MARCH 2024
Overview of March 2024
All planets are direct all month but only just, as Mercury enters its shadow on 19th and slows at the end of the month, preparing to go retrograde on 1st April. But this doesn’t mean that the energies are easy, with a karmic pattern playing out throughout the month, with an evolving cast of players. As one moves out of range another comes in and its energies are a key component of the Lunar Eclipse on 25th.
All the planets are concentrated in four consecutive signs with only the South Node sitting outside of this tight bowl shape. This also means that we get lots of niggly contacts between planets in consecutive signs so there is the feeling of subtle, underlying tensions driven with a subconscious drive to evolve at a deep level, whilst we often can’t see past our perceived limitations of our mundane lives and what isn’t ‘right’ in our, and the wider world. Old habits and responses are easy to fall back into, almost with an expectation that negative or difficult circumstances are bound to repeat in the future and we are being urged to realise that we are co-creators, not victims and that we can choose our responses and create a more positive future.
The New Moon on 10th is in Pisces and is when nostalgia and wistfulness has less of a hold on us and we have a whiff of the promise of hope for a better future.
The Full Moon on 25th is also a Lunar Eclipse and highlights an increasing need to find and foster peace inside and outside of our lives.
Daily astrology of March 2024
As March begins we are almost mid-way through Pisces with all planets direct but with niggling undercurrents that could feel confusing and unsettling. On 1st there is one niggly connection with two potentially helpful ones involving six planets in all four of the signs in the current chart and including Mars and Venus, the masculine and feminine archetypes of the chart.
Mastery of the mind is crucial as old patterns of negative thoughts are far too easy to fall back into and feel like magnets pulling us out of our attempts to remain positive. There is help to be optimistic and to see the positive which we will have to seek out and focus on and making sure we are grounded and not falling into idealism, daydreaming or escapism.
Look forward, not back, and if you want to use your imagination to create scenarios, make them joyous and pleasurable and create a positive future.
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Mercury is involved in niggly connections three days on the trot and today is the second of those with it connecting to the Nodes as part of a bigger, karmic pattern in the chart. Again, we need to watch our thoughts and communication and especially to be aware of old habits of people-pleasing and negating or supressing, our needs. If we become aware of this, the question is, what is behind that, what makes us be quiet, appeasing or over-compromising?
Underneath, there will be an old fear, possibly of upsetting the equilibrium and others or of a need to try to restore balance when things feel out of kilter. You could ask yourself, If I don’t do this, what is going to happen?, and that will reveal your underlying fear. Anger is another thing to look out for, whether passive or direct and the learning is in understanding that we are not responsible for others’ reactions and responses and it is not our job to be the eternal pacifier, especially when we suppress our own needs in the process.
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The third day with a niggly Mercury connection comes on 3rdas we also have the waning half Moon, half-way between the previous Full Moon (24th Feb) and the upcoming New Moon in Pisces on 10th. Venus and Uranus also have a challenging connection but one that could help to shake us out of old patterns and see an unexpected solution.
Changing our mind set to see challenges as opportunities will help to break the deadlock and we could do this by asking ourselves, How can I do this differently? If I turned this completely around, what would I see?
With Venus included, finances could be involved. Ultimately, noticing and harnessing our mind positively, is the overall key.
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After Mercury having niggly connections for the last three days, on 4th it finally has one with potential, but we do need to tap into the possibilities and harness them otherwise we could get lost in wispy trains of escapism and idealism. Grounding our thoughts and assuring ourselves that we are safe and secure will help to steady our minds and quell any hopelessness or helplessness that could be creeping in like a pervading mist.
There may also be a reluctance to accept much-needed change and this could also have deep roots in not feeling safe and secure and we are being challenged to let that go and embrace the benefits of change, which is something we ultimately, cannot escape.
Mercury is moving closer to Neptune, both in Pisces (exact on 8th) and this can increase woolly, wistful thinking, a lack of focus and feelings of futility. Positively, creativity and psychic connections will be enhanced and we have to ensure we tap into the positives and don’t get lost over the next few days.
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5th and 6th see helpful connections from Mars which, in its current visit to Aquarius, helps us to be innovative, embrace our uniqueness and authenticity and being different from the crowd. It can also bring a rebelliousness that can veer into deliberately wanting to be different but there is help to tap into the more positive expression on these days.
An old, karmic wound might surface and once spotted, the Mars influences can help to change our mindset and take our own needs into account, where we might have fallen into a peace-keeping role before and supressed our own thoughts and needs.
