March 2023: Mindful Beginnings

Dear friends,

March is a time of mindful beginnings. Not only does the month herald the start of the astrological year but it is also when Saturn and Pluto shift gears.

Why “mindful” beginnings? Awareness of the impending energy shifts enables you to consciously welcome in the changes, rather than being a passive bystander. By actively channeling the energy available into appropriate avenues, you work in tune with the cosmos and avoid the random and often chaotic expression of undirected forces.

Enjoy the week-by-week update and practical suggestions for March!

Week 1, February 27-March 4:

The early part of the week is good for love, art, abundance and finances as Venus and Jupiter come together on March 2 in the fire sign of Aries. Enjoy small or large pleasures, just don’t get carried away by a spark of over-optimism or over-indulgence!

The jovial mood is balanced by Mercury and Saturn holding hands at the last degree of Aquarius, suggesting that serious and innovative thinking is available to all who seek it out. This is a good time to wrap up projects, deals or trades you initiated in the early part of the year. It is also a good week to walk in nature and not to give in to couch-potato syndrome. Walking is good for the mind as well as the body!

Week 2, March 5-11:

Saturn enters the water sign of Pisces, the Fish, on March 7, where it will remain until February 2026. One of the ways to connect with Saturn is by reflecting on the boundaries in your life – are yours working for you? Perhaps you feel restricted and need to make some adjustments? Or maybe there is a need for you to put firmer structures in place in order to support your growth? The week of March 7 is a good time to adjust your boundaries and assess your personal and work commitments. Also pay attention to what role spirituality plays in your life. Pisces is the sign of transcendence and with Saturn entering this sign we are called to bring some kind of practical structure to our spiritual life.

The above themes may be highlighted for you building up to the Full Moon in Virgo, which happens just an hour before Saturn’s move into Pisces. With the Moon in Virgo and the Sun in Pisces, you are called upon to balance practical caring with idealistic vision. Don’t get lost in trying to be the perfect parent/employee/partner!

Here is the Full Moon chart, set for New York:

Week 3, March 12-18:

Throw a bit of fairy dust over things this week! Days to be most mindful are March 14-15 when the Moon hooks up with Mars and Neptune. It’s easy to get caught up in things covered up by too much glitter – so rub your eyes and wake up to what is actually going on. It’s never too late to adjust course and to choose the path of peace.

Week 4, March 19-25:

The Sun enters Aries at the spring equinox on March 20/21 (depending on your time zone) which marks the start of the astrological year. Then on March 23, Pluto enters Aquarius, where it will be settling in over the next two years (moving between the last degrees of Capricorn and the first degrees of Aquarius), and then staying until 2044. This is an important week for all!

The Sun’s ingress into Aries is about fresh beginnings while Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius is about ushering in a new collective energy for the world. On the personal level, Aquarius highlights themes of how you navigate your place within your group – and how you balance this with your own need for freedom. Your group may be your family, your community or your workplace – pay attention to social dynamics this week. Are certain rituals obsolete? Are new ways of interacting called for? Channel the potent energies at this time by initiating a change in the way your group is organized or the way your family gets together. Pluto teaches us that it is only in letting go that we fully understand what is important to us.

The start of the astrological year is accompanied less than a day later by a New Moon in Aries, emphasizing that the time for initiating action is now! (In New York the New Moon will be on March 21 at 1:23 pm.)

Week 5, March 26-31:

With action planet Mars changing signs on March 25, together with all the activity of the previous week, we are called upon to be as calm as possible over these days. There will be a challenging alignment between Mars and Pluto, so it’s a good time to cultivate mindfulness and not to rush about. Make space in your calendar to have a mental breather, and don’t push yourself physically if you’re tired. Take it easy — and if you must keep doing things, then spring-cleaning your personal space is favored. Don’t use it? Give it away!

Wishing you an empowered March!

May the Sun shine upon you,

Catherine