Welcome to your April forecast! Click on “read article” and scroll down til you find your sign of the zodiac….

ARIES (MAR 20-APRIL19)  What a month! The first week of April is jumping, and here’s why: The Sun in Aries catches up to Uranus and makes a huge set of angles to Jupiter and Pluto. This is a very tumultuous week for the planet and for you as well. Remember that Jupiter just amplifies the intensity of the Uranus-Pluto square, so you are smack in the midst of unbelievable upheaval. It is very stressful so be sure to take care of yourself, especially if you birthday is April 1-3rd. These changes may be very positive and transformative but they’re still unsettling. The second week of April brings a dreamy and romantic Venus Neptune conjunction. Nice! Then on the 15th is a big full moon in Libra and total eclipse. Mercury in Aries sits in the middle of the giant Jupiter- Uranus-Pluto T square on the full moon, so sorry, honey, you will be crazed. Filled with great ideas, perhaps, but a tad overwrought. And to add to your stress, your electronics may go a bit haywire. That is actually nothing compared to what’s going on in the world. And I haven’t even mentioned Mars retrograde… It is slowly moving backwards through Libra, and during the second half of April it completes the fourth corner of a Grand Cross – four 90-degree angles will separate Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. This is a big deal, astrologically speaking. It is a rather explosive combination, and the world is very vulnerable to ecological and natural disasters at the end of April – sorry to bring some grim news. Keep in mind that we have been under the Uranus-Pluto effect on and off for a couple of years and that Jupiter has been in the picture for months, so this isn’t new. The difference is Mars retrograde — enter the Trickster. This planetary combination also contains a great deal of surprising and positive developments, especially for you, because Mars is your ruling planet. In order to get through this period as creatively as possible you need to embrace your role as a Trickster — that means you are creatively disobedient, a rule-breaker, and game changer. Have fun with it!

TAURUS (APR 20-MAY 20) This is a slightly nerve-wracking month for you, my earthiest of earth signs. First of all, the world is insane. The Uranus-Pluto business gets very exact this month, with all kinds of exaggerated influences of Jupiter and then of Mars, so things are nuts. Earthquakes, political instability, you name it. Then on a personal level, the start of the month is kinda crazy because the Sun in Aries catches up to Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter. This means that situations and people and plans are very changeable. Mars retrograde absolutely requires you to go with the flow and not struggle against any of the changes. Even the power struggles you expect may shift and dissipate. The second week of April brings a nice Venus-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. Ooh – romance, or at least inspiration. Get outside, make art, go to the movies. Make love not war. Take advantage of some sweet, dreamy energy and enjoy. This is an order, since life and the world itself only gets crazier throughout April (sorry!). The full moon and eclipse on April 15th is a tense one and communication is likely to be especially chunky. Then it gets really interesting. The Sun enters your own sign of Taurus on the 20th and is immediately followed by a configuration of exact 90-degree angles involving Mars retrograde and the usual suspects of Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. I hate to say it but Earth Day is likely to be Earth -rising –up- shouting -and -erupting- Day… Yes indeed. But personally this is all about change and going with the flow. Positive developments will also erupt and surprise you, so stay loose. There is a new moon in Taurus (and a weird little “non-central annular” eclipse) on the 29th with nice Mercury aspects. Use it for inspiration!

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) April is a very exciting and slightly destabilizing month, so if I were you I would get that languishing meditation practice into gear, sign up for Tai Chi, or revive your Xi Gong skills…..Seriously—you may need to work hard at staying calm! The month begins with the Sun catching up to the Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto business, so everyone is hyped up and busy, and you are eager to throw yourself headlong into something. The world is very tumultuous and that is stressing you out. During the second week of April there is a beautiful Venus Neptune conjunction in Pisces. It’s a great combo for art and/or romance. Enjoy it ! April 15 brings a full moon in Libra (and an eclipse!) with big Mercury aspects so you’ll be agitated but filled with ideas. Put on your seatbelt for the Grand Cross aspect coming the 3rd week of April, when Mars retrograde makes the fourth angle to the set of 3 squares between Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto. There could well be major global events that week, especially ecological ones…. You need to try to stay calm and also flexibly creative, not too attached to outcomes. Mars retrograde is filled with surprises but you must go with the flow to experience them. Use the April 29th new moon in Taurus for inspiration – and also for some planting. Or planning!

