to make in life now which increase your ability to have a happier life.