Planets moving backwards posed a problem that stumped astronomers of an earth-centred cosmos, but one easily explained in the Sun-centred, post-Copernican era. They simply appear to retreat because of their relative speed to earth; the old going-backwards feeling when a train passes your own.
Still, astrology’s dogged earth-centred view (this is, after all, where we live, not the Sun) takes the backward (‘retrograde’) phase of planets seriously, especially that of trickster Mercury – Mercury Retrograde is part of common lore for mix-ups and cock-ups.
April starts with two planets in retrograde (Saturn and Jupiter) and ends it with five, adding Pluto, Mars and Mercury to the list. In short, the cosmos doesn’t look in much of a hurry.
For some Sun signs that is no bad thing, but it does mean that all of us need to clear the decks over the first two or three weeks of the month, before Mercury turns unobliging on April 29, though some astrologers swear by Mercury Shadow (marking the point to which Mercury backslides), which is on April 14.
There are no eclipses this month but the new Moon in Aries on April 7 looks potent anyway, being close to Prometheus, a planet of awakening and upheaval. A jolly springtime to all my readers.
Aries
In a mad dash? You should be. A mere five days remains with messenger Mercury in your sign, with the annual Aries new Moon arriving on April 7, opening two highly opportune weeks for you to launch a project, take command of professional affairs and pour balm over your personal life. Stay on the front foot.
Business looks, perhaps surprisingly, the simplest thing to handle. Saturn and Jupiter in retreat suggest you are mopping up matters from the last few months in any case. Pluto holds sway at the top of your ‘scope, so any iron regimes under which you operate may have to be accommodated. Compromise rather than confront, unless you are willing, like your fellow Ram Iain Duncan Smith (b. 9/4/54) to walk off the job in a principled way.
Money matters ask for swiftness of action, – Mercury retrograde in your cash zone from April 29 is unlikely to make things simple next month. Be done and dusted beforehand, and start chasing debts now so that you get the dosh on Merc Ret.
Your personal equilibrium is the trickiest prospect. The solar eclipses of March may have pried open a secret or two with which you are now dealing, and the lunar eclipse late last month may have seen a significant other vanish. The onward march of Planet Prometheus in your skies is also not inclined to show much patience, especially for birthdays April 7-10 (hello Duncan Smith) who may feel like disturbing such peace as there is.
The cosmos hands you a sweet bonus, however, in the form of Venus sashaying through your skies from April 6-28, three weeks when you can wear your favourite clothes (or buy a new wardrobe), launch a charm offensive, throw a wild party and make peace with whomever deserves it. The period around April 12 sees an intriguing link between Venus and your Mars ruler; handy if you are in the dating game, and when the goddess of love reaches the wild energies of Planet Prometheus (April 22) – Oo La La.
Taurus
Whatever you were doing in March, whatever went down, trek on in much the same manner, not just this month but through to September. Last month’s solar eclipse may have wacked you of course, perhaps removing a previously important face from your social stage, but even so the new set-up looks for the better.
Your planetary ruler, Venus, still has a few days left to work her charms on your social life – and we are talking groups and networks as much as individuals – so be among fellow travellers and aides.
As mentioned in last month’s forecast, the month of Aries is usually a mixed blessing for Taurus, signifying lying low and communing with the Bull Within while waiting for your month in the Sun –this year it starts at 15.30 GMT April 19.
Be ready! Much of April calls for fervent but wise administration; anything to do with paperwork, writing, exams, form filling and the like. The cosmos has strict deadlines in mind, thanks to Mercury plying back and forth through your skies for nine weeks.
The messenger planet arrives on April 6 to bring you news and let your voice be heard but goes into three weeks of retrograde from 29 April until May 23, a time period more conducive to revision than fresh action. When you set out on a holiday only to find your passport is out of date or you need a visa. That stuff. Mercury then resumes normal service until June 10. Although you have to factor in those three weeks of retrograde, that still means Mercury is working for you for two entire months, a period when your steady determination promises tangible rewards.
In terms of empowerment, your birthday month is a trump card. You simply have to tread lightly at the full Moon weekend of April 22/23, when a full Moon in Scorpio opposes you. If you can access your Inner Scorpion (it’s your complimentary sign after all), then full Moon could be something special. If you are an April 22 birthday, this year wraps up a chapter.
