Here is the Ask the Astrologers Weekly Astro Forecast for the week of Apr 16, 2017 – April 22, 2017:
We’ve got a busy week ahead with one planet turning retrograde, another planet turning direct and three planets changing signs. We start the week on Sunday, with Venus having just changed direction — from retrograde to direct motion — still stationary and still closely squaring Saturn. This is a complex configuration, with Venus strengthened by its exaltation in Pisces and mutual reception with Jupiter, but weakened by its square to Saturn.
At the same time, Mars is sextiling Chiron. This aspect can soften some of the more somber Venus / Saturn energy, which is always a good thing. It may make it a little easier to acknowledge other people’s points of view and to see value in where they’re coming from.
On Monday, Venus sextiles Mars just as the Sun trines Saturn. The Venus / Mars aspect is likely to bring thoughts of love and romance to the forefront. This transit is all about going with the flow and staying in sync with your loved ones. It’s good for attracting new people into your life and for collaborating rather than putting up resistance.
The Sun trine Saturn aspect is more about prepping and planning and getting things accomplished. It’s a good time to make plans and to assess progress that’s already been made. This aspect is both incredibly disciplined and productive, so if you want to get something done now is the time to do it.
It’s focused, rational, ambitious and goal-oriented. And this is serious business: you may not feel like putting your party hat on over these two days, but you can get a lot accomplished. Mars may throw a wrench in some of those plans on Tuesday, when it joins in and inconjuncts Saturn. The inconjunct aspect can force you to re-evaluate your goals and make adjustments. But shake off any doubts you may have as this aspect can (and should) manifest as a minor irritant rather than a major crisis.
The Sun moves into Taurus on Wednesday. The Sun in Taurus speaks of getting in touch with nature and the earth, and with taking care of “business.” This is a good time for thinking about making, saving and investing money. It’s also a good time for taking care of your physical body and for indulging all five senses.
While the Sun was in Aries you may have been so focused on getting things done that you didn’t have time to stop and smell the flowers. The Sun in Taurus not only slows you down enough to do just that, it also heightens your ability to appreciate and enjoy the prospect.
The Sun and Mercury conjunct on Thursday and together they trine the North Node (and simultaneously sextile the South Node). This is a bit of a “ships passing in the night” transit as they form this conjunction with the Sun having just moved into Taurus (in direct motion, as always) and Mercury leaving Taurus behind as in retrogrades back into Aries. The Sun / Mercury conjunction — in any sign — is what’s known as combust (or in this case cazimi). This is also known as “at the heart of the Sun” which is said to strengthen and energize Mercury’s influence.
Also on Thursday, Pluto goes stationary retrograde. Pluto is retrograde for around 6 months out of every year, and is reminiscent of its mythological counterpart in which Persephone goes down into the Underworld. This is a time for turning inward and developing your own internal power, rather than unleashing it on the outer world. It’s a time for concentrating your efforts toward mastering your own darker energies. It’s a time for regeneration and transformation that lasts for several months, until the cycle repeats itself.
Mars moves into Gemini on Friday, and forms a mutual reception with Mercury. This combination is good for taking a stand, saying what’s on your mind, being bold and brave in your communications with others, and putting yourself out there. It’s better at talking than listening and is not so good at tact and diplomacy so keep that in mind in your interactions with others.
The Mars in Gemini / Mercury in Aries pairing encourages you to be flexible and adaptable, and to find a positive outlet for your restless or impatient impulses. You may be bursting with ideas and an urgency to communicate them to others, but watch out for a tendency to go off on wild tangents or to lose interest before you get any of them fully off the ground.
Mars also squares the Nodes on Friday, a state that is known in classical astrology as “at the bendings.” This configuration is said to be fated in some way. It is known for producing crises, and as Mars represents action, drive and motivation, it can manifest as a scattered energies or impulsive drives to get things moving with little interest in following through.
Venus is back to squaring Saturn again though — also on Friday. This is a recurrence of the same transit that took place last week while Venus was still retrograde. In this case since it’s now moving direct there’s likely to be some resolution. Saturn square Venus can have you confronting your own inadequacies. It can magnify self-consciousness and inhibitions, leaving you feeling uncertain about your own self-worth. This can lead to misunderstandings or an overly sensitive response to an external event — such as a harsh word or criticism that hurts your feelings.
In general this is not the best time to “put yourself out there” as this aspect tends to magnify your own insecurities and leave you reeling with self-doubt. Fortunately we end the week on a more pleasant note, with Venus back at its degree of exaltation and the Moon moving in to conjunct Neptune on Saturday. As you wind down your week, you may be thinking more along the lines of compassion, forgiveness and unconditional love, courtesy of this lineup of planets in Pisces.
That’s it for this week, see you next week!
Here is this week’s astro calendar; click on it to view it full-sized.
Weekly Astro Forecast —
Apr 16, 2017 – Apr 22, 2017
By
Thinking about learning Astrology? I highly recommend Stephen Arroyo’s Chart Interpretation Handbook and Demetra George’s Astrology for Yourself.
Don’t forget to check out more Weekly Astro Forecasts and our Monthly Horoscopes too!
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