March 2007 Astrology Sky

The Astrology of March focuses once more on the Saturn – Neptune opposition, now waning, and the continuation of the Mercury retrograde period of time that began in February. Although direct after the 7th, Mercury does not leave its retrograde shadow until March 27th.

Most of the month we are caught between two eclipses, so that these days are more powerful than usual, and are also aligned with outer planet energies. Neptune is greatly emphasized in March, being the ruler of the month's lunations and by a stationing Jupiter in Sagittarius. Numinous Neptune, in contrast to stodgy old Saturn, always remains elusive as well as illusive, suggesting that things are not what they seem, and that we are all connected, as we know beyond knowing in our most secret heart. The test of Neptune is to maintain our stance within the world of manifestation while still keeping in mind that all is illusion and a cover for the deeper meaning. This can be confusing, and have the effect of stalling our steering here on starship Earth, but that's just the way it is. The good news is that once we make that shift, we will never again be subject to the ravages of Saturn, at least not in quite the same way.

The other major effect of Neptune in combination with Saturn is a cynical puncturing of any form of hypocrisy and political posturing, something that we are observing on a mass scale these days. There is the danger of losing the positive message in the process, but because Neptune is buoyed up by Jupiter right now, we have an opportunity to rise above cynicism while not losing any of the accompanying clarity. Our inner vision also benefits from a retrograding Mercury, which changes to direct motion early in the month, on the 7th, but remains in its retrograde shadow until late March. As the Lunar Eclipse and Full Moon on the 3rd conjuncts and opposes Uranus, we might expect further epiphanies and unexpected events as well as the usual communication and mechanical breakdowns. During the entire week leading up to the Last Quarter Moon of March 11th we will have plenty of opportunity to look inside rather than to the misleading consensus in order to better understand our unfolding future selves.

Eclipses and Your Natal Chart

Eclipses always mean crisis. Now, crisis is not necessarily a bad thing; however, wherever an eclipse falls in your chart is an area of life that is going to undergo some change, or at least require more of your time and attention than usual for the next five months or so.

Solar eclipses are far more important than Lunar Eclipses. The house where the Solar Eclipse falls in your chart will be the main focus of crisis for the next five months. The house where the Lunar Eclipse falls (usually the opposite house) will be a secondary area of crisis. Since opposing houses are so closely related, however, it's often easiest to consider the pair of houses as a unit.

The March 2007 eclipses occurred at 21 degrees 3 minutes of Pisces (Solar Eclipse March 18th) and 12 degrees 59 minutes of Virgo (Lunar Eclipse March 3rd). Look at where the eclipses fell in your chart, and read on!

1st House—7th House.
If the eclipses occurred in your 1st/7th houses, the focus for the next five months will be on your relationships.

• The 1st house is our sense of self; it is who we are as individuals. Eclipses in the 1st house usually signal a period of personal development and growth.
• The 7th house is how we relate to other individuals. Naturally, when we ourselves change, this also changes how we relate to other individuals. Eclipses in the 7th house also signal a period of personal development and change; the main difference is that we experience the crises and the need to change as if it were coming from outside ourselves, because we project our 7th house on other people. No matter how it appears, it's never about the other person. It's always our own stuff.

2nd House—8th House.
If the eclipses occurred in your 2nd/8th houses, the focus for the next five months will be on your resources.

• The 2nd house is the house of our personal resources; our possessions, our skills, our talents, and our finances. An eclipse in the 2nd house will always make us more aware of our attachments: the things that we believe that we cannot survive without. Since most of us are very attached to money, this may be a time to reevaluate and explore your relationship with money.
• The 8th house is the house of other people's resources, joint finances, taxes and inheritances. An eclipse in the 8th house makes us aware of our responsibilities to others: both physical and emotional. Its often an indication that it's time to explore what truly belongs to us, and what belongs to our partners.

3rd House—9th House.
If the eclipses occurred in your 3rd/9th houses, the focus for the next five months will be on your relationship to the world.

