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April '11
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by Boots Hart

Where March was a month of irritations and all-too-clear truths we might not have wanted to be confronted with, April is going to be a month which starts out with a few days of "what, more of this?". But after that comes a whole new mode of experience where fires of spirit and/or antagonism are dampened…or exalted, depending on your ability to deal with your own feeling consciousness and life's most real realities.

But first, a big note-to-Self needs to get stuck on the old mental bulletin board. What's it going to say? It says "most of April has Mercury in retrograde." In fact, as April starts, Mercury has actually just gone retrograde, making this a bit of a sticky time.

This Mercury retrograde is in Aries, which underscores the basics: our person-hood, our life, what we do (or don't do) with our days and what “I Am” really means to each and every one of us.

Apart from that, we can expect to see and hear of a lot of selfishness, preoccupation and covering of one's tracks (or derriere, depending). We may even be suddenly reflecting on what we too should double back on and take care of. Consequences will not seem as immediately fractious as last month's events and eventualities, but they may well be more important in a "long run" changing sort of way.

Remember, if Mercury is retrograde in Aries, that “triples down” (if you will!) on the Sun already being in Aries and Uranus having just tromped on in the Aries door. Our world is changing—and will keep changing. We are in for a whole bevy changes over the next few years to come. Our approach—and maybe our goals, aims and priorities are in flux…or will soon be in flux.

Mars is at 29 Pisces on April 1 (signifying a tough day, if nothing else). Mars enters Aries on April 2 at 4:52am (UT/+0). (Anyone for an "Aries Quartet" in the key of me?)

With Uranus and societal Black Moon Lilith already sitting there on the Aries doorstep and primal Typhon retrograde at 29 Virgo in opposition…?

Someone is (or has just been) in denial. Primal denial. But once Mars gets done wafting through Pisces and hits Aries, we can count on revelations of repercussions not merely due, but in motion. Uranus/Black Moon Lilith here is a "breaking through" of things which have been ignored or denied. The only question is whether you've been ignoring something around you or whether you have been ignored…up until now, that is! Curiously, this can also simply be a time when both sides of the world/personal jigsaw may fit into each other's exacerbations. (Holy mortal calamine lotion, Batman!)

TNO Typhon tells us that matters are very basic—capable of challenging us at a deep, core level. Something isn't working—what is it?

Yet even when issues get identified, the Aries Mercury retrograde suggests defensiveness. Somehow blame and responsibility override functionality. And from those who are merely brutally blithe will come "What? Why change? This works for me!'

Considering how explosive Mars/Uranus can be, one would expect a will to fight. And for those who "hate to fight," you can expect any combative energy you refuse to own to be owned by others and brought home against you. This is pure mega/meta physics: energy is never lost, and energy we refuse to own and utilize is picked up by others who use it generally against us because we refuse to own our own strength.

Another sign that things are changing (as if we needed more?) comes on April 3 with a New Moon at 13 Aries (at 2:33pm UT/+0). This is a vital New Moon and one you should take note of; events and news of the day reflects on through the month.

Thirteen degrees of any sign being second decanate and therefore emotional/evocative, expect feelings to be running high. And yet with this being a NEW Moon, those willing to tackle their ghouls can really get somewhere sorting out the problem. With Saturn poised at 13 Libra (in exact opposition), the question becomes this: are you willing to change what you do and "give" in this life? If you are, this can be a really significant moment of change. If you aren't, with Eurydike at 12 Aries (and Neptune still at 29 Aquarius), the suggestion is you prepare to pay some price.

With Mercury in retrograde, this is a good time to look for and find new ways. It's a fine time for interim steps in a greater process. It's a good time to clear things out and for sorting through any mess. And that's what's on the plate as Neptune enters its "home sign" of Pisces on April 4 at 1:37pm (UT/+0).

With this Neptune/Pisces ingress happening with Hel ahead and Orcus (consequences) in opposition to Hel tells us there are difficulties aplenty in the works. Maybe even more to focus on is that the whole Neptune cavalcade and the dichotomy of extremes between them become both wider and more likely now that Planet Big Blue is in its home sign.

Don't know the Neptune list? It's a very long one, part of which reads thusly: confusion versus ideation versus inspiration versus faith versus loss versus disappointment versus abandonment versus emotional unity versus ecstasy real, imagined or momentary.

And with royal fixed star Fomalhaut just ahead at 4 Pisces and royal fixed star Regulus in opposition? Well, let's just say that when Neptune entered 29 Aquarius back on March 5, by standard astrological orb it "activated" the Fomalhaut/Regulus opposition. A couple of days later the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. This fluctuation of dreams (Fomalhaut) and aims (Regulus) both of which hinge on clarity and reality will continue until Neptune moves beyond 4 Pisces—a feat which will not be accomplished until mid-December 2014.

But the point here is really interesting—especially when we consider that Pisces isn't the sign of the dreamer, but rather the sign of dreams we make come true. The disappointments we experience under Pisces are all about the desire to delude ourselves, which real life and real "other people" don't support. Sometimes they'll go along with our delusion, but to the degree we delude ourselves—that's exactly the degree to which they take advantage of us…which they couldn't have done had we been more realistic.

Basically, Neptune in Pisces is going to serve to level a lot of playing fields. Since those who have advantages are likely not to enjoy this process, we can expect a lot of splashing and fussing and attempts to drown the less fortunate while asking who the heck anyone is worried about.

