Here is the Ask the Astrologers Astro Forecast for the week of Mar 6, 2016 – Mar 12, 2016:
This week starts with Mars moving into Sagittarius and the Sun squaring Saturn on Sunday. Mars in Sagittarius is up for almost anything. It’s adventurous and spontaneous, and ready to jump in and try something new at a moment’s notice.
Mars will remain in Sagittarius until May 27th (as it slows down and turns retrograde in mid-April) and then moves back into Sag from August 3rd until September 27th. So for the next 11 weeks you may be feeling more passionate about pursuing spiritual, philosophical and intellectual growth. It’s a time for getting out of auto-pilot and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Travel, educational pursuits, and anything related to exploring higher mind goals are all highlighted during this time.
In the midst of this upbeat and optimistic Mars in Sagittarius transit though, the Sun square Saturn aspect may feel like the Universe is raining on your parade, at least temporarily. It can signify a sense of feeling trapped or prohibited from accomplishing your goals. It represents limitations, obstacles and restrictions and may see you feeling like “what’s the use” with one roadblock after another standing in your way. But shake it off or ride it out — this is a short-lived transit that generally feels much heavier than it actually is.
We also have a pair of inconjuncts on Sunday: Jupiter inconjuncting Uranus while Venus inconjuncts the North Node. The Jupiter / Uranus portion of this aspect can be challenging. You may find yourself playing devil’s advocate or disagreeing with others just for the sake of being different. Or you may struggle with accepting the differences in others — particularly those whose religious or political leanings conflict with your own.
The Venus / North Node inconjunct is much more accommodating but brings in its own challenges. It can see you feeling at odds between what you value (Venus) and what you see as your life’s purpose (the North Node). The key with any inconjunct aspect is to find a way to make adjustments to satisfy both areas. In this case it calls for you align your ideals with what you see as your calling.
On Monday, the Moon conjuncts Venus and the Sun sextiles Pluto. This pair of aspects complements one another beautifully, especially in the realm of personal relationships. The Venus / Moon aspect is gracious, accommodating and cooperative where the Sun / Pluto aspect emphasizes personal power and charisma.
This is a time of increased confidence and comfort in going after what you want without feeling the urge to resort to aggression or force. The sextile aspect softens some of that natural Pluto intensity, as does the Venus / Moon conjunction.
Tuesday’s Sun / Jupiter opposition sets the stage for the upcoming eclipse, during which time Moon will join in. The Sun and Jupiter in opposition can manifest as conflicts with others due to overblown egos or self-importances. This is the time to keep your ego in check and to make sure you’re not coming across to others as too big for your britches.
You may also be dealing with someone who is overbearing during this transit. You won’t make much headway if you try to challenge them, in fact this aspect can degenerate into a battle of wills. Politics and religious or ideological debates are likely to get heated and are unlikely to result in any meeting of the minds. Remember that ego is involved here and no one is going to want to concede defeat.
Early Wednesday morning (or Tuesday evening in some parts of the world) we have a New Moon / Total Solar Eclipse at 18° Pisces 55. This occurs at 1:54 am UT on Wednesday the 9th (or at 8:54pm EST on Tuesday the 8th). This is also what’s known as a “supermoon” — meaning that the Moon is perigee and will appear larger than usual.
As noted before, this New Moon / Eclipse is also closely opposite Jupiter, which is currently retrograde in Virgo. This opposition also pulls in the square to Saturn (which won’t be exact until the 23rd — coincidentally the day of Full Moon lunar eclipse) but is going to be impossible to ignore. This configuration — Saturn as the focal point of t-square involving the New Moon Solar Eclipse and Jupiter — is really at the heart of this transit.
With the Sun and Moon in mysterious, ambiguous Pisces in hard aspect to both Saturn and Jupiter may see us at odds with one another over political and ideological differences. But as Eclipses are also known to expose things that have previously been hidden, this can represent a time where duplicity and deception are revealed. We’re likely to have our belief systems tested and to find ourselves challenging the same in others.
Those that we’ve idolized or placed on pedestals may come crashing down as we find ourselves questioning what we may have blindly believed in in the past. We may feel the need to challenge authority (Saturn) and question those who we feel have misled us or duped us into believing something that turns out to be little more than smoke and mirrors.
The Pisces / Virgo polarity is all about the difference between illusion and fact. It’s about finding that middle ground between what we so desperately want to believe in (Pisces) and what has proven itself to be real (Virgo). The Jupiter opposition — particularly since it’s retrograde and debilitated by sign — may be somewhat weakened by this aspect. But it’s still powerful in that it forces an awareness of what is right for each of us individually.
As Eclipses always occur close to the Moon’s Nodes, this one sees the Moon conjuncting the South Node a few hours later and the Sun conjuncting the South Node a few days later. The Sun and Moon conjuncting the South Nodes (and thus automatically opposing the North Nodes) suggests that people you encounter during this time will challenge you to grow karmically, either because of past life ties or because they are facilitators this time around for whatever karmic lessons you’re facing.
On Friday, Mercury conjuncts Neptune and the Sun conjuncts Chiron. The Mercury / Neptune aspect is excellent for meditating, journaling, or any type of creative communications (songwriting, poetry, composing love letters, etc.) It’s also a highly sensitive aspect that favors getting in touch with your intuition and paying attention to your dreams.
The Sun and Chiron conjunction is more about recognizing your ability to guide and assist others through your own life experiences. It can signify a greater ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel what they feel (or draw on your own memories of times when you felt victimized or marginalized in some way). Because of this, you may be more compassionate toward other people’s weaknesses and help them overcome them — even as you struggle to overcome your own.
Venus moves into Pisces on Saturday, where it will remain for the next few weeks. Venus is exalted in Pisces, meaning that it is an honored or revered placement. As Neptune — the modern ruler of Pisces — is the higher octave of Venus, this placement is said to be in essential dignity.
Venus in Pisces is sensitive, romantic and altruistic. It’s highly imaginative and naturally creative, with a penchant for fantasy or escapism. This transit can represent a time of feeling closer to others, craving a deep and meaningful connection to people from all walks of life. It’s a time of increased compassion and sensitivity, of seeing how connected we all are to one another and how unimportant our differences really are.
Take some time while Venus is in Pisces to get in touch with your softer, gentler side. See the beauty all around you — in nature, in the music and the arts, and in friends, loved ones and strangers. Let your imagination take flight and open your heart to those who may need little more than a kind word or a shoulder to lean on.
That’s it for this week, see you next Sunday!
Here is this week’s astro calendar; click on it to view it full-sized.
Weekly Astro Forecast —
Mar 6, 2016 – Mar 12, 2016
By
Thinking about learning Astrology? I highly recommend Stephen Arroyo’s Chart Interpretation Handbook and Demetra George’s Astrology for Yourself.
Don’t forget to check out more Weekly Astro Forecasts and our Monthly Horoscopes too!
Want to see where these transits are hitting your natal chart? Check out our Free Natal Chart Calculator.
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