Moon is waning (Krishna Paksha) and transits Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and into Sagittarius this week.

For a jyotish Moon-centered approach to your day, follow my daily Moon Mind posts via Face Book.

Libra (and the planets in and connected to Libra) continues to demand our attention. Rahu, Retrograde Mars and Retrograde Saturn are all there, receiving drishti from Jupiter and Ketu. This puts three planets in backward motion in Libra. Remember that Libra is Saturn's place of exaltation, however, it is retrograde currently, which makes it debilitated. Saturn is also sandhi and at the edge of Libra (near Scorpio) which weakens it, turns it more inward, slows it down, and requests that we pause, listen and be more quiet. Read more about Saturn's dance through Libra.

Mars is also nearing the edge of Libra this week, but edging back towards Virgo. Mars weakens as it goes sandhi this week and may cause "fuzzy brain" syndrome for us. Expect slower reaction times right now with communication, action steps and plans. Relationships delays and all things Venus require patience and pause as well. Read more about Mars and his movements here.

We are nearing the spring sandhi "gap"- expressed during the time of Navaratri where the veil is thin and we are asked to pause, be still and sync more closely with the Divine Mothers, Nature and her wisdom. The portal is opening now. Let the slowing take over and resist the urge to force actions, outcomes and agendas. Use surrender as your modus operandi.

Mercury moves from Dhanishta nakshatra to Satabisha on 3.18. He moves from a Mars ruled nakshatra to a Rahu ruled nakshatra on Tuesday (the day of Mars). Satabisha is ruled by Varuna who is connected to "unseen obstacles" as well as health calamities, judgement, punishment and the rules created by the Gods. His main objective is to keep us connected to the Laws of Nature. Mercury is mind, intelligence, communication, finances, marketing and such, so be aware of Varuna's connection to these affairs in the coming week and a half.

This nakshatra change for Mercury is in keeping with the need for surrender, the continued focus on Libra (it's ruled by Rahu which is transiting Libra) and a reminder not to force actions. We may feel as though we "aren't doing enough" or need to force our hustle when things don't seem to be coming together very well. As things fall apart and crumble at this time, remember that it is a time of dismantling what is not working in your best interest. As we clear the decks, we make space for what is in fact more ideal in the long run. The coming week will show us where we need to let go. Are you continuing to cling? Force? Push? Look for your own resistance and remind your Self to surrender. Avoid over working right now. Keep mental health at the forefront.

Spring "officially" begins here in the Northern hemisphere on the 20th as we celebrate the spring equinox. This coincides with Holi which happened on the 16th and 17th here in the US and leading us into Vasant Navaratri on the 31st. Use this time to plant your seed of desire for the coming year. How will your garden grow?

For increased awareness, utilize my jyotish inspired Body-centered Expressive Art Therapy articles. Each week I post a new Creative Engagement Activity to help inspire your own unique creative process, Self-tracking, and to enrich your cultivation of presence. This week, we are planting gardens.

It is a big year with multiple {major} planetary changes. We will experience the changes of Jupiter, Rahu and Ketu, Saturn and unusual movements of Mars all in the next eleven months. Big changes are in store for each of us! Feeling uncertain about your action steps? What needs to change in order for growth? What kind of support you need? Schedule a yearly progression with me in order to make your New Year a truly transformational year. I still have some sessions available for April.

*Horoscopes are based on your Vedic rising sign. You can also check your Moon and Sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your “Western Sign” as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart.

Aries: This is not your time to shine. A better use of your energy is to rest and restore while Sun is in your 12th house. Take time for meditation, relaxation and rejuvenation. Re-examine relationships and what is needed to make them more doable, lasting and comfortable. The same goes for children, education and romance. Don't push, just surrender.  

Taurus: Communication seems to be a valid use of your efforts right now. How are you connecting? Who are you communing with? Why are you reaching out? Find a sense of purpose with your communications and upgrade your networking skills. This is more than speech. Commerce, intuition, writing, singing and the healing arts are involved as well. Heal and be healed. Start with your gut.

Gemini: Creative energy soars, but not in familiar ways. You may be feeling confused about the messages coming to you, unless you are taking time to pause and listen. Intelligence, knowledge and learning are all coming at you but in very unusual and different ways. Children, romance and passion may feel off. Remember that this is not a time of pushing, but of letting go and surrender. Let go of the gas and the brakes and see if you can catch some air time.

