The Summer Solstice 2018: the chart for the season!

Astrologers interpret world conditions from the solstice or equinox chart that precedes them. Thus Summer 2018 , in the northern hemisphere, is indicated in the chart for June June 21^st at 6:07 AM EDT for the capital of your country. Thus Washington DC for many of us. (If you come from a smaller country, you may want to cast the chart for the nearest large country that influences life in your country.)

The chart for Washington DC has one tight aspect that will appear in charts cast for any world location. Another important aspect only exists in certain world locations. In Washington DC a stationary direct Neptune sits on the Midheaven! This is a big deal. About once in every 250 years will you get a stationary Neptune on any angle of the horoscope on the solstice in a given location. Even this solstice only has the Neptune-Midheaven conjunction over just a few degrees of longitude. This is a rare event.

Planets that are stationary are extremely powerful, the same can be said for planets conjunct an angle of the chart. Finally, of all the angles, the Midheaven, which this is, is the most important for public affairs.

Before we look at what Neptune and the Venus-Mars opposition mean, let’s talk about where they are operative. The Venus-Mars opposition is in effect all over the globe. However it will hit different houses in the solstice charts set for different locations. It will also hit different houses of people’s personal horoscopes. The stationary Neptune, though, will only be angular on four lines over the world map. These lines represent where that stationary Neptune is rising, where it is overhead, where it is setting, and where it is at the bottom of the chart. These areas are where Neptune’s influences will be strongest.

Neptune is overhead on the US East coast, especially in New England, then the influence travels south on a specific longitude line, going through Dominica (thus influencing Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), the Columbia-Venezuela border, western Brazil, the Peru-Bolivia border then passing down the axis of Argentina. Only three other lines on the earth’s surface are so strongly influenced by Neptune, and this is the only one for which the influence is on public life.

Neptune is the planet of make-believe, illusion, filmmaking, deception, self-deception, smoke and mirrors, financial crimes, oil and pharmaceuticals, the oceans and fish, cosmetics, and glamour. Neptune is the Gaslighting planet. Neptune intentionally or unintentionally deceives others. This is intentional when we pretend we are a princess in a fairy tale. We knew we were not the princess. But when we deceive ourselves or are deceived by others, Neptune is difficult. The remedy is Saturn, hard reality.

Neptune on the Midheaven for the seasonal chart suggests that things will be slow. Neptune is just “hanging” in the sky, at its most prominent point. Neptune’s tarot correspondence is the Hanging Man. It looks like summer will be a slow season in public life. Do not expect much action by the US congress, supreme court, or executive branch. Though the United States is in an off-year election, this summer will be pretty quiet. Don’t worry, everything will return to business after Labor Day.

In people’s love lives, though, Venus-Mars is a lot of action: sex and drama. Venus, the planet of charm and sexual attraction, is in Leo opposing Mars, the planet of sexual and athletic drive,  in Aquarius. Neither planet is in a very favorable or very unfavorable sign, thus neither holds an advantage. Venus in Leo is prideful, passionate, and pampered. Mars in Aquarius is rational, quick to utilize social media, wordy, and group-oriented. Anyone with planets or points at 5-11 degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) is ripe for some Venus-Mars drama this summer. Since Leo and Aquarius are both yang and masculine signs, they are extroverted. This configuration makes for a summer of romantic hijinks. Expect to see your favorite Hollywood actors in the gossip pages more than usual… and expect local community shenanigans as well.

This will be a summer to remember!

Lalia Wilson

To see my 2018 astrology guide click here: 

The April 2018 Shift

            The middle of April finds a time of major astrological change, all involving the sign Aries. Look to the Aries part of your horoscope to see where the action may be. Most important of these is Chiron’s entry into Aries on April 17^th in the United States, the 18^th in the Eastern Hemisphere. Chiron, the planet of wounding, healing, and mentorship, has a 50 year cycle. For those under 50, most of the world’s population, this will be their first encounter of Chiron in the warrior sign Aries. But Aries is further activated by Mercury’s direct station on Sunday morning, April 15^th, and the Aries New Moon that same evening. (The New Moon is on the 16^th in the Eastern Hemisphere.)

