Just when we get ourselves back in “go” mode after winter’s lethargy, April comes along and hits the pause button. To be fair, the month starts out energetic enough. If you’ve got new projects you want to launch, kick them off before April 5th. After that point things begin to slow down – way down. But with a little planning, we can get through it.
There’s a New Moon in Aries on April 7th and normally this is an energetic Moon inspiring you to move forward. But the Moon has difficult aspects with Uranus and Pluto and it’s more likely you’ll find yourself motivated by fear and anxiety. If that’s the case, take a deep breath, and remind yourself it’s just a moment in time. The mood brightens a little the following week and you’ll have a second chance to launch what you couldn’t the first few days of the month.
Then we hit the brakes. We already have Saturn in retrograde motion pushing us to re-evaluate what we hold dear and then our action planet Mars, begins his 74-day retrograde on April 17th . During his reversal we may feel more restrained and unwilling to take risks. The very next day, transformative Pluto begins his retrograde transit. Now typically, Pluto spends 6 months out of the year Retrograde and so its impact is expected, but the combo with Mars is trying under the best of circumstances.
Not to be left out of the party, Mercury turns retrograde on April 28th in Taurus. In addition to the classic communication snafus (get those files backed up) Mercury retrograde in Taurus brings stubborn blockages connected with new ideas, powers of concentration and putting ideas into a practical format. Access to the most direct route to your goals is likely to be blocked by breakdowns in communication and unwillingness to compromise.
The Sun moves into Taurus on April 19th and brings much-needed patience for dealing with slow-moving situations. But it also means that for a few weeks, no planets have any va-va-voom, what astrologers call essential dignity, so motivation is at a low.
And finally, the Full Moon in Scorpio on April 22nd isn’t the easiest of Moons either. The polarity of the Sun and Moon are in fixed signs, so what we're dealing with is deeply rooted, stubborn, possibly stuck in one way of doing things.
But before you throw in the towel - take heart! With a little awareness, however, there are things you can do to turn things to your advantage.
Consider April the perfect month to:
- Practice mindfulness. Be in the moment. Things may not go according to plan, but focus on what you can do. Slow down and do one thing at a time.
- Use the pleasure principle to motivate yourself. Once you’ve managed to get something checked off your list, be nice to yourself and indulge in a little reward.
- Finds was to incorporate meditation into your day. With the planets giving you the opportunity you might as well take advantage of the time for reflection. Plus meditation is a great way to relieve stress.