survival tools
If you’ve ever seen a movie protagonist get dramatically swallowed by quicksand, you might be surprised to learn that this fate is extremely unlikely, even though it’s often used as a dramatic metaphor. Often, even if you accidentally fall into one of these wet sand pits, you’ll only sink to waist height. That is, if you struggle and struggle to get out, you’re going to be pulled deeper. Ultimately, you can’t escape, and the greatest dangers come from predators, hypothermia or dehydration, not drowning.
It’s not quicksand that overwhelms you. This is panic.
Most of us get stuck in metaphorical quicksand from time to time, stuck in a situation that leaves us overwhelmed and powerless. The instinct is to fight to escape, but this is the wrong approach. Instead, what is needed is a variation of the recommendations for escaping actual quicksand: move your legs very gently to increase the viscosity, and turn your body slightly so that you gradually float to the top.
Gentle movements, flexibility and floatation: these are your survival tools Emergency planet Mars enters Pisces (March 2, 2026 at 6:16 a.m. PST until April 9). At times like these, surrender—not struggle—is key.
confusion
Every year as the winter solstice approaches, I think, “Hey – let’s hang some twinkling lights around the pillars on the front porch!” I pull open the drawer and inside there’s a giant rat-king-like collection of string lights, so disorganized and hopelessly knotted that my heart sinks at the sight of them. I keep the drawers closed for another year.
With every full moon, we are revealed to ourselves. And this Full Moon in Virgo, total lunar eclipse (March 3, 2026, 3:38 AM PST, 12°53 Virgo), reveals the ways in which we become overwhelmed by the chaos of life. Look to the Pisces house of your chart, where the Sun is shining brightly on the accumulated chaos. Then, look across the steering wheel at Virgo’s house, because that’s where you’ll find the key to unraveling the tangle. One of Virgo’s superpowers is that Pisces patiently removes and restores order to a chunk of the old, amorphous, overwhelming stuff.
Of course, there are times when the world itself seems hopelessly tangled and overwhelming. The Full Moon is in the Sabian symbol 13 Virgo, A strong hand replaced political hysteria, It reflects the calm and steady touch of Virgo. Sometimes, the key to breaking the mental logjam you’re stuck in because of overwhelm is taking a small, easily measurable action—like clearing out a drawer of holiday lights.
luck
Why do some people seem so lucky? Astrologers associate Jupiter with luck, and certainly there seems to be an element of good fortune in the lives of those who have Jupiter or one of its signs (Sagittarius and Pisces) that are prominent in their birth charts.
I don’t really believe in fate, but I do believe in luck. Some people seem to have the miraculous ability to reverse bad luck and attract wealth and support. Then again, I suspect it might come down to an accepting, happy attitude.
We have a few days this week to test this. as Sun trine Jupiter in water sign (March 5, 2026, 9:14 AM PST, 15°08′ Pisces, Cancer) Luck manifests itself through intuition; see if you can catch a piece as it floats. Those with the strongest determination and confidence may do best, but everyone can reap this huge windfall. This week will bring good luck to our Sun-ruled Leo planets and houses; if your birthday falls this week, you may be looking forward to something extra in your cosmic birthday gift.
the right spices
A musician has been working on a new piece for weeks. sounds good. It reflects her signature style. That more or less said what she wanted to say. But it’s missing…something. It was competent but bland, like a dish that needed some spice that you couldn’t control. She could play it in a club full of fans and get a warm reception; only she knew there was something missing.
One afternoon a friend called her and invited her to lunch. This friend always made her laugh and had a way of getting her to try new things. They met for brunch at a new place he suggested. The dishes were new to her, but her friend recommended the perfect dish—fresh, lively, and exotic. He entertained her with stories, and her joy at the food was punctuated by belly laughs.
She came home refreshed and energized and headed straight to the studio. She tweaked her composition with a small new element that had been missing. All it takes is a few hours of something new and a laugh with old friends, just like the perfect spice to liven up the dish.
When Venus forms an active sextile to Uranus (March 4, 2026, 8:41 AM PST, 27°49′ Pisces and Taurus), Take advantage of the new stuff on offer. Changing one small element of your day can make a huge difference in your sense of joy, creativity, and how you share.
happy self-sufficient
You wake up before dawn. The March desert night was still cold and breathless; the fire was extinguished overnight. You quickly got dressed, throwing on your favorite ratty sweater, comfy jeans, and boots. You expertly build a fire, then light the coffee and feed the dog. Get yourself bacon, eggs and toast to eat at the kitchen table. You like to eat alone. You enjoy the tranquility of this time of day; you don’t turn on music or look at your phone. You don’t have a television. You don’t want to hear background noise.
