March was named for Mars, the great Roman warrior god, son of Juno and Jupiter. This was an appropriate association, for in the  ancient world of the Mediterranean, the third month was known for its intense and tempestuous weather. The inner theme of March deals with  developing wisdom and compassion, and finding one's life path. The search for self is associated with Venus in a series sequence with Mars. It is a solitary process that initially precludes association with others. Venus is esteemed in Pisces, and is connected with our inner values. This searching process is a lonely path, and requires a
building of stamina and the development of inner strength. Mars rules the next sign, Aries which begins in mid-month, and is associated with courage and stamina, thus filling those needs in the process. 
March's gemstones. The Pisces gem of March is Aquamarine (a type of beryl). The word, aquamarine comes from the Latin "aqua" which means water and "mare" which means sea, because it looks like
sea water. Aquamarines were once thought to originate in the jewel caskets of the sirens of the sea. They were sacred to the Roman sea god, Neptune. Greek sailors of the 3rd century BC adopted these gems,
and used them as amulets dedicated to their equivalent god, Poseidon that would bring them prosperity and safety against all ills associated with sea voyages. The Aries gem of March is the bloodstone, also known as the heliotrope, which means the "turning of the Sun." This refers to the equinoctial movement of the Sun into the northern hemisphere. In the Christian tradition, concomitant with the season of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the bloodstone, a deep green jasper with crimson spots, reminds the faithful of the blood of the Christ spilled at Golgotha by a Roman soldier's spear. The stone is said to hold a divine power to stop hemorrhaging, and was widely used in folk medicine to stop nosebleeds and cure wasting diseases. The bloodstone was employed in rituals at the time of eclipses to invoke invisibility, and a polished bloodstone was used by Pliny, the Elder as a mirror with which to safely view Solar eclipses. It is said to also have been a part of the Breastplate of St. Patrick, as a part of the ritual that he used to shape-shift himself and his monks into deer when they were pursued and persecuted by King Loegaire's troops. The stone was used as an amulet by the Gnostics to prolong life, and in thumb rings (the Mars digit) by the Egyptians, to sustain courage. March first is St. David's Day, patron of Glastonbury and Wales, an ascetic monk and bishop of the 6th century, also known as "Aquaticus", because he drank only water, and used water as a body purifier. The early March Sun is in Pisces, a water sign associated with spiritual interests.
March 1 is also the World Day of Prayer, which dates back to the 19th century Christian women of the United States and Canada in support of women's involvement in  the missions. Over the years this idea has
grown and been accepted by many countries and many religions. Bishop Diadochus, spiritual writer of the 5th century was the first Christian to teach that repeated prayer led to inner stillness. The "Jesus Prayer", as some call it was a very short prayer acknowledging God, and offering a petition for mercy. The practice of repeated prayer is used in many religions with the use of prayer beads or prayer ropes, and becomes a powerful ritual. Repeatable verbal patterns are a factor that joins many religions and spiritual practices.
Albert Einstein was also born on March 1, 1879 at 11:30 AM LMT in Ulm, Germany with his Sun in Pisces, his Moon out of bounds to the south in Sagittarius, and his Venus in Aries. Einstein was born with 8 different quintile family aspects (seven of his planets and both Lunar Nodes are involved), including Venus to the North Node, and the  Moon to Jupiter. Venus and the Sun at his death on April 18, 1955 had switched signs with those in his natal, with Transit Venus conjoining his Natal Sun.   Venus, which is exalted in Pisces shows great affinity with the number 5. The number three is sacred to March, the third month. The triangle, being the most stable of all figures, is used in many religions to signify strength and to symbolize the unity of the three basic attributes of their beliefs. The triple-goddess in pagan beliefs and mythology is used to signify the three stages in the process of life: fertility, nurturance and wisdom. In Jewish folklore, it symbolizes closing of the circle of wisdom: in one story, the Jewish elder, Mordecai recognized 3 principles of faith from out of the mouths of 3 young boys: "fear not, speak the truth, and God will protect", a possible root connection to the symbolism of the three sacred monkeys: "hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no evil". Christian symbolism is woven into our culture in many ways. The Lenten cycle has constant reminders of the Holy Trinity, such as cloverleaf rolls, and the lowly `pretzel' (the German word for "little arms"), a tiny three lobed loaf of bread, representing crossed arms. In the 4th
century, one was eaten each day of Lent, as a symbol of, and accompanying prayer, fasting, and pious works. In other religions of the past, the Sacred Trinity was composed of Father, Mother, and the Fruit of their Union. March 8th is International Women's Day, and March is Women's History Month. 
