1st: Matronalia
8th: International Women’s Day
13th: Full Worm Moon in Virgo
14th: Total Lunar Eclipse
17th: St. Patrick’s Day
18th: New Moon in Pisces
20th: Ostara, Spring Equinox
25th: Lady Day
29th: Partial Solar Eclipse
As Fortune’s Wheel turns from February to March, we are eased from a state of thawing to active fluidity. This subtle shift occurs gradually, but the pivot is most pronounced as the seasons shift from winter to spring.This is when we’ll begin to see the full potential of the Lunar Year of the Fire Horse. Once our limbs are freed, we are encouraged to heed the name of the month in a literal sense, and “march forward.” Rather than breaking into a full sprint, we’ll want to take measured, consistent steps as we shift from inertia to movement. Mars, for whom the month is named, would approve of this warrior-like discipline. In spring cleaning fashion, we tidy up our routine for the march ahead. Heavy narratives are exchanged for lightness and play, space is cleared for flowers to break through the soil.
Divine feminine energy also pervades throughout the month, so that there will be plenty of room for organic growth and surprises. This is affirmed from day one, with the onset of Matronalia, an Ancient Roman festivity held in honor of Juno, goddess of marriage, women, and childbirth. Even before we have fully thawed, we can form a commitment with our goals, so that we can bring a long-held vision to fruition. International Women’s Day on the eighth solidifies this powerful divine feminine energy. On the thirteenth, the Full Worm Moon in Virgo softens the earth as life stirs beneath it. We’ll want to refine our daily routine, to maximize our blooming potential. The total lunar eclipse on the fourteenth invites us to close our eyes and tune into the darkest parts of ourselves–to really listen to and feel the needs that felt taboo, so they too can experience the light. On St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll feel new growth already beginning to spring from us. We’ll also be able to tune into St. Hildegard’s viriditas, the divine feminine essence that brings to us the same healing and renewal experienced by plants. March eighteenth brings about the New Moon in Pisces, further encouraging us to enter creative and dreamlike flow. Spring Equinox, or Ostara, occurs on the twentieth, releasing the last icy grip held upon us, so that we can truly “spring” into action. Lady Day transpires on the twenty-fifth, in association with the Goddess’ Crone aspect. This is an ideal time to reflect on the wisdom we’ve learned in the thaw cycle, and thank that time for its service. Finally, on the twenty-ninth, we experience a partial solar eclipse. We see our shadows once more with vivid clarity, and include them in the process of our revitalized purpose.
Below, we use the original spread called “Bloom.” It is inspired by the overlay of a flower (a bisexual symbol of divine feminine and masculine fertility) and the symbol for the female sex.
Upper Petal: Aspirational Growth ~Five of Wands~ Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd
While in a frozen state, we held an idealized vision that our skills would remain perfectly preserved. We felt that when we were ready, we could pick things up right where we left off. As we thaw, it becomes evident that we have grown rusty. Instead of running, we must regain a sense of our limbs first. A part of rebirth is taking those first steps all over again, even if we have to crawl. Nevertheless, we are enthused–we want to refamiliarize ourselves with the struggle, to step out of our comfort zone, in order to feel like we are in the game once more. A big part of this month is regaining a sense of the mechanics; the rules, the parameters, our limitations, our abilities, retracing prior steps so we can understand where we want to go. We relinquish any claim on expertise so that we can grow with a beginner’s mindset, feeling a pride and recognition of self as we overcome obstacles anew.
Lower Petal: Initial, Day-to-day Growth ~Knight of Swords~ Knights of Cydonia by Muse
Our efforts begin as largely mental. As the Knight of Swords, we make huge strides with knowing where we want to go, what we want the big picture to look like. We can confidently communicate these goals with others and shape them into an empowering narrative. We are future-minded, headed towards our ideals, riding the horse of intuition there. Our active mind and clear articulation gives us confidence in our self and ideas, in knowing that we are on the right path. We know we have what it takes to make it through the Five of Wands state mentioned above; a sharp intellect, the ability to problem solve, and swift adaptability. Now, we must put those ideas to the test.
Left Petal: Growth only you see ~Reverse Three of Cups~ Comeback Kid by Sleigh Bells
The reverse Three of Cups reveals that we are quietly tending the places where we feel unloved and unworthy. We are learning about our parental wounds, the intergenerational trauma and patterns that we’ve inherited and embodied. We are learning more about ourselves, where our cup has spilled and continues to spill. The fruits of unproductive labor reveal themselves; poor investments, choices, missed opportunities, but we no longer feel mystified or stuck in a state of repetition. The map of our heart and the shape of our grief reveal themselves. We know what kept us frozen in place, and the ways we can thaw. The reverse Three of Cups asks that we face and acknowledge our pain and loss. There is growth in all this–a return to the self and the way we want to relate to others.
Right Petal: Growth others can see ~Seven of Wands~ Seven Nation Army by White Stripes
Others can see that we have stepped into a greater capacity to face creative challenges head on. Our process is mechanical and inefficient in some ways, but it has a power behind it that we can count on. We can sustain the creative flame for longer, and go further than we have before. We are learning to follow our passion, and in so doing, gain greater confidence in our ability to do so. Though we think we must impress others with our accomplishments, unrecognized until we cross the finish line, in fact others already admire us for our grit, determination, and ingenuity. Our inner fire has done a great deal of thawing upon us; thus people can see us returning to life right before their eyes. This life contains a youthful, animated spirit full of drive and ambition, the self that always remains accessible to us, even after getting put on ice.
Leaflet: What provides energy for your growth ~Nine of Pentacles~ Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
We have done a tremendous amount of inner work, which reveals itself as personal wealth–energy magnified in a community that can tap into more, do more, inspire more, when we step into the right environment. To enter into a state of bloom is to transcend survival, to become a fertile expression of self and beauty. We recognize that we, at our most radical authentic expression, are a work of art, the flower, and our growth is the miracle. We flower, reaching our roots for fertile soil, for a healthy mycology that can witness and support this process. When we see the impact our growth has to offer in this mycology, we recognize our magic, the healing that is available in that simple but powerful act of simply being true to who we are.
Stem: What gives rise to your growth ~Page of Wands~ Feeling Good by Nina Simone
To embody the Page of Wands is to become a student tapping into the wand itself as the origin of growth. The wand in this case reveals itself to be nature, viriditas, that power which we gain access to when we align with the true self in tune with the divine creator. Our desire is the thing which brings us into this alignment, which brings us into healing and manifesting energies. When we are so deeply in connection with this force, with divine intuition, whichever direction we may turn becomes the right path, because it is the path we have chosen to walk. We become imbued with the ecology of breath–inhaling the universal green flame that is the life force, and exhaling it through our being as we live in accordance with it. It is an undeniable, unlimited force that we can feel at the tips of our fingertips. As the Page we are still new to this process. We are still learning how to be in relationship with the wand (the vehicle of viriditas), still learning its shape. Our passion and desire is there but we may become hot-headed, delirious over the unbridled potential of life, love, the animating force in all things. To harness it, we must willingly become a channel and vehicle through which it acts, humble, reverent, respectful of its powers which we are learning to wield.