Astro Tips for April 2013

New Moon is 20 degrees of Aries on April 10^th:  New Beginnings

For the first few weeks of April we are graced with a trio of energy: The Sun, Mars and Venus are conjunct in the sign of Aries, the first sign and the first fire sign. 

What is Sun and Mars in Aries good for?

Spring housecleaning

Anything that requires confidence and long hours

Being a bully (so be careful on the giving and receiving side)

Sudden fevers/illnesses

Getting well quickly

Heart problems—try not to break a heart

Passionate involvement with life

Fires

Really energetic children (watch them closely)

Anger & irritability

Impatience

Initiating self-improvement programs

Strength

Courage

Running in a marathon

Kick boxing

Imagining you are kick-boxing

Feeling good about yourself

LOTS OF ENERGY-getting a lot done

What are Venus and Mars conjunct in Aries good for?

Trouble with the opposite sex

Competition

CREATIVITY

Arguing

Love-making

Metallurgy

Buying nice jewelry

Vitality

Vivaciousness

Generosity of spirit

Sporting events (but avoid fire arms and fireworks)

LOTS OF ENERGY-getting a lot done

This is the energy of the New Moon in Aries: Enthusiastic, and without a thought of defeat, we jump ahead with ideas and creative outpourings.

By the day of the New Moon on April 10^th, Mercury lags behind at 24 degrees of Pisces.  Maybe our minds are still musing about the past or maybe some of us are still in the dreamy Pisces clouds, but the Sun, Moon, Mars and Venus are all connected in Aries and we are running through the gates out onto the track.

Aries is passionate, brave, inventive, impulsive and ready to try anything once.  Aries is the unique individual and sometimes Aries is the hero who jumps out of the boat to save someone.  We all have independent, “me-first” Aries, somewhere in our horoscopes.  This New Moon in Aries allows us to witness ourselves as Aries warriors (handsome, pretty and egotistically bothersome at the same time).

The March Full Moon had Sun, Mars and Uranus conjunct.  We felt impatient then and we still feel impatient.  Now however, at this New Moon, Mars has moved away from Uranus, hooked up with Sun and Venus to give us energy to move forward. This is great for being impulsive in fun ways….get in the car and go see wildflowers.  This is bad energy for getting into arguments. Venus always wants to relate and be cooperative; Mars is competitive so the combo brings cooperation with an attitude!

Moon, Sun, Mars, Venus all together in Aries for the New Moon produces abundant creative juice.  Plug it in somewhere and let it create a whole new universe!

Ever notice that there is one day around the Vernal Equinox when you look out and see that the whole world has blossomed again?  It’s spring. We are alive and passionately ready to plant seeds.  We anticipate new challenges.  This is the energy of the New Moon in Aries: Enthusiastic and without a thought of defeat, we jump ahead with ideas and creative outpourings.  There are certainly other planetary aspects to grab our attention and cause us to be perturbed, but I suggest we simply enjoy the gift of spring renewal and let it dissolve all negativity for the moment.

Finally the planets begin to shift. Sun/Venus/Mars step into Taurus and we connect with Mother Earth.

On April 15^th, Venus moves on into Taurus and by April 20^th, planet Mars will step into the sign of Taurus and bring calmness.  Mars will still be traveling near the Sun (also in Taurus on April 19^th).  We continue to have strong, intense, willful energy that can accomplish a great deal.  Taurus is an earth sign, so the Mars/Sun conversation may slow down.  It may get stuck. It may turn stubborn or maybe just careful.  Still it’s a wonderful trio to have--Sun/Venus/Mars in Taurus—because Taurus is strongly creative. We get triple Taurus creativity.  Venus rules Taurus and connects us with Mother Earth.  The Sun entering Taurus makes us want to see the results of our planted seeds.  We give thanks for bountiful growth.

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is April 25 at 5 degrees of Scorpio: Taurus is the solid container. Scorpio is the mystery inside.  During this Lunar Eclipse, we can expect the mystery and container to know each other.

Then, on April 25^th, the Lunar Eclipse happens with the Moon full at 5 degrees of Scorpio.  Great things will be happening for some folks.  There can be moments of stepping into new life chapters.  The planetary combinations during this eclipse—Sun/Venus/Mars in Taurus opposing Moon and Saturn in Scorpio—can bring form and grounding to everything you have been working on.  Think about what you have been focusing on since the beginning of the year.  This is a time of reaching a new place of comprehension, fulfillment or release.  It could be a period of re-construction or re-adjustment. Taurus and Scorpio are the money arenas of the Zodiac. Do you have something for sale? Are you expecting a windfall?  Here it comes.  Something big may happen with the stock market….let’s hope it is good news. If you have been struggling with a relationship, expect enlightenment. Taurus is the container while Scorpio is the mystery inside.  We can expect the mystery and the container to connect.

