April 2023
April begins the shift of planets into Taurus; we will begin to feel more grounded. There is also a rare hybrid solar eclipse, and another Mercury retrograde cycle beginning. Mercury and Venus are in mutual reception in each other’s signs, creating a mind-heart balance. But because Eris sits at the end of the Aries stellium, any planet moving through that sign will have to make a new cycle with Eris before moving into Taurus–and 5 planets do so. Prepare for a month of awakening!
To start, Mercury ingresses into Taurus on 4/3, making him the 6th planet or point in that sign. There are still plenty of planets in Aries, and on the same day, Vesta conjoins with Eris, reflecting our dedication to facing uncomfortable truths. Venus, Juno and Mercury have already met with the Great Disrupter, and we are still resonating with what we’ve learned then. Mercury is slowing down, but still making vital connections, like the new cycle with the dharmic Soul Star Chakra on 4/6. He enters his shadow 4/7, but does not conjoin with any other planets; as Mercury approaches Uranus he stations retrograde 4/21, right on the World Axis point of 15° Taurus. We are not yet ready for the news he will bring. But we’ll be listening.
April 6 brings the Full Moon in Libra, with the Moon flanked by fixed star Arcturus and 5D MakeMake, and the Sun surrounded most closely by Jupiter and Chiron, as well as the other planets in Aries. There is so much energy here. Our consciousness is in the process of wholing and expanding, while our emotions are dealing with the illusion that our physical separateness is just that—an illusion. MakeMake makes a Lightbridge with Salacia; all is well, even if it doesn’t appear to be, so we can lighten up. The Ceres-Neptune Lightbridge can reinforce or impede this Truth, depending on whether we can see the larger picture. Mars and Astraea dispose this lunation; Mars connects with Mercury and Saturn, while Astraea is about to conjoin Eris, who makes a Lightbridge with Arcturus. Some scientific breakthroughs are possible, causing disruption. It will be good to keep our emotions in check with grounding thoughts and some physical practice or body work, listening to our body as it tells us what it needs. And then there is the Pluto-Haumea stepping stone. There is much creative power to be utilized if we keep our heads above water, so to speak. Deep breathing and quiet time, even for few minutes, is needed.
Venus, making her way through her home sign, has already connected with Uranus, and she is on her way to conjoin Sedna, which she meets on 4/10. This new cycle suggests that when we keep our hearts open the Divine Feminine is available to us, and it is a grounding force. Intuition comes from the heart. Venus shifts into Gemini 4/11; now both Mercury and Venus are in each other’s signs, called a mutual reception. Their energies can be interchanged when needed, and they function as one. Perfect mind/heart balance. On 4/17 Venus goes out of bounds, taking our hearts into uncharted territory. In Gemini, Love motivates everything we do, as long as we are centered and coming from our hearts.
As the Sun winds through Aries, he reaches Chiron on 4/5, and Jupiter on 4/ 11. This healing and expansion of consciousness is necessary to prepare us for the Sun-Eris new cycle that occurs on 4/14. We are aware that whatever disruption arises, it is always for the higher good. The Sun-Astraea new cycle on 4/18 signifies the balance needed within our consciousness between our individual and collective energies. These lessons are getting us ready for the New Moon Solar Eclipse on 4/20.
This New Moon is intense, and very special. It is the second New Moon in Aries; the first opened the wormhole at the equinox in March. It is also a very rare hybrid eclipse, which occur only a few times in the 21st century. A hybrid eclipse begins as an annular eclipse, where the Moon blocks out the center of the Sun, leaving a ‘ring of fire’ in the sky. Then the Moon totally blocks out the Sun for a few minutes, before reverting back to annular. This lunation takes place at the master degree of Aries, surrounded by Astraea, Eris and Jupiter on one side, and Vesta and the Soul Star Chakra (N. Node) on the other. We are repeating and reviewing the lessons learned in the first Aries New Moon, while having a (this time) brief total reboot of consciousness. Ixion, Pluto, Saturn and the Black Moon Lilith all connect with this lunation. Whatever disruptions occur, especially socially, will prove evolutionary. It may not be comfortable, but change rarely is, and we are ready for such change. We are the Light. It’s no coincidence that the New Moon occurs at 12:12, the number of Universal Consciousness. It also carries the vibration of 3:3, which allows for manifestation. Time to keep those thoughts positive, no matter what!
A few hours later (4/20) the Sun enters Taurus, making his way towards Vesta, who entered the sign of Mental Love on 4/15. On 4/24 a triple conjunction occurs between the Sun, Vesta and the Soul Star, creating a new cycle of conscious attention to what we want to create and grow into. In the period between the solar eclipse and this new cycle, Mercury stations retrograde (4/21), Haumea backs into Libra (4/21), and Jupiter merges with Eris (4/23). That’s plenty of action in just a few days.
Other notable planetary movements include Astraea’s new cycle with Eris (4/9) and the Sun (4/18), before entering Taurus 4/22. Now there are 8 planets in Taurus, a major shift, and only 4 in Aries. In addition, 5D planets Ixion (4/4) and Quaoar (4/8) station retrograde, while Varuna stations direct 4/18. It is time to actively pursue a wider view of things, through observation, centering, and letting our intuition guide us.