April 2021 Important Dates
AKA my notes from The Astrology Podcast’s monthly forecast. Dates are based off US Mountain Time and may be a day earlier in the Eastern Hemisphere.
We’re entering this month fresh from a cazimi (exact conjunction) between Venus and the Sun in Aries, renewing her energy, as well as the tail end of a conjunction between Mercury and Neptune in Pisces. This is the last month where Jupiter will spend the entire time in Aquarius (23° to 28°), so if you are taking advantage of a house placement act now, Chris says.
Kelly predicts April will bring some mellowing as planets move to Taurus; additionally both lunations will be ruled by Mars, who is changing signs this month. The faster planets moving through Taurus may activate the Uranus-Saturn square that hangs over this year, and additionally all these planets in Aries are the first to enter the sign since Mars’s retrograde there last year. Austin also brings up that the planets are all on one side of the nodes, which in Indian astrology is said to be a time of restrictions on our willpower, being stuck in “the belly of the beast” (the nodes are often described as the head & tail of a dragon).
April 3rd: Mercury enters Aries
This places Mercury and Mars in mutual reception (in each others signs, receiving each other as guests) with each other for much of the month. Additionally, they will be approaching a welcoming sextile which goes exact (26♊) around the 17th. This may also bring some action to us, as Mars is a hotter & faster moving place for Mercury than Pisces, which is his exile & detriment. Communications will speed up dramatically as Mercury zips through Aries (he’s starting the month in Pisces but will be halfway through Taurus by the time it’s out!). Whichever house of your chart is ruled by Aries will feel this renewed energy
April 11th: New Moon at 22° Aries
This is another New Moon that occurs next to a stellium. Joining the Sun & Moon are Venus (26♈) and Mercury (15♈). The New Moon is making a sextile with its ruler Mars in Gemini, making this an especially Martian lunation. Mars is also applying to a trine with Jupiter in Aquarius (exact when each planet reaches 25° of his sign on the 15th) during this moon, which is considered a bonifying (fortuitous and fruitful) condition in Hellenistic terms. The Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus are also all roughly at the midpoint between Mars & Gemini, making this New Moon full of ease and productivity. The most difficult aspect during this New Moon is a square between Pluto (♑) & Venus (♈, detriment) which may bring some unwanted obsessiveness. This is an active, achievement-oriented month, though not great for relationships in particular.
April 14th: Venus enters Taurus
At last, Venus at returns from exile to her domain! However, she is still combust (being burned by the Sun), entering a conjunction with unstable Uranus (exact at 10° around the 22nd), and approaching a square with Saturn in Aquarius (exact at 12° on the 24th), which she won’t really clear til the end of the month. The results may be very polarizing because we may get the exact opposite of what we’re used to in the Venusian realms of material comforts or relationships, as well as a re-activation of the Saturn-Uranus square.
April 18th: Sun Conjunct Mercury in Aries
Mercury will also go through a fiery reset during this cazimi.
April 19th: Sun and Mercury enter Taurus
With both planets joining Venus and Uranus in the sign, this gives us a Taurus stellium for the last third or so of April. Mercury will square Saturn (12♒) and then conjoin Venus (13♉) during this trip. This will likely light up the Saturn-Uranus square as well, where we may once again start questioning the structures around us and trying to jump-start long-term policy change. There’s a definite conflict of autonomy & space vs. order & restrictions.
April 23rd: Mars enters Cancer
This is considered the sign of his fall or depression. Austin likens this condition to walking on a road full of potholes, with the planet tripping and falling over this terrain. Kelly describes a water Mars transit as one where mood affects motivation, and we can be agitated at our most vulnerable in Cancer particularly. Chris talks about how Mars is a planet of action and is best used when trained & disciplined to work at the right moment, so when he’s ruled by the Moon, which fluctuates constantly in sign/phase/aspect, he can have us acting on impulse with every passing feeling. Additionally, Mars had been getting a trine from Saturn & Jupiter in Aquarius up to this point, but now he’s not really in a position to contact them anymore (in traditional terms, planets can only “see” each other through the major/Ptolemaic aspects (sextile, square, trine, opposition)).
Austin points out how Mars does rule the second decan of Cancer, so this can be productive in that we are protecting ourselves, symbolically fortifying the chicken coop against the foxes. Kelly has observed that oftentimes these technically difficult placements show up as someone addressing these problem in others or society, so it can also manifest as healing these types of wounds rather than suffering them.
April 26th: Full Moon at 7° Scorpio (Sun 7♉)
This Full Moon is at a fairly close opposition to Uranus (10♉), and the Sun a conjunction to it, so this lunation will likely light up that Saturn-Uranus square for us once again. This Moon is ruled by Mars, who is in the Moon’s sign as well, and this mutual reception will really charge this lunation. Austin thinks that existing tensions will boil over into massive demonstrations somewhere during this time.
April 27th: Pluto Retrograde at 26° Capricorn
This is as far as Pluto has got in this sign before retrograde. As a planet that both hides things in the underworld and brings things up from it, really indicating the eruption of something hidden during the New Moon the day before. The Sun and Uranus will also be conjunct at the end of the month.