CANCER (JUNE 21- JUL 21) There is no way around it: April is an intense month. The Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto aspect is very exact this month and in late April, Mars retrograde joins the pile up and makes an unusual and important configuration….. But more on that below. First, the start of the month has the Sun catching up to Uranus which makes for tension and excitement during the first week of April. Simply put, the world is crazy. That craziness is exaggerated at the start of the month and it mostly keeps on building. You will have to find ways to insulate yourself from it so as not to become completely crazed yourself. The second week of April brings a nice Venus Neptune conjunction, so it’s a good time for inspiration and escape: writing, watching Game of Thrones, gardening, walks in the woods. Then there is a full moon and eclipse in Libra on the 15th. Interesting Mercury aspects, though, so pay attention to your insights and ideas. Then we head into some planetary white water, as Mars retrograde completes the 4th square with Jupiter, Pluto and Uranus. It’s a Grand Cardinal Cross – very unusual and quite a shitkicker. The world will have some spasms—earthquakes and the like, I imagine. For you personally, it’s time to welcome the Trickster. Be creatively disobedient and upset some applecarts. There is the opportunity for really creative change and positive developments.

LEO (JUL 22-AUG 21) Jeez, what a month! The world is just out of control, politically and environmentally. The world stage is really the star of April, and what occurs in our little lives is small potatoes. We will all be in reaction to larger events all month long. The start of April brings a sense of excitement and itchiness. You want change and you’re not sure how to get it, and you are tempted to throw yourself headlong into things. The second week brings a nice Venus Neptune conjunction in Pisces, which is great for inspiration and for losing yourself in something. Then life gets more and more intense as we get closer to the full moon and eclipse on April 15th. The Mercury aspects are central, so you might be edgy and tense but really clear. It’s after that that things get really interesting. The Sun enters Taurus and Mars retrograde completes the fourth angle in the configuration of 90-degree angles between Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto. Oh boy. I expect some major global events, not necessarily so different from what we’ve already been experiencing, and keep in mind that Mars retrograde introduces a surprise factor. Expect the unexpected, honey. You have no choice but to go with the flow. Stay very flexible and loose because things will be wild. Use the April 29 new moon in Taurus for new ideas.

VIRGO (AUG 22- SEPT 21) This is a c-r-azy month. That is the bottom line! April begins with the Sun in Aries catching up to the Jupiter- Uranus-Pluto business. This means the world will be stressful and nuts, and people will be keyed up and throwing their weight around. The Mars retrograde effect will surface some power struggles. The easiest part of the month for you will be the second week, when Venus and Neptune are conjunct in Pisces. Nice! This is a great combo for spiritual and creative inspiration, for romance, and for all around mush. Enjoy it, because the rest of the month is just insane. The full moon and eclipse on April 15th will make you edgy and tense but filled with interesting ideas. The Sun enters Taurus on the 20th and the focus shifts more to the world stage. During the third week of April Mars retrograde completes a very powerful configuration, making an exact 90-degree angle to Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto. Earth Day could be explosive, complete with earthquakes and volcanoes. I hate to say it but…..Mars retrograde is really a wild card in this line-up. But wild cards are sometimes great, so you need to stay very flexible and open to change. There is a beautiful new moon and eclipse on the 29th – use it for inspiration.

LIBRA (SEPT 22-OCT21) You can’t help it! You can’t help that you’re a Cardinal sign and all the real action this month involves planets in Cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. The month starts off with the Sun in Aries catching up to Uranus and highlighting that tumultuous Uranus-Pluto-Jupiter stuff. Yawn – I know, you’re used to it by now. You wish! Everyone is itchy for excitement and change is in the air. There is a lot of headlong behavior, people changing plans at the last minute. And the world is a mess. Your only respite from the-world-as-a-hot-mess is next week when Venus is conjunct Neptune. This is a brief respite from drama, a time for creative inspiration, or lots of movie-watching, or romance, or all of the above. Then put on your seatbelt. There is a big full moon and eclipse in Libra on the 15th; you may be overwrought but you’ll be brimming with ideas. Then the Sun enters Taurus on the 20th and a few days later your friend Mars retrograde (in Libra) enters a powerful configuration with Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. It’s the Grand Cardinal Cross of 2014. Earth Day is likely to be explosive, politically and environmentally. But Mars retrograde is a total game-changer – if it weren’t; retrograde I’d actually be more concerned. It brings a kind of Trickster energy to things. So your job is to stay open and flexible, and be ready for the unexpected.

