Planetary news this week: Total eclipse in Virgo at the Mercury station

Astrological update for the week of March 10 - 17, 2025

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This artwork reminded me a bit of a shamrock and since it’s St. Patrick’s day this week I thought it was highly appropriate! ☘️ St. Patrick is famous for driving the snakes out of Ireland, but before we celebrate that let’s remember that to the Druids and wise elders of the old religions the serpent represented healing, wisdom and the circle of life.

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Here are the major events you need to know about this week. For frequent musings and updates visit my Astro Notes and/or BlueSky.

Mercury conjunct Venus March 11. Mercury and Venus are both in Aries where we tend to be more direct in conversation and in thought, but when the two come together there is greater fluidity and ease in our interactions with others. This is a good time to do something active with friends and loved ones - to plan a short trip or a fun afternoon.

Sun conjunct Saturn March 12. This transit lasts for just a few days, but we may begin to sense it next weekend. Saturn is the planet of discipline and structure, and both Saturn and the Sun are in Pisces which is famously unstructured. This can bring a temporary challenge if our heads are too much in the clouds and not paying enough attention. We can prepare this week by finding balance between the dreams of the Pisces Sun and the need for solid life experience of Saturn.

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Virgo lunar eclipse March 14. In any case, this week we have a total lunar eclipse on the South Node, activating a memory or experience from the past that will be an important teaching moment. Saturn and Neptune are tied into this eclipse by conjunction to the Sun in Pisces, seeking a dream of forgetfulness at a time when the Virgo eclipse wants to wake us into something critically important. Retrograde Venus is likely inspiring thoughts of past loves and broken dreams and perhaps re-assessing values we held dear which are now diminished due to our growing more deeply into ourselves. Uranus, planet of liberation and breaking out of prisons of our own making, is harmoniously tied into the eclipse to help us to break out of these shells and free ourselves where necessary.

Mercury turns retrograde March 15. Meanwhile Mercury is stationary in the sky, at its closest point to Earth, preparing to turn retrograde on March 15th. When Mercury turns retrograde in Aries, the sign of action, it can be more frustrating than the usual retrograde snafus if our plans are frustrated. Mercury will retrograde back into Pisces and this shift between Aries and Pisces is a theme in March since so many planets are in these two signs. Pisces is at the end of the zodiac, and Aries at the beginning so there is a sense here of completing one mission, beginning another, and then having to go back to repair something broken before moving ahead again. Where Pisces urges us to go with the flow and seek the path of the river, Aries seeks to initiate action and independence no matter what the cost so we will be going back and forth between these energies for the next month or two.

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Mars square Chiron is back. Does anyone remember that challenging from Mars to Chiron that began back in February and made everyone a little touchy and hyper-sensitive? Now that Mars has turned direct (🥳 hooray!!!) it is beginning to move closer to that alignment and on Sunday the Moon “translates” that aspect by connecting the two, and all before noon. The exact aspect doesn’t culminate for a couple of weeks, but Mars and Chiron are circling the ring right now and if you have planets between 15º and 25º of Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn you may be feeling particularly irritable, angry, easily wounded, or with a compromised immune system.

This is a good time to take care of ourselves and do good Mars things, even though Mars is in Cancer (still!!!) and not that easily motivated. Good Mars things include exercise, especially anything aggressive like kickboxing or weight lifting, setting good boundaries, expressing a need (practice with the people you trust). 🛑

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