March 1, 2017 — Now we are entering the dreamy month of March, ruled by compassionate, free-flowing Pisces. We have just survived an emotional eclipse season after experiencing some powerful, angst-ridden energies, which cumulated like thunderclouds. Uranus has been striking since late October, shocking us with powerful jolts of electricity and surprise. His effects intensified last week as Mars joined him, igniting irritation, emotional outbursts, and calamity. All the while, multiple planets in Pisces have been pulling on us to escape, sleep, or check out—furthering our sense of erraticism.

Luckily, this month is about letting go and clearing the path for an epic new cycle. Not only will Venus retrograde but the Spring Equinox is just around the corner, bringing fresh starts and the dawn of the Astrological New Year. Whatever we’ve experienced, now it's time to release it and rouse our excitement for what’s to come.

March Transits

It is impossible to discuss March without mentioning the continued square between Uranus and Pluto, planets of unpredictability and explosiveness. When these planets opposed each other in the Sixties, we saw the Cultural Revolution, the Civil Rights movement, and the Nixon scandal. When they last formed a square, we experienced the Great Depression and Hitler’s rise to power. With our current square, we are completing this karma. While similar themes are arising for us to address, this time, from the ashes of Pluto’s destruction, we have the chance to determine the future of our planet. We are starting to orient toward recreating society from a new foundation—one of sanity and selflessness, rather than aggression and materialism.

Venus and Mars, planets of femininity and masculinity, are both in bold Aries this month, empowering us to rise as warriors and respond to the world’s chaos—not with fear, but with tenderness and courage. The masculine is purifying in somewhat frightening jolts, while the feminine is moving into her power, proving that real strength stems from compassion and kindness. With the Sun simultaneously in Pisces, sign of universal love, we are learning to combat the depression of the Dark Age with strong spines and soft hearts. We are discovering how to love fearlessly and to embrace each other, even with porcupine quills.

On March 4, Venus stations retrograde for six weeks. During this time, we will reevaluate the feminine, along with our values and how we love. We have the chance to work through old relationship wounds and unfinished karma, and to bring our healing into a new phase of relating to each other. In business and creative endeavors, this is an opportunity to reorganize. While it could feel difficult to advance relationships and projects at this time, the best use of these energies is to relax with the slowness and otherworldliness, and to integrate old lessons before launching forward. 

A Full Moon in Virgo on March 12 helps us to focus and remember our previous work around releasing unhealthy addictions. As love and compassion billow in our hearts, this is a time to conjure gentleness, to heal old wounds, and to recognize our shared heartbreak. Chiron, the wounded healer, will line up with the Sun in Pisces during the New Moon, eliciting waves of healing and empathy. Our pain opens our hearts so we can touch in with each other’s vulnerability, and here we have the chance to love and embrace each other within the safety of healthy boundaries.

On March 20, the Sun moves into Aries, marking the Spring Equinox and the Astrological New Year. With a New Moon in Aries on March 27, fresh starts are emphasized as we welcome the swirling winds of excitement and enthusiasm. Completing our journey through Pisces, we have dissolved into space. Now we can boldly move forward without the constraints of ego or the fear of failed experience. With the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and Uranus all in Aries, our confidence is boosted, and we feel empowered to make decisions without hesitation.

We end the month with a bang as Jupiter forms an exact square with Pluto on March 30. Jupiter is the planet of light and expansion, while Pluto represents darkness, power, and transformation. We may experience explosions of sorts that ultimately extract hidden, secretive, or scary energies, revealing themselves clearly in the light of Jupiter. This could trigger some kind of climax around overthrowing dark powers. However, with Uranus in the mix, the effects are ultimately unpredictable. As Jupiter, Pluto, and Uranus continue their dance until September, our job is to become more comfortable with uncertainty so we can harness these planets' powers to dislodge stuck energy and to attune to the brilliant flashes of revelation and transformation available now.

March Summary

In the final month of winter, we begin to prepare for the arrival of spring—filled with daffodils, dogwoods, freshness, and vigor. But first we have work to do, clearing away past karma, finishing old lessons, and letting go of relationships and addictions that no longer serve us. Venus stations retrograde for six weeks beginning March 4, helping us reevaluate old relationships, values, and creative endeavors. Its presence in Aries spurs feminine empowerment while revealing the strength of our vulnerability and compassion. The Spring Equinox and Astrological New Year on March 20 infuse us with excitement for what’s to come after an arduous journey of clearing the rubble. With Uranus, Jupiter, and Pluto still forming a T-Square, we continue to feel unpredictability, shock, and transformation shaking us awake while helping us to rediscover who we really are. Now is the time to ask ourselves what kind of society we would like to establish—perhaps one which reflects the wisdom of our inner work. We have been moving rapidly into our power while learning to embrace all beings and to love ourselves and each other through pain, fear, and lashing out. Our key work now is mastering the balance between unconditional love and self-protection—taking care of ourselves in the relative world while holding the ultimate view of compassion, never giving up on anyone, especially ourselves.

As early bulbs and flowering trees begin to bloom, may we prepare our hearts for spring, ready to celebrate and rouse each other’s energies. May we continue to heal as we open further, planting seeds for a saner, more compassionate world—one where we relax, forgive ourselves, and acknowledge the basic goodness of all beings.

To book a reading with Juliana, write: juliana@etherealculture.com.