As the editor of the Astrology Arizona newsletter, I compose an overview of each month. Today we take a look at the primary factors for the month.

The Overview for April

This year the month of April brings dynamic forward momentum to all things Aries, and with a heavy dose of Aquarius and Pisces, this month brings past, present, and future together in a synthesized coordinated vision which prepares all of us “to pick up and deliver spiritual power” this Summer! This month all planets continue in forward motion except for Pluto, which slows to go retrograde at the end of the month, and while Mercury begins the month at full speed, by the end of April it will be slowing rapidly to begin its retrograde period in the second week of May.

The month kicks off with a New Moon on “A flight of wild geese” degree, symbolizing the “flight of our Soul,” which means that everything in April is geared to give us a larger vision of our Soul’s path of development and a sense of the Spiritual promise which is ours to fulfill. As the ruler Mars is on a degree of “a white dove descends, bearing a message,” there are rewards from Spirit and new self-disciplined training to be accepted. This month anticipates our ability to utilize spiritual power effectively within the larger group work, so be courageous and compassionate as you say goodbye to the old, blessing and forgiving much to create the space which will be filled this month through the new initiatives of Aries.

This month will put many people at crucial forks in the road of their destiny, either at the ending of the old or at a point of critical emergence of the new. This month, because all the planets are still within the Bundle span created by Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus, the next few weeks will still be a crowded house wherever we have Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries. because all the visible planets are in those signs.

This compression of planets between January and April have been creating a Bundle Jones pattern when the Moon is inside the occupied span Mar 25 – April 4 and April 21 – May 2. We’ll have a Bowl Jones pattern just before and after these spans, this month April 17-20. You can find out more about the Bundle pattern by consulting the New Moon articles posted this week.

Saturn is now in the part of Aquarius where we learn to manage our actions and feelings as we begin to play our part in the greater Aquarian 20 year era now developing. This month Saturn crystallizes what Jupiter opened in March-April 2021 and fixed as a platform for future development when Jupiter was at 23-25 Aquarius between September and November 2021. That implies the promise created then will crystallize in some way this month. All of this is preparing us for a time of “picking up and delivering spiritual power” beginning in late May.

The two major conjunctions this month (Mars/Saturn, Jupiter/Neptune) indicates old cycles ending and new cycles beginning where these fall in the chart. As Mercury and the Sun make waxing squares to Pluto at the same time they make productive angles with Mars and Saturn, a lot of great work can get done this month, as long as we’re aware not to give corrosive people more time than we should. This will help us focus on the greater good within the bigger picture. Just stay balanced, keep a sense of perspective, and play good defense if required.

The Jupiter conjunct Neptune is leading us all to an expanded “feeling-awareness,” though many are getting lost in the “expansive fog” this conjunction symbolizes. As Jupiter continues to trigger the Grand Irrationality through its septiles to Pluto and Uranus, humanity remains at a major fork in the road of its collective destiny.

Because Saturn is in forward motion and now in its shadow zone, we’ve begun the focus of this year’s “triple transit lessons.” We’re still seeing the manifestations of things we’ve never seen before and currently are moving our 2021 vision of making a greater contribution into a managed form of action and social expression. This month begins our practicum in a form of training which will be important for the next two years, given where the Mars conjunction with Saturn happens. It’s all about being willing to learn new skills, so accept the training, since it’ll lead to greater effective power by 2023.

Planets Slowing Down and Shifting Signs

As noted, this month shows most of the planets in forward motion either at full speed or accelerating except for Saturn, Pluto, and Mercury, which have begun to slow. Pluto is preparing to go stationary retrograde in late April, Mercury will go stationary retrograde in early May, while Saturn will go stationary retrograde in early June.