The bigger, slow-moving planets remain in happy alignment for Taureans. Jupiter may be in retrograde (until May) but the giant planet is one to hang onto this spring and summer, when what most pleases your heart is the grail to follow; think big, grow big (we’re talking plants and enterprises not clothes sizes), follow that dream.
Gemini
Saturn isn’t a planet to do you many short-term favours and in April the Lord of Necessity (as Saturn is sometimes known) squats like a toad in opposition, asking for sober consideration of circumstance and responsibilities. Idealism is strong in your ‘scope just now, but Saturn is about life as it is, not least in materialist terms (money, property, success), and willy nilly, you have to shoulder more responsibility. Birthdays circa June 3-6 are especially carrying Saturn’s leaden weight.
But hey-ho, with the ringed planet retrograde for a few months, the pressure of winter is easing (until August). Meanwhile here is the dynamic month of Aries – fire for your air – to keep your antennae twitching and your creative and romantic juices flowing.
Events in March should have given you plenty to chew on regarding your career path – last month’s solar eclipse signalled a shift of gear, perhaps even a change of direction. April asks you to digest the issues and launch a determined charm offensive. The new Moon in Aries on April 7 coincides with Venus arriving in the Ram; from thereon personal connections among your professional network work dazzlingly in your favour, with a frisson of romance thrown in for those on the lookout – April 11 and 19-22 come fully charged.
The movements of Gemini’s totem planet, silver-heeled Mercury, also require your attention. In the Ram’s skies for April’s opening five days, your ruler gives you traction. Thereafter, Mercury in Taurus (a zone of reclusion in your solar ‘scope) calls for reflection, especially once the communication planet turns contrary on April 29. It’s your time foursome inner world exploration. But before you get there, if you have tasks, no matter how tiny, the sooner they are swept up the better.
Cancer
As a couple of Broadway tunesmiths once observed, ‘Somewhere there’s heaven/How high the Moon’. The new Moon of April 7 is indeed high in your horoscope, dominating your house of career and acclaim. Cancer makes you a Moonchild, and with a bit of canny footwork you can exploit April’s tide of lunar energy to further you public profile.
Both Venus and Prometheus accompany this lunation, so creativity, art, charm and an unorthodox (bordering on belligerent) approach are in favour, along with individuals who fit that description.
It would be easy, and not misplaced, to treat April and May as one long schmooze fest. You certainly have social circulation on your side, even more so once the sun reaches Taurus on April 19. Mercury spends almost the entire two months in your zone of networking. However, you need to keep in mind a defined outcome – the next step in your professional progress. You were swimming in Piscean waters in March – April is more like a cold shower. Get with the programme, preferably your own, though other people’s is fine if it works for you. Make sure you get full credits.
Most of the action in your horoscope is in the outer world, so Crab-like introspection only takes you so far. The month o Taurus (from the 19th) is particularly obliging for networking and getting in touch with allies, perhaps from some way back in your personal history. Everything is to play for at this point, and a retrograde mercury is no big problem – in fact it can help you if you use May for revision. Meanwhile, rock on.
The close-up and personal stuff is where you find it. Pluto in your zone of significant others looms large for birthdays circa 7-9 July, for whom this spring may be a time of transformation (perhaps uncomfortable), especially where partnerships are involved. Pluto is a standstill, so a less challenging few months now beckon.
The romantics among you are busking. Prospects brightemn up once venus comes into her own at the end of April, but the full Moon of April 22 holds promise. The 13th/14th, with your Luna ruler in your skies is empowering for all Cancerians, hitched or single; do something special.
Leo
Fire! Your alarm bells should be ringing, not because you face peril but because your horoscope is brim full of fire sign action – and Leo, of course, is the fire sign par excellence.
Planets in Aries and Sagittarius represent opportunity, an opening of the ways. You can spend the first three weeks of April on cruise control if you choose, but with the cosmos in such obliging mood, pro-active is the preferred mode. This applies to both your public and private life.
Career first: Mercury spends nine weeks toing and froing across the roof of your ‘scope, the zone of acclaim. Its retrograde phase for three weeks from the end of April signals a time of foot-dragging and second-guesssing, so initiatives to reach the powers that be should be initiated now, likewise anything to do with you parading your talents in front of your (hopefully) adoring public. Every Leo is in showbiz after all.
