This year, April comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion. Or maybe it’s a lion all the way through. The Aries New Moon on the 1st marks a real beginning for the year, as the solar and lunar cycles are both waxing after this point. As with any new moon, it’s best to let things take care of themselves for a day or two, then set intentions and get moving.
Motion might be stopped for a bit, as Mars meets with Saturn on the 4th. This aspect can feel like you’re jamming on the accelerator with the parking brake on – a recipe for frustration. Take one job at a time and devote yourself to it – the beginning of April is no time for multitasking. You can accomplish quite a bit in the first week of the month, but despite an inclination to race ahead, slow and steady wins this race.
Mercury is the starring planet in April (“starring planet”?!). In Aries, he aspects Ceres, Pallas Athene, Saturn, Mars, and Pluto in the first ten days of the month, ensuring that communication will be direct and possibly a little uncompromising. In the fiery sign of the ram, Mercury is no fact-checker, so you might want to delve into the truth behind any surprising messages.
The Cosmic Messenger then moves into Taurus, where he favors more concrete information. This is a ‘show me the facts’ kind of placement, and aspects to Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, and Pluto will encourage more realistic – if less inspired – communication than in the early part of April.
Watch for tangible evidence of innovative thinking as Mercury meets Uranus around the 17th, just a day after the full moon in Libra. As the month ends, Mercury moves into his home sign of Gemini, where a sociable and easygoing approach to communication prevails.
Mercury may have the lead role in April, but Pluto has a significant part to play, too. The Sun squares Pluto on the 18th, leading us to question who really has the power. The Aries Sun is strong as it seeks to set the agenda for the coming year, but Pluto holds the purse strings. While this will play out in politics and business, each of us may feel a strain between following our hearts and listening to our wallets.
Pluto’s then stations to retrograde on the 29th, just a day before a powerful solar eclipse/new moon. This is likely to be a time when we feel pressure building in both our personal lives and within society (the two aren’t really separate). There’s an uncompromising feel to this time that may make many of us uneasy.
The eclipse on April 30th is at 10 degrees of Taurus, in the same neighborhood where Uranus squared off with Saturn in 2021, so we may find that issues that were prominent last year are once again in the forefront. While action is not necessarily characteristic of either stations or solar eclipses, it will likely not be a long time before we see the tensions releasing.
Challenging times typically call for action, and April of 2022 holds many opportunities for moving forward. Timing is important, so try to avoid the few sand traps that could drain energy this month.
In general, a good strategy for the end of the month is to tackle one task at a time, concentrating on a tangible goal.