This Month in Astrology – Next

There is a lot of stop-and-start energy with you in March, dear Aries. On the one hand, you can be raring to go and filled with new ideas and excited about your projects and interests. On the other, you can face some obstacles to your goals, with at least one slowdown that keeps you from pushing ahead. Waiting on something or someone can be a blessing in disguise, however, particularly if you work on editing and refining things as you wait. In fact, you have wonderful energy with you for building, improving, and developing any work-in-progress, particularly after the 9th when Mars moves through your resources sector, and a Jupiter-Pluto influence comes into orb and fuels your ambition. You might thoroughly enjoy developing something that has long-term potential. Look for the means to do a real overhaul of an area of your career now, but try not to put unreasonable pressures on yourself to do it to the point of exhaustion. The Full Moon on the 12th brings some chaos on the job front, but nothing you can't handle. Criticisms can be irritating now but can lead to significant improvements.

Relationships can be up and down this month. In a general sense, partnerships are going well. You recognize the benefits of companionship, even if it sometimes seems to impede on your sense of freedom or independence. Venus entered your sign in February, augmenting your overall charm and perhaps bringing gifts, money, and favors your way. This month, Venus is retrograde (from the 4th forward) and it's time for introspection. It's time to revise your plans and put off new initiatives until you have more confidence in them. Others may not be getting you--perhaps misunderstanding your intentions--for the time being. A partner may be distant. Generally speaking, use March for budgeting rather than buying, resting if you can, and revising plans. A New Moon on the 27th brings new discoveries and a feeling of newness to your life. Still, take your time before moving forward. 

Venus, your ruler, turns retrograde this month, signaling a period of reflection. The retrograde occurs from March 4-April 15th and happens for the most part in your privacy sector, but will dip back into your social sector in April. You are likely to pull back a little, as you take the time to revise and perhaps question some of your plans. Matters from the past creep up and demand your attention. This is a good month in which to solve old problems and finally lay them to rest.

However, Mars enters your sign on the 9th, and you could be feeling very anxious to move forward. This can certainly bring about a state of restlessness and discontent, which can wear you down if you allow it to. You might decide instead to work hard on ventures already in place or pour energies into study and learning and strike a compromise. While all-new endeavors look very appealing, it's better to finish what you started before moving on. With Venus and Mars in mutual reception from the 9th forward, you can benefit from behind the scenes activities. There can be a helpful surprise from the past or unexpected support now. 

Despite your inclination towards retreat and rest this month, your social agenda is lively in the first few weeks of March. You may not always feel up to these engagements, but you're in demand now and you can benefit from some mingling. There is likely to be a little drama in your romantic life around the 12th. A lover, a child, or a creative project needs some attention, and it's time to sort that out. Generally speaking in March, you'd be wise to seek out a better, more satisfying work-life balance. The tendency to do things in excess is strong, but it can put unnecessary strain on you. This month, rushing won't get you there faster. As well, it's probably best to keep many of your projects and even your affections on the down-low for now. Money requires some shuffling around, and it's best to hold onto it in March. You are in a good position for moderate but disciplined physical fitness and healthier lifestyle practices.

This can be a power month for your career or reputation, dear Gemini, but with Venus retrograde most of March, it's better to develop current ventures and projects rather than take on new ones. Some complications surrounding friends and lovers are entirely possible this month, but some of you may reconnect with long-lost friends or gain valuable insight into a relationship. You or a friend may be dredging up old issues, or there can be a bit of distance between you and a buddy just for now. You can view this as giving others space rather than keeping a distance, but make sure the people you care about know your intentions.

The fight to be freer is coming from a real place, but you might be going to extremes to achieve more independence when a more thoughtful approach would serve your purposes better. Some of you can struggle with the level of intimacy or commitment in a relationship now, as you are seeing all sorts of trade-offs involved with making a choice. There can be a lot of exaggeration or drama going on around you with lovers and friends, and it's important to pull back a little to gain perspective. Avoid, if you can, secret involvements now, as attractive as they may be with so much up in the air in your life in the affections department. 