• The 3rd house relates to our personal domain: the places and things that we are the most familiar with. The 3rd house also relates to our communication and to our personal, individual spiritual practices. An eclipse in the 3rd house often forces us to reevaluate the things we take for granted, and become more aware of how we communicate with ourselves and with others.
• The 9th house relates to unfamiliar environments: foreign countries, new ideas and philosophies, and organized religion. An eclipse in the 9th house causes us to consider the bigger picture of our lives. How do we want to grow and expand?

4th House—10th House. If the eclipses occurred in your 4th/10th houses, the focus on the next five months will be on balancing your private live with your public life.

• The 4th house relates to our private lives: our home, our family,and our emotional and spiritual connections to our ancestors and heritage. An eclipse in the 4th house can often indicate a time of family crisis.
• Of course, since an eclipse in the 4th house often means an eclipse in the 10th house as well, that crisis may have a lot to do with balancing the demands of your career or public life with the needs of your family and private life.

5th House—11th House.
If the eclipses occurred in your 5th house/11th house, the focus on the next five months will be on issues of individual expression and group participation.

• The 5th house relates to the things that make us feel special and worthy as individuals. It's the house of our creative expression, and includes children, gambling, and love affairs. Eclipses in the 5th house can stir up the creative urge, or represent changes in our relationships with our children or with our casual romantic partners.
• The 11th house is the house of friendships; this is the house of group participation and shared creativity. Eclipses in the 11th house can often indicate changes in our relationships with our peers and our friends.

6th House—12th House.
If the eclipses occurred in your 6th house/12th house, the focus on the next five months will be on your health, both physical and spiritual.

• The 6th house contains all of the things we need to do on a daily basis to maintain a physical body: food, exercise, nutrition, and our daily routine, including our jobs. Eclipses in the 6th house often indicate changes in our routines, and it's important to be aware of your physical needs to avoid illness.
• The 12th house contains all of the things we need to do on a daily basis to maintain a soul. The 12th house is where we meditate, and explore our unconscious. Eclipses in the 12th house often indicate that you will need to spend more time alone, in your personal spiritual practices.

Mercury Retrograde
When chaos reigns February 13 to March 7

If you idled your evenings away watching the planets slip across the sky, you would eventually notice Mercury seem to stop, and then for three weeks, move backwards. In ancient times, astrologers were the chief scientists and advisers to emperors and this unnatural motion was cause for alarm. Even to this day, Mercury Retrograde is regarded with no small amount of dread, trepidation and fear. Yet, it will come three times a year, every year. So learning to manage it will give you a real edge.

Briefly, Mercury is responsible for communication in all forms, including transportation; remember those winged heels? He reigns over information, education and the truth. For these three-week periods his energy is moving backwards and inwards. He's engaged in reflection and reviewing - not in forward progress. This is harder for us to accept than it was for the ancients -- they saw life as cyclical. We want steady progress, and so do our bosses.

Communicate cautiously
The best way to handle Mercury Retrograde is to be extra cautious in these areas: speaking or writing to friends, loved ones and co-workers; emails; phone communications; contracts; travel plans, flight connections and baggage; giving directions (be especially clear at the tanning and hair salon); with your car; and even when throwing parties.

Being scrupulously careful however, does not mean don't communicate - in today's wired world that's simply not possible! None of us can avoid sending email or speaking to others, nor should we, it's just important during these few weeks to be extra, extra careful. Use your best judgment, don't assume things will all come out in the wash, especially where you already know there's potential for trouble: an unhappy boss; a jealous co-worker; or a harried medical tech. If the situation is fraught when going into the retrograde period, then you must painstakingly check, revise and re-think every communication before opening your mouth or hitting 'send'. The key is to take the time to consider the recipient's point of view -- before you make your statement.

Beware of electronic glitches
Mercury Retrograde is also a time when computers, cars and electrical equipment can go haywire. Likewise luggage, packages, mail can be either delayed or lost. If you start a new job, new project or new relationship it'll turn out quite differently than you imagined, so either go in very cautiously or if at all possible avoid making a firm commitment until Mercury goes Direct on the evening of March 7^th.

