It feels like spring in my part of the northern East Coast. That means new birth is bubbling. The energy field around us is alive and just waking up. We have that connection to nature and its changing form when we plant seeds for the garden of our Souls.

Each seed has a principle that connects to our hearts, bodies and minds. When we come together to connect these links, we are in the awakening process for spring, knowing that the equinox is upon us soon.   We'll celebrate together in our Spring Gathering.

We can meet on zoom for the Equinox Thursday March 20 or Friday March 21. I am planning 5:00 pm EDT for either day but I am open to suggestions for what is convenient for the most people. We will use those empowered principles to plant the seeds in the garden of our souls. Let me know.

You can join me for the anusthan that usually do every season from March 13-21. I will send you the guidelines. Or you can find a place for yourself to create an altar to new life and find your own personal practice. 

Together we will welcome in the new as we plant seeds for this precious time of change.

And now Astrology.

NorthPoint Journal

Your guide to planetary energies for

March 10 to 16, 2025

by Astrologer Pam Younghans

Please click here for the web version of this newsletter

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: Eclipses are times when the natural cycles and rhythms are disrupted, when the light we are accustomed to seeing in the sky is altered or interrupted. With a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon, thus blocking solar light from reflecting off the lunar disk. With a Solar Eclipse, the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth, blocking part or all of the Sun's rays from reaching our planet.

Symbolically, an eclipse represents a time when "life as usual" is disrupted in some way. In the darkness of an eclipse, we can get in touch with our inner selves more deeply. This turning within allows us to access important insights and brings new awareness that may alter our life's trajectory.

Changes that occur around the time of an eclipse can be powerful, occur very quickly, and be far-reaching. Life can change dramatically for some. Eclipses are times of peak energies, of major endings and beginnings.

This week's eclipse will be a Total Lunar Eclipse, when the Moon is completely within the shadow of the Earth. At the peak of the event, the Moon will appear reddish orange in color. The eclipse will last for more than three hours from start to finish, with totality beginning at 11:26 p.m. PDT on Thursday, March 13, and lasting for about one hour. The event will be visible in the night sky in the Western Hemisphere.

SOUTH NODE ECLIPSE: Thursday's eclipse is a South Node eclipse, due to the Moon's proximity to that point in space. This type of eclipse may feel especially "karmic" in nature; it tends to exaggerate the old patterns, attitudes, and qualities that humanity must release if we are to make progress in our evolutionary journey. A South Node eclipse increases our awareness of what is no longer working, encouraging us to make significant changes.

Clarity may be hard to achieve around the time of the eclipse, however. This is due in part to the energies being more chaotic and people being more emotional and reactive. But equally important, Mercury is at a virtual standstill at the time of the eclipse and will go retrograde just 24 hours later. These complicating influences mean that we may need to sit with the questions that arise rather than trying to answer them or act on our ideas right away.

VIRGO FULL MOON: Thursday's eclipse will coincide with the Full Moon, which peaks at 11:54 p.m. PDT on March 13. At the time of the lunation, the Moon will be at 23°56' Virgo, exactly opposite the Sun at the same degree of Pisces.

This Full Moon has a serious agenda, shown by the close conjunction between the Sun and Saturn (at 22°19' Pisces). Saturn's influence always presents us with a "reality check," compelling us to see something more clearly and objectively than we might have before. 

Saturn in Pisces requires that apply our spiritual wisdom in practical ways. Although this Full Moon Eclipse may challenge our ideals and our faith, it also directs us to move beyond feelings of helplessness and victimhood. As we claim our spiritual strength and authority, we come into alignment with our own soul's purpose in these times. 

Whatever you are drawn to as your highest form of service to the whole is both welcomed and needed now. For some, service might be through social activism. For others, it could be community involvement. Others may be drawn to meditation and prayer to uplift and bring more light into the hearts of all. All is valid, and all is of service.

OTHER FACTORS: Other planets that aspect the Full Moon will be adding their flavors to the "broth" of the lunation. We are assisted in being adaptable and in accessing higher information and intuitive insights with Uranus trine the Moon. However, Neptune's opposition to Luna indicates some confusion and disillusionment, while a tight Moon-Eris quincunx stirs controversies and upheaval.

The Sabian symbol for the degree of the Full Moon provides additional guidance for managing these energies: "Mary and her little lamb: The need to keep a vibrant and pure simplicity at the core of one's being as one meets the many tests of existence. Though great, spectacular, and resolute efforts are needed in order to achieve one's higher goals of destiny, still the essential quality as one journeys on 'the Path' is a pure, spontaneous, fresh, and nonviolent approach to all encounters." (Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala)

ASPECTS THIS WEEK: Here are my brief interpretations of this week's most important planetary aspects, day by day: 

Monday

No major aspects are exact today.

Tuesday

Venus semisquare Uranus, conjunct Mercury: Relationships may be unsettled today as individual needs clash. However, communications are supported and there may be very direct, forthright conversations.

Wednesday

Mercury semisquare Uranus: Nervous energy is heightened with this aspect. It will be helpful to keep an open mind, since new information could feel disruptive.

Sun conjunct Saturn: There is a very serious tone to the day. Spiritual wisdom is called for in dealing with all matters. Some may have a pessimistic or fatalistic perspective. 

Thursday

Total Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon: The Full Moon peaks at 11:54 p.m. PDT, at 23°56' Virgo. Lunar Eclipse totality begins at 11:26 p.m. PDT and lasts for about one hour.

Friday

Sun sextile Uranus: We are open to change and ready to embrace the new.

Mercury stations retrograde in Aries: Mercury will be moving backward from March 15 to April 7. During these weeks, astrological wisdom advises that we review, revise, and reassess our ideas and plans rather than initiating new projects. The Messenger Planet will regress into Pisces on March 29, indicating that our intuition and imagination will be essential tools in our reassessment process.

Let me know your preferences please. More later...

Love, Balance and Peace, Shanta