April 11th ~ 18th

Just so. Opening your eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies and the head plays tricks with us, but the eyes see true. Look with your eyes. Hear with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin. Then comes the thinking, afterward, and in that way knowing the truth.” ~ George R. R. Martin ~ (A Game of Thrones)

There is an old adage, that what might seem like a ‘great’ idea while Mercury is in its retrograde phase, will soon have its faults revealed by the time that Mercury is direct again. And so went the recent tariff war. I had been wistfully hoping that some of that might be rolled back, as it was rolled out during the retrograde… and so it has been. Somewhat. However, it’s really not over till the fat lady sings. Mercury was conjunct Saturn and the North Node as it stationed, as will Venus (money, the economy, allies, partnerships and friends) be this Saturday. There is so much more at stake with decisions made within the bounds of the Nodes and the eclipses. Venus stations direct this weekend directly opposite the Lunar Eclipse of March 14th. Decisions made within these bounds are very difficult to take back or rescind. In other words, the damage is done. The Fates continue to take note, and weave their threads beneath the sacred tree of life. And so is humanity’s fate being decided as well. 

Venus conjunct Saturn while making its station this week can feel like a brush with reality. Similar to Mercury, with Mercury in Pisces, Venus in Pisces sees what she wants to see and ignores the rest. It matters little if the object of her affection may not even know she exists, or care at all about her well-being, she will kneel in adoration at the feet of her idol, regardless. That is until reality comes to call. Whether that idol is a person, an idea, a fantasy, or even an idea about yourself or someone else, reality is something that is impossible to ignore. Kind of like a free falling market. And that’s when all that disenchantment and disillusionment begins to set in. Venus meeting Saturn in Pisces can feel like a very rude wake up call. And all that stuff that you had put aside, that you were giving the benefit of the doubt to, or made all sorts of excuses for, are now staring you right in the face. 

Venus conjunct Saturn (and the North Node) also gives us permission to say No, to back out of agreements, to end relationships that are not working, and to set better limits and boundaries with others. It can also increase any feelings of isolation, loss and loneliness. There is an almost transcendent sort of isolation with Venus conjunct Saturn in Pisces. But with the sextile to Uranus, there is also an inference here that we don’t have to do alliances the way we always have in the past. That there are options, ways around the obstacles, new paths that are opening up in the process. One door is closing as another is opening, and within that context we see new opportunities unfolding, that we would not have previously even considered. 

This is all in service to this gradually evolving order, as the planets, each and every one of them is changing signs this year. A phenomenon that so rarely happens. It can feel like we are stepping into a completely different universe. And now we are trying to figure out our place in this new order of things.

At the same time that Venus makes her direct station, we have a Full Moon in Libra, which is a Venus sign, with an emphasis on relationships, alliances, and relating in general. Full Moons are times of culmination in which we are likely to see the consequences and ramifications of actions and decisions made in the past. Venus conjunct both Saturn and the North Node adds this level of karmic inevitability that cannot and will not be ignored. And the pieces of the playing board are thus being rearranged accordingly. And there will be no going back to what once was. No matter how much you may long for it.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. ~ Maya Angelou

On Thursday, April 17th, Jupiter will make its 3rd and final sesquiquadrate to Pluto in Aquarius. This not-so-minor, minor aspect between Jupiter and Pluto can teach us a little something about understanding the difference between right and wrong; the abuse of power, vs. the ethical and moral use of one’s power and resources to benefit the greater whole, and not just a chosen few. It shows us what happens when power is misused and what can happen if laws (and law firms, halls of justice) and the halls of education and wisdom are brought to their knees, and made irrelevant. 

Sesquiquadrates are something between a square and an opposition, but not always that obvious. That is until they get to the point that once again, they simply cannot and will not be ignored. And then we cannot ever un-see them again. Often it is easier to live with a convenient lie, than it is to admit an inconvenient truth. These sesquares point out the stuff that we have been living with, didn’t really think about all that much, until you just can’t ignore it any more. 

Jupiter/Pluto transits are about doing the right thing, simply because it is right. These are transits that are evident in the charts of philanthropists and visionary leaders. They are also evident in the charts of corrupt and criminal minds in positions of leadership, or those who crave power and wealth to such an extreme that they care less about who they have to harm and steal it from. Jupiter/Pluto is about the use and/or abuse of power and wealth. It depends on how you use it. Right now we are receiving lessons about what happens when that sort of power is misused. 

And so we may all ask ourselves: What does it mean to do the right thing? What is the moral and ethical thing to do? and, perhaps: How can I use my own skills, power, and resources to benefit a greater whole? And even change some hearts and minds? 

Know that when Mercury enters Aries on Wednesday, it will then make an exact conjunction to Neptune. This is brand new for us. We have never experienced Neptune in Aries on such an intimate level, and within our own minds. The planet of illusion making its way through the fiery halls of Aries, is an experience we have not yet entertained in our lives. This could be about connecting with our own spiritual warrior, and asking ourselves, when push comes to shove: “What are you willing to stand up for?” 

It could also be a whole other level of enchantment or even delusion. But I also feel that we are all in need of something of a break. And that there is something to be said for allowing us to get a little lost in order to find ourselves again. In this way, it can be an opportunity this week to step away, and connect with ourselves, and give ourselves a little solace. 

Neptune aims to bring deeper meaning into our lives. Therefore may we all find deeper meaning in our everyday lives: notice the small things, watch the buds unfold on the trees, imagine what living your own best life might even feel like or even be. Look for your places of peace and solace. Allow yourself to dream. If only for a moment in these crazy and implausible times. And get lost, just a bit, in order to find ourselves again. 

Faeries, come take me out of this dull world, For I would ride with you upon the wind, Run on the top of the disheveled tide, And dance upon the mountains like a flame. ~ William Butler Yeats (The Land of Heart’s Desire)

For this week’s horoscopes, click below: 

HOROSCOPES

Image: CrystalWind.ca