April… off and running… getting the pace…
This April can be a time when we harness our energies, focus our intentions and structure a best practices methodology to achieve our goals. The month seems a dichotomy between fiery impetuousness and a more pragmatic approach. Our mission is to restrain ourselves and channel our intensity into productive outlets that bring us closer to realizing our dreams. Sounds like a mission impossible? Not necessarily so. It will be important for us not to rush the river or try to move too far too fast.
We have the ingredients this month to pull it all together, even despite the chaos and craziness operating in the world at large. Let’s keep in mind the adage to be in it but not of it.
It will be essential to keep in mind, almost mantram-like, the key question and fundamental characteristic of the Pluto Capricorn transit: whether we have built upon rock or built upon sand.
April begins with one planet in a Fire Sign, three planets in Earth Signs, two planets in an Air Sign, and four planets in Water Signs. There are four planets in Cardinal Signs, two planets in a Fixed Sign and four planets in Mutable Signs. Three planets are in positive Signs and seven planets are in Negative Signs.
There is a Stellium of three or more planets in Pisces with Mercury, Venus and Uranus transiting the Mutable Water Sign. By Sign, there is a Cardinal Grand Cross with the Sun in Aries, Mars in Cancer, and Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn.
We may start the month champing at the bit, wanting to get on with it, yet also perhaps fearful that any step out of our comfort zone of familiarity could bring everything crashing down around us. While we have the impetus to start things up, we could also be feeling reactive to situations and conditions around us, even to the point of feeling victimized. The potential for discontent cannot be exaggerated, especially during the first week of April.
Although we start the month with a Stellium in Pisces, that Stellium ends quickly as Mercury leaves Pisces to enter Aries on the 2nd, followed shortly thereafter by Venus entering Aries on the 6th, thereby creating a Stellium in Aries with Mercury and Venus joining the Sun in the Cardinal Fire Sign. Spring has sprung, and we’re likely to want to get on with it, starting new activities, exploring new interests, all the while that we are putting our own personal mark on things. Our relationships could suffer, especially in light of the fact that everybody may still be feeling very much on edge.
The first week of April not only sees a significant shift from energy in Pisces, the last Sign in the Zodiac, to energy in Aries, the first Sign of the Zodiac. We also have Pluto turning retrograde on the 2nd and squares to Pluto by Mercury on the 3rd and Venus on the 6th.
The beginning of April could prove bombastic with eruptions, explosion and acting out all part of the backdrop. Let’s try to keep such energies as a backdrop and not as a mainstay of our individual daily lives. Otherwise, we could find that we, or the people around us, have a very short fuse with outbursts and extreme actions likely to happen. This beginning of April could feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back. It would be wise that we count to ten before acting or reacting to situations just to keep in check our mode of dealing with things. The likelihood of going overboard, becoming belligerent and overbearing is a liability during this first week of April.
The Aries New Moon on the 5th opens the starting gate of our Springtime projects and a desire to do our own thing. As the saying goes, we might be willing to do what we want to do ‘come hell or high water’. There may be no stopping us, but it would be wise to keep our foot near the brake and take some braking action at times to be certain that we’re not full throttle to nowhere.
The energy of breaking out and asserting ourselves is likely to be strong. And certainly when we consider how we are being slammed by the world around us with rising transportation costs, rising food costs, rising living costs and the shakiness of the financial structures of the global economy; it would not be too surprising that we may be feeling at our wit’s end and looking for some outlet to vent our frustration and reconnect with a sense of self-determination.
The timing and ways of doing so are what will be the deciding factor as to whether we are just spouting off or if we are creating the new foundation stones for our future. Timing is everything and that is in deed one of the true beauties of astrology — timing.
During this first week of April, it would be suggested to find some diversion, some distraction, some outlet for re-creation to blow off steam. A hike, walk by the seashore, going to a concert, meditating, reflecting, handing things over to a higher power are all ways by which we can restrain ourselves from being our own worst enemy or getting in our own way.
While the first week of April could be bombastic, the second week could entice us to overconfidence and accelerating without considering the itinerary much less the direction of our efforts. On the 10th, the Sun squares Jupiter and Mercury squares Mars. We might feel as though by our will we can get things done. We might assume that our wish can be fulfilled without checking the conditions, considering the circumstances or planning our actions. Aaargh!
This sense of inevitable manifest destiny could be increased around the 13th and 14th when the Sun sextiles Neptune and Mercury squares Jupiter on the 13th and on the 14th with Mercury sextile Neptune. While much of our attention might be focused on our future plans and where we want to go, we could easily gloss over the particulars, not take into account the specifics and head off without checking our resources.
