Dear Reader,
First, I want to say that March certainly is packed with planetary events. Some of the forecasts are very long, because I had so much to share with you! I am committed to giving you the most accurate and comprehensive reports possible each month, and those take time to craft.
I know you are busy, so I hope you know you can avail yourself of a special feature on my app. You have the option of using the “Read to Me” option in settings if you have the premium version of my app “Astrology Zone Horoscopes” on Apple or Google Play. This way you can hear your forecasts while driving, working out, or cooking, for example.
I want to tell you about the unusual amount of activity in March, and later I will recommend two fascinating books that were just recently published that I think you will enjoy reading and talking about with friends. I will get to that at the very end of this letter, so stay with me. First, let’s talk about March.
In March, two planets will go retrograde—Venus (March 1 to April 12) and Mercury (March 15 to April 7). I know you must be disappointed to hear there will be more planets to deal with in retrograde, causing more delays, and I understand, because I feel that way, too. We have been hit with an avalanche of planets in retrograde since November 25, during holiday time, when Mercury first went retrograde until December 15.
Mercury’s big brother, Mars, also quickly went retrograde from December 6 to February 23, which was a period that felt nearly endless. Now, we have to deal with Venus and, again, Mercury retrograde. I have never seen such a confluence of the personal planets retrograde, and it certainly has given 2025 a slow, start-and-stop quality.
After a planet goes direct, it takes time to work its way back to its former strength, so suffice to say that we have to get to May 16 before all the little “personal” planets are back to full strength. Astrologers call Mercury, Venus, and Mars the “personal planets” because the job of this trio is to work with us all on a daily basis, while the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) set up long-term themes and goals. The little personal planets are the ones we feel the most strongly when they are retrograde because these three planets orbit closest to Earth. At least we are getting all these pesky retrogrades over early in the year—that is a big plus!
So while all the personal planets will be regulated by the time we get to May 16, we have another complication. Difficult cosmic storms will be sweeping through April and May. I especially do not like the full moon of May 12, and if you have my Year Ahead 2025 Astrologic Calendar, you may have already read what I wrote about that full moon.
Because a full moon has an extra five days of influence beyond the date it appears, in practical terms this all means we actually should wait until May 26, the date of the glorious new moon in Gemini, to be out of limbo and ready to see the pace of life move forward with a peppy rhythm. In my mind, May 26 will be the official start to 2025, when we will have no more crowded-together retrogrades and delays.
When you read your forecast, you will see that March starts out with an especially beautiful, lyrical new moon in Pisces that appeared last month on February 27. That new moon will continue to support you for months, but be especially noticeable and helpful in the first part of March.
Aside from the two retrograde planets, we also have two major eclipses—yes, they are back. As eclipses go, I feel that the two that will appear in March will be mild when compared to some of the eclipses you have felt before. I cannot see everything in your personal, individual chart, but from what I can see, there are friendly aspects associated with both eclipses.
The first one will be a full moon lunar eclipse in Virgo on March 13. The second one will arrive two weeks later as a new moon solar eclipse in Aries on March 29. This is a powerful new moon, so you will feel the effects in the first half of next month, April, and to a lesser degree all the way through August.
The March 29 solar eclipse also marks the end of the Aries-Libra series of eclipses that started in April 2023. After this, there will be no more eclipses in Libra or Aries for nine years.
The March 13 lunar eclipse is continuing to push forward a new family of eclipses in Virgo and Pisces. That series was started by a lunar eclipse last year on September 17, 2024. The next ones, after March, will arrive September 7 (Pisces) and September 21, 2025 (Virgo), which I summarized on my calendar and also in the premium version of my app under “Key Dates.” Under Key Dates, when you find a date you want to know more about, just tap the date, and more information will instantly appear.
All eclipses require some adjustment because they tend to bring in news we don’t expect. You may want to read my essay, “How to Deal with Eclipses” that is on my website. (You can google the title, and it will come up instantly.) Analytics tells me that 85,000 readers so far have read it and found it helpful, so I hope you will, too.
If you are reading letter this on your smart phone app, called “Astrology Zone Horoscopes,” it is in the menu of the premium edition under Susan’s Essay. (The app is a subscription for $4.99/month as an in-app purchase. Get it at the Apple App Store or Google Play—you will never see ads.)