There's a lot of activity on the career front in March, or additional responsibilities and the need to take on the role of manager can emerge. Family matters grab your attention as well around the Full Moon on the 12th. You might feel that people are unnecessarily critical, but with some self-honesty, this can lead to notable improvements. Balancing family and relationships can be tricky now but not impossible. The New Moon on the 27th points to a new take on a friendship or project. With Mars in your privacy sector and Venus retrograde, you'd be wise to focus your energies on tying up loose ends and a work-in-progress rather than brand new beginnings. However, there can be much to enjoy socially at this time.

Some wonderful opportunities are emerging for you on the lines of education, travel, adventure, and anything to do with broadening your horizons, dear Cancer, on the tail of a Solar Eclipse in your solar ninth house. This is a time for making decisions and correcting imbalances in your life, particularly if you've been overly tied up with your daily affairs and living in your mind a little too much for your own good. 

However, March also brings a Venus retrograde period, which can point to some slowdowns or complications. These are temporary and ultimately helpful but can serve to frustrate at times. Fortunately, you have Mars traveling in harmony with your sign from the 9th forward, helping you move through the rest of the month more fluidly. You can call upon friends to help you along if you wish. You may very well be the go-to person in your group, or you could be taking the lead in a team or group endeavor quite successfully.

The Full Moon on the 12th can be a revealing one, although there can be some criticism to deal with and adjustments to make before regaining confidence in a project. Career or reputation matters could be causing you some concern in March, but try not to fret over details. Instead, come up with a better game plan. May will bring opportunities to begin anew and the chance to get back on track from a stronger position, particularly if you do the leg work now. 

Distinguish between making changes for the sake of change, and making changes that will truly move you forward. Career and partnership can be subject to pressures or tensions now, and it's important to recognize where you might be overshooting or putting too much pressure on something to work a certain way. Ambitions run high, but goals may require more time to achieve. Be patient and look for ways to improve the ventures or projects you already have in place rather than taking on something brand new.

Close personal relationships are in focus this month, dear Leo. Many of you are in a rather introspective phase - going within for answers, but also making some astute observations as you step back from the action just a little, but watch it carefully! This is not to say you're inactive - in fact, you're particularly busy in March - but that you're conserving some of your energy for plans and strategies. It's a good month for deepening a connection but do prepare yourself for some complications. Travel, legal, or educational plans may not be moving forward at the speed you'd like. With Venus retrograde from the 2nd affecting your axis of communication and transportation, there can be delays and changes of heart.

Mars pulls up to the top of your solar chart on the 9th, energizing your career and reputation sector until April 21st. This is a potentially ambitious time when you're ready to step things up and shoot high. With Venus retrograde for most of this transit, however, you should watch for a too aggressive approach. You can reach great heights but could be missing the mark just a little on a social level. This is typically not a problem for you, especially with Libra on your third house and Jupiter transiting it - you certainly know the benefits of diplomacy. However, this month, Venus is not helping you in the usual way, and you might want to watch for this. Venus is helping you on other levels, however. You're looking back with a different set of eyes, and you can come to a greater understanding of past relationships and projects in the process.

The 12th brings some financial matters to light, demanding your attention. Criticism may be part of the picture, stirring the pot, and while this can be annoying, it's likely to be of the constructive variety, and useful improvements can result from them. Likely, money shared, borrowed, or loaned will be big topics on the table in March. Priorities can be difficult to see in the first week of March, and you may want to watch for pouring your energies into issues that truly don't serve you well. Ideas are so plentiful this month that you can have a difficult time choosing one or two and going with them, leading to a bit of chaos. However, you may decide to take the cue from Mars and work hard on career goals while slowing down and doing editing or refining of communications projects. Standout dates include the 5-6 when you're seeing a financial or intimate matter more clearly and a creative project comes together, and the 24-25, when a new perspective can see you redefining some of your beliefs, ideals, goals, and dreams. You might also more clearly see what approaches or expectations you had in the past that sent you along the wrong path. It's a good time to set up new intentions.

