Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology: March 2023
March 6 takes us into the Wood Rabbit month, the second month of the Water Rabbit year. We're now in the height of spring in the Chinese solar calendar, with Wood element at its strongest and the Rabbit, a Yin Wood sign, in the year and month pillars.
This is the month when the creative energy and influences of the Rabbit year take full force, with double the Rabbit and Wood element dominating the environment. Like spring blooms clambering up the branches of a tree, Yin Wood invites us to see the world from a higher perspective and open the eyes to the beauty that surrounds us.
The first half of the Rabbit month belongs to a seasonal marker called “Insects Awaken”, one of the loveliest times of the year, with spring flowers in bloom. Treat yourself to the wonders of nature waking up to brightness. Yin and Yang will soon return to balance in the second half of the month when we reach spring equinox, the peak of spring in Chinese Metaphysics.
One of the four Peach Blossom signs in Chinese Astrology, the Rabbit attracts and pulls others into its orbit. It's an especially social month if you were born in year or day of the Dog, the Tiger, and the Horse, and a harmonious, collaborative month for secret friend the Dog and zodiac allies the Sheep and the Pig.
The Rabbit brings Divine Support to those born in a Yin Water or Yang Water year or day. If that’s you, the period between March 6 to April 4 is a good time to schedule personal, medical, or professional consultations as the Rabbit brings help that you need. *Water years are years that end with 2 or 3, such as 1972, 1973, 1982, 1983, and so on.
Be mindful of excess if you have a Rooster, the sign opposite the Rabbit, in your chart. As a Yin Metal sign, the Rooster / the Bird should be especially careful with their words and when handling sharp objects in the month of the Rabbit.
You can review my year of the Water Rabbit outlook for more insights on the Rabbit.
Saturn enters Pisces and Pluto dips into Aquarius
March is poised to be 2023’s most eventful month from the perspectives of both Chinese astrology and western astrology, with double the Rabbit influences and major planets changing signs, the most significant of which are Saturn and Pluto, signaling an extraordinary shift in energy.
Saturn moves into Pisces on March 7 after spending the majority of the past 3 years in Aquarius. Saturn is the taskmaster who teaches us to think out of the box by defining the box itself through restrictions and commitments. Using Saturn’s limitations as a creative starting point can help us grow beyond expectation. Think of a personal or a work project that you’ve spent the past three years working on. Saturn entering a new sign indicates a new phase for the project and only you know whether it’s time to wrap it up or take it to a whole new level.
Pisces is one of the signs associated with the month of the Rabbit, which begins when the Sun enters 15° Pisces and ends before 15° Aries. (If your Sun sign is within these degrees, then you were born in the month of the Rabbit.) A highly intuitive sign, Pisces shares many similar qualities with the Rabbit, such as a compassionate nature, artistic abilities, and an eye for beauty. Saturn in Pisces from March 7 to February 2026 is a time to trust your intuition, listen to your creative calling, and collaborate with spirit in manifesting the life that you envision.
Saturn in Pisces can be viewed as an introduction to the Age of 9 (also called Period 9), the last 20-year cycle of a 180-year grand cycle in Chinese Metaphysics. Each new cycle brings major changes in the environment as each period favors certain elements, demographics, sectors, and geographical areas. For example, social media, a major development during the Age of 8 (2004-2024), has transformed our ways of living and interacting in the past two decades. In the Age of 9, we can expect further progress in virtual reality and the metaverse.
Although Pisces is a water sign, its nebulous, spiritual qualities and spirit of unconditional love are more similar to the brightness, light, and joy frequency of the Chinese Fire element. In the Age of 9, ruled by the Fire trigram (Li), many of us will seek out enlightenment by exploring the vastness of the spirit within, while others will look for it outside and turn to the metaverse. As Saturn in Pisces continues to blur boundaries between the real world and virtual worlds, it’s critical that we stay anchored in real life and connected to the heart, the light within. Choose your spiritual teachers with care during Saturn in Pisces, as there will be more spiritual coaches and “gurus” out there, some of which are legit while some aren’t.
Transformative Pluto enters Aquarius on March 23 after spending almost 15 years in Capricorn, giving us a preview of the next 20 years with Pluto weaving back and forth between Capricorn and Aquarius in 2023 and 2024 before settling in for a long stay in Aquarius in November 2024. In the next two decades, we can expect Pluto to rebuild and reform the areas that Saturn in Aquarius has “flagged” and restricted in the global stage in the past three years. In your personal life, Pluto will push you to transform the aspect of life that Saturn has singled out for you to lay the groundwork for in these past three years. Pluto moves slowly but it’s forceful in action. Those who rise up, step up, and persevere can really establish themselves as a force of change during Pluto’s residence in Aquarius.
As I’ve noted in my year of the Water Rabbit outlook, it’s interesting that Pluto’s stay in Aquarius is concurrent with the Age of 9. Stay tuned for more insights on how we can thrive during Pluto in Aquarius and the Age of 9.
March 2023 Feng Shui
In the Flying Star Feng Shui chart for March 2023 above, the numbers in green are the annual stars for the current year (good until February 3, 2024), while the numbers in blue refer to March's monthly stars (good from March 6 to April 4, 2023).
This month, it’s best to leave the center alone as the energy of star 7, a hostile Metal element star, takes center place. Keep a high awareness of the state of your mental health as a strong metal presence can affect the mind (and may even cause headaches!)
Like a mirror, Metal encourages self-reflection. Associated with the Lake trigram, star 7 invites us to look deeper beyond the surface and dive within to find our inner guidance, the spirit within.
Positive sectors in March are the West, with monthly star 9 of joy strengthening the annual star 6 of power and authority, the Northeast, visited by monthly star 1 of distant prosperity and wisdom, and the Southwest, blessed with monthly star 4 of romance and creativity and annual star 1. You may find that you’re more productive when you spend your time where the stars are positive. Activate the vibrant energies of the stars by doing your daily activities in these sectors of your residence or office. As the Northeast sector is also occupied by the annual star 7, reinforce any doors or windows located in the sector.
The sectors afflicted by the annual or monthly star 5 of misfortune and star 2 of illness should ideally be kept quiet, but if you can’t avoid them, use them mindfully – no loud noises or banging the doors. This month, these afflicted sectors are the East, Northwest, and South. Pay attention to your health if your bedroom’s located in the East sector, visited by the annual star 2 of illness and monthly star 5 of misfortune, and spend time there only as needed. Those who reside in a South 2/3 or North 2/3 facing Period 8 home (built in 2004 or later) should be especially careful when using their Northwest and East sectors, as the monthly flying stars amplify the sectors’ natal 5/2 combos.
Be mindful of your temper when using the North sector, as anger energy is strong with monthly star 3 of arguments amplified by the annual star 9.
*Although there may be remedies to lessen a sector’s negative energy, the best solution is to keep the area as quiet and uncluttered as possible, especially if you’re not familiar with your home’s natal energies as you may accidentally activate a negative natal star. Common sense also applies – for example, it’s a good idea to have doors and windows reinforced if they’re located in a sector affected by star 7 of robbery.
A version of this post is also published on my other website at Functional Feng Shui.
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*Photo: WayneImage / Shutterstock