If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget it. This is real astrology. See the section above. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT). Current UT date and time appear at the top of this page. (To update display, use your browser's reload/refresh button.) 

IN LIKE A WHAT?

A couple of planetary stations, the usual batch of solunar factors, a fairly rare type of "Blue Moon " and a building Mars theme: that's what Mars is about, by and large. It's a backward month, in terms of the traditional characterization that goes "in like a lion, out like a lamb". Quite the reverse, this time around . . . Maybe the slow start has something to do with Mercury's retrograde - in effect until the 14th - which keeps so many people second guessing themselves, too busy patching up good ideas gone bad to put a lot of energy into new initiatives. Or maybe they're just waiting for a clear signal.

The March 6 new moon gets the ball rolling. In effect from the 3rd through the 9th, and strongest during the second half of that interval - especially around the 8th, when the Moon crosses the equator from north to south - this lunation ushers in a period of higher than normal risk for strong storms, flooding and moderate to severe seismic upheaval (including volcanic eruptions as well as Richter 5 or greater quakes).

Mid-March brings a burst of seismic and meteorological action, from the 13th through the 15th. Strong storms, heavy precipitation, floods and the like are in the picture, along with an upsurge in notable volcanic activity and moderate to severe earthquakes (Richter 5 or higher). A combination of significant lunar action on the 14th is central to such risks: that's the day the Moon reaches perigee (closest approach to Earth) as well as maximum declination north of the equator.

The middle of the month is also big in terms of business and finance, judging from Mecury's direct station on the 14th, Pluto's retrograde station on the 15th, and Jupiter's square to Neptune the following day. Watch for major market moves around those three dates, as well as a day or two either side of the full moon . . . the price of things and their real value are poles apart now, and those who can't see the difference are headed for disaster.

LAST BLUE MOON

The March full moon (on the 20th) is a rare one indeed. For one thing, it's an Anaretic Blue Moon: the second in a pair of consecutive full moons to occur in the same sign. The 37th and final zodiacal blue moon of the 20th Century, this one happens within 24 hours of the Moon's southward equatorial crossing on the 21st. In this case, it adds up to a storm, flood and seismic risk window extending from the 17th through the 23rd. This is also the beginning of a cycle lasting a good couple months, during which more and more people feel unreasonably tense and irritable. The full moon on the 20th helps kick-start this cycle of tension and conflict, but its roots run much deeper than that. For one thing, Mars crosses its own geocentric north node on the 25th, on its way to an April triple conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn (joined by the Moon on April 6). Along the way, there's also a Mars square to Neptune on March 31 - in effect from the 23rd on.

Of course there'll be the usual meteorological and seismic excitement - Richter 5 or greater quakes and/or volcanic eruptions - during the March 17-23 solunar risk window. But it's more than that, this time around: it lasts longer, and it gets personal. It's not just nature versus homo sapiens; it's mano a mano as well. A good time to watch your back, to expect the competition to be fierce: play for keeps, or stay on the bench. (Arms merchants are bound to be doing a booming business.) This is also a time when mechanical mishaps and accidents will be much in the news, including a spurt of air travel mishaps lasting from late March into early May. Statistically speaking, commercial airlines are still your safest travel bet. But a lot more people than usual are going to end up statistics over this period . . .

A final brief burst of meteorological and seismic risk closes out the month, within plus or minus 30 hours of the Moon reaching maximum declination south of the equator on the 28th.

  

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