A major focus this month can be a close partnership or friendship, dear Virgo, as you're inclined to develop a one-to-one connection more than you are to branch out and spread your energy around socially. While it's not a time to sweep matters under the rug, some care should be taken with all love matters this month, particularly those surrounding shared finances and intimacy. It's a good month for redesigning your budget, but it's not reliable for making big purchases. You could easily regret your purchases or relationships commitments later, so take the time to think about things before you leap forward. While Venus is retrograde virtually all month (from the 4th forward), Mars moves in harmony with your sign from the 9th forward, helping you to get through the month more smoothly than many signs. This transit also stimulates your need to break out of a rut or a routine. It's a good time to schedule a vacation, if possible, or to leave your weekends free for out of the ordinary activities or mini-getaways. Your usually keen attention to details is somewhat lacking this month because of your emotional orientation. 

The Full Moon on the 12th occurs in your sign and can bring a sudden revelation. There can be criticism to face, however, but even if it's annoying, you might end up tightening up a key area of your life (possibly home and family related) to your benefit as a result. Pressures from family or related to domestic matters can weigh heavily now, particularly as they relate to your personal freedoms or attention to a partnership.

There can certainly be some tension or upheaval related to money, possessions, or intimacy this month, and possibly a powerful urge to break free from a restrictive or limiting situation. Watch for excesses with money and pleasure-seeking, or for working so hard towards a goal that you forget to enjoy the process of getting there! Tensions in or about love can also surface now, particularly if you are putting all your eggs in one basket. While you can feel a little in the dark about your feelings until then, from the 24-25 forward, new awareness and possibly the beginnings of a plan of action emerges. There is good energy with you for starting fresh, particularly as it relates to how you approach going after what you want in life, as well as on financial and emotional levels. Intimate relationships can benefit from a new start or vision as you have recently redefined what you want and need from others, as well as what you expect from yourself. 

March brings a more serious or introspective tone than February, dear Libra, mainly due to an emphasis on your work and health sector and a retrograde of your ruling planet, Venus. This is not necessarily about lacking confidence, but more about recognizing the need to look within for answers. Questioning your plans is likely, and in fact entirely necessary. A close partner may be distant or hard to read this month. Some disconnects in the love department are possible. These will begin to clear up mid-April. For now, try not to push matters (or others). Give them space, and give yourself space as well. Relationships can be tricky, especially if you focus too intensely on problem areas, which is a real tendency. 

Job and health matters capture a lot of your attention in March. If you've been neglecting your needs for rest and time away from work or duties, then the Full Moon on the 12th will serve as a kick in the pants to come to a better work-life balance. There can be disagreements with a partner or family, or there can be household matters that weigh heavily on your mind. As much as you'd like to spread your wings, there can be one obstacle after another this month. Try to be patient. Look to Mars' move to your solar eighth house on the 9th for inspiration - you might find a project to throw yourself into, particularly if it requires investigation or deep research. 

From the 25th, you're in a better position to understand your relationships. You might gain new insight on an old problem, or reconnect with someone from your past. You might open your eyes to something now, as you’re now truly ready to see it. Set intentions and goals that better reflect these redefined wants and needs, as well as your expectations of others. Energies are powerful for a fresh start or turning point. 

On many levels, March is a period for more fun, games, and enjoyment in your life, dear Scorpio. There can be surprising turns of events surrounding creative projects, children, and family matters. While love matters do pick up pace, some care is necessary when it comes to a close partnership. You might find that a partner is a little distant or hard to reach this month. Venus is retrograde from the 4th forward. As this happens in your work and health sector in March, there can be some slowdowns in projects or waiting games revolving around health or your job. These matters will improve starting in mid-April, and simply require you to be patient and understanding. Looking back to old jobs, projects, and even co-workers can be a tendency and may benefit you now. Going over past errors or problems is likely on the job.

