Written and Narrated by Pam Younghans.
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A rare convergence of celestial forces marks this extraordinary week. Mercury retrograde slows communication and reveals hidden truths just as the Aries equinox launches a new astrological year. Meanwhile, a Pisces New Moon and the final Chiron-Eris alignment stir collective awakenings. Together these events suggest a period of revelations, spiritual insights, and sudden shifts that may feel unsettling but ultimately guide us toward a new direction.
In This Week's Astrological Overview:
- Why Mercury retrograde and the North Node could blur facts while amplifying intuition
- How the Pisces New Moon may intensify the sense that old systems are unraveling
- What the rare Chiron-Eris alignment historically reveals about hidden power structures
- Why the Aries equinox marks one of the most important turning points of the year
- How to navigate a week filled with revelations, confusion, and sudden insights
Previous weeks' astrological overviews
Astrological Overview:
March 16 - 22, 2026
Each week, astrologer Pam Younghans shares her reflections on the cosmic patterns unfolding around us and within us. She acts as a gentle guide, offering perspective and awareness as we move through the week’s energies. Astrology does not dictate our path, but it can illuminate possibilities and invite conscious choice. These insights are tools for self-understanding and growth. Remember that your journey is uniquely your own, shaped by your personal chart and the way you respond to life’s unfolding moments.
Aspects of Note this Week:
All times listed are Pacific Standard Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours;
Add 7 hours for Universal Time (UT).
MONDAY: Venus semisquare Uranus
TUESDAY: Retrograde Mercury conjunct North Node
WEDNESDAY: Venus square Jupiter, Sun sextile Uranus,
New Moon 6:23 p.m. PDT 2827 Pisces
THURSDAY: Chiron conjunct Eris
FRIDAY: Sun enters Aries 7:45 a.m. PDT (Equinox),
Mercury stations direct
SATURDAY: Sun sextile Sedna, Mars trine Jupiter
SUNDAY: Sun conjunct Neptune, Mercury conjunct North Node
Overview: March 16 - 22, 2026
A BIG WEEK: The week ahead looms large astrologically. Messenger Mercury is traveling very slowly, linked arm-in-arm with the karmic North Node, and will station direct on Friday. The New Moon midweek is conjunct Saturn and Neptune, activating another step in the Great Unraveling that is currently underway.
The third and final exact Chiron-Eris conjunction, which reveals the damage caused by the unevolved ego, perfects on Thursday. And the Aries Equinox, the astrological New Year, is on Friday. A lot to cover! So let's dive in.
MERCURY AND THE NORTH NODE: There's a strong focus on how we handle information and our communications this week with Mercury, the Messenger Planet, virtually at a standstill at about 9° of Pisces. Our minds may feel unfocused throughout the week, as if our heads are a bit in the clouds. News that makes its way through the mental fog could cause some confusion and disillusionment, or might even be deliberately deceptive. It will be important to take our time and use discernment in our choice of what and who to believe, as well as in any decisions we make.
Providing some guidance, the Pisces North Node is exactly conjunct Mercury twice this week—on Tuesday, before the planet stations, and again on Sunday, after it goes direct. In a sense, the North Node is our collective North Star, in that it points us in the direction of our highest spiritual evolution.
As Mercury aligns with the North Node this week, the mind is open to being guided by the higher self, and we can more easily let go of needing everything to make sense logically. We are asked to rely on our intuition to sense what is truth and what is falsehood. We may have profound conversations or meditations that provide significant insights or that reveal the next step on our soul's path.
PISCES NEW MOON: A new lunar cycle begins at 6:23 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, March 18, when the Sun and Moon align at 28°27' Pisces. Even though the first eclipse season of 2026 is now officially closed, we may still experience some of that sense of life being surreal, due to the New Moon being in transcendent, ungrounded Pisces.
Since the lunation occurs in the penultimate degree of Pisces, it will actually conjoin both Saturn and Neptune, which are currently in early degrees of Aries. Thus, we anticipate that this New Moon—and the next four weeks—will reactivate the effects of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction, and bring about another step in the Great Unraveling.
Unexpected twists and turns that ultimately work to our advantage are also possible, with the New Moon being in harmonious sextile aspect to both Uranus (in late Taurus) and Sedna (in early Gemini). We may also receive intuitive insights (Uranus) into our higher spiritual purposes (Sedna) with this New Moon.
CHIRON-ERIS CONJUNCTION: The Chiron-Eris alignment in Aries has been active for about a year, with its first exact conjunctions occurring on May 26 and October 8, 2025. This week, we experience the third and final peak in the effects of this rendezvous between the Wounded Healer and the Goddess of Discord.
Together, Chiron and Eris in Aries reveal exceedingly uncomfortable and ugly truths. Their joint task is to ensure that we no longer ignore the traumas that have been and continue to be inflicted by the unevolved, unconscious ego. Behaviors such as arrogance, aggression, bullying, and violence all become profoundly obvious under this influence.