This month Venus, Mars, and the Sun change signs once, and Mercury changes signs twice! This indicates Mercury, ruler of Gemini and Virgo, will give us three sign experiences (Aries, Taurus, and Gemini), and the Sun, ruler of Leo and Cancer, will give us two (Aries and Taurus). Mars and Venus, rulers of Aries/Scorpio and Taurus/Libra respectively, will both give us two sign experiences (Aquarius and Pisces). This clearly indicates a lot of activity in the Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries sectors of our charts!

Mars

Mars is in Aquarius the first half of the month, and Pisces the second half of the month. While in Aquarius, Mars is ruled by Saturn transiting between 23-25 Aquarius, making Mars more idealistic and visionary. That will shift in mid-month when Mars enters Pisces and has Jupiter in Pisces as its ruler. During the second half of April Jupiter will be between 25-28 Pisces, so we’ll be in a time where it feels like “the end of the end before the beginning.”

The first half of April Mars is in the Libra decan of Aquarius, ruled by Venus with an additional dose of the Moon. The last half of April Mars is in the Pisces decan of Pisces, ruled by Jupiter with an extra dose of Saturn. So Mars’ expression will be completely different the first half compared to the second half!

Between April 1-14, Mars will prove agitating to those with planets between 20-30 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Between April 15-30, it will have the same effect on planets between 1-11 Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius.

In April, Mars’ main aspects are septiles from the Sun and Mercury at the beginning of the month, and their conjunction with each other during the entire first half of the month. The Sun moves closer toward the sextile all month, and Mercury moves quickly from the sextile in the second week to the quintile the third week and the binovile at the end of the month. Mars makes an extraordinarily favorable quintile to Uranus between April 10-20, and no other major aspects until May.

As I’ve offered before, when Mars is within a degree of forming or separating while making a hard aspect with a planet, slow down and show deliberation and caution in how you use force, with an eye to moderating or antidoting impulsiveness and impatience. Mars in Aquarius has triggered the long wave cycles it set into motion March and December of 2020 in Aquarius, and will trigger the coming long wave Jupiter/Neptune cycle by mid-May before conjuncting Jupiter at 4 Aries in late May.

Sign Focus

This month the sign focus is all over the map! We have a very strong Aquarian energy the first 5 days of April shifting to Pisces the end of that week, followed by the introduction of Taurus energy the second week of April. By April 15 Saturn is the only planet left in Aquarius as Mars and Venus join Jupiter and Neptune through the end of the month.

Aries disappears completely once the Sun enters Taurus, with Mercury introducing us to Gemini energy at the end of the month. So the first few days are still heavily Aquarian and Aries, Pisces dominates by mid-month, and Taurus starts getting stronger beginning the second week of the month.

The Aquarius-Taurus Tension This Year

We’ve finally gotten a break from the intense Saturn-Uranus squares. Last year we were all put through a lot of pressure wherever we had 11-17 Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, and though Uranus is still in that sector, Saturn has now moved past the square until August. Then it squares Uranus through early December, again challenging us to see what matters so we can let go of nonessentials.

Last year we had three squares from Saturn to Uranus; one from 8 Aquarius to 8 Taurus, another with Saturn retrograde at 14 Aquarius square Uranus at 14 Taurus, and a third with Saturn direct at 12 Aquarius and Uranus retrograde at 12 Taurus. These waning (upper) squares between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus mark the culmination of the cycle set into motion with Saturn conjunct Uranus in 1988. Interestingly, in 1999-2000 Saturn in Taurus made its waxing (lower) square to Uranus in Aquarius, so last year activated conflicts dating back 20 years.

We’re Actors On A New Stage With A New Set

The Grand Mutation of Jupiter conjunct Saturn at 1 Aquarius began a new 20 year Aquarian Era in December 2020, as well as a new 200 year Era, moving global energies out of Earth and into Air. We’ve begun to grow beyond the materialism of the past 200 years and have entered two centuries of Air emphasis, with its qualities of relatedness, receptivity, versatility, movability, lightness, and cooperative ideas, visions, and ideals.