            The astute student and consumer of astrology will use these planetary energies, and others, to surf the tides of life.

            Given this emphasis on the sign Aries, the pioneer, we have a great chance to observe different degree symbolisms to see which ones work best for us. Here are five different sets of degree symbols, two of which are both derived from Jones’s Sabian Symbols, namely those of Hill and Bovee.

            I ask you to watch events over the next week to see which of these degree systems seem most useful to you.

Chiron Ingress into Aries at 0 Aries 00, 5:09 AM EDT on 4/17 is in Aries until September 25^th when it retrogrades into Pisces, and returns to Aries on February 18^th 2019 until June 2026.

Lynda Hill: “A woman has risen out of the ocean; a seal is embracing her.” Cycles starting. Beginnings. Emergence into concrete manifestation. Embracing and honoring the shadow. Recognizing our animal side.

            Bovee: A woman rises out of water; a seal rises and embraces her. Aries. A butterfly made perfect by a dart through it. Libra.  “A pinpoint of light capturing a tender moment;” emergent moments that initiate a new life cycle; photographic moments; freeze the moment; adeptness on land and in water.

            Goldsmith: “A Rebel commander leads a charge down the gangplank of a huge warship.”

            Janduz: "A sturdy man wearing coarse animal skins or fabrics stands firmly on the ground with a cudgel in his hand. He seems prepared to respond to any danger."

Aggressive, tough, and passionate character well-equipped for facing life struggles. One is able to use physical strength as well as intellectual weapons, according to one's social background. One is mainly interested in life's materialistic aspects and protects efficiently one's rights and assets. Nevertheless, there is a potential danger of loss and/or lawsuit related to inheritance matters. One must be careful not to let temptations, whether sex, gambling, or any other passion, prevail over one's major goals. Indeed, this degree is associated with Hercules, a man who can achieve amazing feats, but who can also fall into the traps of seduction.

            Adriano Carelli: “An armed warrior of herculean build tilling the soil.” An outstanding, original, independent personality. His ambitions and aims are beyond the common mark, He is up to great undertakings and can stand the hardest tests, not so much with the forces supplied by a spiritual faith, as with the inborn energy of his own character—endurance, positivism, and practical sense. “Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained.”  Creative imagination and visualization. Hopes renewed when all seemed lost. Second chances. Last minute reprieves. Retracing your steps. Being exonerated or forgiven. Retrieving things. Making up for lost ground or time. Changing your mind, thus changing your outcome.

New Moon in Aries 26 Aries 02 at 9:57 PM EDT on 4/15. We have a New Moon every month, sometimes twice, but this one is more important. First, it is the New Moon in Aries, thus the energy startup for the Astrological year. Second is its close proximity to Mercury direct in Aries earlier the same day, and Chiron’s entry to Aries two days later.

Lynda Hill: “Through imagination, a lost opportunity is regained.”  Creative imagination and visualization. Hopes renewed when all seemed lost. Second chances. Last minute reprieves. Retracing your steps. Being exonerated or forgiven. Retrieving things. Making up for lost ground or time. Changing your mind thus changing your outcome.

            Bovee: A Lost opportunity regained in the imagination. Aries. An airplane hovering overhead. Libra. Powerful possibilities that capture one’s attention; promising potentials that stir excitement; thoughts of superhuman achievements.  Being lost in a world of imagination; human pride so excessive as to offend the gods.  Fantasies of extraordinary accomplishments, talents, and dreams; feeling of having found oneself again.  Reclamation; retrieval.

            Goldsmith: “A private investigator sits in front of a piece of paper and plots out possible methods to outwit a criminal.” 

            Janduz: "A man who stumbles over a stone is about to fall near a dragon watching him."  Inventive, non-conformist, and obstinate character. One does not share the ideas prevailing in one's social background and believes that obsolete traditions need to be reformed. After having reached the peak of one's career, one is threatened by a reversal of fortune which can be overcome after many years of hard work and much courage. However, total ruin can be avoided if one displays wisdom and persistence. If this degree is on the Ascendant and in conjunction with Mars and the Moon, there is a risk of violent death or serious eye condition. This degree also portends family estrangement and loss of traditions.

