Starcodes reading for the week of April 5-11, 2024
Astrological April roars in like us swirling spring storm full of conflicting winds and fertile possibilities. The headwinds come from the headstrong initiatory energy of Sun, Venus, and retrograde Mercury in audacious Aries which keep the pot stirred and conflicts swirling. Anything could happen. These planets also loan us bravery to handle extremes but we have to add the wisdom.
Mercury retrograde in Aries brings a paradox, it nudges us to rush ahead but directs us backwards or into a vortex. But this Mercury also asks good questions, it wants us to reevaluate what’s important, where we’re really going and what we truly want. It can make us rebellious against dysfunction but we have to search for good options ourselves.
This Mercury calls us to repair things from the past. Look for threads to cut, patterns to release, people to let go, relationships to mourn or revive. But do not dial an ex-love or go back to the past and think things will be different this time unless some major work is accomplished. Compost and move on.
It can also make transportation interesting. For the next few weeks, let’s be careful how we move our life. Be in the moment, aware of the situation rather than imagining where we’ve come or where we’re going. Be here now.
On Friday and Saturday a sensitive Pisces Moon and Venus sextile to Pluto adds a layer of vulnerability to our determination, we can be irritated with ourselves for not getting more done or pushing ourselves farther, but it just isn’t time. We’ll also be furious with anyone that takes advantage of our vulnerability and painfully aware of the world’s most unprotected. Explore how to love in the face of real problems.
The Moon enters Aries on Sunday and turns up the volume, giving us the fuel to laugh, fight, work, and engage in minor or major heroic action. Take on a challenging situation rather than challenge someone to a duel over a minor spark. It’s so easy to misinterpret what someone says, because off guard and respond with the rapier before we clarify.
On Monday a new Moon, total solar eclipse in Aries, conjunct the healing asteroid Chiron, at 12:20 PM Eclipses act like astrological acupuncture, they unstick what stuck, but sometimes that brings a deluge. This eclipse can also eclipse some situation which needs to take a break, temporarily or permanently. If we have a major shift we want to make in our lives, to break a bad habit or break out of a tricky situation and step into a healthy thoughtful alternative, we can use this eclipse to help us pivot.
This eclipse at 19° Aries, conjunct Chiron, bisects the USA and asks us whether our country or our circles want to split apart or are we willing to work together for a fresh start. In an interesting side note, the path of the total eclipse roughly mirrors the path of the recent severe weather and the band of the coming multiple broods of cicadas.
This eclipse also conjuncts the Chiron in the chart of mythic America from July 4, 1776, with a 1° orb, and asks us to do some deep Chiron work. Learn from our wounds and use that wisdom to heal. Learn from our past, look at recent tough lessons we’ve learned, and take it forward. If we want to be a beacon for democracy in our world we must remember how to be a beacon of democracy within our own country. Just after the vernal equinox the chart for America finished one 30-year progressed lunar cycle and started a new one, we are beginning to sail into uncharted waters. We need to carry forth the wisdom of our experience, but we’ll need all new maps.
Wednesday the Moon enters slower, earthy Taurus and helps us embody those shifts. We may need to go back and make some structural changes or shift boxes in the basement as Mars conjunct Saturn in Pisces.
Friday, April 5: We might feel high maintenance today, vulnerable and irritable, both spacey and a bit demanding as the sensitive Pisces Moon conjuncts Mars and Saturn. If this emotional urgency comes out in odd interpersonal demands, ask what’s really needed. Honor sensitivities rather than make excuses for them. Consider going to sleep early as the evening can get edgier, cranky, or worried about some future problem as the Moon conjunct Mars and Mercury semi-squares Mars. Take a deep breath, and come back to the present to soothe the nerves.
Moon enters Pisces 5:12 AM, Moon conjunct Mars 11:07 PM.
Saturday, April 6: Overnight worries can seep into our dreams as Mercury semi-squares Mars. This morning can feel both impatient and hesitant, though our responsibilities need to be taken seriously as the Moon conjuncts Saturn. Stay connected to a compassionate heart and let those petty issues dissolve. Everyone could use extra appreciation and affection and may want to share over serious concerns as Venus sextile Pluto.
Mercury semi-square Mars 1:47 AM, Moon conjunct Saturn 4:10 AM, Moon sextile Jupiter 11:12 AM, Venus sextile Pluto 11:45 AM, Moon sextile Uranus 3:10 PM.
Sunday, April 7: Tap into a relatively lighthearted enthusiasm as the Moon wanes into Aries and conjunct Venus this morning. Patience is missing, people tend to go off in ten different directions with lots of great ideas but little follow-through. An old relationship dynamic could rear its head, but this is a chance to break a pattern and deal with each other in a fresh way. Keep the heart warm tonight, use the interpersonal fuel wisely. We can bond over excitement but if a situation hits a snag and starts to sour, stand back so the situation does not combust.
Moon conjunct Neptune 2:26 AM, Moon enters Aries 5:24 AM, Moon sextile Pluto 8:31 AM, Moon conjunct Venus 10:21 AM.
Monday, April 8: Avoid volatile situations. The mood is headstrong, not particularly observant of relationships as Venus semi-square Jupiter. This could put some tension in the situation, so let’s consciously choose to be kind and considerate. We could feel an urgency to make momentous changes at this turning point, the new Moon in Aries/eclipse can both be seen as the end of one year and beginning of a new, the first new Moon after the vernal equinox. This eclipse at 19° of Aries will shake out what isn’t working and initiate what is. Notice what is ending, and what is beginning, make choices for the long term. Be honest. Patience may be hard to find but we need it to negotiate this turning point with grace.
Venus semi-square Jupiter 2:53 AM, Sun conjunct Moon/solar eclipse 12:20 PM, Moon conjunct Chiron 12:21 PM, Sun conjunct Chiron 12:28 PM, Moon conjunct Mercury 8:38 PM.
Tuesday, April 9: Yesterday’s endings and beginnings now need our steady work as the Moon enters earthy, pragmatic Taurus. We may have some worries that are more emotionally based than logical as Venus semi-squares Uranus, don’t jump one way or the other just to avoid anxiety. This Taurus Moon wants us to keep it steady, comfortable, one step at a time in a good direction.
Moon enters Taurus 5:23 AM, Moon squares Pluto 8:35 AM, Venus semi-square Uranus 11:20 PM.
Wednesday, April 10: Continue that slow, steady, pragmatic progress this potentially frustrating day, we might need to wrangle blockades, but we can also combine our passions and the structural or organizational work which needs to be done. Repair walls, take care of the lower back. We can’t barrel ahead but we can put energy into our personal disciplines. If tension shows up between generations, use it as a healing moment; problems are solved by learning from each other within the generations rather than insisting one side listens. Think things through carefully and make some fundamental shift as Mars conjunct Saturn.
Moon sexile Mars 4:48 AM, Moon sextile Saturn 5:16 AM, Moon conjunct Jupiter 1:19 PM, Mars conjunct Saturn 2:36 PM, Moon conjunct Uranus 4:17 PM.
Thursday, April 11: Our concentration scatters, pollen disperses, as the Moon enters Gemini and the Sun conjuncts Mercury. Many conversations start but not many finish, logic may be specious, but we can cross-pollinate ideas with panache. This can frustrate if we’re trying to nail things down but is fabulous for networking or talking over old times. Make mutual understanding the point.
Moon enters Gemini 6:58 AM, Moon trine Pluto 10:22 AM, Sun conjunct Mercury 5:20 PM, Moon sextile Venus 9:47 PM.
Provided by Heather Roan Robbins www.roanrobbins.com