The first three months of this year were difficult due to the intensity of a cluster which surrounded the sign of Aquarius. This difficulty brought a sense of emotional frustration: Feeling out of control yet feeling controlled by others. As you move into April, you will see that the cluster is now separating. Only Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune remain in a close conjunction and will do so for most of this year. This actually seems fitting for a year where changes need to occur on a global level especially as they relate to your life financially. You may not understand all the future consequences of those changes, but they will be made in order to seek a balance. The best thing to do is allow your faith and spirit to guide you as the world undergoes these changes.

As the month begins, Mercury forms a quincunx to Saturn retrograde on April 2, 2009. Mercury is in Aries, a sign which indicates that you just want to let whatever thoughts and feelings you have explode into words. However, this is a time when you need to watch your words. You need to keep your plans to yourself and not reveal too much of the direction you want to take. Other people may try to hem you in. They may try to tell you what’s best for you. But remember that other people also have their personal agendas. Unless an individual is an advisor, hired by you for their expertise in helping you with a particular situation, understand that not everyone is looking out for your personal interest.

Venus is still retrograde at this time and forms a square to Pluto on the next day. Pay attention to financial matters right now. The stock market will not be doing well perhaps in reaction to news that comes out from the G20 summit meeting which occurred on April 2nd. Credit will remain tight. Don’t be surprised when you open your credit card bills: Companies are going to raise interest rates on credit cards.

It’s not uncommon for people from your past to contact you when Venus is retrograde. It’s also not uncommon for unresolved financial matters from the past to resurface. Since Venus has been retrograde since March 6, 2009, you may have already experienced this. Some of the people from your past may be individuals you missed and are glad to see. Some of the people may be individuals which whom you had difficulties with and can now resolve those problems. The same is true with financial matters. You may be able to resolve those problems now.

On April 4th, Mercury forms a sextile to Jupiter while Pluto turns retrograde and Mars forms an opposition to Saturn retrograde. Several things will be happening on this day. Normally Pluto turning retrograde doesn’t mean very much because the energy is so slow. However, Pluto is still in the early stages of Capricorn so you may be grappling with the paradigm shifts that are now occurring. The most important areas for these shifts are in the way corporate and financial institutions are structured. And, because it deals with structural changes, this will impact you personally in the areas of employment and pension plans. Mercury forming a sextile to Jupiter may bring a sense of optimism but it needs to be tempered because the Mars opposition to Saturn retrograde indicates that many rules that worked in the past aren’t working right now. The best way to use this energy is to analyze what is not working in your life and start coming up with new plans for action. With Pluto turning retrograde, you won’t be able to implement all those plans but at least you’ll be able to start making changes which can improve your life in the future.

Mercury forms a sextile to Chiron on April 6th and a sextile to Neptune on April 7th. These are days of healing. You may feel a little lethargic, but don’t worry. These are two days when you need to relax. Perhaps you could take time off from work and spend it with your family. Or, perhaps you can take a spa day and get a massage or other form of body work. Since you may feel lethargic, you may find it difficult to focus. With this lack of focus, it’s not a good time to negotiate any contracts. You could miss some very critical details.

The full Moon with Sun in Aries and Moon in Libra occurs on April 9th. This is a full Moon that indicates compromise and is very important. First, Mercury entered Taurus just a few minutes before the full Moon. It’s important for you to understand your needs and stick to your ethical and moral beliefs. After the full Moon, Mercury forms a trine to Ceres retrograde and Venus retrograde forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde. Ceres represents the importance of compromising from a position of power and moral conviction. With these energies operating in the Full Moon chart any compromises that you make need to support your ethical standards. This is not a time for vacillation but it is a time for working with other people.

On April 11th, Mercury forms a trine to Pluto retrograde while Venus in retrograde motion re-enters Pisces. If you were in the process of negotiations on April 9th and compromise was reached, you will find some rewards coming from those negotiations. You’ll also be able to solve some financial problems which generated difficulties for you.

If you meet someone new today who appears to represent a potential long-term relationship, be very careful. Venus in Pisces makes it easier for people to feel compassionate. And, it does give you the feeling that others really care about you. For people who are already in your life, the next few days are wonderful times to try and resolve conflict. However, Venus will not remain in Pisces very long and any new “loves” will only be fleeting. As a matter of fact, you may feel used by this new person and get into arguments between April 12th when Ceres turns direct and April 15th when Mars forms a conjunction to Uranus.

On April 17th, Venus turns direct. This is very good if you own a business. It’s easier for you to see profits starting to come in. It’s also easier for you to develop marketing plans that can really improve your livelihood. Even the stock market will seem to improve. Remember though, there’s still a lot of changes that need to occur before the financial stability of the world remains. But, with Mercury forming a trine to Saturn retrograde a little later in the day, you will read news reports of some government programs showing success.

As the Sun enters Taurus on April 19th it forms a trine to Ceres and a trine to Pluto retrograde which creates a grand earth trine between the 19th and the 22nd of April. During these next few days you’ll find that through compromise you can achieve results. There is a willingness to find solutions. This is also a good period to implement any health programs, such as improving your diet or starting to exercise. These days are about you and how you can bring more stability into your life. This is also the time when leaders of various nations try to find ways to improve the economic situation of the world. Even the stock market seems to respond well to any financial reports.

Be very careful, however, on April 22nd and April 23rd. Mercury forms a square to Jupiter on April 22nd and Mars, which entered Aries on April 22nd, forms a quincunx to Ceres on April 23rd. Any military actions taken on these days will not go well for the initiator. On a more personal level, any legal actions that you start on these days will not go well for you. There’s a tendency to rush into action without thinking about all the consequences. Too many important details are overlook which can lead to jeopardy later.

Just before the new Moon with Sun and Moon in Taurus occurs on April 24th, Venus re-enters Aries and Mercury forms a sextile to Uranus. After the new Moon occurs, Mercury forms a square to Chiron and Neptune on April 25th and Mars forms a square to Pluto retrograde on April 26th. The chart of the new Moon appears benign. However, the astrological energies which occur before and immediately after the new Moon indicate that a lot is going to occur between April 24th and April 26th.

Venus is not really comfortable in Aries because Aries means that you have to take action while Venus indicates that somehow you don’t want to offend anyone. When Mercury forms a sextile to Uranus and also a square to both Chiron and Neptune, you don’t always consider your actions. Plus, you never have all the information you need to take the proper actions. Finally, when Mars forms a square to Pluto, you tend to react from frustration rather than from calculated actions. Be careful: This could be a period of accidents because other people are not concentrating on what they are doing. This is also a period where you could feel frustrated because nothing is really happening the way that you planned. It’s very important to you maintain your focus so that you don’t react and regret those reactions later. If you have to sign any contracts during this time period, try to do the best you can to have someone else review the matter. Hopefully that person will see something that you missed. If you need to start a new project at this time, remember that you’ll need to make some serious changes to that project when the full Moon occurs in May 9, 2009.

The month of April ends with Venus forming a quincunx to Ceres on April 28th and Mercury entering its own sign of Gemini on April 30th. Resolutions are still not coming and in some ways that good because not everything is known nor is it planned thoroughly. Mercury is beginning to slow down because it will go retrograde in May so it’s more important for you to gather information right now than act on that information.

Basically, the month of April is where energy is finally starting to move. But because things were so sluggish for three months, it’s more important that you analyze your situation and start creating some plans knowing that you still don’t have all the information you need because of changes in the global financial situation which will take this year to sort out.