The 2020 Solar eclipse on the Summer Solstice is still facilitating a grand reorientation in our lives, including an acceptance of new allegiances and life directions, and the December 2020 Solar eclipse at 24 Sagittarius is still helping us remove blocks to our happiness. The June Solar eclipse at 20 Gemini is already removing irrelevant and extraneous ideas and considerations from our decision making process, and the extremely beneficial Total Solar Eclipse at 13 Sagittarius in early December gave us a promise of major gifts and unique interactive opportunities which will be perfect for whatever we need. Rewards are coming these next 4 years!

We’re still "under the beams" of the Solar Eclipses we experienced in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and these “cosmic recyclers” continue to remove all that we no longer need in our lives. Take note of where you have 1 Cancer, 24 and 13 Sagittarius, and 20 Gemini, since 1 Cancer aligns us with a larger reality, 24 Sagittarius helps us find happiness, 13 Sagittarius gives us a new identity and love, and 20 Gemini removes what cannot be assimilated or communicated.

The mid-June Solar Eclipse at 20 Gemini continues to shut down parts of our lives in that sector for 4+ years to come. All the eclipses in Gemini and Sagittarius are removing old ideas, old perspectives, old truths, and old futures. All in all, these are some very favorable eclipses wherever they fall in our charts!

As we study how successive Eclipses have affected various areas of our charts and lives, we can get a sense of the utility of these “Cosmic Recyclers” in removing what we no longer needed in those areas, creating a void which attracted new life experiences. They invite us to look back, and then forward, to see the continuity of “letting go, taking in, letting go, taking in” across the years.

The Grand Irrationality

As noted earlier, in April the 7-pointed “Star of Destiny" I’ve termed The Grand Irrationality is still in play via the Uranus biseptile Pluto, and will be triggered by Jupiter in a huge way through its septiles to Uranus and Pluto while conjunct Neptune! It will also be triggered the entire last half of the month, first when Mercury biseptiles Pluto, conjuncts Uranus, and septiles Neptune, followed by Venus septile Pluto and Uranus conjunct Neptune. It’s clearly going to be a time of choices and changes as the world navigates a very irrational period!

All the septile-series 7th harmonic aspects trigger crucial choices and changes at “forks in the road of destiny.” I have written extensively about “The Grand Irrationality” which has been active for many years at this site and why all of humanity is forging its future destiny at this time. If you have a planet or point near any of the seven zones, your life is sure to be affected. In April these zones are around 29 Capricorn – 3 Aquarius, 21-25 Pisces, 12-16 Taurus, 4-8 Cancer, 25-29 Leo, 16-20 Libra, and 8-12 Sagittarius.

When things seem irrational and don’t make much sense, there’s always a septile-series aspect in the mix. During the periods these 7th harmonic aspects are in play, if things get weird or crazy, be clear about the choices you’re making. While a lot won’t “make sense,” it doesn’t have to; just be clear about what you’re doing and why. Even though there may be interactions with unreasonable or irrational people, we still have the power to respond in productive ways.

As with “hard” aspects to and from Mars, if that planet (or really any planet) is involved in any non-rational aspect, whether one to our natal Mars or transiting Mars making a non-rational aspect to one of our natal, progressed, or solar return planets, it’s a time to be cautious during the period when the aspect is within a degree of forming or separating. Things have a way of getting strange during 7th harmonic aspects, so those are times to be especially deliberate and thoughtful in choosing our responses.

Primary Action Beats for the First Half of the Month

April begins with a New Moon at 12 Aries, putting the spotlight on that house in our charts. As this New Moon conjuncts Mercury and Chiron, it should be a healing and mentoring month, with new initiatives related to the emergent Aquarian larger pulse. The Superior Conjunction shows a “fusion of life and mind” wherever we have the second decan of Aries, indicating a lot of focus in that area.