As the sun rises, you’re rewarded with a view of vast, empty bushland, tinged with tan in the morning light. You hear the bleating sound of your neighbor’s goat in the distance. A bird perches on the porch railing and you stare at each other in friendly silence.
The day unfolds before you and you check off the chores: preparing the bread for baking the next day. There was a hole in the roof that needed to be patched. Leather processing project. Beans need to be soaked. Wood to be cut. Your hands are almost numb, eager to work it all out.
You may not see another soul today, but that’s fine for you. When you think about your peaceful, simple, self-sufficient life, you’ll feel a strong sense of contentment – almost a sense of wealth.
Venus in Aries (March 6, 2026 at 2:46 AM PST until March 30), all is right with your world.
important news
When Mercury reaches its greatest distance in front of the Sun, it goes retrograde. Like a small child tethered to its parent by an invisible leash, it flies back to the sun with news of what is about to happen. Some are important, some are not. “There’s a big white dog two blocks down the road!” and “The Wilsons are painting their house red!” spilled next to “There’s a bunch of scary-looking guys hanging around the grocery store!” It’s not Mercury’s job to distinguish between the important and the trivial. This is just news.
When retrograde Mercury conjunct the Sun (March 7, 2026, 3:02 AM PST, 16°52′ Pisces), we need to ask ourselves whether any of the news in it is important to us, and how much energy we should invest in preparing for what is coming. Meanwhile, Mercury continues to move backwards on our recent journey, looking for missteps. Did we forget to pay the bill? Overlooked an important page in the document we signed? Forgot to book a car service appointment?
What problem needs to be solved? Start with the ones that will make you better prepared for what’s coming – the white dog, the Wilsons, the guys in the tavern. Then work on things that obviously help you. Pay bills. Send the car in for repairs. And bring some dog food with you.
spiritual marriage
Venus meets Neptune Conjunction this week (March 7, 2026, 3:27 AM PST, 1°16 Aries). Think about how we begin so idealistically in relationships or a life of service, and how over time these pure motives can sometimes go off the rails. Artists sell themselves for money. The pastor becomes obsessed with the monetary gifts from his flock. Spouse is falling out of love and having an affair.
The conjunction of Venus and Neptune symbolizes the hope of refreshing and healing our relationships, the hope of elevating earthly desires to a pure, divine state. Wherever we have indulged in earthly and physical pleasures, now is the time to release these desires and marry ourselves to the spirit.
fulfill
This week brings Venus conjunct Saturn (March 8, 2026, 6:40 AM PDT, 02°38′ Aries), the combination of planets brings important stories about what we value most and how it affects our relationships with others.
When Saturn is conjunct another planet, it either becomes an obstacle to us getting what that planet wants, or it is like one of the stakes you place next to a small tree to support it in growing.
In recent weeks, several eclipses and the entry of Saturn and Neptune into Aries have reflected rapid change and instability. Saturn’s concern is that very basic needs will not be met – the need to earn an income, the need to protect retirement savings, even the need to have a secure food source.
That’s Saturn in his Death costume. But remember, even as he rattles the balls and chains, he can show support in the background.
Venus and Saturn together remind me of the Achievement Curve, a graph that uses a bell curve to show the relationship between money, consumption, and life satisfaction. It represents the idea that after you reach a certain point, where your basic needs are met and you achieve a certain level of comfort, any additional money or material items will contribute less and less to your overall satisfaction.
Of course, most of us are just concerned with those basic needs rather than which yacht to buy. But Venus and Saturn encourage us to focus on what we have and the fulfillment we find in relationships, personal growth, and life experiences.
Amazing act, years in the making
On the morning of August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit walked, danced and lay for 45 minutes on a high wire suspended between the unfinished towers of the World Trade Center – a quarter of a mile above the streets of Manhattan.
Like all amazing performances, this one was years in the making. It requires hours of study, a group of compatriots, and hours of practice to perfect the Petit’s natural grace and balance.
This week, Mercury trines Jupiter (March 8, 2026, 10:23 PM PDT, 15°05′ Pisces and Cancer). Jupiter pulls us toward the clouds, urging us on to spectacular adventures and impossible dreams. But almost every dazzling Jupiter enterprise begins on Mercury, and so on, What to do? What must I learn and what skills must I acquire in order to accomplish this daring feat?
Dream big – then, set out to acquire the knowledge and skills to ultimately turn your vision into reality.
Text and images © 2017-2026 by April Elliott Kent
