Current Transits for March 1998 Current Transits for March 1998Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Chiron Retrograde Station at 18Sc47, 3-1
Mars enters Aries, 3-4
Saturn quincunx Chiron, 3-6
Jupiter square Pluto at 8Sa04, 3-9
Pluto Retrograde Station, 3-10
Full Moon / Appulse Lunar Eclipse at 22Vi24, 3-12
Juno reenters Virgo, 3-13
Jupiter semisextile Uranus, 3-24
Mercury Retrograde Station at 21Ar29, 3-27
New Moon at 7Ar15, 3-27
March is one of those peculiar months when it feels like you're stepping on the gas pedal and the brake at the same time. There's a whirlwind of energy, especially at mid-month, but with 3 retrograde stations, situations seem to be "backing up" at the same time. It seems the new influences that started checking in as Neptune entered Aquarius (Jan 28) are still trying to establish themselves in our lives. Unfortunately, the first thing they encounter is resistance from the old and settled ways we have of approaching life. So expect these old patterns to be experiencing increasing pressure to change. It may take a while for these situations to give way (the planets involved are slow moving ones), so start looking for the areas of life that aren't working for you -- the sooner you make the changes, the less the pressure will be. The lunar eclipse on the 12th is a particularly important "seed time" for the next 6 months.
This is a busy month, with 3 "big aspects", 3 retrograde stations, a pair of important sign changes and a lunar eclipse. It combines great change with conditions of stasis -- a time of contradictions that is sure to put immense pressure on us.
Chiron is the first body to stand still in March, moving into reverse gear. Chiron retrograde is a time for healing and self-discovery. Typically, there's some part of your personality (although it can be on the level of the physical body, as well) that's been really beaten down over time. To protect this battered part of yourself, the tendency is to hide it away where nobody can see it and hurt it further. Over the years, this part can become so hidden that even you lose track of it, especially if it was some kind of "magic" that you knew as a child and the world convinced you it wasn't "real". The young child is often more of a spiritual master than the older, "sensible" adult who has learned to conform to a very limited world. The more we conform, the more we forget the spirit we truly are. Chiron in reverse is a time to remember and embrace this forgotten aspect of yourself, to recover this magical power that you gave up on. Check where this retrograde zone lies in your birthchart if you need a clue as to what this hidden resource is about. For the next 4 months, important vistas can open up for you. However, with Chiron, you must always take the initiative to learn these lessons. Chiron never hands out enlightenment if you don't try.
Mars slips into Aries on the 4th, staying in his home sign until 4-12. You can practically hear Mars yelling with joy at the move! No more of this "selfless action" -- I get to be me again! Prepare for a major upturn in energy and ambition, as the will-power kicks into overdrive. It's a great boost for starting out in new directions (though other influences may have a dampening effect). Just be certain you don't get too overbearing with others, since a strong Mars doesn't always recognize when it's interfering with another's business. Other than that, get moving!
Due to the peculiarities of Chiron's motion, this contact is the 2nd of 8 such aspects stretching from 1997 to 2001. Obviously, we're talking about a long-term influence here! Given Saturn's connection with the physical body (especially the structural elements of skin, bones and teeth) and Chiron with healing, I suspect this period is a time to work through old injuries, chronic illnesses or "body armoring" that prevents us from being in tip-top shape. Given that unresolved emotions often take hold in the body as chronic tension patterns and deformed postures, body-based forms of therapy can be more effective at releasing old emotions and hurts than merely talking about it. The body is the deepest part of the unconscious mind, the part of us that holds onto behavior patterns more stubbornly than anything else. These days, the biggest blocks to spiritual growth are in the body itself and must be released at that level. That's one of the unappreciated side-effects of being spirits within a physical body -- the body, too, must be enlightened. Get some help from a competent practitioner for this -- you probably can't work through this problem alone.
On the 9th, Jupiter is square Pluto, right before Pluto's station and the lunar eclipse. Jupiter represents reaching out into the world, while Pluto is about reaching inward to our depths. Sometimes these opposing trends can work together, but not when there's a square going on. Our ability to make connections with the world at large is on a collision course with some of the more significant changes going on inside. Perhaps a focus on inner transformations is drawing us away from involvement with the world; maybe the concerns of the world are distracting us from looking within. If you keep a high-minded attitude in your contacts with others, the difficult possibilities will be minimized. Fortunately, this is a rather fleeting influence, so the downturns should be short-lived.
Pluto's retrograde station is always a notable event. That goes double this year, since Pluto is so deeply intertwined with the two eclipses (on 2-26 and 3-12). His basic message is about letting go of the inessential parts of our lives so the deeper, inner self can shine through. Typically, he operates at a deep, unconscious level of the psyche, busting through beliefs that are so completely accepted that we think of them (if at all) as "facts" instead of "beliefs" and never consider questioning them. Whenever we can't imagine life as being any way but what we are experiencing, we are tempting Pluto to intervene. Often, the area of life to be affected is described by the house in your birthchart that Pluto is travelling through or by aspects it makes to your natal planets.