Because of the Grand Irrationality being triggered, expect major shifts in the collective field both in terms of the old powers asserting themselves AND the new emergent progressive vision getting a new push. It’s as though the old and the new are on full display this month! The two major outer planet conjunctions promise new long term cycles wherever we have 23 Aquarius and 24 Pisces, so take note, since a lot will begin to activate in those sectors of our charts.

The first half of the month is about strength, initiative, courage, clarity, and energetic movement in training for the important spiritual work we have to do beginning this Summer. With so many planets changing signs the first two weeks, be flexible in how you do what you do. Mercury sextiles Saturn and Mars April 4-8, and the Sun sextiles Saturn the entire second week.

As all the planets are in a very small sector of the zodiac, we’ll have lots of activity wherever we have late Aquarius through early Taurus. With Mercury, Venus, and Mars all changing signs in the half of the month, it indicates a shifting perspective on all houses and planets in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio. See the big picture, and close whatever needs closing. Cultivate your intuition and/or your ability to read the collective atmosphere as you begin to accelerate into the future.

Primary Action Beats for the Second Half of the Month

The third week of the month brings us Passover, Good Friday, and a lot of quincunxes before the Full Moon with its themes of the Light of using imagination to reclaim an opportunity thought lost, expressed in a higher unified awareness. As the Full Moon is T-square Pluto, the second half of the month requires that we achieve self-confidence through concentration and self-reliance, and release powerful transformational purifying forces in late Cancer, where we are able to weigh alternatives at the threshold of a new cycle.

That week also features very favorable aspects from Mercury and Venus to each other and Uranus, promising a productive time for any planets or points we have in the middle degrees of Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces. The last 10 days of the month show great productivity and a chance to reorganize whatever isn’t working as it should, with a particular turning point coming on April 23-24.

The last week of the month brings an “Old Moon,” bringing visions of the future as we complete the themes of the New Moon. There are treasures to be found the last week of the month, with major sea changes in the collective spiritual field thanks to Pluto going stationary retrograde just before the New Moon at 11 Taurus with Venus conjunct Jupiter and sextile Pluto. Those who have cultivated their “garden of Life” will find a great harvest is coming this Spring.

Evolutionary Development

This is the third month of the North Node in Taurus era! We’re now done with our time of evolving in the sign of learning and communicating, and are now in a time of our greatest development coming through the sign of appreciation, value, and enjoying the best life has to offer.

With Mars conjunct Saturn in Aquarius, the coming two years will feature Saturn as a major player in life areas related to 23 Aquarius. Saturn, our Wise Friend, is helping us to a greater understanding where we have Aquarius in our charts, with clear preparations beginning this month which is leading us to an ability to demonstrate spiritual power based in our training. Transformation is in the air this month, with wisdom distilled from past difficulties.

We’re now about 2/3 of the way through two years of non-stop friction between Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus. We’ve hit a bit of relief these next few weeks, so use the time wisely, since that square will be back in full fury beginning in August. Keep eliminating all which is of no use in the future, keep building heart and focused spiritual expression, and remember your inner Spiritual Warrior can never be overcome.

This tension will be greatly relieved by January 2023. Given the tension between Aquarius and Taurus, stay focused on your larger ideals, and keep showing heart, taking heart, trusting the heart, strengthening the heart, and radiating the Love you ARE to your world, expressed through a conscious focus, concentration, and intention.

This month Jupiter’s “expansive compassion” will fuse with Neptune, with Venus bringing value and pleasing form to all which Jupiter has promised and Mars will trigger in May. With so much activity going on in the sign of Pisces, it is a season of saying goodbye quickly while feeling a deeper connection with Source, and remembering we're all more aware, capable, and stronger together than we are separately.