SCORPIO (OCT 22-NOV 21) Oh what a month! Scorpio and Aries have an interesting and not all together easy relationship. The Sun is in Aries for the first three weeks of April, and especially for the first week you may be locking horns a lot with people. Both Aries and Scorpio are extremely willful signs, and there is an emphasis on a kind of headlong activity this month. You get a bit of relief the second week of April, when Venus and Neptune are conjunct in Pisces. This is a great combination for creative and spiritual communion and inspiration, so enjoy. Then life starts to get crazy as we approach the full moon and eclipse in Libra on the 15th. Right after that the Sun enters Taurus, your opposite sign, on the 20th. The big action is on the world stage, however, when Mars retrograde creates a stunning Grand Cross by being the fourth planet in a 90- degree angle with Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. Yowza! Happy Earth Day – the earth is likely to be rockin’ and rollin.’ Your job is to stay calm and centered. Remember that Mars retrograde is unpredictable, and so there could be some wonderful surprises and positive developments that also occur. There is anther eclipse on the new moon in Taurus on the 29th – this is an important new moon for you and you should ask it for guidance.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22- DEC 21) April is much more dramatic on the world front than for you personally – but, as you of all people know, the personal is political. So yes, you may be a bit stressed! The month starts with the Sun in Aries catching up to Uranus, triggering the Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto configuration that has been emblematic of so many crazy, sudden, tumultuous events that have been happening…. You have to be careful to not get too crazed and tense (thank God for that T’ai Chi practice!). Watch your temper during the first week of April. The second week brings a nice Venus-Neptune respite – good for spiritual and creative inspiration. Then pressure builds up around the full moon and eclipse on the 15th. The Sun enters Taurus on the 20th and Mars retrograde in Libra completes the fourth spot in the Grand Cardinal Cross in the sky along with Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. Put on your seat belt. Earth Day is likely to bring home the realities of environmental degradation as the Earth herself makes her presence known. Stay calm and be flexible. Mars retrograde is also a Trickster and teaches us to stay open and be creatively disobedient. You’ve got to go with the flow this month—there will be some unexpectedly productive turns of events.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21-Jan19) Oh honey—put on your seatbelt and keep it on this month. All of the planetary action is in the Cardinal signs, of which Capricorn is one. April begins with the Sun in Aries catching up to Uranus and triggering the Uranus-Jupiter-Pluto angles in a big way. You feel really really really under pressure and hyped up. And the world is nuts. Meditation might be a good thing about now! Next week brings a bit of a respite when Venus catches up to Neptune in Pisces. Yum! That’s a delicious combination for creative and romantic inspiration. Then the overwrought tendencies creep back in as we approach the full moon in Libra (and eclipse!) on the 15th. The Mercury aspects make your nerves a-jangle. Then the Sun enters Taurus and Mars retrograde creates a perfect Grand Cross in combination with Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto, all in Cardinal signs. See what I mean about a seat belt? This aspect will wreak quite a bit of havoc on the planet. Personally you may feel really out of control – again – but remember that Mars retrograde is full of surprises. The third week of April will bring change and drama and some surprises. You must go with the flow!

AQUARIUS (JAN 20-FEB 19) March may have been weird but April is even weirder. There is a lot of drama out there! The first week of April has the Sun catching up the Uranus-Jupiter Pluto business, so the world is tumultuous and people are crazed. The second week of April is the only relief we will have from an otherwise insane time when Venus will be conjunct Neptune in Pisces. Ooh la la it’s time for creative inspiration or perhaps some romance. Enjoy. Then pressure builds up around the full moon in Libra and eclipse on the 15th. People will be crazed,

This Akron graffiti is perfect for Aquarius…

and then the world will be even crazier around the 22nd, when Mars retrograde makes a huge angle to Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto. The third week of April will bring a lot of changes to the world, which of course will create a lot of personal and societal stress for people. It is important that you stay open and flexible because Mars retrograde always brings an element of surprise, so expect the unexpected. Mars retrograde is a real wild card in this planetary line-up, which could create the opening for some interesting and positive events. The new moon in Taurus and eclipse on the 29th will be particularly good for generating new ideas.

PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 19) April is even crazier than March, thanks to the Mars retrograde influence and the intensely exact Jupiter Uranus Pluto aspects. The first week of April starts with a bang, as the Sun in Aries catches up to Uranus, triggering Jupiter and Pluto as well. People are headlong and full of intensity, and you just want to hang out and relax. Be careful not to feel judged and cowed by all the willfulness being expressed by your more fiery friends. The only sweet spot in the month is the second week, when Venus in your own sign reaches Neptune. Ooh. Nice! This combination is great for creative and spiritual inspiration, and maybe even some romance. Enjoy it! Then comes the big full moon in Libra and eclipse on the 15th, highlighting lots of relationship drama. The drama quickly switches to the global situation once the Sun enters Taurus and Mars retrograde completes the fourth corner of a giant Grand Cross in the sky. Oy! Earth Day should have the Earth acting up big time, sorry to say. Life will be intense and your job is to stay calm and go with the flow. Remember that Mars retrograde brings surprises, and they are not all bad. There will be some surprising turns of events that are very positive. The end of the month brings an inspiring new moon in Taurus on the 29th – and another eclipse.