As you begin March, planets twinkling in your tenth house of fame and honors are putting a big spotlight on you and your career accomplishments. You have the Sun (where you shine), Mercury (communication), Neptune (your image), and the recent solar eclipse of February 26 in Pisces (opportunity) all working to raise your profile. The February eclipse will be strong for the coming six month to create change and movement. It appears you will have a sterling opportunity to increase your influence in your area of expertise very soon. It looks like you will be offered a new, prestigious position, or if you are self-employed, work with a very powerful client. This is not pure luck – you earned what is about to come to you now.

Eclipses are three times as powerful as a typical new moon, and their length of influence is longer and more noticeable. Eclipses, if they touch off a mathematical degree of your Sun, moon, or natal planet in your chart, usually bring life events we long remember. You are likely to rise to a new level in your career, and with Pluto supporting the eclipse from your financial eighth house, it appears that what happens in March, especially in the first week, is likely to bring you a sum of money or a loan, such as a mortgage, line of credit, or money approved for you by the courts, as a few examples. Neptune was very close to that eclipse, too, so you may start to work on a highly creative project, or you may be a guest on a TV show, or be given your own show. Somehow, it looks like your face is out there for all the world to see.

This February 26 solar eclipse last month was the last eclipse of a family of eclipses in Virgo-Pisces that started back in March 2015. Now, all that you have learned will come to fruition with this eclipse. It’s an exciting time. There will be no more eclipses in Virgo-Pisces (two signs on the same axis) until 2024. The February 25 eclipse last month was very similar to the one on February 26, 1998 – can you recall anything that happened that year that changed your professional life?

Your mind will be drawn to your home on the full moon in Virgo, 22 degrees, March 12. This full moon will bring to fruition a home-related project or move, or the crystallization of a plan for a family member, most likely a parent. A full moon in the home sector seems to point to your mother, or a different female you might think of as mother to you. Saturn will be in hard angle to that moon, so something may come up that will require you take on more responsibility there, or to solve an obstacle. Saturn is speaking clearly here – you will have to be realistic and practical about what comes up on March 12 plus, or minus four days. Happily, if you need money to settle a family or home-related situation, the bank or other sources of funds will be standing by to help you.

On another note, Venus will go retrograde this month, which is a fairly rare event, for Venus only goes retrograde every two years. Venus is in your house of friendship and social groups, so you may now see old friends you have not seen in a long time to reconnect. I will admit that Venus retrograde is weak and less effective than a strong Venus orbiting forward. Keep in mind that Venus rules good looks, love, and fun; this would not be the time to have expensive procedures on your face, such as a face lift, Botox injection, fillers, or other dermatological treatments. Stay away from experimental procedures – anything you do not do on a regular basis should be avoided. Do not radically change your hair, say from long to short, buy extensions, or color it a radically different color. Put off buying new sunglasses if they are expensive or optional new frames for your glasses (but if new glasses are necessary, get them NOW.) This is not the month to buy a new scent or an expensive line of skin care that you’ve never tried before.

If you are a man reading this, you might think I am speaking only to women, but I am speaking to you, too. Men do lots of things to change their looks. If you shave off your beard, for example, and go home and your children start crying because they don’t recognize you, you’ve gone too far while Venus is retrograde. (Okay, I am laughing, but you get what I am saying. Children do have a way of knowing their parents, no matter what they look like, but my point is, this is no time to try to experiment with a dramatic new look. You are not likely to like the results.)

It’s also not the good time to begin a new love relationship. With Venus retrograde, you may find affection lacking in the relationship, either immediately, when you have your first few dates, or later, and the cool demeanor of the person you are dating could disappoint. This is especially true for you, for you have Libra on the solar fifth house of love, and Libra is ruled by Venus – love will not be smooth in March or April. Or, it may be that you won’t make good decisions while Venus is out of phase.

