March 2010: Reflect Before Taking Action

Just a little short note for people living in the United States: Daylight savings time begins on March 14, 2010.

The month of March is divided into two distinct energies: From March 1, 2010 until March 17, 2010, the major emphasis is a stellium in Pisces. On March 7, 2010 until the end of the month, the major emphasis is a cardinal T-square. There is an overlap of both the Pisces stellium and cardinal T-square between March 7, 2010 and March 17, 2010. Found in the center of this mix is Mars in Leo. On March 10, 2010, Mars in Leo turns direct. So, what does this all mean?

When there is a lot of energy in the sign of Pisces, it’s a good idea to pull back and reflect on situations. Sometimes you want to go out and save the world. If you do, that’s fine. Just don’t sacrifice yourself in the process.

When there is a lot of energy in cardinal signs, especially creating cardinal T-squares, there’s a desire to just go out and “do it.” However, by reacting too quickly and without thinking, you can create chaos in your life.

So, while the month of March has two distinct parts, there is one major theme: Reflect before taking action. Through reflection you’ll be able to intuitively know what is right for you. Once you have this sense, you’ll be able to use the cardinal energy to move forward in your life without being influenced by the fears of others.

Mercury enters the sign of Pisces on March 1, 2010. The stellium was actually already in operation in February 2010 with four planets in Pisces, now there are five: Mercury, Jupiter, Sun, Venus, and Uranus.

Mercury is not comfortable in the sign of Pisces and is considered both in detriment and fall. Basically, the energy of Mercury is to analyze events and come up with solutions. Yet, Pisces represents the feeling aspect of your nature, not the analytical aspect. With all these planets in Pisces, including Mercury, you may feel sluggish. You may have difficulty focusing. You may even start picking up on the feelings of others, especially if those feelings are of fear or concern. It’s important to think about the good things that you have going on in life so that you can tune into the energy of healing. If you are feeling fears, see if they are your fears or reactions to other people.

March 2, 2010 to March 4, 2010 could be days of tension if you let others take control of situations in your life. On March 2nd, Ceres forms a square to Uranus while Mercury forms a quincunx to Saturn retrograde. Ceres represents the need to understand when compromise is necessary. Yet, Uranus indicates that information may be coming too fast for you to fully process. At the same time, Mercury in Pisces indicates that you may want to act intuitively while Saturn indicates that you need to slow down. So, it’s important not to make any rash decisions today.

On March 3rd, Venus forms a conjunction to Uranus. Again, you may be experiencing too much input coming into your life and feeling that you’re on overload. Be cautious in financial matters. You could be hearing conflicting information. You could be having people want to give you the “hard sell” so that you’ll purchase something that you may not need.

This sense that others are trying to manipulate you increases on March 4th when Mercury forms a sextile to Pluto and Venus forms a square to Ceres. Normally, the sextile between Mercury and Pluto indicates that you may be able to work something out with other people. However, the square between Ceres and Venus indicates that problems from financial matters could increase. You may purchase something and pay more than you normally would. You may decide to look at some high-ticket items and not receive all the information you need to get in order to make a fiscally sound decision.

There does seem to be some improvement by March 6th when Ceres forms a sextile to Neptune. Basically it’s easier for you to be gentle and nurturing. You don’t feel the need to push yourself so hard. You don’t feel like you must make a decision right now. In your relationships with others, you’ll find more support.

Venus enters Aries on March 7th and this is important for several reasons. First, Venus isn’t comfortable in the sign of Aries and is in its detriment. Normally Venus represents the desire to be passionate and loyal about circumstances in life. There’s a desire to include other people in your decisions. However, Aries indicates the need to rush into matters and experience the excitement of new circumstances. Basically, you’ll feel impatience if you have to wait for others. So, when Venus enters Aries, you need to find ways to share your enthusiasm for a new situation with others in your life, otherwise you may find that you’ve just alienated someone you really care for.

The other reason that Venus entering Aries is important is because it will create a cardinal T-square by forming an opposition to Saturn retrograde on March 9th, and by forming a square to Pluto on March 11th. In June and July 2010, there will be a very important cardinal T-square that is formed by the outer planets. Some astrologers are calling this the “Cardinal Climax.” The T-square created by Venus one of the warning signs of what could come.

As Venus moves into the cardinal T-square, it forms a trine to Mars retrograde indicating that you need to pay attention to your financial well-being as well as information you receive from family and friends. This may not be the time to act on this information, but it is the time to start thinking about this information.

When Venus forms the opposition to Saturn retrograde on March 9th, financial information regarding employment and loans may not be the best information you hear at this time. You really need to make some determinations about your budget. You need to find ways to lower your expenses, if at all possible.

Also be very cautious with your relationships. People are feeling edgy and may take what you say as criticism. You may not mean to be critical. They may be over sensitive. The same is true for you. When other people try to share information with you, don’t take things so personally, otherwise your feelings could get hurt.

One good thing about this day is that Ceres later forms a sextile to Chiron. This means that you can talk about your problems later on and perhaps resolve them.

Also, it could mean that you may be able to discuss serious matters when Venus forms the opposition to Saturn retrograde and figure out how you want to resolve those matters.

Mars turns direct on March 10th. A lot of people felt the energy of Mars when it turned retrograde on December 20, 2009. You may have been one of those people. Vitality was low and you may have just wanted to sleep a lot. It may have also been very difficult to get things done. Weather patterns were very nasty when Mars was retrograde. Haiti suffered a horrible earthquake the second week of January 2010 and Chile experienced an even greater earthquake (8.8 on the Richter Scale) at the tail end of February 2010. Throughout the east coast of the United States and even in France and England, the weather was just horrible.

