Important astrological energies for the month of April 2013:

• The month begins with the stellium in Aries and ends with a stellium in Taurus;
• New Moon with Sun and Moon in Aries occurs on April 10, 2013;
• Saturn retrograde in Scorpio forms a quincunx to Uranus in Aries on April 12, 2013;
• Ceres forms a water trine with Neptune on April 19, 2013; and a water trine with Saturn retrograde on April 29, 2013. This creates a grand water trine.
• Stellium in Taurus between Mars, Sun, and Venus created when Mars enters Taurus on April 20, 2013. It continues until May 15, 2013 when Mercury enters the sign of Gemini;
• Partial Lunar Eclipse, the first of the year, with Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio, occurs on April 25, 2013.

Knowing What You Need

Misty Kuceris ©2013

As the month of April 2013 begins, there is an undercurrent from the sign of Aries as four planets, Uranus, the Sun, Venus, and Mars are all in Aries. This undercurrent will continue until April 19^th, when the Sun leaves Aries to enter the sign of Taurus.

The undercurrent energy of Aries means that you want to get things done in life. You don’t want to wait for other people or make excuses for your actions. This can be good if you don’t run over other people to get what you want.

On April 3^rd, Chiron forms a sextile to Pluto. In many ways, the energy of Chiron and Pluto are similar: They deal with pain inflicted. Chiron deals with pain inflicted on self while Pluto deals with pain inflicted on others. Both are passionate in the pain they inflict because they feel that the receiver of the pain deserves it. At the same time, both are planets of growth and healing through understanding your subconscious needs. Chiron deals with self-healing. Pluto deals with healing others. This is the time to understand your inner drives and motivations. If you don’t you might inflict pain either on yourself or others. If you do understand your inner drives and motivations, you’ll be able to move from pain into healing.

Ceres enters the sign of Cancer on April 4, 2013. Ceres is very comfortable in the sign of Cancer. As the corn goddess, Ceres represents the need to create a safe environment for the world. She wants people to have food and nourishment. Unfortunately, as Ceres enters the sign of Cancer, she will also form a square to Uranus in Aries and an opposition to Pluto in Capricorn in the month of May 2013. This means that changes are occurring in the environment which could lead to problems in any form of mining or deep drilling, perhaps shale drilling. This could indicate that companies that are fracking are getting permits causing potential long-term destruction to the environment.

You won’t feel the energy of the cardinal T-square during the month of April because the energy is too far away at this time. Instead, you’ll find that you want to take care of your home and your own environment. If you live in the United States, this is a good time to plant your seeds and get your garden ready for the next few months.

The new Moon which occurs on April 10^th is going be very important for personal growth. Both the Sun and Moon are in the sign of Aries and conjunct Mars and Venus. It’s important to understand your needs and find ways to meet them. You won’t want people in your life who aren’t supportive of your goals. Any projects that you undertake are going to do well. Just make certain that your optimism about success doesn’t lead you to take uncalculated risks. This is perhaps the first time since February 4^th that you actually feel like life is moving forward.

Pluto tends to move slowly, especially in Capricorn. So, when Pluto turns retrograde on April 12^th, you may not even notice. The only way that you may notice this energy is that laws representing conservative viewpoints don’t get passed as quickly.

A few hours after Pluto turns retrograde, Saturn retrograde forms a quincunx to Uranus. This energy can actually work in harmony with Pluto turning retrograde. You need to make some adjustments in your life. These adjustments deal with understanding how to use past lessons to create future growth. If you rush too quickly, you may find yourself tripping over past decisions that are now creating some obstacles. If you move too slowly, you may feel frustrated because change isn’t occurring as fast as you’d like it too. Balance is the keyword here. Also, make a note of this date in your calendar. This quincunx will occur again on October 5, 2013. If you can’t overcome your obstacles today, you will have to deal with them again in October.

As Mercury enters the sign of Aries on April 13^th, you’ll start thinking about how to get your point of view across to other people. With Mercury entering Aries a “split-stellium” is created. This split-stellium (a term coined by me) means that you have some early degree planets in a sign and some late degree planets in the same sign. The early degree planets, such as Mercury and Uranus at this time, are important to understand. You’ll start standing up for your rights through communicating your ideas to other people. The late degree planets, in this case the Sun, Mars, and Venus, are also important to understand. You’ll look to those people in your intimate space to understand your needs and support your decisions. Just don’t place such high expectations on your loved ones that they can’t meet them. They also need your support at this time.

As Venus enters the sign of Taurus on April 15^th, you’ll feel calmer. Venus likes to be in the sign of Taurus, its ruler. You’re able to call upon your inner strength to solve problems. You’ll feel good about your ability to resolve situations. If there are people around you who are too demanding, you’ll be able to put up barriers which protect you from these individuals.

When Mercury forms a square to Ceres on April 16^th, be cautious in how you communicate your needs to other people. You may sound too self-serving. Your mind is operating very quickly and you want to get things done. Meanwhile, other people are expecting you to listen to their needs. They want you to help solve their problems and you don’t have the patience for that. You see solutions to their problems very easily and you don’t understand why others don’t see the same solutions.

Venus is forming a sextile to both Ceres and Neptune on April 18^th. This could be a very good day for relationships. You feel nurtured by others. At the same time, you feel that other people are able to meet your romantic ideals. You may not feel like doing too much, but that’s all right. This could be a good day to relax and enjoy the energies you feel.

