April 2019: The Saturn/Pluto conjunction approaches

April through May, Saturn and Pluto fall within a 3 degree orb of each other in  the sign Capricorn which means the energies of this powerful conjunction will become more apparent in the world and our lives at this time. We could call this the official kick-off of this transit although the energies have been building for a while. There is powerful energy for change on a global and personal level that will take on added significance now as we approach the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of January 2020. This is a major transit that occurs about every 33 years. 

Restriction and/or limitation can force us to change things in the collective and in our lives that has outlived its purpose or usefulness. Many global and geopolitical changes will occur between now and 2020. This is a slow, evolutionary process that will create new foundations in coming years. Pluto first destroys and brings about transformation, and then we can rise like a phoenix from the ashes to be re-born in a new and different way.

Love forecast for April

Venus is in Pisces through April 19, and it is very comfortable here. This will work well for all water and earth signs, but especially Scorpio as it falls in the 5th house of love. This is soft, romantic energy connected with dreaminess and the imagination. Venus enters Aries April 20, changing love energies as Aries is ruled by Mars. Venus is at its detriment in this sign, which means the energy does not flow as well, and is more aggressive. Aries will work well for all fire signs however, especially Leo.

Mars is the other significant planet when it comes to love, and is in Gemini all month. Mars rules men and action as well as sex. Mars in Gemini is placed in Mercury's sign and communication becomes more important. Change and doing interesting or different things will become more significant as Gemini can't stand to be bored, or with those who can't communicate and explore different ideas. Approaches to love can take on a more Mercurial tone.

New and full moons are about ourselves and our partnerships

April's New moon falls on April 5, at 15 degrees of Aries. This is the first New Moon of Spring and Aries rules the first house of self, self-interests.

With its square to Saturn and Pluto this Moon will be a powerful agent for change. There can be a feeling of uncertainty or even  fear. While there is a strong desire for change there will likely also be blocks to your progress. This does not spell failure but rather a need to examine and deal with the blocks, or with the bag of rocks you may be dragging around with you.

April 19, the Full Moon falls at 29 degrees of Libra, the sign ruling the 7th house of partners, partnerships, marriage and relationships.

This Moon will be about relationships, and in some cases endings. Others may desire to seek out companionship at this time. Libra seeks balance in all things. As this Moon squares Pluto there can be blocks, internal blocks, confrontations with subconscious problems and disruptions in the home. Overall however, Libra seeks peace and companionship.

Three major planets retrograde: Time to re-access

Sometimes you need to understand an idea and all that it embodies and this is what will happen when Jupiter retrogrades at 24 degrees of Sagittarius on April 10. Jupiter in Sagittarius is optimistic and enthusiastic and Jupiter is at home here, but sometimes we need to check our enthusiasm and get down to facts. This will represent a time of philosophical and spiritual reflection and a fine tuning of ideas. Jupiter retrograde has a weaker energy, but it is still typically beneficial. Jupiter will turn direct again on August 11, at 14 degrees of Sagittarius.

Pluto retrogrades at 23 degrees of Capricorn on April 23. Pluto is the planet that brings absolute change and transformation when it moves through your chart. Many things go undercover now and agendas will be hidden. Issues relating to joint monies and investments, partnerships, lawsuits and sex will be internalized during this period allowing us to look at things from a different viewpoint. Pluto is about making deep change that goes beneath the surface. One way of looking at this is destruction of that which is no longer working, which will now become obvious.

Saturn turns retrograde April 30, at 20 degrees of Capricorn, having moved through more than half of its cycle in the sign it rules. It begins its yearly backward motion April 17, and turns direct again September 18, at 13 degrees of Capricorn. This is a time of internal re-structuring where we can look at our basic foundation and make changes.

Other significant dates in April

April 2, Mercury is conjunct Neptune. This transit began March 22, when Mercury was retrograde and conjuncted Neptune. Mercury is now direct and this is the final pass. But, expect continued confusion, evasion, deception and lack of clarity until Mercury separates from Neptune which will take another 3 or 4 days.

April 10, Venus conjuncts Neptune. This can be creative and dreamy, but as Neptune rules illusion, be careful what you chose to believe, especially regarding relationships. The Sun squares Saturn at 20 degrees of Capricorn. This is not a time to take shortcuts as you may be tempted. At worst you could experience rejection, criticism, or an unsettled and worried feeling but this will pass in a few days.

