March 2, 2024 | by Silvianne K. Delmars |
This week’s astro update begins on Sunday, March 3, with the waning Moon at 13Sagittarius32 squaring Sun in Pisces at 7:23am. We end our week on Sunday, March 10, with the New Moon at 20Pisces17, exact at 1:00am.
Here are the highlights (all times in PST).
Sunday, March 3
We start this week with the out-of-bounds Moon passing by the bright star Antares, the heart of the Scorpion constellation, on the mornings of March 2-4, looking south. In some parts of the eastern US and northern South America, it may be possible to see this last quarter Moon occulting Antares on March 2 at 1:00 am. This occultation can only occur during the out-of-bounds Moon period every 19 years, and only for the days each month when the Moon is near its extreme southern declination, as Antares lies below the ecliptic.
The 4th Quarter waning Moon in Sagittarius will be forming its exact square with the Pisces Sun on Sunday, further emphasizing the energies generated by the rare alignment of Mercury, Sun, and Saturn in Pisces this past Wednesday on the other side of the Sun, ‘in the Underworld’, and therefore invisible to us. The Sabian Symbol for the Moon’s Sagittarius 14 degree position, “The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx,” reminds us to call on the power of our ancient spiritual ancestry as we continue to deepen into the messages of wisdom and compassion streaming through from the living heart of the cosmos at this volatile time.
The Sun will be opposing asteroid Juno in Virgo later this same morning, adding to the ongoing spotlight on the interplay between numinous Pisces and earth-honoring Virgo. Can we learn to surrender fully to our experience of sacred oneness, soaring free in the realms of Spirit, while also staying deeply connected to the visceral daily reality of Earth’s natural rhythms and our part as co-creators in this dance? Juno is here to remind us that showing up responsibly for all of the relationships in our lives is key to artfully maintaining this sacred balancing act – including our relationship with the natural world, and with our inner Self.
Tuesday, March 5
The Moon, out-of-bounds since last Saturday, reaches its extreme position with a declination of 28S29. Time to revel in our penchant for beyond ordinary experience, letting go of old stories so we can conjure up new, much more interesting ones, way on the other side of dying, last-gasp, consensus reality rules.
Wednesday, March 6
The Moon makes its monthly conjunction with Pluto, this time in the sign of Aquarius. What shadow aspects of archetypal Aquarius are ready to be composted? A reminder to honor the darkness as well as the light, and to make sure we are centered in our hearts as we work on bringing our Aquarian ideals into fruition.
Thursday, March 7, and Friday, March 8
The waning crescent Moon (back in bounds on Thursday) is near Mars in the pre-dawn sky, approaching Venus. The two continue to hang out together (although Venus is much brighter than still dim Mars). Be sure to tune in for any wisdom they might offer, as they continue to dance together in this potent sacred marriage phase of the Great Saga.
This is the 3rd Moon conjunction for Mars since rising from the underworld on January 8. Gemini synodic overstory Mars, in his rebirth phase, is absorbing the gifts of expanded awareness offered by Aquarius.
The waning crescent Moon makes its exact conjunction with Venus on Friday morning, with best viewing both Thursday and Friday. This marks the 7th Gate (associated with the root chakra) in Leo synodic overstory Venus’ descent journey. We are invited to commune with her in the morning sky, contemplating possible distortions or blockages we may have faced in fully experiencing our primal life force. What messages does she hold for us in our journey to regain our full Leo sovereignty as generous, juicy, wildy enthusiastic co-creators of a new sacred reality?
Earlier this same morning, Sagittarius overstory Mercury meets up with Neptune. Journeying on the opposite side of the Sun in its psychopomp phase, and still vibrating with the energies of its recent rendezvous with the Sun and Saturn, Mercury continues its initiation in the murky depths of Pisces as it encounters the planet of dreams and visions, illusion and fantasy. Can we learn to listen more with our hearts, communicate with our feeling sense, not just with words, and free ourselves from the habitual consensus reality, objective mind stranglehold? An excellent timing for tuning into our dreams or other ‘non-ordinary’ states of perception.
Saturday, March 9
The Moon makes its monthly conjunction with Saturn this morning, emphasizing the recent intense focus on mystic, watery Pisces. In what ways are we being called to show up with healthy Saturn structure in our lives, to support our journey towards deeper union with Great Mystery and the full expression of our spirituality?
Meanwhile, continuing our ongoing exploration of the signs of healthy self-exploration (aka the fixed cross), and leading up to April’s mighty Uranus Jupiter conjunction in Taurus, Mars in Aquarius is squaring Uranus in Taurus this afternoon. The sacred masculine, in his quest for evolutionary expansion of consciousness, is coming up against unpredictable real-world events, tethering him to Earth, and it’s not necessarily a comfortable place to be.
With Uranus, the cosmic change agent, in sensual, hedonistic Taurus, this free-electron Mars won’t be allowed the luxury of his usual up and out escape hatch. The potential gift is the creation of a whole new, multi-faceted blueprint for action – one in which Aquarian idealism and Taurus intimacy can come to a new understanding to incubate a more life-giving dream for Earth and all her inhabitants.
In the evening, Mercury leaves Pisces and enters Aries, on its journey on the other side of the Sun.
Sunday, March 10
We end our week with the New Moon in Pisces in the wee Sunday hours, launching us into a whole new lunation month. Continuing the emphasis on Pisces/Neptune, this New Moon is sandwiched in between Saturn and Neptune, passing by Neptune in late degrees of Pisces at midday, as a follow-up to its meeting with Saturn yesterday. As we continue to navigate the murky depths in the coming month, we are invited to seek true immersion in a direct, felt experience of Sacred Mystery – while not forgetting to weigh our Virgo anchors. Even the deepest ocean is held in a container of Earth.
Time to incubate and affirm the rightness of our own most mystical, heart-felt, numinous, love-soaked visions. Something marvelous is longing to be birthed from the soulful depths. Only we can be its midwife.