April 29 – May 5

Old doors closing, New doors opening

What to expect: Clearing
What to watch out for: Karmic reset
What will it affect? Achievement, responsibility, institutions

This week Saturn goes retrograde on April 29th. This happens every year, but this year, the retrograde occurs as Saturn conjuncts the south node of the moon. Saturn is karmic and so are the nodes. The south node also called the dragon’s tale is associated with reckoning type of karma. Have you been responsible, have you learned and what lessons remain? Saturn is in Capricorn and represents government, old institutions, time, calendars and clocks. Many have been feeling the passing of time. Do I have enough time, what did you do with your time? What are your achievements and how have you attained them? With Karma, ethics come into play. Right words, right behaviour. Are we getting better or getting worse. Saturn at the south node is a reckoning and a reset. Now we must account, clear the past and get ready to move forward.

Between April 30th and May 1st Mercury is in Aries sextile Mars in Gemini. This helps us to be quick and decisive. We may not give much thought to our actions. Moving forward will be somewhat easy. Venus is also conjunct Vesta in Aries and the two will make a trine to Ceres. When Venus and Vesta combine in the sign of Aries, we love and value work that moves us forward. We are pioneering and take courageous steps into new territory. The two also make a helpful aspect to Ceres in Sagittarius. We feel nurtured by the adventure of it. Our minds expand and we drink it up.

Why? Transiting Saturn Stationary, Mercury Sextile Mars, Venus Conjunction Vesta, Venus Trine Ceres, Vesta Trine Ceres,

Making Declarations

What to expect: Excitement
What to watch out for: Fear
What will it affect? Speech, thinking, work, passions

By May 1st and 2nd Mercury will square Saturn, Pluto, and the Nodes. Mercury in Aries can be thoughtless with words. There is a lack of tact with what is said. Words are powerful, they can’t be taken back, and they can change the direction of things. Think of declaration of any kind! Behind them are intentions, values, feelings, and beliefs. What are we declaring and what lies behind those declarations? Is it driven by fear? The square to Saturn brings in an element of fear and the square to Pluto – control and power. Are we abusive or responsible with our words? Words said now are potent and karmic!

On May 2nd Mercury will trine Jupiter. We swing back to being optimistic. Mercury in Aries doesn’t stay too long in a pity party. Jupiter in Sagittarius’s influence our thinking immediately jumps back to optimistic thoughts. We are open to learning. This is also a great time to share what you know! This would be a great time to present a talk or hold a workshop.

On the other hand, Venus and Vesta are still together and oppose Pallas. We can do some deep work on ourselves. This energy favours figuring out what passions define us and what our purpose is. The problem is that in an opposition to Pallas in Libra, we may see the perspectives of everyone and worry too much about how they will feel about our personal discoveries. The world needs your talent and passion. Don’t let the worry of what others think to block you from your path.

Why? Mercury Square Transiting Saturn, Mercury Square Transiting North Node, Mercury Square Transiting Pluto Venus Opposition Pallas, Mercury Trine Jupiter, Vesta Opposition Pallas

New Moon in Taurus

What to expect: Opportunity to set intentions
What to watch out for: Overconfidence
What will it affect? Achievements, success, stability, security

The New Moon is on May 4th at 14 Degrees of Taurus. Set intentions for grounding. The New Moon makes peaceful aspects to the Pluto, Saturn and Nodal energy currently at play. Though things may not be easy with many doors closing, remember also that the energy allows us to prepare for the doors that are opening. Taurus is predictable and reliable. It likes stability and is often resistant to change. How can we find stability and grounding in the midst of upheaval? Taurus asks you to build a plan, invest in things of quality and prepare the land for what is to come. Taurus can be very resourceful. Set intentions for taking care of yourself and your sense of security. If things have to change, what can you make sure remains enduring?

Mars will oppose Jupiter which will make us take risks. The good news is that they may work out, but the bad news is that they may not work out. Trust yourself and hold your own counsel. Others may try to overstate or be overconfident. At the same time, use the Taurus energy of the New Moon to check in with yourself. Are you being too optimistic? Are you overstating what is possible? Are you sticking with things long enough? Taurus lends us the energy for durability, but Mars opposing Jupiter may waste the opportunity.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is “A man with rakish silk hat, muffled, braves the storm.” It speaks about success but challenges you to continue the success you have won! G. K. Chesterton wrote in Heretics in 1905 “There is nothing that fails like success.”

