Susan Miller

You've come through the coldest part of winter, but in many parts of the world it's still not warm, so you may be frustrated that spring is still out of reach. Rather than wait patiently, see if you can find a bargain package and flee to warmer shores.

The weekend spanning March 7-9 would be ideal to pack and go, and if you find you can leave for a week or more, so much the better. Your sector of distant travel will be lit brilliantly, so even if you have not planned a vacation or business trip for March, you may get a surprise opportunity to go anyway. Stay flexible.

Aside from travel, there will be other opportunities that come up in the two weeks that follow the beautiful new moon, March 7. You may be offered an exciting publishing or broadcasting deal, or make plans for going away to college or grad school. Alternatively, you may initiate an international endeavor that will cause you to interact with someone abroad quite a bit from now on.

Mars has been out of sorts for months, but will now zoom through Cancer, giving you a main advantage from March 4 to May 9. It's imperative that you launch a venture that you are passionate about during this phase. We only get Mars' favor every two years, and you will have it now.

Mars will give you energy, drive, and all the determination you need to see your dream come to a successful conclusion. You won't take "no" for an answer now, nor should you. The ancients wrote that when Mars tours someone's sign, don't argue with a person of that sign - that person will win! Good for you!

A romantic or business partnership may become challenging near March 7 due to an opposition of Mars and Pluto. The intensity of your partner's demands may take you by surprise. This person will be hard to appease so keep your wits about you. It may be best not to lock horns, but rather to come at the problem from a different angle. If you are completely taken aback by what you hear, however, you may simply break the connection and walk out. See how you feel. Things will calm down in a few days.

One of your most dazzling weekends will fall over the March 15-16 weekend, when Venus, now in Pisces, will play tag with Mars, now in Cancer. Truly it will be a sensational weekend for romance. The spark of love will be in the air, and attached or single, Cupid will work hard for you. Put a big red circle around the weekend of March 15-16!

The full moon on March 21 will bring mixed messages. On one hand it will energize you to do something special to update your space. What do you need to do? Add a new rug to your living room? Paint your bedroom? Refinish your dining room table? Whatever you want to do, make it a point to browse on or just prior to March 21, for with a full moon in the critical degree of gentle Libra, you'll find options.

On the other hand, due to a cardinal cross pattern of four heavenly bodies in the sky at the full moon March 21, you may have problems in a relationship with a family member, roommate, contractor, landlord, buyer, seller, or other person involved in your home.

Someone will be at odds with you, to such a degree that you may wonder if you fell into a parallel universe where nothing ever goes right. This is certainly not the weekend to plan a family dinner with your in-laws, which is sad for me to say, because that weekend marks a family holiday for many, Easter Sunday.

Thankfully, the month ends with two very special days, March 27 and 28. No matter what happens earlier in the month, these days will put your faith back. March 27 and 28 would be ideal for a trip - a shorter one than perhaps taken earlier in the month - but still refreshing. Try to take a four-day holiday. Take time with the one you love and build plans for the future. With Jupiter and Uranus so beautifully angled, you will have one of the sweetest weekends possible for quiet time together. Take it, dear Cancer.

Practical Astrology

The major energies this month are centered around two different pairs of opposing solar houses, called axes. The first axis is the 3rd house/9th house axis. Both of these houses often relate to study in some sense of the word or with the effort to acquire knowledge. The third house will host Saturn this month (long-term trend) and will see the final lunar eclipse in a series as well. The implications I suppose are that some project or effort related to study will come to an unexpected conclusion around the 20th of February. That does not mean that you should give up applying yourself to acquiring knowledge however you can get it, but you may decide that you need to switch subjects. The possibility of switching subjects or discovering new interests is enhanced by the presence of Uranus in your 9th house of serious educational or knowledge-seeking endeavors, along with the sun, a new moon, Mercury and Venus this month. The bottom line though is that it's pretty obvious that the universe wants you to put in the effort it takes to understand what you encounter and to expand your mind in a beneficial way.

The other axis of action this month is the solar 1st house/7th house axis. The first house is you; the 7th house is other people. Mars will be in your first house charging you up, while Jupiter and Pluto will be in your 7th house. This opposition, which could get a little tense during the first week of March, is all about the art of balancing your own needs against the needs of others. Mars and the other planets are going to give you about two months to get this equation right, and then they're going to expect you to enter a period of relative stability in your relationships. It's your job to do them proud, Cancer.