March 2012

PLANET REPORT: March is one of those pivotal months of the year where extraordinary events wait in the wings. Not only will Mercury turn retrograde in Aries on the 12th - inciting, irritating and inflaming the revolutionary kingpin, Uranus - but we will also experience the third - and final - triple Jupiter-Pluto connection. Spanning the months July and October 2011, this last fling between Jupiter and Pluto will be joined by a retrograde Mars in Virgo. Stretching the fabric tight over the cosmic loom, it may seem as if the picture is fully formed and clear, but there is still more to come that will take until May to play out. April is strewn with red herrings and mystifying events too because Mars, while weak and out of sorts, will leave Jupiter and Pluto and work its way toward an extremely vulnerable and sensitive opposition to newly-arrived-in-Pisces Neptune on April 14th.

What makes this even more potent is that Mars will turn direct right on this aspect. Take nothing for granted and prepare the lifejackets to get through this highly nebulous phase, especially once the Equinox kicks off the next quarter when the Sun travels into Aries on March 20th. This chart places a Moon/Neptune/Chiron conjunction in watery Pisces smack bang on NZ’s relationship zone in opposition to Mars in our zone of national identity. What confusion from nature, other countries, corporations or entities will oppose us and add to our lack of confidence?

Looking back at the events of July and October we can get an idea of what may take place. In July, we saw the tragic Oslo Massacre, the final edition of the News of the World after reports of hacking, and the death of Amy Winehouse. Following very closely to the above events, in early August, the London Riots shocked the world, and then in October, the second trine saw optimism rise after a positive rally on the stockmarkets.

Venus in her own sign, Taurus, adds even more events and people to this dramatic backdrop of social significance by completing a grand trine formation to both Jupiter and Pluto on March 14th. Venus and Jupiter add warmth and enthusiasm in March, even optimism in the face of rock solid evidence that life may be improving, but this should be tempered with extreme caution due to the prevailing cosmic conditions over most of April. Mercury turning retrograde on March 12th brings a heated but highly frustrating tone to communications – there is little chance that we will put ourselves in other people’s shoes so viewpoints can become self-centred. The impulse to react with the head rather than the heart is evident as early as the 3rd when Mercury travels into Aries.

While the Full Moon in Virgo on the 8th at 10:41pm seems fairly benign, the New Moon in Aries on the 23rd at 3:37am ignites the Mercury/Uranus connection and stirs the winds of change symbolised by the Equinox into a whirl of activity.