Although Mars does turn direct, there are several other astrological things that are occurring right now. Venus is halfway through the cardinal T-square which won’t complete until March 11th. There is a very tight stellium in Pisces formed by Jupiter, Mercury, Sun, and Uranus. Feelings are very intense. A lot of things which have been bothering you are going to come to the surface. You’ll see this tension in Congress. It’s important that as things surface, you take time to understand why those concerns are so important to you.

Although Mars has turned direct, you won’t feel like moving very quickly. Mars will move very slowly, especially between now and March 22, 2010. Just take your time. Regain your energy slowly. You’ll feel a lot better.

The cardinal T-square involving Venus, Saturn retrograde, and Pluto ends when Venus forms a square to Pluto on March 11th. This could be a reminder that you need to take care of financial matters in your life. But it’s also a reminder that if there are any difficulties in your relationships with others, especially family members, this is the time to do something to heal any old wounds.

The new Moon which occurs on March 15th really emphasizes the Pisces stellium. There are five planets involved in this stellium. Four planets involved (Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Uranus) are less than two degrees apart, Jupiter, the fifth planet, is more than twelve degrees away. Stelliums intensify energies, especially when they occur under the new Moon. This can be an emotional day for you. You may pick up on the feelings of others around you. You may think about, and even meet, some old friends you haven’t seen in quite a while. This isn’t a time for serious discussions because you take things personally. Rather, this is a time of reflection. It’s a good day to take time off and do something nice, whether that means spending the day in meditation and reflection or spending the day pampering yourself at a local day spa.

The stellium is finally dissolved when Mercury enters Aries on March 17th. Mercury is so much happier being in Aries. During the first two weeks of the month, you spent a lot of time with your feelings or picking up the feelings of others. Now with Mercury in Aries, you’re ready to move forward in discussions. Still you need to be careful. Mercury is moving into a cardinal T-square with Saturn retrograde and Pluto. The T-square begins on March 18th when Mercury forms an opposition to Saturn retrograde. This could play out in different ways. You may feel that you need to have serious discussions with other people, especially those individuals in your intimate circle. Or, you may feel that others are judging you too harshly. Either way, it’s very important to try and maintain some gentleness in your communications with others.

Ceres will enter Capricorn on March 19th, the day before Mercury finishes its cardinal T-square. When Ceres is in Capricorn, it’s important for you to understand the boundaries that you have in your life. If you understand the boundaries in your life, it’s easier to know where and when you can compromise. Any decisions that you make today will be the right ones if you don’t go outside your comfort zone. That means, understanding your boundaries and staying within them.

When Mercury forms the square to Pluto on March 20th, the cardinal T-square created by Mercury starts to ebb. Still this is not a day to get into any arguments. Everyone, including you, will be focused on belief systems and not willing to listen to what others have to say. You may need to have serious discussions, but you may also want to put off making final decisions until you’ve had a few days to think about everything that was discussed.


Several hours after Mercury forms the square to Pluto, the Sun enters Aries and the new astrological year begins. This is the spring equinox in the western hemisphere and the fall equinox in the southern hemisphere. This chart sets up the underlying theme for the next twelve months. In the United States, this chart has a Cancer rising. This means that if you live in the United States your focus is on family and security. (If you live in another country, set up the equinox chart for the capital of your country. Whatever sign is on the ascendant represents the main theme for the year in your country.)

Concern with family and security is very understandable since economically things are still going to be a roller coaster ride. You’ll hear lots of news about different programs. Some of these problems may be successful, but the truth is that everything has its cycle and things take time. The greatest concern during this year will be employment as well as loans to small business owners. As an employee you may be asked to work additional hours without extra pay. Or, you may be asked to take some cuts with your benefits package. As a business owner you may want to know whether or not you can get a loan that helps you get your business over its financial hump. Or, you may have to cut back in certain areas to keep your business on track.

In all the equinox charts, no matter where they are set up, there is a cardinal T-square: The Sun forms an opposition to Saturn retrograde and a square to Ceres and Pluto. Unfortunately this means that there will be leadership struggles between those individuals that want to create new programs and those who want to continue with the old programs. This also means that changes do need to occur during the year if people want to move on with their lives and find prosperity returning.

Ceres and Pluto don’t really come to a conjunction for quite a while because Ceres turns retrograde before forming the conjunction to Pluto. So it seems like compromise might be the big lie for the year. People will pretend to compromise and then, maybe due to fear, maybe due to power struggles, turn around and leave the negotiating table. This is very important to remember.

It’s also important to note that the Moon in any of the equinox charts forms a square to Neptune and Chiron. You may not really know what’s going on with your government officials. Perhaps they’re trying to give you information, but the truth is that you’re not getting all the facts. Don’t let yourself get sucked into rumors and innuendoes. Do the best you can to get as many facts as possible before making major decisions.

On March 22nd, things will feel gentler. Mars is forming a sextile to Saturn retrograde indicating that it will be possible to create some structure in your life that brings you a sense of security.

Things will actually be quiet between March 23rd and March 29th, the day Venus forms a sextile to Neptune and the full Moon, with Sun in Aries and Moon in Libra, occurs. Although the Sun is in Aries and the Moon is in Libra, this full Moon does not emphasize the cardinal T-square. Rather, it emphasizes the need to build bridges between your goals and your relationships. You can start looking at your life and deciding what’s important without operating from a center of fear.

As the month starts drawing to a close, Venus forms and sextile to Chiron on March 30th and moves into its own sign of Taurus on March 31st. Mercury will also form a sextile to Neptune on March 31st just a few hours after Venus enters the new sign.

These are two days of healing. If you have cross words with someone during this month, you’ll be able to find ways to heal those rifts. If you felt that you were reacting to crisis situations, you’ll be able to take some time to relax and think things through. You won’t have to react. Basically, you’ll be able to reflect on your life before taking any actions.