Important astrological energies for the month of April 2023:
- Full Moon with Sun in Aries and Moon in Libra on April 6, 2023.
- Hybrid Solar Eclipse (NM) with Sun and Moon in Aries on April 20, 2023.
- Mercury in Taurus turns retrograde on April 21, 2023. It will go direct on May 14, 2023.
Understanding Nuances in Communications
By Misty Kuceris, ©2023
In many ways, the month of April 2023 is less hectic and more reflective than last month was. You want to understand the nuances that surround you. Meaning: You want to understand what people mean when they speak rather than just the words they’re using. You want to know their real intent, not just what they say they want. You’re looking for both visual and verbal clues when you interact with others so you understand them better.
All of your need to understand is especially strong on April 2nd as Mercury in Aries forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde in Virgo. When Mercury is in the sign of Aries you usually don’t want to pay attention to what other people are saying. Usually you just want to move on with life and not bother with communications. But today things are a bit different because Ceres retrograde is in the sign of Virgo. Today you want to pay attention to the meaning behind the words. While you’re listening to what others are saying, you’re also paying attention to nuances which give you clues to their real intent. If you have to stand up for your rights, you will. If, however, you can find a way to get other people to support your project through compromise, you will.
Mercury enters the sign of Taurus on April 3rd and a few hours later it forms a square to Pluto. When Mercury is in the sign of Taurus, it becomes important to think things through before you say anything. You don’t want to make rash decisions. You want to understand every aspect of the situation. For this reason, you also find it easier to focus on situations.
This ability to focus increases as Mercury forms the square to Pluto. You become more intense as you communicate with others because it becomes more important not to make any mistakes. On one hand, you may become frustrated because you can’t always get all the information you need. On the other hand, you may frustrate others because they feel that you’re moving too slowly when it comes to making a decision. But, as frustrating as this may appear to others, moving slowly and researching as many facts as possible will benefit you in the long run.
Mercury won’t be turning retrograde until April 21st, but don’t be surprised if you feel as if Mercury is starting to turn retrograde today on April 5th. There’s a pattern that Mercury tends to make a few weeks before it goes retrograde and a few weeks after it turn direct. This pattern is what I call a Mercury triad sequence. In a Mercury triad sequence, Mercury forms the same aspect three times: Twice in direct motion and once in retrograde motion. In this case, Mercury forms a sextile to Saturn today while it’s still in direct motion. You feel that it’s important to get your facts in order before you make any decisions. You don’t want to make a mistake. At the same time, you don’t want to be misunderstood. You want to be as clear as possible in your communications with others. Yet, there’s this feeling that as much research as you’ve done, there’s still some missing information lurking somewhere. And, you may be right. For this reason, it would be good to put off making a final decision until this aspect occurs a second time on May 12th when Mercury is in retrograde motion, or better yet, wait until May 19th when this aspect occurs for the third time and Mercury is in direct motion.
As the full Moon occurs on April 6th you want to move on with your life. Yet you feel there are some issues that need to be resolved before this forward movement can occur. That’s because the Sun in Aries at the time of the full Moon is flanked by both Chiron and Jupiter in a conjunction while the Moon in Libra opposes both Chiron and Jupiter. Meanwhile, Mercury forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node less than one hour after the full Moon occurs. (By the way, when a planet is flanked, it means that it is between two other planets or energy points. When this happens, the two planets either prop up the middle planet and help it; or, the two outer planets that surround the middle planet are trying to control the middle planet so it can’t operate that easily.
When the Sun is in Aries and the Moon is in Libra during the time of a full Moon you realize that it’s important for other people to accept you for who you are. You don’t want to spend time with people who put their needs first to the point of ignoring your needs. With the conjunction the Sun makes to Chiron, you feel the pain that this type of relationship brings you. And, as much as this may cause you discomfort, with the Sun forming a conjunction to Jupiter and the Moon forming the opposition, you need to move on and end the relationship.
With Mercury forming that conjunction to the Moon’s North Node less than an hour later, you are ready to move into new situations and relationships. You realize that if other people don’t value you, they don’t deserve to be in your life. You also know that if you want to achieve success and happiness, you need support from others. While you need to live a lifestyle that supports your value system you can’t do it all on your own.
Finding ways to manifest your dreams is very important on April 7th when Venus forms a sextile to Neptune. You want to take advantage of every possible opportunity: Whether that’s finding your soulmate; creating financial plans, or even looking for the new job.
