Stargazer – astrology for
March 2022

Astrology for March 2022:

• Putin and the Ukraine invasion
• New moon in Pisces – spread some sunshine
• Astrological health tips – Pisces
• Autumn equinox – life in balance

As the world reels in shock from Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, I decided to take a look at Vladimir Putin’s astrological transits.

1. Solar Arc Pluto conjunct Putin’s Scorpio Ascendant
   
   
2. Transiting Saturn opposite Putin's Pluto-Lilith-South Node conjunction in Leo on the Midheaven
   
   
3. Transiting Saturn trine Putin’s Sun-Saturn-Neptune-Mercury conjunction
     
4. Transiting Saturn conjunct Putin’s North Node at the base of the chart (I.C.)

With nine different Saturn transits, most lasting between now and the end of December 2022, Vladimir Putin is highly organised and means business. Saturn is a hard-working, no-nonsense planet. This invasion of Ukraine has been planned for a long time and he is in it for the long haul. Pluto is the planet of absolute power. Solar Arc Pluto crossing Putin’s Ascendant means: “win the lot or lose the lot”.

With a slippery Mercury-Neptune-Saturn conjunction in Libra in the 12th house, Putin cannot be trusted to tell the truth and is immune to public opinion or criticism. He has no respect for the values of Western culture and will say whatever needs to be said to achieve his goals. As a former agent of the Soviet KGB security service, he is no stranger to working behind the scenes.

Putin’s natal South Node-Lilith-Pluto conjunction in regal Leo means he has an inherited sense of kingship, power and entitlement and will ruthlessly fight to the death. And this isn’t just about him, it’s for the glory of his country. As Putin himself has declared, the invasion of Ukraine is about settling old scores and redressing what he sees as the injustices and humiliations from the past. He has never accepted that Ukraine and other former states of the USSR are now independent and thriving. He has previously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union, calling it “the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century”. Putin has been waiting for this moment for a very long time and given his behaviour and statements since his rise to power, we shouldn’t be surprised at his actions.
  
But Putin, who will be 70 this year, very much represents the old guard. Yes, so far, he has succeeded in imprisoning, assassinating and annihilating his opponents, but the tide is turning. The conditions that enabled Soviet expansion and the rise of the USSR no longer exist. We have the internet and social media for a start. Russians can no longer be controlled by propaganda in the same way they could fifty years ago, plus 7% of Russians now live outside Russia. There is globalisation and international business. Shared online video. The European Union. NATO. International travel. Multiculturalism. Awareness and condemnation of racism. The world has grown and changed since Putin's youth.

The Soviet Union that Putin seeks to re-instate to its former power and glory is as much a fantasy as the glory days of the British Empire and colonialism. War and empire-building are outdated concepts. With Pluto in Capricorn laying waste to the old ways of control, Putin is an old man living in a past that has long gone. In the 21st century, most people understand that only by working together, sharing resources and cooperating at an international level, can we survive as a planet.

Even if he succeeds in taking over Ukraine, which is likely in the short term, I believe in the longer term he will fail in his mission. Putin can be defeated, because Russia needs the rest of the world, particularly for trade and finance. He can be defeated, because millions of his young compatriots, like the anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, know there is another way and will potentially rise against him. He can be defeated because those living outside Russia, who support Ukraine and champion democracy, can fight to bring him into line. And he can be defeated by those living in Ukraine who will fight to the death to defend their autonomy and independence.

Saturn transiting the I.C. (base of the birth chart) often represents death, or what astrologers call ‘the end of the matter’. Could the Ukraine invasion be the beginning of the end for Putin?

The March new moon falls on the 3rd in water sign Pisces with both Jupiter and Neptune conjunct the sun and moon. This gentle lunation promises hope, creativity, idealism and positive new beginnings. Take time out to dream, reflect and meditate. Play your favourite music, enjoy a stroll in nature or a glass of wine. Elevate your spirit and open your heart to love and new experience. Neptune and Jupiter in Pisces can help us access higher spiritual and creative dimensions.

There is also a triple conjunction of Venus, Mars and Pluto at this new moon, helping us get in touch with our true desires and ground them in reality. Venus and Mars are the cosmic lovers of the zodiac and will be travelling alongside each other for the whole month, firstly in Capricorn and then in Aquarius. Take advantage of this rare planetary combination to balance up your relationships and tell your friends, lovers, colleagues and family members how much they really mean to you. It’s always easy to complain, criticise and find fault. Why not use the Venus-Mars energy to spread some sunshine instead!

