We come into April somewhat akin to Noah’s Ark with twosomes of planets in Signs. The month begins with Venus and Uranus in Taurus, Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn, Mars and Saturn in Aquarius, and Mercury and Neptune in Pisces. The Moon is in Cancer, the Sign that the Moon rules. And the Sun is in the second decanate [the Leo decanate] of Aries with the Sun ruling Leo.
Nothing is likely done in half measure as we begin this month. It may seem an all or nothing attitude. And therein lies a problem, for with Mercury in Detriment and in close conjunction with Neptune our imagination may rule our thinking with a liability towards generating anxiety, fear, panic. Here we go again!
Although much of society is on lockdown with various closures and calls for self-quarantining, we can use these times to reestablish a connection with our faith, the spiritual aspect of our being. While the balance has been lost in the old admonition to ‘render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and unto God that which is God’s’ with a recent emphasis upon the material realm, the concern over the pandemic upon us offers us the opportunity to reengage our spirituality.
As the Spring season provides evidence in nature of rebirth and renewal, we too could use this season for our own renaissance, a rebirth and realignment with our true purpose in our present earth life’s journey. We may reconnect on a soul level with the real meaning to our existence.
We might not have used the power packs of Capricorn and Pisces to our advantage over the recent weeks, whereby we could have used our foresight and intuition to develop a best practices approach to address our challenges. But we still have the Pisces – Capricorn influence, so not all is lost. If we don’t fall prey to the fear-mongering and play the victim card, then we may be able to take a proactive approach, clean up our style of living so that we concentrate on our personal responsibility for our own well-being through engaging a healthy lifestyle which includes disciplining our mind and our attitudes.
The 3rd of April has Venus exiting its own Sign of Taurus to enter Gemini, and Mercury conjunct Neptune. We may be far more willing to open wide the realm of possibilities, but we have to be wary as to whether our considerations are practical or nonsensical. Certainly during this paradigm shift whereby things can occur in a most unexpected manner, even to the point of seeming magical, our imagination can run riot with a vast assortment of ideas and propositions. The key to the successful development of ideas is a strong filtration process with the essential element being our deep passion for the projects we are considering.
Fortunately, on the 4th of April we could gain some assistance in our evaluations. With Venus trine Saturn, someone could be a valuable asset in objectively assessing our options and providing pros and cons to our wide range of considerations. Once we hone our interests, the Jupiter conjunct Pluto later on the 4th would instill confidence for us to push forward with certain projects in a practical and manageable fashion. Now is a time for us to embrace an ‘up’ disposition with the recognition that we can successfully handle anything thrown our way.
The 7th of April has the Libra Full Moon. Similar to any Full Moon, our intensity can be ratcheted up. Our focus may be more geared toward our future rather than our present. Needless to say, things always seem far easier achieved in concept than in practical implementation. By Sign, we have a Grand Trine in the Air Element, with all three Signs of the Air Element being engaged. On this day of the Full Moon and prior to it being exact, Mars squares Uranus and Mercury sextiles both Pluto and Jupiter. We have to avoid being impetuous and rash in our actions, for we could be accident prone on this Tuesday. Let’s take a defensive approach when driving and not rush into anything. We might need to instill braking actions into our day. Without it, we could go headlong into the fray with brawn overriding brain with liable drastic consequences. If we slow things down, take braking actions in evaluating and reevaluating, then we can use our thrust of energy in a pragmatic manner with attention both to the bigger picture and to the smallest detail.
The 11th of April has Mercury ending its transit of Pisces and entering Aries. Can we get a ‘hallelujah’? For almost all of the time since the beginning of February, Mercury has been in Pisces, a Sign of Detriment for Mercury, where our thinking is emotional rather than rational, our fears trump the empirical, and we are liable to devolve into a roller coaster of anxiety, fear, panic and various other negative attributes [e.g. hoarding, belligerence, erratic driving and the like]. In addition to Mercury being in Pisces, we also had the Mercury retrograde, and Mercury impacted by Neptune. Perhaps it has felt to many of us as though our lives have been upended and we found ourselves in a horror film of increasing dystopia. Our world was falling apart, a sentiment given greater import by the ‘news’ media presenting the bad and the ugly and negating any semblance of the good.
Except for those people who have worked upon themselves, have done the internal work, and consequently have greater resources to cope with challenges, many other people fell apart. Others of us have experienced severe disruptions in the past. I, for one, grew up in a British household and was constantly reminded of wartime experiences during the blitz bombings in London and the food rations. Many other people have experienced similar situations or worse.
Not to discount the severity of any illness or disease, the furor over COVID19 is more reminiscent of the historical pandemonium over the Spanish Flu [probably a term no longer politically correct] pandemic of 1918. That was then and this is now.
Let’s remember that the influenza of 1918 came during the last year of World War I. The global stress was accentuated whereas today we have been living during an economic boom time. Back in that earlier time, little was known about viruses, the medical infrastructure didn’t exist and what medical services were available were largely deployed to the wartime activities. We have come a long way since then, and eventually the crisis will pass.
With Mercury entering Aries on the 11th, followed that same day with Mercury sextile Saturn, we can turn the corner. Our imagination no longer needs to get the better of us. We could feel more proactive, better able to handle whatever comes our way, and with a ‘can do’ attitude.
