We saw some seriously intense energies this past month, with a New Moon super moon in Aries on April 7th, which triggered the revolutionary Uranus-Pluto square; a deeply emotional Scorpio Full Moon on April 21st; and Mars, Pluto, and Mercury all stationing retrograde in the second half of the month (April 17th, 18th, and 28th).
The current astrological transits are always best understood in the context of your own astrological birth chart. The transits represent the general energy, the astrological weather. But to understand how it affects you personally, you must compare it to your own birth chart. An astrologer can help you do this, but you can begin to do this on your own, even if you know nothing about astrology. It’s easy to get a free birth chart on the internet, for instance, here. Then compare the location of the planets in your own chart to the current location of planets.
If you have a lot of planets in Scorpio, say, then you will have really felt that Scorpio full moon. Anyone with a lot of Scorpio or Aries energy would have been especially affected by last month’s astrology, not only because of the lunations, but because Mars rules Aries and co-rules Scorpio, and Pluto rules Scorpio. These retrogrades will affect Aries and Scorpios the most. (I am an Aries, with Scorpio rising, and last month was the most intense in a while).
This month brings calm after the storm with stabilizing energy, and opportunity for rest. With five planets in retrograde, the energy moves inward, inspiring self-work, rest, reflection, reworking or completing outstanding projects, and taking care of your health. If you move with this energy, and allow yourself to slow down, you will paradoxically make progress. You will likely be frustrated if you try to keep working at your normal pace, push forward, initiate new projects, try to speed ahead. If possible, wait until late June, or better, July to make major decisions, launch new projects, or sign any contracts. But we can’t put life on hold. If something can’t wait, proceed without fear. Just use a little extra caution. Read the small-print, double-check everything, confirm that emails were received, etc.
The Taurus New Moon on May 6th/7th brings a calm, earthy, healing, and stabilizing influence. After the fiery passion of Aries, we need this slower, more consistent energy of Taurus to sustain what was initiated under Aries. Externally, Taurus is concerned with building (resources, projects, business, houses) over the long-term (no need to rush). Internally, this is about self-worth and self-love. There is nothing more healing than learning to love yourself unconditionally, acknowledging all your flaws and loving yourself anyway. With self-worth, external forms of worth will more easily flow into your life. We are all deserving of abundance.
The New Moon coincides with a Grand Earth Trine between Mercury and the Sun in Taurus, Pluto in Capricorn, and Jupiter in Virgo. This is a beautiful, flowing, and supportive energy, with all the earth signs cooperating to help us find longevity, practicality, sustenance, rejuvenation, consistency, simplicity, beauty....
Reflect on which areas of your life, which projects, you’d like to infuse with this New Moon energy, and set your intentions within the few days following the New Moon, as the light of the moon begins to grow. (You may also wish to look at your birth chart to see in which house the lunation occurs in. You can easily find the meaning of the houses on the internet.) Be with nature, sit on the earth, tend to your garden, let your mind rest.
There is still some friction this month, as Jupiter in Virgo, Saturn in Sagittarius, and Neptune in Pisces form a T-square (two square aspects, and an opposition). This is a tense aspect, pushing us to reconcile expansion with limitation, belief with practicality, imagination with action, details with the grand vision, discipline with fantasy. T-squares may be difficult, but with difficulty comes opportunity for growth. The message here is to ensure that your values and aspirations mesh with your day-to-day actions and choices. Will the way you live get you to where to want to go? And can you be in the moment and appreciate where you are, even while working toward your dreams?
Much love and blessings.