Ultimately, we need to nurture and grow a strong sense of Self and when we do, and alongside that know our worth and value, we can go into connections and relationships, learn the art of compromise whilst not compromising our core values. Boundaries are key here and weak ones need to be reinforced!
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With Mercury closing in on Neptune and meeting in Pisces on 8th, watching and positively directing our thoughts and communication is key and there is a strong undercurrent of not knowing who we are, what our boundaries are and feeling things are out of our control. A defeatist, pessimistic attitude could subtly creep in which we can easily fuel with memories of how things have fallen apart in the past, therefore expecting the same now.
With the New Moon, also in Pisces, on 10th the Moon is waning and we will be in the dark of the Moon on 9th, bringing up the shadow energies of Pisces which usually feature hopelessness, helplessness, wistfulness and nostalgia. Naivety and idealism can also surface and victim and rescuer energies too.
The positive use of these energies is in creative outlets, improved intuition and psychic connections and positively employing the imagination.
9th will bring further challenges but can also bring the will and determination to break out of old patterns as frustration at our circumstances or ourselves, festers. A rational side of us knows that we should be able to change our circumstances by changing our mindset and will try to employ tools that should help, but without engaging the emotions as well, they will have little effect.
So this could end up as an internal battle between left and right brain, between our rational thinking brain and our intuition and inner knowing, which has the key and is where we need to search for the way forward. Going with the flow is something a lot of us need to cultivate, to let go of resistance and accept what is, but conversely, being too adaptable and accepting and not steering our course, is not good either and we have to tune into our intuition to know when we need to take action, otherwise we drift off, at the will of others and circumstances.
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This month’s New Moon is in Pisces on 10th March whilst Mercury entered Aries a few hours before and this could bring some impatience to move forwards whilst positively, it will lessen the wistfulness, hopelessness and idealism that has been pervading our minds recently. It won’t all disappear as Saturn, Sun and Neptune remain in Pisces but our thoughts will definitely have more of a spark, be more spontaneous and positive.
The Sun and Moon which form the New Moon, are sandwiched between Saturn and Neptune and our view on reality, or our reality would benefit from some revision. This is where Mercury’s change of sign will help, together with drive and motivation from recent Uranus and Mars influences, to break free of frustrations and old, limiting patterns. Pluto, Mars and Venus, all now in Aquarius feel like they are pushing us from behind like an engine at the back of a train, rather than one pulling from the front! There is a subtle, unconscious, if not conscious drive to transform ourselves and ‘our lot’.
If we get too lost in the mists, there are detached, non-emotional vantage points to take, as if we are viewing ourselves rather than experiencing things ourselves. This more rational perspective is helpful to view the facts and to see what is going on, or what steps we need to take to move forward, without getting caught up in our emotions and old patterns. But we then need to tap into our intuition and inner knowing to weigh up the options and connect into our Soul path again.
A New Moon starts two weeks of the Moon’s energy growing and is known as the best time to set goals, begin new projects and sow seeds for the future. One of Pisces’ spiritual aims is to be of Divine or Higher service, not mundane service indicated by its opposite sign of Virgo, where the complementary and releasing Full Moon occurred on 24th February. Any old patterns we have released since then will have cleared our path further towards stepping into this Divine role and connecting with our Soul purpose and intentions. We are edging closer and becoming more of who we can be, more authentic in our expression, more in alignment with Source and with joy, abundance and love.
Pipe dreams? No, certainly not, achievable goals, if, as I suggest, we continue to clear the old and focus on being the best version of ourselves that we can be. The Spring Equinox is only ten days away, marking the beginning of the Spring quarter of growth (northern hemisphere) and whilst New Moons are about new beginnings, we also need to continue to clear the decks, discard the old and get our house in order, so that we can take advantage of those energies when they come. We won’t be getting completely out of the starting blocks until the latter part of April, so some patience is going to be needed, but hope and the promise of growth is in the air.
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Venus leaves Aquarius and enters Pisces on 11thand brings back a little of the wistfulness that evaporated as Mercury left Pisces for Aries the day before. Mercury is the planet of the mind and communication so that are is still going to be improved whilst Venus’ move brings the Piscean energy into our connections, finances, self-worth and values. Great for expressive arts especially music, dancing and art in all its forms, it stimulates the imagination and encourages creativity in all forms.
However, we can get lost in romanticism, nostalgia and idealism and this placement can bring a degree of naivety and a tendency to be self-sacrificing. Our boundaries will need shoring up and financially we need to be extra savvy and not fall for hard-luck stories and scams, as we might get sucked in with over-empathising or feeling sorry for others who appear to be suffering hardship or discomfort. It is a bit difficult sometimes, with this combination, to see a grounded reality!
