 by Terry Lamb INTRODUCTION April brings us a gradual opening of the planets over a broader segment of space. This is a blessing. With more breadth we gain resilience, versatility, and perspective. Our steady-moving Sun is out-flanked by Mercury as it speeds toward its crash and burn at its next retrograde, which starts May 6. Although Venus is digging itself into a zodiacal hole with its 43-day retrograde, Mars is the laggard among the fast-movers; the other fast planets will eventually lap Mars in our Cosmic NASCAR race around the ecliptic. With the planetary gathering in Aries being so anemic, our experience of cardinality—the ability to start things—is also weak. There'll be much more charge to our activities as the planets enter Taurus, which Mercury does on April 9 and the Sun on April 19. Still the feeling of spring is with us (in the northern hemisphere), with the hope and upswing in vitality that is natural to this season. This is the time to do a physical detox, when our metabolism mirrors the transitional nature of the season. Although the Sun and Mercury gave us mid-March mutable jollies as it contacted the Saturn-Uranus opposition, it's not over yet: Mars incites this revolution-meets-resistance contact April 4–15. Watch for some world events to get your populist juices flowing. The biggest cosmic event in April is Pluto's retrograde station on April 4. We've had since late December to direct its transformative energies on our behalf. Now it assumes a more prominent role as it reaches the critical four-month phase of its yearly cycle. For two months it will feed back to us information about what we need to tweak in our approach to change. We'll see the culmination of our co-creation with Pluto around June 23. The station itself gives us a concentrated beam of Pluto energy, a chance to fully realize where we're headed with its expression in our lives this year. We've seen issues with a Plutonian tinge emerge over the past few weeks, but the first part of April will reveal all. We can expect the corporate world to continue its rapid transformation, as well as the continued trend toward pragmatism in global society. Not to be overlooked is Venus's return to forward motion on April 17. Now Venus is a somewhat dimmer morning star, and she will remain so for about eight months. As Eosphoros (the dawn-bearer), she is less dependent, more whole unto herself than as the Evening Star, Hesperos. Just before she goes direct, Venus dips her toe in Pisces to bring an exalted outcome to us. Will AIG return the funds to the people? Will selflessness triumph over selfishness? Time will tell—it is up to humans to decide, but we are given the choice. Mars lends drama to our lives on April 4, 15th, and all the days in between to a lesser degree. Our warrior charges bravely (or foolishly—it's hard to tell in Pisces) into the fray between the new world and the Way It Has Always Been. This will highlight the awakening we are all experiencing with old versus new in our own lives, and revive themes in our lives from mid-March. Cyclically speaking, we are still in the opening phase of most of the yearly planetary cycles. The Sun makes its sextile to Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune, its semi-sextile to Uranus. Don't overlook the subtle signals we're getting from these planets now, because they are the foundation of tomorrow's successful enterprise. Stay open to opportunity, because these are the planets of transcendence. They can lead us to unimaginable fortune. We are now past the halfway point in Saturn's yearly interaction with the Sun. We can see how our efforts at building new structures in our life is going, what remains to be accomplished before it returns to direct motion on May 16. This feeds instructively into our direction with Uranus, whose cycle just began on March 12, since these two planets are interacting throughout 2009 and half of 2010. (Except as otherwise noted, all interpretations here are based on a natural chart, using the beginning of Aries as the ascendant, and times listed are Pacific Standard Time. A Void of Course Moon makes no significant aspects until it enters the next sign. Its void period is thought to be a poor time for starting new projects or making concerted effort toward existing plans.) Although the Moon crosses the midnight mark in Gemini, it goes void of course at 2:03 am until it enters Cancer at 9:30 am. Its final aspects in Gemini are trines to Chiron and Neptune, which bring us more insights into where we should next manifests our dreams into reality. Once Moon is in Cancer, we feel the urge to make progress toward the goals that will make the most difference in our lives. It's time to push aside the distractions of everyday life and to make sure we are still going to be effective in achieving our long-term goals—the result of the Moon's opposition to Pluto and square to Venus occurring in mid-afternoon. The Moon continues its transit through Cancer, highlighting easy action with a trine to Mars, and a need to overcome disorganization with a square to Mercury leading to a sextile to Saturn. If we can't find something, it's best to use this time as an opportunity to straighten up a bit as we look for what's missing. Our first planetary interaction of the day is the waning lunar square to the Sun, marking the Last Quarter lunation, occurring at 7:34 am at 12°59' Cancer. Although square to Sun and Mercury, the Moon