Can you feel the surge? March 2015 is not rolling in like a lamb. More like a lion which will ROAR most of the month. Especially mid-month. No gentle spring is this. The cosmic foot keeps pressing down on the accelerator with very little let up to slow us down except our own strident efforts to exercise patience, tolerance, caution and wisdom.
Best approach to this month is a sharp sense of humor. Generous Jupiter in Leo (which rules humor and entertainment) aligning with Radical Uranus in fiery Aries certainly helps us find new, unusual methods of dealing with the fierce energies at work. We will need every measured tactic to meet the hands we are dealt. March’s opening salvo finds Venus (relationships and money), Mars (our drive and energy) and change maker Uranus tightly conjoined in warrior Aries challenging Transformer Pluto. The latter two are moving toward their final smack down on March 15th. Power punch much? Revolution? We are simply jolted awake and into action. Breakdowns and breakthroughs are the watchwords for March. If you are in a relationship that is not functioning well (with lopsided power plays and struggles, addiction issues, etc) whether personally or on the job, the energies of March will see to it that change occurs. Make every effort to flow with impending plot twists. Prepare to stay a step or two ahead, or otherwise be caught in the one-down position perpetually responding to and playing catch up instead of directing and initiating life.
With Saturn now cycling through Truth Telling Sagittarius, making beautiful alliances to Venus, Mars and the Lunar South Node in pioneering Aries, expect no-holds bar honesty. The more you resist hearing and following your True North, the reality of the situation you find yourself in, the more others’ will mirror truth and reality for you. It is inescapable. If you do not like what you see mirrored back to you, ask how you can change the reflection. What can you do to alter the picture? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?
Fess up and speak your truth. For there is no time for evasion, lies or deceit now. Nothing can be swept under the rug as the final challenge between Transformer Pluto and Radical Uranus happens on the Ides of March, no less! Talk about cosmic humor poking fun at us. WOW. Since 2012 this duo has squared off, overturning the old and outworn in our lives and ushering in The New, heightening our awareness. They ensure no stone is left unturned; that we are fully awakened to the realities of our situations.
From the first week of the month when Messenger Mercury opposes Generous Jupiter, both at critical degrees, our very thoughts and words are in the spotlight and may be stiffly challenged. So: Say what you mean and mean what you say. Only commit to something/someone if you can honor that commitment. We have had significant warnings and signals pointing the way. For those ignoring the signs, March will rattle to the core. This month is the last stage, the final frontier to be broken through, destabilizing or destroying patterns, habits and relationships that have not functioned well or at all and/or served our true purpose or best interests. The key to March is remembering that L-O-V-E is the reason behind this period of strife and upheaval. Especially as we move deeper into the month of Pisces, the great unifier, self-love, family, brotherly, partnership, universallove, is our lesson. To understand that we are ONE. You as an individual are one with Source. Separateness is an illusion. And for those operating from a place of separation, or territorial “this is mine, that is yours” mentality, the road will be that much harder.
Not that April will be any panacea. But our cages won’t be rattled to the extent they are this month. The explosive energy of the first week is ramped up by the powerful waxing Full Moon which occurs on Tuesday, March 5th. Fortunately, the Moon is in down-to-earth Virgo, helpfully aligning to Pluto in practical Capricorn. The Full Moon opposes the Chiron-Sun-Neptune trio in Pisces highlighting that separateness or unity is our choice. Neptune and Pisces rule illusion. The bare bones analytical Virgo Full Moon cuts right through this illusion, showing us like never before what is real and what is not. All illusion is shattered now and clarity of vision is yours for the asking. Take your pick: continue living with blinders on and face having them ripped off; or, if you have been seeking answers, doing the work, listening to and following your truth, solutions abound. With Generous Jupiter making a gorgeous angle to Ingenious Uranus, creative breakthroughs are at hand. The Moon-Pluto alliance in earth signs affords tremendous building block energy. So hitch your wagon to your dreams, make a plan, apply elbow grease and plenty of ingenuity and go for it! All the ingredients are there. Pisces Sun says: BELIEVE.
