Monday 3/16/2026: Sneak Peek at the Week; New Moon in Pisces; Sun Enters Aries

PLUS: MERCURY TURNS DIRECT

Allllrighty then!

Hello from New York, where it’s been raining all day -- and that’s OK. The seven-story elm tree outside my window is swaying. The blossoms are budding, but the leaves won’t come in until later...

Before I share heartwarming anecdotes and the forecast for the week, here is something new — inspired by Avid Readers.

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And now, the heartwarming anecdotes.

I have an update on my “good mourning” story -- about the Italian cookies that were magically delivered to Maine on February 20th. Here’s that amazing story if you missed it -- or are just tuning in (welcome!).

Last Tuesday -- the day before I returned to New York -- I stumbled across this screen capture in my iPhone. I’d forgotten I’d taken it on February 22nd.

Frog and Toad are characters in a series of children’s books by Arnold Stark Lobel -- published in the early ‘70s -- but I don’t remember reading them as a child. I follow Frog and Toad on Bluesky because they are endearing, and often their daily adventure is uncannily in sync with planetary patterns.

I took a screenshot of that post because February 22nd would have been my dad’s 91st birthday -- and the mention of cookies didn’t feel like a coincidence.

In real life, I was happy we had magical Italian cookies to enjoy.

So last Tuesday, I sent this “rediscovered” screenshot to my friend Robin -- who was inspired to send me the magical Italian cookies -- and who is a powerful intuitive in her own right. Yes, her name is Robin.

“Synchronicity,” Robin texted back. “The Universe talks back.”

On Wednesday night, after I returned to New York, I texted her again.

“More synchronicity! I realized today that before I sent you Frog and Toad, I had just filled the bird feeders in the backyard -- one of my father’s cherished chores.”

Only later did I notice the sequence.

“He loves you and the veil is thin,” Robin replied.

The bird feeders are below -- though not as I left them on Wednesday. I had an impulse to take a photo after filling them -- but didn’t follow through.

Word to the wise: follow through on those impulses.

This photo was taken in early December. But you get the idea.

My father loved to feed these birds. One of the last things we did together was buy suet and seeds at Ocean State Job Lot.

Moments like this seemed to follow me all the way back to New York.

On the flight home, a child was sitting on his father’s lap in the seat diagonally across from me — perhaps two years old. He was fussy before the plane took off, and other passengers were becoming nervous. A flight attendant brought him cookies, and he turned his head and looked at me.

“I have a bunny on my head,” I said.

Because I did. I was wearing a hat with floppy bunny ears — something I’ve worn for years because people often smile when they see it, and that makes me happy.

The bunny hat captured the little boy’s attention. He stopped fussing. During the flight he sat quietly, turned forward and away from me.

When we stood up to de-plane 90 minutes later, his father lifted him so he could see me again. The little boy reached out…and handed me half a cookie.

He remembered.

It melted my heart.

“Thank you!” I said.

I felt ever-so virtuous to have been acknowledged by this little boy.

But I also wanted to share this story as a coping strategy -- sponsored in part by the current preponderance of planets in Pisces and Aries, perhaps. This small exchange could also reflect the potential of Wednesday’s New Moon in Pisces: a moment of imagination softening distress, followed by an impulsive gesture of kindness.

Compassion can circulate easily among strangers.

We are all connected, says Pisces.

On with the forecast.

Highlights this week:

• Venus squares Jupiter on Wednesday

• Sun sextiles Uranus on Wednesday

• New Moon in Pisces on Wednesday

• Sun enters Aries on Friday

• Mercury turns direct on Friday

• Sun meets up with Neptune on Sunday

It goes like this:

• MONDAY: Moon in Aquarius drives the day with a need to be appreciated for one’s unique social significance within the structure of a group. Speak up in a meeting, but also listen carefully to what others have to say. Reach out to friends and other networks of support -- including technology. Moon’s only contact today is a square to Uranus at 3:56 PM ET -- surprise, surprise, whatever it may be. Chill for the next three hours, as the Moon will be void. Moon enters Pisces at 7:15 PM ET, shifting expression from objective detachment to emotional sensitivity. . A Pisces Moon often finds fulfillment in being accommodating, as it responds intuitively to impressions and ideals. How do we feel about all those Aquarian brainstorms? That is now the question.

