April
Changes—
April 6
Mercury retrograde
April 30
Mercury direct
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A P R I L 2 0 0 4 R E T R O G R A D E W A T C H  by Maya del Mar Only one planet changes direction this month. Busy little Mercury turns retrograde on April 6, and turns direct on April 30. We start April with Mercury entering practical Taurus, ready to help us get it together. But wait! says Mercury, I’m not really clear about my mission. I need to go back and review instructions. By April 6, Mercury has moved slowly through two degrees of Taurus. And then it stations, and turns around. Mercury represents our thinking process, and in Taurus it is thinking about money, resources, values, and priorities. Scorpio Moon just finished opposing Mercury, to support the resource theme, and to add intensity and determination to Taurus, and perhaps secrecy. Also prominent at this time is the very energetic Mars-Jupiter square, which denotes the warrior. Mars is in the twin sign of Gemini, and polarization in regard to aggression is likely. At the same time emotions are flowing freely. By April 12, Mercury has retreated back to Aries, the sign of the challenger. Aries is a fire sign, and it is fire signs which stimulate our visionary qualities. We have the remainder of the month to revise the ideals which we are using for guidance. This is a seed-planting month for the entire year following, and we want our planting to be right—and practical, as Taurus has reminded us. By April 17, as Mercury conjoins Sun, director of the show, a new picture is forming. This picture develops as Mercury continues to back up in Aries. Mercury conjoins Moon just before the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries on April 19. Thus Moon and Sun are both filled with retrograde Mercury energy as they come together in Eclipse mode. There could be nothing stronger than a Solar Eclipse to catalyze the perceptual revisions we are making during this Mercury retrograde period. Mercury turns direct on the morning of April 30 at 22 Aries. This is a powerful moment. Mercury trines potent Pluto in Sagittarius, and gives it the impetus to express its power. The chart set for Washington DC is like a spinning roulette wheel. Challenger Mars is rising, unpredictable Uranus is on the midheaven, energy-packed Pluto has just set, and expansive Jupiter is on the nadir, or foundation (and exactly square the U.S. Uranus). This represents a great quantity of explosive and unpredictable energy in Washington. Mercury is moving very slowly now, as it has not yet picked up speed on its direct journey. At the May 4 Lunar Eclipse, Mercury is still trine Pluto. This aspect corresponds to the ability to move and to persuade masses of people. However, desire, not truth, is Pluto’s motivation. This is an extremely important retrograde Mercury. This journey is finished when Mercury returns to its starting place, 2 Taurus, on May 18. Want to know the planetary retrogrades for the year, in advance? Maya's extremely handy 2004 Retrograde Guide shows you at a glance the upcoming retrogrades, and how to best apply your energies during each period. Available exclusively as a Premium Subscriber bonus. |