At the same time, you always need to be cautious when a personal planet, such as Venus, makes an aspect to Neptune, even if that aspect is a favorable one. Finding ways to manifest your dreams is a good situation. But when Neptune is involved you may not approach your plans in a realistic manner. The best way to use this energy today is to list your dreams and potential strategies for achieving those dreams. If necessary, put a price tag on the strategies. Then, over the next few days, look at your dreams and strategies and see if they are still something you want. If so, you’ll find a practical way to achieve them.
Venus forming a trine to Ceres retrograde on April 8th will help you review your dreams from a realistic perspective. When these two planets make a harmonious aspect, as today, you find a way to balance your passionate nature (Venus) and your strategic nature (Ceres). You realize that in some cases you’ll need to compromise in order to achieve your goals. You also realize that in other cases you’ll need to contact people who may be able to provide support as you implement some of your plans.
April 10th could be seen as a day of culmination in your search to manifest your spiritual dreams that began on April 7th. On April 7th, Venus formed a sextile to Neptune. On April 8th, Venus formed a trine to Ceres retrograde. Now on April 10th Ceres retrograde is forming an opposition to Neptune. This indicates that certain situations are coming full circle in your life.
A few days ago you wanted to find ways to manifest your dreams. Initially your approach wasn’t too realistic because it was clouded by Neptune. Then, Venus and Ceres retrograde came together and you saw where you need to develop a strategy for success as well as compromise on some of your plans. Now that Ceres retrograde is forming the opposition to Neptune, you’re willing to release plans that are too unrealistic. While you may believe in positive thinking, you also realize that if the plan is unrealistic you can be positively sure that it will fail. Failure is definitely something you don’t want in your life.
When Venus enters the sign of Gemini on April 11th, communications becomes very important. This is especially true with Venus forming a trine to Pluto later in the day. Venus in Gemini is an interesting placement. You want to make sure that other people understand the meaning behind your words. You feel that you can resolve problems through communicating with others. You’re also open to new ideas.
As Venus forms the trine to Pluto you become more adamant about standing up for your rights. You feel passionate about situations. At the same time, you know how to communicate in a manner that helps other people feel comfortable being around you. In actuality, your words can prove inspirational to some people.
Relationships feel a bit difficult on April 14th as Venus forms a square to Saturn. With Venus in Gemini, you feel as if people aren’t willing to listen to you. Rather you feel they are assessing you in a critical manner. As a matter of fact, you may be doing the same thing: Being overly critical of your actions. It’s very important to be gentle with yourself today. There is a tendency to take everything so seriously that you feel you’re in the wrong. You overreact. You’re judging yourself too harshly. This is a day where you need to just let go. If things are too difficult, put them off for another day. If people are too critical, remove yourself from their orb of influence.
Before the Sun enters the sign of Taurus on April 20th, there is a rare hybrid Solar Eclipse. This means that in some locations the eclipse is a partial or annular eclipse and in other locations the eclipse is a total Solar eclipse. If you live in Southeast Asia, East Indies, parts of Australia, Philippines, and New Zealand, you’ll see a partial eclipse. If you live in Western Australia, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia (West Papua and Papua) you’ll see the total eclipse. This eclipse is part of the Saros 129 series.
At the time this eclipse occurs, both the Sun and Moon are in the sign of Aries at 29°50’. After they form the conjunction, the Moon goes void-of-course for a short time period, at 12:13 am EDT, as it enters the sign of Taurus around 12:30 am EDT. And the Sun actually will enter the sign of Taurus just a little earlier at 12:15 am EDT. Once the luminaries enter Taurus, they form a square to Pluto in Aquarius.
During the time period that a solar eclipse occurs, the Moon blocks the Sun and the fire that sparks the light is hidden from view by the Moon which represents water and the ability to extinguish the fire. Because this eclipse is at the end of the sign of Aries, you feel as if other people are blocking your ability to do what you want in life. You try to reach out, but others try to stifle you.
Spiritually this is a time to understand who you are and what you want in life. Pulling back, being stifled can sometimes help you understand what’s important for you. I think of the tarot card, the hermit as a great reflection of this energy. You reflect on the light to understand the path to take.