harmonizes with Saturn, Mars, and Uranus. Although we face challenges in accomplishing what we want, we have powerful allies both in the world around us and through our own persistence, willingness to take action, and openness to the unexpected. Pluto is essentially stationary now and squared by Venus retrograde, and an escalation of tension may be evident somewhere in our lives. In Washington, DC, the chart cast for 10:34 am yields 23°21' Gemini rising. With most of the planets at the top of the chart, the emphasis is on leadership, especially in foreign relations and Congress. President Obama is sidelined in the main issues, but he is working on issues that will prove more important later. His current efforts behind the scenes will be highlighted in two weeks, when Mars connects with Uranus. Slowly, the intensely ramped-up efforts at diplomacy are beginning to have their effect in improved relations and easing tensions around the world. Richard Holbrook and Secretary Clinton are busy alleviating friction in many quarters. The end result is a greater sense of security everywhere, which will improve everything, from the world economy to the level of violence. Challenges are evident as Pluto makes its retrograde station while squared by Venus retrograde. With Pluto in the 7th house, there may be a direct confrontation between the US and another nation, such as Russia (the Bear). However, the backdrop of stronger international bonds, although new, reduces tension. The Sabian Symbol for 13 Cancer bears this image: "a hand, held out receptively, [shows strong] character in its prominent thumb" (M.E. Jones version). In palmistry, strong will is suggested by a prominent thumb. A strong will is necessary to maintain optimism and persistent efforts when we encounter obstacles. At this time, our will can be used to see beyond our current circumstances to the solutions that lie ahead. The Moon, still in Cancer, enters its void-of-course period at 1:59 am, after it trines Uranus. However, we can still act effectively when she is in Cancer, and our actions may be even more successful, since no obstacles lie in the way. At 12:32 pm, the Moon enters Leo and moves toward a trine to Venus. This will help considerably to mitigate tension in relationships, since Venus makes its second of three squares to Pluto today. This one is the most challenging of the squares, since it occurs while Venus is retrograde. Conflicts may tend to become submerged rather than dealt with openly, while we work out how we feel and what we want in the situation. This will also be true in the world at large. Since this square creates a T-square in President Obama's chart, we can expect that he will experience a peak in conflict with certain factions in the legislature regarding second house matters (the economy). However, he has several other placements in early degrees (especially the good will of the people) that give him versatility in dealing with them. The relationship matters that we've been experiencing over the past few days may feel like a cold war that will never thaw as Pluto begins its retrograde period today. We may forget that life is a constant flow of energy and that nothing is static, because the difficulties seem so deeply entrenched right now. Another planetary event darkens our doorway more than usual today as well, as Mars opposes Saturn, intensifying our efforts to break through obstacles or meet deadlines. We may feel the urge to work extra hard to clear the decks for the life we really want to live. Mercury's sextile to Jupiter engages our ingenuity and creates solutions through mental activity and agreements with others. The Moon is quietly supportive today, continuing its transit of Leo. It trines the Sun to lend us harmony in mind and heart, then opposes Jupiter to give us perspective. Our lively Leo Moon trines Mercury, then opposes Chiron and Neptune before entering its void period at 8:39 am. It stays void of course until 4:01 pm when it enters industrious Virgo, affording us time to engage in such Virgoan activities as cleaning, weeding, planning, or organizing. Near bedtime a trine to Pluto gives us insight into practical ways to support our deepest goals. Our Moon in Virgo lends us the drive to hit the decks running and get busy with our new list of tasks for the week. We are focused, if not inspired, but as the Moon moves toward a conjunction to Saturn and an opposition to Mars near bedtime, we must be alert to a tendency to work too long and hard today. It is not possible to complete every task we have laid out for ourselves in one shot, no matter how determined we are. This could be a day best spent in solitude, as the Moon finishes its stay in Virgo with a disruptive opposition to Uranus at 9:52 am. This commences her void-of-course period, which gives us a whole day to take care of background matters, since it lasts until 8:22 pm. The Moon enters Libra at that time, then opposes Venus, which emphasizes divisions rather than unions between us. The Moon travels through mid-Libra all day, after making its sole aspect early in the morning, a square to Pluto. This gives us a new way of seeing our economic reality and the ways we have planned to build on it, which will seep into our awareness in quiet moments over the day. Mercury enters Taurus at 7:22 am, allowing us to engage in thought more deliberately. Our Libra Moon reaches fullness before trining our Aquarian stellium: