StarWatch by James Jarvis, M.A. March 4 Venus enters Aquarius. Venus moves into the sign of Aquarius on March 4 and will be there until April 6. With Venus in Aquarius, the focus is on widening the scope of personal love to include impersonal love and compassion for others. The focus this month is to get in touch with our humanitarian values. Ask yourself: what issue or issues in the world make me righteously indignant? What cause do I consider myself to be a champion for? On a personal level, Venus’ journey through Aquarius can help us to detach from the drama of personal relationships. Often, people who have Venus in Aquarius are seen as somewhat cool and detached by others. In actuality, though, their experience is more like "I’m in love with humanity, so how can I just love one person?" By detaching from the personal, their heart chakras have a much wider aperture, or opening, to the collective than most. The challenge of Venus in Aquarius is to broaden our capacity to experience impersonal love for others without alienating those closest to us. Do you spend time with friends outside your primary relationship? Are you experiencing a sense of personal freedom within your relationship? Do you have an outlet for sharing your love with the planet? Use this month to experiment how you can wed the love you receive with the values you believe! March 4 Mars enters Aries. From March 4 through April 13, Mars is in the sign of Aries. If you have wanted to make changes in your life, use Mars in Aries to start making things happen! In other words, through the power of your will, affirm to others that you are committing to a course of action! Take a stand about what you intend to create in your life and find others that will support and empower you in following through. Now is the time to deepen your level of commitment to implementing your goals. Let Mars in Aries be your ally, your greatest supporter and coach! March 4-8 Venus conjunct Neptune. Venus in Aquarius and Neptune in Aquarius are within a degree of each other, or conjunct, from March 4-8. This Venus/Neptune conjunction is a classic "manifest your ideals" transit wherein we have an opportunity to clarify what we value and really bring our ideals down to earth. With both Venus and Neptune in Aquarius, we can get in touch with our vision and far-reaching ideals and retain enough objectivity so that we don’t make errors in judgment by not seeing all sides of a situation. In other words, Venus/Neptune in Aquarius helps us to implement our highest ideals without being overly attached to the outcome. March 5-13 Jupiter squares Pluto. Jupiter in Pisces is in challenging relationship with Pluto in Sagittarius for the next eight days. Jupiter/Pluto combinations speak of an expansion of personal and/or collective power. With Jupiter square Pluto there is often an experience of invincibility that can sometimes be overwhelming. The challenge during this period is to use the power of the Jupiter/Pluto square to have an effect on mass consciousness from a place of true humility. March 8 Mercury enters Aries. Mercury journeys through the sign of Aries from March 8 until May 15. With Mercury in Aries, the spotlight is on creating a new reality for ourselves through our speaking. Mercury is associated with the throat, or fifth, chakra, which represents our communication abilities. The fifth chakra also governs how we use our will to create our reality through our thoughts and through speaking our truth. We could be the greatest thinkers in the world, but no one will ever know that unless we open our mouths! What communications have you been putting off for fear of what others would think? With Mercury in Aries, the focus is on taking initiative and leadership in the arena of communication. What do you "stand" for? What is it that you have to communicate that will catalyze and empower others to act? What communications have you been putting off for fear of what others would think? With Mercury in Aries, the emphasis is on being the spiritual warrior in all areas of communication. March 10 Pluto retrograde. On March 10, Pluto will begin its retrograde journey at 8 degrees Sagittarius and will go direct again on August 15. Retrograde periods, or stations, are times to integrate the planetary function represented more fully in our lives. This is particularly true for those born early in the Pluto-in-Virgo generation (1957-1972), as transiting Pluto in Sagittarius is now squaring, or moving into a square (90 degrees) with, their natal Pluto in Virgo. Transiting Pluto squaring its natal position brings on a process of deep psychological change and transformation. Pluto rules the shadow side of us, and when it squares itself by transit, it brings out whatever is seething in us underneath the surface. In many ways, the Pluto square represents a purification process whereby we can eliminate emotional and psychological toxins held in the body. Even if you’re not as personally affected as the Pluto-in-Virgo folks are, the Pluto retrograde will eventually square (90 degrees) any planets that you have in early degrees of Virgo or Pisces and oppose (180 degrees) any planets in early Gemini. This Pluto retrograde period may be an appropriate time to look at how powerful you are feeling in your life. It may also be a time to discover and integrate how you can increase your sense of personal power into more areas of your life. Pluto retrograde in Sagittarius is asking us to get out of the way so that the power of our inherent wisdom can freely channel through our being without restriction, judgment, or intellectualization. March 20 Sun enters Aries. The Sun moves into Aries, heralding the spring equinox of equal days and equal nights, at 11:54 a.m. The principle of Aries is initiation, germination, and emancipation. In the natural world, it is a time of sowing and germination. The seedling breaks out of the seed and makes its way through the soil to emancipation. The Aries principle is symbolized by the catalytic process, and by acts of initiation and innovation. Our job during the sign of Aries is to spring into action in new and innovative ways using our natural leadership and delegation skills to empower others to become involved in whatever we’re committed to. Therefore, save your "spring cleaning" for fall, when you are going to be inside, and use the Aries energy to catalyze yourself, and others, into action. March 27 Mercury retrograde. Mercury goes retrograde on March 27 at 21 degrees Aries until April 20. Mercury retrogrades help us to see, through external events, at what level our Mercury function (or throat chakra) is operating. If our communication skills are lacking in any area, this will be more than apparent when Mercury goes retrograde. Mercury’s retrograde in the sign of Aries helps us to more clearly articulate our vision so that we can cause it to be manifest in the world. Mercury retrograde is a call for greater impeccability in our lives in the areas of speaking, writing, self-expression, and following through on our word. In particular, Mercury’s retrograde in the sign of Aries helps us to more clearly articulate our vision so that we can cause it to be manifest in the world. By clearly stating (in written form, too!) what we want in terms of specific, measurable, tangible results during the retrograde period, we have a much greater chance of manifesting what we want when Mercury goes direct again on April 20. March 27 New moon in Aries. The new moon is in Aries this month beginning at 7:14 p.m. this evening. A new moon occurs when the sun and moon are in the same sign, and signifies the joining of solar and lunar energies. With the new moon in Aries, what nurtures us this month is activating our will to initiate action in our lives. If there are any projects that you’ve been putting off, use the new moon energy to get yourself motivated and into action! James Jarvis, M.A. is a master astrologer and psychospiritual counselor. He is available for astrological and numerological LifePath readings and psychospiritual counseling for individuals and couples Mondays and Fridays at Bayside Center for Healing in Kirkland ([425] 821-3394) and Tuesdays and Thursdays at East West Bookshop in Seattle ([206] 523-3726). Join James and Michele Morgan for their Spring Astrological & Psychic Update March 15 at East West Bookshop. For a brochure on his services, Transpersonal Training classes, or to schedule appointments please call (425) 774-4975 or e-mail <lifquest@gte.net>.