Be sure to protect yourself by keeping copies of important documents, doing a back-up of your computer and duplicating your important computer files on a flash memory card.

If you're in an industry that is naturally ruled by Mercury: communications, marketing, advertising, publishing, public relations, investor relations, broadcast production, sales, writing, transportation, shipping and travel; you'll need to take more time with each communication you send and those you receive from customers.

Check everything twice
Mercury Retrogrades are nature's time for renewal, for review and to re-do things. The way to get the most from this time is to go back and check your work, to review contracts, to clean and reorganize your office and home, to edit and revisit projects that aren't complete, and most importantly, to just take time to enjoy the simple things in life. Go for a walk, sit by the beach and reconnect with the natural world. Besides, if you feel renewed and refreshed, well, that delayed flight won't matter as much!

With Venus in Aquarius, now's the time to bring love your way!

Venus is in Aquarius - get ready to have some fun. Love is about being purely in the present, receiving from another only to turn and give again in the beautiful dance of life. And with Venus in Aquarius, you have your dancing shoes on!

So, where is love? How do I find it? How does it find me? So many questions, but only one, simple answer - be love. In everything you do, in everyone you meet, in the morning, in the evening and especially when someone cuts you off in traffic, be love.

Remember the very first time you fell for someone? It seems as though everything they did was wonderful. You were in complete acceptance of this person and everything about them was new and exciting. It seemed an endless journey of discovery to know them and to be around this new special person.

But what about going on dates? Hitting the scene? What about all the things I should do to find love?

You may do whatever you feel compelled to do. But whatever you do, you must be love.

Here's why
Objects of like attract each other. What are the attributes you are looking for in another person? Make a list of what you want, not what you may have heard is a good attribute. What do you respond to? What draws you near to a person? In people in your life, what are character traits that make you stay just a little longer?

Take a look at this list. Now, practice the principles you have put down. If you want someone who laughs when things go awry, practice a light touch when things don't go your way. If you desire someone who goes to plays, go to a play. Even if you have to go by yourself - be what you want.

And then, be patient. Something amazing is in the works. By being what you are seeking, you right yourself out of co-dependent romanticizing. If you want someone financially responsible be financially responsible. Save yourself from the castle and the hoped-for prince will suddenly be a mere mortal who you actually have a chance of meeting!

And then, the most incredible thing will happen. The person you described on your list will come into your life. And the really wild thing is that anything on the list that you are not practicing, they won't practice either. If you want someone who likes to volunteer and you never give your time to others, you are sure to attract someone who doesn't either. It is impossible to attract what you refuse to have in your life. It's just how it works.

In the meantime, relax! Good things are coming to you everyday and each moment they draw near. Be love wherever you go and love will have to come to you. It's in the planets and the love is in you. And it's expanding already.

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Predictive Astrology

Predictive Astrology involves using tools to help predict upcoming events and plan the best times to make changes in your life. There are two major tools used in predictive astrology: Transits and Progressions.

Transits are where the planets are right now, as opposed to where they were when you were born. Mapping the planets at the time of a chart reading against the positions they were in at birth, an astrologer can explain what areas of your life are being emphasized, what major events may transpire in the future, and what options you have for dealing with the energies that are affecting you at that point in time.

For example, Saturn (restrictions, delays, practicality) may be moving through your 10th house of career. Saturn takes about two-and-a-half years to move through a sign, so it will be in your 10th house for approximately that length of time. This transit could bring some major changes to your career life, the nature of which will depend upon a number of different factors. You may take on more responsibility at work, receive a promotion, find yourself working hard for little reward, or even retire. It depends on the aspects the transiting Saturn is making to the rest of your chart and to any planets in your 10th house, and the signs and natal house positions as well.

Let's say Saturn is moving through Taurus in your 10th house. Next month, transiting Saturn will form a trine to your natal Mars, which is in your 2nd house of earned income. That sounds a lot like a promotion with a pay increase.