The Full Moon on the 12th brings your obligations to friends or groups to light. You could be so wrapped up in your personal life that you now need to reach out to others and remind them that they matter. There could be criticisms to deal with or tension surrounding money involved that act as catalysts for making changes. From the 9th forward, Mars is in your partnership sector, and while this can pull up some needed confrontations with others, with Venus retrograde concurrently, there can be tact and decorum missing, leading to problems that may not resolve for some time. Be watchful of this tendency and protect what's yours.

All signs point to the need to pace yourself in March. This is not the time to speed ahead with new endeavors. You can feel a strong desire to produce, but also a strong desire to pull back this month, and it's vital that you keep things moderate. 

This month, you are learning new things about old problems, mainly related to work, health, and relationships. From the 25th, you are ready to turn over a new leaf. The desire to be productive, useful, and helpful is adamant, and you might feel especially motivated to make changes or to pursue a new path that improves your life. This can be as simple as an attitude change in light of recent revelations. Seeing where you may have been tripping up or chasing the wrong things in the past can be part of this. Resolutions to change these patterns might be made now, and you have extra support from the cosmos in this respect. Brand new beginnings in the material world should probably wait, but that doesn't mean you can't begin anew on an emotional level.

There can be a strong focus on settling in and seeking out peace this month, dear Sagittarius, as well as a building theme of attention to work and wellness. The Full Moon on the 12th may bring the culmination of a major work project or a scurry of activity on the job or in your public life as it happens at the top of your solar chart. Events occur that highlight your responsibilities in your professional life. From the 4th forward and until mid-April, a lover may be distant or in a phase of rethinking matters. You might also take this time to re-assess your goals on social, romantic, or creative levels. This is due to a Venus retrograde that encourages a look back before charging ahead. There is much to discover about the past that can benefit you now and in the future.

From the 9th forward, attention to detail on the job can be in focus and quite consuming. You can work longer hours than usual, or push harder and more energetically in health and fitness routines, and these can be areas of much satisfaction and accomplishment. Especially if your social life is up and down and you need to clear your head, pouring your energy into constructive work efforts or self-care programs can help you work through problems.

While professional and health pursuits are revving up, many factors point to the need to slow down in other life departments in March. Pacing yourself is important now. You may be struggling with a desire to take a few risks and the need to stick with safe bets, as both ends of the pole are compelling. Excesses in either direction should be curbed, and a compromise should be sought. The tendency is to invest too much of your energy and resources into new beginnings before doing the necessary research. While it can be tough to do so right now, aim for moderation. 

The 25-27 is a powerful time for reorienting yourself in a new direction on an emotional level with two slate-cleaning events in your sector of romance and creativity: the Sun aligns with retrograde Venus and then the Moon in the sign of Aries. The Sun shines its light on your past, particularly relating to romantic relationships or opportunities gone by, and you can feel especially motivated to make things better going forward with a new set of expectations and redefined needs. Insight gained now makes it so much easier to seek out those people and things that truly fit your life going forward.

While practical matters were a great focus in February, dear Capricorn, information gathering is a bigger theme in March. Your attention has now turned more fully to learning, communicating, and networking. It's an important month for new ideas and insight.

If a lover seems distant or a love affair appears to stall this month, it just means that it's time to slow down and process things. You could also find that you experience creative blocks or slowdowns in projects this month, which are likely to clear up mid-April. Pleasure, love, and creative expression continue to figure strongly in your life, but taking a step back may be necessary as you reassess what you want and need. With Mars moving into your solar fifth house on the 9th, romantic relationships can be stimulating and possibly over-stimulating at times, but as the ruler of that house, Venus, is retrograde virtually all of March, this is not the time to make long-term commitments. Take things one day at a time. Relationships with family or comfort in the home can also meet with complications during this retrograde cycle that lasts until April 15th.

Balancing your personal and professional or public life can be challenging but necessary now. You'll want to go hard in your career with Jupiter in your career sector until October, but now that Jupiter is retrograde, it's safe to ease up a little. This is a particularly good idea since most of the astrology of March encourages pacing yourself and cutting excesses. Avoid taking on so much that you end up unable to enjoy the process of achieving your goals.