Helping to up your profile is Mars in the Centaur’s skies and Venus in the Ram’s, where the love goddess accompanies the new Moon of April 7. Venus brings your affection into play, be they for an individual or your favourite creative pursuit. If you are the creative kind – in the broadest sense – then Mars and Venus make April a time of inspiration and edgy ideas. Planet Prometheus is powerful in your ‘scope this spring and summer, so breaking with convention is smiled upon. Any overseas connections, including long haul travel, get a green light (though Mercury asks you to double check tickets).
Leo romantics have a fair wind, especially July birthdays. Mars and Venus align sweetly around April 12, and the ensuing weekend of the 15/16 finds Luna in the Lion’s skies to complete a triangle of fire signs. Full Leonine splendour is called for.
The month of Taurus, starting on April 19, is more challenging; you may face opposition at work or at home from people just as stubborn as you, not least at the full Moon of April 22. Snarling up is a possibility, but so is the love stuff. Leo the Romantic walks on.
Virgo
Much of April is, as the saying has it, a period of transition. The planet that dominates your horoscope until your birthday, Jupiter, is somewhat asleep this month, ready for a burst of expansionism from May onwards. Plus much of this month’s action is in a zone of your ‘scope that is private (maybe super secret), be that about financial arrangements or a love affair.
This is a Scorpio-themed sector of your solar chart, so passion, sex and taboo relationships are part of the equation, especially as Venus is on patrol there just now.. The weekend of April 22/23 (when Venus meets Prometheus) looks intense.
March, with its solar eclipse in your opposite sign, had much to say about relationships, so some of you may be picking up the pieces from a falling-out/vanishing act, tending wounds (yours or someone else’s) or marvelling at how you have restored yourself after being hurt. Time, of course, is the greatest healer and even a month may make more difference than you can imagine.
Some disarray in your one-on-ones looks ongoing, however (blame it on south lunar node and Neptune) – no awful thing in itself perhaps, as long as you are not doing your dutiful Virgo thing and propping up a hopeless case, especially anyone whose first love is the bottle/drugs.
The month of Taurus, from the 29th, should come as something of a relief, despite the imminent retrograde of your Mercury ruler from April 29, with its accompanying low-key hassles (lost tickets and keys etc). Taurus is a fellow earth sign, so accommodating, even when mercury is in retrospective mode, which it will be during May. Meanwhile a few weeks of jaw-dropping Virgoan administration is called for – clear the decks, put in formal requests, fill the diary and book the tickets.
Lastly, at the root of your ‘scope Saturn and Mars still lurk, the former retrograde, the latter about to turn retrograde – the pair seemingly determined not to let your professional life be a walk-over, and/or dragging out any building work to a maddening degree. Your astrologer has no solutions to the latter problem – has anyone? – other than to be thorough.
Libra
Your opposing yet curiously complimentary sign. Aries poses several questions for Librans, not least why the headstrong, impetuous Ram should often appeal to a considered, well-balanced soul such as yourself. One answer, of course, is that you can be pretty headstrong yourself. Another is that Aries provides the fire to animate your lofty airborne nature.
Bothe suggestions are worth keeping in mind this month, when your ruling planet, Venus, spends three weeks in opposition (April 5-29). Opposition can mean just that – someone who is determined to thwart you, someone in the way. On the other hand, the combination of Venus, Sun and Prometheus can spell a magnetic attraction, perhaps a deeply unorthodox relationship.
As previously related, the forward march of Prometheus may prove deeply disruptive in your one-to ones during its seven year stay in Aries. Outright independence may be your choice or unexpectedly thrust upon you. Or you may have to make some adjustments to a relationship in order to reach the point where you are in a relationship yet in a state of self-governance.
Conundrum or paradox though that may be, April promises to make issues clearer and solutions more apparent. The new Moon of April 7 marks a new stage in one or more relationships, with the almost full Moon in your skies on the 20th/21st a possibly climactic moment, certainly one where you need to draw back from outright confrontation. Venus conjuncts Prometheus on the 22nd, another cue for apple carts to be overturned. Yet while not conducive to Libran equilibrium, the month does fizz with excitement, allure even.
It may prove difficult to wrench your attention far from partnership issues. March served notice that good health practice needs to become a routine, not a treat; an ongoing theme. The presence of Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius continues to highlight advantages that accrue from siblings and smaller scale friendships. This pair also favour matters educational – teaching, learning, seminars, courses, training and the like – though with both retrograde from mid-month, you may find yourself overhauling ideas and manuscripts
The full Moon of the 22nd is in your cash zone and opposite a Mercury that’s about to retrograde; best leave the credit card at home.
