March continues and expands upon the central theme of February: the need to overcome complacency and take full responsibility for our lives, refusing to allow the future to be shaped by self-pity, stubborn resistance to change or fearful avoidance of living life to its fullest. Remember: we have changed beyond recognition in recent years. The human life is not what it once was. We must now stand up and prove ourselves worthy of the power in our hands, using it not purely for personal gain at the expense of the whole, but to benefit the whole for all beings and everyone. Fashioning a personally and collectively sustainable future must take priority now. A future that honours life as a sacred presence within all beings, not something whose value is dictated only by utilitarian assessments of worth.
This month will challenge our sense of self. We may have to entirely redefine notions of self-worth, finding it not in what we do or how we live, but in the fact that we are each a unique, physical embodiment of sacred source. The divine spark ignites everyone’s inner flame, no matter how obscured it has become by emotional and psychological wounds, layers of fear and egoic defence. Life for many people is intensely challenging these days. Few are immune to the pressures all around and whilst, for some, this can be exhilarating, for many it comes with profound fear, triggering a desperate desire to maintain what feels like control no matter what. But all too often what looks like control is simply a decision to tolerate the, at best, unrewarding and, at worst, downright damaging familiar, to avoid facing the unknown which may nevertheless hold the key to our release.
Between 1st and 22nd March, an alliance between Saturn, Uranus and Pluto raises the issue of doubt. If you thought, a while back, that after a few years of upheaval everything would come up roses and we’d all be living in fulfilled harmony you may be wondering what the heck happened en route and how did we end up here?! Many have lost hope as a result of such feelings, no longer able to sustain the effort to make their life anew in accord with changing energies and priorities. What’s the point if we did it once and it made no difference?! It’s easy to fall into such thinking, but a lot harder to climb out of it. This alliance warns us against succumbing to such faulty logic! Simply remember that what many thought was happening wasn’t. We were never approaching a point of cataclysmic shift that would change everything for the better in the blink of an eye. The cosmos never spoke of such a thing, only people did – and yes, in their droves at times – but it was never reflected in the fabric of creation which augurs all things before they appear. Instead the heavens have always spoken of a lengthy transition consisting of many small and several large shifts, but never all at once in the blink of an eye. If we allow past misperceptions to seed current apathy we discard a precious opportunity to be part of a seminal time in the history of this planet, a time for which we were each born. Throughout the first three weeks of this month we are reminded, repeatedly, that disappointment is born of our own misunderstanding not a failure of the universe to keep up! It is ourselves we must take in hand, our own misperceptions and erroneous beliefs we must calibrate to reflect the truth. The current eclipse season, which began on 23rd February and continues until 29th March, will help us do exactly that.
For the first ten days of March, Saturn squares the Sun. Frustrating in one sense but strengthening in another, this aspect speaks of the need to reshape our spiritual life to meet the demands of the world, not avoid them. Only within the rough and tumble of daily life do we meet humanity in its fullness. Only by embodying spirit do we know it as our very selves, penetrating all levels of our being and shaping our onward path. This square demands the flexibility to be courageous and deal head on with unforeseen circumstances. It comes as a reality check, touching our feet to the ground even as our spirit soars. If we have lately been full of aspiration but little action, inspired but inactive, this month requires outward expression of what goes on within, helped along by Mars’s entry into Sagittarius on 6th March. If we want life to change we must be the change we seek. If we spend too much time complaining or bemoaning our fate and not enough doing what we can to create the present anew it is time to stop, reflect and then do life in a different way. We are not victims but players; the creator as much as the created. Old mental habits that keep us stuck in negativity will become increasingly destructive as energies mount throughout this month and everything – yes everything! – wields greater influence. We must therefore decide at the beginning of the month, what side we want to be on: chained to old habits and obstacles or committed to finding new ways through the familiar challenges we face. This decision, more important than words can say, will shape the next six months and colour our every waking moment, so best choose well!
The 3rd sees the start of an alliance between the Moon’s North Node, Chiron and Eris which continues until 23rd April. Providing a few surprises along the way, it requires a willingness to recognise not only where we are wounded but how we continue to wound each other. This is not an exercise in self-blame, nor should it leave us feeling bad, but instead more deeply connected with the force of ego that inescapably shapes our lives. No one can avoid subjectivity. We all see life through our own eyes, assess it according to our own experiences and react to protect what feels like a vulnerable core. In doing so we impinge upon the lives of others, often in ways we fail to perceive. Relationships are intensely complex things and this alliance will bring some of those complexities to the fore, muddying waters and revealing the grey areas in which it is impossible to point the finger of blame and say ‘this is all YOUR fault!’. Make blame a thing of the past, it exhorts. For only in doing so can we finally make the connections and unveil the wisdom which reveals what’s really going on.
The solar eclipse in Pisces, which occurs at 1:58 a.m. UT on 9th March, provides the energy burst that really gets the alliance between the North Node, Chiron and Eris off the ground and into our psyches. Opposed by Jupiter, this eclipse speaks of mastery of the emotions such that we can penetrate their true message, not be blown around or forever swamped by their unremitting force. We cannot wait for feelings to subside, fear to abate, emotions to settle or our brains to churn out pleasing feelings that make tackling life easier. Instead we must get to know our feelings: how they arise, their triggers, their patterns and, most important of all, how we create, perpetuate and manage them. Jupiter in Virgo reminds us that Mother Earth herself needs us now more than ever, and in return she offers herself as our anchor when the whirlwinds of life whistle around us. This eclipse reminds us that she is our ally, not a resource to be used and abused for our own ends. The more deeply we are in touch with our own inner world, our spirit and emotions, the more deeply we can resonate with all of life, Mother Nature and our beautiful planetary home. This is how we ‘save the world’. Not by imposing our own beliefs upon another – insisting what’s right and wrong – but by connecting with our true self, knowing our emotions from the inside, embracing our fears, nurturing our dreams and knowing ourselves as all life everywhere.