• TUESDAY: We are now at the end of the lunar cycle, with no light from the Moon to guide us. We sense something new is around the corner, but we don’t know what it is. We may feel listless or restless. The sense of endings is echoed by the Sun -- now traveling through the last degrees of Pisces. An uptick in significant exits would not surprise me this week, as Pisces is the end of the zodiac -- the end of another cycle -- but not the end of the world. If you think of time as cyclical -- not linear -- you may take comfort in a guaranteed new beginning -- symbolized by the Sun’s ingress into Aries. But first, at 11:22 AM ET, Moon meets up with Mercury, focusing thinking, information, and communication on the jockeying of position (I will say more about “jockeying” in a minute). A steamy surge of action and assertion arrives around 4:46 PM ET, as Moon meets up with Mars -- now hours away from a precise trigger of the March 3 lunar eclipse. The evening favors luck (of the Irish on this St. Patrick’s Day?) and expansion -- for better or worse -- in matters of home and homeland security, as Moon trines Jupiter at 10:18 PM ET. Humming in the background this week are two patterns that are exact on...

• WEDNESDAY. First, at 12:08 PM ET, Venus (money, women, the arts, values) squares cosmic sugar daddy Jupiter (which expands whatever it touches, for better or worse). Venus is in fiery Aries, sign of the impulsive, impatient, me-me-me warrior/crusader. Jupiter -- as you know -- is in watery Cancer, sign of national/home security. The square suggests a conflict involving expansion; the tension suggests a push to work it out. Meanwhile, when Beth Owl’s Daughter told me her Tarot Card of the Week was the Knight of Wands -- and that this particularly Knight appears to be a woman -- I thought this Venus-Jupiter square was one of several patterns aptly reflected in Beth’s always-in-sync Card. Given that Venus and Jupiter are considered to be fortunate, perhaps some of the expansion will include generosity and lucky breaks -- maybe even a jackpot or two. You are more personally affected by this Venus-Jupiter square if you have planets or angles around 15 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Off the top of my head that includes Kyrsten Sinema and Marianne Williamson.

• WEDNESDAY (cont.): Go with the intuitive flow today, as the Pisces Moon travels without interference -- albeit in the dark. Cooperation, communication, and innovation are also worthy pursuits -- even if they are flying under the radar. Sun sextiles Uranus at 4:20 PM ET, encouraging unconventional alliances among leaders of business and state, possibly involving networks, talk of revolution, and technology. At 9:02 PM ET, Moon echoes the Sun’s coalition-building drive and sextiles Uranus, too. It is against this potentially inspiring, cooperative backdrop that the Pisces Sun and Moon finally meet up -- at 9:23 PM ET.

Here is the chart for the New Moon in Pisces, set in Washington, DC.:

Observations:

• A Pisces Moon seeks to work with impressions and ideals, drawn from an ocean of consciousness. Pisces keywords include empathy, endings, spirits of all kinds, suffering, at-one-ment, victimization, and refugees or other displaced persons whom society often hides under the nearest rug — or behind the walls of hospitals, prisons, religious institutions, or the subconscious. Seeds planted under this Pisces New Moon may grow through compassion and quiet recognition of what has been overlooked. Growth may be both subtle and all-encompassing -- and here I’m thinking of humanistic astrologer Dane Rudhyar’s observation that Pisces invites participation in a larger life.

• From the perspective of the US, this New Moon falls on the cusp of the 6th house, joined with Neptune and Saturn. The 6th house refers to workers, armed forces, systems of process, enslavement, service obligations, and disease. That’s the focus.

• Chart ruler Venus is also in the 6th house -- in Aries -- and starting this New Moon race from 20 paces behind. As daunting as that seems, there is a bit of luck suggested by the presence of the Part of Fortune on the Ascendant and Spica, considered to be a most fortunate Fixed Star.

• Partnerships and open enemies demand attention. Note Chiron -- the Wounded Healer -- and Eris, Goddess of Burn the Whole Place Down -- almost precisely conjunct on the cusp of the 7th house. In past Zoom Q & A’s we’ve noted at least two public figures who have this pattern in their horoscopes: Elon Musk and Kristi Noem. Musk’s Chiron-Eris conjunction is as tight as the one in this horoscope -- and -- oh -- now that I think of it, Musk’s is square to the US Sun at 13 Cancer and opposite the US Saturn in Libra. That pattern aptly reflects the damage he has done, hmm?

