If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2013 World Forecast Highlights (31 8-1/2 x 11” illustrated pages), focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. If you’d like your own copy of the full 2013 World Forecast Highlights, it’s available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in (toll-free from anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761) and charged to any major credit card. PayPal orders may be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.

Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
-- Malcolm X
 

The Moon’s simultaneous March 5 perigee (closest approach to Earth) and south declination peak ushers in the first tide, storm and seismic window of the month, in effect from the 4th through the 7th at least (extended by the Mercury-Venus conjunction that day). Watch for a short, sharp upswing in extreme tides, strong storms with high winds and heavy precipitation, and a surge in moderate-to-severe (M5+) earthquakes and volcanic activity. This won’t be the strongest outbreak of its kind this month, but it will likely rank in the top three. And coming as it does during a Mercury Max cycle, within a day of the inferior conjunction of Mercury and theSun, you should expect some notable disruption in transportation and communication networks – not the best time for long trips, so be prepared for delays, whether due to weather, technical problems or strikes. The Mercury-Sun conjunction often plays to the accompaniment of strong solar flares, CMEs and the like – nice for aurora-gazers, but not so good for electrical infrastructure and devices (including the human nervous system). Keep your backups current and your batteries charged, people!

Speaking of Mercury Max, it began back on February 16 and continues throughout March, finally drawing to a close on the 31st. Of course, Mercury's retrograde is contained within this cycle, having begun February 23 and continuing until March 17. If you’re not up to speed on the meaning of Mercury Max, please do see my latest on this, in the February forecast. (Or consult your copy of my full 2013 World Forecast Highlights.)

In brief, here’s what to expect: everything that is the province of the calculating, communicative mind is of the essence. Those who are prepared will prosper during this cycle, while the sleepwalkers and the distracted will run afoul of Murphy’s Law (Mercury’s Law) at just about every opportunity – and there will be many. Remember: the Mercury Max cycle as a whole (and the lesser included retrograde) is a time when Earth and Mercury are in their closest proximity, and the little planet shines as bright as it gets in the twilight. This isn’t a stupid cycle, as Mercury Rx enthusiasts stupidly proclaim. Rather, it’s a time when those who aren’t paying full attention pay a price for it. Exercise due diligence, keep your eye on the ball, and do what you’re doing while you’re doing it: be here now!

Transportation and communication networks are particularly susceptible to bad weather, and there are other geocosmic stress windows to watch for in March. These include the simultaneous new moon and northward lunar equatorial crossing on the 11th (in effect from the 8th through the 14th), the Moon’s north declination peak on the 18th (effective from the 17th into the 20th); and the full moon on the 27th, with a geocosmic shock window extending from the 24th into April 3 (extended by the lunar perigee on the 31st and the Moon’s south declination peak on the 1st).

The above-mentioned shock windows are associated first and foremost with solar and lunar factors that raise higher than normal tides in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and crust. These are always associated with higher than normal coastal tide surges, surplus of moderate-to-severe seismic activity (Magnitude 5+ earthquakes and notable volcanic eruptions) and powerful storms with damaging winds and heavy precipitation. These natural hazards are unsettling at least – sometimes much worse than that. The shock signals this month are far from the worst this year, but that still means it’s a good idea to be prepared on the indicated dates: a go bag, emergency food, water and power ready to hand, etc. Since these shock windows come during a Mercury Max cycle, I expect that disruptions to power, transportation and communication networks are apt to be bigger than usual this month . . . so have your backup plans and alternative routes ready!

All things considered, I suspect that March will be the most extreme storm and seismic month of the year to date – although that will surely need to be revisited this spring and summer, when the next round of SuperMoons and eclipses kicks in. The current Mercury Max is a contributing factor in this respect, since it is 5ypically a signal of increased solar activity – X-ray flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), etc. All those extra Gigawatts of solar energy dumped into our home planet contribute to rumblings and roilings in Earth’s crust and atmosphere – turning up the heat tends to bring the pot to a boil, in other words. (Even NASA recognizes this Earth-Sun connection.)

I always caution against making a fetish of exact dates, simply because there’s enough quantum flux in the universe to make fuzzy logic the only sensible kind. That said, watch for an uptick in geomagnetic phenomena associated with solar storms (auroras and satellite transmission outages, for example) around March 4, 7, 17 and 31 – give or take a few days either way. These dates include some of the major storm and seismic shock windows already mentioned, so it’s reasonable to expect that such disruptions will be especially noteworthy – and problematic for communication and transportation infrastructure and schedules. Problematic for people as well, inasmuch as our own nervous systems are electrical in nature. Everyone’s computers and smart phones may be a little glitzy and times like this, but some people’s brains will get a little scrambled too – just for a few days mind you, and some people are more sensitive to this than others.

Bear in mind that all the aforementioned celestial factors are astronomical in scale, and therefore planet-wide in their potential manifestations. Obviously tides are coastal, and seismic activity generally takes place in well known locations. But the sky is everywhere, so no place on Earth is beyond the reach of these geocosmic shock windows. That said, a few likely target zones come to mind, based on astro-mapping the new and full moons of March.

For example, there are several suspicious looking zones associated with the March 11 new moon: a longitudinal (north-south) swath from Mexico City west to Los Angeles ;in North America, and its mirror image on the other side of the world, from central India and western China west to the Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan border; as well as some horizon arcs from western Australia and New Zealand through the Pacific across New Guinea up to Kamchatka; emerging on the other side of the world to cross the Atlantic and touch west Africa, Iceland and Greenland as well as Spain and the UK.

As for the March 27 full moon, a longitudinal risk sector runs along the North Pacific coast of North America, and from Russia down through the Middle East across east Africa and Madagascar. Horizon arcs for this alignment run down through the Atlantic across eastern South America, and from there up across west central Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan and far eastern Russia.

2013 MERCURY MAX

Max-E	S-Rx	CNJ SU	S-D	Max-W
FEB 16	FEB 23	MAR 4	MAR 17	MAR 31
JUN 12	JUN 26	JUL 9	JUL 20	JUL 30
OCT 9	OCT 21	NOV 1	NOV 10	NOV 18

Max E = Maximum Elongation East of Sun (Max Begins)

S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde Begins)

CNJ SU = Inferior Conjunction with Sun

S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)

Max W = Maximum Elongation West of Sun (Max Ends)

I expect that the lunar and Mercury Max factors described above will be the major cosmic triggers for March, but there are a few others worth mentioning. The Moon-Mars conjunction on the 12th caps off a sky train with Mercury and Venus that’s in effect from the 10th forward. Watch for hearty-partiers, and the occasional rager: stay focused and safe while you’re out and about – and just in case, be alert and ready to duck. Jupiter’s alignment with the Moon on the 11th should be good for technology and communications in the markets, and silver as well – a temporary blip in the positive direction. And last but by no means least, there’s the Venus-Uranus conjunction (exact on the 28th, in effect from the 24th through the 31st). It’s a green light for all manner of sexual and romantic adventures – quite enough to inspire even E.L. James. (James began writing the phenomenally successful erotic bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey in January, 2009 – a month which featured a Venus-Uranus conjunction.)

Acknowledgments

All astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8 Sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe app for iPhone. Storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone. Solar activity images are screen captures from the 3D SUN app for iPhone. And earthquake maps are screen captures from Quakes Pro Earthquake Alerts app for iPhone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/fax 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com