Cancer: Heart and emotions may feel all over the place. Home, land, and issues with your mother and father may feel overwhelming. Same old issues resurfacing? Confusion about where to go next? Leading with your heart and feeling vulnerable? Let the transformations have their way with you. Continue to surrender and let go of what you are clinging to.

Leo: You may be feeling mixed messages with your action steps. Stop or go? Yes or no? As much attention as your third house of action and courage has been getting lately, you should be learning a few things about how to balance your efforts more effectively. Work backwards. Pause more. Listen to the physical body's needs. Sun is still in your 12th house which is a time of transformation, solitude, rooting through the past, and a need for more silence and stillness. Find new ways to meditate and transcend. Art is a great place to start.

Virgo: Communicating differently is highly important right now in order to create more effective relationships. Digest and assimilate words; yours and others. Use this information to upgrade your offerings to others and spark some career support. Communication of all sorts (intuitive, energetic, monetary, mentally, and with speech) can offer you a strong creative edge right now and bring a heightened awareness to you. What are you listening to? What is your response? Download an upgrade, and rewire your hard drive.

Libra: Feeling pulled in multiple directions simultaneously? Remember that less is more right now. You are digesting some very old pieces of life. These experiences can bring a heightened sense of awareness right now which may make you feel extra emotional. Consider this a "cleaning house", a "spring cleaning" of sorts, in order to move you forward on your Path more effectively. Let the purging begin: from inside out.

Scorpio: This is a time of endings and losses. A time of cutting and chopping life to bits and pieces that feel more bite sized, digestible. Little pieces are easier to burn, compost, shred, let the wind carry off with its wings. It's also easier for us to hold onto the most important scraps, put them into our satchels, pack them up and ride off into the sunset with less baggage. What pieces are you keeping with you in your life? What pieces are you letting go? Don't look back. Surrender them to the wind.

Sagittarius: You may be offered a chance to revisit some old gains, relationships and experiences. Weigh and measure the options before jumping in with two feet. Make sure it's not your own flattery that is saying yes. Remember, your physical, mental and emotional bodies need to be supported in order for the answer to be yes to any new projects or endeavors. Create, communicate, sing, and expand your intelligence right now. Think outside the old boxes in order to upgrade your relationships, career, and romances.

Capricorn: You may be feeling wildly creative with a renewed sense of career vigor. But before you start amping your Self and your efforts back to 200%, remember that you are still in a time of grande change in directions. Your career is asking you to re-visit some of your old efforts and re-imagine them. Right now, slow and steady will help you win the long term race. Even if you feel like pushing, stop your Self. There will be plenty of time for your Capricorn ways; now is not one of them. Put your energy into working smarter not harder. 

Aquarius: Mental acuity or mental cravings? Mind control or mind taming? You are in a phase of Mercurial communication that can afford you some new, powerful, personal growth. Intuition, intelligence, speech and heightened creativity abound. But don't look for the old ways to bring new responses. You are stepping into uncharted territory so embrace the change and look for innovation.

Pisces: It may appear to others that you are glowing. Perhaps the transformation you have been going through has given you a new golden hue. Enjoy your luster, but the inner work is far from complete. In fact, you are still in the thick of a rich purging of old goo. Start chipping away at the hardened chunks still clinging to your innards. Upgrade your tool kit for maximum shifts to take place and more mental/emotional support. Hint: you will be looking in very different places for this support.

You as mother
as Ma
as angel near
as ascended master
You
as gray crane standing on one leg
or white egret
You
as hooting owl
or swooping hawk
You as Ma
eternal
now within me
in new ways
Now without me
in unknown
and sacred ways
You
my mother
who is neither
here
nor there
not in a form
not housed in a body case
Yet you whisper
still
and answer my prayers
and sing my songs
though I can't hear
your voice
It comes in breezes
that suddenly stir
and in
the calls of the birds
I only hear while walking
in the woods
desperate and alone.

-Swati J. Miller

Moon is waxing (shukla paksha) and transits Gemini, Cancer, Leo and into Virgo this week. Moon is in its own sign of Cancer from the 11th to the 13th.

