MARCH 2009

March intro:

March opens with five planets broadcasting in Aquarius: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune. Add asteroid Juno (commitment plus and minus) and the North Node (the north facing compass point) and the count becomes seven placements in the sign of awakenings, enlightenment, and liberation. Positively, that’s a lot of fertile/creative energy coursing through the collective airwaves. On a more challenging level, it is a high-anxiety rollercoaster ride; what happens next is guesswork at best. In actuality, the stars are staging what may be best described as a portal time.  Venus turns retrograde Mar 6. This is an infrequent transit and is much different from Mercury retrograde (famously known as astrology’s Murphy’s Law).

Venus correlates to our evaluations and attachments which become the base reference for our emotional, material, and physical survival issues. When we become limited by these needs and the lessons they provide, Venus retrograde will serve to release us from the chains that bind. Commonly, their loss can be disconcerting or even traumatic. Venus in retrograde brings heightened awareness of both our gilded cages and our albatrosses. While loss can be painful, the collapse of a security stronghold simply paves the way for a more authentic cornerstone to be put in place.

When Venus is retrograde relationship karma is resurrected, plus & minus. We can re-visit with a specific relationship issue, or re-meet specific people too, whether they are part of our history in this lifetime or whether the unfinished business is a carry-over from some other time. How can you tell if what you have called forth has past life roots of special significance? A strong sense of déjà vu or fated-ness is your clue.

Net worth and self worth are Venus’ jurisdiction. In addition to a new perspective on our relationship to money, it prompts a new relationship chapter, starting with the relationship of self to self as the primary catalyst. New self centering energizes the burning questions: “What about me? What does this do for me? What do I get out of this?” Venus, the planet of harmony, is not comfortable in the narcissistic sign of Aries, (sign of its detriment), but the chaffing is purposeful as it spurs one to keep striving toward betterment. The core intention of Venus retrograde is to change the way we receive and relate to others.

Aries is the sign of spring fever, and once Venus turns retrograde, those who are outgrowing relationships, sexual partners, jobs/careers, or lifestyles, can feel an especially strong sense of cabin fever. Venus in retrograde typically spurs separation from previous status quos. This is not the time for keeping it the same, it’s time for independence, freedom, and fresh enterprise. What we don’t own, we project; often when Venus is in retrograde, circumstances conspire to create the necessary freedom. The carpet can be pulled out from under our feet, i.e.: the partner leaves, the job is lost, financial or emotional support collapses.

When we have arrived at a sufficient ripening point, Venus retrograde will materialize that which provides the next plateau for growth. It can come in the form of a prize job or a new lover. We can also attract the unfinished business of difficult karmic paths or associations, in which case we are likely to feel a little worse for the wear by the time the parting of the ways occurs. When this happens, realize it takes more than one lifetime to complete our lessons.

The current Venus transit represents the next stage of evolution for that which peaked in Mar of 2001. Think back to that time. What started? What ended? How have you made use of it? Can you use that which you have amassed in the past eight years to enhance this next leg of your journey?

Venus retrograde will serve to strength relationships that are worthy and meant to last. On a more jarring note, it can quicken the demise of relationships that are already coming to a final end.

Quality time out for personal reflection and re-evaluation is wise. For those who pay too a high personal price, Venus retrograde can be useful for helping (or forcing you) to put a degree of separation between you and them/it. Note that Venus retrograde is a highly creative and fertile energy, so it is also an appropriate time to get into the studio, to dust off that project or ambition, or to try for pregnancy.

Watch the defining few days preceding Venus retrograde. Whatever occurs (or falls apart) has great impact. If these days translate into a coming together time for you, it can catapult your life in some dramatic way. The domino effect of the Full Moon on Mar 10 is sure to deliver a very intense few days. The New Moon Mar 26 is especially fertile for all new initiatives.