The movement of Mercury into Aries adds more Fire to our makeup. Prior to the Vernal Equinox last month when the Sun entered Aries, we had no Fire in the collective chart since mid-February, except for the occasional transit through a Fire Sign by the Moon. Now we may be more self-focused, more willing to take a proactive approach, and less susceptible to being reactive or playing the victim card.
I have written before that these times are times of incredible disruption, times of paradigm shift. While unsettling and liable to be uncomfortable, these times demand flexibility and adaptability. These times speak to realignment and a complete RESET.
The 14th- 15th of April may be a little dicey with the Sun square Pluto on the 14th and the Sun square Jupiter on the 15th. Evidence might suggest a flattening of the curve regarding the incidence of COVID19. We are likely to feel that the worst is behind us, but we could still experience the restrictions and limitations placed upon us by the societal lockdown that has been imposed. Other nations may be in the throes of the pandemic, but we are more than ready to get on with our lives.
Patience is called for, a rare quality these days.
And there may be little patience on the 18th of April when Mercury in Aries sextiles Venus in Gemini and Mercury sextiles Mars in Aquarius. Egged on by someone or by something we hear, we could push ahead blithely, assuming that nothing can stop us, much less get in our way. We might be looking at the distant horizon rather than the steps necessary in between to get us from where we are to where we want to be. As the saying goes: ‘the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions.’ We may have the right intentions, feel confident in our abilities, but perhaps not draw upon the necessary due diligence to seriously consider the circumstance and conditions along the way ahead.
A slowdown can occur, braking action engaged, as the Sun exits Aries to enter Taurus on the 19th of April. A go-slow attitude with a tendency to take things step by step might be more characteristic now. No leaping ahead for us especially during these disruptive times when we don’t know whether leaping ahead will be fortuitous or land us in a deep hole.
Caution may be a little too prevalent on the 21st of April. The Sun squares Saturn. On the one hand, we might have high hopes for our planned projects and activities. On the other hand, we may question whether we have the resources to move forward. If we rely upon the circumstances and the experiences of our past, we could be sorely disappointed. There is no going back. We are on a threshold crossing from one paradigm with its distinctive set of conditions into a new paradigm with a totally different set of circumstances. This is a time for each of us to make a realignment. We might have to look back as to where we’ve been, discard that which no longer serves us, but also not be held back by our past or accepted responsibilities that are more of a drag on us than a benefit.
The Taurus New Moon on the 22nd of April and its imprint on the next two weeks calls for us to think outside the box and to implement streamlined methodology. Now is not a time to go whole hog with changes. Nor is it a time for us to hold back out of trepidation of embracing change. The more we can shift things, even ever so slightly, we might discover that there is almost a natural transition and alteration that occurs. Let’s keep in mind, always keep in mind almost mantram-like, that we are in a paradigm shift moving into asequential reality where things can change suddenly and dramatically without a moment’s notice. It may rock our world at times, open doors of unexpected opportunities at other times.
The weekend of the 25th – 26th could be overblown. Mercury squares Pluto just before Pluto turns retrograde on the 25th, followed on the 26th with Mercury square Jupiter and the Sun conjunct Uranus. People could be a little too self-absorbed, even narcissistic, and willing to argue for their point no matter the damage they may wreak. The shift in direction with Pluto often coincides with explosions, blasts, and major actings out. This is a weekend that calls for caution in what we say and how much we do. We might feel like a legend in our own mind and unwilling to brook any interference. We are likely to do whatever we want to do no matter how it plays to other people or to the prevailing standards.
The 27th of April has Mercury exiting Aries to enter Taurus. We may have a better handle on how we express ourselves. We are less likely to speak impulsively, more likely to consider our audience and how best to present our thoughts and ideas. The entry of Mercury into Taurus triggers a Stellium in the Fixed Earth Sign as Mercury joins the Sun and Uranus in Taurus. Similar to much of the Winter season, we are losing any planet in the Fire Element and consequently losing some of the fire in our belly. We may be less impatient but also more reactive to situations rather than taking a proactive stance. We also have to watch for a tendency towards stubbornness. Let’s keep in mind that these times demand flexibility and adaptability. Even if we don’t like some of the situations that arise, there is no point in stomping our feet and being rigid to the point of negatively impacting ourselves.
The 28th could test our ability to adjust to the changing landscape of our lives.
Mercury squares Saturn. If we went off on someone over the previous weekend, and certainly a possibility, this Tuesday may be a day when we might have to eat some crow. Making amends for past indiscretions or mistakes could have us apologizing, making nice, and admitting our mea culpa. We can have our prospects in mind but question our ability to realize our future trajectory.
During these times, it is essential that we realize that we are not alone in our journey. We may still be social distancing, a behavior that began far sooner than the COVID19 virus and began with the mass adoption of social media. But this paradigm shift encourages us to realize that we are co-creators with the universal unfolding with things sometimes occurring in a most magical, even miraculous, manner.
We could see evidence of the magic of these times on the 30th of April to close out the month as Mercury conjuncts Uranus. The sense of serendipity, of being in the right place at the right time, can be apparent as we hear about something or have a significant encounter, any of which provides ‘ah-ha’ moments of startling revelations.
These times speak to the push-pull between old and new, as we shift from one paradigm into a totally different style of paradigm. We many not always feel in control of situations, but we might become privy to the truth that ‘the universe has far greater plans for us than we could ever imagine for ourselves’.
Again, the key elements of flexibility and adaptability are called for. We need to be open to the components of the changing landscape in order to receive its blessings.
April 2020… lighting the way…
