APRIL ASTROLOGY 2012

April begins on a confusing note, Mercury retrograde finally moves ahead on the fourth, and Mars by the 15th, the Sun squares Pluto, and Uranus sits right there too. So there has been an overall sense of being hemmed in and frustrated. Take the lottery for instance,

173 million disappointed people left feeling like April Fools! (3 winners, 2 with privacy protected).

The two lottery winners in my files (one for $65 million), have had helpful connections between Venus and Pluto, at birth, which were activated at the time of the draw.) A lucky position of Jupiter helps as well as a few other astrological points…

Things will change for the better soon, and the sky brightens with a beautiful full moon, the 6th, seen as large and bright due to its in perigee (closeness) to the earth,

The best part about this weekend's lunation is that the Sun and Moon are under beautiful stars in the Hindu sky. Chitra, the star ruling the Virgo-Libra moon, possess attributes of beauty and graciousness.

It rules the painter, artist and musician, and all that creates artistry

Symbolized by a shining jewel, the Chitra person is said to have beautiful eyes and limbs.

This was Anna Nicole Smith's moon, and a very apt description of her face and body.

For us in the West, the Libra moon inclines towards harmony and balance, although it doesn't hold back or mince words when making a point,

For April 6 birthdays it's one very exciting day and year to follow.

The Aries Sun in that segment, Revati, is known for moving forward in life with wealth and prosperity, and is protective of animals and dependents. A very nice star to have overhead at birth, and all told a lovely harmonious combination of sun and moon for an Easter and Passover weekend.

We think of Aries as the pioneer, the way shower, the fearless leader. There is that quality here although it matters where one is in the sign.

April 5-7 (Venus square Neptune) can leave one feeling emotionally somewhat vulnerable and fragile. Oh these family holiday weekends here, are not always filled with jelly beans, although the positive nature of this full moon lightens this.

By Monday, April 9, 10, the moon's jump into Sagittarius with a nice connection to Uranus means here's the time for action, a power day,

Make the best of it!

Tues the 10th, the once a year Pluto retrograde in Capricorn begins, for the next 5 months. You are being asked to reassess finances now and pay close attention to the house where Pluto has been slowly moving these several years. There's that stern father quality to his action, and yes, Pluto is a planet. It makes a huge impact on all the charts I've done for 35 years, and has its moon, Charon, behind it, almost as big, almost like a shadow moon, and double the trouble.

April 11th continues the dynamic of the 9, 10, lots of decisions to be made right now as we head into the stationary Mars, finally turning it’s ahead in a forward direction.

April 14, 15 Mars goes direct in Virgo, thankfully, but the after effects of the last Thanksgiving eclipse still haunt those degree of Nov 22- 25th, Feb 22-25 birthdays.  Now maybe with the two personal planets direct and Venus in an optimistic sign, better days are upon us. And we are out of a relatively darker time.

Finances and Venus are related in a chart as she is the attraction principle and she's not just about love, As we are heading into the biggest cosmological story of the year, which will be about how Venus walks backwards across the face of the Sun, in gorgeous "Rohini", a lover if there ever was one.  This "occultation" of the sun, a very rare and therefore incredibly significant occurrence, will happen in early June. We will talk more about this as we move closer in time.

Maybe you can find your chart and see where 16, 17 Gemini falls to anticipate what it will do for you specifically. Use this link (lunarium here) to find out. Her four month trek through Gemini begins now.

April 16, 17, Saturn opposing the Sun brings a day of reckoning, but heck tax time always does.

Here comes an especially nice new moon, April -21st, right after midnight PDT. Ruled by the Vedic star, Ashwini, relating to horses and animals of transport, it makes me think of Ford and the Mustang, an Ashwini creation if there ever was one…

This is beautiful day, plan a hike or something that celebrates nature!

But for us Westerners it's an early Taurus Sun and moon, a very powerful combination, as early in a sign always gives more emphasis and Taurus is a beneficent sign to begin with. These energies relate strongly to material goods and financial wellbeing.

The Taurus moon, sometimes referred to as "The Buddha Moon", indicates emotional contentment. I will admit that I planned my daughter's birth to coincide with this moon.

About the issue of planned births,: around 33%ly of births in the US are arranged ahead of time for various reasons, over large baby, a mother with health issue, the age factor, etc.,.

(China presently has a C section rate of 46% and India's is almost identical).

So it happens that I am occasionally asked to help choose auspicious dates for a baby's arrival. While I think it perfect for nature to take its course, if there is a choice, an induced labor or planned C section, I don't' hesitate to jump in and look for the best possible moon and rising sign.

Because there is a time frame of say 10 days and also realizing that most doctors like to operate in the morning, there are limits as to what advice I can offer a new mom. The most important parts of a chart are the moon and the rising sign, sorry, the sun comes after this,

Which means the time of day is a big factor. No one wants to deliver a baby at midnight, and we are seeing a decrease in those late in the day birth time,

More and more children are arriving as the sun comes up and moves across the sky to mid-day and early afternoon. This is fine only we are heading towards a population over weighted with these times of birth and a highly socialized extroverted group of pleasing and compatible people. Nothing wrong with that but we might really miss those slightly more introverted deep night soulful souls.

April 23, 24, with a tight Mercury Uranus conjunction, beware of words flying out; let's hope it's only that.

The month ends with a lovely aspect with harmonious earth aspects and nice communication between the personal planets, moon, Mercury and Venus.

BIRTHDAYS TO WATCH

May 23, 24, 25 for these birthdays, it's an emotional time of decisions and collisions.

April 21st, New moon has grand earth trine, Pluto, Mars, makes for a powerful birthday with promise in their year ahead. In spite of a few minor pitfalls there is real stability here.

 April 16-18, and October 16,-18, certain limiting factors, health, finances, slowing you down.

August 30-September 1st along with trine April 29, 30 so nice and grounded!!

May 8, 9, 10, Yaay for you with a lovely Jupiter enhancement, Try not to overindulge, either with expenditures or dining out!

September 8, 9, 10, 11 is having a short field day as well. Be mindful of overconfidence.

Later in December, still has life changing matters to confront, late June as well. Sorry, blame Pluto.

August 22 – 25, Mars grinding over your sun soon to be gone. It's been enough and now with Neptune facing you, it's time to go deep within, hopefully not because you've been forced to.

March 26, 27, will have to iron out some dilemmas, by next year the planetary war will leave your house, it's been wild.

For April 6 birthdays it's one very exciting day and year to follow. Full moon birthdays are never dull.

November 26, 27 this is your time, take the reins of power offered.

May 26, 27, stay underground and assess your feelings, it will pass soon, bittersweet though it is.

POWER DAYS

April 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16, 21, 26, 29