March 7, 2024 | by Silvianne K. Delmars |
This week’s astro news update begins on Sunday, March 10, with a dramatic New Moon in Pisces in the wee hours at 1:00 am PST, launching us off on a whole new lunation month. We end our week on Saturday, March 16, with the Second Quarter Moon in Gemini. Here are the highlights (all times given in PDT):
Sunday, March 10
Continuing the recent 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 on Saturday. The Moon will also pass nearby Mercury later this evening, just across the zodiac border in the very first degree of Aries, the equinox point.
The strong visual picture painted by this chart, with all the major planets grouped in just five signs, from Ceres in Capricorn through Uranus in Taurus (only 4 signs if you except Ceres!), begs us to decipher its encoded wisdom. A key is found in the position of asteroid Juno in Virgo, directly opposite Saturn (exact on Tuesday) and facing off with the rest of this potent gathering in Pisces. A strong emphasis in any archetype always urges us to consider the balancing polarity, and Juno is here to make sure we don’t get totally lost in the fog of Pisces.
For this strong Pisces New Moon, amplified by the presence of resonant Neptune, is definitely beckoning us down into the ancient, primal waters of grief and longing. Grief at the state of the world, at all we have lost, at the ancestral pain and suffering we have experienced and caused through the ages. Longing for a true experience of ecstatic, sacred connection with All That Is, a connection that always seems to be just beyond our reach. A necessary passage if we are to heal and walk towards a new future. This is a time to dive deep, letting go of old stories to make room for the new visions emerging from the abyss.
Juno in Virgo hints at a way through, a navigational beacon shining faintly in the murky depths. A reminder to find and nurture, by practical acts, mundane and ceremonial, the sacredness of relationship. Our relationships with each other, with the miraculous natural world and all its creatures, and with our own souls. Adding to the medicine of this chart, we have asteroid Pallas in Sagitarrius squaring off with the Saturn/Juno polarity. In her book Asteroid Goddesses, Demetra George invokes Pallas’ skill in conceptual perception, “the wisdom of Pallas in Sagitarrius is the wisdom of unification – forging the cohesive links of the parts to form the whole.”
And not to be left out, Vesta in Gemini completes this immersion in all four signs of Service to Spirit, by squaring the Moon/Sun and Neptune combo. A reminder, perhaps, to remember the shape-shifting magic offered by this trickster sign – play can also be a sacred act.
The other strong signature of this New Moon chart is offered by Venus and Mars, still together in Aquarius in the morning sky, squaring Uranus (and Jupiter) in Taurus. The Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine are forging a whole new way of being in partnership, sourced in freedom and autonomy. The square from Uranus in Taurus amplifies the unpredictable nature of this union, while also demanding that airy Aquarian ideals be grounded in earthy reality, like it or not. This challenging square is preparing the ground for the powerful, initiatory coming together of Uranus and Jupiter in Taurus next month. Transformation is inevitable – and will probably be uncomfortable as our world continues to disassemble itself!
Monday, March 11
Venus moves into Pisces this afternoon, continuing the final approach to her underworld journey, beginning in late April when she will be on the other side of the Sun and invisible to us. This month she is traversing the 7th Gate/1st chakra portal in her descent journey, beckoning us to unveil any distortions or blocks to experiencing our full life force energy, as she augments the planetary line-up in deep-feeling Pisces.
Later this evening, the Moon has its monthly encounter with Chiron, prefiguring the spectacular synchronicity of next month’s Aries New Moon Solar Eclipse, exactly conjunct Chiron. We are being offered the opportunity to heal the deep wounds of the Aries warrior archetype, whose sacred role as protector and defender of justice has been prostituted in the service of greed and false values. I am reminded of a favorite line from a chant by Sophia, “may the warriors find peace within, so the healing of the Earth can begin.” Time to heal the destruction caused by false dualities, so we reclaim the joy and spontaneity of Aries, restored to its true innocence and trust as a guardian of the good.
Look for the thin crescent of the New Moon to reappear in the western sky this evening and tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 12
Retrograde Juno in Virgo makes its exact opposition to the Sun today, echoing the themes of this Pisces New Moon. Although no TOTAMS astrologer has yet taken on a deep exploration of asteroid Juno, if we apply our understanding of the synodic cycles of Mars and Vesta, this acronychal rising of Juno (opposite the Sun) would mark the beginning of its cycle. Honored for her role as the Divine Consort, Juno in Virgo brings a sense of sacred dedication to support our ability to skillfully navigate relationships of all types.
Wednesday, March 13, and Thursday, March 14
The waxing crescent Moon will be hanging out near Jupiter, closest on Wednesday, both setting around midnight. On Thursday, the Moon will be approaching the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, just above the back of the Bull constellation.
Friday, March 15
The Moon goes out of bounds again today, until March 20. It’s in late Gemini / early Cancer, so it will be in its northern declination. Look for it to rise and set markedly north of the Sun’s path. These out of bounds Moon timings will continue through 2025, They can only occur every 18-19 years. We are being urged to free ourselves from the boundaries of consensus reality.
The growing Moon will be hanging out with the Pleiades and Aldebaran, the bright reddish star that is the ‘Eye of The Bull,’ on Friday and Saturday evenings in the western sky, setting together around midnight.
Venus and Mars, after their long, close dance together in the morning sky, will leave their 10 degree orb this afternoon, moving apart more rapidly now as Venus continues her descent to the horizon and Mars rises ever higher in the morning sky. A propitious time to tune in and ask for any final messages they might have for us and to assess what personal insights we may have gained from their time together in this most intense sacred union phase of the Great Saga.
Mercury completes its 2nd Guardian of the Gate phase today in its archetypal Sagittarius synodic overstory journey. The Divine Messenger releases its role as guide of souls leaving the underworld, as it gets more than 15 degrees away from the Sun. It will now enter its Hermes evening star phase, heading towards its greatest elongation from the Sun on March 24, marking the best northern hemisphere opportunity to sight Mercury in the evening sky for all of 2024. Keep an eye out over the next week for its first appearance from your location (low on the western horizon).
Saturday, March 16
We end our week with the 2nd Quarter Moon this evening in Gemini, squaring the Pisces Sun. The Moon is in late degrees of Gemini, at the Galactic Edge (opposite to Galactic Center in Sagittarius). It will be above Aldebaran, heading towards Castor and Pollux in The Twins constellation on the 17th and 18th.
This area of the sky at Galactic Edge, just beyond the raised arm of Orion the Hunter and below the feet of The Twins, has long been recognized by various cultures as the place where souls come into manifestation. With Orion easy to spot in the northern hemisphere late winter/early spring sky, why not take some time to hang out and tune in for any messages from beyond.
A More Life-Centered Future
This Pisces New Moon month is pregnant with the invitation to dive deeply into the watery currents of ancient, collective feeling to grieve and cleanse. Remember to stay grounded in Virgo’s nuanced skills in ceremonial, Earth-based perception. Be inspired by the Venus and Mars invitation to access mind-expanding Aquarian innovation, infused with love. And don’t be too attached to anything, as Uranus and Jupiter in Taurus continue their shake-up of things-as-they-have-been, in the cause of dreaming the dream onward for the creation of a more life-centered future for everyone.