AstroCast: April 18 - May 2, 2015

Posted on April 17, 2015
Posted by Kimberly Maxwell

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Does it feel like you just picked the Hanged Man card from tarot deck?  Does everything seem kinda topsy-turvy right now?  Unexpected paradigm shifters are popping up.  The tried and true is suddenly not the stalwart it used to be.  That’s what integrative restructuring feels like.  Looking at life upside down.  Time seems disrupted.  Depending on how you look at it, that is a good thing.  Being in a timeless outer space like state of receptivity allows the alchemical process of metamorphosis to make its magic.  Yes, there have been breakdowns, but also breakthroughs.  Long standing barriers to progress, self imposed or created by external forces, that have become Dysfunctional with a capital D are crumbling.  If we were really honest with ourselves, we would have to admit our human nature tendency to hold onto something that isn’t working, convinced artificial forms of life support will buy time to fix it.  Looking at it from the Hanged Man’s point of view however, we would simply let it fall away and in the process free ourselves from the enslavement to an idea in the process.  If the U.S. can finally break down long held intransigent positions to come within reach of a nuclear deal with Iran on one front, and begin to normalize relations with Cuba on another – geeze, how long did that take??? – those are the symbolic open doors on the macro level that tell us we have our very own personal open door we too can walk through.  All we have to do is to will ourselves into taking the first step right through it.

Correlating with events here on earth, there’s been a shake up even in the solar/lunar cycle of late, and consequently in the structure of this very AstroCast.  I usually tie the articles to the Sun’s progress through the signs with part one including the Sun’s ingress into the sign and the New Moon following shortly thereafter in the earlier degrees of the sign.  Part two has the Full Moon trailing behind as the Sun travels the later degrees of the respective sign.  Now it is reversed, the continuity broken, the linear progression usurped by the non-linear, and this AstroCast is commencing with the New Moon instead of the solar ingress into Taurus.  The switch is due to a phenomenon that began last February when we had two New Moons in Aquarius (typical Aquarius, had to be different) – one at 0°8” of the sign and the other at the very last degree and minute, 29°29”.  That rare astral pattern commenced the innovative trend of the Full Moon in early degrees and the New Moon in late degrees of a sign that will last through May-June 2016, at which time we will experience two Full Moons when the Sun is in Gemini (the sign most akin to Aquarius) at 1° and 29°, and the solar/lunar course sets back to “normal.”

Until that time, the message from the cosmos seems to encourage us to have a lunar instead of a solar focus, which actually seems appropriate for the period of time following the last exact square between Uranus and Pluto that has our world reeling with change.  We’re in the throes of an integrative process that will last for years to come, which will be triggered every time the faster orbiting planets come into alignment with the era defining aspect until it is more than 10 degrees out of orb.  That’s until 2020 people, or 2022 if you go by Richard Tarnas’ 15-degree rule.  So the lunar focus for the next year is important to note.  Luna is saying take a look at your feelings.  Go within.  Intuit.  Listen.  Use deep memory that reaches far back beyond the moment of birth to find out who you are, looking for mile markers that have nothing to do with your job title, bank balance or societal status.  She is also saying look at your fears and perhaps you will see that they are for the most part based on inherited ancestral memories and not any actual present time problem.

On April 18th, we will experience the third in the series of New Moons with the Sun and Moon in the very late degrees of their respective signs.  Although the conjunction of the Moon and Sun marks the beginning of a new cycle, the New Moons occurring through next summer in the late degrees of a sign symbolically bring to the table the experience of seasoned pros.  New implies lack of memory, a journey without baggage, but this time we have the opportunity to consciously reap the knowledge we’ve gathered and take it to the next level, the succeeding cosmological phase of an ordered universe in a constant state of evolution.  This particular New Moon is in maverick Aries.  It may be a bit late coming to the rite of spring festivities, but could still be the life of the party.  The fresh faced, freedom loving, pioneering, and yes, potentially combative and self-involved, Sun and Moon under the command of Aries this time plays out as the experienced captain who has the back of the innocent private.  Both still have all the gusto Aries can muster, the initiative and the passion.  This New Moon is cardinal fire with opportunity written all over it – the chart shape is a bucket with good luck Jupiter as the golden handle.  That means go for it.  Dive in.  Take a risk.  There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The New Moon is in a wide conjunction to Mercury, giving voice to our feelings and assistance in developing the synapses to our intuitive nature.  Furthering that principle, Mercury in Taurus encounters Neptune in Pisces in a stimulating sextile on April 19th that has the potential to subtly dissolve tenacious perceptual boundaries and reinforce the oceanic imperative for non-linear thinking.  Additionally on this day, Venus also has an interaction with Neptune, more of a challenging one being a square, but Venus/Neptune contacts of any kind generally compel us to experience relationships at a sublime level, and come to understand the difference between an ideal of love and the real thing.  We just need to learn we are worthy of the latter, and how fearful we may be of making a commitment to love when it does come knocking on our door because it may never live up to our fantasized vision of it.  Help in overcoming that fear comes when we seek guidance from spiritual realms and come to know that being at one with another does not mean loss of self but the liberation of our being at its very core.

The Sun’s ingress into Taurus on April 20th starts a new solar cycle that begins the sustaining phase of that which he initiated in Aries.  The fixed nature of Taurus may appear stubborn to many, but has tremendous staying power through thick and thin – something we could surely use in the face of all the big changes going on around us.  The Sun in value-oriented Taurus has a knack for accumulating tangible assets, more likely than not which are born of the earth.  He appreciates beauty and sensuality like no other.  A melodious song, a soft touch, a lovers embrace are precious to him.  This is the flowering stage of the zodiacal progression when the splendor of nature is at a premium.  To the Sun in Taurus, the ultimate conservationist, every day is Earth Day.