            Adriano Carelli: “A high-grown tree under the blast of a hurricane.” Whether the native is pushed upward by his noble household’s fortunes or by his own luck, he is likely to climb unhindered the ladder of honor and power. Should he have chosen a clergyman’s career prelacy [high office in the church] expects him and nearly belongs to him by birthright. [Since his rise in the world is relatively easy, he is not inoculated against hardships and dirty deeds.] He may lose his brilliant position, and his family’s star may dim and set forever.  

Mercury direct in Aries at 4 Aries 42, 5:21 AM EDT on 4/15 indicates projects can now move forward.

            Lynda Hill: “A square brightly lighted on one side.” Illuminated solutions that provide ways out of tight situations. Having to put up walls to protect or defend versus taking down the barriers. Putting all your eggs in one basket. Feeling fully contained. Walls and fences.

            Bovee: A square brightly lit on one side.  Aries. The ideals of a man abundantly crystallized. Libra. Compelling personal affinities that form a basis for individuation, realization, and idealization; a perspective that is a lens for viewing the whole.  Hardened ideals.  Seeing the world in a grain of sand.  Inner visions; being satisfied in the mind but frustrated in the world; working with lenses and filters.

            Goldsmith: A honeybee wrestles a large piece of debris from the hive, while other bees work on the walls of their palatial new abode.

            Janduz: "A man rides a horse up a winding and steep path at the brink of a ravine. He proudly looks further down into the valley where workers are bustling about."

A person meant to dominate others. Extreme circumstances put him/her in the highest positions, which is not devoid of danger. Although many disasters are experienced, one remains undisturbed and pursues the challenging path. This degree indicates that one belongs to a powerful and wealthy family. If of royal descent, and this degree is in conjunction with the Ascendant, this heralds that one will access the throne. If one is of modest origins, then, one enjoys the protection of the head of state or that of most prominent figures. There is also the possibility that one becomes the power behind the throne. In any case, one has real decision-making powers and becomes a leader in one's field, be it the arts, business, or politics.

            Adriano Carelli: The subject will lead all his life or most of it in obscurity. He will be either bodily disabled by blindness, deafness, or otherwise; morally or intellectually adrift; or steeped in the darkest misery. Whatever his plight, he will have to face a long and hard ordeal. If he emerges at all from his gloom, that can be ascribed only to a powerful, stalwart, plucky character, not to any favorable circumstances.

See more about this year in my book The Astrology Guide to 2018 at Lulu.com. Lalia Wilson

Jupiter Transits Scorpio: How Great Will It Be?

Jupiter crossed into Scorpio on October 10^th 2017. It will remain in that sign until November 2018—over a year!

Astrologers all over the web have been ecstatic in their praise and predictions for this Jupiter transit. Could it be over-hyped? Let’s look.

To start, Jupiter rules the sign Sagittarius and is the ancient ruler of Pisces. For the time being, let’s look at Sagittarius, a positive fire-sign. Scorpio is a negative, or yin, or receptive, water sign and makes no natural connection with Sagittarius. Further, Scorpio is the 12^th sign from Sagittarius. It has a natural 12^th House vibration to everyone with a Sagittarius Ascendant or Sun or Moon. The 12^th House is the house of secret enemies, mental illness, incarceration, and self-undoing. Twelfth House positives are the possibility to benefit from time alone, and to make spiritual progress. Think of a hermit as a 12^th House archetype. From the 12^th House standpoint, Jupiter is just as likely to empower your enemies, expand your mental problems, and encourage you to act in ways that will bring about your downfall, as it is to expand your spiritual progress. Jupiter needs Saturn, the planet of self-discipline, to avoid over-indulging and causing self-harm.

