Astrologically Speaking

Forecast for the Month of April 2003

The big boys have all gone off-stage for a coffee break, leaving the personal planets to find their position in the new landscape.

In other words it is time to digest or work out how you are going to be at this point in human history.

A time when it just might be possible to form a response, rather than to be in reactive mode. To find your place in the scheme of things keep these scenarios in mind. The world began a New economic cycle back in May of 2000. We are currently trying to make the first hurdle which is to rebel against the old style of doing business. This is a time to advance new economic models, products etc. This is the time to pay attention to the energetic fabric of life in order to be in step with the flow of life.

We begin the month with an April Fool's New Moon in Aries, at 11:19 am PST. Today you can plant seeds of intention. The highlighted degree symbolism is "A flock of wild geese." The keyword is "Insouciance," the independence to rise above, when it is appropriate. This intention must take into account how well, or not, the social contract in your community is supporting your life. The social construct is open/vulnerable to stamping today. Your input might be required. Be clear and up front for best results.

Jupiter stations and goes direct on April 3rd. Hopefully everyone has made the adjustments to their community connection or to their story line, so that both community and you are now in the same book and even on the same page. Growth of the community story is now full speed ahead. All those baby-boomers will be out in droves bursting with creative enthusiasm.

Mercury slows us all down with his entrance into Taurus on April 5th. The mental streams turn to all the body's senses for stimulation. That would be chocolate, wine, tilled earth, warm spring breezes, robins, flesh, etcetera, etcetera....

April 8th to the 14th Mars runs into interference from Saturn. This wrestling match is not supposed to produce a winner but is to work out a compromise. This would be between your intention and the reality of the world you find yourself in. Maturity is possible, though whining is the more likely response.

The April 16th Full Moon along the Aries Libra axis is at 12:36 pm PDT. The light of the Full Moon shines on your ability to walk your talk. Today the question is a challenge to the familiar course of action. How not to get left behind as the world changes. Just because something is not broken does not mean it is still useful. The degree symbolism * "Through imagination a lost opportunity is regained," the key word is "reformulation." This reformulation applies to relationships as well.

Chiron stops for his annual review on April 25th, and for the next 4 and half months we can review our social contract without more falling apart, maybe. One of the questions to be asked is how can the social contract/construct be more responsive to the needs of the community? I envision a fluid model. On a personal level, you can ask yourself "is your own emotional style mature enough to meet the demands of your position in community?"

Our second Mercury Retrograde period begins on April 26th and lasts until May 19th. The shadow phase began on April 12th. This retrograde remains in the earth sign of Taurus. While Mercury is here, the familiar channels of communication become tangled and confused, especially around things associated with what you really value. Expect delays and changes in plans with travel or appointments. This is a great time for right brain activities that involve the five physical senses. You'll find yourself re-evaluating and re-considering major practical survival issues and your financial affairs. Hold all final decisions and approvals until after Mercury goes direct on May 19th. Let your sense of humor overcome the challenges of the unexpected adjustments.

* taken from "The Sabian Symbols" by Marc Edmund Jones

Forecast for the Month of May 2003

The month of May starts to bring the world back into focus. Since March there has been a need for individuals to find meaning and purpose in a world in which it grows more and more apparent that we are not separate from each other. Uranus in Pisces is making this experience accessible to all. This push is fifth-harmonic energy; "the number of humanity which signifies its strength and power and its creative and destructive potential."** Against this backdrop Saturn and Neptune hold each other in a tension aspect this month. They require a creative response to the fear of not being noticed. Hopefully the need to act out is held at bay. This tension culminates on May 19th. Meanwhile Jupiter and Saturn continue to try to make the first hurdle in their economic cycle which began in May of 2000. This month will be reminiscent of October 2002 and March 2003. What is needed is to rebel against old economic models. We will still be grappling with the chaos created when social structures cannot meet the need that is growing. We pass this hurdle on May 21st.

Keep in mind Mercury remains retrograde until May 20th. Getting connected will require an act of surrender and acceptance, until then.

The Moon is busy this month. We begin on a New Moon and end on a New Moon, and have our first set of eclipses of the year. Eclipses set a new tone for the next six months. We get a change in the weather from November of last year, which was about the time the USA started to beat their war drums at Iraq.

May kicks off with a Taurus New Moon is at 5:15 am PDT on the 1st. Today you can plant the seeds to bring to focus your love of humanity. This will require that you push past the disinclination to do something because the situation is so negative. Notice when the rhetoric is self serving. This is a moment when the mature response is one of personal humility. The highlighted degree symbolism is "A woman sprinkling flowers" * The keyword is "care."

Just prior to the Full Moon, Mars will catch a stationing Neptune; highlighting our group connection to the spiritual dimensions of life. We are driven (Mars) to look at life from Neptune's spiritual perspective. Neptune stations to turn retrograde just three hours before the eclipse. Spiritually we are being cautioned to be courteous in a time when being noticed seems to be driving everyone. Survival is what this full Moon is shining her light on. Those who are born on the 2, 3, or 4 of February are wired to this moment by Neptune.

The May 15th Full Moon along the Taurus-Scorpio axis is at 4:51 am PDT (first lunar eclipse of 2003). The light of the Full Moon shines on your ability to effect your own survival. To our benefit this full Moon is wired to great creative potential to problem solve. It takes the maturity of humility to deal with uncertainty or depression brought on from feeling separate or alone at this time. The degree symbolism "A large well kept public park" *, key word is "recreation." This is a moment when Neptune is calling forth the spiritual motivation to devote your self to the practical welfare of all people collectively. The larger context of your life is seeing you.

The return to normal program timing arrives on May 20th when Mercury stations and turns direct. Mercury pauses on the point symbolic of " Visualization."

The May 30th Gemini New Moon (a solar eclipse), is at 3:45 am PDT. Today you can plant seeds that grow greater connectivity into your life. The kind of connections that help us all to pull gracefully out of a crisis. The highlighted degree symbolism is "An airplane, after a nose dive, rights itself gracefully " *. The keyword is "Crisis." Because this is the eclipse that sets the tone for the next 6 months do take your connection building seriously. Still lurking is the energy of acting alone and out of a sense of duty, imposing your will upon others. This approach keeps the karmic wheel turning.

* taken from "The Sabian Symbols" by Marc Edmund Jones

** taken from "Horoscope Symbols" by Robert Hand

By Moreen Reed