Jupiter in the morning, then Chiron and Neptune at dinnertime. The Moon enters its void period at 6:46 pm on the Neptune trine, giving us every excuse to relax this evening. We experience the maximum illumination of the Full Moon at 7:56 am, with the Moon at 19°53' Libra. This promises a productive, social week ahead, with applying trines from the Moon to Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune. This is a prosperity connection, but our wealth is found through others, so don't stay home and expect the checks to come in by themselves. With Mars in the middle of its transit of Saturn and Uranus, we'll be well aware of the challenges we face, but we haven't yet found our way out of them. New possibilities arise as Mars conjoins Uranus, and all ends well, no matter what we encounter. In Washington DC, the Full Moon occurs at 10:56 am, when 4°51' Cancer is rising. This places the Full Moon in the 5th-11th houses. Once again, the US Congress is at odds with itself. Not only are the two chambers in discord over legislation, but with Saturn on the IC the power out of power (the Republicans) are a drag and a drain on the system. They are adopting policies and procedures that are not in the best interests of the people. They are producing a drag on the nation's well-being. The Blue Dog Democratic Senators are also creating friction by aligning themselves more closely with Republicans in the Senate. However, a deal will be reached in the latest efforts to assist our economy and break up the cabals of corruption on Wall Street. Our leader is moving closer to a deal on healthcare, but it is only a step on the path toward the real relief that people need, as too many special interests crush innovation. The battle is not over, and the longer it takes (weeks versus months) for the Obama Administration to work out the details, the better it will be for America in the long run because it is an indication that Obama wants some real change in the current system and is willing to stand up for that change. The stock market will do generally well this week, in spite of economic and political drama. The Sabian Symbol for 20 Libra is "In a tiny room . . . cluttered with manuscripts and books sits a . . . rabbi at ease with self and world." (M.E. Jones version) This describes the wealth that lies in the wisdom of tradition. Traditional teachings served humanity for centuries before technology cut us off from their wisdom. Whether it is health, psychology, spirituality, or daily life, our ancestors recorded many methods for living simply and well. The Moon enters Scorpio at 2:23 am, permitting us to engage in productive actions as early as we like. After a sunrise opposition to Mercury infuses our dreams with head-versus-heart conflict, we slide into a day of optimism and expansion. The most noteworthy is the Sun's opening sextile to Jupiter. This gives us a chance to link up with opportunities and check in with the ones we're already pursuing. Mercury's trine and the Moon's sextile to Pluto add effectiveness to our efforts. Venus re-enters Pisces, its exaltation, while retrograde at 5:48 am. This re-awakens our loftier, self-sacrificing nature and allows us to see through selfish concerns, both in ourselves and others. The Moon makes several contacts today while in Scorpio, mollifying our experience of the Mars-Saturn-Uranus interaction over the day. With a square to Jupiter, we'll have to put out some effort to accomplish it, but new opportunities are in development. While we sleep, the Moon's squares to Chiron and Neptune stir up our unconscious to constructively trouble our dreams. A trine to Venus at 10:28 am opens the Moon's brief void-of-course period before it enters Sagittarius at 11:01 am. We'll be feeling buoyant and energized as the Moon wings through this sign of exploration and adventure with no further contacts today. The Moon continues its sojourn in Sagittarius today, made more effective as it pushes toward an evening square with Saturn. This heats us our ongoing challenges to adapt to the old-versus-new transition we face—should we stick with what we've been doing or introduce innovations into our situation? The Moon brings us a busy day as it connects with most of the planets in the heavens, which are located in the later degrees of their signs. Its sextiles to Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune allow us to draw on inspiration in resolving today's challenges. The challenges come from squares to Mars, Uranus, and Venus, all in Pisces, which create a crisis in confusion but allow the fog to be cleared through our own efforts. The Moon makes its last aspect in Sagittarius with the square to Venus at 9:07 pm, and enters its void period, which lasts until it enters Capricorn at 10:27 pm. The day starts with disruptive energies as Mars finally reaches the conjunction to Uranus, but this could be unexpected opportunity as well as difficulties. An early Moon-conjunct-Pluto digs deep for meaning, but a note of promise lifts us by noon, as the Moon sextiles Chiron and Neptune. The Moon continues residence in Capricorn, creating flow for us as it creates a grand trine with Mercury and Saturn before breakfast. This is an especially good energy for financial agreements and approvals, and sets a peaceful tone for the day Today's flagship event is Venus's return to direct (forward) motion, which occurs at 12:24 pm with Venus at 29°12' Pisces. The Moon makes