With Mars, Saturn, and Pluto all changing signs in March many of us may still be feeling unsettled. After all, humans tend to resist change and this kind of planetary activity tends to usher in a lot of change on every level—materially, mental/emotionally, and spiritually. From my perspective, we are being presented with a lot of opportunity to make progress in areas that have felt stuck or are ready to shift to the next level.
April brings us a couple of hiccups in the form of a New Moon Solar Eclipse on April 20th and with Mercury retrograde, which begins on April 22. Having a Solar Eclipse with Mercury in stationary motion (it looks like to isn’t moving at all in the sky right before it appears to reverse and go retrograde) is a potent combination for chaos.
The New Moon is usually a wonderful time to outline and set new goals or create a to-do list of things we want to accomplish with a 30-day plan. The Solar Eclipse on April 20th is conjunct Jupiter and creates a tense square to Pluto. Jupiter makes it easy to overestimate one’s success. However, Pluto is reminding us that plans we want to generate now will need thoughtful planning that doesn’t make any assumptions about how we are getting from Point A to Point B. Every step will need to be orchestrated and giving enough attention to underlying issues will be key to success.
Most of you already know the usual low down on how to navigate Mercury retrograde: don’t buy new electronics or a new car (unless you have no choice on timing), expect delays and communication difficulties, be extra attentive to planning details, or expect to have to redo a few things or revisit something that was done a while ago and didn’t quite launch the first time.
All of these possibilities could be doubly true in the later part of April. That is because Mercury will turn retrograde while also in a conjunction to transiting Uranus in Taurus. Uranus rules electronic devices, technology and high-speed communications, and unexpected changes, to name a few things that can affect our day-to-day operations. Checking and rechecking all your plans and systems is recommended until Mercury goes direct again on May 15.