I remember when I was dating my boyfriend (later to be my husband) at one point, about 20 months into the relationship, he thought it would be best if we broke up. Out of the blue, I immediately said, “We can’t do that. I hear our children crying.” He looked dumfounded and replied, “But we don’t have any children, so how can you hear them crying?” I said, “I know. This sounds so random, and I am surprised to say this, but yes, that’s true, but I see that these two little girls who want to be born, and they want us to stay together so that will happen.”

I described them – one little girl was 6 and the other was 3 in my head. I saw their blonde hair (nothing like me) and that one had blue eyes and one had brown eyes. I was serious. I could see them, real as day. They had little overalls on for play. I had no idea what my boyfriend would say, but he clearly looked shocked. In my mind, I had to save the lives of those two little girls whose faces and distress I saw in my head – they wanted to be born – and we would be good to them. My then-boyfriend said, “Okay, then let’s try again, and try harder to patch things up.” We did. And a year later we were married. In time, I was to have two blonde daughters, and they were just as I imagined them to be, only better. They are three years apart and that was not planned, one with blue eyes, one with brown eyes.

Sitting here at my computer writing this story to you, I was curious to see what Venus was doing in the spring of that year when we almost broke up. Just now, I took a minute to check the placement of the planets during that year in the spring. Sure enough, Venus was retrograde – my husband-to-be was making the wrong decision, but luckily, I spoke up about the little movie that had instantly started to play in my head. He was so flabbergasted by what I had said, I think that he was truly motivated to get back together again. I was as amazed as he was, for I was simply listening to myself say what I was seeing – none of this had ever entered my mind before. I am not someone who has visions! I am a normal person! The instant he told me it would be best to part, the movie of my to-be children came up, and I had never seen it before. I had no idea what he would say, because he was quite mad at me that day. Well, as Shakespeare says, all’s well that ends well!

The end of the month, March 27, brings a new moon in Aries, 8 degrees, and should stir up lots of fun in your social life. You will have an entire crowd of planets in that house – Venus retrograde (fun), Uranus (surprise), Mercury (news), the Sun (focus) ,and new moon (opportunity), all in dynamic Aries. Your friends will energize you and dare you to do something different. You will be socializing quite a bit. Communities of people may play a role, or it may be that you will be with many friends.

If you are interested in politics, you may be attending meetings or rallies. Or, you may decide to attend a trade show or industry seminar. Or if you love sports, you may be a participant or spectator in a good game, but either way, you will be amid many others. This new moon March 27 will set off this type of socializing, and it will be good for you. Saturn, the great teacher planet, will be in hard angle, so you may take on new responsibilities, say, to become the chair of a committee on a charity fundraiser, take a seat on the tenants’ committee, or if you are in college, the student council. Or, you may decide to help a friend who is having a hard time, perhaps one who is in the hospital for example.

If your birthday falls on May 28 plus or minus five days, you will feel this March 27 full moon the most. The same is true if you have Gemini rising, the moon in Gemini, or a natal planet in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius at 8 degrees, plus or minus five degrees.

Try to get as many items on your list done this month, for Mercury will go retrograde on April 9 until May 3. Mercury is your ruling planet, so that planet’s slowdown often affects you more than most. As you see, the world is due for a bit of a slowdown, with Venus and Mercury going retrograde, but that is not necessarily bad. You will have time to think about how things have gone so far and make course corrections.

Looking back, summing up and analyzing is just as important to success as forging forward continually, but as humans, it is natural to look forward. This month, look back. You need both, and that’s why the universe puts in regular speed bumps in terms of retrograde planets to slow us down. All planets retrograde but the ones we feel most directly are the ones that spin closest to earth, namely Mercury (retrograde every 12 weeks), Venus (retrograde every two years), and Mars (retrograde every two years). With Mercury and Venus soon to retrograde, this is certainly is a time to reflect on how life has gone so far this year. Decide what your best decisions were, and what you are most looking forward to doing next.

