Mercury and Venus are about to leave the placidity and peace of Taurus and Pisces for outgoing Gemini and audacious Aries. But the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto and the lunar Nodes are going to hang back in the introspective elements of earth and water. Additionally, an atypically unhurried Mercury will cross the shadow of its incoming retrograde on April 26th, and Pluto is slowing down to start its annual retrograde, on the 29th. Though an exciting solar eclipse is set for the 30th, its revelations will be enfolded into the prevailing atmosphere of ease and reflection. A discernible change of tempo will take place on May 10th, when Jupiter ingresses into lively, combustable Aries and Mercury’s retrograde officially begins. Between now and then, a quiet clarity is on tap.
Before entering talkative Gemini on the 29th, Mercury will sextile Jupiter on the 26th and trine Pluto on the 28th. Taurus and Capricorn are exceptionally practical, and Mercury will trine Pluto again on June 10th as it exits its retrograde shadow. When Mercury and Pluto meet again, Jupiter will have left the contemplative realms of Pisces for action-oriented Aries. Tuesday’s sextile with Jupiter in Pisces avails us to the power of productive imagination. On May 5th, Mercury in Gemini will sextile Venus in Aries (as the Sun conjoins Uranus). That combination is prone to initiation. But prior to leaving holistic Pisces, Venus too seems intent on conferring with key influencers in yin signs. She will conjoin Neptune on the 27th and Jupiter on the 30th (under the eclipse), and sextile Pluto on May 1st, before entering Aries on the 2nd.
Another of the personal planets, Mars, is always up for getting in on the action. What’s unusual about the present phase, is that Mars is also exploring the esoteric worlds of Pisces. Sextiles to Uranus on the 4th and the Taurus Sun on the 7th will be infused with the relaxed perspective of the mutable water sign. Mars will continue living the monastic life until May 24th when he heads home to Aries. The other major meeting of the next two weeks will occur on May 3rd, when Jupiter sextiles newly retrograde Pluto. That retrograde will see Pluto go from 28 Cap 36 back to 26 Cap 07 on October 8th, thus grinding over America’s 27 degree natal Pluto. In fact, transiting Pluto will not move beyond this retrograde’s shadow until January 29, 2023, signaling prolonged difficulty for the USA. Jupiter’s transit of Aries will also put it into a cardinal square to Pluto, adding more strain to the equation. Long before tensions between them escalate, this sextile is their last best chance to have a constructive conversation and to perhaps harmonize agendas. The graceful tides of Pisces are receding, and challenging Mercury and Pluto retrogrades are rolling in. Imbibing a few last drops of dreamy Pisces awareness offers flexibility and vision for the days ahead.