Scorpio
By repute, Scorpios boast copious powers of concentration but find multi-tasking and rapid change problematic. You don’t need to worry much about the last situation – with half the solar system’s planets retrograde by month’s end, including your celestial ruler Mars, the outlook may seem frustratingly stuck – not a problem if you are in a happy groove but exasperating if you are looking for evolution.
That your horoscope is a somewhat scattered affair,does, however, imply that you need to focus on several things at once. One is the daily grind and the maintenance of mens sana in corpore sano (healthy mind, healthy body). Here the new Moon of April 7 asks you to refresh your routine and refine your intake. Be as pure as a diet-conscious Virgo, or as near as you can manage. Venus, romance goddess, spends most of the month in this zone, a clue that a new crush lies up the road at the yoga session.
Venus in Pisces until April 5, and in your seventh house of significant other (from April 30) bring better odds for those of you in the dating game. Events in March should have offered a few clues where your affections lie, while May should show you whether your feelings are reciprocated.
All one-on-one relationships remain highlighted throughout April and May, thanks firstly to Mercury in your seventh house; perfect for dialogue (intimate or strictly business), but since Mercury turns retrograde at the end of April, get agreements made quickly or expect a lot of huffing and puffing next month. The advent of the Taurus Sun come April 19 turns up the volume on one-on-ones, with the Scorpio full Moon making the weekend of April 22/23 excitable, maybe too excitable if you’re in parlay with someone special. Ideal for a twirl in the spotlight, however – embrace any Bullish birthday parties.
Your personal and creative life returns to brighter astro-weather in May, once Jupiter stops backtracking, so there seems little rush. Your totem planet Mars is also back tracking from mid-Aril, the crucial stage arriving when the giant planet re-occupies Scorpio’s skies in June and July, when the world of January and February will be back for renegotiation – a whole other story.
Meanwhile Mars is dallying in Sagittarius and your solar sector of money and income. No cause for alarmifs you obey Saturn’s rule – the ringmaster planet id also here and for a year or two more – which is you don’t spend what you can’t afford. Both planets are retrograding, so it’s back to the spread sheet for now; what you are looking for is steady income streams rather than a shower from heaven. Saturn isn’t for gamblers.
Sagittarius
Good news; it’s almost time for you to exhale and – if you have been following Your Stars in ’16 – to stop swallowing frogs. March saw Saturn’s crawl through your sign come to a halt as the leaden planet turned retrograde, and Mars likewise draws to a stop in the Centaur’s skies on April 14.
It may seem that some vital initiative turns belly-up around this time – Mars arrived in Sagittarius only last month. As the old song has it, it ain’t necessarily so. Mars returns in August, the same time Saturn moves forwards again, thus supplying you with an invaluable time frame – autumn looks weighty.
Can you take it easy for the next few months? Absolutely not. Saturn is in your sign, going backwards or not, and the big issues with which you have haven confronted this winter are not going away. They, are however, more negotiable, and you can use the time to re-examine the detail of your options regarding job, relationship, home, parental problems, dental work and similar Saturnian stuff. You can postpone, but you can’t avoid.
More good news comes from the jolly month of Aries, the sign that represents the Centaur at play, whether gallivanting around fields, livening up parties or reaching deep into your wellspring of creativity. Or, this particular April, finding a dash of romantic vigour. Venus responds from fiery Aries from the 5th to the 30th, making auspicious alignments with Mars and `Saturn in your own fiery realm. You have doubtless laboured mightily this winter – it’s the wresting with issues as much as their execution that take it out of you – so seize the chance of some down time – gentle gallops across the hills, madcap nights at the clubhouse, brazen flirtation…whatever you have available.
Domestic uncertainties and career path jams can be put on hold. Your job is to toil patiently for now, and await developments – these come on tap during May.
The full Moon of April 22 falls in the seclusion of your solar 12th house – translation, deep soul-searching – but Luna then activates Mars and Saturn in the Centaur over the weekend of the 24th. See you at the clubhouse and at the discotheque a go-go.
Capricorn
The authority to which Capricorns strive is grounded partly in their mastery of the outside world – informality and money with terms and conditions suit the Goat just fine – and partly in inner certainty.
In April that looks the most searching aspect of your ‘scope. Your undisputed ruler, Saturn, is now in retreat in your ‘scope’s sector of retreat and self-examination (along with Mars). Result, you are somewhat behind the scenes. It’s an accommodating time for you to undertake a course of meditation, contemplation and spiritual pursuit – the stuff you don’t bring up in everyday conversation.
