The Zestful Journey
After drifting through Pisces since February 14, a deeper, wiser, and well-rested Mercury jumps feet-first into the fires of Aries (March 3, 2025, 1:04 am PST). Here, Mercury favors moving fast, thinking fast, and talking even faster. It’s not that we’ve forgotten the gentle wisdom of the Pisces journey; it’s just that Aries tends to bring more interest in new challenges and fresh ideas than in soul-searching and reflection.
Enjoy Mercury in Aries; it can be an invigorating influence and a lot of fun. True, it’s not the best placement for enduring detail work or drudgery. And it’s headed for a retrograde period between March 14 and April 7 (and a dip back into Pisces between March 29 and April 15) – and retrogrades never make Aries happy. But once direct and back into Aries, Mercury enjoys uninterrupted full-speed-ahead until it enters Taurus on May 10. You’ll enjoy the second part of Mercury’s zestful Aries journey, and will be even more ready to take on new projects after that retrograde.
No Hiding From the Truth
Newly in Aries, Mercury makes the first of three sextile aspects to Pluto (March 5, 2025, 5:13 am PST, 3º Aries and Aquarius) between now and late April. It makes the second sextile on March 25, while Mercury is retrograde, and the final sextile on April 20, after it’s turned direct. This week, then, is the beginning of a three-part Mercury-Pluto story.
The plotline of that story is the realization that a lot of what you’ve been telling yourself for years, about yourself and other people, is wrong. Either they were wrong from the start or they’ve become wrong over time. Now that Mercury and Pluto are interacting with each other, there’s no hiding from these truths. And especially with Mercury in Aries, this combination can be harsh, blunt, and possibly unkindly. Count to ten before speaking. And throw yourself into interests that can focus this somewhat compulsive aspect in a healthy direction, such as crafts, puzzles, or even computer programming.
When used consciously, there are benefits to this aspect. Its keen powers of observation are helpful in research and troubleshooting, and in detecting trouble before getting involved in a situation or relationship that might ultimately prove destructive.
Pay Attention
The First Quarter Moon in Gemini (March 6, 2025, 8:32 am PST) issues this challenge to dreamy, imaginative Sun in Pisces: pay attention.
This is the underlying tension of the Gemini First Quarter Moon: The Sun in Pisces favors luxuriating in the present moment, savoring it like good wine or a delicious dream; but the Gemini Moon instructs us to stay alert and curious. If you’ve ever sat bouncing your knee with nervous energy while the rest of your dinner party wraps up an interminable meal, you know what this particular First Quarter can feel like.
This First Quarter Moon marks the first critical chapter in the Lunar Phase Family cycle that began with the June 6, 2024 New Moon. The Sun and Moon were in a tight conjunction to Venus and square Saturn in Pisces at that challenging New Moon; at this First Quarter, the Sun is conjoined, and the Moon once again square Neptune. This is the first action point in the lunar cycle, and Gemini’s version of action is usually saying something. But trying to communicate when Neptune is involved may feel like struggling in quicksand. Whatever we say seems to be met with determined misunderstanding.
It can be frustrating to feel that you’re not being heard. But it’s also possible that someone in your life has been trying to tell you something for the past nine months, and while you may think that you’ve been listening, perhaps you haven’t been hearing.
A conflagration of energy
The Sun trines Mars this week (March 7, 2025, 9:13 pm PST, 17º52′ Pisces and Cancer). Put this one on the calendar, because it’s a tremendous aspect for producing some of your best efforts and promoting them without reservation. The combination of the Sun and Mars, even in the gentle signs of Pisces and Cancer, brings together confidence and creativity in a conflagration of energy.
In a week like this, we want to take on every challenge and command the world’s attention. The Sun is on Sabian symbol 18 Pisces: A gigantic tent, evoking the Depression era carnival tents where performers took to the stage with dazzling stunts and where Bible Belt preachers delivered The Word with blistering oratory. And Mars is on 18 Cancer, A hen scratching for her chicks – because after all, performing for the world is one thing, but we must also provide for those who depend upon us. This is a week for putting forth our best energy, our most charismatic selves, our greatest gifts; and happily, they will almost certainly provide what we need.
Writing and images © 2017-25 by April Elliott Kent
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