Hi Everyone

Hope your new year (astrological) is off to a good start. Three planets start their fairly lengthy retrograde motion during April. This retrograde motion, which appears “backwards,” balances the forward thrust of Spring energy. April may be experienced as a very inner time, depending on how these retrogrades impact your natal chart. The first third of the month is pretty quiet, so enjoy!

April 10: Jupiter stations retrograde at 1:00 p.m. EDT at 24⁰ Sagittarius

Jupiter is the planet of expansion, good fortune, and optimism. Being the largest planet in our solar system, he can seem bigger than life, and he is currently (and will remain) in his own sign, Sagittarius, the quester for Truth, but not known for its diplomacy. When Jupiter retrogrades, several things can happen. We can become less optimistic, more reserved and our quest for truth can enter a more inward and withdrawn phase. We may want to be alone more; it can be good time to deepen our meditation practice, and on the global stage there may be less optimism about how things are going to turn out and the “us versus them” attitude can be more pronounced. Jupiter will remain retrograde until August.

April 24: Pluto stations retrograde at 2:45 p.m. EDT at 23⁰ Capricorn

Pluto begins his six-month retrograde back through Capricorn this month. As with all planets moving from west to east, as we perceive it, the energy expresses itself more inwardly. Pluto, as you all know by now, is the planet of deep-seated transformation, and all change begins inwardly before it expresses outwardly. Old, firmly entrenched attitudes and fears can be transformed during this period. On the global stage it could mean that some of the structures and systems (Capricorn) that we have created could implode (retrograde motion) rather than explode. Time will tell. Pluto’s retrograde motion will end in October, and he will still be in Capricorn.

April 29: Saturn stations retrograde at 8:55 p.m. EDT at 20⁰ Capricorn

Well, this is pretty exciting – having both Saturn and Pluto station retrograde within days of each other, next to each other (conjunct) in the same sign! And they will remain next to each other throughout the retrograde period. (Saturn retrograde ends in September.) So, you’re asking, what does this all mean? Saturn represents male authority figures, both personal and global, fear, lack, restriction, lessons – sounds fantastic, right? But without limits we wouldn’t grow. Pluto represents transformation, so between them they can provide energy to transform (Pluto) our fears, quiet the inner critic (Saturn) so that we can truly utilize this inner time to loosen the hold of the personality and move more into our truth as spiritual beings. While these energies will impact us all, those with planets in Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn will be most affected by these energies, but Capricorn makes some connection with some part of most everyone’s chart, I believe. On the global stage, April appears to me to be a time of restriction, fear, obvious evidence of structures that no longer work, and eventually a common realization that the old structures need to be changed to serve the highest and best for all.

The Sun enters Taurus on April 20 at 4:55 a.m. He will be right next to (conjunct) Uranus, planet of rebellion, the higher mind, and destroyer of outmoded forms. Taurus is an earth sign (the most stubborn of them all) and is an easy-flowing (trine) relationship with Saturn and Pluto. This month will have a lot of earth energy with so much planetary energy in this element. It may be a time of great healing for our beloved planet. Mars is the only planet in an air sign (Gemini), so the realm of ideas and the mental plane is still not well represented. Venus, the planet of love, and Neptune, the planet of compassion and redemption, are in the same water sign (Pisces), until Venus moves into Aries on the 20^th.

The New Moon occurs on April 5^th at 4:50 a.m. She’ll be at 15⁰ Aries. The Full Moon occurs on April 19^th at 7:12 a.m.  She’ll be at 29⁰ Libra.

Hope you have a wonderful April!

Peace and abundant blessings,

Margaret