Welcome to the New Era
March 2023March enters like a gentle giant. Cosmically the first few days of the month are smooth. We are half way through an “energetic All-Clear” with every single planet moving forward motion. We have our wheels under us now, rolling out major plans and purchases. Take advantage of this energy and make the most of it.
That said, we are in for some significant planetary shifts. Mind you, these changes do not involve retrogrades or eclipses to stir things up. However, within the next few weeks, cosmic heavy hitters Saturn, Pluto and Mars move out of signs where they have cycled for a very long while. Arriving just in time for spring, this is the energetic equivalent of a breath of fresh air, like walking out into warm sunshine and a delicious breeze.
Who doesn’t want more of that?
Through these big changes, the Universe has our back, especially the first week of March. It cradles us, holding our hand and guiding our every step, as if to say, it is safe to come out. All is well. With Generous Jupiter and Valuable Venus conjoined, and the Moon aligning to Saturn and the Sun, a gigantic safety net and million angels support our efforts and shield us from any adverse effects while the planetary taskmasters shift gears.
If you are poised to take a leap of faith, now is your time to act! Go for it.
Thursday, March 2nd, Messenger Mercury joins the Sun and dreamy Neptune in Pisces, giving us a taste of things to come. In only a few short days, Taskmaster Saturn enters Pisces as well. This is no small thing. For over two years, the cosmic time keeper and agenda setter has cycled through innovative Aquarius. Think about where you were two years ago and what your life looked like.
A pandemic pervaded humanity; the United States witnessed the first attack on its Capitol in over 200 years and the only hostile transfer of presidential power in its history; racial tensions were at an all-time high; an unprecedented mass workforce movement occurred as we left offices in droves in favor of remote jobs.
As Saturn enters reflective Pisces, the final sign of the zodiac, take stock. What have you learned? How have you reinvented yourself, whether unwillingly or by choice? I know my life is nothing like it was two years ago. I moved from the city to countryside, in large thanks to Zoom and the ability to work from wherever I choose.
It is no accident that Saturn rolls right into Pisces on Tuesday, March 7th, the very same day, in fact within one hour, of the Full Moon in practical Virgo. The intense bright spotlight of full moon says pay attention: a major changing of the planetary guard is now occurring. We cannot help but notice this energetic shift. Think of switching channels on the radio, from rock and roll to opera, or different flavors and textures of food, from cheeseburger to chocolate ice cream. This is the qualitative difference between Saturn’s cycle in airy Aquarius to now soulful Pisces.
Assisting our transition, the real-deal Virgo Full Moon aligns helpfully to none other than change agent Uranus in earthy Taurus. With four planets in mystical Pisces, (Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune) we need every bit of earth energy to keep our feet on the ground. The image of a tree comes to mind as we feel our way into this new moment: as our inspired branches reach toward the sky (Pisces), our roots link us ever deeper into the earth, securely anchoring us.
So what should we expect as Taskmaster Saturn cycles through Pisces for the next two-plus years? First let’s look at the differences between Aquarius and Pisces.
Leaving Aquarius behind, Saturn says goodbye to the final air sign. Aquarius is inventive, a conductor and connector, technological, innovative, eccentric, rebellious, radical, avant-garde, non-mainstream, humanitarian, inclusive, group-oriented yet distinctly marches to its own drum.
Whereas Pisces, the sign Saturn now enters is dreamy, mystical, imaginative, rules water, music, film, photography, the soul, spirit and subconscious, hospitals, prisons, saints, angels, unity, charity, the downtrodden, homeless, the sublime, divine inspiration, fear, faith and fame, the extreme polarities of human experience and everything in between. Bear in mind: To much has been given, much will be expected. Pisces rules dreams and Saturn drives manifestation. If ever there were a time to manifest your dreams, THE NEXT 2-3 YEARS IS IT!
From March 2023 to February of 2026, as Saturn tours Pisces, watch for: a rise in all manner of spirituality; water (ice, snow, steam, fog, hurricanes, etc); a focus on hospitals and prisons (including mental health facilities), underserved people; acts of charity, non-profit organizations; film and movies, and music of all genres including immense concerts.
Notice your involvement and interaction with these, as well as your dreams, imagery, visualization. A word of caution: observe your thought and emotional spirals around fear, aka (False Evidence Appearing Real) versus how you might otherwise align with faith and inspiration.
