March 2019 Forecasts

The Astrology of Brexit

Mercury Debilitated & Retrograde
Mercury stations retrograde in Pisces on March 5, having entered its sign of debilitation on February 25. Although Mercury’s debilitation is cancelled due to its retrograde transit, it is a confusing time in March in terms of practical matters. It’s most certainly not business as usual!

During the half-way point in the retrograde cycle, Mercury meets the Sun as it moves back into Aquarius, while the Sun enters Pisces, on March 14. This period grants some insight, albeit shrouded in a lot of confusing information, especially as Mercury joins Neptune again by March 25, before it stations direct on March 28. Border and boundary issues are one obvious expression of Aquarius, as Saturn looks on from Sagittarius, offering a stark look at fundamentalist beliefs. 

Examples of this are the Irish/UK, US/Mexico, Pakistan/India and Venezuela/Brazil borders, but we each experience boundaries in our own way. Perhaps your boundary is your energy, your time or physical space, or all of the above?

Mercury is influenced by the north node as it retrogrades in Pisces and Aquarius, exaggerating these issues, showing irrational thinking - and hopefully some innovative ideas too. 

​On March 28, Mercury stations direct, just as Jupiter hangs on the brink of Sagittarius, while the Moon meets up with Ketu, Pluto and Saturn. This is very confusing and disruptive indeed and reflects the uncertainty of Brexit by the end of the month.


​New Moon in Aquarius - Mahashivaratri
The Moon joins the Sun and Neptune on March 6 at 16.03 GMT/UTC for the new Moon. This is at the end of Sidereal Aquarius, in the lunar mansion, PurvaBhadrapada, often translated as 'the former happy feet'. This is a fierce, yet passive, lunar mansion which bridges Aquarius and Pisces. The journey towards idealism can be violent, of course, as we cast out things that no longer serve the greater good. 

Casting out, is a theme of this new Moon, and with Mars in Bharani let's hope we don't throw the baby out with the bath water!

This new Moon is known as MahaShivaRatri, 'the great night of Shiva', the 'Lord of destruction', for removing darkness and ignorance from our lives.


The Nodes (Rahu/Ketu) Move Signs
By the end of the first week of March, there are enough changes in the planetary line-up to make one's head spin! Our heads will certainly have a lot to process, with Mercury retrograde and the nodes moving into Gemini/Sagittarius.

The mean nodes move on March 7, while the true nodes move on March 23. This sets up a dynamic that will see some dramatic events further down the line, especially by the end of 2019 and into the beginning of 2020, as the north node moves into the lunar sign Ardra, and the south node moves into Mula.

The nodes are seen by many astrologers to be exalted in Gemini and Sagittarius. Exalted 'malefics' bring out the best and worst of what they have to offer. 

Rahu in Gemini is all about information, more and more information, and then some more! Rahu exaggerates, and obscures. An example of this would be technologies that allow us to 'connect' to each other, but really just distract us from meaningful connections. The new Samsung fold-able phone is one such example which is due out in April, offering fold-able, multiple screen options, all open at once.

As Rahu enters Gemini, Mercury re-enters Aquarius, on March 15 and until April 10, which means Rahu and Mercury are exchanging signs (Rahu as co-rules Aquarius). This points to innovative approaches and technological advances, with probable delays until Mercury stations direct by the end of March. 

Ketu in Sagittarius, on the other hand, is all about the truth of who we really are. Sometimes, destroying the temporal is the only way we can access this truth. It taps us into what we all share, which is not a thing but a 'no-thing' which we experience when things are taken away.

This means that Ketu is exchanging signs with Jupiter in Scorpio (Scorpio is co-ruled by Ketu) until November 4, except for a brief period while Jupiter transits the first degree of Sagittarius from March 29 until April 23. During that time, Jupiter and Ketu are placed together in Sagittarius. Once Jupiter returns to Scorpio, the exchange takes place again. 

Jupiter is all about order, beliefs, coherence and unity, while Ketu disrupts the natural order, to get to the bottom of something, to move beyond the ideologies that no longer speak the truth. Sagittarius has its own subjective truth which must be examined in the face of facts (Gemini).