After the eclipse occurs the Sun enters the sign of Taurus and also forms a square to Pluto later in the day. This energy emphasizes just how important it is for you to understand your needs. More importantly you are passionate about living your life in a manner that fulfills your needs. You’re not willing to put up with other people who tell you what you “should” do. You are not willing to let these people “should” on you. If people aren’t willing to support you at this point, you will do what you need to do on your own.
On April 21st, Mercury in Taurus turns retrograde and you have several weeks to re-evaluate your values and create plans to live your life based on your value system. Mercury will be retrograde until May 14, 2023.
When Mercury is retrograde, you tend to keep reviewing situations in your life. It’s like this video tape that is going on in your head: Replaying the same scene over and over again. This is especially true when Mercury is in the sign of Taurus. You want to understand the nuances of conversations with others. You don’t want to take anything for granted. Yet, this process of constant review can also be very tiring. It can become like the drip of a faucet or the beat of a drum that never stops.
It’s very important for you to understand what is happening in your world. If someone presents you with a new concept, you want to think it over. You move it around in your head like it’s a diamond where you can find all the nuisances and the glimmers that shine. It’s also important to note that at the time Mercury turned retrograde, the Moon forms a conjunction to Mercury a few minutes earlier and starts moving into a conjunction to Uranus. So, you may think that you’re open to new ideas, but not really. Emotionally you don’t want to let go of anything that has provided a sense of security even if that person or situation is not good for you. Understanding this enables you to realize that during this Mercury retrograde period, you will find yourself in situations where you may need to decide whether to leave a situation or person or stay in that situation.
In a lot of ways it’s fitting that Ceres retrograde forms a quincunx to Jupiter on April 22nd, the day after Mercury in Taurus turn retrograde. Ceres and Jupiter have a unique relationship in mythology. Ceres represents Demeter, the mother who lost her daughter Persephone to Hades. Jupiter represents Jove, the god who ruled over all the other gods and goddesses, including Hades. When Ceres realized Persephone was gone, she plunged the world into darkness and cold to represent what she felt in her heart. When she realized that Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, she turned to Jupiter to have him bring Persephone back to her. Jupiter insisted he couldn’t because Persephone was now in the underworld realm of Hades, had eaten from the pomegranate, and once someone entered that realm they couldn’t return. Ceres insisted that without Persephone back in the earthly plane, the world which she plunged into darkness and cold would never recover and humans would be no more. Without humans to worship the gods, there would be no purpose for the gods. Ceres used her power to persuade Jupiter that a solution could be achieved if a compromise was reached: Persephone would come back to earth for six months and return to the underworld for another six months. Thus the cycle of seasons began and continues.
When Ceres retrograde forms the quincunx to Jupiter it’s important to think back on those times in your life when you compromised to get what you wanted. Were those compromises worth it? Did they achieve what you wanted? Perhaps because Ceres retrograde is quincunx to Jupiter you may now decide that you didn’t get quite what you wanted and now you have to compromise again. Or, perhaps you realize that you did receive value for those areas of compromise and you’re now ready to take advantage of those values and move on with your life. Either way, you realize that by owning your power and ability to compromise when necessary you can find ways to get what you need in life.
As you discuss matters with other people on April 25th, you realize that your words of praise have a healing effect on people in your life. You can see where they are important. At the same time, you’re able to let others know just how you feel about them. This is a good day to let other people know you care.
You feel frustrated that people are just willing to run all over you on April 27th when Mars forms a square to Chiron. You want to be sensitive to their needs, especially with Mars in Cancer. But, you don’t want to be taken advantage of, especially with Chiron in Aries. When Mars is in Cancer, you want to sidestep matters. You don’t like confrontation. So, you may find it difficult to stand up for your rights. If you notice that occurring, pull back. If at all possible, just leave the room and come back another day when you feel ready to meet the problem head on.
Mars forms a sextile to Uranus on April 29th as the month draws to a close. You feel liberated today. You feel that you don’t need to take care of other people. You can just go on with your life on your terms. With Mars in Cancer you don’t feel like interacting with too many people anyway. While new information may come into your life, you feel that you can wait a bit, process the information, and maybe act on it another day. Yes, at times there is a tendency to procrastinate when Mars is in Cancer, but today that could actually benefit you. Today you realize that it is a good idea to be more reflective so you can understand the nuances when you communicate with others. You can feel, if not see, both the visual and verbal clues others are showing you.
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