March 13 this year is the day of an annular Lunar eclipse at 24:15 Virgo, at 336 PM PST and 6:36 PM EST. Symbolism associated with a Lunar eclipse deals with first finding the ability to gain perspective, and second to use the eclipse's interruption of Solar energy to support us in breaking habits and releasing patterns that no longer serve our paths. The discernment of Moon in Virgo, symbol of a pure state of evolving feminine energy shows us how to channel the reflected spiritual energy of the Pisces Sun. One of the key uses of the full Moon is to make informed choices, holding at arms length the pressures that kept us bound in the close relationships at the new Moon. Jewish festival of Purim begins the evening of March 13 the eve of the 14th day of Adar in their Lunar calendar. It is a joyous time, celebrating Queen Esther's victorious intercession in an ancient plot to kill Persian Jews. The theme of Purim is a clever use of the law, aimed at the goal of the triumph of good over evil.
March 17. St Patrick's death is commemorated on March 17. St. Patrick, who converted to Christianity in fifth century Ireland, used the locally abundant shamrocks to teach the lessons of the Trinity. He made use of an ancient Gaelic invocation called the Lorica, or the Breastplate. The Lorica has been used by many over the centuries as a magical invocation of Divine energy, and reflects the presumption of astrology being accepted and used throughout early centuries. The Lorica is filled with astrological symbolism:
St. Patrick's Lorica "I arise to-day - Through the strength of heaven; Light of Sun, - Radiance of Moon,
Splendour of fire, - Speed of Lightning, Swiftness of wind, - Depth of sea, Stability of earth, - Firmness of rock. I arise today - In acceptance of the Three, Supported by the One." 
John Chapman, who was born on September 26, 1774 near Leominister, MA (with his Moon approaching a quintile to his Venus) is associated with the pentangle. He was affectionately known as Johnny Appleseed,
and his life's work was to journey through the wilderness between the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, south of the Great Lakes, planting apple seeds. He died March 18, 1845 near Fort Wayne, IN (with the
transiting Moon and Venus in an approaching biquintile, and the transiting Venus exactly on his natal South Node) after planting millions of apple seeds. Both charts contain many quintile family aspects. March contains the beginning of spring, and is known as the month of hope. When an apple is cut open horizontally, the apple seeds form a five-pointed star. Five is the number of hope, and is evident in many forms to remind us to be filled with hope, such as the five fingers of the hand, the 23rd psalm (2+3=5), the Salep Root, an herb, the root of which grows in the form of a hand, the magical pentagram, and the perfect harmony and proportion of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. The Vernal Equinox is on March 20 this year. Equinox means "equal night", and is the moment when the Sun crosses the equator in the juncture between the dark and light halves of the year, when the days and nights are equal. It is the midpoint between the Solstices (the turning points of the Sun's yearly motion). The Sun leaves the dark water sign (Pisces), and enters the bright fire sign (Aries). It is a day of honor for Iduna, or Idunn (A Scandinavian goddess), the equivalent of the Greek Hebe. This goddess is the spring symbol of the triple goddess, and was charged with supplying youth and strength to the rest of the gods and goddesses by providing them with the ambrosia and nectar of immortality. She is the maiden form of Hera, whose name means "Our Lady", who was the primary goddess before the advent of patriarchal gods. This is also the day that Sri Ushas, (Hindu goddess of the Dawn) is honored. Aries, associated with Mars is linked with the metal, iron. "He who knows what iron is, knows the attributes of Mars. He who knows Mars, knows the qualities of iron." .