The Sun in Aries is a time to see the Light of a greater power of personal initiative and the need to get things in motion. Because of the Aquarius energies, keep seeing how to execute the long term plan to achieve your ideals. Because of the major Pisces energies, allow much from the past to flow down the Time Stream, clearing out space for the new already arriving in Aries. This continues to be a time to feel your connection with all of Life, and bless the passages which have helped you to the wisdom you now have. With the return of so much Fire in Aries, it’s a great time to see how your individual unique spark of Light is part of the greater infinite Light field.

As we’re now in the second year of a new 20 year and 200 year cycle, remember a new era has dawned, so have courage and take the initiative to leave the Earth and fly free into the Air of what’s opening as the Grand Mutation expands its promise into the Divine transfigured ideal of a more just truth and future. With recent Capricorn and Aquarius transits, we began a new chapter of crafting our role utilizing forms of personal power in Capricorn. Last month began to show us required closures so that we had the space for new Aries openings, which continues this month and is leading us to substantiate the resources and values of the new era opening for each of us. This month is another harvest month, with gifts for those who can forgive and bless the passages while awaiting “the white dove which descends, bearing a message” and “blessings from Spirit.”

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Since I also include this in the newsletter, I’ll offer it to you here:

PLANETARY MOTIONS IN APRIL 2022

SUN – 12 Aries to 10 Taurus
MERCURY – 10 Aries to 1 Gemini
VENUS – 26 Aquarius to 28 Pisces
MARS – 20 Aquarius to 12 Pisces
JUPITER –22 to 28 Pisces
SATURN –23 to 25 Aquarius
URANUS – 13 to 15 Taurus
NEPTUNE – 24 to 25 Pisces
PLUTO –29 Capricorn (all month)
TRUE NORTH NODE – 24 to 23 Taurus

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SIGNIFICANT ASTROLOGICAL OCCURRENCES IN APRIL 2022

NEW MOON; April 1; Sun and Moon at 12 Aries
SUPERIOR CONJUNCTION OF MERCURY AND THE SUN; April 2 at 14 Aries
MARS CONJUNCT SATURN; April 4 at 23 Aquarius
VENUS ENTERS PISCES; April 5
MERCURY ENTERS TAURUS; April 10
JUPITER CONJUNCT NEPTUNE; April 12 at 24 Pisces
MARS ENTERS PISCES; April 14
FULL MOON; April 16; Sun 27 Aries, Moon 27 Libra
SUN ENTERS TAURUS; April 19
URANUS ENTERS SHADOW ZONE; April 21 at 15 Taurus
MERCURY ENTERS SHADOW ZONE; April 26 at 27 Taurus
PLUTO STATIONARY RETROGRADE; April 29 at 29 Capricorn
MERCURY ENTERS GEMINI; April 29
SOLAR ECLIPSE NEW MOON; April 30; Sun and Moon at 11 Taurus
JUPITER ENTERS SHADOW ZONE; May 1 at 29 Pisces

I want to welcome all to drop by our Astrology Arizona Facebook page and join the social media initiative going on there. Please feel free to contribute a topic, ask about a topic, or anything else related to our new group! See you over there!

I also highly recommend coming to our zoom presentations, since we have some of the best astrologers anywhere giving talks about all kinds of great astrological topics. We’ve had “Evolutionary Configurations,” “America at the Crossroads,” “Using Planetary Hours in Charts,” “Escaping the Twelfth House,” “Outer Planet Cycles and How The Past Affects the Present,” “The Three Part Self,” “Egotism, Narcissism, Identity and Self,” “How Our Chart Expresses Our Spiritual Potential,” the 2021 Solar and Lunar eclipses, and more.

Our January 2022 meeting featured predictions from two dozen astrologers about the coming year. We had a great talk about planetary cycles and the Arc Transform charts on February 26, and March 26 will be an entertaining talk about how astrology and the news are perfectly aligned these day! We have more great talks scheduled throughout the year so please consider joining us. I’ll be speaking about my new book The Magic of Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames in our May talk, so that will be a great talk for everyone, regardless of your skill level. You can find out more at the FB page, our website, or by writing me.

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

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