Let’s look further. Various astrology bloggers are saying great things about this Jupiter transit. We will look at some of the predictions and how we might make them happen. First, though, recall that Jupiter transited through (Tropical) Scorpio back in 2005/2006 and in 1993-1994. As well as about every 12 years before that. So, let’s first recall our experiences during those years and compare them to these predictions:

• 1.      A time to explore our deepest self.
• 2.      A time to explore our darkness or Shadow.
• 3.      A time to expand our passion, probably our Scorpionic passion, for intimate connections and sexuality. (Scorpionic passion is specified because all the fire signs are passionate. In addition, any Mars or Sun or Jupiter is passionate, but unless placements are in Scorpio or conjunct Pluto they are not specifically passionate about sex.)
• 4.      A time for greater libido, more sex, and more orgasms.
• 5.      A time to reconcile old issues, especially ones about sex, family secrets, death, mysteries, and taxes.
• 6.      A time to sacrifice something for our greater good. This is akin to amputating a leg with gangrene so that you can live—that’s the Scorpio version of “sacrifice.”
• 7.      A time to test our lovers and relationships in the absolute Scorpionic sense of life and death—you are for me or against me.

Before we delve into the seven potential aspects of Jupiter’s Scorpio above, let’s refer back to the last two Jupiter transits of Scorpio in 2005/2006 and in 1993-1994. Did any of the seven items happen in your life then? If so, most likely they will reoccur. But if they didn’t, they will not this time unless you seek them out. The real meaning of this transit is that you will the opportunity to engage in any of these possibilities. (Jupiter brings opportunities. It’s up to you to take them on.)

Look at the list and see if any of these opportunities appeal to you. To make them happen you need to put yourself into situations that will make them likely. Several speak directly to inner exploration and perhaps psychotherapy. They will require you to adopt some practice to explore your dark corners. To get the result you will need to do the work.

For the passions of sexuality you will need to connect with a partner or partners. If you live alone and have no social life, this is unlikely to happen. You will need to find a way to connect to the partner(s) that you desire.

Probably the best chances of positive outcomes for Jupiter’s transit of Scorpio is to look at your natal chart and see which House or Houses will be transited. There you will find a lot of chances to expand your life. (Let me point out that Jupiter transiting the First House, in any sign, means that you must travel in body or spirit, or you will end up expanding your body—getting fat.)

What is comforting about Jupiter’s transit of Scorpio? Not a lot. Scorpio is very intense energy that most people avoid. Having the planet of Good Fortune, Opportunity, and Growth in Scorpio means we must confront our Scorpio side in order to snatch the prize. 

I wish you the best of this transit, Lalia Wilson

Why Trump was elected President, and why it was the wrong move for America, by Lalia Wilson

The pollsters and most of the astrologers, myself included, did not predict that Trump would win the presidency of the U.S. It was a while after the election before I understood why he was elected and why it was the wrong move for the country, astrologically-speaking. 

Currently the chart for the United States of America (see note 1) has secondary progressed Mars in the sign Libra and retrograde. Libra is the least comfortable fit, of all the signs, for Mars. When you add Mars retrograde, re-learning how to use our Mars becomes much more difficult.

Secondary progressions, also known as a day for a year progressions, show how entities evolve. Our evolutionary task is always to expand and include the new facet of our being. In every chart Mars is the planet of taking action. It also symbolizes young men, warriors, police, athletes, and masculinity. When Mars changes sign by secondary progression our evolutionary task is to change our way of taking action, and changing our sense of the masculine. We can also think of this as expanding our expression of Mars. When Mars is retrograde, we are called on to step back and let someone else make the first move—to be more passive, to respond instead of initiating action.

During the history of the United States we have experienced Mars in the signs Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and now Libra. Our nation’s natal chart has Mars in Gemini which means that our tendency is to scatter our energy and talk a lot. We take action by talking about it to our friends, neighbors and closest allies. As Mars has moved by secondary progression though the succeeding signs, we have had to learn new ways to operate. With Mars entering Libra in 1940, our Mars needs to act through peace-making, through diplomacy. Our efforts using this energy resulted in the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the war and setting up a democratic government in Japan. We were also instrumental in founding the United Nations, which we host in New York City. In late 2006 our secondary progressed Mars turned retrograde in Libra. It will remain retrograde through early 2086—nearly 80 years total. It also will be in Libra throughout that time.