Enjoy the creativity and increased perception and imagination but employ these in creative expression, rather than in relationships or finances. Venus is fast moving and is only in Pisces until 5th April.
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Pluto is at one degree of Aquarius and therefore any planet changing signs quickly moves into a connection with it and Venus does so on 12th. One sign apart, this is a niggly connection that is most likely to show us the idealistic side of Pisces, contrasting with the non-emotional, detached viewpoint of Pluto. Rationale versus instinct or wishful thinking, could be the dilemma, whilst Pluto is pushing us to evolve and transform what no longer serves us.
Aquarius is the Fixed Air (mind) sign of the zodiac and can rely too much on thinking and not trust the emotions, so there is a balancing to be done between left and right, thinking and feeling, rationale and intuition.
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16th has just one niggly connection between Saturn and Mercury whilst we have three connections becoming closer in the background. Mercury itself is closing in on the North Node, therefore opposing the South Node and highlighting karmic issues around the mind and communication and one of the big connections of the year, Jupiter and Uranus meeting, now starts coming into the background, edging closer until meeting on 21stApril.
The waxing Half Moon will also be exact early on 17th, with the Sun and Neptune making their annual conjunction a few hours later. Neptune can make things misty, fuzzy, unclear and bring up feelings of disappointment and nostalgia whilst the truth can be hard to find. The way they are meeting today, however, gives us the best chance of tapping into and blending their strengths and connecting to, and trusting our inner intuition helps us to ascertain the truth. Spiritual guidance will be easier to tap into and it is a fabulous day for creative expression and the arts. Let suffering and guilt go and seek the higher purpose in what you do and be guided by your higher will.
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With two days left of this astrological quarter Mercury has a niggly connection with Jupiter early on 18th then moves on to meet the North Node, opposing the South Node before entering its shadow period on 19thas the Sun reaches the last degree of Pisces, with Mars niggling with Neptune.
With Mercury involved, our thoughts and communication need to be watched and the Nodes will undoubtedly show us an old, unhealthy patterns of thinking or speaking that we can now break free of whilst we need to look for self-imposed limitations such as feeling lonely, abandoned, angry or overly assertive. The Sun will ramp up Pisces energy and unfinished business of the last three months will occupy us as we feel a mix of nostalgic pull to the past with an impatience to move forward and to get things going!
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The Spring Equinox is early on 20th as the Sun enters Aries and here in the northern hemisphere, we have the official beginning of spring and the astrological quarter of growth begins, taking us up to the Summer to the Winter Solstice).
The chart for the day sets the tone for the coming quarter of three signs which will take us through Aries, Taurus and Gemini. Mercury is playing a key role as it has just entered its shadow, meets Chiron which represents a major karmic wound later in the day and goes retrograde on 1stApril.
The conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus is on 21st April and is starting to build and we have the first eclipse of the year on 25th, a Lunar Eclipse with the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Libra, matching the Nodal axis and emphasising one of the main themes of this year, balancing of yin/yang, feminine and masculine.
That’s the astrology background for those of you who want to know, now to answer the obvious question, what does all that mean and how are we likely to experience this?
Over the coming three months it will be important to not give our power away to others and improve our mental filters to information that is presented to us. It is easy to be swept along by opinions which are often presented as facts and sensationalised by the media for effect. Known as click-bait. If you start tuning in more closely, note what catches your attention and if you can see the words that made you want to click and read more. Equally, information that we share must be factual and not promoting gossip, fuelling drama or excitement.
One of the biggest negative energies that attracts us and makes us want to know more, and is shamelessly fuelled by the media is fear and this is where we need to develop keen antennae for that trigger and not to let it consume us.
On a one-to-one basis, whose opinions clash strongly with yours, do you agree with some people and suppress your own opinions and thoughts so as not to rock the boat?
The war/peace energies must begin within ourselves where peace is to be nurtured. If we can’t be at peace within our own families, neighbourhoods and societies, how can be achieve peace on a wider scale? Accepting our differences is absolute key now and empowering ourselves by discarding old mental habits, beliefs and limitations.
There are encouraging energies in the chart including the Sun and Pluto and Venus and Saturn meeting the following day that are continuing to push us forwards on our path of personal evolution, and we mustn’t lose track of that amidst the noise of the outer world.
