Twitter’s Favorite Astrologers Are Here to Help You Prep for 2018’s First Mercury Retrograde

Spring has a way of surprising us every year. That surprise will begin early and before its arrival, with a full moon in Virgo on the first of the month, testing our ideas of work and order. (The second full moon in Libra is on the 31st.) The beginning of March may feel more cerebral than usual, though by the time the new moon in Pisces rolls around on the 17th, it’ll be time to set intentions for love and how we feel about ourselves. Try to work out any business deals or career-oriented questions before Mercury retrograde charges in on the 22nd—and remember that new energy is just as self-generated as it is seasonal and in the cosmos.

Yours in the stars and on earth, The Astro Poets

Aries

There is a clear road beginning to take shape in front of you. Whatever indecision you’ve been battling with since the beginning of the year will dissipate. In many ways, everything is taking you closer to your real passions—especially in the realm of your career, which will continue to be busy and engaging. This month and the beginning of Aries season in late March is a good time to set aside some personal time and remember your true spirit: outward-facing and bold. Don’t let perceived slights get in the way of your greater ambitions and don’t take them with you in the unconscious world. As far as love goes, if you’re already in a relationship, you may need a good restart, whatever shape that may take for you. And if you haven’t found someone worth spending your time with, the end of this month will be a time when some doors open. Knowing you and how often you change your mind, you may not even care to look up from your work to see them. But if you do, they’re there.

Taurus

This is great month to plan a trip or take one—anything to activate your adventurous side. It may feel like you haven’t really been yourself lately. You know, that inspired, stubborn, and persistent you. Remember to look away from work as much as you can this March and to be outdoors, even if that means just a walk or a run. With Mercury retrograde on its way, your communication with several friends who are closest to you will be tested. It will surprise you, again, just how human people are, both in their generosity and their total inability to understand even your most direct gestures. Let this retrograde teach you patience and a lack of expectations—from everyone and everything. This will be hard for you because you’re someone who constantly shows up, both physically and mentally, to all your commitments. Let your controlling nature learn something and be ready for the unexpected.

Gemini

There is so much in flux right now in terms of how you feel about your love life and also what you want to be doing. You’re a sign that’s comfortable with indecision but perhaps on a surface level. We’re talking about real doubt here, and a questioning that will result in a different, more creative you. It may sound a bit terrifying, but don’t hesitate to call up a Scorpio this month and let them give you some direction. (If not a Scorpio, anyone in the water family will be effective in bringing you calm and reassurance.) So many of your best ideas and life changes arise out of a “planned” spontaneity—”planned” in the sense that you always give yourself the ability to change something up, whether it’s your mind or your personal style. Remember this part of your nature as you ruminate on some bigger issues. It will be your life raft. And all those voices trying to persuade you to keep things the same, and that everything appears to be working? Don’t listen to them.

Cancer

You’ll be compelled to think more about your finances and greater future than usual this month, which may feel more like looking for anxiety than actual planning. (You’re not a Virgo, after all.) Still, make sure you give your emotional world enough attention. Yes, you excel at that, but in a new push to take care of yourself you may turn toward more immediately practical concerns and feel depleted. Spring will come charging in and by the end of the month, you’ll feel a new energy returning you to a project or relationship that you’ve put on the back burner for quite some time. Trust yourself that you’re a different person now. You don’t need to reject the past—you can show up there as the better version of yourself and be heard and valued. There will be a few fire signs—Aries, Leo, Sagittarius—driving you mad, too. No surprise there. But they’re there to teach you more about passion than love. Maybe you’ve yet to think about what that distinction means for you.

Leo

Your loyalty and optimism are key elements of your character. Often that loyalty takes the surface level into account—how demonstrative someone is in giving you attention or praising you. You’ll have to resist that this month, which will challenge a significant and old friendship. It will be up to you to make the first gesture in opening a line of communication that may be painful and confusing. This is difficult for you, Leo, because you’re so interested in everyone having a good time, maybe even as much as you’re interested in feeling like you’re at the center of it. Real and constructive criticism is something you still struggle with—both hearing and giving. Well, it’s going to get very real this month, and with someone you know very well, so we need you to get real, too. We need you to dig up that introspective, serious Leo that we know is there. The more forthcoming and honest you are, without trying to impress or flatter, the more rewarding March will be for you.

Virgo

Of everyone in the zodiac right now, you have the strongest opportunity for deeper engagement and romantic love. You’ve gone through some deep self-analysis, even more than you’re letting on in front of friends. This will serve you greatly at the end of the month and with the beginning of spring. Maybe that perfect person you’ve been dreaming of meeting, or of your partner becoming? Maybe they were never what you wanted. Something has shifted in you and you’re even approaching old relationships with a new perspective. Have the confidence to let this new you take charge. The realization that there is more to life than work and planning is catching up with how you view almost everything. Be careful that, toward the end of the month with Mercury retrograde looming, you don’t slip back to old routines in terms of how you communicate. Love is real and it’s possible.