The Full Moon tees us up nicely for the second week of March when life really starts cooking. Messenger Mercury moves into Pisces on March 13th, slowly joining the Neptune, Sun and Chiron to emphasize the message of universal love and compassion. The very next day, March 14th, Saturn turns retrograde motion in Sagittarius, challenging both Neptune and Mercury. The search for inner truth, your quest, really deepens now in earnest. What is it you truly hunger for? What will fulfill your soul? Neptune and Pisces are the soul. Plunge into their watery depths to find your answer. If you allow just five minutes a day to tune in, ask: what do you feel, what do you hear? Pay attention to your body, the words of others, songs on the radio and signs (anything) shining light on the way. It is make or break time. Neptune is the dreamer while Saturn is the taskmaster. Saturn in Sagittarius demands you do the work of following your truth (no matter what society, your partner, family, etc, say/think), so your dreams (Neptune) may manifest.
Again, the point is driven home by the forces that be, in this case during the second week comes the final challenge between Pluto and Uranus. Pluto in Capricorn has been breaking down the old, established systems of our lives, grinding up what fails to serve us. Meanwhile, Uranus keeps inciting our bravery and pionieering spirit to explore untried or unusual approaches, to journey where we have feared to go. Now bolstered by the Venus-Mars duo in Aries, plus helpful alignments to Jupiter and Saturn in fire signs, Uranus gets its way. Finally. “I’ve been telling you to get going, try a new _______ (fill in the blank); now, I won’t take no for an answer,” demands Uranus, mighty planetary change agent. Remember, when you consistently resist to embrace your path, life (via Uranus) redirects you, forces your hand. This is such a moment. The proverbial “life-altering experience” is inevitably caused by Uranus when we are too far “off-path”. It can happen on a dime, either by happy or unfortunate accidents/crises, which Uranus rules. Surprise! is Uranus’ most effective tool…because if we were expecting change/upheaval, we human beings would do our level best to avoid it. Right? Uranus is the Great Awakener.
Personally, I know where I was reluctant to follow my path, I was awakened/redirected. And I know of many situations where this has occurred for others: a high-powered advertising executive who survived a horrible car accident and turned into a yogini; a business woman who witnessed 911 from her office building in NYC who then moved to the West Coast and became a successful writer; a drug addict who became a wildly successful life coach inspiring legions of others. And on and on. For each of these stories, Uranus played an integral part. Where has this happened for you? None of us like the unexpected. We are human and seek predictability and stability. Yet those who accept that change is the only constant will find an easier road now.
A foot to stand on anchors us through the chaos and disruption of mid-March. Venus (love and money) enters its home sign of Taurus on March 17th offering stability and practical riches. We will need every inch of ground we can get as only three days later the New Moon eclipse occurs at 29 degrees Pisces just hours before the Spring Equinox, issuing an emphatic call for unity, understanding, the brotherhood of man, clarity of vision, cleansing and healing. This eclipse urges a strong release and purge, as Radical Uranus (change) tightly conjoins the Lunar South Node (release) and the will to do it (Sun/Moon in Pisces = cleansing and healing). All New Moons offer us a clean slate, to begin again. However, the combined energies of this New Moon Eclipse afford an exceptionally powerful clean slate and opportunity to emotionally (Moon) connect to ourselves, our family and loved ones, our neighbors and community; to see the humanity, the positive attributes in others; to believe and have faith in our talents and abilities as well as those we share this Earth with.
Hours later the Sun enters Aries at a critical, attention-getting degree, ushering in Spring and a whole new cycle of growth. As I write with five feet of snow outside of my office door, I know I will be more than ready for warmer temperatures and milder days. A word of caution here: eclipses come in pairs and the March 20theclipse is the first of two, the second of which falls on April 4th. The period between eclipses are notorious voids. Best to start new endeavors after the April 4theclipse. By the end of the month, both Messenger Mercury and Motivating Mars have changed signs on March 31st. Mercury joins the Sun in Aries as they move toward Uranus, creating radical vision, ideas and concepts for the future. Meanwhile, Mars enters stable Taurus, joining Venus to keep our feet on the ground and apply our resources and talents on realistic paths. It is truly a time to follow the words of radio host Kasey Casem: “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”
OF SPECIAL NOTE:
Please join me for a workshop I am leading on Saturday, March 28th from 1-4 pm at the Sanctuary for Yoga and Reiki in Watertown, MA: Creativity, Moon Cycles and Self-Expression. Come learn what drives your creativity, where creativity originates and how it unfolds. Learn about your Moon sign and how it affects your ingenuity, receive a recommended reading list and crystal goodie bags, and much, much more! $35 advance registration or $45 at the door. To register or for more information, contact Hilary@hilaryharley.com.