four contacts today. Three, before dawn, allow solutions to percolate to the surface of our dreams from the unconscious as she sextiles Uranus and Mars. This brings a recurrence of the recent Mars-Uranus conjunction and lays the foundation for us to deal fruitfully with our current challenges. The Last Quarter lunation feeds our ability—and need—to act with innovation and courage. The Moon's active period in Capricorn ends on a positive note with a sextile to our stationing Venus, as the Moon goes void of course at 9:42 am. Mercury's sextile to Saturn in the late afternoon ends the work week on a productive note, and we may apply the energy in a sudden spurt of organizing or planning. The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 6:36 am in 27°40' Capricorn. This lends extra wisdom to our process of integrating and learning from our experiences gained since the New Moon on March 26. Relationship challenges are resolved and reconciliation possible as Venus goes direct and Mars rushes toward her. We will be both productive and prosperous as the lunation fixes the Mercury-Saturn trine in our lives for the coming week. It is after the storm, and now we can move ahead with clearer vision and fewer obstacles. In Washington DC, this occurs at 9:36 am, for 23?45' Gemini rising. This gives us the identical rising to that of the First Quarter Moon, and events in our nation's capital will seem like a replay of what happened then in terms of the issues, but people will respond differently in light of the wisdom they've gained since then. Congress will find common ground. Obama will be successful in championing one of his initiatives on behalf of the American people. The party out of power will still be a drag on the people, but a deal will be reached with them. There will be a feeling of "nothing else can be done but this"—the solution is obvious. Foreign policy will continue to bear fruits. It will become obvious also that the Treasury is not in good shape, and the dollar will continue its relatively low value, causing an increase in oil prices, among other commodities. The Sabian symbol for 28 Capricorn is, "A large aviary built as a wing of a rural mansion reveals a host of singing and contented feathered citizens." (M.E. Jones version) This brings to mind the people of the world, happy in the new fellowship being created as a new leader rights the egregious wrongs of the past. It also suggests the corps of journalists who are basking in the glow of the renewed interest of the citizenry in their "singing," and in the enhanced access they have to the Obama Administration as compared to the Bush Administration. The Moon continues in Aquarius, without aspect until a square to Mercury near bedtime. This is a good day to enjoy social rather than mental activities. Still in Aquarius, the Moon conjoins Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune over the day, reigniting our inspiration and idealism. It's a great day to re-dream our future. The Sun enters Taurus at 3:45 pm, grounding the initiatives of Aries into situations of stability and substance. Moon enters its void period at 3:16 pm to give us some down time. It makes its ingress into Pisces at 10:55 pm and sextiles the Sun to end the day on a positive note. We have the opportunity to be productive and attuned to the inner realms, as the Moon in Pisces hits up Pluto with a sextile very early. We have the rest of the day to make use of it without other planetary contact to distract us. The Moon's contacts to Saturn, Mercury, and Uranus are dimmed as Mars catches up with Venus. Relationships can reconnect and love or agreement be renewed after a deep and long-term process of re-evaluation. Romance is in the air! The Moon in Pisces makes challenging contacts to the Saturn-Uranus opposition, once again heating up the dilemmas in our lives and giving us another perspective on their solutions. A sextile to Mercury affords us a chance to access practical ideas. At 6:29 am the Moon occults Venus, its last aspect before leaving Pisces. Even though it only lasts until 7:09 am, if you need the time, you can take effective action, since the Moon still performs in Pisces. At 6:44 am, Mars enters its rulership sign of Aries, adding vigor, focus, and impulsiveness to our actions—a lot to handle well. When Moon enters Aries, it immediately triggers Mars and adds volatility by anticipating Mars's square to Pluto: Observe what happens early in the day to see what issues will be triggered on the 26th. Mercury squares Jupiter, making it harder than usual to reach agreements or connect with others, but the Sun's trine to Pluto gives us a substantial boost from the deep unconscious as to what is driving our lives forward and how we can transform it into the life we want. After the planetary busy-ness of yesterday, we get a day of relative peace and focus as the Moon in Aries moves toward a sextile to Jupiter, which occurs just before midnight. Social and communicative endeavors will be most productive. Venus re-enters Aries at 0:18 am, rendering the full intoxication of spring, finally. We can move forward with greater optimism; we've made it through a passage that we all feel. We're prepared psychologically and emotionally for the next phase of our lives, both in terms of our relationships and our finances. Whether we're reconciled to obstacles or reveling in an upturn in fortunes, we're entering a new period of opportunity