Aries march 2009

From March through most of April you'll want to reflect on your feelings. Take your time and don't rush, as it would not be the time to act on things now. You may have a change of heart, or you may simply decide to slow down a relationship if you feel things have moved too quickly.

While Venus retrogrades, there is always the possibility of a miscommunication or error in judgment regarding romance. Also, it tends to be a time when matters of heart are trumped by more pressing concerns going on, such as those in your career or in regard to money. It doesn't matter if you are single or attached, dating or not, Venus retrograde will affect you.

Venus is now in Aries, and will turn retrograde on March 6 until April 17, a period of six weeks. When any planet retrogrades, that planet rests and emits a very weak vibe. Under usual circumstances Taurus and Libras would be most affected by a Venus retrograde, for Venus rules these signs, but this time you, too, will feel this trend very directly, for Venus will be visiting Aries at the time.

If you are single and looking for love, hold back on joining a cyber-dating service. You'd have better luck with meeting a new potential romantic partner after Venus goes direct. I would say the same would be true for a first meeting that your friend wants to set up for you.

One positive action to take while Venus retrogrades is to go back to discuss a topic that you and your sweetheart / spouse / partner never quite solved. You will have a chance to come up with a new solution and put that matter to rest once and for all. A retrograde planet will always urge you to look back and fix things that have been left unfinished or unresolved.

Fortunately, Venus only rarely goes retrograde. The next time will be late next year, from October 8 to November 18, 2010. At that time, Venus will retrograde in Scorpio and Libra for a time.

Venus governs love, beauty, art, parties, weddings, and all the most pleasurable activities of life. Venus also rules all things that adorn and beautify, whether for you or your home. All these areas will be weak while Venus sleeps, so it's best not to spend money in this area for now. Put off buying new clothes, that sparkling engagement ring, or new watch, or choosing a florist or photographer for your wedding (no matter when you've scheduled it). If you are making the choice now, it won't likely be the right choice.

Venus also rules fun, so if you were planning a major party, it would be wise to avoid the Venus retrograde period (March 6 through April 17) because your party may not turn out to be as joyful as it would be while Venus is moving direct. The same holds true for vacations - if you want to take one, plan it for after April 17.

There are other considerations. If you were planning to try a new look for the coming season, it would be best to wait until after April 17 to make that salon appointment to have your hair cut, colored, or styled. Men and women should never schedule plastic surgery while Venus is retrograde - doing so seems to defeat the purpose!

Keep in mind that Mercury will soon go retrograde too, a few weeks after Venus turns direct. Mercury will retrograde from May 7 to 31, making May a very messy month for commitments or fresh starts of any kind. This means you will only have from April 18 to 30 to make your romantic initiation.

When you plan to sign papers or plan any major launch, including getting engaged or married, it is best to have Mercury in strong shape too, because Mercury rules contracts and commitments. When you promise your love to a romantic partner, you need a strong Venus behind you.

A Venus retrograde at the time of the engagement or marriage could mean the expression of love is lacking or withheld during the marriage or that married life may take on a work-oriented or "no frills" tone. The date you choose to initiate an action sets the DNA of that initiative and will affect the whole life of that endeavor.

To complicate things a bit more, Venus rules profit and financial matters too, so you want those planets strong for business initiations. (Jupiter and Pluto also have sway over monetary issues.) These days, Jupiter and Pluto are moving at fine speed, which is wonderful, but with Venus acting up, if you are doing a business project, you would ideally want Venus supporting your venture, too. It's not critical - I would say having Jupiter in good form is more important - but if you have the choice, why not have Venus on your side, too? If you have to sign a deal where the purpose is to make money (and I can't imagine any deals that would not!) then put off the signing for late next month.

The only time this year that Venus will retrograde is March 6 to April 17. The next retrograde of Venus will occur from October 8 to November 18, 2010.

Now let's go back to the subject of romance, for we have diverted a bit from the topic of Venus retrograde. Let's look at the second reason you will need to proceed carefully in matters of the heart this month.

Leo rules your solar fifth house of true love, and Leo is ruled by the Sun. This month, the Sun will receive volatile vibrations from Uranus on March 12 and that means that you need to be prepared for news you'd never expect to hear from someone you are dating. Since this aspect has an area of influence of plus or minus two days, keep your antenna up from March 10-14.

Normally, I would say that there's a good chance surprises would be happy, positive ones, but with the full moon opposing the Sun and Uranus, and Uranus opposing Saturn, and the full moon conjunct Saturn, the probability for a happy surprise seems small. Full moons make us all more emotional and they do tend to shine a light on situations that provide new information. The universe does this not to torture you, but rather to protect you, dear Aries.

Last month we had an eclipse in your love sector on February 9. Sometimes an eclipse will assert news one month to the day later, plus or minus four days - putting the time to watch also near the full moon and doubling the likelihood for dramatic news to surface at the full moon.

This does not mean your love life is going to the dogs. It does mean that you should be careful about getting involved in a new relationship until you get to know that person better. You may have a tendency to assign positive traits to someone who does not exactly warrant them while Venus is retrograde.