Paracelsus. Nick Kollerstrom in his book, "The Metal-Planet Relationship" reminds us that iron is what gives Mars its red color, and also supplies that color to the blood cells that transport oxygen to our organs. It gives us courage and strength and the tools of civilization: combustion and weapons and the tools that made possible the industrial revolution, and contributed to the extension of the human life span. Palm Sunday is March 19 this year. Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Current ceremonies include the blessing of the palms, the ashes of which are used on next year's Good Friday to symbolize the passion and sacrifice of the Crucifixion. This also brings to mind the story of the Phoenix rising and being recreated from its own ashes. The palm tree stands for hope
in the future (The date palm was the tree of life in the Babylonian Garden of Eden story). The Hebrew word for the palm tree is Tamar, their name for the goddess, Ashtaroth. Lent has its parallel in the 40 days of abstinence, thanksgiving, and petition for healing and mercy that precedes the pagan festival of Astarte (aka Ashtoreth, Ishtar, Innana, Venus), a dual goddess. Astarte/Innana was a healer, famous for saving and regenerating a palm tree torn from the Garden of Eden by a great flood. Statues of Venus are often shown holding dates. Venus Hesperus (Venus of the vespers), the goddess of the evening star of love, desire, and fecundity was different from the fire-goddess of the morning star of war and battle (Herald of the sunrise) The Venus position attending Easter 2006 rising before the Sun is Venus Lucifer, engaged in the process of building new values and instilling them where they can be most visible and most
effective. Venus' stations form 5-pointed stars in the heavens in her 8-year cycle (5+3=8). The quintile family (the zodiac divided by 5) is associated with genius and facility. The number 5 is special also to March 23 (2+3=5), Buddhist Magha Puja Day, when Buddhists gather together to affirm their 5 Precepts: Respect for Life; Respect for personal property; Respect for personal relationships; Respect for truth; and Respect for mental and physical well-being - cornerstone of Buddhism. In the Christian religion, The Annunciation, March 25th celebrates the unconcealing of the mission of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the angel Gabriel announced that she would give birth to the Savior. In the British Church, it is called Lady Day, and commemorates the philanthropic works of twelfth century Lady Mabella Tichborne, who overcame great physical odds just before her death, to make sure that the poor were annually provided for. Known as the "Tichborne Dole," her wishes are carried out to this day. In some of the nature religions, Invocations are made on March 25th to many of the major goddesses: e.g., Isis, Venus, Tara, and Persephone, to bring enlightenment to women in support of their paths and purpose'
in life.  March 28 is the date of the Buddhist celebrations of Quan Yin, goddess of mercy, wisdom, healing and compassion. She was a holy woman, an ascended master who gave up her earned Buddhic state to help bring enlightenment to all of humanity. 
March 29 this year marks a total Solar eclipse at 8:35 Aries, at 2:16 AM PST and 5:16 AM EST. Eclipses unite/align the longitudinal cycles with the declinational cycles.  The Sun and Moon at Solar eclipses match the same degrees longitudinally, and are parallel in declination. Lunar eclipses align opposing degrees of longitude and are contra-parallel in declination. This unity in the sign of new beginnings gives us a vision of hope. The symbolism of the 9th degree of Aries states: 
"A Crystal Gazer: keynote the development of an inner realization of organic wholeness. The crystal sphere symbolizes wholeness. Within this sphere images take form. These images may reveal future events, but more significantly they picture "the situation as a whole" - the situation which the clairvoyant is meant to interpret. The nascent mental faculties operating through still- dominant emotions (or collective incentives) act as a centralizing and whole-making power. What the intelligence perceives in its
concentration is the function of every inner impulse and outer event in the open field of a "personality" still unclouded by egoism. At the fourth stage of the 5-fold sequence the new technique required for the development of individualized consciousness is revealed: concentrated attention." 
An Astrological Mandala, by Dane Rudhyar, Vintage Books, NY, 1974, page 56 Rudhyar, was born Daniel Chenneviere, March 23, 1895, Paris, France, 12:32:40 AM UT, rectified to 12:42 AM. His Sun and Venus were both in Aries, ruled by his Mars, which joined Jupiter on either side of the Sun's north declinational boundary, symbolizing his multi-talented accomplishments in astrology and the arts (music and painting). His Aquarian Moon gave him insights into the future, and his Mercury was in mutual reception with either Jupiter or Neptune (his Mercurial mind synchronized with both planets dealing with philosophy in both
rulership systems). He would have been 111 years young this month.