Astrological Energies for March 8 to 14, 2010

NorthPoint Astrology Journal
Written by Pam Younghans

At long last, Mars goes direct this week. It seems like a very long time since the red planet went retrograde back on December 20. Many have experienced this time as less than conducive to external progress, as the energies of forward motion have been made most available to our inner work.

And, with Mars being retrograde in Leo, the intention of that inner process has been to more completely understand and claim the truth of our hearts, so that once Mars is again focusing his energies in the outer world, we may create in accordance with those heart-level desires. It can be easy to go along with something that makes rational sense, or that is familiar and therefore comfortable, without taking that vital step of checking in with our core knowing of what would truly bring us the joy and fulfillment we want.

This Mars retrograde phase has been our time to uncover what is at the essence of whatever we've been wanting to create. If we've been wanting something new -- whether it's a new job, a better living situation, improved relationships, or anything else -- what is the fulfillment that we really are looking for? What do we want to feel that we currently do not?

It may be that during these past three months, there have been what seem like "false starts," where we began heading in a certain direction and then met an energetic dead-end, realizing that we didn't really want to be on that road after all. Or, it may have been hard to do those things we didn't really want to do, with procrastination being our tool of choice.

All of this has been designed, not to make us feel bad about ourselves and our efforts, but to make us more fully aware of what enlivens us, what brings us joy, and what encourages our creative spark to burst into flame vs. what blows it out.

Since Mars is virtually a standstill this week, we have a few more days to do our inner-assessment work, if needed, before taking what we have learned about ourselves "on the road." In fact, we may want to aim for the Equinox on March 20 as the best time to initiate new projects, when we will also have the energy of the Sun in Aries to support the planting of new seeds. By that time, too, Mars will have picked up a bit more of his forward momentum, giving us a stronger wind at our backs.

Venus is in the spotlight this week as she steps into the Pluto-Saturn fray, first opposing Saturn on Tuesday and then squaring Pluto on Thursday. These planetary interactions put our relationships, values, and financial situations in a bit of a squeeze play -- with the intention (as with all interactions with the ongoing Pluto-Saturn square) of helping us face reality so that we can make conscious decisions about what we want to keep and what we need to let go of.

And, in keeping with the Pluto-in-Capricorn themes, this is also helping us see more clearly if our foundations in these areas are truly strong, or if the building above ground has only been a "front" that has kept hidden certain structural flaws.

It's more than a little difficult when something we've relied on seems to fall apart beneath our feet. And yet, knowing that a house has problems in the foundation allows us to take action to fix the problem (or informs us not to buy the house in the first place).

The Sun and Mercury align next Sunday is a foreshadowing (fore-enlightening?) of the energies of the New Moon the following day (Monday, March 15). The joining of the Sun and Mercury usually focuses our minds and supports thinking and planning. However, this particular alignment, since it occurs in mystical Pisces, may be more conducive to dreaming and visioning than it is helpful for logic and reasoning.

Uranus is just one degree away from the Sun and Mercury when they align. This provides an even greater emphasis on the mind-expanding, mystical qualities of the alignment. And, we are likely to see that energy last for a three-day period, beginning on Sunday the 14th, then continuing through the New Moon and Mercury-Uranus alignment on the 15th and the Sun-Uranus alignment late on the 16th.

More on the New Moon in next week's Journal, of course. But now's a good time to schedule in some "unplanned" time for March 14 through 16, so that we can take advantage of the expansive energies of the Sun-Mercury-Uranus alignment. Allow yourself the space and time to be receptive to the insights, heightened perspective and cosmic perceptions available. After all, with Uranus involved, that longed-for breakthrough in consciousness is entirely possible.

Blessings,

Pam

NorthPoint Astrology Blog: Be sure to visit my blog during the week for additional comments and perspectives at http://northpointastrology.blogspot.com/.