With Venus sleeping at the switch and Uranus acting up in March, a cautious approach to love and relationships would be best. It is also possible that you may overreact to certain news you get from a partner, so strive to be as rational and objective as you can be.

If you are married or are in a serious, long-term, established relationship, you will not feel this month's volatile romantic energy as much. You may revisit an old problem and try to find a new fix. There is some indication too that your partner may come across as a bit bossy and controlling at month's end, but as an Aries, you probably know exactly what to do when this happens!

OK, now let's turn to other things that March may bring. One will involve finding a way to improve your health.

As March begins, you will have a sterling opportunity to end a habit that has been harming your health. Perhaps you've tried to quit in the past, but even if you have never been successful at ending it, this time you have a better chance than ever for doing so. I say this because the new moon of February 24, which appeared in your twelfth house ruling these matters, will still be strong. You would have to start your program quickly, however, for with each passing day, the energy of that new moon will fade a little. Start the moment March begins.

If you don't feel you can end your habit by acting alone, there's no need to struggle. Make an appointment to seek help from a coach or doctor. If the problem is serious, check into a rehab center, and if it is a less serious problem, attend a lecture, read a book on the subject, or join an online support group. This time may prove to be the charm!

You will be spending a lot of time at the office at the time of the full moon of March 10, for it looks like you will be finishing an important project. You may have a deadline to meet and will be rushing to finish it on time. This full moon will be operative for four days after it appears, so it looks like you will only have to the end of that week, no later than March 13 and possibly sooner. It seems clear that you'll be working very hard.

There will be a great deal of team support around you at this full moon, so you will have support, but one member of the team, whether it be a co-worker or underling who reports to you, will be unpredictable and difficult to manage. Or, you may find that you will have last-minute changes to make to the project that were completely unanticipated but dictated by the client or your boss. Ah, dear Aries, do the best you can.

It will be unnerving to have to meet a deadline while one person you are depending on is being unreliable or when the project itself is changing. Looking closer at this aspect, I see some evidence that you may be working on a creative project or with artistic people at the time. Saturn will move over the moon, and that indicates that you will feel pressure, and perhaps you would say the project is arduous in some way. You may have to give lots of attention to minute detail or fill out a lot of paperwork at this time, as two of many possibilities.

Fortunately, Mercury and Pluto will in very friendly conversation at the full moon March 10, indicating that you could get help from a VIP who would be willing to intervene to fix whatever is going on. This person can talk to the difficult co-worker or subordinate (or pull in another person from somewhere else) to give you the help you need. It will be vital to speak up if you need help.

Your home or family may need attention near March 10 too, or you may feel that home-related responsibilities are pressing on you while you focus on your project. Because this is a full moon, you may be required to make a quick decision or action. If you find you are not focused on your home or other property, you may be focused on a female family member, such as your mother, grandmother, or other female relative (but not your sister, as a sibling would be covered by another house). As a precaution, it would be wise to have some elasticity in your schedule if you need to attend to a home matter just as you are so busy at work.

The sixth house, where the full moon will culminate, also rules your health. Needless to say, you will give out a great deal of energy during this time of the month, so you may feel a bit worn out by time the weekend comes up March 13. It will be very important to stay strong and to keep up your resistance to colds. Birthday time is coming, so you will want to stay in top form. With home, career, office politics, and other things going on, it would be no wonder if you are feeling stretched in too many directions. Shore up your health, dear Aries.

At the new moon in Aries, March 26, you will come into your own. A new moon in one's own sign happens once a year and is meant to give you special favor to make progress in any part of your life important to you. This new moon is the perfect time to launch a plan that is dear to you, so close to your heart that even I, as your astrologer, cannot see what that might be. Planets stacking up in Aries will give you presence, authority, and courage, too. You'll be in a hurry to put things in place but you may need a bit of patience to do so if your goal is a career-oriented one.

If your plan is to land a new job, it seems you will need to convince a top person that you are qualified for the position. While you may say that this is always the case, this time you may not know that there is a VIP who is not yet sold on you, and you may wonder what is holding up your appointment to this position. You will need to have a strategy to rally this person to your side. Pluto, sitting at the very top of your chart, will be in hard angle to Mercury, Venus, the Sun, and new moon. That indicates that Pluto will obstruct a doorway that you need to walk through, so you will need to think about ways to turn this possible critic or doubter into an ally.

You may be surprised to learn that you have not convinced every single person of your worth. Lower level people that you've interviewed with have been quite enthusiastic - you are right, they are excited about hiring you - but the person posing the obstacle seems to be someone you have never met. In that case, you'll have your reputation precede you. If you are asked for references, make sure you create the most impressive list of supporters you can muster and have people make calls on your behalf.

This position of Mars at month's end MIGHT indicate that there has been some political maneuvering of other candidates going on behind the scenes that are not completely fair, but that you may have to add to the equation. The more realistic you are, the better, because only then can you fight what is happening.

If you are not trying for a new job but will be managing a key project at month's end, you may still need to convince a VIP that you are up to the task. Be prepared to present and defend your methods, and back them up with facts, experiential insights, or anything else you need to prove you have the right approach.