This means that the Universe is asking this nation to act in a Libra retrograde fashion. This means working with close allies. Responding, but not initiating situations. Using diplomacy. Thus, with secondary progressed Mars in Libra, success means stepping back from confrontations. Success means letting other countries set the agenda; and success means using diplomacy.

These modes of operation are characteristically feminine. They are ways that less powerful beings can work with bullies. As a nation, this new way of expressing Mars is uncomfortable for many, particularly men. This is one reason many faulted President Obama, because his style was too “laid back.” He was an exemplar of how to work with secondary progressed Mars retrograde in the sign Libra. Had Hillary Clinton been elected, she, too, would have easily worked with the same Mars retrograde in Libra energy.

Instead, Donald Trump was elected president. Why? Donald’s horoscope is strong with Fire and Air energy; these are the extroverted and masculine signs. His Ascendant, Mars and Moon, are in the Fire signs Leo and Sagittarius. These aspect each other, with Mars being conjunct the Ascendant and both trine, harmoniously related to, the Moon. When a person has a planet conjunct his Ascendant, he is the personification of that planet. Donald Trump thus represents Mars, the macho man. 

Mars in Leo lives grandly. Mars has multiple lovers, and in Trump’s case, three wives. Mars is bombastic, quick to anger, and can be a bully. Mars is the archetype of the young virile man. Thus Donald Trump represents Mars (at least one manifestation of Mars) in the national psyche. Those who voted for him, predominately men, wanted to keep the old ways of handling affairs with men in charge. With Mars this represents a certain kind of physically aggressive and take-charge man.

Choosing to elect Trump, a man who exemplifies an active Mars, is a rejection of the evolutionary thrust for our country. Since this runs counter to the evolution of our nation, it was the wrong move. If we followed our natural evolution, it would be time to express the calmer, more diplomatic, and more feminine energy of Mars in Libra retrograde.

Could Pence become president? Possibly. His chart is less martial than Trump’s, so he would be less involved with working out Mars karma for our country. Of note, though, is that Pence’s Mars is expressed as being a warrior for religious views, as his natal fiery Mars in Leo is right on the Ninth House cusp of religion.

In order to better understand Mars retrograde in Libra, study these individuals:

Frederick Winslow Taylor, father of scientific management.

Erich von Daniken, the author of books about extraterrestrial beings visiting earth.

Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas

Actor Dudley Moore

Musician Herb Alpert

Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov

Clare Boothe Luce, Ambassador, congresswoman, journalist

A country with Mars retrograde in its natal chart, is Japan. The national chart for Japan, as reorganized after WWII, has Mars retrograde in Scorpio in the tenth house. Japan is famous for stepping back from war since WWII when they were hit by two atomic bombs, resulting in over 200,000 people dying.

Note 1: Most astrologers use a chart for July 4^th 1776 in Philadelphia for the nation’s chart. Astrologers differ as to the exact time for the chart. I use the Scorpio rising chart set for 2:21 PM Local Mean Time. Other astrologers favor the Sagittarius rising chart, the Virgo rising chart, and the Gemini rising chart. In terms of the timing of secondary progressions, the difference between the Scorpio rising chart and the Sagittarius rising chart is about 6 weeks, which is nothing when you are talking about Mars in a sign for 45 years—and more when it retrogrades as it is now doing. A few astrologers use a chart for the Reunification of the United States after the Civil War in 1865, or for the establishment of the Constitution in 1789.

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo 2016 by Lalia Wilson

Mercury goes retrograde early Tuesday morning, September 30^th, 2016. (By “going retrograde” I’m referring to the phenomenon of its appearance of traveling backwards as viewed from the Earth, our home planet. Mercury’s travel is always forward when viewed from the Sun.) Mercury’s position on the 30^th is at the last degree of Virgo. Mercury stations direct, that is it appears to stop and then move forward as seen from Earth, near midnight of September 21 and 22 for American viewers. This direct station is at the 15^th degree of Virgo.