April 19^th is important because Ceres forms the trine to Neptune after Venus had formed a sextile to both Ceres and Neptune the day before. This is also the start of a grand water trine that will conclude on April 29^th when Ceres forms a trine to Saturn retrograde. You have the chance to figure out what your dreams are and how to put them into reality. And, because the trine takes a while to come to fruition, you also have several days to figure it all out. This could be the start of some nice things occurring in life.

Mercury also forms a quincunx to Saturn retrograde on April 19^th, but that’s not a bad thing. You can use this energy to make some adjustments to your dreams and your plans. It’s just enough tension to make certain that you don’t go off halfcocked and end up in the wrong place. Plus, with the Sun entering the sign of Taurus a few hours later, you’ll be able to understand why these dreams are so important to you.

When Mercury forms a conjunction to Uranus on April 20^th, you’ll want to rush into situations without thinking about the consequences. So, it’s probably a good thing that Mars will enter the sign of Taurus later in the day. You really need to think before you speak. You may say things that you regret later. Also, you need to be careful because this is an accident aspect. It’s difficult to stay focused when Mercury forms a conjunction to Uranus. If an accident happens it’s because you weren’t thinking: You just rushed ahead. You also need to be careful because Mercury will form a square to Pluto retrograde the following day, March 21^st.

As Mars enters the sign of Taurus, it forms a conjunction to the Sun. Also, with Venus already in the sign of Taurus, a small stellium in Taurus is now being created. However, Mars really isn’t comfortable in the sign of Taurus, its detriment. You may find it more difficult to take action. Mars likes to mull things over. But there’s a benefit to moving slowly. It’s easier to assess all aspects of the situation and make fewer errors. Plus, you intuition is very strong right now, so pay attention to it.

Mercury formed a conjunction to Uranus the day before, so you need to be careful on April 21^st when Mercury forms a square to Pluto retrograde. You may feel frustrated that you can’t get your way. You may feel that other people are trying to manipulate you. This is not a day to start arguments because you won’t get anywhere. Neither party will win. Instead, use the energy of the day to focus on matters that are important to you. Keep secrets, be silent, and you’ll be able to accomplish quite a bit.

You may continue to feel frustrated on April 22^nd when Venus forms an opposition to Saturn retrograde. Sometimes you feel as if you’re all alone in the world and no one is around to support you. There may be some truth to that. However, usually when Venus is forming an opposition to Saturn retrograde you tend to pull back into yourself and forget to ask for help. This forgetfulness can compound your feelings of not receiving support.

Be very careful with your finances as well. This is a good day for budgeting. This is also a good day for throwing away things that are obstructing your forward progress. Or, you may decide that certain relationships are preventing you from achieving success. In that case, you may decide that it’s time to separate from those people.

There’s a tendency to say too much when Mercury forms a sextile to Jupiter, so be careful with your words on April 23^rd. You could get excited about a potential project and communicate that to another person. However, the other person may feel differently and shoot down your ideas. The other problem is that you may not have thought everything through. If possible, write down your ideas and review them tomorrow, April 24^th, when Venus forms a trine to Pluto retrograde. You’ll find that you’re able to focus on your ideas and understand their value. Also, when Venus forms a trine to Pluto you may meet someone who sparks your passion and even your romantic interest.

The first eclipse of the year occurs on April 25^th in the afternoon, EDT. But, before that eclipse occurs, Venus forms a sextile to Chiron and that energy will be part of the eclipse. This eclipse is very personal. It is a partial lunar eclipse which occurs during the time of the full Moon. People living in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia will be able to see this eclipse which is part of the Saros cycle 112.

During this eclipse, the Sun is in Taurus and sandwiched between Mars and Venus which are also in Taurus. That means that you need to look at your actions and see if you taking care of your needs while giving support to people you love. Meanwhile, the Moon is in Scorpio and conjunct Saturn retrograde. This means that you may feel as if other people aren’t always there for you. You may feel as if you need to take care of things all by yourself. Again, it’s important for you to look at your actions and see if you are ignoring your needs to the point that other people can take advantage of you. Since the Venus/Chiron sextile is part of this eclipse, it’s important that you take the time to repair any problems in your relationships with other people. And, if other people aren’t willing to reciprocate, it’s important for you to determine whether they are worth being a part of your life.

April 26^th may seem like a dreamy day as Mars forms a sextile to Neptune. Mars in Taurus moves slowly. As it forms the sextile to Neptune, you may find it difficult to focus. Or, you may just not want to do anything. Take it easy today. Don’t push yourself. Just enjoy the energy that surrounds you.

It’s difficult to tell just how the energy of Venus forming a conjunction to the Moon’s South Node will play out on April 28^th. Some people from your past may re-enter your life. You may need to deal with karmic situations that you thought you had cleared up years ago. You definitely will have to deal with any financial problems you didn’t resolve in the past. Watch this day carefully and do the best you can to complete any projects. They are from the past and need to be dealt with.

The month ends on a positive note as Ceres forms a trine to Saturn retrograde on April 29^th. When Ceres formed a trine to Neptune on April 19^th, it started the energy of a grand water trine. You had time to consider your dreams and which ones were important to implement in your life. You had time to develop concrete plans for implementing those dreams. Today you have the means of making certain that your practical dreams can be implemented.