Astrology of March 2010 by Henry Seltzer (www.astrograph.com)

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The Astrology of March features Mars with Saturn, Neptune, Chiron and Uranus. Mars is very prominent now, being at its closest point to the earth and standing almost still in the sky, still retrograde until the 10th and remaining in sextile to Saturn which is still in early Libra. The Spring Equinox takes place on March 20th, when the Sun enters Mars-ruled Aries, from which we get the meaning of the word "March." All nature participates in a very Mars-like leap forward at this time. But it's a terribly slow leap in the case of this particular March, since Mars remains at almost a standstill in the sky and stays in sextile with Saturn all month long, within a degree through the first 25 days. Mars with Saturn is similar to the retrograde of Mars: things move more slowly and with deliberation and introspection. What we do commit to requires more effort, but the results are also longer lasting.

Neptune and Chiron, getting closer to the end of Aquarius, are also prominent in March skies, since both Mars and Saturn make an inconjunct to Neptune and Chiron's conjoined degree from early Leo and from Libra, creating another prominent Yod, or finger-of-God, formation. This is similar to what we saw last month with Mars at the time of the Aquarius New Moon. It means that the spiritual dimension represented by Neptune, which includes a large dose of confusion regarding true motivation, is still very much present for us right now. This becomes intensified with the March 15th New Moon, another powerful mid-month configuration involving this time a Pisces lineup of five planets. The New Moon almost exactly conjuncts Uranus, at less than a degree of separation, with Mercury squeezed into the middle and Jupiter nearby. This all makes for a very wild and crazy month, especially during the latter half, following that intense and volatile mid-month moment. We are enjoined to follow our dreams, wherever they might take us, no matter how improbable, and no matter how much of a departure they might be from consensus thinking. It is timely, for action of an idealistic kind is urgently needed if we are to collectively awaken and begin to pull our civilization out of its steep dive. The evidence can be seen all around us – and with increasing clarity – as this pivotal year continues to unfold.

In April, Saturn, dipping back into Virgo, will once more exactly oppose Uranus in late Pisces, and in mid-May oppose both Uranus and Jupiter as they come into close conjunction. By the end of May we have the entrance of Uranus into Aries where it will also square Pluto in the famous "Cardinal T-square" that is the hallmark of our era. This second decade of the 21st century, "the teens," is very likely to become as well-known for societal change as "the sixties." Following the preliminary alert of March, these next three months, April, May and June, constitute a one-two-three punch that will have the effect of an extreme wake-up call for the whole society. It is of course in another way quite surprising that the existing data has not served as a wake-up call already, but perhaps the alarm clock has to get a bit louder before the great mass of people will hear it. This next stage will probably involve greater suffering, as that seems to be the only way that we learn here on planet earth.

In this current month of March we can begin to see that we are on the edge of a precipice and that our social grouping will soon begin to go over it like lemmings. The information becomes more available and so does the alertness of mind to perceive it. We need only to let go of the past to get a jump on the powerful changes of this spring and summer, but that of course is more easily said than done. The most significant time this month will be the days between the electrifying New Moon on the 15th and the exciting entrance of the Sun into Aries on the 20th, where it will oppose Saturn and square Pluto. We might begin to see, during this middle week of the month, the writing on the wall of change. It is a bleak picture that emerges, but perhaps a joyful one as well, as the necessary pruning operation finally begins to commence.

For Transits to the U.S. Chart See Henry Seltzer's Zodiactivism Blog »

March 7th Last Quarter Moon
This is traditionally when a moment of tension arises in the process of growth initiated at the time of the previous New Moon, enabling you to see the issues of the current cycle more clearly. This is what astrologer Dane Rudhyar called the phase of a "crisis in consciousness." This time the Moon is in the middle of Sagittarius squaring the Sun in mid-Pisces, while Venus moves into Aries, there to oppose Saturn and square Pluto. Saturn's square with Pluto is still active, although for the moment less so; it will return in the summer months with full force. Still, this configuration brings out the conflicting forces of these two powerhouses so that we might expect a somewhat difficult passage.

March 15th New Moon
This New Moon continues the cycle of powerful mid-month events. Not only does the New Moon degree conjunct Uranus about a degree away but Mercury is exactly conjunct Uranus at this time as well, meaning that our thoughts and our actions are both inspired and likely to take off unexpectedly in sudden changes of direction. Epiphanies abound. These four planets are part of a Pisces line-up that includes Jupiter, with Neptune and Chiron hovering just a few degrees back in late Aquarius – seven planets within 30 degrees of the Zodiac. Mars is finally out of retrograde at this time, so that we are at last ready to let fly the arrow that has been pulled closer and closer to the bow for many weeks now. The New Moon is always strong in energy to accomplish things, although in Pisces this effect is muted. Neptune and Uranus continue to reside in mutual reception, each in the sign ruled by the other, and this increases the mystical and misty nature of this New Moon energy.

March 23rd First Quarter Moon
This is traditionally a time when we see what makes sense out of the many possibilities engendered by the New Moon that initiated the cycle a week before. This First Quarter Moon, like the configuration from March 7th, is more powerful than usual due to other aspects, as the Sun and Moon at 2 + degrees of Aries and Cancer directly oppose and square Saturn. Mars, now in direct motion, also aspects Saturn. Pluto in the remaining Cardinal sign makes a Grand Cross with Saturn, the Sun and the Moon. The days surrounding this configuration are likely to represent a dicey time period when we will all be striving to make sense out of the limitations that we face and to begin to use them to our advantage in terms of greater understanding.

March 29th Full Moon
This is the flowering of the impulse that originated at the time of the New Moon two weeks prior. The new ideas that were born in the moment of the powerful conjunction of Mercury and Uranus find their fullest expression. We will again face the limitations implicit in our situation, and hopefully learn to dance with them, since the Moon in Libra is close to Saturn while the Sun continues to widely oppose it. We must make the best of trying circumstances and as mythologist Michael Meade always remarks, in the times of darkness become our own candle.