Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Venus transits Pisces April 2 - April 25

Under the cover of daylight, Venus moves gracefully into her sign of exaltation, Pisces, on April 2, joining the Sun, Moon and Mercury who are already occupy Jupiter's watery, vast and cosmic sign. Venus' transit through Pisces should generally make for groovy times. Her exaltation in Jupiter's sign, along with Jupiter's occupation of his other sign, Sagittarius, combine to create a general sense of harmony and auspicious timing. Maybe we can all get along (for a few weeks, at least!)

New Moon in Pisces April 5

April's New Moon occurs at about 23° Pisces, in the lunar mansion called Revati. The nature of Revati is soft and mild, and supports activities like buying a home, getting married, education, practicing music and dance, farming, medical treatments and travel. Revati is associated with fertility, abundance and wealth, but also with completion and endings. As the last lunar mansion, it is a place of both endings and beginnings, and marks a turning point. With a new Moon occurring here, we have the opportunity to both close and open doors at this time. This is a good time to initiate endings and to use one's wealth and abundance to begin anew. The Moon and Sun are joined in Pisces by Mercury and Venus, giving an extra boost to the New Moon. Empathy and communication are key ingredients for success of projects initiated at this time.

Sun Enters Aries April 13

Spring really starts cooking when the Sun moves into his sign of exaltation, Aries, on April 13. This could certainly bring a bit more focus and fire to the work front. As the planets occupying Pisces move forward into Aries, philosophical showboating may take a back seat to practical achievement. The Sun's exaltation and Jupiter's aspect on Mars gives us good energy for focusing our energy in a fulfilling and righteous way. As Saturn and Ketu continue to press buttons for all of us while they combine in early Leo, we must look to the power of our own wills to create what we envision and to overcome what creates difficulty.

Mercury Transits Aries April 14 - April 29

Fleet Mercury follows quickly behind the Sun into Aries, soaking up some of the warm and glowing exaltation. For two weeks, Mercury will exchange signs with Mars, meaning that Mars is located in Mercury's sign and Mercury is located in Mars' sign, somewhat like one of those home swapping deals that people do. This period should be very excellent for communication, planning, and productivity. Ideas should flow, connections are possible, and forward movement will be supported. Get organized now for a good push during the latter half of April. The combination of Mars and Mercury energy is what fuels much of our information technology and communications systems, so bask in a fortnight of modern times glory by working it!

Full Moon in Libra April 20

The Moon reaches the glorious middle of her cycle on Sunday, April 20, in Venus' sign of Libra. We will still be affected by the Moon's beginning of the monthly cycle in Revati/Pisces, so we could say that this full Moon will mark the culmination of the endings and beginnings indicated by the new Moon. The Lord of this full Moon, Venus, is currently exalted in Pisces, and will give a beautiful, sweet aura to events at this time. Even the work in progress by industrious Mars and talkative Mercury will have an air of art, grace and elegance due to Venus influence on the full Moon. Venus encourages us to involve ourselves in relationship, art and beauty, and to lend those elements to our current projects and progress.

Mars Enters Cancer April 29

A palpable shift in planetary energy may be felt as Mars ends his six month long stint in Gemini by moving on to his sign of debilitation, Cancer. This news will perhaps encourage one and all to take advantage of the Mars-Mercury sign exchange between April 14-29 to work hard to get things ship shape, both within the home and workplace. Mars will occupy the Moon's sign, Cancer, for about two months; let's call them May and June.

Let's explore this concept of "debility" and "exaltation" for a moment. Think of planets as characters in a play, and think of the signs as various sets or scenery. The tough soldier character will seem much more in place and able to play his role when you see him on the battlefield, as opposed to seeing him navigate the frilly confines of a small girl's room. On the battlefield, the soldier is exalted and in the girl's room, he is debilitated. That doesn't mean that he can't function. He's still a soldier, but he has to work harder at it in inimical surroundings. For one, there's generally not much soldiering to be done in a little girl's room, so the soldier must adapt.

So, we could perceive the prospect of Mars entering Cancer in different ways. We could lament the probability of difficult times ahead, or we could consider the prospective challenges as an opportunity to master the way we handle ourselves in any situation. Yes, Mars in Cancer can be like a tank driving through your living room, but it doesn't have to be. That's the whole point of this astrology stuff, anyway: to develop a way to maximize the beneficial and minimize the detrimental by seeing the patterns of planetary motion. Find the purpose behind the aggression and power (Mars) that may show up within your home or business (Cancer). For many of us, this planetary position is symbolic of the wars that are currently being waged in our home, the Earth. The violence, the extinguishing of so many lives, and the brazen use of precious resources will inevitably lead to some disruption of the nurturing home life for every being on this planet, whether they live in a war zone or not. Mars' occupation of the homeland during May and June functions somewhat as a reality check. Do not pass by the opportunity to transform the Mars energy that is a part of you, that you use every day to work, think, plan, discover and build, into something powerful and sleek enough to make it through any terrain, frilly, mine-filled or otherwise.

Mars' entrance into Cancer is the herald to some other exciting shifts that will take place during the first part of May. Stay tuned, clean up your place, and buckle up.