This sensitive water soul has an abundance of creativity and intuition, though at times this can lead to lack of boundaries, exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Pisces rules both the immune and lymphatic systems and there is a tendency to pick up every illness going round. These folks have a cold constitution, lacking in vital heat, so the advice is to dress warmly and eat warming foods. Poor circulation to the limbs and especially the feet can lead to foot problems.

Pisceans sometimes use food to push down their feelings, especially when they find the energy of others too much to handle. Sometimes they overeat or even forget to eat at all. Their lack of boundaries can also lead to overindulgence in drugs and alcohol and psychosomatic illness is common, with the body acting out all those buried emotions.

Pisces health advice

• Balanced lifestyle with regular meals
• Grounding exercises
• Meditation to process feelings and feel calm
• Drink water and get plenty of sleep
• Journaling and time alone to restore energy
• Fresh air, nature and sunshine
• Music, art, beauty, and peace
• Water therapy – baths and outdoor swimming
• Echinacea to ward off colds and respiratory infections
• Sage or rose-hip tea

The March full moon lights up the skies on the 18th in practical earth sign Virgo. There’s a definite clash at this full moon between the need to be grounded and practical vs. the desire to escape into a fantasy world. With the Sun, Neptune, Jupiter and Mercury all in idealistic Pisces, the Virgo moon will struggle to bring common sense and a dose of reality to the table.

The best way to use the full moon energy is to dream big, but come up with practical steps for achieving your goals. Yes, it might take a bit longer, but at least you’ll get there.
  
Venus and Mars remain close together throughout the month and align with Saturn at the full moon. Now is a good time to get real about personal relationships and take them to the next level.

On March 21st, the sun moves into Aries, heralding the rich, golden season of autumn. On this day, all over the world, there are exactly twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness and we call this the autumn equinox (equi = equal and nox = night). Many ancient civilisations considered the equinox and solstice points the most important days of the calendar, symbolising life in balance.

Each season reveals something of the beauty and power of nature, autumn being the crown jewel of the seasons with its harvest of grain and ripened fruit. The autumn time of day is dusk, as the sun sets giving way to the moon and stars and energy turns inwards towards rest, reflection and dreaming. In our own lives, autumn is a time to reflect on the challenges, achievements and harvest of the past six months, while in the life cycle, the autumn years are often the richest and most rewarding as non-essential activities, beliefs and relationships drop off like falling leaves, leaving behind the ripeness of wisdom and experience.

Why not make time this autumn to sit quietly and think of all the goals and tasks you’ve accomplished over the past few months and those who have helped you? What have you given and what have you received? What are you now harvesting in family life, relationships, creativity, finances, and health? And how have you balanced your own needs with the needs of others?

Seven top tips for a bountiful autumn

• Set up a meditation or sacred space with seasonal elements such as baskets of nuts and fruit, flower, seed pods, stalks of grain and anything else you associate with ‘autumn’ and ‘harvest’.
• Go for a walk in the bush or by the beach, enjoying the changing colours of the leaves and crisp cool air, then head to a cosy café for hot drinks and sweet treats.
• Stock up your pantry and freezer with all the delicious autumn produce available at farmers’ markets, orchards and if you’re lucky, your own garden.
• As the nights grow longer, download one of the popular astronomy programs to your phone (I use the free SkyView app) and step outside for some serious stargazing. You won’t believe what’s out there!
• Autumn is a season of golden days and cool nights. Spend half an hour each morning decluttering your home and tidying the yard in readiness for winter.
• Cook up a pot of soup and a fruit pie and invite friends and family round for dinner.
• Head out on a camping trip and share adventures and stories round the camp fire.

A heads up for next month when we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. This special cosmic event happens only once every 13 years and the last time it happened in Pisces was 1856! Here’s what astrologer Ray Grasse has to say about it.

“With Pisces being the symbol par excellence of the great “ocean of being,” … I see this as signalling a potentially extraordinary opening up of the collective unconscious, a time when the proverbial “veil” thins and we suddenly can enjoy easier access to subtle ideas, concepts and creative impulses — perhaps even contact with intelligences beyond the veil. At the very least, it should be a time when the human imagination will be especially rich in its offerings, when ideas can be plucked from the collective mindstream like low-hanging fruit…” (Ray Grasse, Mountain Astrologer)

Hope you have a great month!