ALL Direct
Just like last month, ALL planets are moving forward in April. The retrogrades will return in May and continue progressively until next February 2022 when all planets will be direct again. This 2-3 month period of forward planetary motion each year is ideal for moving ahead with projects, businesses, and important life decisions, so don’t let COVID stop you from initiating moves now, that will position you well for when our lives return to “normal”. Don’t hold back because an empowered Mars leads the way.
Spring Equinox
Last month’s Equinox on March 20th marked the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and signifies new beginnings. Equinox charts give us clues to the themes for the next 12 months. When the planets are jammed into 4, 5 or 6 consecutive houses, like NOW, they concentrate our focus… Our interests may diminish in scope, but the intensity of focus increases.
The US East Coast has all planets on the left side of the astrological chart, emphasizing a focus on the Self, self-interest, and personal growth. This includes family and work (probably now home-based, where North Node conjuncts Moon in the 4th house). Dangers exist with Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter (excess) in the 12th house of seclusion, addiction, overdose, criminal behavior, and suicide. However, Saturn (in harmony with Mars in mental Air signs) sextiles Chiron, facilitating our healing – physical, mental, spiritual and emotional/psychological. While Mars in Gemini tickles the IC in the Eastern Equinox chart, tempting us to take that vacation, remember that care of self and loved ones trumps self-gratification. The choices you make matter and consequences follow accordingly.
The Equinox chart for the West Coast has the planets all at the bottom of the chart, basically “at home”, uninterested or unable to be “public”, focusing on more inner concerns. Independent contracts or jobs can be found in sales, PR, media, service, nursing or delivery (Gemini Moon/NN in the 6th house). The COVID Relief Monies prop-up California thanks to Jupiter in the second house of money trine the Midheaven, but which then squares Pluto, forming a dire “Thor’s Hammer” onto Mars, indicating an abrupt breakdown, with potential protests and angry arguments furthered by Mars-square-Mercury. Newsom might be removed.
Saturn sits on the Ascendant of the Midwest Equinox chart, which may indicate a tough year ahead. Mars in the 4th house, is classic for traveling sales, moving/relocation, or building/rebuilding homes and infrastructure, while dark money flows from the second house’s Venus/Sun to a Scorpio Midheaven. Saturn-trine-Mars/NN focuses on hard work, while Jupiter-trine-Moon lends support.
The Rockies: Transiting Uranus on the IC causes disruption within the homeland. Pluto and Mars duke it out while Saturn squares the Midheaven from the first house, compromising our reputation. Sun/Venus harshly aspects the Midheaven from the 2nd house, encumbering financial transactions. Pluto (trauma), Saturn (hard work), and Jupiter (prosperity) describe the first house environment, so perhaps an infrastructure project is coming, although there may be lightning/electrical issues or other hardships ahead. Insufficiently affordable homes and good-paying jobs remain serious problems with an empty 4th and 6th house.
ALL Americans are in “Recovery” from the stress of the pandemic as we focus on self, family, and homeland this Equinox, and try to put our lives back together. But summer looks hopeful as Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the Sun continue around the zodiac, broadening our focus with mental expansiveness (Jupiter in Aquarius).
The Aries Point
Mercury follows the path of the Sun and Venus by crossing the Aries Point (zero degrees of Cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn signifying the Cross of Matter) with new perspectives and possibly startling new insights around April 4th as Venus sextiles Mars, smoothing out relationship difficulties during the first 2 weeks of the month.
Declination
Mars went “out-of-bounds” at the Spring Equinox and will explore being rogue during ALL OF APRIL until late May. When “exdec” we can expect Mars to be pushy, act egocentrically, angrily, be extremely restless, reckless, and “over the top” physically while at “extreme declination” which means that it resides outside of the latitude limits set by the Sun which never ventures further than 23 degrees 27 minutes in declination, marking the Tropic of Cancer in the north and Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere.
The Moon goes “exdec” every month for a few days, sparking less stable emotions, and Venus will go “exdec” next month just as Mars returns to normal. However we will have to wait until the Fall of 2024, for an outer planet to go “exdec”. Extreme declination planets stir up erratic behavior, tend to act anti-socially, and can express themselves in quite extreme ways! This makes Mars a wild card this month. That means anger, fights, guns, fires, militias, skirmishes, threats of war, impulsive acts and the occasional volcano may erupt at any time, so be aware of your surroundings and interactions with rogue aggression on the loose.
Sun and Venus are cozying up together in a “Star Point” conjunction all month, bringing warmth, sociability, and creativity, while the exdec Mars pushes you forward with spunk and determination as Sun, Venus, Saturn, Chiron, and Mars all play harmoniously with the Nodes, righting wrongs, healing wounds, and setting us on a new course.
The Sun-Venus-Chiron conjunction instructs us to be compassionate with ourselves and others as we strive to put our lives back together in meaningful ways. It’s a good time for self-analysis and shadow work since we must heal the past before we can move forward. However, Saturn will square Uranus all year, so frustration is bound to arise from time to time as we sort out the multitude of changes we have had to make in our lives. Shed those tears, let go of what is no longer working, but keep going! Clarity is coming and consciousness is rising. Yes, it is.
Around April 10th, first Venus, then the Sun, will briefly square Pluto, so relationship and ego tensions may be disruptive for a few days mid-month. But it’s the Male energy that may have difficulty and be touchy from March into May when Mars finally settles back down to normal declination.
New Moon
On the evening of April 11th under an invisible New Moon, Mercury harmonizes with the Nodes, but Mars squares Neptune, which saps our energy, so lay low, binge-watch movies, catch up on correspondence, write in your journal, and rest up until the 15th when Uranus, Jupiter, Mercury, and the Sun propel Mars forward and vitality returns. Chiron trines the Moon and Nodes, so follow your curiosity and inner guidance into healing self and others mid-month.
There’s a certain amount of self-discovery that’s achievable this spring. 2020 caused a giant purging, and 2021 is the recovery of the self, now somehow different, with a new alignment toward the future. But with that shift of orientation, comes an uncertainty of how to proceed. We are on the brink of a huge new cycle and we are setting the course today that will lead us into our tomorrows.
Jupiter-trines-Mars (fortunate moves) which can activate fun and adventure from April 5th to the 25th, which is most of the month! On a special day, the 18th, Jupiter-trine-Mars sextiles Mercury-conjunct-Sun and a very productive day is created, especially for writers, thinkers, and communicators. Give your projects some extra time and effort for best results (Saturn-trine-Nodes) or remain steady and committed despite setbacks, should they arise.
Full Moon
From April 16th self-expressive Sun joins social Mercury, gracious Venus, and quirky Uranus in earthy Taurus, dancing together for ~10 days up to the Scorpionic Full Moon on the 26th when Saturn trines the North Node, but squares Sun, Uranus, Venus and Mercury, teasing consequences to surface. Hard work may also be rewarded.
The Full Moon chart in our nation’s Capital blesses the USA with a Mystic Rectangle (higher possibilities) and a Grand Trine (easy good fortune), but the chart is quite harsh for the Rocky Mountain States, where deep soul-searching seems to be called for. In these charts almost every planet has a positive and a negative aspect. We are being asked to discern between good and evil, only to discover that there’s a little bit of both in everything. Perhaps that’s what integration is – finding the right place and proportion for all things within the choices we make.
Over the next few months we will sort out the uncertainties and the path forward will gradually clarify. We’ll make some choices and the path will be set according to those choices. Even if it feels like we are in unfamiliar territory, be grateful that we are moving forward… at last!