March Lunar Eclipse in Sidereal Virgo

Vesica Piscis and Phalgun Purnima

My yogic practice has taken me deeper into Vedic Astrology, known as the Sidereal Zodiac, which is rooted in a 6,500 year old system taking into account the Earth’s wobbly elliptical orbit around the Sun. 

Incredibly, the ancient sages of India studied the constellations and developed a system that remains more astronomically accurate than the Tropical Zodiac is today. Western astrology is based on a heliocentric (sun/ masculine) perspective of the sky, with the fixed points of the Spring Equinox marking the start of Aries season and the Autumn Equinox marking the beginning of Libra season. 

Astronomically, the Tropical Zodiac was accurate 2000 years ago and is now about 24 degrees out from what we can see and feel from our perspective here on Earth. Interestingly, that is also the time when astronomy and astrology split into two different sciences. 

The Sun was over the equator for the Spring Equinox at 3:06am GMT on Wednesday 20 March and was in Pisces, together with Mercury and the North Node of the Moon.

The March Egg Full Moon is a lunar eclipse, first moving into Earth's penumbra (shadow) at 4:53am GMT on Monday 25 March, with the maximum of the eclipse visible at 5:57am GMT, ending at 6:01am GMT. Because the north node is in Pisces and the south node is in Virgo the lunar eclipse is a natural manifestation of the sacred geometry of Vesica Piscis (pictured above), two circles overlapping, symbolising the interface between the spiritual and physical worlds.

Balancing Energies

Vesica Piscis also resembles the ichthys (fish) symbol for Christ consciousness, and has been said to be a symbol of life, of “the materialisation of the spirit”, of Christ’s mediation between heaven and earth, and of the eucharist.

When arranged so that the lens is placed vertically, and used to depict a halo or aureola, representing divinity and the angelic realm. 

When arranged so that the lens is placed vertically, it has also been said to be a depiction of the vulva, and therefore symbolic of the divine feminine and fertility. 

All of the above seem appropriate themes for the rebirth that Spring ushers in aligning with both the Christian festival of Easter and pre-Christian pagan celebration’s of Mother Earth 🌍 in her Maiden goddess form with eggs 🥚 and hares representing new life and the liminal spaces of the in-between. 

Because the Vesica Piscis also symbolises the harmonious interaction between the masculine and feminine energies it reminds us of the importance of achieving balance and unity between these opposing forces that flow within us in order to create more harmony in the world around us.

While those following the Western Astrology Tropical Zodiac may say that the March full moon is in Libra, when you look up into the night sky using a telescope or stargazing app, you will see that she is actually still in constellation of Virgo in Phalgun Purnima, which is the culmination of the last lunar cycle of the Hindu astronomical year, ushering in a new year which is celebrated with the festival of colours, Holi, representing the triumph of light over dark that comes with the beginning of spring.

Virgo is all about cleansing and healing, calling us to clear away the stagnant energies of winter to make space for the fresh vitality that spring brings. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, which is currently conjunct the Sun and Neptune in Pisces, making for potentially confusing and surreal or unexpected experiences around this lunar eclipse. Full moons always cast more light on aspects of our mind/body experience, such as limiting beliefs or outdated stories, that we may want to release over the following waning phase that will lead us to a transformative solar eclipse with the new moon on 8 April. 

Once you start to tune into Vedic Astrology and the Sidereal Zodiac it is fascinating to see how it compares with the heliocentric perspective of the Tropical Zodiac. Both still have the potential to resonate, with perhaps the Tropical Zodiac being more suited to tracking big collective shifts for Sun signs and the Sidereal Zodiac giving us a deeper insight into our individual birth charts, with an emphasis on the Rising/ Ascendant sign as well as focusing in on each of the 27 Nakshatras that the moon travels through each month in its orbit around the Earth. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this full moon update. Please subscribe to be notified of my next full moon update for April. If you know anyone who might be interested in learning more about Vedic Astrology then please share.

If you want to dive deeper into the Vedic system and learn how the current cosmic energies may be affecting your life path, I am offering the first 10 paid subscribers a free birth chart with personalised analysis.