Mercury turns retrograde on March 22 until April 15 between 16º54’ and 4º47’ Aries. Its shadow period will remain until May 4. The degrees traveled this month (16º54’–13º20’ Aries) are represented in the Sabian symbols by “two dignified spinsters sitting in silence,” “nature spirits are seen at work in the light of the sunset,” “an Indian weaving a ceremonial blanket,” and “a serpent coiling near a man and a woman.”
Mercury retrograde is usually blamed for communications gone wrong, lost keys, missed flights, and general mayhem. Even though those challenges are very real, I personally look forward to Mercury retrograde periods, as they resuscitate people we hadn’t heard from in a while, present situations and projects we had forgotten, and enable us to go within and revisit ideas that had been collecting dust. This particular Mercury retrograde period requires we face the consequences of our life choices and also revitalizes the hidden, sacred aspects of our destinies, giving us the chance to change that which doesn’t feel right or good.
Jupiter turns retrograde on March 8 at 23º13’ Scorpio until July 11. Its shadow period lasts through October 7. The degrees traveled this month (23º13’–22º29’ Scorpio) are represented in the Sabian symbols by “after having heard an inspired individual deliver his ‘sermon on the Mount,’ crowds return home” and “a rabbit metamorphoses into a nature spirit.” New information transforms our lives and helps us transmute into a completely new level of inner and outer truth.