The profession is always there to defend and in April you look well fortified. Pluto, planet of plutocrats, is static in your skies, maintaining order. The new Moon of April 7 may bring a few upstart groundlings into your world, however, and, perhaps, to pose tough choices about where, or at least how you live.
Prometheus is heavily featured in this lunation, and birthdays circa January 12 make sense a step change in domestic/professional circumstances – there’s an itch that needs scratching, as spring and early summer may continue to show you. If you are already coping with a mite too much uproar on the domestic front, Venus is in your home zone almost all of April to placate the family and soothe and law suits about the freehold on the flat/house.
True Romance isn’t top of your horoscope’s agenda as the month opens, but that changes as April progresses. The month of Taurus, from April 19, is always a happy one for the Sea Goat, and the full Moon of April 22 makes for a weekend of high jinks. Once Venus arrives in the Bull on the last day of the month, downtime, holidays and flirtation beckon. Mercury spends almost all of April in Taurus, ready for its retrograde phase next month – highly conducive to creative pursuits, overhauling old projects, and chewing the fat with trusted pals. Enjoy.
Aquarius
The Urn Bearer is one of the few signs to feature a human being in its symbol – a fat clue that the welfare of your fellow citizens is often a prime concern for Aquarians. This year, and especially in April, you look surrounded by people. With your ruling planet in your house of networking, fellow travellers are majorly involved in your career progress.
Saturn is now retrograde (joined later in the month by Mars), so an adjustment (and then a readjustment) of the pecking order at work may be involved, or you may find that old workmates and acquaintances come helpfully back into your world. There is absolutely no rush (contrary to what may have seemed the case last month), as this particular game – or a piece of progressive policy you are trying to implement at work – carries on for months.
However, there is urgency elsewhere in your ‘scope. The month of Aries – fire for your air – continues to light up another social realm, probably closer to home, be it siblings, relations, neighbours or random drifters. Also, to revert to more professional themes, any teaching, lecturing, writing and think-tank involvements.
The new Moon of April 7 activates this sector of your ‘scope with some force, favouring your brightest, most out-there ideas and creations. Prometheus, a planet much associated with your sign (though ‘modern ruler’ is stretching it for your astrologer), may also bring folks as unconventional as yourself into orbit, and since Venus is also mixed up in this month’s lunation, an urgent crush. The weekend of April 22/23 looks promising.
Taurus, as the sign representing your oots and home in your solar chart, is an entirely different matter. Nothing too dramatic is portended by April’s stars, but nine weeks of Mercury plying back and forth here asks at the least for some deep thinking about how (and even where) you live. A major spring clean, or a re-arrangement of your studio/executive suite/ attic bedsit seems in order.
The full Moon of April 22 is at the very peak of your ‘scope, the place where you are most on view. Whether it’s a business summit or a party, add a dash of reserve to go with the Luna intoxication.
Pisces
Swimming strongly or just treading water? Your March horoscope was something of a tidal wave – a solar eclipse in the midst of a planetary stellium – and many post-birthday Pisceans will be looking at a changed landscape (perthaps literally), hjopefully not too washed-out.
April asks you to push on with slow, thought-through intent, nowhere more so than in your career. Saturn has just begun its backslide through your House of Achievement, making this a good moment to assess what you want in the long run. Also, to refresh your CV, gather together plaudits, awards and references, and meet with men and women who wield authority.
Mars just entered this same zone of your ‘scope, and is immediately backsliding, thus underscoring the sense of assessment. Big things lie just a few months along your career path; get your ambitions prioritised and detailed meanwhile.
Also, let’s not forget, career and money go together, and in April your cash zone is handily lit up by a new Moon and the innovative planet Prometheus, plus Venus, which is something of a money planet (the bills for all that wining, dining and shopping have to be paid for somehow). Ingenious ways to bring in more of the folding stuff seem on offer.
Ingenuity is also favoured by nine weeks of Mercury in the sector of your scope to do with cognition, education, bright ideas and canny encounters. Your skills and smarts are a big asset over the next two months; let a few more peopleknow that you have them.
Romance, partnerships and other relationships? Do you have the time? March’s events are likely more significant than what happens in April, that eclipse being bang opposite Jupiter in your House of Significant Others. Jupiter remains in retrograde, so assimilate the situation as it is before acting – things will be moving right along when Jupiter moves forwards in May.