Regarding home and family, reviving old projects or returning to previous conditions may be beneficial this month. Channeling your energies into a project around the home that will truly make life easier can be particularly useful to you now, especially if it's a work in progress to which you are returning. What you find valuable and worth your while can change significantly with Venus retrograde. It’s a fine time for discovering information that was previously hidden to you, or for looking at something from an entirely different perspective, particularly related to family relationships and career. Two events occurring on the 25-27 help wipe the slate clean on these levels. Insight gained now can lead to a new understanding of what you want and need, leading to a new beginning on an emotional level. Reconnecting ties with people you love may prove particularly satisfying now. 

Building and developing projects, enjoying simple pleasures and comforts, and money matters are in sharp focus in March, dear Aquarius. You can also spend a lot of time and energy on studies and personal interests, but this subsides a little as March moves forward. There can be a chance to redo a major project or to return to a project or study that once seemed to be a lost cause. It's a good month for looking to the past for inspiration and insight into what may work for you in the future, particularly as this relates to learning and mental interests. Second chances are gifts in March!

Responsibilities to others, particularly on a financial level, become hard to ignore around the 12th with a Full Moon occurring in your solar eighth house. Criticism or worry may be a catalyst for making changes regarding dependencies and support systems. You may want to wait before launching your more important business or financial plans until after mid-April. However, pay particular attention to the ideas coming to you throughout March, and do your research.

From the 9th, you're likely to pour a lot of your energies into home and family life, whether this is for home improvement projects, family activities, or working in the home. There can be some tensions in the family unit, particularly with Venus retrograde and less apparent charm, warmth, and diplomacy. However, if you can rally up the necessary cooperation, you can achieve a lot this month and next.

You can be quite preoccupied with people and situations from the past this month, and while this shouldn't be overdone, it can be very useful. Some of your interests are waning, but it's better to treat this as a break or pause rather than an ending. You are seeing past relationships and expectations in a different light and redefining what it is you now want and need from your connections and your studies. New information can surface that shines a light on a past matter, or there can be a connection made with someone from your past. Either way, you feel as if you’re starting fresh from the 25-27. It’s a strong time to put negative attitudes behind you and to go forward pursuing your true heart’s desires. Perhaps you now recognize a line of study, personal interest, or another "calling" that's a better fit for you.

March is a good month for personal appeal, dear Pisces. You're likely to feel particularly motivated, and you have the room to fit in some personal plans quite comfortably. This is also a time for reassessing your finances, dependencies, or emotional needs in a relationship. It's not an ideal period for significant purchases or new commitments, however. If you do make a significant outlay, you are likely to regret it next month. It's better to hold on to your money at the moment if you can. A Venus retrograde beginning on March 4th starts off in your finances sector and in April, moves back into your sign. This points to the reconsidering of recent ventures and for some, a waiting game with money (and perhaps in love as well).

The first half of the month plays to you rather well. A partner has your wants and needs in mind, and work matters are favored. Your responsibilities to a special someone are hard to ignore around the Full Moon on the 12th, however. Relationships demand your full attention then. Money and possessions are tricky areas this month, and so are matters of ownership and dependency. You may feel a little too dependent on others now, particularly if you're waiting on a big payment or if you're experiencing a slowdown in business, which can stir the pot. Avoid an abrupt, impatient, or defensive manner for best results. From the 9th forward, your daily life picks up pace. You can feel particularly impassioned and motivated to learn, share ideas, and work on pet projects. You may come across a little abruptly at times, but you have a lot going on and much to keep you busy and engaged. 

You can be looking at money matters from a new and helpful perspective and motivation to turn over a new leaf regarding finances and relationship expectations can be strong on the 25-27. Turn your attention to things you already have and think about how you can rework or recycle them for best results. This is a good time for finding the motivation and determination to complete a project, particularly business-related, that you've put on a shelf.