and hope. The Moon starts the day in Aries, but it goes void at 5:12 am, until it enters Taurus at 11:46 am, its exaltation. Its final aspects in Aries are sextiles to Chiron and Neptune, bringing good outcomes our affairs begun over the last two days. Also today, a Mercury sextile to Uranus permits us access to brilliant insights if we don't succumb to Friday-itis and let the opening slip by. At 8:23 pm, the New Moon occurs when the Moon conjoins the Sun at 5°04' Taurus. Coming on the heels of a Moon trine to Pluto, this lunar month looks very good for stability and wealth-building. Coming trines to Saturn and sextiles to Uranus augment our prospects. Squares and a lunar opposition to the Aquarius stellium promise that we will choose the direction of our actions carefully, and the imminent return of Saturn to forward motion adds to the general feeling of lift-off. In Washington DC, these fortunate patterns are focalized through a chart with 18 Sagittarius rising, formed at 11:23 am. This establishes completely new energy for the first time in three weeks. There's a feeling of a strong new beginning, and it is a watershed moment, when far-reaching decisions will be made that affect foreign economic policy. Some of the nation's workers (manufacturing, construction, labor) will be going back to work, while others (white-collar, technological) will still be "down-sized" as the stimulus package starts to rebuild the economy from the bottom up. Our leader will be engaged in important diplomatic activities, both domestic and international, and he will continue to bring home high approval ratings across the population. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon degree of 6 Taurus is, "A delicate cantilever bridge is in [the] process of construction across a high narrow gorge." (M.E. Jones version) This suggests the building of a fragile and tenuous bridge between the old, corrupt, selfish economic reality and the new, green, pro-people economy. We can use this time to reach agreements, complete projects, and resolve conflicts. The afternoon will be less productive, however, as a Mercury square to Neptune contributes an urge to internalize our thoughts and contrast inner versus outer realities. The day is full of lunar contacts, but the big event is Mars's square to Pluto. Mars-Pluto interactions are typically volatile, and this will be no exception. In world affairs, violence usually erupts, while in our personal lives we may feel the strongest urge to take action which may not actually be in our best interests. By taking care, we can avoid impulsive behavior that we later regret and turn it into effective activities. The Moon finishes its sojourn in Taurus at 2:02 pm when it enters Gemini, after it goes void of course at 8:42 am. This entire time can be used with success, however, as the Moon is exalted in Taurus. Before this, the Moon aspects the five planets that inhabit the late degrees: squares to Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune; a sextile to Uranus, and a conjunction to Mercury. They create doubts about the value of our ideals and imagination as we turn to more pragmatic, "sensible" concerns. However, we will still have access to our ingenuity in seeking to balance these seemingly incompatible forces. After the Moon enters Gemini, it sextiles Venus and Mars, highlighting romance and harmony in our relationships. The Gemini Moon makes us chipper and sociable, despite the square to Saturn that may make us feel scattered in the mid-afternoon. This sole planetary interaction for the day permits us to focus on the social and communicative tasks that are best taken on under this Moon sign. Take a walk when that scattered energy hits. The Moon in Gemini connects with the planets in late degrees in the morning hours. This time we get the trines to Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune to lift our spirits and reinstate our idealism in a revised form. The Moon's square to Uranus adds the spark of the unexpected, which may disrupt our focus and distract us with urgent tasks. The Moon goes void of course at 9:23 am, until it enters Cancer at 3:38 pm. Get organized and take a long, late lunch to use this time well. Late in the day the Moon tangles with Venus by square and Pluto by opposition, stirring up any conflict leftover from the Venus retrograde and permitting another shot at clearing the air. As the Moon makes its way through Cancer, a square to Mars may disrupt our sleep, but by daybreak all is well, with nothing but sextiles to grace the day. The Moon's sextile to the Sun reveals to us the promise of the coming lunar cycle, as well as what we can do to enhance its benefits in our lives. Her sextile to Saturn in late afternoon gives us another prosperity period today, during which profitable agreements can be made. Although the Moon is productive through its entire transit of Cancer, it makes its final aspect at 9:45 am with a trine to Uranus to enter its void period. Its ingress into Leo occurs at 5:56 pm, bringing an optimistic and energized end to the day. The Moon's sextile to Mercury brings harmony of thought and motive, while a trine to Venus bodes well for contacts with women, as well as relationship harmony. Mercury enters Gemini, the sign of its rulership, at 3:30 pm, which strengthens our problem-solving and analytic abilities with objectivity and agility. 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