• The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is “a prism,” which astrologer Blain Bovee describes as a transparent object which refracts light into a spectrum of previously hidden colors. Seen through a prism, light is broken down -- fragmented -- and clearly defined. “Imagine finding the one piece that ties a puzzle together into a comprehensive understanding of a deeper meaning,” Bovee muses provocatively -- in his book that was published in 2004. We worked with this Symbol in November 2022 -- it’s where Jupiter (publishing, legal opinions) stationed direct. It was also the Symbol of the Full Moon in Pisces in September 2021. And suddenly I’m thinking of the illusion of whiteness in a different context, now that I’m reading astrologer James Burgess’ thoughts on this Symbol:

Perhaps now we see that the prism image is a metaphor that speaks to us of how Unity is one with diversity, despite appearances.

• The next stop for the Moon and the Sun is a meet-up with Neptune -- in Aries. Neptune refers to inspiration and healing; it also refers to oil, oceans, drugs, and scandal. Aries refers to action -- NOW. With the Moon ruling the 10th house of leadership, pioneering initiatives that focus on service and healing could become a inspiring call to action. The image of Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Knight of Wands comes to mind. Or we could just have oil and oceans, etc., on fire -- or an excuse for war. Fire and war are of the nature of Aries, too.

• You are more personally affected by the seed-planting opportunity of this New Moon if you have planets or angles around 28 degrees of Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius. Off the top of my head that includes Pete Hegseth, Sam Alito, Alexei Navalny, Andrew McCabe, Pam Bondi, Ted Cruz, Harvey Weinstein, Alex Acosta, Jack Smith, Thomas Massie, and the Roe v. Wade decision.

Back to the forecast:

• THURSDAY: After a 2 1/2-ish hour Moon void you won’t notice, Moon shifts gears and charges into me-first, me-lead Aries. Note where you’re charging to in your dreams, as Moon’s meet-up with Neptune at 2:59 AM ET may open channels. Ideally, a structure to support your wishful thinking greets you upon rising, as Moon meets up with Saturn at 6:51 AM ET. Another possibility -- watch the headlines -- would be another “because I said so” cut, loss, or other necessary control. There is strong support for “because I said so” and “because I can” initiative this year, given cooperation between Saturn (authority) and Pluto (power and resources). We get a hint of that this morning, as Moon sextiles Pluto at 8:33 AM ET; there’s more to come through this month especially -- building to one crest on March 28th. In any case, the Aries Moon speeds through the day without interference -- it’s go, go, go, go, go -- building to an exuberant release around 1:52 AM ET on...

• FRIDAY... as Moon squares Jupiter. Next, Moon meets up with Venus at 5:32 AM ET, putting a focus on money, worth, women, and the arts -- and this carries us through the rest of the day...with these caveats. First, note that the Aries Moon will be VOID for 21 hours -- suggesting a lot of charging around that ultimately ends up going nowhere. If you would like to take today off, astrology gives you permission. Otherwise, stick to routine concerns, roll with the likely twists and flakes, and don’t make a mountain out of a molehill! Astrology argues that such emergencies are often much ado about nothing, often disappearing once the Moon enters the next sign. Second, note that the Sun is at the verrrrrry end of Pisces -- the end of a world -- and we may be hearing stories of leaders, willpower, and sorrowful endings this morning. Third, note that Mercury -- how we need to think and communicate has been slowing to a virtual standstill for the past few days, prepared to turn direct -- which it does at 3:32 PM ET. What we may see in the news is quite a bit of powerful jockeying for position -- and I say this because the Sabian Symbol for this Mercury station is “a jockey.” In your own personal world, maintain focus and flexibility in matters of communication, transportation, and information Fourth, at 10:45 AM ET, Sun enters Aries, marking the beginning of the new astrological year.

A pause, while we discuss and review the Aries Ingress, the Aries Point and such.

Courage, self-reliance, inspiration and a pioneering spirit are keywords for the Sun in Aries, sign of the Ram — and the lamb. That’s on a good day. Otherwise, Aries falls down stairs because it’s faster than walking. They can be impatient, reckless and fierce in their belief in impossible things. Aries is the baby of the zodiac. In the Northern Hemisphere (the birthplace of Western astrology), the Sun’s ingress into Aries is a time of renewal and rebirth.

In astrology, the first day of each season (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) corresponds with the first day (or first DEGREE) of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, respectively. These four signs are called CARDINAL signs of the zodiac, with “cardinal” here suggesting (from the Latin root of the word), “that on which something turns or depends.” Cardinal signs take ACTION. They INITIATE. Nothing happens without ACTION. And action leads to NECESSARY CHANGE. As in a change of seasons — suggested by solstices and equinoxes.