“Neither in the world of politics nor that of literature, then, has the rejection of general theories proved a success. It may be that there have been many moonstruck and misleading ideals that have from time to time perplexed mankind. But assuredly there has been no ideal in practice so moonstruck and misleading as the ideal of practicality. Nothing has lost so many opportunities as the opportunism of Lord Rosebery. He is, indeed, a standing symbol of this epoch—the man who is theoretically a practical man, and practically more unpractical than any theorist. Nothing in this universe is so unwise as that kind of worship of worldly wisdom. A man who is perpetually thinking of whether this race or that race is strong, of whether this cause or that cause is promising, is the man who will never believe in anything long enough to make it succeed. The opportunist politician is like a man who should abandon billiards because he was beaten at billiards, and abandon golf because he was beaten at golf. There is nothing which is so weak for working purposes as this enormous importance attached to immediate victory. There is nothing that fails like success.”

Make sure your success is based on foundations and not just beginners luck. Others and life will challenge you to make sure your foundations for success are strong!

Why? New Moon at 14°Taurus, Mars Opposition Transiting Jupiter

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April 22 – 28

Relationship Expression

What to expect: Noticing differences
What to watch out for: Feeling less than
What will it affect? Relationships, partnerships, businesses

On April 23rd Venus in Aries will conjunct Chiron triggering another level of “who am I and can I be myself?” Relationships are the arena where this woundedness will emerge. Venus in Aries values freedom of expression and independence. This will come up with in relationships, but also may be the wounds that emerge from couples expressing to the world their independent way of being. Couples on the spectrum – sexual spectrum, autistic spectrum or social spectrum – may all feel hurt by the way they express their love.

Venus also rules money and business relationships. Wounds around identity in business and its relationship to others may also emerge. I’ve always been annoyed that no natural category emerges while doing taxes, or marketing or posting an event that describes what I do when forced to pick a category. The best option always seems to be “other” and in some ways invalidate what I do as a legit business. Others may experience something similar!

Mars in Gemini is trine Pallas in the partnership and relationship sign of Libra helping us to have conversations and to put into action ideas and strategies that may help to heal.

Why? Venus Conjunction Chiron, Mars Trine Pallas

Out with the Old, In with the New!

What to expect: Transformations
What to watch out for: Power plays
What will it affect? Old structures, new ideas, unusual partnerships

On April 24th Pluto goes Retrograde in Capricorn. Pluto has been in Capricorn for a number of years transforming government, big business, and the status quo. Called to transform, some of these institutions have been brought to the brink of ruin as structural issues have emerged Threatened by lack of structural integrity (think of the electoral system in the US or centralized vs decentralized banking system etc), the old structures have fought for survival, often using the plutonic energy to inappropriately try to hold onto to power. Pluto is retrograde in any given year for at least half of it, and during this time it goes over ground already covered. Embers that have persisted will ignite, taking things to a new level of transformation.

On the same day, Mercury will conjunct Vesta in Aries making it a very good time to write or speak about our passions and to let those passions forge us into unexplored territory? We can be pioneers of a new message! We can work hard to express ourselves and to get our message out! By April 26th Mercury will trine Ceres and words will serve to nurture. Mercury in Aries speaks of independence and courage. As those words reach us we feel a sense of nurturing. Ceres in Sagittarius will be able to take those words to nurture their need to fit things into the big picture.

My suggestion is to share your ideas over some community gardening or neighborhood greenhouse. Uranus in Taurus the sign of agriculture will also sextile Juno in Cancer, bringing us together in relationships and partnerships in unusual ways.

Why? Mercury Conjunction Vesta, Pluto Stationary retrograde, Mercury Trine Ceres, Uranus Sextile Juno

Disappointment and Deception

What to expect: Letdowns
What to watch out for: Being deflated
What will it affect? Communication, strategy, direction, relationships

March 27th is a tricky day as Mercury in Aries opposes Pallas in Libra and Mars in Gemini squares Neptune in Pisces. The Mercury Pallas opposition sets us up in an argument. Mercury in Aries has no filter and will say whatever is on its mind, but this will likely offend Libra in Pallas who has thought through the big relationship picture. Words like “selfish” or “self-centered” might get thrown around. The Mars square Neptune energy doesn’t make it any better. The likely hood for a little white lie or outright deception is great. This can be deflating and send us into disappointment. Disappointment is closely linked to our hopes and when hopes are crushed one of two things happens. Depression or Sinicism!

This is also one day you’ll want to stay away from major business decisions, especially if they involve partnerships. Chiron, the wounded healer will square partnership Juno, so this can be a painful one! Albeit one we can learn from!

Why? Mercury Opposition Pallas, Mars Square Neptune, Chiron Square Juno