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By adding the universal year 2003, (2+0+0+3) = 5, to the 4th month of April, we come up with the vibration of 9. The 9 month is a time to complete outstanding projects so you can free up extra energy to devote to your inner life. Take some time for reflection and self-renewal this month. As you take time to nurture the nurturer, you can dedicate yourself without reservation to serving others with your compassion and devotion. April 1: Be Authentic. The new moon in Aries asks us to speak out boldly about what we need for emotional fulfillment. Moon in Aries is calling you to bring full awareness to your needs so that you can be totally present and authentic with others. Only when you can truly nurture yourself and honor your own needs for independence, autonomy, and freedom can you truly be in relationship with others. What nurtures you this month is activating your will to initiate action in your life. If there are any projects you’ve been putting off, use the new moon energy to get yourself motivated and into action! April 3: Expand Your Consciousness. Jupiter, which has been retrograde since December 4, will be going direct on April 3 at 8 degrees Leo. The Jupiter retrograde, which lasted about four months, was a time to tap into your own inner teacher. In Vedic or Hindu astrology the Sanskrit word used for Jupiter is "guru." Each of us, whether formally or informally, is a teacher of something. The sign and house placement of Jupiter in your chart not only refers to where you get the greatest expansion of your own consciousness (where you teach yourself) but also indicates what you naturally wish to teach others. Since Jupiter is also the ruler of the second chakra, the center of "pro-creation," it is also associated with how you express your creative urge. Now that Jupiter is moving direct, you can tune-in more deeply to the wisdom and creativity that wants to flow through you out into the world. April 5: Implement Your Values. With Mercury moving through Taurus from April 5 until June 13, this is an incredible opportunity to put your words into productive action. Use Mercury in Taurus this month to help you formulate what it is that you value and then construct a plan for implementing these values into your life. For thinking and sensate personalities, this is pretty easy; you can make endless lists of things to do and then prioritize them. Intuitive and feeler types might try brainstorming all the things they are passionate about. Let your intuition and imagination take over so you can gradually build a road map to get you to your destination. Thinking/sensate types might want to try this method too — it’s fun! April 5-6: Stimulate Your Mind. Mercury in Taurus is in a positive relationship with Uranus in Pisces April 5-6. Mercury/Uranus transits stimulate the concrete mind with intuitive information that is being "downloaded" from higher mind. This is a great time for brainstorming new possibilities, as your mind will be much more receptive and open to this realm of perception. April 12-13: Engage Your Indignation. Venus in Pisces is in a challenging relationship with Pluto in Sagittarius April 12-13. Venus/Pluto aspects challenge us to discover what we are really passionate about. When I ask clients what they are passionate about, I often find that they have a hard time getting clear about their passions. When I ask, "what are you righteously indignant about?" however, I get a very different picture! Sometimes, what you are indignant about is also a clue to what you are passionate about. Let yourself tune into your indignation. What issues are you aware of that really engage you? What issues really "get your goat" so to speak? These issues most probably tap you into core beliefs or values that you are willing to stand up for. So let Venus/Pluto help you get clear where you stand and what cause you want to put your righteous indignation behind. April 16: Establish Interdependence. The full moon in Libra represents our needs for cooperative, balanced, and harmonious relationship with others. This is a great time to look at where we are on the continuum between independence and dependence. Somewhere in the middle there is a new paradigm called interdependence, and that is what this full moon is offering. The moon in Libra calls you to balance your desire for intimate merging with others with your needs for autonomy. The challenge this month is to really acknowledge the vulnerability and fear of rejection or abandonment you may feel when you express your true needs to others. The full moon in Libra is asking you to communicate from a balanced center where you consider both the needs of the other and yourself equally. April 20: Formulate Your Values. The Sun moves into the sign of Taurus on April 19. In nature, the outward impulse to manifest and thrive that was present in Aries now gives way to the methodical and practical shaping of new life, thereby creating a secure foundation for future growth. Your job during the sign of Taurus is to define and codify your values — what you own — so that you can actualize your potential and leave an inspiring legacy for others. April 21: Increase Your Aliveness. Venus passes through the sign of Aries from April 21 through May 16. This is passion time! Take a look at how passion figures into your life during this transit. What do you get passionate about? The positive pole of passion is self-actualization, heightened awareness, and being intensely alive. What can you do now that increases your sense of aliveness? Needless to say, this is a great time to renew the passion