Yes, the first half of the month could have us easily going off half-cocked, impetuously moving ahead without consideration of the conditions or even questioning our intentions. The primal scream of self-assertion may be loud and heard around the world, as everyone wants to do their own thing. This period could prove difficult to our relationships, with some relationships even coming to a breaking point, other relationships sorely tested and still others suffering slights and hurts from people being less considerate of others and overly self-absorbed.
The second half of the month provides the energy to settle things down and even lay the foundation stones for what we want to accomplish. Mercury moves into Taurus on the 17th, ending the Stellium of three or more planets in Aries and now creating by Sign a Grand Trine in the Earth Element with Mercury in Taurus, Saturn in Virgo and Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn.
On the 18th, the Grand Trine is in effect as Mercury trines Saturn and also trines Pluto. This period is a great time to blueprint our strategy, create our wish list of what we want to accomplish and figure out the most effective means to achieve our goals. Our communications are focused, grounded and to the point. Our thoughts revolve around how we can best use our resources.
With this Grand Trine in Earth we can now become manifesters, making real our concepts and turning our abstractions into physical form. On the 19th, the Sun enters Taurus just before the Scorpio Full Moon on the 20th.
This Scorpio Full Moon accentuates the Earth Grand Trine with the Sun exactly trine Pluto and the Sun exactly trine Saturn on the 21st. During this time we can be incredibly resourceful. No matter what is available to us, we can make things stretch and fit into our particular needs.
This mid-part of April is not to be lost. It is a powerful time, a time when we can plant our seeds, re-structure our activities and push our interests forward with determination and by working smarter rather than harder.
The 22nd has Mars trine Uranus and we could find ourselves moving things around in our home, making our living environment far more functional for our planned activities and streamlining our living space.
A true rebirth could be going on now, with the birthing being the physical manifestation of our interests and adapting ourselves to the changing parameters in which we find ourselves and the ways we find the world to be around us.
Although we can be incredibly productive during mid-April, we do have to watch for a cavalier attitude. Things may come so easily that we get carried away with ourselves, even to the point of becoming a legend in our own mind.
On the 23rd, Venus squares Mars and squares Jupiter, creating a Cardinal Sign T-Square and reinforced by the Mars Jupiter opposition on the 24th. We may feel invincible and a tendency to step on other people’s toes needs to be avoided. We may be so involved with ourselves that we put blinders on, able to see only what is in front of us and quite possibly looking through rose-colored glasses whereby we see what we want to see and not the true reality of this situation.
Such a disposition would be tragic, especially in light of the fact that this period can be a highly effective and highly productive time for us. We may feel pulls between our personal life and our involvements in the world. We might decide to do whatever we want and not consider its impact on others or on ourselves over the long-term. It would be wise to keep in mind that our actions are often like pebbles in a pond, creating ripple effects that move out from the center of attention.
The latter part of April has some pleasant energies. On the 25th, Venus sextiles Neptune. Although we may still be self-focused, we might also take a longer-range view of our participation in activities and group involvements. Our interactions with friends could find us planning trips or future get-togethers.
The 27th, 28th and 29th have a great deal of Mercury energies. Mercury sextiles Uranus on the 27th. We could have some startling revelations and make some fascinating discoveries. Our communications can be incisive and upbeat and we may be in contact with people who have some significant meaning for us further down the road. The 28th has Mercury trine Jupiter. As though a cloud has lifted, we may be better able to see where we are going and how we are going to get there. Anxiety regarding the future can drop away as we realize the truth to the adage that we only get as much as we can handle, never more. On the 29th Mercury squares Neptune and also sextiles Mars. Repeatedly, it will be important to watch that we don’t get too full of ourselves.
One of the major challenges for each of us during this time of transitional shift, during the phase changing between paradigms, is the challenge of our ego and accepting the fundamental shift of these times from moving away from being egocentric, controlling and trying to master the universe to moving towards being open and receptive to the magic of the universe, recognizing that the universe does work in perfect divine design and realizing that we can be co-creators of our destiny and not totally in control of our destiny.
On the 30th, Venus exits Aries, a Sign of its Detriment where it is not comfortable, and enters its own Sign of Taurus. In so doing, we end the month of April with a Stellium of three or more planets in the Fixed Earth Sign as Venus joins Mercury and the Sun in Taurus.
The frenetic energy with which we began the month settles down. We are now more focused, willing to take things one step at a time, and ready to establish the groundwork from which to build upon.
April can be a spectacular month, a time when we can feel renewed and revitalized and use our energy in a systematic way to create the foundation stones of our new tomorrows.
April… off and running… getting the pace…