13th to 16th March sees Saturn at the apex of a T Square formed with Jupiter and Mercury. Look upon this as a cosmic crash course in wisdom! An opportunity to mine the depths of our inner knowing and come up trumps. Choose your topic and make it a relevant one: relationships, work, health, the meaning of life! Wherever we need insight in our life, this planetary alliance is set to deliver. We must do our part too, of course. Be open to what it reveals, prepared to accept truths previously resisted and release beliefs we wanted so much to be true. This brief window of wisdom looks out upon a new perspective that will carry us through this eclipse season and beyond. But we have to open that window ourselves, take in the view, appreciate the subtle nuances of shadow and light on the landscape. Wisdom is a living, breathing presence in our world, not a collection of fading, dusty books which speak of times gone by. We can each claim it for ourselves, according to where we are and what we need to know. Dismiss nothing that reveals itself right now. Explore it all, embrace its potential and keep an open mind, for in place of disbelief and resistance the seeds of awakening are being sown, silently and without fanfare, to ripen and sprout when their time arrives.
Which may well be sooner than we think, for come 17th March, Saturn teams up with Pluto and Jupiter to deliver the circumstances necessary to bring that wisdom right up out of us! The practicalities of life may take something of a battering at this point, but if so not to worry. Unforeseen situations that catch us off guard and unanticipated outcomes that rock the boat don’t have to beat us! We can use them as resistance against which we strengthen our core self, refusing to be tricked into submission or misery by a mind that says ‘I’m never going to get through this, it’s too hard/painful/impossible/difficult etc. etc. The fact is, if we’re still here we’ve gotten through everything so far and the next thing will be no different. And the more we prevail the more wisdom we have on our side, feeding our spirit, focusing our mind and lighting our way. This planetary alignment continues until 11th April, so remember: challenges which assail us during this time are just signposts in disguise, urging us to unveil their true message and follow their lead.
A lunar eclipse in Libra at 11:48 a.m. UT on 23rd March, opposed by Mercury in Aries, calls for a compassionate response towards ourselves and each other. Feelings may be running high and a more measured approach to life firmly out the window! Be prepared to forgive when possible, forget when necessary and laugh off what could otherwise turn into World War 3!! We are all under pressure and trying to get by; all managing inner demons and outer challenges; all seeking love and acceptance, peace and satisfaction. As such, what unites us is far more integral than anything that divides. Recalling this fact will go a long way to navigating the choppy waters of this particular eclipse. At the same time it’s important to remember that honouring the quirky paradoxes of our own individuality can make it a whole lot easier to accept other people’s! We do not have to surrender identity to make peace, but instead value it as the very thread that weaves together the disparate parts of the collective. Yes, at a fundamental level we all seek similar things, just as we all need to eat. But one person’s tasty treat is another’s poison, and we each meet our shared needs in personal ways, making us the unique beings we are. Allowing space for this individuality, honouring it in self and other, respecting personal preference and individual tastes, is as much a part of making peace as honouring the whole by forfeiting some individuality to enable a deeper coalescence. This eclipse asks that we find the balance between the two and put it into practice with immediate effect. There’s no time to lose and much to be gained by learning how to be who we uniquely are whilst honouring the greater force of collective consciousness in which we are but a tiny part.
On 25th March, Saturn begins a five month retrograde journey through Sagittarius, introducing the themes of resurrection and sacrifice. We need both now, to honour the collective awakening illuminating this planet, slowly but surely. Saturn retrograde in Sagittarius resurrects our hopes and dreams as internal imagos that fuel our commitment to and momentum on the journey that is our life. We may not know how we’re going to manifest the vision of our future, but if we feel the compelling draw of new possibilities, Saturn provides the backbone to work away within, nurturing faith in our self and our life, making plans, recognising connections and penetrating evermore deeply how the world really works so we can take an increasingly active role in shaping its future. In return for Saturn’s support we are asked to sacrifice out-moded beliefs, practices and habits that no longer serve our well-being. This could be challenging, for we may firmly believe they have got us where we are today. And we could well be right! But where we are today is not where we’re going to be tomorrow, next week, or next year, let alone in a decade or two! Saturn in Sagittarius needs us to review our routines to see what’s really working and why. Does our daily meditation really support us or is it just a mess of hamster-wheel thoughts wrapped around exhaustion and spiced up with the odd daydream to keep us interested?! Is that diet we follow, which revolutionised our life when we adopted it, now keeping us stuck in the fear of embracing new ways of nurturing our body, mind and spirit? Are the rules by which we live life-enhancing or stultifying? Do they paint us into a corner from which we cannot escape without breaking the very rules we chose to adopt in the first place?
As March comes to a close and we look back over a challenging month which has revealed some of the chinks in our armour and flaws in our carefully woven life, Uranus begins to conjunct dwarf planet Eris, preparing for their first exact conjunction in June. This is a powerful alliance of two potentially very disruptive forces soon to be unleashed into our psyches and all over our planet. All hell let loose or us all let loose from hell! The choice is ours and so is the journey: deep into the heart of what it means to be human and divine, earth and spirit, masculine and feminine, alive to everything at one level and yet dead to the world at another. The game is afoot and we are the players, like it or not, ready or no. No one is immune to these mighty forces that penetrate our every cell, nor should we want to be! This is the true resurrection, a reanimation of our rawest spirit, our raging soul, called to rise up and engulf us in its lust for life and its unremitting power to make or break the future, with a single touch of its awesome and mighty hand.
Sarah Varcas