If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world. 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).
Everything born has to die, in order to make room for the future.
-- Joan D. Vinge
This month's forecast is brief; on the one hand, because I've been even busier than usual lately; and, on the other hand, because March is leftovers, mainly. There's just a little bit of Mercury's intersolar cycle carrying over from February, coming to an end when the little Sun-grazer reaches maximum western elongation on the 3rd. As it has since the near approach to Earth in December, Mars remains potent all month; but most especially around the 7th (opposing Pluto). And while there are no SuperMoons or eclipses this month, there are a few lunar factors that point to elevated geophysical stress of the sort that often accompanies severe storms and moderate-to-severe seismic activity (quakes and volcanic eruptions). All in all, it looks like a quieter month than February in many ways. That's March, in broad strokes.
With Mars remaining prominent in March's night sky, still closer than usual to Earth, there remains a strong trend toward "extra strife and danger," a time when there's a surfeit of "fires, crashes, clashes and explosions . . . inflamed passions, hot tempers and rash, even violent action," and a greater than usual risk for "accidents in general, and in this case with a special focus on mines, dangerous chemicals and other noxious substances, and the petroleum and nuclear industries." The biggest spike in the Red Planet danger curve this month occurs within plus or minus a week of the 7th, by and large. But since the high end Mars phenomenon continues into April, there remains a higher than usual background level of hazard and agitation throughout March. It's the kind of stuff that provides even more "if it bleeds, it leads" headlines than is normally the case.
The little remainder of Mercury's intersolar cycle is a sign that, for the first few days of March, there remains a pronounced focus on all things Mercurial: infrastructure, commerce, information, communication and transport being prime examples. Absent careful investigation and planning, and conscientious follow-through, all such are apt to go off track during these cycles. Mercury's intersolar phase is a time for focus, concentration, planning, follow-through and communication - all the qualities of the active and involved mind, in short. In case you haven't noticed, most people are not especially alert and focused most of the time. When this kind of sleepwalking runs into Mercury's intersolar cycle, with its focus on mental acuity, it doesn't take long for things to go awry. If you're sharp and focused and alert, you can avoid a certain amount of this mess. In fact, you can even prosper by concentrating on tasks that center on thought, planning and communication. But you'll still have to dodge all the chaos created by the people who are sleepwalking. So be ready. Otherwise, it's silly season out there, a whole Murphy's Law festival. This has been going on since late January, and I am so ready for it to be over. (However it has been good for nailing down and dealing with elusive problems, don't you think?)
What to do? Regulars know the drill by now: be prepared for strikes and other disruptions affecting transportation and communication (e.g. postal, phone, mass transit, trucking, airline, shipping, dock and warehouse workers, teachers and all manner of media). Weather both terrestrial and solar (including geomagnetic storms) can play a part in the kind of breakdowns described here, but human effort (and sometimes malicious action) is a part of the mix as well. Power failures due to infrastructure breakdown and computer network disruptions caused by hacker attacks, software vulnerabilities and the like are also just a crossed wire or a keystroke away from a major mess at these times.
On the storm and seismic front, the over-all risks for the month look relatively minor in comparison with February as a whole. That's not to say there won't be a few sharp upsurges in powerful storm action (heavy precipitation and high winds) and moderate-to-severe seismic activity (magnitude 5+ earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). These are mostly likely on the 1st and 2nd (associated with the south lunar declination maximum on the 1st); the 4th through the 10th (centering on the new moon on the 7th, the northward lunar equatorial crossing on the 8th, and the lunar perigee on the 10th); the 13th into the 15th (the Moon's north declination extreme); the 18th through the 24th (surrounding the full moon and southward lunar equatorial crossing on the 21st; and the 27th-29th, as the Moon reaches its maximum southward declination again.
As always, no place on Earth is ever beyond the reach of severe weather, so be prepared regardless of where you happen to be during these various risk windows; which makes it only prudent to be prepared for heavy weather (or worse) at such times. Significant seismic risk zones are not so ubiquitous, but they are widespread - and if you're in one, you should top-off your tank, refresh your emergency supplies and review your plans in advance of these dates.
Odds and ends in passing: serious, sad or worrisome news dominates around mid-month (first Venus and then Mercury opposing Saturn); surprising good news and high style are prominent during the last week of the month (Mercury and Venus aligning with each other and then with Uranus).
SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)