If, however, transiting Saturn formed a square to your natal Mars in the 2nd house instead, this might more accurately represent the lack of a raise and promotion, and even difficulty with your employer.

Transits represent a temporary state of affairs, and should be interpreted keeping the meanings of your natal chart in mind. If your natal Mars was in a very good position in your chart, the transiting square from Saturn might only mean missing a slight raise or having a delayed raise. If, however, your natal Mars is very difficultly aspected, your boss might fire you because you were too aggressive in your pursuit of that raise!

You can also pay attention to transits to the midpoints (An unoccupied aspected degree between and equidistant from two other planets, resulting in a symmetrical grouping, sometimes called a planetary picture). of your chart. I personally find transits to midpoints to be very strong, and easy to accurately time. Of course, the transiting planet in this case would need to be assessed against both planets involved in the natal midpoint, as well as all the other usual factors.

Timing is a difficult thing in astrology in terms of prediction. There are numerous methods out there, and great disagreement on what method to use, and what orbs should be given to transits. I agree with Rob Hand and others that multiple transits (when more than one planet is transiting the same area of the chart) are timed best by the faster moving planet. So if Pluto is aspecting your Sun (which could be over a period of several years), and Mars comes along and hits the same place (which it will in that time frame), look at the date when Mars will make the aspect for the date when you will most feel the influence of Pluto's transit.

My opinion on orbs is that two degrees for most planets does the trick in timing transits. For instance, when Mars approaches your Sun but is two degrees from exact, start expecting an event to occur, and don't stop expecting it until Mars is two degrees past your Sun. Oddly, I have found from personal experience that transits often hit harder at two degrees before or after than they do when they are exact.

The Moon moves so quickly that transits from it rarely have any major impact. If you are ruled by the Moon, however (either a Cancer by Sun-Sign or a Cancer rising chart), you may feel its impact more strongly than others. Generally, the Lunar transits relate mostly to small day-to-day activities and moods.

Outer planet (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) transits affect some people strongly, some less so. If your outer planets natally are strongly placed by sign and house, and are closely aspecting your personal planets, you will obviously feel the outer planet transits more strongly.


Progressions can sometimes act like transits in setting the stage for external events, but are more usually indicators of your inner growth. Progressions are a symbolic system of accounting for inner growth. Our natal charts are a map of potentials given to us when we are born, but almost none of us stays stuck in our potentials at birth. We grow; we experience; we learn; we change. Our progressions reflect this.

The most common type of progressions are secondary progressions. To find secondary progressions, we use the Biblical guide of "a year for a day"; in other words, each day in the ephemeris represents one year of an individual's life. Thus, if you were born on January 1st of the year, you would look at January 2nd to represent your life at a year old, and so on.

Since the outer planets move so slowly, they will move very little within any individual's lifetime. They may come to an exact aspect which is inexact in the natal chart, and this will bring the potential within that aspect to fruition within your life. And the outer planets may also turn direct or retrograde, which will change the way that planetary energy is expressing in your life.

It is the inner planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) that are most significant in progressions. You can interpret them similarly to transits, keeping in mind that they represent your inner growth more than outer events. For instance, transiting Sun conjunct your natal Mars is an annual event which can represent activation of Mars in your chart (energy, sexuality). Progressed Sun conjunct your natal Mars could more likely represent a time in your life when you are coming into your own in terms of knowing how to use and express your energy more effectively.

The progressed Moon takes approximately one lunar month (about 27-1/2 days) to make one entire trip around your natal chart. This is a significant time in one's life, at age 27-28, and coincides with the return of transiting Saturn to its natal place (at about age 28-29). It is usually a time for major life changes and decisions.

The other major form of progressions in astrology are called primary directions. This simply takes the motion of the Sun (approximately one degree), and applies that motion symbolically to all the other planets as well. This allows the outer planets more significance in progressions, as they will move through two to three signs within each individual's lifetime rather than the few degrees they normally are allowed in secondary progressions.

