After the rains come, all the colors glow more brightly. There is a freshness in the air. Life, though tested during the storm, was nourished at the root. This month, we exit cloudy oceanic waters and dry off. Aries marks the season of the Self. The season of the Warrior. The season of rebirth and reaching toward the light. Find your fight, and take off running! April is a month of change, vigor, and instability. There is A LOT going on this month. Many changing influences, sure to feel like turmoil at times. Breathe as you live through it all. It feels like a tumultuous tipping point.
April features an aspect pattern that has been presiding over our skies above since the fall of 2015: a MUTABLE T-SQUARE.
JUPITER IN VIRGO requests we hone our skills and become of greater service to this Earth.
SATURN IN SAGITTARIUS demands we learn more through experience, reshape our beliefs, and synthesize polarity.
Neptune in its home sign of Pisces cleanses us, anchoring us to the spiritual essence underlying all things. Read about the Saturn-Neptune Square portion of this aspect pattern HERE.
On March 25th, Saturn stationed Retrograde. From now until August 13, 2016, we are re-evaluating the structures of our lives. When Saturn is Retrograde, we can feel on shaky ground. Structures are more malleable as they face reconsideration and renovation. In Sagittarius, this evaluation lies primarily in our religions and belief systems, the way we determine meaning, faith, optimism, our ability to learn and expand, authenticity, and in the health of our bodies and the natural world.
March 31 Mercury conjunct Uranus. Free your mind, and your ass will follow. This is a genius aspect, excellent for working with community and technology. Communications and connections can bring liberation, awakening, and the opportunity to choose what untethers your thought process. Consider this a system-upgrade.
April 5 Venus enters Aries. The principle of love leaves Piscean waters of oceanic oneness. Whereas Venus in Pisces loves Being, Venus in Aries loves Doing. Get going! There is no time to waste! You know what you want because it lives in your heart, and in your instincts. Act in favor of those desires. Just do it. Venus in Aries brings revitalizes a love of Self. Shine your light brightly and boldly.
April 5 Mercury enters Taurus. While Venus (principle of love) says GO, Mercury (principle of Mind) says Slow. An excellent temperance. Whereas Venus in Aries can jump the gun or be impulsive, Mercury in Taurus is deliberate and practical, focused on a longterm range of building something of value and comfort. Venus is impatient, but Mercury stays the course. See if you observe this dichotomy at play within yourself this month. Mercury in Taurus is grounded, simple, and sensual. If you get stuck on something, follow your nose. The smell, the taste, the touch, the sound: use your body’s senses as your navigating system. Feel into your wisest investments. Notice what has staying power. Appreciate the beauty, comforts and securities available to you now, and please offer gratitude to the abundance that is.
April 6 Sun Square Pluto. Sun in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn. The rebellious youth faces off with powers that be: corporations, traditions, the patriarchy. Something in the ego has a brush with death, survives, and transforms through elimination of shadows no longer needed. The deep unconscious meets the conscious. A reckoning.
April 7 New Moon in Aries. This combustive Moon acts like a trigger point; a key turning in the ignition. Look for a more thorough update at QOYA.LOVE the day of the moon; complete with a free movement ritual to accompany for embodying your most fortuitous alignment.
"At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can." - Frida Kahlo
April 9 Sun conjunct Uranus. Awaken! Awaken! Liberate yourself! Consciousness is illuminating the IMPORTANCE OF COLLECTIVE, freedom, independence, and the progress of humanity. Change is here, now, at lightning speed. Do you allow it? Are you a bringer of innovation? Break the shackles in favor of the chain of love.
**The nature of upcoming transits is strong. Power and will have a particularly strong effect April 12th through 24th. Sometimes we feel transits the day they occur, and sometimes they influence us before/after/or surrounding the event. Each of us has a different propensity to experience transits depending on how they influence our natal chart and what our nature is. Ex: some almost always feel transits before they happen, because they are wired to be future-oriented. Learning about your natal chart can point to more information on your personal propensities.**
April 15 Mercury enters Shadow. Though Mercury is still Direct, the Mercury Retrograde (Rx) period begins when Mercury enters his shadow, as he does today. This Mercury Rx period runs between 23 and 14 degrees Taurus. Taurus, a fixed Earth sign, has us reconsidering our investments, our commitments, the things we preserve, tend, and nurture for growth. Financial matters, business, and banking are influenced. Gardens need extra attention. Stubbornness of mind contributes to stability, but it can also lead to rigidity and a lack of ability to compromise. Lazy mental patterns need to be addressed and reformatted. Some things never change. Where do you source a sense of peace, comfort, and security? How can you add to your sense of self-worth? Self-worth contributes to rootedness, stability, and your ability to offer richness and beauty to this world. Try gratitude. Giving honest thanks for yourself and your presence on this Earth awakens you to the abundance that is ever-present here. More than enough for every living creature.