Whatever the theme, the story line of these cycles runs like this. As Pluto approaches the retrograde station, life seems pretty normal still. However, there's a nagging feeling in the background that something's not right, or that life is kind of bland or unfulfilling. Pay attention to these feelings, since they will lead you to the upcoming transformation! Usually though, we just brush off these intuitions and get on with life-as-usual. At the retrograde station, Pluto decides to turn up the heat on us a bit. The situation that's been bothering us starts to get more compelling, taking up more of our time and effort. This area that's been bugging us simply ceases to work smoothly the way it used to. Our first reaction is to try and hold it together somehow, but despite all our efforts, things spiral more and more out of our control. By the direct station (8-16, at 5Sa17), this part of our lives simply breaks completely and is pulled from our grasp. Pluto is saying, "You don't need this anymore -- it's distracting you from your true purpose in life." And the Dark Lord will not take no for an answer or allow you to wiggle free. It's best to accept the verdict of your higher nature that you were meant to be someone other than what your consciously held plans told you. It's time to drop the pretenses and falsehoods and get on with living at a truer level. Pluto leaves us "leaner and meaner" as spiritual beings in this world, getting us to focus on the substance instead of the fluff. Watch for the "problem areas" this month -- here's the grist for your spiritual mill!
The pivotal planet in this eclipse chart is Venus in Aquarius, nestled right between Uranus and Neptune, and connected by aspect with nearly every planet in sight. She forms a big fan-shaped pattern with the other 7 degree planets, drawing those powerful Pluto influences into our everyday lives. Remember that Pluto is essentially standing still in this chart and was an important player in the solar eclipse chart 2 weeks ago (2-26), so change and transformation are in the air. Look towards your partners and close friends if you want to understand the tasks ahead of you -- relationships continue to be a crucial arena for change. It's important to keep lines of communication open, even when difficult emotions (such as anger or pride) make it harder to talk. The littlest chance remark can be the "ah-ha!" that opens doors for you and allows you to pass to a greater awareness, because friends are such a clear mirror for us to see ourselves more honestly. In effect, the heart center within us is opening up big time (the final Venus-Neptune conjunction on the 6th insures this), and we need to allow notions of love, friendship and affection to take on a spiritual dimension that transcends "mere emotion" and self-serving attractions. Unless the heart opens, it's impossible to do much growing these days, much less learning to make a soul-to-soul connection with others. We need to move beyond the fears that set up artificial boundaries between people, realizing that at the subtler levels of energy and awareness, we are truly connected. The next 6 months or so may be uncomfortable emotionally, as situations conspire to force us to drop our masks and pretenses. Loving doesn't come easy to a wounded heart, but it's well worth the effort.
And yes, this eclipse is also a Koz Quake!
Juno moves backwards from Libra into Virgo on the 13th (until 7-12). This retrograde Juno is putting the spotlight on relationship problems, bringing the little stuff that can undermine a partnership out into the open. With Juno in Virgo, it's crucial to work on the details, finding ways to simply make the relationship work more smoothly and effectively. It doesn't require big flashy displays of affection or a bouquet of roses, just a determination to make life together as easy going as possible. If you treat your partner fairly and with respect, the rest will fall into place naturally.
Both Jupiter and Uranus are "mental" bodies, stimulating the intellect and intuition. Keep an open mind to fresh approaches and focus on the big picture over the little details. This can be a time of breakthroughs if you've run out of ideas for certain troubles. Trust your intuition, even if it's telling you things that seem nuts. Sometimes, ideas need to be totally crazy before they work.
There's another Mercury retrograde cycle beginning on the 27th, when Mercury is standing still at 21Ar29, very close to Saturn. When Mercury, the thinking and symbol using part of the psyche, goes into reverse gear, the mind turns to mush. People can't think straight, talk clearly, or make sensible decisions; physically, they're more clumsy, uncoordinated and accident-prone. More importantly, they are jumping to bad conclusions based on how they expect the world to behave instead of how it actually works in practice. We all have our "models" of the world, our deeply held notions of "how things are supposed to be". If the Mercury mind has been doing his job properly, these models are often quite accurate and useful. Sometimes, however, the thinking mind is way off the mark, producing versions of "reality" that are more fantasy than fact. Mercury retrograde cycles are one of those times -- the world constantly seems to elude our mental grasp, no matter what we do. With Saturn in the picture, some very down to earth assumptions we carry about are up for reevaluation. It's also possible that stubborn or hot-headed emotions can run away with us, letting anger get the upper hand (e.g., road rage). It's best to tune into a part of the mind somewhere in the back of the head where you can watch this mental circus from a distance without getting too involved. It gives you the chance to see where the Mercury mind is falling down before you get sucked into the situation. Mercury goes direct again on 4-20, at 9Ar47, right after income tax time (fun!).
Like the full moon two weeks ago, this chart seems to zero in on Venus and Pluto. In fact, the two charts are remarkably similar (even the house cusps are only a few degrees different), which means most of the eclipse themes are still active during the coming month (not too surprising for an eclipse). If anything, Lady Venus' connections with Chiron and Saturn are bringing out the "wounded heart" themes even more strongly now, making it harder to be open. Perhaps you hide your emotions behind a light, airy persona or intellectualize your feelings excessively. However you protect your heart, the cracks in this armor may be showing. It's interesting that the aspect between Venus and Pluto this time is a creative quintile. It speaks of a method of resolving these fears, not by wading through them, but simply sidestepping them and looking at the problem from a different vantage point. Pluto may be sneaking up on us to present us with such a fresh point of view, as the deeper self continues to break through into our awareness. Remember that Mercury went into reverse earlier today. Trust your heart and your instincts, not your head...