                Many students of astrology fear Mercury retrograde. After all, everything goes wrong, doesn’t it? But there are other and more positive ways to look at Mercury retrograde. In general, Mercury retrograde is a perfect time to do things over. Anything that needs a fresh do-over should be on your chore list for the coming Mercury retrograde. You can wait for something to break down, to call itself to your attention, or you can be pro-active and possibly avoid any breakdowns. In particular, what house of your chart is the one in which Mercury is retrograde? That house is the place to look for a Mercury retrograde project so that you can maximize the energy of Mercury retrograde. Here are some ideas:

First House: Redo your look, if Venus is obliging. Select humble colors for wardrobe and make-up. Buy work clothes—not fashion statement clothes, some items that are useful for dirty chores, leather work gloves, and other utilitarian items.

Second House: Examine your income. Perhaps it is time to go on one of the websites that shows salaries for your field so that you can see if your pay is commensurate with that of your peers. Look to see what you need to do to raise your salary and begin taking actions.

Third House: Is your vehicle up to date on needed service and repairs? You take your chances when you don’t tackle these items in a timely matter. Schedule repairs and service, if you haven’t already done so.  Catch up with your correspondence, your address book, your siblings and your neighbors. Time has gone by and perhaps you have been out of touch. Now is the time to get current on what is happening.

Fourth House: It’s time for household repairs. A major renovation needs some Pluto and some Venus energy, but fixing squeaky doors, and other minor fixes are all Mercury. Go through the inside and outside of your home and get those chores done! You will prevent future problems down the road.

Fifth House: Organize all your art and other creative projects. It’s a good time to finish a lot of these. Any project that you don’t finish now, be sure to organize it and put it away so that the project is not scattered over your living space or your work space. Quilters and knitters, know that I’m speaking to you.

Sixth House: It’s time to organize your medical records and health regimen.  Do you have your health records centralized and organized so that you know what information to give your health professionals? Are you following medical advice regarding diet, exercise and other health practices? If not, now is the time to fix this.

Seventh House: Maybe it is time to have an audit of all your significant relationships. Are you receiving as much as you are giving? Are you giving as much as you are receiving? Mercury is telling us to balance relationships so that we avoid future problems.

Eighth House: It is time to look at budgets, tax matters, and investment income. If you don’t keep a close eye on these matters, it is time to at least do a semi-annual review (the other review is when you are facing a tax deadline). How well are your investments doing? Where are you spending your money? Do you need to make a change?

Ninth House: It is time to look at your philosophical and religious life. What inspires you? Are you happy with your current religion? Do you need to alter your beliefs? Take some time to reflect on what inspires you and let that become more a part of your life. This could be foreign travel, the ocean, meditation… Spend the time to reflect on this and make needed changes. You will be happier with the result.

Tenth House: Are you pleased with your reputation? How are you known to others? What can you do to align the real you with how you appear to the world? This may be a time to ask others how they see you and to absorb those comments without immediately responding. Get feedback from a number of different sources to discover what the message for you might be.

Eleventh House: Are your friendships and associations providing clarity and happiness to you? If not, why not? Are there friendships or memberships that you need to let lapse? What friendships and organizations uplift you? How can you receive more positives from them?

Twelfth House: What have your dreams been telling you? Don’t know? It’s time to start, or return to, a dream journal. Get yourself a journal and make regular dated entries. Dreams speak a symbolic language that is most easily interpreted by the dreamer. Sometimes it takes months of dreams and journaling in order to see the themes that are being pushed forward by your subconscious. Now is the time to do this.

                Please get back to me with more ideas for good projects for each house when Mercury is retrograde. I’m always looking for good ideas! Lalia W at aol dot com. 

The Astrology of April 2016

It will be a busy time this month. A host of celestial influences will spark action around the globe. Here are some highlights.

We have a New Moon/Supermoon on April 7^th at 18 Aries 04. As pioneered by Richard Nolle, the Supermoon is a heightened time for natural disasters and for mass events. A time to be wary. The window is open the first two weeks of April.

