Looking Forward: Mars, Rahu, Mercury: March 11th to the 16th

The week of March 11th to 16th brings a completely different energy than we experienced in previous weeks. Where last week offered grace, romance, and clarity, this week begins with passion, voltage, and a strong invitation to slow down before taking action. I want to prepare you for that. Not to scare you guys, but because understanding what’s going on in the sky is exactly how we stop the planet from pulling our strings.

Core Energy: Mars and Rahu conjunction — Angaraka influence

The defining feature of this entire window is the conjunction of Mars and Rahu in Aquarius, active from March 11th to 16th. In Vedic astrology, this combination is sometimes called Angaraka Yoga. I’d like to be honest about what that means without making it too much of a disaster.

Mars is the general, the warrior, the force of raw action and courage. Rahu is the amplifier, the planet of obsession, fantasy and insatiable desire. When these two meet, the energy is like a volcano. Everything that is already stirring inside you is amplified: ambition, frustration, restlessness, the urge to be free of what is holding you back. Power surges can be significant. However, like carrying electricity through wires that are slightly too thin, there is a very real risk of overloading. It’s rash decisions, accidents caused by impatience, and anger that avoids judgment altogether.

The important understanding here is that this energy is not inherently destructive. Mars in the hands of a disciplined person has extraordinary courage and stamina. Rahu wisely guides innovation and a desire to break out of outdated patterns. But this combination without direction does what a firehose does when no one has it. The fire hose writhes around, soaking everything nearby.

The antidote is simple, if not always easy. It’s about physically guiding it. Intense exercise, hard work that requires full concentration, hard physical projects that need to be carried out – these are your friends this week. Energy has to go somewhere. When you give it a constructive outlet, it becomes an amazing force. If you leave it alone, it will be easier to spray sideways.

Mercury joins conjunction: be careful with words

Adding complexity to this already charged atmosphere, Mercury comes into close contact with Mars and Rahu during this window. This is where the situation is particularly interesting and where you should be most careful.

Mars is the most difficult planet for Mercury. A beneficent Mercury brings out higher qualities such as keen intellect, clear communication, and genuine wisdom, while Mercury caught between the fire of Mars and the smoke of Rahu pulls in the opposite direction. Analytical minds become argumentative. Speech that could be clarified is instead cut. There is a tendency to become a lawyer for one’s position rather than an actual truth seeker.

Rahu is distorted. Mars presses. Mercury is changeable in nature, and if we don’t observe it, it will take on both qualities. As a result, communication moves quickly, lands well, and ends up regretting it later.

My practical advice: wait 24 hours before sending a difficult email. Before you get frustrated and make a phone call, take a walk first. This week’s brain is great, but it’s not always reliable. Fact-check your own ideas before constructing a supporting argument.

Shatavisha factor: Peak on March 13-14

At the peak of this conjunction, around March 13th and 14th, a triple alignment is occurring in the Nakshatra of Shatavisha. Shatavisha is the Rahu-ruled sign of Aquarius and is associated with secrets, alternative therapies, technology, and what is sometimes referred to in tradition as the “Hundred Physicians.”

Shatavisha associates Aquarius with medical research and original, unconventional thinking. This Nakshatra contains the nature of the veil, the hidden, the mysteries waiting to be revealed. In the context of this volatile conjunction, the peak days of this window have a special impact on hidden information coming to light, unconventional breakthroughs in health or technology, and the feeling that what you’ve been looking for may suddenly become visible.

This is real, but approach it with discernment. The energy of lifting the veil can also create the illusion of revelation. With Rahu strongly involved, the truth may seem stranger than fiction. Verify your findings before acting on them.

How to tackle this week

The planets are your teachers, not your tyrants. This week I’m asking you to do something specific. Be more aware of where your energy goes, what you say, and how quickly you act. It’s not a punishment, it’s an opportunity.

• Let’s move our bodies. Channel the heat of Mars and Rahu through physical activity every day this week. Don’t hoard it.
• Please protect your tongue. Mercury in this placement can cause verbal fireworks that damage relationships you value. Pause before precision attacks.
• Don’t be upset, innovate. The creative and technical potential of this window is real. Use the weekend from the 14th to the 16th for breakthroughs, not battles.
• Triple check your data. Rahu cloud. Mercury rushes forward. Please review important information before making decisions based on it.
• Please meditate. I say this every week, but it’s especially true now. Even 15 minutes of stillness creates enough distance from your reactive mind to bring about real change.

When we practice consistently, we are more powerful than the planet. This week, it’s not a cliché, it’s a strategy.

If you would like to further understand the influence of Rahu in your own chart and how it works with the karmic axis, check out my Rahu and Ketu course — 21 classes — covers exactly this area. Available for purchase for $197.

About the author

Barry Rosen has been practicing Vedic Astrology since 1987. He has traveled to India four times to study, and has spoken numerous times since 1999 at the American Vedic Astrology Council conference in Sedona, Arizona, and since 2006 at the British Association of Vedic Astrologers in London. He has been involved in Vedic culture since 1973, has been teaching meditation and yoga for many years, and is a published poet.

More recently, he has conducted pioneering research in other areas of Vedic astrology, including the regional nature of Vedic astrology, the influence of current physical location on the chart, linking astrology to hatha yoga for therapeutic purposes, and developing transformative healing work for navigating through karma and the spiritual dimensions of Vedic astrology. He is a Neo-Vedic astrologer and uses outer planets. He is particularly interested in Jaimini astrology and the soul’s journey through the material world, its karma and purpose, and has attended live seminars with Sanjay Rath in London.

If you have any questions, please email Barry. [email protected] Or call Fortucast at 800-788-2796.