ARIES (MARCH 20 – APRIL 19)

Your ability to attract is hotter than ever as Venus in Aries singles you out for special attention. Appearances matter, so enhance your best features. A new relationship in the budding stage can have an especially strong and bring that destiny’s calling feel. While Venus is in retrograde, you’ll become more conscious of your relationship needs and your plus and minus columns. You may find that your forward motion depends largely on others stepping up to the plate/coming through for you. Benefit comes from forming specific alliances or joining certain groups. Watch for the Full Moon, Mar 10, to end the waiting game, and to reveal plenty more. Overall, the Full Moon can bring a peak time to solidify that which could not be nailed down previously. Mar 8 – 12 can be a grind. Health, hidden costs, or repairs can take a bite out of you too. Mars in Pisces, Mar 15 – April 22 is a time to withdraw from your social life in order to address personal priorities. Use the New Moon Mar 26 to launch new rockets.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)

You can feel a sense of straddling two worlds now as Venus in Aries takes you through a transitional phase. You may feel that you are done with the past, but as Venus retrograde kicks in, you’ll see that it is not yet done with you. Venus in retrograde, Mar 6 to April 17 can feel like a pregnant pause or an incubation time. Know it or not, things are brewing. Venus in retrograde helps you to isolate the specifics that need addressing, i.e: personal shortfalls, health complaints, creative flaws, financial waste/extravagance, or other lost litres. This is an especially creative time, fertility is heightened now too. Use this time to change your automatic pilot re relationships, addictions, and behaviors that no longer serve. You are fast outgrowing your old self, but you are not quite up to speed with your new needs/new self. Whatever you do, or don’t do for yourself during this important time out period will be the soil that will determine whether your new life will sprout strong or weak. The Full Moon (Mar 10) could bring a surprise opportunity, a special event, a sudden departure or arrival, interruptions, expenses, or a sudden flash of inspiration, flurry of activity, or news that changes everything. Keep a watch on your kids, their education (in school and on the streets too) and especially keep watch on their safety. Watch for volatility out there in the world, Mar 8 – 12. The dynamic New Moon can launch a wonderfully fertile financial, creative, or romantic chapter.

GEMINI (May 20 – June 20)

Streamlining is in order and it starts with your social life or volunteer activities. Perhaps you’ll find it necessary to pull away from certain individuals, associations, or groups in order to prioritize the special people of your life, or the worthier activities. If you have already pulled back, now may be a time when you want to put yourself back into social circulation, but this time you’ll do it with more selectivity. Venus retrograde can bring people back into your life, especially those with whom you feel a sense of incompleteness. Do you feel you have something to prove? It can be your opportunity to be seen and appreciated in a new light.  Venus retrograde also draws added attention to contributions – yours and theirs. If you aren’t being validated or see a reciprocation of significance, there’s no reason to stick around.  For some Venus retrograde may present you with an opportunity to take on a mentorship or leadership role It’s time to stand apart from the crowd and to gain attention for something uniquely yours. If you are cut loose unexpectedly, see it as an opportunity and go into experimental mode. Take time out to develop a pet project or to upgrade skills. A retreat, a vapashna, a conference, a self-development workshop, etc. is of great benefit now too. The full to the brim days leading up to the Full Moon Mar 10 could see the problematic escalate rapidly. There could be added chaos at home or on the job, home appliance repairs or schedule conflicts to juggle. Sick family members or absenteeism on the job can tax your coping skills too. Make sure you protect yourself so you don’t get sick too. The Full Moon Mar 10 could provide a bright new potentials or a sudden way out, although it can be a matter of giving up to get. Whatever arises, it seems an instant correction or relief is possible, especially Mar 12 onward. Mar 18 can bring difficult communications, harsh words, disappointments, expense, or a negative mindset.  The New Moon is the right time to resume chasing your dreams. Your social life will fire up again too.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