When you read your forecast each month, make it a point to always read for your rising sign along with your Sun sign, because this way you will have a full report. The rising sign sets much of the timing in a chart and works hand-in-hand with your Sun sign forecast. The rising sign and Sun sign go together forever like strawberries and cream.
Some readers have asked me, specifically, why is the Sun sign forecast so important to read along with the rising sign? The answer is that the Sun is the giver of life and strength. Without the Sun there is no life—this star is vitally important to us on Earth. Additionally, if you know where your Sun falls in your chart, you will know that it is that area in life where you shine brightest. Knowing your birth time is the only way to do a custom birth chart, and that custom chart reveals your rising sign.
When you think about it, the Sun is found in the center, or heart, of our solar system, the reason it is so important in a chart. All of the planets dutifully march around the Sun. To make my point—and you may laugh—none of the little planets march around one another. For example, none of the planets march around Venus or Mars or Uranus—but they all march around the Sun, giving the Sun a very special place in our universe.
You can find your rising sign for no charge on the homepage of Astrologyzone.com by clicking “Free Natal Birth Chart.” I suggest you do your natal chart on your laptop so that you can easily print it out for safekeeping, along with the free interpretations I wrote for you about your chart.
You will need to know your exact time of birth, right down to the minute, along with the name of the city where you were born and, of course, the day, month, and year of your birth. If you have your birth time, use the algorithm called “Placidus Tropical.” The “Whole House” system is only for those who don’t know their time of birth, so that will revert to sunrise of the day you were born, which is next best. You won’t get to know your rising sign, but you will discover where all your other planets were when you were born. By the way, if you know you were born at dawn you are a “double” of your sign—for instance, Pisces with Pisces rising—in other words very true to your sign.
If you were born and live in America, to get your original birth certificate, go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics (or Hall of Records) in your state capital for your original birth certificate that was handwritten by the nurse. It should cost about $10 to $25. Do not get the computer copy that is sold in the Department of Motor Vehicles for $5.00. The computer copy does not list the time on it—they drop off all the interesting in information.
In your monthly forecast, I often ask you to check your chart to look at the degrees of your natal planets in the chart. If you keep your chart handy, you can easily do that, and my forecasts will be more valuable to you. On your chart you will find, beneath the wheel, a box listing the placement of your each of your natal planets with their sign and degree.
If you don’t have your birth time, there are ways a skilled astrologer can work backwards and construct a birth chart revealing your rising sign by using a list of your most vital events over the course of your life, but you would have to work with an experienced astrologer in person to find out your rising sign that way. Admittedly, it is an expensive process that takes time and adjustment after the astrologer gets feedback from you, the client, as you move forward and report the accuracy of her readings.
Before I go, I want to talk about two interesting books that are available on Amazon.
The first is by Chris Hayes, called “The Siren’s Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource”
The book’s title refers to the mythological story of the exquisite mermaids that lured sailors at sea by the beauty of their songs. The sailors become so enchanted by the Sirens that the sailors would sail off course to find the seductive Sirens to their detriment and eventual death.
In this book, Chris Hayes examines how everyone, everywhere it seems, is continually screaming for your attention and how this bombardment of messages that demand we pay attention to has gradually changed the fabric of our society. Chris Hayes did much research to write this book, and it’s beauty is in the way he presents the material. His writing is compelling.
You can read some of the testimonials and order the book if you like here
The other book I would like to recommend is by Alanna Zabel, with the provocative title “Knock It Off!” also just recently published. The book is also a commentary on our celebrity culture and how it used to be that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” but we now know that’s not quite true. Alanna Zabel pulls the curtain back to expose what certain people will do to trace your success and then copy it faithfully—so much so that in fact it feels creepy.
Alanna gives advice on how to handle all types of people who befriend you, and among them are the ones who are not truly your friends. She shows you how to spot them. Scroll down and see the illustrations she used in her book to help you understand that by being a trusting person you may, at times, have been easily manipulated by those who do not have your best interests at heart. Alanna gives examples of how she has personally been taken advantage of in the past, but with each transgression she shows how she became stronger and wiser. Alanna Zabel is a skillful writer and quite a smart, yet spiritual person. I feel this book is one just about everyone can benefit from reading.
Have a look at the description here
Let me know on social media how you are finding March! I love to hear your stories—it makes me a better astrologer, so always include your month and day of birth—and your rising sign too, if you know it.
See you in April!
Sincerely,
Susan