We start the month of April with passionate Aries.  We end the month with a passionate Scorpio eclipse.  We are constantly bombarded with news from the Universe and from pundits. It is easy to feel confused and overwhelmed with all the stimuli.  So far in 2013 it feels like the energetic forces are extremely strong.  It is a challenge to respond to all that is offered.  Here are a few poetic lines to bring us back to the rock we live on:

“Wherever you are is home

And the earth is paradise

Wherever you set your feet is holy land.”

            Wilfred Pelletier & Ted Poole

Take a deep breath and exhale.

Early March offers invitation to swim in our whole brain!

The sign of Pisces is associated with the surrender of the personal ego.  When ego falls away doors open:  we connect with the collective unconscious, we experience acute empathy for those who are suffering, we speak from a place that transcends judgment and analysis, we translate beauty into the earth plane and most importantly we hear our own inner voice.  Early March is full of invitations to experience surrendering to something bigger than oneself.  The Neptunian realms reach a peak at the New Moon on March 11 when the Moon and Sun join Mars, Venus, Chiron, Mercury (retrograde) and Neptune in Pisces.  We will be swimming in our whole brains by then.  One of the things I’ve noticed is an uncanny knack for finding things that seem to be lost.  It makes sense that stuff gets lost during Mercury retrograde (especially in spacey Pisces, ruled by Neptune).  On three occasions I found myself being able to visually track what happened to the missing “thing.”  What are you experiencing during this heavy Pisces-Neptunian time?  Are you planning a cruise into deep waters???  Are your dreams plentiful and unusual?  Are you drawn to beauty and creativity?  Are you longing to escape this earth pad?  Are you reading people’s minds or seeing into the future?  Are you suffering too much?  Are alcohol, drugs, food, or other addictions on your radar? Have you reconnected with a soul mate? Are you communicating with your pet in a new way? The Science Channel has a program running right now on what might happen if we learned a space ship was on its way to Earth with a cargo of aliens.  Interesting.  Pisces is about the great beyond—outer space, the Universe, and the many dimensions that exist (without gravity and density) simultaneously with what we know. 

The Spring Equinox March 20^th : time to walk in many worlds

On March 20, the Sun enters Aries and we celebrate the Spring/Vernal Equinox.  Some have speculated that this Spring Equinox signals the end of 3D life as we know it.  It is time to walk in many worlds.  Time to master that Pisces thing!  It is time to hold the space of divine equality and connectiveness even in the midst of strange happenings in Washington, D C.  A Supreme Court Judge minimizes the Voting Rights Act on the same day that a statue is unveiled to honor Rosa Parks, a pioneer civil rights icon.  With the big oceanic energy of Pisces, we are asked to hold the tension of this strange polarity.  We become witnesses without judgment.  We just stare and look at it.  When the Sun rolls into Aries, the first sign, we ignite and step into our warrior costume.  The softness of Pisces begins to fade.  However, Mercury retrograde in Pisces continues to keep our attention on our unconscious.  Take time to examine that unconscious.  It’s easy right now to use the Pisces Mercury to grasp what is going on in the collective unconscious.  It seems to me that the political arena is the outer-most manifestation of our collective unconscious.  Don’t go to sleep.  Look at it.  Feel the energy of it.  Then breathe and let it go, or, join an organization to let your conscious self be heard.

The Earth is our Mother we must take care of her

The astrological impact of the Spring Equinox is seen in the union of Mars and Uranus forming a T-cross with the Moon and Pluto.  The Moon/Pluto duo brings intense emotional experiences and reactions.  Mars and Uranus together always suggest upheaval, battles, unexpected violent events and sudden awakenings.  We are shocked into awakening this spring. We cannot postpone waking up and seeing the horrors of human behavior.  This does not mean we should ignore the blooming of the flowers.  Of course we should be grateful for an armload of tulips.  Again, we experience the strain of beauty existing side by side with angry, hostile humans.  The spring equinox is about Mother Earth and the renewal of life, so please take some moments to honor the process of life and to awaken to what is really important here on our planet.

The Full Moon in Libra March 27^th:  welcome to the conscious transformational journey

By the time of the Full Moon on March 27^th, Mercury will be direct in Pisces and still sitting close to Neptune and Chiron.  We are capable of great compassion at this moment on Planet Earth.  We are also capable to going to sleep and being taken over by scam artists.  We are capable of going into a trance and floating off.   We are capable of “talking” to beings in another galaxy. 

The Full Moon has good news and bad news.  The good news is that Sun and Venus are holding hands at 6 degrees of Aries.  What a lovely start to the spring.  However, Mars and Uranus are also holding hands right there by the Sun and Venus.  It’s all opposing the Moon.  The Sun and Venus together should be loving, friendly, relational and creative.  The Sun and Uranus together says big inventions and creations are possible.  Mars hanging out with all these “deities” gives an enormous punch.  It’s all in Aries, the fire sign of initiative and new beginnings.  The bad news:  impulsive actions, accidents, eruptions and fires, sudden illnesses and lots of ego prancing in Washington and other political arenas—even in your own home!  The Moon opposing in Libra offers the light of cooperation and negotiation.  Let the light of the Full Moon bring wisdom and understanding.