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Universal Messages

The universe can often relay messages to us through signs. Often, we are too busy to stop and consider what may or may not be a sign. We may ask the universe for guidance, yet fail to recognize the sign it sends us in response. Learning the subtle language of signs can help you interpret the guidance the universe sends your way. We all have been blessed with a connection that allows the universe to communicate directly with us. To be able to understand the information relayed over that connection, however, it is necessary that we learn to pay attention and know what to look for.

To see and correctly interpret a sign, you must open your heart and mind to the universe and invite its guidance into your life. Many of us are blind to the signs we receive because we expect angels or our spirit guides to speak to us in a booming voice and tell us exactly what we need to hear. But signs are usually of this earth and therefore easier to encounter. A song lodged in your mind or a number that seems to pop up everywhere you look after you've asked the universe for guidance can both be signs. Signs may come through the animal world, from strangers, or jump out of a book in the form of an insightful passage. A sign may be a direct answer to one of your questions. Other signs may point you in the right direction, warn of impending difficulties, or show you a different way. If you want the universe to send you a sign, tell it that you are ready and willing to accept its guidance.

Not everything you hear or see will be a sign. If you are receptive and patient, however, the signs you receive will become easier to recognize. It is important to listen to your intuition. A sign can mean many things to different people, and only you can decipher a sign's meaning is for you. As you practice reading the signs and following their guidance, the universe will send more of them your way.

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Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse or eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon is dark or new. This is the first phase of the moon in which it is barely visible. The new moon has the sun at its back. It rises with the sun.

The new moon is a time for introspection and personal growth. When the moon eclipses the sun, this is taken one step further as the moon, if only momentarily, takes over rulership of the daytime, empowering the feminine aspects in our lives.

Although we experience a new moon about every 28 days, an eclipse of the sun, happens only a couple of times per year. This is due to the fact that the moon’s orbit around the earth and the earth’s orbit around the sun are at different angles. The two orbits do not occur on the same plane. When the sun, moon and earth move into alignment, a solar eclipse occurs.

During a solar eclipse, the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth. From our perspective, here on earth, the moon, at first barely visible due to the brilliance of the sun which appears beside it seems to move in front of the sun blocking or eclipsing it. At this time, the masculine energy of the sun is eclipsed by the feminine energy of the moon. Assertiveness and ambition give way to introspection and receptivity.

During the time surrounding a solar eclipse, we may feel that all our ducks are in a row. Our ambitions and emotions seem to be in agreement. We may feel cooperation flowing smoothly in our relationships. Before a solar eclipse, our thoughts and emotions may seem to be aligned. As the solar eclipse approaches, our emotions become stronger until at the time of the eclipse our emotions take over.

Daytime is normally ruled by the sun, by action and by masculine energy, while the night is ruled by the moon, by emotion and by feminine energy. During the eclipse, the moon covers the sun and emotions get a chance to take control during the day, if only for a short while.

In Greek mythology, the sun and moon are associated with Apollo and Artemis. Together the two children of Zeus and Leto, exemplify balance between dark and light, as well as between feminine and masculine. Apollo, the sun god is active during the day while Artemis, ‘the moon’ roams at night.

Youthful and beautiful, Apollo, with his golden lyre and silver bow carries the sun across the sky each day, pulling it behind his golden chariot. He is the bringer of light and truth, and healer of men.

Artemis, his older twin sister, is Goddess of the Moon. A virgin goddess, Artemis resides in the forests where she is known as the huntress. Like her brother, she is a skilled archer, shooting her prey with silver arrows. A powerful warrior, Artemis hunts by the light of the moon.
When the moon eclipses the sun, Artemis stands between her brother and their mother. With both children, pulling on Mother Earth from the same side, she must give way to their will. Residing here on Mother Earth, we feel the pull of powers beyond our control.

At this time we must surrender to powers greater than our own. We must surrender to the universe, confident that in its infinite wisdom, it will return us once again to balance as the heavenly bodies dance gracefully across the day and night sky.

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