April 13, the Sun squares Pluto. All Pluto transits can be obsessive in nature, and increase your need to be in control, which can lead to serious ego conflicts with authority figures. It is important to watch for destructive behavior on your part or someone else's. Deeply rooted psychological issues can surface relating to many situations including relationships. Best case scenario is that some type of deep transformation can occur, but not without a great deal of work. We will see issues of control and abuse of power play out in the world.

April 17, Mercury enters Aries. Communication changes dramatically as Mercury enters the sign ruled by Mars. Expect more direct and aggressive communication over the next month.

April 20, The Sun enters Taurus the second sign of spring when the weather begins to stabilize. Taurus rules the 2nd house of money and possessions, and likes comfort and the material things that go with it.

April 22, the Sun conjuncts Uranus. Look for sudden and unexpected events, sudden changes of course, and this could be a day to experience something totally different.

April 27, Mars squares Neptune at 17 degrees of Gemini/Pisces. This day may seem confusing, tiring and discouraging. We could see or hear of scandals, lies and deceptions. The higher use of this energy is compassion, spirituality and creativity.

 

Mercury turns direct but things get worse before better

All of the planets were direct throughout February and this changed with Mercury's retrograde on March 5.

When Mercury turns direct Thursday, (9:59AM, EST) all the planets will once again be direct for the next 12 days until Jupiter turns retrograde on April 10. This will be one last period to move forward and get things done without so many blocks just before the yearly outer planet retrogrades begin. There will not be another time in 2019 when all of the planets are direct.

When Mercury reverses course expect it to be an especially confusing if not maddening day. This is typical when Mercury turns stationary direct, as the energies change and projects and plans may reverse course again one way or another. There are more glitches during the period Mercury turns retrograde, known as the stationary retrograde period, and the Mercury direct period called, the Mercury direct station which will last until April 3.

There are further complications because Mercury is conjunct Neptune. This creates confusion, lack of clarity, tirdness, anxiety and depression in some cases, illusion, deception and outright lies and this energy that all started last week.

It can be hard to see the forest for the trees, you can feel confused or misunderstand information (or not). This is tricky and deceptive energy and it will be with us through at least April 4, and it will take a few days after this for the planets to separate and then we may have some light shed on many different situations.

Mercury conjucnts Neptune:The mental kaleidoscope

As we near the end of the Pisces season, we are going to experience a big dose of Neptunian energy as retrograde Mercury (which rules our thinking) meets up with Neptune, the planet of illusion, confusion and delusion.

Mercury (retrograde) is conjunct Neptune and this transit is exact March 24, but the energy will remain with us through April 4.

Mercury is considered at its detriment in Pisces which means it is weak, but even more active during its retrograde.

This transit will be very powerful, especially during the retrograde period. Mercury will turn direct March 28 at 9:59 AM, EST. This will affect those with mutable planets (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius) at 15-17 degrees to a greater degree.

With this energy we can expect confusion, lack of clarity, mental fogginess, mis-information or lies, and it will be difficult to get to the truth. It is important not to act on important situations, make important decisions, or even act on information you may receive as it may not be correct. Clarity will be a much needed quality. You could feel tired, drained and dreams may be vivid during this time. This can create or cause paranoia and fear that may or may not be based on reality.

Many things may be revealed on this transit, and they may or may not be true. It is important to use caution while driving as Mercury rules travel and young people, and it would be easy for a driver to drift off and not pay attention. Drugs and alcohol could be a problem to those who have tendencies in this direction.

Intuitive abilities, creativity and compassion for others may be high at this time. This could be a time for spiritual meditation and reflection. There could be an interest in metaphysical studies, the occult and mystical topics.

Expect to see this play out in the world in terms of water related weather conditions or gas fires/explosions, confusion, stories involving scandals, lies and propaganda, and Mercury-Neptune rules pictures and video,  intrigues and secret affairs. We could hear news of religious organizations and children. This transit also rules poisons and all manner of underhanded techniques. We could hear of mysterious or drug related deaths or other situations involving drugs.

Full moon in Libra: Should I stay or should I go?

This month's full moon will fall at 0 degrees of Libra on March 20, and this is considered a Supermoon.

A Supermoon appears larger due to its closer approach to the earth (perigee) and is connected with increased tidal activity and weather or earth related catastrophes/conditions.

Libra rules the 7th house of committed relationships and partnerships, and it is here our concerns will lie during this moon. Many will seek balance and harmony and work to avoid major conflicts and issues.