Also on April 20th, Mercury’s square to Jupiter in Leo amps up creative thinking to such a level we may see many of our ideas flying out the window before we’ve even had a chance to develop them.  If we can accept the necessity of discernment in choosing those we find most valuable, we can avoid overwhelming ourselves and others with grandiose plans for doing it all.  In Taurus, Mercury naturally may say no more than yes, but what he commits to is usually valuable, tends towards the practical, and will have tangible results.  Jupiter in Leo at his highest octave of expression will ensure the creative process is fun and comes from the heart.

During this period, Mercury has been hot on Mars’ trail in Taurus, which may add a sense of urgency to his speech and the need to give his unfiltered opinions.  Active conversations could turn hurtful as the Mercury/Mars planetary pair cuts to the quick.  Mars also boosts Mercury’s generally studied nature in Taurus, goosing his expressions to a higher velocity.  He may however, have the courage of his convictions and become a forceful, provocative speaker, especially April 21st through 22nd, when their conjunction becomes exact while in trine to influential Pluto in Capricorn.  Mind and muscle meet the hidden persuader.  With access to knowledge of unseen forces and a dynamic approach to thinking and communicating ideas, the Mercury, Mars, Pluto triumvirate becomes a powerhouse that could mobilize humanity on this 45th Earth Day to reverse the course of climate change.

Venus, the traditional ruler of Taurus, has her own power breakfast at the mid-point of the ongoing brilliantly creative Jupiter/Uranus trine in effect since last summer that will have its final exact alignment in a couple of months.  From her position in Gemini, she first sextiles Jupiter in Leo on April 22nd, energizing her personal relations with a new sense of purpose.  She may engage in arty endeavors with others and in the process discover that generosity flowing from the heart is the glass of joy that never empties.  Venus infuses her relationships with the avant-garde when she sextiles Uranus in Aries on April 26th, acquiring the ability to connect the next great idea with the right partnerships to see it through to manifestation.  As Venus kisses the Jupiter/Uranus midpoint, she reminds us of her part in the creative process and how best to see it manifest: it’s all about collaboration.  To underscore this message, she just happened to have been integrally involved with this duo in February when they had their first rendezvous of this aspect (see the February 18 AstroCast), and will be so again when their third trine becomes exact in June.  Her current mission as the restless feminist ready to unseat the dominantly patriarchal mindset of society will certainly not end there but at this moment she may kiss and foretell what alliances will move her cause forward, and perhaps take providential steps to usher in the first woman president of the United States.

Gaining access to inspiration from above as well as a heightened sensitivity to the oneness of all creation, the Sun in Taurus follows in Mercury and Venus’ star steps passing through Neptune’s gate at the 9° mark on April 29th.  Expressing through his poetic nature, the Sun under the influence of the Great Spirit of the sky may reveal an uncanny ability to contact the hidden soul of another through his unspoken commitment to compassion.

Although primed by his myriad connections with the outer planets during this period, Mercury may have been holding his tongue in laid-back Taurus, just waiting for the moment he would enter his home sign of chatty Gemini on April 30th.   Mercury in Gemini views all interactions as an opportunity to make connections and learn more about anything and everything.  Here he will jump into circulation to share his thoughts and experiences, and gather those from others.  Mercury emulates his Messenger of the Gods namesake with mental acuity and a fast thinking, fast talking manner.  That speed, however, puts him in the position of glossing over facts and figures at the risk of missing the deeper meanings of his encounters.  He’ll linger longer than normal in Gemini, however, due to his impending retrograde on May 18th, giving him time to reconsider the profoundness of collective knowledge.

Here’s the data:

*Times where noted are for the Pacific Time Zone.  

**Planetary positions rounded to the nearest whole degree, unless otherwise noted.

April 18th – Moon conjunct Sun (New Moon) at 28° Aries at 11:57 a.m.

April 19th – Mercury sextile Neptune at 9° Taurus/Pisces at 12:13 a.m.

April 19th -Venus square Neptune at 9° Gemini/Pisces at 3:30 a.m.

April 20th – Sun at 0° Taurus at 2:42 a.m.

April 20th – Mercury square Jupiter at 13° Taurus/Leo at 9:16 p.m.

April 21st – Mars trine Pluto at 16° Taurus/Capricorn at 2:31 p.m.

April 22nd – Mercury trine Pluto at 16° Taurus/Capricorn at 6:25 a.m.

April 22nd -Venus sextile Jupiter at 13° Gemini/Leo at 11:41 a.m.

April 22nd – Mercury conjunct Mars at 16° Taurus at 4:01 p.m.

April 26th – Venus sextile Uranus at 18° Gemini/Aries at 2:31 p.m.

April 29th – Sun sextile Neptune at 9° Taurus/Pisces at 4:11 p.m.

April 30th – Mercury at 0° Gemini at 7:00 p.m.


AstroCast
Kimberly Maxwell

A student of the Sher Institute since 2008, Kimberly has been writing AstroCast since 2012. A long-time Los Angeles resident, Kimberly gives astrological consultations, has various artistic pursuits including the development of a burgeoning creative hub in her community, and works in international television distribution at a major studio.

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One response to “AstroCast: April 18 – May 2, 2015”

  1. shamla@lamiroy.com' Lady Shamla Rose says:

    Thank you for your profound thoughts.

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