April 17 Mars Rx in Sagittarius. For the month of April, Mars, the principle of War, is in Sagittarius, the sign of religion, truth, and belief. Mars rules our physical energy and vitality. When Mars travels retrograde (as he will until June 29), actions turn inward instead of outward. The energy we may have felt at the beginning of the month fades on the external plane. Your drive may falter. Direct your attentions to what you feel you can do, even as you conserve your energy. Work creatively. Gentle and regular exercise, especially hiking, outdoor sports, and martial arts, are highly therapeutic during this Rx period. Sagittarius is an ideological sign. Conflicts over polarized beliefs arise and capture our attention. We are still discovering what we, as a current global society, believe in. Keep your faith alive.
April 18 Pluto Rx in Capricorn. Pluto, the principle of Power, is in the sign of Capricorn (big business, corporations, control). As Pluto stations to go Rx, it is essential to focus on subconscious power structures that underlie and rule our lives. Surrounding this transit, something deep will come up to be eliminated. Trust in the removal of toxicity. We have tremendous powers to regenerate and transform darkness into light. Trauma may never go away. Rather, it becomes a part of us that we learn to embrace and synthesize into the whole of our being. A time of psychological reform. **Mars and Pluto stationing around the same time is significant. Traditionally, both of these planets were considered “malefic,” meaning they had a negative influence on Earth. Pluto is extreme and ruthless (it is pure power), and Mars is struggle/conflict/fighting. I try to avoid negative forecasting, but suffice it to say that something significant will likely occur in the global sphere as a result of both these planets stationing together. As an individual, focus your will, your strength, your courage, on upholding truth and synthesizing polarization. Wield your power with integrity. Be responsible for transforming destructive internal patterns that naturally reveal now.
April 19 Sun moves into Taurus. Pulling the reins. Tilling the soil. The Sun illuminates slow, steady, practical growth. We embark into the season of stability. Stop and smell the flowers. Enjoy your food. Bring vision and planning to your personal plot of land. Luxuriate in your senses. Most of all, be present. Within presence is peace.
April 19 Venus square Pluto. Venus, which rules Taurus, is still in Aries. Our relationships, and what we create, need to support both the daily details of our lives and the greater whole of the vision for our world. Today, we may be reckoning with addictions, past structures, and unconscious complexes we carry that keep attracting us to destruction. The power of the feminine is highlighted. Not the compromising, supporting-role feminine. The feisty warrior Goddess who leads troops into battle. Stand back.
April 22 Full Moon in Scorpio. The struggle is real. It is pointing us to release into an even greater spiritual healing en-masse. This Full Moon also marks Lunar Beltane, the halfway point between Spring and Summer. Traditionally, Beltane is a celebration of fertility and sexuality. Harken richness for the year ahead. Things can be over-the-top now, so practice moderation. Look for a more thorough update at QOYA.LOVE the day of the moon; complete with a free movement ritual to accompany for embodying your most fortuitous alignment.
April 22 Venus conjunct Uranus. A throwback to March 31st. Your mind was liberated then. Now your affections get free. System-upgrade to relationships, money, and communities. The network is phenomenal, and provides the relief-valve for some of the more difficult and toxic material that arose when Venus squared Pluto April 19th. A balm for co-dependence. Reach for relationships built from two strong, passionate, competent individuals coming together out of mutual desire, rather than need.
April 28 Mercury Rx. As Mercury slows to a perceived halt above, your thought processes, communications, travels, and errands might, too. For a description of Mercury Rx, see above in Mercury enters Shadow.
April 29 Venus enters Taurus. Our heart steadies and softens. Mercury Rx still has us deliberating about investments and building. Venus brings these choices into our heart and flesh. Our bodies know the way. An interest in stable, accountable partnership becomes attractive. Relish the exquisite beauty.
Blessed Be for April. 2016 is an exciting and dynamic year. Sure to never leave us bored. We are on the precipice of global shift. Each and every one of us matters and has an influence. Show up and use it!
It is clear that regardless of what tragedies may occur, regardless of a sense of inefficacy or meaninglessness that may linger in these times, we cannot succumb to hopelessness. Now, more than ever, we must take the reigns and own our ability to shine courageous light into this world.
Each and every one of us matters. Each and every one of us is host to tremendous power and effectiveness that is our birthright. How much are we willing to sit back and let life happen? When do we stand for ourselves, for each other, and our world to say "enough is enough?" Each one of us has a voice, tremendous light, and the ability to blaze a trail towards a better direction for all. Stand for truth. Stand for what you believe in. Have courage.
“Al final del día, podemos soportar más de lo que creemos.” - Frida Kahlo
I believe in you.
You have all of the strength you need.