Ducks in a Row
I blundered off to open an account at a new bank and found that things had changed quite a bit since I last did this. It all seems reasonable in hindsight, but it hadn’t occurred to me that I’d have to schedule an appointment, unfreeze my credit report, and provide various forms of ID. Needless to say, I soon found I’d have to do some homework and come back another day.
These are the sort of hijinks that accompany Mercury retrograde in Aries (April 1, 2024, 3:14 pm PDT, through April 25). I had simply leapt impulsively into the car with nothing more than a couple of checks to deposit and a lot of assumptions. When I got my ducks in a row and showed up for my appointment the next day, all went smoothly and pleasantly.
Astrological lore holds that anything we do when Mercury is retrograde, we’ll have to do (at least) a second time. My teacher, in fact, used to say that you should try to do things you enjoy when Mercury is retrograde, because you’ll have to do them again and again.
But that’s a lot less likely, I suspect, if you do your homework the first time around.
The Regretful Phase
There is important business to resolve at this Capricorn Last Quarter Moon (April 1, 2024, 8:15 pm PDT, at 12°52′ Capricorn). It’s business that has its origins in the March 10 Pisces New Moon, and it directly affects the Capricorn and Aries portions of your chart.
The Last Quarter Moon is the phase in the lunar cycle for taking stock. You have one more chance to take action toward your New Moon goals, this time with more knowledge and experience than at the First Quarter phase, the other action point in the cycle.
The Last Quarter can be a regretful phase; we may still be haunted, held back by, or recovering from what was initiated at the beginning of this Lunar Phase Gestation cycle – the Capricorn New Moon of Jan. 2, 2022. Still, you made a promise to yourself then to reach a cherished goal, and at last, you’ve got the vitality of the Sun in Aries– and the tenacity and ambition of the Capricorn Moon – to push you over the finish line. Don’t give up now!
Too Good to be True
What do you really want? When Venus makes a conjunction with Neptune (April 3, 2024, 6:10 am PDT), you’re probably not entirely sure. You may have idealistic visions of what might be perfect, but you don’t know for certain.
In a relationship, Venus combined with Neptune can bring anything from bliss to disaster. Is that person as miraculous as they seem? Or will you find, under a harsher Venus/Neptune aspect, that you have been deceived?
Probably, it’s something in between. No mere human is perfect, no matter how ardently Neptune tries to convince us otherwise. But reasonable flaws needn’t condemn them to the rubbish bin, either.
The conjunction of Venus and Neptune simply says you can’t tell exactly what’s true, not yet. Same goes for money, also ruled by Venus; take care before charging into investments or making important purchases. If something seems too good to be true, you can bet that it is.
Preamble to the Solar Eclipse
In this week between eclipses, the Sun conjoins the North Node (April 4, 2024, 3:10 pm PDT). Think of this as a preamble to the April 8 Solar Eclipse. Eclipses only take place at New or Full Moons close to the Lunar Nodes; they represent a shake-up that moves us from the familiarity of the South Node into the rich, untapped wellspring of the North Node. The Sun at the North Node shines brightly on a promising path.
At this conjunction, review last week’s Libra Lunar Eclipse, the better to prepare for the upcoming Aries Solar Eclipse (April 8). These eclipses ask for examination of the balance between self-determination and cooperation that these two signs demand. How do you say goodbye with grace and kindness? And what’s the new frontier that lies before you?
It’s the Getting
Venus enters Aries this week (April 4, 2024, 9:00 pm PDT, through April 29). One of astrology’s few major feminine symbols, Venus is ill-at-ease, we’re told, in the very masculine sign of Aries. But maybe ease is not all it’s cracked up to be. Venus in Aries symbolizes the kind of tough, pioneering, warrior-spirited women whose passion makes a difference.
Venus is in her detriment in the feisty, warrior sign of Aries. But that doesn’t mean she’s weak here – far from it. Like all planets in the sign of their detriment or fall, her efforts to express herself in an incompatible sign usually make her more prominent in one’s character, not less.
Born with Venus in Aries, actress Elizabeth Taylor, best known for her many marriages, is nearly as well remembered as a ferociously loyal defender of close friends like Montgomery Clift and Michael Jackson, and as the face of White Diamonds perfume (diamonds are ruled by Mars and the birthstone of April, Aries’ month). Venus in Aries loves passionately, but it savors the chase most of all. As Taylor once said, “It’s not the having, it’s the getting.” Spoken like a woman who married eight times!
She also showed Aries grit by overcoming adversity time and again – health problems, failed marriages, ups-and-downs at the box office. When asked how she kept going, she said, “You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.” I couldn’t have said it better.
The New, Bold Thing
As Venus in Aries sextiles Pluto in Aquarius (April 6, 2024, 10:45 am PDT), it’s on the Sabian symbol 2 Aries, A comedian entertaining a group. Few forms of show business seem scarier than stand-up comedy, and I can only imagine the thrill when it pays off and the audience rewards you with a laugh.
Over the course of my own career, I’ve found that I’m happiest when I’m a little bit scared. The challenge of reaching for the new thing, the bold thing, whatever I haven’t done before, makes me feel fully awake. Not knowing exactly what you’re doing or how it will turn out forces you to draw on every reserve of innovation and courage.
Venus in Aries loves that thrill. And Venus in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius is exactly like plugging into a power station. When you’re awake and alive, doing what you really love, the forces of power in the universe answer that call with validation. It’s a quality you can’t fake, and that’s exactly what Pluto is on the lookout for – the true, unadulterated you.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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