On April 9^th the Sun conjuncts Uranus, the planet of sudden surprises, freedom and awakening. Uranus acts by big calamities sometimes. It is also associated with winds and tornadoes. On April 11^th the Sun conjuncts the new planet Eris. We don’t know much about Eris yet—though she was named for the goddess of Discord. Uranus is moving towards a conjunction with Eris, which forms in June and September of this year and again once next year. The last time these planets were conjunct in Aries was in the early 16^th century, a time of major historical change which included the invention of the printing press and the Protestant Reformation. It didn’t all happen in a year then, and it will not happen in a year now. But major changes are coming for the planet.

April can be a difficult time in the US. During the current era there is a pattern of the fixed star Formallhaut rising and the fixed star Denebola setting which applies to the mid latitudes of the US—a swath that includes North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, most of West Virginia, all of Kentucky and Tennessee; carving out a region that extends to the Pacific Ocean and includes San Francisco, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, St. Louis and other cities and portions of states. (This longitudinal swath extends at northern latitudes around the globe.) The open window is from April 9-29 every year in the current era. For more specifics on this phenomenon, see the work of Bernadette Brady.

Among the events facilitated by this opening in past years are these:

·         The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on 4/15/1865

·         The sinking of the Steamboat Sultana with 1,800 deaths in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4/27/1865

·         The San Francisco Earthquake on 4/18/1906 which killed 3,000-6,000 (see painting above)

·         The Ludlow Massacre, a union-busting confrontation that killed 39 people in 4/20/1914

·         The Ohio Penitentiary Fire of 4/21/1930 which killed 332

·         The Texas City Industrial Disaster, a fire and explosion which killed 581 people, on 4/16/1947

·         The 1974 Super Tornado Outbreak of April 3^rd and 4^th 1974 which killed from 1,490 to 1,635 people (just before the range of dates)

·         The Waco-Branch Davidian Event in which 86 people died on 4/19/1993

·         The Oklahoma City domestic terrorism event on 4/19/1995 killing 168 people

·         The Columbine mass shooting, 4/20/1999, which resulted in 15 deaths

·         The Virginia Tech Massacre on 4/16/2007 which killed 38 people

·         The Tornado Outbreak of 4/25-26/2011 which killed 363

·         The West Fertilizer Company Explosion in West, Texas, which killed 15 on 4/17/2013

Multiple tornadoes occur at this time of year; only the two with the most damage are listed. Slightly out of geographic range, but in this timeline, were the sinking of the Titanic on 4/15/1912 with 1517 deaths, the Deepwater Horizon ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico on 4/22/2010 with 11 deaths at the site, and the psychologically devastating Boston Marathon Bombings on 4/15/2013.

         If you look closely at these events you will notice that a number of deaths are from human error or misbehavior. The ship sinkings, the industrial accidents, the union confrontation, the penitentiary fire, the Branch Davidian confrontation and more could have been avoided by more concern and compassion for others and greater attention to safety. What events in the future can be prevented by calm heads and thinking about how people can escape a fire? This is why it is important to look at potentials and consider alternatives before events are triggered.

We begin the month with the social planets Jupiter and Saturn retrograde. We end the month with five planets retrograde: Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars and Pluto. Asteroid Juno, the indicator of partnerships, marriage, and treaties, is retrograde all month in the early degrees of Scorpio. What does all this retrograde mean? It means we are processing the nature of these planets and asteroids. We are internally dealing with old issues. For the social planets, Jupiter and Saturn, we are looking at religion, law, and our social contract with each other. With Mercury, we are advised to clean our own personal concerns up—paperwork, clutter, any backlogs. With Mars, which goes retrograde less often, we need to look at how we act. Mars retrograde is a time for handling old business, not starting new. Particularly, for Mars, no new love affairs, weddings, or elective surgery. Overall, the month, because of these retrogrades, shifts to a kind of nostalgic sentimentality. There is a strong desire to have things be simpler, like the old days. However, we will wake up when the planets move forward again to see that the old days had their problems and that we can do better.

Sabian Symbols are a way to dig down into the meaning of each of the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. Here, as is commonly done, the degree and minutes are rounded up. Degree areas highlighted this month include:

·         19 Aries, the New Moon: A magic carpet hovers over the depressing reality of everyday life in an industrial area.

·         21 Aries, Uranus all month: A boxer is entering the ring.