The first day of a season is prominent in our culture, right? We make a big deal over it — yes? So, in astrology, we observe that planets that are at the first degree of a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn), tend to pack a more powerful, prominent punch. They suggest ACTION which leads to CHANGE — prominently! The first degree of the cardinal signs is known as the ARIES POINT, which is also a turning point.

Here is the chart for the Aries Ingress, set in Washington, DC. This is an important tool for managing expectations in these United States over the next 12 months.

Observations:

• The Aries Moon is moving at a faster than average speed. It is also -- as we just pointed out -- VOID. A year of impulsively charging around -- shooting first and asking questions later -- all of which may be of little consequence -- or much ado about NOTHING? It’s an intriguing thought. And here’s another thought...

• In the chart for the 2027 Aries Ingress, the Moon is also VOID.

• In the chart for the 2028 Ingress, the Moon is NOT void.

• Meanwhile, the Sabian Symbol for this void-of-course Aries Moon is “a pugilist entering the ring.” This is one of many patterns we have in the cosmic sandbox reflecting some cause for aggressive action -- and this applies to the whole world, not just the United States. And if we take into consideration the Moon’s next stop -- a meet-up with Eris and Chiron -- there is further testimony of a fight, especially over money, values, and information channels, given that the Moon in this chart rules the 2nd and 3rd houses.

• The planet that represents the leader in the 2026 Ingress chart is Saturn in Aries -- not in great shape, though it receives support from the Powers That Be via a sextile from Pluto. In the 2025 Aries Ingress chart, the leader was not in great shape, either -- and the chart was discussed in a Zoom Q & A last year -- I did not write about it here.

• Five planets are in the 11th house (not including Chiron and Eris). This is big focus on friendships, benefactors, groups of like-minded souls...and administrative bodies, e.g., Congress...and agencies in the Executive Branch. But will it signify anything of ultimate consequence, with this Moon void?

• Another easy flow of action is suggested by the nearly exact trine between Mars and Jupiter -- in wretched, rah-rah, national security Cancer. Mars rules the 11th house -- and the 6th house -- of the systems of process/human resources, armed forces, workers, and disease. Jupiter rules the 7th -- partnerships and adversaries.

• Chart ruler Mercury is essentially debilitated in Pisces, needing to rely on feeling its way through situations, as opposed to rational thought. And we have a double suggestion of duality here -- with multi-tasking Gemini on the Ascendant, and Pisces being a double-bodied sign. Perhaps the US projects multiple personas -- as if we’re living in two -- or more -- parallel universes.

Those are a few observations. What do YOU see?

• SATURDAY: Moon enters Taurus at 2:35 AM ET, seeking to build and maintain material comfort and security. Keep calm and carry on. If you’re lucky to have access to good food, music and other sensual delights, indulge in a rose-colored escape. The need to defend one’s turf may go to extremes in the morning, as Moon squares Pluto at 10:55 AM ET. The rest of the weekend has an easy flow, reflecting Moon’s sextile to Mercury at 4:45 PM ET, followed by an indulgent sextile to Jupiter at 3:56 AM ET on...

• SUNDAY...which is followed by a sextile between Moon and Mars at 4:22 AM ET. Not bad for weekend dates and dreams. At 7:18 AM ET, Sun meets up with Neptune. Watch for headlines involving leaders and faith, charity, music, healing, and other arts. Also watch for stories involving oceans, oil, and steamy scandal. Here are headlines from past Sun-Neptune conjunctions. Astrology is amazing! There are no other exact aspects today -- enjoy the relative calm. An upset is scheduled for 1:39 AM ET on...

• MONDAY...when Moon meets up with rebel Uranus. No sleeping in! Moon enters Gemini at 4:18 AM ET, and it’s buzz, buzz, buzz. Moon sextiles Neptune, Sun, and Saturn before 12 PM ET. Then it trines Pluto, ending the day with a square to Mercury at 7:12 PM ET. Communications may be a bit challenging around that time...and by now we may be feeling the heaviness of the next significant pattern -- due on WEDNESDAY. And this would be the annual meet up of Saturn and the Sun -- together in Aries for the first time in decades.

But for now...Spring is almost here...

...and I am delighted that this forecast will be sent to you on an actual Monday. Yay!

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A bluebird of happiness — in Maine. Please enjoy another one of my father’s paintings.