Full Moon on 3.16 at 12:07 CDT in the first few degrees of Virgo and in Uttarphalguni Nakshatra. Because it will be high noon at its fullest point during the 15th tithi, we won't see the fullness in the sky, but will feel it internally. The night of 3.15 will be our night to view its fullness in the dark sky. Uttarphalguni is ruled by Aryaman, one of the twelve Adityas, who gives sustenance, support, health and physical strength. He is related to repaying the ancestors through family and children, things that sustain unions, contracts and marriage as well as other 12th house matters. The month of Phalguni is a time of spring which connects us to fertility, growth, abundance, colors, flowers and blossoming. Aryaman and Uttaraphalguni usher in the abundance of life.

This Full Moon also marks the Holi celebration in the Vedic calendar which roughly coincides with the vernal equinox and the arrival of spring (for the Northern Hemisphere). No matter the hemisphere you are in, both spring and fall are considered "sandhi" times of year- or in between seasons. These are sacred times, when the veil is thin, sensitivity is heightened, and in Ayurveda we attend to necessary physical rituals that help the body cleanse and purify. Holi comes at this sacred junction and is a time to "plant seeds" so to speak. It is a celebration of fertility, abundance and the awakening of Shakti within Nature. This full enlivening of Ma is celebrated during Vasant Navaratri- the nine days of Mother Divine beginning on the last day of March this year. We can consider this her "kick off" celebration however when we plant our desires and create our fruits. Let this Full Moon bring you a sense of spring and possibility. Use this week's Creative Engagement activity (below) for your cultivation process.

Mercury moves into Aquarius on 3.11 at 22:43 CDT where it joins Sun there for only a few short days before Sun moves into Pisces. Mercury receives drishti from Rahu while in Aquarius (considered Rahu's own sign) as well as Jupiter, and stays in Dhanishta nakshatra for the remainder of the week. This can present some tension for Mercury as well as expansion through effort. Notice where you are pushing too much for results and see if you can back off.

Sun is sandhi starting 3.12 as it moves out of Aquarius and moves into Pisces on 3.14 at 12:12 CDT. Sun is weak in degrees (sensitive) until late in the day on 3.16 but is thankfully happier in Pisces than Aquarius. Pisces is the sign where Venus (creativity, passion, artistry, the feminine) is exalted and currently Venus is receiving drishti from retrograde Mars and will get Moon drishti the 11th to 13th. This combination can enhance creativity, relationships, passion and drive. Connect and socialize on these days. Work it! But as mentioned above, also note where you may be putting your Self into overdrive.

With three retrograde planets in Libra currently (Mars, Saturn and Rahu- which is always retrograde) we have increased "returns" coming to us in all ways connected to Libra. This is also a sign ruled by Venus and is associated with relationships (work and personal) as well as commerce, the marketplaces, business and creativity. The desire for Libra is a sense of balance- balance in relationships and from hard work. Desires, in general, are extra strong right now. The retrograde planets are helping us remember what isn't working as well as what is. Old relationships blowing back in and making reappearances? Patterns and behaviors rearing their ugly little heads? Discomforts and discouragement on the rise? Physical fatigue and overwhelm setting in? Pay attention and make adjustments where necessary.

Retrograde Mars is moving back towards Virgo and pulling that Virgo energy into his dance which gives an extra essence of Mercury (Virgo's ruler). This can enhance communication and commerce, connections and creativity, but can also bring some confusion and mismatched action steps. Use good communication (internally and externally) at this time to express your needs and healthy boundaries. Being clear about expectations is very important right now. Be realistic about what you can actually accomplish by working backwards and mapping it out. Read more about the unusual dance of Mars until September.

As per last week's post on Retrograde Saturn:

Now that Saturn is retrograde, there is a greater emphasis on the physical body; a demand of sorts. A unique perspective of Jaimini jyotish dictates that when an exalted planet goes retrograde, it becomes debilitated. Saturn in Libra is considered exalted, retrograde now, and thus debilitated. He is also giving direct drishti to his sign of debilitation, Aries. The results of this will vary individually, but the overall effect will be a slowing down of systems, structure and a greater request from Saturn to focus on, well, all things Saturn. Saturn loves routine, gives prosperity with time and consistency, wants meditation, physical movement and hard work. He rules the physical structures of life (time quite literally) and within the body this means bones and muscle tissue.

