Water and Fire are the predominant Elements in the month ahead. They’ll be creating a lot of steam, which will be driving an engine of practical matters, business, and government. Emotions and tempers will be hanging out very near the surface. Fortunately, empathy and intuitive insights will also be strengthened — we’ll have need of them, as interpersonal relationships are likely to be a bit strained.

Many people will be in a fighting mood, and the lack of Air in this chart suggests that reason and logic may have a hard time being heard. Staying aware of our own emotional states and what others are feeling is the first step towards making the energies of this month work for us. Actively invoking reason and logic when we find ourselves in difficult, highly emotional situations will help us make better decisions, but we may not be able to get others to listen. Sometimes, you just have to walk away.

Have you ever seen a steam engine? They aren’t in use much anymore, but they drove the Industrial Revolution. Steam engines were not just life-changing, but civilization-changing. They were also quite dangerous, subject to explosions and fires.

The planet Mars — the planet of raw power, action, machinery, surgery, blood, and war — is driving a steamroller this month. A steamroller’s sole purpose is flattening surfaces. It gives us the ability to smooth the way for our projects and ideas, but it can be dangerous. We’ll need to tend the engine carefully to avoid explosions and wildfires, and do some skillful driving to harness this energy and put it to productive use.

You’ll find there are certain areas of your life where this planetary energy will manifest most powerfully, depending on your personal birth chart. Focus on improving your situational awareness this month, and stay cognizant of which areas of your life seem to be under stress. That’s where you will need to bring care, finesse, and your full attention.

Sometimes, life brings us circumstances and situations that need to be flattened to clear the way, or blown up and left behind. Destruction is not necessarily bad. But find a productive outlet for this influx of energy as well, or you may find yourself coping with things blowing up in your face.

If you don’t have a project you can put some hard work into, find one. It’s the best way to handle the planetary mixup this month. You also may discover there is more work to be done on a project that, in your enthusiasm, you thought was complete. If that’s the case, don’t fret about it. Just focus on the outcome you want and keep working.

(Astrology students: Cast the chart for March 17, 9:11 am EDT, Washington, DC, keeping in mind that the AS, MC and houses are specific to the USA. Note 4 planets in Water, 4 in Fire (5 if you count Ceres), 2 in Earth. Even the asteroids are in Fire, Water or Earth. Mars is at the Aries Point (AP), but still (barely) in Sagittarius.

Mars is strong in this chart. It is right on the cusp of Capricorn (the AP is a harbinger of action), where it is in its exaltation, and further strengthened by its upcoming conjunction with Saturn, also strong in the sign it rules, In a few weeks, it will meet up with Pluto, Mars’ co-ruler of Scorpio.

Mars will be spending two months in Capricorn, giving us a preview of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of next year. That resonance will begin to be felt as soon as it moves into Capricorn. Note that Mars disposits 4 planets in this chart, and is square to the NM — but that square does not perfect before it changes signs. (Watch for explosive events a day or so on either side of the 24th, when the square from Sun does perfect, and Moon makes it a T-square) Mars is also right on the Mercury/Neptune midpoint. And note the trine between a retrograde Jupiter and the New Moon. Remember, trines are about an easy flow of energy, not unicorns and rainbows.)

Personal discipline and responsibility are key to navigating these next 2 ½ years as Saturn wends its way through Capricorn. This chart emphasizes those qualities in the month ahead and counsels restraint, but there are many who will ignore the advice. Expect a lot of yourself, be careful what you expect of others, and be sure you know where the buck really stops.

This is also a fine month to do some deep inner work, such as Shadow work, pathworkings, journeys, dreamwork, meditations, and magic. (If you are a magician who works with the Elements, be aware of the need for Air this month. Particularly with Mercury turning retrograde on the 22nd, travel, trade, and communications of all kinds will be strongly challenged.) There is also plenty of inspiration for artists — and we are all the artists of our own lives. What can you create that is meaningful to you and yours this month?

Your Own Chart

Before I get into what’s up for the nation this month, let me tell you about my latest project. I often say in these posts that you must look to your own birth chart to discover how the current planetary weather will affect you personally, but I realize that most people don’t really know how to do that.

While there’s no substitute for getting your chart read by a professional astrologer, a little knowledge of astrology can go a long way in helping you navigate your life. Just knowing that, for instance, this month’s New Moon falls in your tenth house of career issues, will help you plan ahead and be ready to take advantage of new opportunities in your career and avoid possible pitfalls.

To make it easy for those of you who would like to learn a bit more, I’ve written a 36-page introduction to astrology. “How To Read Your Own Astrology Chart” is a pdf that gives you just the basics, and I’ve bundled it with a 30+ page report on your unique birth chart so you can start exploring your own chart right away. It’s an inexpensive and personalized introduction to astrology.

You’ll find more info and the “buy now” button here.

And In Ring Number 3…

The national circus continues apace in the month ahead, with heavy-duty legal issues, both corporate and political, very much in the news. Judges and judgeships are highlighted. Institutions of higher education are under stress. There could be problems within the industry itself (and it is an industry, make no mistake), particularly financial issues, and/or a focus on student loans. Publishing is another arena in which we may see some upheavals and possible scandals.

The president and his party are both under considerable strain. The legislative branch of government is at risk of having hidden, covert situations exposed, and is likely to take “lack of transparency” to a whole new level. Incidents of violent crime, drugs, and gun control issues will be emphasized.

Mercury goes retrograde March 22, and it’s likely to be one of those problematic ones. Some Mercury retrogrades you can just bumble through with the occasional travel delay, computer trouble, or lost email. Not this one. Anger and aggression will be powerfully communicated, and our electronic networks, transportation systems and all forms of communication and connection will be challenged.

(Astrology students: Note Saturn in the sign it rules in and ruling the 9th house and the MC, and in a tight semi-square to Jupiter, natural ruler of the 9th, retrograde and in mutual reception with Mars.

Pluto is conjunct the MC, which rules the president and the party in power. The New Moon itself is in the 11th of the legislative arm of government, in the Scorpio decan of Pisces. Three planets in Aries in the 12th, including Uranus square the MC and don’t forget that ME=SA/PL midpoint and Mercury retrograde in Aries with ruler Mars powerfully engaged in Capricorn.)

Overall, this is a month when we will need to dig deeply into our spiritual beliefs to find the inspiration and meaning we need to move ahead. There’s a lot of energy that will take careful, conscious handling, but can clear the way for future plans. Make plans to build your dream.