The topsy-turvy times of late are not too surprising for readers of
Janet's Plan-its and those who follow the stars. "Better" times are just around the corner.
For two lunar cycles, we've been assaulted by the heavy-duty, abrasive planetary combinations present at the past two New Moons on Feb. 26 (a kick-butt eclipse!) and March 27 (also very intense). Every day in April has either Venus or Mercury retrograde, and there was one week with both moving backward: April 9 to 15. (See my
2017 On a Page, a free PDF.) I hope you heeded my advice in my Feb. 10 newsletter and blog,
Why You Might Want to Do Your 2016 Tax Return Early. (You'll need to scroll down to see prior entries on my
blog page.)
The most recent blog - written just before this newsletter -
explores the Moon Cycle upon us now and explains how to work with trios of repeating energies. Take a few minutes to see how you can use the planets' influences to your advantage. Most of this information supplements
Janet's Plan-its and is not included in the calendar.
A key portion of a lunar cycle takes place in the first 2-1/2 days, so I encourage you to read this blog right away! If you like it, sign up at the bottom of the blog page to receive my blogs in the future. (It's a separate list from these newsletters.)
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A Slightly Better New Moon April 26
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Here comes another New Moon, this one at 6-1/2 degrees of Taurus. It's exact April 26 at 5:16 am PDT, 8:16 am EDT. Taurus is the sign of growth and nature, when we celebrate Mother Earth, Earth Day and Mother's Day during this earth sign where the Moon (related to mothers) is said to be "exalted" and operate at its best. The steady influence of this sign grounds the Moon's ever-changing energy - and our emotions. Tough planetary connections that plagued us since last fall are fading, being replaced by a brighter pattern that is forming and will stretch from May into early November. We're not totally out of the woods, though.
Saturn is involved in the upcoming friendly configuration - more on that in a moment - but it also finds itself grating against Chiron (from last December to this November). Their square (90 degree link) erodes boundaries and encourages skirting around rules or taking liberties with truth (think of "alternative facts"). The second of three squares is on April 30. Saturn often correlates with delays and Chiron with solving problems, so solutions are slow to emerge. At this New Moon, Venus is close to Chiron and at the precarious last degree of the zodiac, which often indicates suffering. We might expect feet to drag in either love or finances (Venus's domains). And here we are at the point of another potential government shut-down by the end of this week. Saturn (the Tester) is associated with government, Venus with money and Chiron with wounds. Mercury is retrograde, too (as it was at the USA's birth on 7/6/1776). Will Congress do something stupid? Or could this Mercury Retrograde's effect simply be that we're repeating this brinkmanship yet again? Perhaps with a different outcome. Maybe we've learned a lesson? We'll see.
Explanations of New Moons and prominent planetary influences are in the Star Pages section of Janet's Plan-its (both the
print version
- price recently reduced - and the ebook)
. Sometimes even yours truly is surprised by the manifestations of the celestial connections. For instance, I wrote that Jupiter's square to Pluto (exact 11/24/16 and 3/30/17) could bring rocky markets, but we keep climbing to new index highs. However, we might be in a bubble that bursts at the next occurrence of this aspect on August 4.
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Now for the Good News ...
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Aren't you happy to hear there is some?
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The helpful pattern I referenced above is a Grand Trine (considered the best configuration planets can form) in energetic Fire signs. Bold and independent Eris is teamed with brainy and innovative Uranus (joined by communicative Mercury at the April 26 New Moon) in ground-breaking Aries. Saturn offers structure and motivation, easily applied to education, law, international relations and the media (the realms of Sagittarius). We aim in Leo's direction, where the North Node takes up residence on April 28 (according to its "Mean" position or on May 9 as measured by its "True" placement). From August to September, Jupiter joins the Grand Trine, expanding it into a Kite formation. Giant Jupiter can bring "too much" and with all those Fire signs, I am concerned about excess heat and dryness. Even though we've had a snowy winter followed by a rainy spring and water levels are near normal in most places, we could easily slip back into drought conditions. Despite this positive pattern, a problem could lay in waiting. Sunny summer days are popular but we should be grateful for precipitation, too!
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Venus Retrograde is over! However, until May 18, we're in the "exit shadow" as Venus moves forward through the degree range where it backtracked from March 4 to April 15. Conditions since the end of January are poised for one last blast of attention. Venus's retrograde range spans from the last degrees of Pisces (indicating selfless, nonjudgmental, unconditional love) into the middle of Aries (spurring love of self, getting something you want in love or money matters and going after your heart's desires). Circumstances involving these themes and the competition between their polar extremes are apt to reach some kind of conclusion in the next few weeks. Perhaps there will be a grand finale as Venus lines up across from Jupiter, increasing its enlarging effect, on May 19. In the
LOOKING UP archive, check out the March episode, which covers the whole Venus Retrograde process.
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"Better" is a relative term, as we all know. That said, I wish you Better Days soon! And if there's a way I can help you in that regard through my services, be in touch.
Yours in the stars,
Janet Booth
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Learn about the Nodes in the April episode of LOOKING UP
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The April episode examines our "celestial directional indicators." You can view it anytime from the West Hartford Community Television
archive. (Scroll down through the
archive's options for prior episodes.)
The December 2016 program has the highlights of 2017. January interprets the six pairs of opposite signs. In February, my guest Charlie Edgarton and I discuss Eris. March probes Venus Retrograde in depth.
The May show is called
"Better" Days Ahead. Note the quotes.
Enjoy!
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