Libra

Back up for a minute and get some perspective. If you looked at the last six months as a whole, you would see patterns of major growth in your life. Maybe you’ve moved or gotten a new job, or maybe it’s as simple as the fact that you’ve decided not to be the one whose job it is to harmonize everyone’s social life. You’ve done so much to change your life and to be in charge of your own day-to-day. You did some of this work because you’re very wise and you knew you needed to stop internalizing your disappointment and sadness. You saw that being proactive is the best medicine to start to control your happiness and you won. Well, we are here to tell you that March will be a month of rewards and celebration. All of the hard work you did these past months was not for nothing, and now that all these glorious daffodils are starting to bloom, you can seriously just put a few in your hair and dance through the streets. Because life is wonderfully charmed and no one knows that better than you. But also, you know what Fall baby? No one is more charmed than you. Enjoy it.

Scorpio

Commitment is a big theme for you this month. You are likely in some sort of long-term relationship, with a few emotional affairs on the side. But whatever the case, like your other fixed sign cousins (Leo, Taurus, and Aquarius), it’s true that once you commit, you commit. Even if you are unhappy with a partner, you will stay with them not even just out of loyalty to them, but also out of loyalty to the promise of commitment. Because when you commit, you make a commitment to yourself to follow through and this can be the hardest promise to break. However, this month, try to put this promise aside and question if you really do feel deeply for who you’re with. Because the truth is, you are capable of so much love. You are capable of the erotic gardens on the spiritual plane, of the holy sex of the moon and stars, and anything less, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, is going to leave you with a bad, aching feeling. The good news is that if you decide to break up with your current partner, at least two people wait in the wings for you. But are they your soul mates from the other world? We can’t tell you that much yet.

Sagittarius

Spring is always a positive time for you, because maybe more than any other sign except Aries, you are able to be in communion with all of the new things around you and feel the pure joy of the plants and new life in the air. Maybe some things about your life feel a bit too much in flux for your liking (like your career), but that won’t stop you from enjoying this month and going to a party or two (or 10). We normally associate Leo with the sun, and now is the time take on that blazing symbol of red and orange as your lifeboat to move through the uncharted and happy waters of March. We look to the moon as a symbol of consistency, but it is really the sun that is most consistent, rising every day to bring light and truth to our lives. And isn’t that your goal, too? Don’t you long for the light of truth to shine on the elements of your life, so that you can see your path a little more clearly along the way? This month, become the bright and burning thing you wish for and you will gain more empowerment and love than you thought possible. It’s really achievable. Believe.

Capricorn

One thing you really love about March is that all its electric energy can’t help but reconnect you to the earth and all of the things that bloom. March teaches us cycles and hope—that even in the deepest winter, the smallest buds wait to grow and bring us the wild winds of spring. Well, this month, to say you are ready for those winds is an understatement. You have felt a little locked up all winter and have been tending to some new ideas and plans that you can now put into place. One thing to think about this month is that although you hate to admit it, you have many people around you who are constantly helping you. You are loyal to your friends, but it’s the time to demonstrate your thankfulness to them, to say how much they mean to you. You won’t have too much trouble doing so, as you are extremely emotional, but it’ll be good to make sure you take the time to show them your love and gratitude. Because even in old connections with friends, there is space for excitement and the new. Also, don’t forget to throw a little party or two this month—have fun!

Aquarius

This month may indicate the end of your season, but it’s really the beginning of your time. You are the sign that we most look to for new ideas and language, and to infuse our lives with meaning. Now is the time for you to assess your life and see how much meaning you can bring to it in spring. This might mean looking at your relationships closely and seeing if they are everything you truly need. There are a few acquaintances who may be wasting your time and using you, so kick them to the curb. And maybe there is a new love in your life that you need to nurture and not take for granted. Or maybe you have started a new job and need to make sure you are beginning there are on solid footing. Try to think of all of the new plants this month as a metaphor to begin again and to put the care into making both old and new things in your life grow well. Although it will take some work, once things start to bloom, they will bloom well and for a long time. The spring is yours, so take advantage of it and work now on beginning the summer happy, healthy, and fulfilled.

Pisces

Around this time last year, you may have been suffering a big loss that seemed to leave your day-to-day in disarray. If a romantic relationship or friendship ended, it probably took you a while to be completely over it, and it’s just about now when you can finally say that you are truly okay. Look around and see how far you’ve come. Like the new sprouts on the trees and plants, you are thriving and moving into a new self. With your season in full swing this month, keep up that momentum and take up a hobby that you have kept yourself from for many reasons and for far too long. With the stars as they are, what may start out as a casual interest could quickly turn into a full-time thing. And no, we don’t just mean that hobby—we mean love! Try to enjoy who you are now and appreciate the people in your life who love both the old and new you. On the career front, things are solid and growing. You may have a few job offers by the end of the month. If you can, take them all!

Related: Twitter’s Favorite Astrologers Predict What Your 2018 Will Look Like