Mercury entered Pisces in February 2006. At that time, it formed a trine to Jupiter and a square to Pluto between the 19th and 28th. When Mercury turned retrograde in early March, it again returned to form a square to Pluto and a trine to Jupiter between March 4 and 14, 2006. Now Mercury is direct, still in Pisces, and again moving into the trine to Jupiter retrograde and the square to Pluto.

During this Mercury activity, the stock market didn’t do well and performed erratically. Matters concerning company finances filled the media. On a personal level, life seemed to drag and activities moved in stops and starts. Communication was difficult and some mistakes may have been made.

The month of April begins with Mercury once again forming a trine to Jupiter retrograde on April 4th and moving towards the square to Pluto. The good news is that this is the last time for this cycle this year.

When Mercury forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde, a mutable T-Square also occurs. Once again, this can be an erratic period for the stock market and financial news.

Emotionally, you may feel that you need to take action. And action is a good thing. With the Moon in Cancer, a grand trine in water also occurs and the best action to take is one of nurturing. If past mistakes are revealed, gentleness and forgiveness (especially with self) is an excellent path to take. If you need to take action, look inward first and feel how you need to move before proceeding. Only after understanding your feelings can you use your logical mind to determine the best action for moving forward. Basically, the key to using this energy is to balance your emotional needs with your logical decisions.

Saturn turns direct the next day making it easier for you to understand how to structure your life. It’s been retrograde since November 22, 2005, so that’s why it’s been difficult to focus. Now focusing is easier.

Saturn in Leo also indicates a need to understand how important it is for you to put your leadership skills into a global perspective. Leaders have had a difficult time during the Saturn retrograde period. Mistakes really can come back and haunt them now. However, for leaders who took organizational and global considerations into account, this could be a good time period as rewards also surface. If you’re in a leadership position, make certain that you consider all the needs of your organization’s goals and you’ll find success.

Venus enters Pisces around 12 hours after Saturn turns direct. This increases your sense of oneness with the universal energy. And, it makes it easier for you to employ compassion in your dealings with other people. Venus is also moving into a conjunction with Uranus on April 18th and a trine to Jupiter on April 19th, strengthening your ability to meditate and understand how to bring healing into your life.

April 13, 2006 is an important day metaphysically. On that day, the Moon becomes full at 12:41 pm EDT, Mercury forms a square to Pluto at 4;53 pm EDT, and Mars enters Cancer at 9:00 pm EDT. This is a day to focus on releasing personal barriers or fears that prevent you from developing relationships. As always, a full Moon indicates a period of letting go. With the Sun in Aires and the Moon in Libra your focus is on maintaining your personal needs within the context of your relationships. It’s important to think back to the end of last month when the Solar Eclipse, a new Moon, occurred in Aries on March 29, 2006. Your needs may have either been or felt “eclipsed.” You may have felt that you couldn’t do what you wanted in life because of your obligations to other people. This is especially true if you have strong Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn energy in your personal chart. But today it becomes easier to understand that you can only help others as much as you can help yourself and no more.

Be careful with your communications today. With Mercury forming a square to Pluto retrograde, you may let your frustration surface to the point that you may say things you’ll later regret. On the other hand, this is also a “psychological” aspect, meaning tht you could find ways to really understand how the needs of others also meet your personal needs.

Mars is not comfortable in Cancer because Mars likes to initiate action while Cancer likes to feel the impact of decisions before taking action.

This could actually be good since there is a need to balance your own emotional needs with those of other people. It only becomes difficult if you let your desire to nurture, a Cancer trait, interfere with your need to move on in life. Or, another way to state this: If you know what you need to do to move on with your life and you let your feelings of not wanting to hurt someone interfere with your decision, it could hurt you in the long run.

Economically, the stock market will be very erratic now. People may let their fears for the future dictate their buy/sell decisions. So, if you are feeling this way, make your decisions trying to use both your logical mind and your emotional need for security.

By the time Mercury moves into Aries on April 16, 2006, you may not care what other people think. Mercury is moving into a square to Mars that occurs on April 18th. This is not a good time to start arguments if you care about the other person’s feelings. People tend to take the defensive when Mars is in Cancer. On the other hand, not caring about what the other person thinks may be just what you need so that you can take some important actions.

On the same day that Mercury forms the square to Mars, Venus is also forming a conjunction to Uranus. You may feel that it’s time to make changes in your relationship with people. If you’ve had difficulties with others, this is when you decide that the problems aren’t worth your energy. If, however, you are involved in positive relationships, this is the time to move the relationship onto the next level of commitment. As Venus moves into a trine with Jupiter retrograde on April 20th, you’ll really see the possibilities in life. This is a good day for optimism and making decisions.

On this same day, April 20th, the Sun moves into Taurus and you’ll really understand the values of your actions. Life will seem less hectic. When the new Moon in Taurus occurs on April 27th, this is an excellent time to begin new activities that support your value system, both emotionally and physically. Knowing what you need for personal security is easier now. Knowing how to put a plan into action to achieve that personal security is easier now. Life just seems less chaotic.