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Mars changes signs on 22nd, first of all coming to the last degree of Aquarius and ramping up rebellious feelings and showing us how and where we revel in being different from the crowd. Mars moves into Pisces where it is very uncomfortable as its natural fiery nature, will and action-oriented nature gets dampened by the Piscean watery mists, idealism and much more elusive nature. Here we have to learn to go more with the flow and to surrender to the tides, rather than pushing against them in the direction we want. The energies can be more positively channelled through positive use of the imagination and creative activities, anything arty, dancing or singing will help Mars’ energy to keep moving, which will help to offset frustration building as Mars needs to move!
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Jupiter meets with the karmic Nodes on 23rd as part of a bigger karmic pattern in the chart including Venus and Saturn and we need to watch out for Jupiter’s expansive qualities which can help to bring things to our attention but also can have no boundaries and can therefore blow things up out of proportion. Whatever, karmically, arises for us, we are unlikely to miss! Are we doing what is right for us and able to communicate our needs without overcompromising or passively peace-keeping? Our need for balance and harmony shouldn’t outweigh our own needs and just sets up a battle within ourselves.
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If skies are clear on 24th it is a good time to see Mercury at sunset. Venus niggles with the Nodes in a similar way to Jupiter yesterday which it also makes a potentially helpful connection to, meaning that the Nodes Jupiter and Venus all around 15° of the chart and interconnecting and this follows on from the previous day and might just be felt as an evolvement of what was showing up for us then.
The following day, 25th, we have a Lunar Eclipse with the Full Moon and therefore the energies are naturally high. Idealism, wistfulness at what we are wishing or hoping for that doesn’t seem to be developing could be gnawing at us and causing various degrees of dismay or despair, whilst we are probably fighting against a feeling that what we want might also be a tad selfish and cause some sort of upset for others. How can we balance our needs with those of others? This is a key energy that warrants some deep introspection this year.
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At 7am, GMT on 25th March we have the Full Moon which also brings us the first eclipse of the year. Eclipses come in pairs and this Lunar eclipse will have its balancing Solar Eclipse at the New Moon on 8thApril. The only connection of 25th comes just before, with a niggly connecting between Pluto and Mars, newly in Pisces whilst Venus and Chiron have a similar, niggly connection the next day.
The Sun is in Aries with the Moon in Libra and this echoes the placement of the Nodes so automatically brings karmic over- or undertones to what evolves for us. It is understandable that ancient man, without the knowledge of the movement of the planets that we now have, was pretty scared by visible eclipses and that collective fear still rumbles in our collective psyche, but it is rare for major events to be triggered for us by an eclipse. With one of the luminaries not visible, and therefore its energies are too, there generally tends to be more of an unknown, hidden air that we almost have to unravel over time as we see how we feel and what occurs and reveals itself in the days and weeks afterwards.
With the Moon partially or completely obscured, our focus is more on the Sun and the present, and this can be the more empowering of the two eclipses as we have more of a conscious awareness. It can help us to see how we want to move forward and where we need to take action but there is a danger that we could be a bit rash and not look before we leap.
The themes of finding a healthy balance between our needs and those of others, co-operation without over-compromise and peace not war, are prevalent and to be fostered and investigated. Over the coming months, it is highly likely that we will be fed fear in some way, and we need to keep proportion and a very keen awareness of what is fact and what is being fed to us to promote fear. We need to foster peace within ourselves and to tap into our inner knowledge and wisdom, not be lead by others’ opinions.
Lao-Tzu (Lao Tsu) is one of the three Ascended Masters helping us this year and I share with you his peace prayer which is powerful to meditate on and to send positive blessings out to the world.
Lao-Tzu’s Peace Prayer
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbours.
If there is to be peace between neighbours,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
Lao-Tzu
As we near the end of the month Mercury is beginning to slow and Jupiter and Uranus, who meet on 21st April, come to within 4 degrees of each other and from now on, their energies will be increasingly felt and noticeable. On 28th, Venus and Uranus have a potentially helpful energy that we need to tap into, finding a blend of their energies that can help us to find a place of inner peace, safety and security and not to sink into despair, concentrate on what isn’t right or get lost in the suffering of the world.
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30th and 31st will feel increasingly intense as Mercury slows before going retrograde on 1st April. Impatience, frustration and anger can arise and we need to think back to peaceful times, maybe those of 28th, if we were able to tap into its positives. Things might seem out of our control or not going as we wish, but these strong reactions can lead to fiery reactions and rash decisions and will exacerbate the situation rather than bring resolution.
Do what you can to find peace and harmony within your day and within your mind and don’t let outside sources rob you of those thoughts and feelings.
© Terrie Celest Soul Guide
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