Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

New Moon in Pisces April 1

The month of April will see many changes. Because of Jupiters position, world peace will be achieved, all beings will become free of fear, aging, and disease, the environment will totally regenerate, and from now on, only really good movies will be produced. April fool!

April 1st is also new Moon. This months new Moon is in the sign of Pisces, with the Sun, of course, as well as Mercury occupying that sign. As we look to the new Moon as a signal of beginnings, lets examine the effects of initiating new ventures at this time. Jupiter rules the watery sign of Pisces. Expansive Jupiter, ruler of religion, philosophy, grace, joy and teaching rules two mutable signs: the fire sign Sagittarius and the water sign Pisces. Jupiter has been enjoying a nice placement in the sign of Cancer, his sign of exaltation, since July. From his seat in Cancer, Jupiter casts aspect onto the signs of Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces. It is auspicious when a planet aspects its own house, and Jupiter from Cancer throws his exalted influence onto the new Moon in Pisces.

Joyful Jupiters watery aspect becomes personified in Pisces as an amorphous, boundless understanding of the cosmic sea, but seldom with the ability to express or crystallize the essence of this great understanding. Pisces word associations are these: impressionable, nebulous, compassionate, addictive, intuitive, imaginative, dependent. Pisces allows us to expand and dissolve into the great cosmic soup, but makes it difficult for us to come back and clearly relate what we have found. In this way, it is the home of the great mystery, the elusive answer or teaching that spiritual seekers are after. Yet this eternal truth is difficult to grasp and apply to our mundane material existence. Pisces can give us understanding of suffering, but not necessarily the will to fight it; it is the home of compassion where we are able to merge with the Great Spirit of life but does not always encourage practicality or organization.

Therefore, I recommend flowing with this new Moon by allowing yourself to delve deep within or far, far away to explore your dreams. Activate your intuition in projects started now, trust that there is a part of you that extends big enough to be a part of everything, thereby giving you a picture of how you can fit in. Jupiter rules our religious and spiritual tendencies, and his influence on this new Moon encourages us to dive into the dream. I also associate Pisces with romantic, visionary expressions through art, music, and dance. Indulge in these modalities if you feel inclined.

Mercury Enters Aries April 3

Aries isn't Mercury's favorite realm either, but our communication skills can flow a bit better in the fiery focus of Aries. It does give me the vision of a journalist or correspondent huddling for safety in a war zone, dodging bombs and bullets in order to tell the story of the moment and bring the news to the people in the safety of their homes. Certainly, there are many journalists at work these days in this way. As April progresses they may have a bit better of a time getting the messages through. On a personal front, we may find the part of ourselves that is in charge of organizing our mind and transforming thoughts into written or spoken messages under fire somewhat. There could be the potential of bickering and quick tempers until Mercury makes it into Taurus, which is June 9.

Mercury will stay in Aries so long because he is going to perform his regular stunt of retrograde motion beginning April 27 in the fire sign of Aries. This is Mercury's second retrograde this year, all three of which will be in fire signs. The retrograde period will last from April 27 to May 21. This phenomenon has several implications that come to mind immediately. Going back to the war correspondent vision: possibly the courageous men and women who brave the horrors of war in order to report it will actually play a stronger role in the outcome of this present conflagration by disseminating information that is pertinent to the decision making of our leaders. It could give us all the opportunity to bravely go into the dangerous and intense portions of life in order to witness and communicate what we find, adding the information that we gather to the big picture that we all need to make sense of life's complexities.

Another implication is that there could be good work done in the field of telecommunications. The combination of Mercury and Mars (ruler of Aries) energy is what brings us computers, palm pilots, cell phones, Internet and connectivity. Use the next few months to forge ahead in any area that requires both organized communication and technology. It should be a fertile time for computer programmers and war correspondents. On the other hand, Mercury retrograde could also cause glitches and problems with our technological communication, and his position in driven and fiery Aries could allow for temper tantrums over computer crashes, etc. Try to bring enough cool and calm into your life to counteract this potential. Plan for a walk by the water or a stroll in the rain to keep perspective.

Jupiter Stations Direct April 4

There are a couple of factors to be considered that affect the facility of this lunation. First, Jupiter having such an influence on this new Moon is interesting because he is about to station direct on April 4. Jupiter has been retrograde since December 5, 2002. I feel that Jupiter's apparent backward motion through the zodiac for the past few months has lessened the good effects of Jupiter's placement in his sign of exaltation, Cancer. Stationing direct is when a planet stops in the zodiac and resumes regular motion. The planet moves very slowly on either end of this action, and is believed to have more power. With this, we could see a turning around of some aspect in our lives; there could be a renewed sense of growth.

Second, Mercury joins the Sun and Moon in Pisces for the new Moon. Mercury is debilitated in Pisces. Quick witted, articulate Mercury loses much of his power in the overwhelming, watery domain of Jupiter. This can account for unclear communication and difficulty in making short, quick exchanges of speech or information. Details get lost and messages become muddled. Remember to force your Mercurial abilities of organized thought and cheerful communication up from under the water in the hot tub before you try to use them. Otherwise, you may end up spitting water and coughing up your words. Thankfully, Mercury moves out of Pisces and into Aries on April 3.

Saturn Returns to Gemini April 7

One planet that could help quell this explosive potential is Saturn. On April 7, Saturn finally finishes his sojourn into Taurus (due to his retrograde period from mid-October through mid-February) by moving into Gemini. The slow, cold planet of restraint in Mercury's air sign could afford us a modicum of patience with the above-mentioned potentials. One of Saturn's favorite lessons is detachment, and it may serve us to step back immediately from frustrating circumstances so that we may keep the bigger picture in mind. In addition, Saturn will have some dominion over active, powerful, warlike Mars as Mars moves from Jupiter's fire sign of Sagittarius to Saturn's earth sign Capricorn on April 12. That switch may help to quell any explosive, vengeance-motivated activity and bring it down to earth. Mars acts more potently in Sagittarius as he is a friend with Jupiter, but the power and drive of Mars combined with the practical, steady nature of Capricorn can also give results, hopefully of a more pragmatic nature. Although a bit limited by his placement in Capricorn, from this vantage Mars casts his intense aspect onto the Sun and Mercury in his own sign of Aries, as well as onto Jupiter in Cancer. This could mark a continuation in Mars ability to bring violence and conflict, however it may be justified to humans on a practical level.

Full Moon in Libra April 17

The full Moon occurs on April 17 in the sign of Libra. Venus rules Libra, and as if in celebration, Venus herself moves from Aquarius, where shes really not too bad off, into Pisces, her sign of exaltation. Venus in Pisces to me represents the ability to relate to others through the vehicle of universal love. This placement is good for compassion, love, and beauty, which the world can always use. Both Saturn and Jupiter will aspect Venus in her new position; the balance of expansion and contraction that these two planets in tandem can represent may give lovely and understanding Venus the power to act in the worlds stage just as effectively as Mars can this month. One of Venus favorite things is getting together with friends in a beautiful environment. A celebration of this sort would be appropriate this full Moon.