Mar 2017
Golden Rule
As the month begins, the transit that puts 2017 on the map(1) reaches its peak. On March 2nd and 3rd, the second of three Jupiter-Uranus oppositions is exact to the minute of arc.
Jupiter retrograde
Jupiter is retrograde at the moment; conventional wisdom says this is not the time to launch big projects. Until this big gas giant stations direct, on June 9th, we are meant to be reviewing our work. The greater meaning of what we’re doing needs to be clarified, before we really put the rubber to the road. (2)
But, thanks to Uranus, there is a sense of urgency forcing us forward: we feel driven to make some kind of bold leap. The operative word here is “driven.” Uranus makes us feel that progress is not merely desired, but compelled.
All by itself, Jupiter is merely the will to expand, to broaden ourselves. But it’s now being fired up by a mysterious outer planet, making the situation feel like it’s out of our hands. 
We may feel as if our lives were being shoved forward by a gale-force wind.
Tug of war
This is not a smooth confluence of forces. It’s an opposition: the planet of growth is opposed to the planet of sudden change. The dialogue between them is stimulating, but erratic and agitating. We may find ourselves decisive and confident one day, only to be thrown off by unexpected developments the next.(3)
Our best bet is to not try to cleave to a predictable course, but to embrace the excitement. We need to honor both 
our conscious goals (Jupiter) and our unconscious craving to bolt (Uranus).
This is a tricky proposition, especially considering Jupiter’s retrograde trajectory: our focus is on the future, but some kind of input from the past needs to be integrated before the big push forward.
It’s not a stable transit, but then growth spurts never are. The way to align with the cosmic plan is by deliberately opening ourselves to new perspectives. We’re being goaded to enlarge our lives. We’re being invited to have our minds blown.
Aries and Libra
Heating up the situation is Mars, which is separating from its conjunction with Uranus (and opposition to Jupiter) as March begins. What we have here is a brazen face-off between Aries (me-me-me) and Libra (me-&-you). A raw craving for self-advancement is vying for prominence with our belief in cooperation.
Jupiter is spending most of 2017 in the sign of balance and equity, trying to get us to refine our social standards.
Getting along with others is on everybody’s minds.
It’s not just about playing nice — although it is that, too, during the first few days of the month: Mars governs our actions, so we get to see whether we’re really practicing what we preach. But throughout this year, the greater lesson Jupiter in Libra is trying to teach us is more ideological than behavioral. Through the fall, we’re trying to figure out where we stand, morally and philosophically, on the issue of people treating each other fairly.
To what extent do we subscribe to the Golden Rule?
Notes
1 For details about this globe-altering transit, see “Truth or Dare: Important Transits of 2017,” The Mountain Astrologer, Feb/Mar 2017 issue.
2 Jupiter stations direct at 13° Libra, which is where it was in early November 2016.
3 In order to understand where you’re champing at the bit, check where Jupiter and Uranus are currently transiting in your chart, and/or get a professional reading. Knowing their house placements helps us pinpoint where our sense of urgency is coming from. Then we can discern how much of what we’re feeling is reactive rebelliousness, and how much is appropriate inventiveness.