Meanwhile, things are in flux. Neptune enters Pisces and our entire outlook shifts in an effort to adjust to new circumstances—which let's face it, are going to be disquieting to many. Then at 8:49am on April 9, Pluto goes retrograde—which means the "allowance" we give to its "station effects" begins on the 7th and extends through the 11th. That this happens in square to Mars at 5 Aries, combined with Neptune's Pisces ingress would seem to time either a period of hostility (hostilities) or courage, depending on one's nature and predisposition.

And remember—Mercury is still retrograde! So no matter what happens in this moment, it's so not over. You don't yet know all the facts!

Come April 14, things shift from knowing to feeling as Chiron moves into 4 Pisces, the degree of royal fixed star Fomalhaut. Considering that Fomalhaut promises success providing our dreams are neither corrupt nor corrupted and Chiron brings a necessity to try something we feel insecure about our competency with—and that all this is happening in the presence of asteroid Hel? Well let's just say this may be a time of personal trial, most of all in areas which express our Pisces ability to be human, humane, compassionate and vulnerable.  

By the time the Full Moon of April 18 (at 27 Libra—2:45am UT/+0) marks the month's emotional high tide, asteroid Hel will have moved on. But Fomalhaut and Chiron will remain in degree conjunction into the first part of May, making this not only a high tide, but one which demands that we learn something new and better which is inherently purer than what we have been doing.

These days between Pluto's station/retrograde and the Full Moon…we can expect them to be trying, exhausting and to some extent, confusing. There will be a lot of asking questions and sorting things out. You may well wonder if you've done the right thing—or if you've been dealt with (or made whole) in a manner you can live with. Considering Mercury is still in retrograde (yes, still!) things are still being mulled over. Nothing has settled down.

Oh yes…and Mercury (that retrograde Mercury)—guess where Mercury is at the moment of the Full Moon? At 13 Aries—the degree of the New Moon which occurred back on April 3—a sure sign of events tying together!

Also included with this Full Moon is an interesting sextile/trine from and to the Moon's lunar nodes: with the Moon at 27 Libra, that sextiles the North Node at 24 Sagittarius (and trines the South Node at 27 Gemini). And with the Sun at 27 Aries (opposition Moon in a Full Moon figure), that does just the opposite, trining the North Node at 24 Sagittarius while sextiling the South Node at 27 Gemini.

Sextiles being opportunities, this represents an opportunity to change which can in time make things easier. But will we want to change? Heck no—who likes change? Most of us love the idea, but the work? And all those details? Still, with the nodes being involved here, this is not just about us—or our close and kindred. No, this is about our group, or our society; Nodes are social and plural. They're about where we fit in, or don't fit in. They're about where we make a contribution… or maybe are just takers! Or where we choose exile or self-exclusion because we either don't want to fit in or think we don't "have to."

And yet…have you forgotten Chiron/Fomalhaut? Anyone who thinks they're going to get away with opting out now...? Well, they may get away with it—but it's surely going to cost them! Still, people are people, goodness knows…

That the Sun enters Taurus on April 20 at 10:19am (UT/+0) seems to underscore the whole notion of high emotions by making everything personal—now our values and valuables, our resources and opportunities come into focus. Expect some clutching and a little snarling, especially as come April 21 the Sun opposes Kleopatra in Scorpio just as Venus enters Aries at 4:07 in the morning (UT/+0).

Venus in Aries not being known for moments particularly gracious or generous, the Kleopatra/Sun opposition would seem to be either being "taken" or feeling suspicious that someone is trying to manipulate you…or get something from you that you're disinclined to give. Or give in to!

On the other hand, events at this time can be fateful, seeing as April 21 is the opening day of Mercury's station/direct period. The action station occurs on April 23 at 10:05am (UT/+0)—and that Mercury goes direct at 12 Aries (and in "slow motion," holding at 13 Aries—the degree of that Full Moon) from April 25 (the end of the station) into April 28 tells us things are sluggish, in a muddle, maybe uncertain or just plain hard to work through! With Mars (effort) at 16 Aries conjunct Pelion (that big mountain), there is so much to do and it feels very "weighty"; that this pairing is in opposition to the crowning glory of Diadem at 9 Libra and Saturn (retrograde) at 12 Libra speaks to a great deal of focus and patience needed to reach our goals.

But this also says we should not give up. And that things can get done—though it may take a lot of time and much, much effort.

In this time, we must work for what we want. Even for what we need! Neptune's entrance into Pisces tells us we can sit around and dither helplessly, yes. We can give up, we can pray someone else will fix things (and be disappointed in them when we realize that we placed our hopes in something unreal)…or we can take our faith and invest it in our own ability—and get to what needs doing! Such efforts and projects will offer no assurance of success. But that's part of the Neptune in Pisces process of teaching us humility through requiring that we take on some degree of emotional risk. Trial and error, efforts and setbacks are not the end of life, they're part of life!

And thus we learn to accept what life is.

Does that mean those who don't try or won't try don't want a life? Maybe. They may also have a problem with reality—the accepting of it, I mean.

Then again, there are those who don't even really like life, which is actually something to consider. For all we believe we know, there are things we don't know and can't imagine understanding. And in the end, that dichotomy, that truism asks that we go about our individual human lives as cohesively and responsibly as possible…stopping every once in a while (like the child we all surely are) to ask that one favorite question: BUT WHY?

Boots Hart, CAP