·         23 Aries, Eris all month: A woman in pastel colors carrying a heavy and valuable but veiled load.

·         Mars, being nearly stationary all month, only occupies two degrees, 8 and 9 Sagittarius:

o   Sag 8: Deep within the depths of the earth, new elements are being formed.

o   Sag 9: A mother leads her small child step by step up the stairs.

·         Saturn, which moves slowly, only occupies two degrees, 16 and 17 Sagittarius:

o   Sag 16: Sea gulls fly around a ship looking for food.

o   Sag 17: An Easter sunrise service draws a large crowd.

·         Pluto is at 18 Capricorn all month: A Union Jack flies from a new British warship.

·         Neptune is at 11 and 12 degrees of Pisces:

o   11 Pisces: Men traveling a narrow path, seeking illumination.

o   12 Pisces: An examination of initiates in the sanctuary of an occult brotherhood.

·         Chiron occupies only two degrees this month as well, 23 and 24 degrees of Pisces:

o   23 Pisces: A materializing medium giving a séance.

o   24 Pisces: A tiny island seems lost in the broad ocean, but its happy inhabitants have created a world all their own.

So how can we put this information about the Sabian Symbols together? The New Moon and Uranus positions seem to refer to the public mood in the US, and perhaps other places, and the US presidential campaign. The Mars degrees seem to refer to volcano activity and going to safe places. Saturn with the sea gulls brings up the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. The Easter sunrise service could indicate the Pope’s efforts to bring compassion to this situation. The degrees of Neptune and of Chiron all seem to refer to the migrant crisis, including the Greek island of Lesbos where the Pope and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch will meet soon. These degrees certainly call upon us to be compassionate and lend whatever aid we can to these displaced people. Omitting Eris’s degree for now, this leaves Pluto’s degree of the Union Jack. It may refer to the Panama Paper scandal, which includes information about accounts held by the family of British PM David Cameron—and world leaders and others around the globe. This Panama Papers scandal will directly confront the privileged 1% whose day of power may be ending.

We can also look at the highlighted degrees in our personal charts to see what they mean. In what house is Uranus transiting, where “A boxer is entering the ring?” Wherever that degree lies in your chart, you are being urged to step forward and take a stand. Similarly, where is your lost island at 24° Pisces? What are you materializing at 23° Pisces? Where are you seeking illumination at 11 Pisces? Where are you forming new elements at 8 Sagittarius?

Finally, let’s look at 23 Aries, where Eris spends all month: “A woman in pastel colors carrying a heavy and valuable but veiled load.” What can this mean to you personally and for our world? A woman in pastel colors implies that her gift or burden is something nice; she is dressed to please others. The item is heavy and valuable, but veiled, concealed. It may be a physical object, but more likely it is a heavy spiritual object. Where is a gift of the spirit coming to you? Where does 23° Aries lie in your horoscope?

Some astrologers (and other intuitives) like to see only the positive in situations. This denies reality. When hard aspects are predominate, someone in the collective will act them out. It only takes a very few people to wreck mass havoc as we’ve seen in some of the examples given above. You, as an individual, can choose to use these energies for the positive. I urge you to do so. But to assume that all 7 billion people on the planet will do so is foolish. We are not so evolved that some among us will avoid giving in to the lowest expression of the hard transits of the times. Do what you can to be your highest self. Do what you can to encourage the same for others. That is the best possible in today’s world.

To wrap up, April 2016 is a busy, eventful month. When people are compassionate and work together, time will pass quickly and much will be accomplished. When people choose to be divisive, to pick fights, to abandon compassion, then the results will be quickly felt and not pleasant. Much of the potential difficulties of this eventful period can be alieved by acts of love and charity toward others. So may it be.

I'm putting a couple of links here to my recent articles combining astrology and tarot.

First some of the positives of using tarot. http://www.atatarot.com/reflections/04-05-16/an-astrologer-looks-at-the.html

Next a technique of combining astrology and tarot for diviniation.

http://www.atatarot.com/reflections/04-05-16/tarot-scopes.html

All the best to you in this changeable month of April 2016.

Lalia