in your relationships too! With Venus in Aries, it is also time to take constructive action on what you value or are passionate about. Try to be guided by your heart rather than your mind at this time. By tapping into your passion, you also tap into your dharma — that sense of mission or purpose that will give your life increased meaning and joy! April 21-June 17: Break Free. With Mars in Aquarius from April 21-June 17, the challenge is to focus your will on greater self-actualization. This may mean looking at any ways that you have been stuck in expressing your will power or asserting yourself with others. Mars in Aquarius calls you to break free of any restrictions that keep you from manifesting greater authenticity in our lives. Use the time that Mars is in Aquarius to break through old patterns of making yourself small so that no one will notice. April 25: Open to Your Gift of Healing. Chiron in Capricorn goes retrograde from April through September, 2003. Retrograde periods are an opportunity to look at the retrograde planet’s function in our lives. For many people born between November 1951 and January 1955, this is the time of their Chiron return. The return of Chiron to its original natal position (the conjunction) happens somewhere between age 49 and 51. The Chiron return represents a choice point: are you moving more towards death or are you moving ever deeper into your spiritual nature? For those who have worked on healing their wounds and are opening to their spiritual nature, it can be a truly remarkable period in their life. It can be a time of great creativity and letting go into your personhood and to your place in the world. On the other hand, if the lessons of Chiron have not been integrated and you have not opened to the spiritual realm, it can be a trying experience. The question to ask yourself is: am I moving fast toward death or am I beginning to really move into my essential self? Have I dealt with my own wounding and seen the inherent lessons and gifts, or am I hiding in my cave unable to deal with my pain and unconsciously wounding others? These are the questions that Chiron, our wounded healer, our inner teacher, asks each of us to look at. Even if we are not going through a Chiron return, the Chiron retrograde presents an opportunity to address these fundamental questions in our lives as well. The beauty and reward of answering these questions and understanding the lessons of Chiron is revealed when our unique healing abilities come to the foreground. When you embrace the lessons that Chiron brings you, you will learn to accept your own suffering. In so doing, you can help others heal the very issues you know so well. April 26-May 19: Internalize Your Experience. Mercury will move in retrograde motion from April 26-May 19. Mercury retrograde is a call for greater impeccability in your life in the areas of speaking, writing, self-expression, and following through on your word. For example, many people experience Mercury going retrograde as a time when communication breaks down to the point that they won’t do or sign anything. The superstition is that Mercury retrograde is a time to "lay low" and hold any business or communications that have to be done until Mercury goes direct again. In other words, for many people, there is ample evidence to substantiate that Mercury retrogrades "foul" things up! I too could tell you stories of unreturned phone calls, mail not being delivered, etc. It can begin to look like Mercury retrogrades do happen to us! The point of Mercury retrogrades, however, is to teach us that adversity often challenges us to internalize our experience, to deepen our understanding of our own nature so that we can achieve mastery in our lives. Mercury retrogrades help us to see, through external events, at what level our Mercury function (or throat chakra) is operating. If our communication skills are lacking in any area, this will be more than apparent when Mercury goes retrograde. With Mercury retrograde in Taurus, the challenge is to learn to express the truth you may have been holding inside. April 27-29: Open Your Heart. The two most beneficial planets, Venus and Jupiter, are in flowing aspect from April 27-29. This is an incredible time for opening the heart and expanding your sense of unconditional love for self and others. I would highly recommend that you read The Ecstatic Moment by Paul Ferrini sometime during this month. Subtitled, "a practical manual for opening your heart and staying in it," it’s one of my favorite books. This book really speaks to me of the wonderful joining of the planetary energies of Venus (the heart) and Jupiter (higher mind). Ferrini says, "You are acceptable as you are, no matter how many mistakes you think you have made. There is nothing you have thought, felt, or done that prevents you from realizing your perfection here and now." James Jarvis, M.A. is a master astrologer, professional life coach and transpersonal counselor. Through his teaching, coaching, and counseling, James has helped hundreds of people of all ages draw out and productively use their inherent wisdom and talent. For those who want support in discovering, clarifying, and manifesting their vision and life purpose, James is available for astrological consultations and life coaching sessions by phone. For a brochure of his services or to schedule phone or mail order consultations call (831) 688-0574 or toll-free (866) 454-8199. Email: <jjarvis@lifeqwest.com> or visit James’ website at: <www.lifeqwest.com>. If you would like to receive James’ free email newsletter send your email address to <newsletter@lifeqwest.com>. |