The Full Moon also delivers a Jupiter Yod in Gemini.  Opportunities for some people will be life-changing if they can be managed appropriately.  A Saturn Yod in Scorpio means we must adjust to some new responsibilities or some losses (perhaps the economic cut-backs are indicated by this aspect).  The Full Moon day is powerful. There could be talk of war because Mars is in Aries, home base for Mars the warrior.  There could be unexpected violence.  On the positive side, Mercury and Saturn offer some sensibility to the other planets so hopefully there will be thoughtfulness before action.  Patience does not come easy around March 27^th.  Watch out for road rage freaks.  Watch out for your own temper.  Stay close to loved ones where you feel safe.  It is not easy to live in our 3 dimensional neighbors and be sensitive to all the energies that are stirred up in those arenas.  That is the hard part of the shift that is happening.  There are fewer boundaries between us and other living fauna and flora!  We are indeed more sensitive to each other, to our environment, to animals, to intangible energies, and we are more sensitive to our inner selves. We are going to learn how to trust and utilize our sensitivity. We have a lot to learn about being “humans without boundaries” who can also function wisely in the 3D earth plane. We have much to learn about being multidimensional.  In the 1979 Dr. Brough Joy published a book titled, Joy’s Way: A Map for the Transformational Journey.  Dr. Joy said,  “You are not inside your body. Your body is inside you.”  Welcome to the new frontier. Welcome to the conscious transformational journey.

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, February 2013

What’s up with Mercury retrograde in Pisces?

Mercury begins its first retrograde phase of 2013 at 20 degrees of Pisces on February 23^rd.   Neptune rules Pisces and is currently transiting Pisces (Neptune’s  home).  Neptune is the fog and the deep blue sea. We can get lost in both.  I expect this retrograde period to be a little tough.  Neptune tends to dissolve what it touches.  Mercury is the mind and communication.  Neptune will make it hard to stay on track mentally.  Expect to misplace objects.  Hold onto your keys! Any planet in Pisces is compromised in its ability to focus.  We might start preparing now.  Get organized. Have the “to-do” list prominently displayed.

Let your mind be open and flexible   

We know from experience that Mercury retrograde brings up electronic/ computer problems as well as mechanical problems.  Problems may be a little harder to diagnose with Mercury in Pisces since Pisces is a feeling, intuitive sign.  During this Mercury period (February 20 to March 17) problem solving is best approached with a relaxed mind that is open and flexible.

Time does not exist!

And that brings us to the most important aspect of Mercury retrograde.  It is always an opportunity to think out of the box; to slow down the mind; to let our thoughts drift; to stare into the fire; to gaze at the sky; and to step out of culturally ordained time.  Mercury retrograde in Pisces gives you three weeks to soften the mind and to think with authenticity and originality.

Re-boot your life

Mercury retrograde will still require left-brain attention to appointment times and all scheduling details.  Be sure you show up to the party on the right day!  Avoid signing important documents unless they have been reviewed by more than one set of eyes and brain cells.  Buy a new car if your jalopy falls apart.  Avoid buying new toys or merchandise on a whim since you might end up needing to return the items.

Mercury retrograde is full of “RE” words:  recheck you data; re-read the document before you send it; re-think what you want to say when you get mad; re-run any medical test that is scary or threatening; re-dream what you think you want in your life.  Finish projects that got put on the shelf.  Think about re-booting not just your laptop but also you body and mind.  Re-start that exercise and mindful eating program. Re-ignite the love in your partnership.  

Mercury in Pisces is otherworldly…Go Away! I’m busy transcribing from the cosmos!

Keep in mind that many of us have stepped into a new experiential realm.  It is easier now to walk through vibrational doorways and visit other dimensions.  Our earth plane is just one realm of experience.  With Mercury retrograde in Pisces, we might easily slip into other places in the Universe! That’s exciting.  This is a good time to practice our “psychic” skills or to “download” new information that upgrades our spiritual understanding.  Yes, we might find ourselves spacing out into the non-tangible dimensions.  Some of us might be communicating with animals (or getting messages from them).  Maybe I will hang out a sign that says:  “Go away.  I’m busy transcribing from the cosmos.”  Sounds like a good few weeks for a sabbatical from work.  That would be terrific for Mercury retrograde in Pisces; however, there is still that to-do list that never goes away.  Perhaps the best way to manage this retrograde period is to honor the sign of Pisces with your mind:  carve out some time to meditate, read spiritual writings, read or write poetry, attend artistic functions and spiritual gatherings, take up your paintbrush and give it a go, sign up for a flower arranging class, get a Tarot reading or have a Reiki session, go to a musical event that inspires you and touches your heart, and go to the lake and listen to the birds and the wind.  Pisces is an imaginative energy.  Take time to honor Pisces and I predict you will not misplace your keys.

Mercury retrograde in Pisces February 23^rd to March 17^th.