Rahu shows where we are more focused, while Ketu shows something we reject on some level - rejecting those who do not practice what they preach.
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Mercury and Jupiter's transits will be in focus for the next 18 months, as we struggle to balance business as usual with a crisis of meaning. 
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Jupiter Gandanta (end of Sidereal Scorpio)
​On March 14, Jupiter enters the gandanta (gap between Scorpio and Sagittarius) and then into the first degree of Sagittarius on March 29. Jupiter will remain at this sensitive juncture, as if slipping into a hole for most of April, challenging cohesion and a sense of order and unity. We are already seeing break ups in political parties at the time of writing in February. Jupiter represents our intuition, our ability to know which way to go, and who to follow. Jupiter in Scorpio can increase fears - a type of worst-case scenario thinking. And who should we believe? We may have to wait for the answer.​

We are moving towards a climactic period in relation to truth in the next couple of years, as Jupiter joins the gathering in Sagittarius and then in its sign of debilitation in Capricorn.
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By March 29, Jupiter has moved to 0 degrees of Sidereal Sagittarius, while Saturn and Pluto join Ketu, as well as the Moon, at the other end of the sign. Mars looks on from Taurus.

This will send shock waves through the planet and nothing will be the same. Everything is perfect from a cosmic perspective. This does not seem to be the case from a casual glance at circumstances.

Jupiter will then station at this degree on April 10, which means it is slowing down as it enters Sagittarius, making it stronger, in one way, but out of sight as if slipping into a hole. 

Dig deep to hear what is right.​


Full Moon in Virgo - Equinox
The Moon is opposite the Sun on March 21 at 01.42 GMT/UTC. The are no strong aspects to the full Moon, except from Saturn's 10th house aspect which is a sobering thought on an otherwise auspicious lunar day. 

The Moon is full in UttaraPhalguni, a gentle and loving lunar mansion, representing friendship and co-operation.  
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The spring or autumn equinox, depending on location, occurs on the day of the full Moon phase, on March 20, with the Sun in Pisces, as we let circumstances percolate a little, while the Virgo full Moon asks us to pay more attention to the details bubbling up from our meanderings. 

Once the Moon wanes to meet with the Sun, it will do so at the end of Pisces, a pause in preparation for a new start for Spring. Until then, we must get our lives in order - if order is even a word I can use with all of the disorder in March! 


Venus in Capricorn and Aquarius
Venus moves into Aquarius on March 21, joining Neptune and a retrograde Mercury in a sign that is all about thinking outside-the-box. As ever, boundary issues are prominent when Aquarius is highlighted.   

Venus opens our hearts to humanity, but that doesn't mean opening borders, as Saturn looks on from Sagittarius all the while.

Sometimes, opening your heart to others requires some arm strength. 
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Mars in Aries and Taurus
Mars is strong in its own sign for the first 3 weeks of March, fueling explosive events and behaviour; showing a can-do attitude which some find productive, and others, destructive. 

Mars then moves into Taurus on March 22, to try and settle down in Taurus. I write ‘try’ because Mars needs to learn a little patience in the fixed modality of Taurus; preferring instead to move about freely. This can lead to frustrations if we are not mindful, especially due to Jupiter’s transit to the end of Scorpio and into the first degree of Sagittarius by March 29. 

Mars aspects Jupiter which ordinarily creates a more positive outlook and wise actions. However, Jupiter is stuck in this gap in March and April, feeling pushed around by Mars. 

​In other words, we will feel the need to act, but are uncertain of the wisdom behind our actions, or who we should be listening to. 

'Be still and know'.

Sidereal Transits

Mercury stations retrograde Mar 5
New Moon in Aquarius PurvaBhadrapada Mar 6
Mean nodes change signs Mar 7
Sun conjunct Neptune Mar 7
Jupiter enters gandanta Mar 14
Sun enters Pisces Mar 14
Mercury re-enters Aquarius Mar 15
Mercury combustion Mar 15
Full Moon in Virgo UttaraPhalguni Mar 21
Venus enters Aquarius Mar 21
Mars enters Taurus Mar 22
True nodes change signs Mar 23
Mercury conjuncts Neptune Mar 25
Mercury stations direct Mar 28
Jupiter enters Sagittarius Mar 29
Mercury conjuncts Neptune Mar 31