By Barry Rosen
The Vernal Equinox arrives this Thursday, March 20th, at 9:46 AM CDT — the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere. And right on its heels, this Saturday, March 21st, Jupiter forms an exact trine to Mars. If you have been feeling the weight of recent weeks, take a breath. There is real light in this week’s sky.
The Equinox: A Natural Reset
Ancient cultures around the world understood something modern life tends to forget: the change of seasons is not merely meteorological. It is a genuine energetic reset. The electromagnetic field of the earth shifts at the equinox, and our own energy fields shift along with it. The moment when day and night hold perfect balance was always a time to pause, celebrate, and prepare — not to push harder.
Over the years I have noticed that this shift often creates a surge of extra energy that can fool people into overdoing it. There is a temptation to charge forward right at the equinox — the light is returning, the days are lengthening, and everything in us wants to run with it. I have seen this pattern many times in both myself and my clients: the burst of equinox energy that ends in exhaustion or illness within a week because someone spent it too fast.
The prescription here is the same one the ancients knew: meditate more, rest a little more, and celebrate. Take in some music. Go to a festival or cultural event if you can. Get outside and breathe the spring air. Honor the transition rather than just plowing through it. This is how you actually capture the equinox energy rather than waste it.
For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere — Australia, South America, South Africa — this week marks the Autumnal Equinox and the beginning of harvest season. The same principle applies in reverse: slow down, gather what you have cultivated, and be grateful for the year’s abundance. Both hemispheres are being asked the same thing: pause and honor the shift.
We are moving into eclipse season as well, with a full moon lunar eclipse arriving in early April. I will cover that in a separate article, but know that the equinox opens a more energetically heightened period. All the more reason to build a stable inner foundation this week. Remember our favorite mantra for this time of year, borrowed from Simon and Garfunkel: “Slow down, you are moving too fast. Have to make the morning last.” Happy Spring.
Jupiter Trine Mars: Saturday, March 21st
On Saturday, March 21st, Jupiter forms an exact trine to Mars — and this is an aspect worth genuinely appreciating.
I always describe Mars as the warrior and Jupiter as the Guru. When they are in harmonious trine aspect, the warrior receives the blessing of the Guru. The natural drive and initiative of Mars gets lifted into something higher: courage with wisdom, action with purpose, energy in service of real ideals rather than ego. Over my nearly four decades of practice, I have consistently observed that Jupiter aspecting Mars brings out what I call the braver outlook — people feel more willing to act, to take on meaningful challenges, to stand up for what is right. There is generosity in this aspect, not just ambition.
The trine is the most flowing of aspects. Energy moves easily between the two planets. Jupiter’s grace reaches Mars without friction or resistance, which means the initiative and drive you bring to your projects this weekend will be genuinely supported — not in a reckless way but in a way that builds toward something lasting and good.
Scorpio and Aries rising will feel this most directly, as the aspect touches your ruling planet Mars. Capricorn, Libra, and Taurus rising stand to benefit strongly as this lands as a 3rd, 6th, or 11th house influence — excellent for gains, completing challenges, and acts of courage. Pisces and Virgo rising may experience some heightening of relationship dynamics, but the Jupiter influence offers wisdom and perspective to navigate it well.
The combination of equinox energy and the Jupiter-Mars trine makes this an exceptionally good weekend to launch something you have been hesitant about, engage in service or charitable work, have a courageous conversation you have been putting off, or simply allow yourself more physical vitality and confidence than you have felt in recent weeks. Use it intentionally.
Practical Remedies and Actions This Week
- Meditate more than usual around the equinox — even a few extra minutes creates stability through the shift
- Celebrate the season: music, dance, good food, time with friends and community
- Avoid overworking during the equinox transition — rest is protective, not indulgent
- Channel the Jupiter-Mars trine into service: volunteer, donate, or help someone who needs it
- Physical movement is strongly supported — yoga, walking, anything that grounds and energizes
- For Scorpio and Aries rising especially: initiate something meaningful this weekend
The planets are offering us a genuine gift this week in the midst of a challenging spring. Receive it with gratitude, use it with wisdom, and do not burn it all up in anxious activity. The spring will unfold beautifully if you do not force it.
Learn to Read Any Transit in Your Own Chart
Every planetary transit in the sky means something different depending on your rising sign, your natal placements, and the dasha period you are in. The same Jupiter-Mars trine that opens a door for Scorpio rising may ask Pisces rising to slow down and reflect. The difference is your personal chart — and knowing how to read it.
My Secrets of Transits 2.0 course teaches you exactly how to do this — how to read planetary transits accurately, time life events, and interpret transit aspects for any chart. It is one of the most practical courses I have built in nearly four decades of teaching.
Secrets of Transits 2.0 — $197
About the Author
Barry Rosen has been practicing Vedic astrology since 1987. He has visited and studied in India on four occasions and has spoken numerous times at the Sedona Vedic Astrology Conferences since 1999 and at the British Association of Vedic Astrologers (BAVA) in London since 2006. He has been involved in Vedic culture since 1973 and is a longtime meditation and yoga teacher and a published poet.
Recently, he has been pioneering research in other areas of Vedic astrology including Vedic Astro-locality, connecting astrology to hatha yoga for therapeutic purposes, and developing transformational healing work to move through karma and the spiritual dimensions of Vedic astrology. He is a Neo-Vedic astrologer and uses the outer planets. He is particularly interested in Jaimini astrology and the soul’s journey through the physical world, and has taken live seminars in London with Sanjay Rath.
For questions, please contact Barry by email at [email protected] or call Fortucast at 800-788-2796.