The stars indicate that there’s a lot riding on your shoulders. Venus can put you under added financial pressure now, in fact, final decisions may be drawing near. It can be a make it or break it time for your business. For sure, it is not a time to sit back and wait for a miracle cure. Change your attitude, get creative, and do everything you can to light new fires out there in the world. Relocation may be a good option to consider, especially when you can return to a place where you have met with success previously. Use the retrograde period to explore what’s new out there and see if you can incorporate it somehow. A temporary stopgap job could be a good idea. You might also consider handing over the reins or putting a surrogate in your place while you explore new avenues for yourself. Time is precious, don’t waste it. You may have to carry more responsibility for family members now too. The usual roles may be reversed, you may find those you would normally go to for answers or guidance to have less to offer you and more to ask of you. Those in positions of authority have their own to contend with now too. This can be a bonus if the boss is otherwise occupied and you can function without someone looking over your shoulder. On a positive note, Venus retrograde can be a time to work to develop a new product, project, or angle. If you feel uncertain about the advice or instructions you are given, seek a second opinion. Don’t wait for others to come across with the goods, take matters into your own hands. Watch for the unexpected/a chain of events, Mar 8 – 12. Things can work unexpectedly in your favor around the time of the Full Moon Mar 10.

LEO (July 23 – Aug. 22)

Either it’s time to go it alone, or it’s time to join forces in a significant way. This month’s stars are set to define your options in clearer, more well defined terms. You’ll get more out of your leadership role when you come down off the mountain and keep company in the trenches with the rest of us. In times such as these, we all need to pool together for the greater good. (Replicate the Obama way.) Venus retrograde can be a good time to take a vacation or to be off elsewhere. It can also be time to finish that project that has been pending for too long, and to pickup the pieces of things left undone or unsaid. If someone or something in particular grabs your attention, know they/it have something special to offer. Take your time to explore the potential fully. Take action when you feel compelled to do so, and don’t over analyze. Your most comprehensive answers will come after the fact. That which is introduced during the retrograde cycle can easily develop into something substantial in coming months. For now, take it as it comes. Sudden departures or other extremes are also possible this month, especially Mar 8 -12. For some, a long distance love affair can heat up, for others it may fizzle out. Whatever (or whom-ever) leaves your life is simply creating an opening for something better to come along. The full of promise New Moon can bring a sense of resilience and newly found freedom. It is a great time to travel, for pleasure, romance or business and to head off in a new direction where the lights shine brightest.

VIRGO (Aug 22 – Sept 21)

You are becoming a major force to reckon with. Venus helps you to develop greater self-centering, which in turn will help you to get more out of your relationships. It’s time to assert yourself, to be more definitive, demanding, and commanding. Speak up, tell it like it is. When it comes to creating better boundaries, Venus retrograde can help you to circle the wagons in a very empowering way. This “me first” influence provides the right springboard to extricate yourself from relationship enmeshments. On a productive note, Mar 6 through most of April can find you deeply submerged in a particular project or new financial venture. It can be a wonderfully lucrative time, especially if you have already worked to set the stage to establish new alliances, a new support system, entice/intrigue new clients, etc. With so much concentration in Aquarius, you’ll feel the urge to be a part of something larger and indeed, you have a lot to contribute to the group or community. It’s a win/win for all, know you’ll gain public profile/favor when you do. The definitive, Full Moon Mar 10 can catapult you over a significant (perhaps surprising) threshold crossing point re a specific relationship or personal need. A lot could jump out at you, be especially careful when driving, in the company of strangers, or when crossing into uncharted territory. Mar 8 – 12 can be a time of disillusionment, harsh realizations, unfair finger pointing, jarring news, “instant karma” or results, etc. No matter how harsh the sudden reality may be, know the end signals the beginning of a bright new chapter, embrace your future wholeheartedly and don’t look back. Romantically or financially, the New Moon, Mar 26 can strike a dynamic match.