Until Saturn goes direct on July 20th, we may notice increased physical fatigue, depression, heightened worry, a need to focus on our physical body more directly- either through awareness or force. We will also be "re-structuring" areas of our life that involve relationships, creativity, nourishment, receptivity, vulnerability, business and commerce, contracts and obligations, boundaries and balance. Leave it to retrograde Saturn to help us re-purpose and resolve what is not working in our best interest. Remember that if there is excess pressure from his means and ways, it is likely a place we need to look for a resolution. Ask: What is working? What is not? What do I need? What needs to shift right now for greater harmony and balance? Where am I pushing too hard? What am I resisting and where am I not letting life flow?

If you are curious about Saturn's movements through Libra, you can read my articles on his transits here:

Part 1: Rahu and Saturn in Libra
Part 2: Saturn Retrograde + the Influence of the Nakshatras

For increased awareness, utilize my jyotish inspired Body-centered Expressive Art Therapy articles. Each week I post a new Creative Engagement Activity to help inspire your own unique creative process, Self-tracking, and to enrich your cultivation of presence. This week we will revisit a Full Moon activity from the archives.

I still have a few sessions available for April. Schedule a yearly progression with me in order to make your New Year a truly transformational year and to make the most out of the current transits.

*Horoscopes are based on your Vedic rising sign. You can also check your Moon and Sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your “Western Sign” as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart.

Aries:
Here we go again
You're dancing with the fire
You're dancing with the Beast
You're still hungry-
I'll take you to the feast.

Here we go again
The rage is a craving
The thunder is your song
The power is misfortune
The misery is strong

Here we go again
The spirals and the chaos
The torment and the chains
No steps to the mirror
Oh! The Beast lives on.

Here we go again
I'm waiting with my palms
I watch you burn and writhe
I sing your laments
Still waiting for your dawn.

-Swati J. Miller

Taurus:
THE HOUSE OF BELONGING

I awoke
this morning
in the gold light
turning this way
and that

thinking for
a moment
it was one
day
like any other.

But
the veil had gone
from my
darkened heart
and
I thought

it must have been the quiet
candlelight
that filled my room,

it must have been
the first
easy rhythm
with which I breathed
myself to sleep,

it must have been
the prayer I said
speaking to the otherness
of the night.

And
I thought
this is the good day
you could
meet your love,

this is the grey day
someone close
to you could die.

This is the day
you realize
how easily the thread
is broken
between this world
and the next…

-David Whyte

Gemini:
It doesn't interest me if there is one God
or many gods.
I want to know if you belong or feel
abandoned.
If you know despair or can see it in others.
I want to know
if you are prepared to live in the world
with its harsh need
to change you. If you can look back
with firm eyes
saying this is where I stand. I want to know
if you know
how to melt into that fierce heat of living
falling toward
the center of your longing. I want to know
if you are willing
to live, day by day, with the consequence of love
and the bitter
unwanted passion of your sure defeat.

I have heard, in that fierce embrace, even
the gods speak of God.

—David Whyte

Cancer:
How do trees deal with injustice?
They grow a branch wherever they were cut.
And how do sparrows deal with grief?
They open their tiny wings and swoop at anything that glistens.
So why am I all cut & hungry?
Because I do not know the tree that is my soul and refuse the sparrow in my heart.

- from Finding Inner Courage by Mark Nepo

Leo:
Everyone who terrifies you is sixty-five percent water.
And everyone you love is made of stardust, and I know sometimes
you cannot even breathe deeply, and
the night sky is no home, and
you have cried yourself to sleep enough times
that you are down to your last two percent, but

nothing is infinite,
not even loss.

You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day
you are going to find yourself again. 

- F. Butler

Virgo:
"Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated."

-Terry Tempest Williams

Libra:
SWEET DARKNESS

You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

-David Whyte

Scorpio:
The Thing Is

The thing is..
to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you've held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hand,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you again.

-Ellen Bass

Sagittarius:
Be taught now, among the trees and rocks,
how the discarded is woven into shelter,
learn the way things hidden and unspoken
slowly proclaim their voice in the world....
Find that far inward symmetry
to all outward appearances, apprentice
yourself to yourself, begin to welcome back
all you sent away, be a new annunciation,
make yourself a door through which
to be hospitable, even to the stranger in you.

- David Whyte

Capricorn:
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

- Mary Oliver

Aquarius:
Praying

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

- Mary Oliver

Pisces:
What To Do In Darkness

Go slowly
Consent to it
But don't wallow in it
Know it as a place of germination
And growth
Remember the light
Take an outstretched hand if you find one
Exercise unused senses
Find the path by walking it
Practice trust
Watch for dawn

- Marilyn McEntyre