All Times Pacific: Astrology Report April 16–23
“The stars are like letters that inscribe themselves at every moment in the sky. Everything in the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated. All things depend on each other. Everything breathes together.” Plotinus
Friends, we have another quiet week of aspects ahead. Sunday April 16 only lunar aspects are exact, but with moon sextile Mercury in the afternoon and sextile Uranus in the evening a great time for enlightening communications, writing, filming, editing. Exploring new tech may help us streamline areas of life that have become unnecessarily burdensome.
With Pluto in Aquarius and slowing down to stationary retrograde May 1, change is demanded by circumstances inner and outer. When Pluto returns to Capricorn June 11 we’ll have the rest of the year to ponder what happened in Spring. Many of us will have met challenges we found overwhelming. Sudden changes. New circumstances. The return to Pluto in Capricorn may feel comforting. We now have the opportunity to use that placement’s focus on learning, practice and preparation to better handle 2024 when Pluto is mostly in Aquarius, then 2025 to 2044 the Pluto in Aquarius decades.
Sunday evening might be a good time to consider how things may have changed since the end of March when Pluto left Capricorn for the first time since 2008. So here we are in uncharted territory, individually and collectively. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius we had revolutions in America, France, Ireland, and in general the empowerment of the people and the disempowerment of elites. With Pluto in Aquarius utopian and dystopian futures are probably different from what can now be imagined. The acceleration of technological advancement may leave many longing for simpler times. Aquarius favors science, youth, freedom, diversity, equality, statistics, the humanitarian and the artistic.
April 17 Monday, Tue April 18, and Wed April 19 only lunar aspects are exact. But on April 19 the new moon arrives with a solar eclipse in late Aries at 9:13 AM. The saying goes that solar eclipses indicate new beginnings. You’d think it a good time for starting projects except Mercury retrograde is imminent and indicates times when starting fresh doesn’t seem to fare as well as finishing.
April 20 Thursday the sun leaves anxious Aries for placid unless provoked Taurus at 1:14 AM. As the weather warms up, the focus turns to comfort and security. However in the late morning sun square Pluto is exact. This aspect began last Sunday and it ends Wed April 26. With Pluto only eleven days from stationary retrograde this square is quite strong. Generally the trend is obvious with Pluto, but tends to be cruel when necessary reforms and repairs are ignored. If you see areas in your life that resemble this predicament there’s no need for urgency, but the problem will need attention sooner or later. Where possible fix problems before tomorrow when Mercury is also stationary retrograde.
Stationary retrograde Mercury and Pluto together most likely indicate big news, disturbing revelations in politics and other areas of mass influence. This is a prelude to Jupiter square Pluto, which begins April 25 and is exact May 17, leaving just before summer begins. which could be a challenging time in the areas of financial markets, politics, the courts, and war. Optimism may be tested. Yet this aspect can also indicate opportunities for diplomacy, profit and achievement. Arrogance, success at the expense of others, power grabs and other Pluto reactions to ambition and greed seem to have harsher consequences during this aspect. In our own lives we can avoid spending our time judging others. Swedenborg reported that the key emotion of hell is relishing not giving support while lamenting that we are unsupported. Instead look for inspiration. As Thoreau wrote: “How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.”
April 21 Friday Mercury retrograde begins at 1:35 AM. Famous for confusion, delays, detours, accidents, lapses, breakdowns (retrogrades are an time appropriate for repairs), but it can also indicate a good time for finishing, for contemplating, for resting up, recharging, and relaxing. We can look back over the path we’ve taken and consider where we’re headed. With Pluto stationary we may be tempted to obsess over imaginary problems. Giordano Bruno had a crisp saying about wasting time on apprehension. “What can be more stupid than to be in pain about future things and absent ones which at present are not felt?”
April 22 Saturday only lunar aspects are exact.
April 23 Sunday Mercury sextile Mars is exact bringing extra energy to communications and travels. Avoid aggressive moves in conversation and commuting. Repressed anger and ambition can turn simple chats into arguments. As Emerson wrote: “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” Life is about learning, not perfection.
The following week has few aspects but Mars is active especially toward the end of the week with Mars square Chiron April 27 and Mars sextile Uranus April 29. The square can indicate health problems, including injuries, often caused by repression, anger, violence, frustrated ambition. With various threats to health in the public sector ongoing, and especially with Pluto almost stationary retrograde, taking precautions to minimize risk seems advisable. The sextile can be liberating but erratic. The desire to get outside, to do something new will be very strong. But with Pluto stationary only days away mindfulness is needed.
If you’ve ever considered keeping a journal or a dream journal this would be a good time to begin. If you have a journal you’ve neglected, why not dust it off? In years to come you’ll likely want to look back at what happened in your experience when Pluto entered Aquarius in 2023. On the other hand, this quote from Krishnamurti describes the ideal way to meet Pluto in Aquarius: “Forget all you know about yourself; forget all you have ever thought about yourself; start as if you know nothing.”