Mars will help stir your interest in reviewing your decisions over the past year, for Mars is entering the most private and reflective part of your chart on March 9, to stay until April 21. Take time to map out what you’d like to achieve by the end of 2017. You will be highly productive while working alone, without the distractions of people in your office to break your concentration. Take a little time to rest, too, for when Mars enters Gemini on April 21 until June 4, you will be very busy, dear Gemini, quite the leader of the parade. You also will be highly attractive to admirers – Mars in Gemini will increase your sex appeal, for sure. In the meantime, many planets moving through your eleventh house of friendship / people / events will guarantee lots of social activity. By the end of the month you may be saying, March was good!

You start the month with big changes going on in your career, triggered by the recent solar eclipse, February 26. That eclipse is still bringing news of shifts now and in months ahead. All changes will be positive, so go with them and don’t be tempted to resist. You will have no reason to duck change – embrace it. You will have more say in what will occur in your career than you assume, and your creative thinking will be working overtime. Voice ideas as they come to you, for Neptune will be orbiting near the top of the pinnacle of your chart giving you presence and gravitas. Your face may be on TV or “out there” in magazines, Internet websites, social media, blogs, Instagram, or newspapers.

Friends are holding the keys to a plethora of surprises for you, so keep your schedule open and flexible, for exciting social opportunities will come up in early March, and you’ll want to be and part of all the fun that bubbles up.

Also in early month, money may arrive in your bank account in one large sum, not parsed out like salary, such as from a bonus, commission, insurance payout, or as a bank loan, court settlement, venture capital, or mortgage. This money will emanate from outside your regular earned income and comes from a collaboration of Saturn (savings, prudent money management) and Uranus (innovation, creative use of new technology). These two planets will give you hints of how to increase your income.

A lot will be going on in your life this month, for the full moon will put an emphasis on family, home, or other property that you might be focused on. Saturn will be at hard angle, so you may need to take on the responsibility for the well-being of a family member, or alternatively, you may have an expense regarding your living space. Don’t fret, though, for Pluto, in your house of other people’s money (i.e., loans, mortgage, inheritance, and other such sources), suggests you have more than enough cash to cover any unexpected costs.

Venus will go retrograde on March 4 until April 15, so this is month will not be the time to try an experimental dermatological treatment or plastic surgery, or to change your hair color from brunette to platinum blonde, as a few examples. You can, of course, keep up with regular grooming – the universe does not want you to be a little ragamuffin – just avoid making radical moves. Venus governs all things beautiful, including your face. When Venus sleeps in retrograde, she can’t protect you, and therefore cannot ensure you’ll have the happy results you want to a major change you might make to your appearance. Venus rules Gemini’s fifth house of true love, too, so hold off on an engagement until you get closer to your birthday.

Venus is about to go direct on April 15, but it will take Venus until May 18 to ramp up to former strength. Any type of design or beautification project, or romantic move, would be best instituted after May 18. Your best period in 2017 will be when Mars tours Gemini AND Venus will be moving direct speed, a golden, rare period that will span from May 21 to June 4.

After almost two months of concentration on your career, the universe will provide you balance in terms of fun and lively social activity. The new moon of March 27 will bring new friends to your circle and opportunities to be with large numbers of people. With the new moon, Sun, Uranus (surprise), Mercury (your ruler), and Venus (albeit retrograde, but still somewhat functional) in Aries, you will have half the solar system in your eleventh house of friends, fun, and new contacts. Additionally, you may take on a role in a charity or attend a fundraiser where you’ll meet many stimulating self-made people while you help your favorite cause.

No matter what is on your agenda in late March, make sure you give yourself a break from high-pressure stress. You’ve worked hard; now give yourself time to unwind and relax. Mars will move into Taurus on March 9, and will also promote the idea that it is time to let go and hibernate a little bit. If you work behind closed doors this month, you’ll become impressively creative. By the time you get to the end of May, you’ll be moving at the speed of light. You need to be ready for that busy period, so for now give yourself permission to be in a peaceful place whenever the mood strikes.