The last time Chiron and Eris were conjunct, also in Aries, was from 1971 to 1972. In the U.S. at that time, the Pentagon Papers revealed to the public the full extent of the nation's involvement in the Vietnam War, information that had been hidden by the government. It was the year of the court-martial trial of the soldiers who were involved in the horrific My Lai massacre. Five White House operatives were arrested in the beginning stages of the Watergate scandal. And public outcry finally brought about a ban on the pesticide DDT, which was widely used on crops and found to be toxic to both animals and humans, not to mention the environment.
Another historic reference point is 2016-17, when controversy-stirring Eris was powerfully activated through its alignment with liberating Uranus. That was the year that the #MeToo movement, which was first launched in 2006 by Tarana Burke, gained global momentum as women around the world raised their voices to demand justice after having endured abuse, harassment, and assault.
DAILY ASPECTS THIS WEEK (March 16 - 22, 2026):
Here are my brief interpretations of this week's most important aspects, day by day:
Monday
Venus semisquare Uranus: A need for freedom and autonomy, and a desire for new experiences, can cause friction in close relationships.
Tuesday
Retrograde Mercury conjunct North Node: With Mercury still moving backward, this alignment is best used in meditation, dream work, or personal journaling. Spiritual insights are possible.
Wednesday
Venus square Jupiter: It can be easy to "gush" today, going overboard in the expression of our feelings and our love, only to feel later that we've been too vulnerable or that we've promised too much.
Sun sextile Uranus: This aspect helps us to adapt to changes and to be more flexible in our expectations.
New Moon: A new lunar cycle begins at 6:23 p.m. PDT today, when the Sun and the Moon align at 28°27' Pisces.
Thursday
Chiron conjunct Eris: Over the past year, as Chiron and Eris have danced in and out of their exact alignment, much that was hidden has been brought to light. With this third and final pass, there may be another reveal, ultimately enabling a healing to begin.
Friday
Sun enters Aries: The Aries Equinox occurs and a new astrological year begins today at 7:45 a.m. PDT. An equinox, when the hours of daylight and darkness are approximately equal, represents an important turning point. We can feel a sense of greater connection to the cosmos and to the cycles of planet Earth at this time. This stronger connection is reflected in the fact that auroras usually increase at the time of an equinox, due to the Earth's tilt in relationship to the Sun at those times.
Mercury stations direct: We might receive important insights or downloads now. As the Messenger Planet comes to a standstill near the degree of our recent Total Lunar Eclipse, information may come forward at this time that relates to events that occurred around March 3.
Saturday
Sun sextile Sedna: We may be aware of a subtle but persistent voice within us that is calling us to our higher destiny.
Mars trine Jupiter: This aspect can be felt as a boost of energy and optimism, that inspires us to take action on something we believe in.
Sunday
Sun conjunct Neptune: This may be an introspective time as we align more fully with our spiritual nature. However, the Sun is now activating the effects of the Saturn-Neptune alignment (exactly conjunct Saturn on March 25), so it may be impossible to ignore the Great Unraveling that is underway.
Mercury conjunct North Node: Our minds are open to intuitive insights. Communications come from the heart and may be emotional or spiritually profound.
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If Your Birthday Is This Week (March 16 - 22):
This year, you are working with two very different planetary influences: on one hand, Saturn is advising you to be practical, to move forward with confidence, and to take charge of a situation. Simultaneously, Neptune is recommending that you follow your intuition, that you have faith and trust, and that you let go of needing to see outcomes. Working with both of these energies at the same time requires you to find a good balance between existing as your earth-bound self and dwelling as your higher self. Thankfully, an enhanced mental flexibility enables you to receive important insights that offer the higher guidance you seek. (Solar Return Sun conjunct Saturn, sextile Uranus, conjunct Neptune, sextile Sedna)
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EVENTS AND WEBINARS by Pam Younghans:
ACTIVATIONS, REVELATIONS, & AWAKENINGS: I hope you can join us for my webinar on the astrology of April, May, and June 2026—just three weeks away, on Wednesday, April 8! Please see the full description at events.humanitix.com/pamapril-june2026.
DAILY ASTROLOGY: For my daily astrological insights, including lunar aspects not covered in this Journal, please follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/pamyounghans/
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For previous weeks of the Astrological Journal, click here.
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About the Author
Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail
For more information about NorthPoint Astrology offerings, please visit NorthPointAstrology.com or visit her Facebook page.
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Article Recap:
This unusual astrological week combines Mercury retrograde with the Aries equinox, creating a moment when communication confusion and new beginnings collide. The Pisces New Moon and the Chiron-Eris alignment add themes of revelation and emotional awakening. Together, these influences suggest a period when hidden truths may surface and intuitive insight becomes more valuable than rigid logic.
#MercuryRetrograde #AriesEquinox #AstrologyForecast #PiscesNewMoon #ChironEris #SpiritualAwakening #CosmicCycles #Astrology2026 #CollectiveShift
