All Times Pacific: Astrology Report April 9-April 16
Friends, we have before us a quiet week of few aspects. However Mercury and Pluto are slowing down to retrograde. Mercury will be stationary retrograde on April 21 and Pluto on May 1. With Mercury slowing down we may find delays. It’s a good time for finishing projects but careful attention is required for best results. May 1 is a key day of this Aquarian spring, a short holiday away from Pluto in Capricorn which we return to on June 12. A Venus Jupiter conjunction May 5 will help improve the situation. For many Pluto in Aquarius has brought zany events, non sequitor mysteries, but also on display are diverse group movements demanding liberty and equality. Friday’s Venus sextile Neptune is still with us offering dreamy pleasures, artistic inspiration, mystical intuitions, through Wednesday.
Easter Sunday April 9 only lunar aspects are exact. The evening looks dicey with moon inconjuct Mars in the early evening followed by moon inconjunct Mercury in the later evening. The first can be irritable and can indicate problems with digestion. With norovirus circulating out there the cause many not be mother’s cooking. Will dad (Mars) be the cause or the victim of this irritability, both most likely. Wash hands thoroughly and often, as this particular pest can survive on surfaces for weeks. The lunar Mercury inconjunction also indicates irritation, this time due to idle chatter and gossip stumbling across a volatile topic. A peaceful demeanor and mindful communication can help make this a more pleasant Easter for you and your family.
Mon April 10 Venus enters Gemini at 9:47 PM. Venus in it’s own sign of Taurus is a happy placement, well suited for the luxurious feeling of the arrival of spring. Attention usually turns to food, beauty, and sensual pleasures. Venus in Gemini is associated with flirtation, conversation, the bee buzzing from one flower to another to another. But Venus enters Gemini while squaring Saturn in Pisces. This square ends April 19. The consequences of promiscuous pleasures could be harsh. There’s a heavy karmic quality to what was intended to be a carefree frolic. In creative work this is a great aspect for editing, especially film and music. From April 18 to May 6 Venus will be square Neptune indicating confusion, deception, illusion, delusion, and discouragement. There can be exceptions, especially in creative work, if the effort is put in to gain inspiration. Empathy can help us prevent the more negative possibilities.
Emile Zola wrote: “The fear of life, the fear of burdens and of duties, of annoyances and of catastrophes! The fear of life, which makes us, through dread of its sufferings, refuse its joys. Ah! I tell you, this cowardliness enrages me; I cannot forgive it. We must live — live a complete life — live all our life.”
Tuesday April 11 Venus trine Pluto several hours before dawn and sun conjunct Jupiter are exact. The trine can help us refresh our lives. Romance, creativity, decor, fashion, and finances may need attention. What still works? What doesn’t work? Cathartic experiences can be liberating with this aspect, especially with sun conjunct Jupiter bringing a joyful optimism. The danger of the conjunction is that we overdo the good times and get stuck with hangovers and ill considered bills to pay. Find ways to wake up from the long Pluto in Capricorn winter. Stretch out. Get some fresh air. Clear away cobwebs that are obscuring your vision of what lies ahead. Perhaps consult your favorite oracle. As Iamblichus wrote in On the Mysteries: “The divine endowment of divination alone, therefore, being conjoined with the gods, imparts to us the divine life and likewise makes us participants of divine foreknowledge.”
Wed April 12 and Thu April 13 only lunar aspects are exact. At 2:11 AM April 13 the dark of the moon arrives, for many a low energy time better suited to finishing and to introspection than pushing forward with something new. Bell Hooks wrote: “Yesterday I was thinking about the whole idea of genius and creative people, and the notion that if you create some magical art, somehow that exempts you from having to pay attention to the small things.”
Friday April 14 Venus square Saturn is exact. Responsibilities may get in the way of pleasures. This aspect can indicate loneliness, but also the desire for alone time. In relationships it’s a good time for respecting boundaries, giving space, demonstrating by actions and not words. If at all possible keep depression and pessimism out of conversations, unless a discussion needs to occur. Meditation and chores can help us focus Venus in Gemini’s flighty search for fun distractions. For creative people this can be a powerful aspect of hard work and editing that removes excess to reveal beauty. As Emile Zola wrote: “I am an artist, and I am here to live out loud.”
Saturday April 15 and Sunday April 16 only lunar aspects are exact. Moon conjunct Saturn on Saturday night with Venus still strongly square Saturn suggests that going out to have a good time may not be as fun as imagined. Better for extra rest, learning something, practicing, or doing some chores, but as we do them, we can realize that chores are not drudgery, they are a form of ritual that prevents harm. As Bell Hooks wrote: “I feel that my environment reflects my belief in the grace and art and elegance of living simply.”
The following week is even quieter but there are challenges with Mercury retrograde and sun square Pluto. Slow down. The urgent energy of Pluto in Aquarius is only with us until the second week of June, then it’s back to the Pluto in Capricorn doldrums we’ve been stuck in since 2008. Pluto in Aquarius returns in early 2024 and rules most of that year but there will still be Pluto in Capricorn days then, too. We’re getting a glimpse of our individual and collective futures this spring. Learn, explore, communicate, try new things, but once summer gets here expect delays, and a return to the themes of Pluto in Capricorn. We could experience supply chain disruptions again. The spectacle of the battle between elder autocracies will be front and center. Likely we will see an even bigger push back by the powers that be against the rights of women and people of color as Pluto in Capricorn returns, but this will only serve to increase the response from younger generations to whom this Aquarian spring will have special meaning, see for example the fervor surrounding the Tennessee Three.
A link to my interview yesterday on YouTube with with Zachary Lui for Queen City Curio and Apothecary.
And a link to a playlist of my podcast interviews with the Theosophical Society, Aeon Byte, Thoth Hermes, Juan on Juan, My Family Thinks I’m Crazy, Ultraculture, Idiot Mystic, Destination Unlimited, Grimerica, Rebel Spirit Radio, and Camp Elasticity. There are many audio only including Earth Ancients, Natural Born Alchemist, Paradigms, End of the Road, and more, available on your favorite platforms.
