Since 2012, we’ve been riding the wave of change. For many of us, this has meant that we’ve learned to be more adaptable, felt more restless, and became more aware of where our lives have become oppressive—or at least not supportive of our true nature. In the next few weeks, we are heading into the last of seven squares between game-changers Uranus and Pluto that will further change the direction and flow of a lot of lives.

I’ve spoken about the Uranus-Pluto square before, but to remind you: Uranus is the planet of change and radical discontinuity. It loathes the staleness of the status quo and advocates for freedom. Pluto is the planet of death, transformation and power. It mandates the kind of regeneration that is only possible when we examine the fears and taboos that we’d rather not acknowledge and decide to embrace them rather than project them onto others.

We are being asked to own who we are. Pluto is in Capricorn, the sign of tradition and finding one’s place in responsible society. Uranus is in the sign of Aries, the sign of the trailblazer and pioneer who fearlessly goes his own way. The tension here is obvious: how do we come into ourselves, individuate, and find legitimate power? Not power defined by others, but by ourselves.

We need to examine the places where we let ourselves be circumscribed by others — be it our relationships, our roles at work, our roles in the family, cultural expectations, or our need for status and approval — and ask ourselves if these definitions truly reflect who we are or have become boxes that confine us.

Until we can honestly relate to ourselves, owning what we want and who we are — even if this means standing outside the tribe at times — we cannot relate honestly to anyone else. It’s the time to integrate aspects we’ve disowned or sublimated and liberate ourselves from their subterranean forces.

In doing so, we open ourselves to the possibility of creating a tribe of equals where power is shared rather than wielded. We show up in the world a new way.

We are coming into five weeks of intensity. With Mars approaching the nodes and Pluto and Uranus, watch for departures, coups, and upheaval. If you’re stuck in a situation that cannot hold and need some momentum to get to the next stage of your life, this energy could prove useful. If the tension has been building for a while, it’s seeking a point of release, whatever the mechanism. Understand, however, that’s its manipulation may prove ungraceful: more like a club rather than a scalpel.

Building the pressure is Saturn, which stations on March 14^th.  For all the urgency people are feeling right now, expect to hit some roadblocks. Don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re rolling down the road and someone pulls on the brake. The impact is two-fold: you find yourself blocked and the tension rises rather than abates. That said, sometimes delay proves helpful, providing time to clarify the situation and ground assessments.

Over the next month, don’t be afraid of who you are and what you want. Embrace change while avoiding imposing your will on others. (The changes here must be yours alone. If you try to wield the power externally over others, expect significant backlash.)

Should the status quo become unbearable, don’t miss this opportunity to make changes that you’ve yearned for and have felt inevitable. You may find yourself at a new beginning.

Given the wildcard nature of March and April, remain flexible and unattached to how the change arrives and the shape it takes. The more rigid your assumptions about how your life “should” look and how the change “should” come about, the more challenging the upcoming weeks may be. If you can release assumptions and remain open to possibilities as they arise — and see them as openings for change and regeneration — the distance you travel can be vast.

Celestial Weather:

March 4^th– 6^th:  The full moon in Virgo on the 5^th, with Mars conjoining the North Node and Venus aligning with the Uranus and Pluto square: these can be tricky relationship days which demand you be authentic and true to yourself and may result in meltdowns in relationships built on fallacies – and even require sturdier relationships to renegotiate roles and expectations. We tend to be a bit more critical when the moon goes through Virgo, though also more willing to roll up our sleeves do the grunt work required. Lean on the latter. Uncompromising bullying or demands will only lead to conflagration and pretending nothing is wrong will only delay the inevitable, as the anger roils beneath the surface—and will only escalate as Mars approaches the Uranus-Pluto square. For the best results, yoke fearlessness and truthfulness with the heartfelt desire for finding common ground.

March 10^th -11^th: Mars joins Uranus and Pluto for an explosive tour de force. Expect a few days of tension and discord, whether it be within you or through others around you. Even if you don’t have planets around 13-16 degree of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), you’ll feel the stress whipping about. Stormy emotions, anger, departures and accidents are possible, so as the Brits say, “Keep calm and carry on.” (Or freak out and blow sh*t up. The choice is yours.)

March 14^th: Saturn stations at 4 degrees Sagittarius. Hurry up and wait. Obstacles, delays and frustrations are possible on this day and the week leading up to it. Don’t be surprised if you feel like someone has put the brakes on you…or that you’ve been riding the horse at full speed and it just bucked. At best, you gain clarity about something that needs to be handled with integrity and care.

March 16^th: The last of the Uranus–Pluto squares. People can be at their cranky worst as tensions mount or people can breakthrough to the other side. Two images come to mind: the explosive volcano that cannot be contained and Shakti rising from the base of the spine to the crown chakra for a full awakening. Doesn’t the latter sound more appealing? Overthrow limits. Face your darkest fears and illuminate what could be: then go for it. And know that anything that falls apart around the 16^th is meant to fall away.

March 20^th:  The world’s weirdest solar eclipse/new moon happens at 29 degrees Pisces: the last degree of the last sign on the last day of the solar year (the day before the equinox, when the solar new year begins).  Let’s just say everything is at an end and pushed as far as it can go. What do you need to let go of? This is the day to intentionally decide, and this is the moment in which to consciously let go of the past and any other encumbrance you have. Release, release, release and expect to continue to release the old, the unnecessary and the outgrown for a few months, as the reverberations of the solar eclipse will take a bit to settle.

April 4^th:  Okay, maybe I lied about the March 20^th eclipse. This lunar eclipse could be the weirder one. It’s really a toss up. We have an eclipse at the exact degrees of the Uranus–Pluto square, so it’s time to get your ya-yas out. It’s the final push to make the changes you need to make, especially those of you with strong Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn themes in your chart. (Contact me for a consultation, if you need further clarification here.) If you’ve been resisting and holding on to safety and security while the heavens are mandating change, you might find the week leading up to this eclipse a real pressure cooker. Rather than clinging to the precipice, release from the edge and drop into a new life. Where is the stress arising in your life? That’s the place where something must give.