Mid-month finds several key inner planetary gear shifts. First up, Valuable Venus turns into its own sign of Taurus on Friday, March 17th. Our shining skills are in demand as are talents we may be newly developing. Both find outlets to grow our earning potential. By Sunday, March 19th, Messenger Mercury moves into fiery Aries. Watch your impulse control. Your mouth may be trigger happy so definitely think before you speak or commit to anyone or thing.
Two days later, the Sun enters Aries marking the spring equinox very late on Monday, March 20th. Less than 24 hours later, the New Moon in Aries occurs. Can you say HELLO SPRINGTIME?! Hold on to your hat! This double Aries event, marking the Sun and Moon moving into the first degree of the first sign of the zodiac is rare indeed. Together, they mark a brand new era beginning. The Sun (our will and identity) and Moon (our emotions, family and home) usher in energy no one alive has ever witnessed. This is a heightened call to action.
Aries energy is bold, fearless, brave, courageous, and trail blazing. Aries is the sign of the pioneer, the warrior and the executive. It acts first and asks questions later. We are called to go where we have not tread before. Where are you called to be brave and do what you have never done?
By the latter half of March, cosmic energies have shifted from Pisces to Aries. The Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and briefly the New Moon, cycle through initiating Aries. You will feel the difference. Spring Fever anyone? The caution with a whole lot of Aries energy is impulse control. Be sure to hit the pause button the final days of March. There are no take-backs with words or actions so handle yourself and others with care.
The gear shifts keep churning two more times before month’s end. First Pluto, then its younger sibling Mars. Think higher and lower octave on a musical scale. Both planets rule desire, motivation, and action. For if we did not desire (anything) we would not be motivated to move forward in life. The outer-most planet, Pluto takes the longest to circle the sun and thus moves from one sign to another very seldom. Since 2008, Pluto has cycled through the final earth sign: Capricorn.
Black and white, unsentimental, businesslike and political, Capricorn turns a cold eye on life. Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn keeps score: You’ve either done the thing or you have not; you either showed up or you didn’t. Capricorn doesn’t care about excuses.
Now, Pluto moves into Aquarius. For a few months at least, through early June. It gives us a preview of things to come, when it will return to Aquarius in January 2024 until March 2043, for twenty-one years. Can you imagine what life will look like by then? But for right now, for just over two months, we get a taste of what that may be.
Younger sibling Mars takes its cue from Pluto, when it changes sign on Saturday, March 25th. FINALLY. Since last AUGUST 2022! Mars has been cycling through communicative Gemini. Normally, Mars passes through a sign in two months. Its retrograde motion last November into January protracted Mar’s tour in Gemini. For many, this seemed like a prolonged Mercury retrograde phase, since Gemini rules information exchange, messaging, and related devices.
Now done with its Gemini passage, Mars enters nurturing Cancer. You’ll notice the energetic difference. We shift from cerebral, intellectualizing and over-thinking to family, food and cozy home-oriented efforts. As Mars aligns with Saturn in spiritual Pisces, we follow our intuition. Your gut and sharp spidey senses KNOW what is right for you. You may not know why you need to do something, but trust the compass of your internal GPS. Do not fight the tide and ignore your instincts. Hindsight will prove you were correct to follow your hunch. As we enter springtime, allow and embrace what unfolds. Like flowers pushing up and out of the dark earth, you know what to do even if you cannot see the final outcome just yet.
“Mingle the starlight with your lives and you won’t be fretted by trifles.” – Astronomer Maria Mitchell
Of Special Note:
Think you’re not creative? Think again! Each of us is a creator. Join artist and Creatively Fit Coach Toni Carbone and me on Sunday, April 2nd, 1-4 pm in Norwood, MA to learn how your personal moon sign and phase is the source of your creativity then paint your own mandala. Direct message me for information and to register. 3 hour workshop fee includes all art materials $180.
Curious about crystals but don’t know how to best use them? Tune into Mystical Messages podcast hear spiritual alchemist Nicole Henley as she walks us through the seven chakras and which crystals hold the most effective healing for each. Our conversation drops on Friday, March 17th. Mystical Messages podcast is available via Apple, Google and Spotify.