Cosmic Forecast March 2023
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Illustration by Jess Stanley
March is a month of movement. It’s as if the cosmos is shifting from winter into spring, like driving out of the mountains and into the foothills, or emerging from the woods into a field. This month brings many significant astrological events that will continue to impact all of us over the next couple of years. You might feel these shifts right away, or it might take a few months for the changes to settle into your body. Know that the astrology of March is affecting each and every one of us in unique ways. If you feel like you’re the only one going through something, this astrology encourages you to see that we are all deeply connected through the human condition. You share your heart with a whole network of other people–past, present, and future.
One of the most notable elements of the cosmic weather this month is that every personal planet—that is the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars—all have significant aspects to the generational planets—Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—at some point. This means that the conversation between what’s happening in our everyday lives and what’s influencing the collective, as well as our own personal life paths, is louder than usual. For some, this conversation will bring to light really important truths that will help them stay on a path that’s aligned with their authenticity more generally. For others, specific transits might feel energetically challenging or even disruptive.
The planets are largely stacking up in Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries. If you have many of your natal planets concentrated in those signs, you’re likely to feel the astrology of this month most acutely. Sometimes, we tend to use astrology to help us explain why things aren’t going well for us. We turn to the stars to help us understand why we don’t have clarity, why we’re facing heartbreak or money troubles, or why hard things seem to come all at the same time. There’s nothing wrong with using astrology to help yourself process the chaos of life. But this month especially, it’s important to remember that even though there is energetic intensity, that doesn’t necessarily mean things will go wrong or that you will feel that intensity in an overwhelming way.
We’re reminded of this in a few really energetically bombastic, yet beautiful aspects that compliment the more challenging ones. The month begins with a conjunction between Mercury and Saturn in Aquarius on the 2nd, just before both planets head into Pisces. That same day, Venus will conjunct Jupiter in Aries. The conjunction between Saturn and Mercury is a good time to reinforce boundaries around your self-expression and creativity. This conjunction might bring up issues around self-criticism or highlight the way that unrealistically high expectations of others may prevent you from building and nurturing intimacy.
On the other hand, the conjunction between Venus and Jupiter gives us a lot of space for harmonious relationships and unconditional love. This transit invites us to open our hearts wide, to prioritize love in our lives, and to accept our need for connection, beauty, and romance. This transit will help you find self-confidence and give you the chance to soften into what’s great about your life right now. Venus moves into Taurus on the 16th, which extends this energy to your material surroundings. Concentrate on making your living spaces meet your emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. Make sure the clothes you wear every day and anything else you adorn yourself with does the same.
March also holds two major transits. On the 7th, Saturn will move into Pisces after its three-year journey through Aquarius. Pluto, which has been in Capricorn since 2008, will move into Aquarius on the 23rd. These tranists are generation-making and have the power to shift the values and focus of society as a whole. Those with their natal Saturn in Pisces will embark on their first Saturn Return, which typically starts around the age of 27. Those who are 56 or 84 will also experience Saturn Returns over the next three years. On the same day that Saturn moves into Pisces, we’ve got a Full Moon in Virgo. The lunation underscores the significance of Saturn’s transit because the Moon is in the opposite sign, casting its light on the whole affair.
For the collective, Saturn in Pisces will impact the way we imagine the future and change how we think about creativity and innovation. During this time, there might be a shift towards placing higher value on the human imagination, even as AI technology advances. We might find ourselves longing for art that feels real and meaningful, hopefully moving away from seeing art as a commodity. Saturn in Pisces also invites us all into a more profound degree of emotional maturity and spiritual wisdom. Saturn is like the wise parent of the zodiac, and Pisces is like an ancient magical tree that has all the esoteric secrets of the world to share. It’s like we’re entering into the enchanted home of a wizened, forest-dwelling enchantress. We’ve reached the point in our quest where it’s time to go within ourselves and learn to master our magic.
Pluto in Aquarius is about disruption and evolution which will unfold more subtly over the next twenty years. Pluto won’t move into Pisces until 2043. Until then, the planet will have the greatest impact on the way we define and build connections between large communities. Aquarius rules networks of all kinds: the internet, commerce, neurobiology, ecosystems, wind and currents. Pluto is the revolutionizer. In Capricorn, it challenged our economic system, shook the foundations of society. Under its influence, we saw changes in the financial market, social media shifting the way society functions, a global pandemic that changed the way we work and move through the world, intense activism that resulted in rights won and lives saved (even if the progress made feels small or insignificant, Pluto reminds us that those small changes do have a lasting impact). In Aquarius, Pluto’s rebel spirit shines even brighter, helping us take community-centered action and make changes that really serve humanity and the planet.
The month wraps up with the Sun moving into Aries on the 20th, the Spring Equinox, or Ostara in the pagan Wheel of the Year. On the 21st, there’s a New Moon in Aries. Pluto, of course, makes its move on the 23rd. Then, on the 25th, Mars shifts into Cancer. Aries is ruled by Mars, which is related to Pluto by virtue of its co-rulership of Scorpio, and Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Thus, the Moon in Aries and Mars in Cancer are reflections of one another. This is a sparkling collision of energy that will launch us into the new astrological year, into the rebirths of springtime. With such strong winds behind us and the powerful lantern of Aries energy lighting our way, there are certainly wondrous things ahead and really powerful, much-needed shifts for all of us on the horizon.
Keagan (she/her) is a writer, tarot reader, and astrologer. Find her on Instagram @moonsingemini to book a reading. Subscribe to her monthly tarotscope newsletter here.