LIBRA (Sept.23 – Oct.22)

It’s a great time for self-discovery, and for discovering love all over again too, starting with more love for numero uno – yep, that’s you. When you value yourself more, others will too. When Venus is in Aries, we can feel bombarded by others who seem more dynamic or on the go, or who’s needs appear to be more demanding. When Venus in Aries turns retrograde, role-playing can reverse. You are likely to find you defer less to others and that you start to throw your weight around more. Assertiveness, confidence puts you on the winning streak. Venus in Aries will bring destined relationships/partnerships into being and it will also seal the fate on relationships/partnerships that remain alive only in name. Can a second go ’round work? For some, it can most definitely be worth a shot. When it comes to choice making, toss out the rulebook that says “should” and go with gut instincts. Be first to make a move. Spontaneous shows of affection and deliberate attention-getting can beguile us. The benefit of Venus retrograde serves to make you more conscious of the way you participate. It will also make you more cognizant of how you may undermine or sabotage yourself. Competing needs – and competition too – come into clearer focus. Of course, you can rely on Venus in Aries to simplify your decisions by burning up the road before you get there (see intro.) The pressure building days preceding the Full Moon Mar 10 can be disconcerting, hectic, or chaotic. This Full Moon could bring a sudden onset of illness, or busy you with leaks (information or pipes), repairs and replacements. Whatever occurs, you are likely to make a quick bounce back and/or see significant improvement in the days immediately following (Mar 12 -15.) Consider everything that has come before as a preliminary set up stage to the New Moon, Mar 26. Venus combust the Sun will light a bright bonfire.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21)

Venus retrograde finds you focused on changing your approach to your work, to problem solving too and to rebirth a new attitude toward health and exercise regimes too. Although your sign usually prefers the go-it-alone routine, you are likely to see the benefit of collaborative efforts and group participation. Once you gain your boost, you can go back and do your own thing with more wind under your sales. Venus retrograde can also prompt you to downsize further, to revamp your agenda, or to adjust your expectations to more realistic proportions – for yourself, your employees, students, and loved ones too. Aim to stay on the cutting edge. Develop a specialty or signature style/product and set yourself apart from the rest. The Full Moon Mar 10 (or thereabouts) can bring striking news, an abrupt ending, a disruption of service, a work shortage, or see a contract or plan fall through. Positively, a lucky break or opportune moment could help you to make an important save, or to get much further along/ahead than you may have thought was within your grasp. Unexpected notoriety could come your way too. Significant strides can be gained creatively, with one of your kids, and re affairs of the heart too. Watch the New Moon, Mar 26, to start you on a positive upswing, especially re work, the job hunt, career aspirations, creative undertakings, and health.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov.22 – Dec. 21)

You’ll now enjoy an extended benefits cycle as Venus in Aries tours one of the most fertile and generating placements for you. Make noise, seek attention, and take command of center stage again. Venus in retrograde will help you to reclaim your status; your popularity can grow rapidly, public favor is easily gained. The Full Moon Mar 10 is set to further extricate you from a stalemate, a stagnant period, or dry spell. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see better opportunities come along, and with them comes a sense that you are back in the driver’s seat. A hot new passion or romance can fire up. For some, a former flame can put the color back in your checks. Once in motion, relationships or circumstances will move along very fast. This Venus retrograde represents a short window of opportunity to fan the flames and to establish the start of something significant. Due everything you can now to protect and ensure it’s life-force. By June, you’ll see where it’s all going. Venus retrograde can also provide the opportunity to take a break or make a break. For some, it’s time to end a relationship and to embark on a new life. Your children’s lives are dynamically energized now too. No matter what their age, it is a potent time of initiation for them. They can be singled out for special attention, gain career kudos, or take their first steps toward independence. Of course, a newly single status can bring the added challenge coping as a single parent family. Teens and young children can act out more during Venus retrograde, give them more freedom and see what they do with it. Know that pregnancy potentials are also heightened during the retrograde cycle. Take extra health precautions and don’t strain your body if you suspect you may be pregnant. The New Moon Mar 26 can see you surpassing much and is probably one of the richest, most fertile, creative and successful new moon cycles of your entire year. Ready, set, go!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19)