On the same day, the Sun enters Aries (welcome Spring!) opposing the moon, and this amps up emotional energies. The Sun in Aries is ruled by Mars, the God of War (Mars rules men) while the moon in Libra is ruled by Venus (Venus rules women). As the Sun is conjunct Chiron, 'the wounded healer' there will be a spotlight on deep-seated issues within relationships and a need to heal and move forward. This applies to the collective as well as the individual.

As Venus is square Mars we can expect conflict between the sexes! Jealousy could be a theme to those so inclined in this direction. Alternatively with this combination sparks can fly, and this can indicate sexual attraction, romance and fun but does not necessarily imply compatibility or longevity. We could hear of sex related scandals.

The Moon's quincunx to Uranus can bring out unconventionality, rebels and attention seekers. We may see more than our share of conspiracy theories and fringe attention seekers as this aspect often seeks to shock with outrageous behavior. at the same time, there may be some who are ahead of their time in terms of thinking.

Mars trine Pluto can help in terms of dealing with deep-seated issues or group interests, and Mercury sextile Saturn can lend itself toward mental stability and clarity.

With a full moon in Libra some relationships can end, but there would have to be other indicators in the chart. Other relationships may move to a different level.

Those born with Pluto in the early degrees of Libra may experience more change and drama than others ( October 1971-April 72, August-November 1972). If you have a planet in a Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) you will feel the effects of this moon more strongly.

The energy of a full moon can begin as much as a week before,but events connected to this moon can also be delayed with retrograde Mercury.

Venus squares Mars: Sparks will fly!

Venus is square Mars this week, and this transit will peak, or be exact March 21.

Venus square Mars is associated with trouble between the sexes. This does not mean that everyone will be fighting but there will be an air of conflict and any connection between these planets implies interaction between the sexes.

This is not the time to bring up confrontational issues, as this is spirited energy and it falls on the heels of the Full Moon in Libra, which will be focused on relationships. This will especially be the case if your relationship is unstable or going through a problematic period. Venus square Mars is associated with anger, lack of self control and impatience. It could also involve money matters or some other social problem.

If your relationship generally runs smoothly and there are no major issues, there should not be a big problem, but it is feisty to say the least. In this case it could be an opportunity to interact and enjoy each other's companionship or try something different.

This transit can increase your interest in sex, and meeting others. If you do meet someone new on this transit, it could be a sexual attraction that does not necessarily imply compatibility. This could be a good time for social activity in general if you observe the pitfalls.

This transit will play out in the world in terms of news about men and women, scandals, impropriety or money issues.

New Moon in Pisces-Ball of confusion

The new moon falls on March 6, at 16 degrees of Pisces. It is conjunct Neptune and the Sun. It may feel more like a full moon, and with the Neptune influence, and I am calling this moon The Ball of Confusion.

The Sun, Moon, Neptune conjunction will represent confusing circumstances at best. Add to this Uranus's transit into Taurus on the same day, and Mercury's retrograde in Pisces, and many thing will become unclear and/or difficult to comprehend. People may mis-speak, offer confusing information or lie at worst. For some it may be hard to think clearly and this energy may seem depressing or hard to handle.

Neptune or Pisces transits can be difficult as its hard to understand clearly what is going on. Neptune is associated with delusion, and that includes self-delusion. Things may be revealed at this time, and it is worth noting, Neptune transits often involve sacrifice of some kind.

As Uranus enters Taurus change will occur swiftly in our lives and the collective, and those with fixed planets in their charts from 0-1 degree (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) change will occur immediately, if not already. We will see big changes and turmoil in the world with this transit.

Mercury turns retrograde March 5, confusing things even further, and this alone will complicate things even further. As Pisces is ruled by Neptune, expect confusion over the next 3 weeks with this retrograde, the first of the year. When a retrograde occurs around a new or full moon delays can occur and the events of the New Moon may take longer to play out.

My advice is to take nothing at face value, check your facts, and don't act on important situations until this energy passes, unless you know for certain what you are doing.

Neptune transits frequently involve drugs and alcohol, but if there is no issue here this moon alone will not be powerful enough to create one.

The higher side of this energy is compassion, spiritual pursuits and creativity, and these qualities will be seen during this moon as well.

Don't be surprised if dreams do not become vivid and personal intuition can be enhanced.

The affects of this moon, and retrograde Mercury have already started. This energy will be with us until at least a week after the New moon and Mercury remains retrograde until March 28.