It’s high time to give yourself license and to move in an independent new direction. You don’t want to be tied down anymore, in fact, Venus in Aries can ignite the impulse to just up and quit. Where it matters, of course you’ll stick it out. Still, it’s important to carve out more for yourself and to unburden yourself from family pressures, material concerns, and needy people. Venus retrograde brings the right time to unload property, or to address other lost litres. Downsize your business, cut back on financial or social obligations, and streamline your output, both at home and on the job. A more black and white approach serves you too. If you aren’t getting the respect you deserve, cut them off until they give it to you. This can be a shaky time for those who own a small business, but the potentials look good that you will weather the tough temporary challenges just fine. On another note, if you find you have suddenly been squeezed out of work, employ your creativity and come up with a new plan – or consider going back to a previously shelved plan or ambition, perhaps it’s time has come. If the idea is outstanding enough, it could be just the ticket. If you find the month ahead produces more strife at home, know that once it’s out in the open, more can be done about it. Venus retrograde brings an ideal time to tackle a home renovation or a personal project, or to return home for a visit with family. Plan or negotiate until the New Moon, Mar 26 and then go for it with all your heart.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18)

As Venus in Aries moves through her retrograde cycle, you’ll start to become more selective re who gets a piece of you. Yes, it is high time to cutout time fillers, i.e., those people, projects, or ideas that get you nowhere fast.  You have much more important things to do with your spare time. Synchronicity plans to lead you to the right place and time, but first you have to create extra room in your plans. While Venus is in retrograde, you will gain a well-defined sense of what works and what does not. You’ll open to some people or some ideas right away, and you’ll be very resistant to others. It’s great that your antenna is so finely attuned. The only things that will filter in, will be that which is key and pertinent to the here and now. Of course, the universe can conspire to limit you now too and this can cause frustration if you feel you are short changed or coming up empty handed. So too, people may not be as reliable or as good on the follow through as you need them to be. The Full Moon Mar 10 can be particularly challenging in this regard, don’t count your chickens first. Obviously you’re your clients are hurting, you will too. The Full Moon can also bring unexpected repair costs, debt, tax issues, unexpected problems or complications with your spouse, partner or roommate. Know that if it doesn’t come together for you right away, that it is simply not meant to be. Move on, try something new. While you are waiting for better things to come along, explore, experiment and make productive use of your time. While the Full Moon Mar 10 can be a tough go, the New Moon Mar 26 could signal a fresh new beginning/the start of something great.

PISCES (Feb. 19 – March 20)

Relationship and financial shortfalls keep pushing you to develop new strategies. The stars intensify your get-ahead mandate now. As you reach out to better yourself, you will find you have less tolerance for marginal people or activities. Others will notice that you are taking less from them and that you have gained an attitude. Venus in retrograde sees you struggling even harder to get out of a financial jam or to extricate yourself from limiting relationships. Ungluing or unhinging days precede the Full Moon, Mar 10. Mar 8 – 12 are cranky dates, you could feel snappy or ready to jump ship. Watch for others to point the blame your way. Impulsive, accident prone, destructive, or undermining forces are greatly heightened during this Full Moon, play it safe as best you can. There can be a sudden job loss, added expenses, repairs, sudden health flare-ups, surprising cutbacks, disconcerting news, etc. Mars in Pisces, Mar 15 – April 22, begins a fresh new cycle; Watch for an increase to your vitality, creativity, and verve. Circumstances will start to move along more rapidly too. Don’t hesitate to let your bridges burn, an exceptionally fertile New Moon Mar 26 bodes well for finances, creative undertakings, and new love.

One Day TAROT Wkshp: The Major Arcana

Sun Mar 29 10:30 – 4pm

Beginner Astrology 6 wk class, Thurs Mar 26

5 Week TAROT Class: The Minor Arcana

Mon, Mar 30, 2009  7 – 9 pm

Info: rose_marcus@shaw.ca (604) 988-1299