Week 16: April 2023, Week 3 - The Week Ahead Horoscope
The First Eclipses of 2023 is this week, and it is the first Eclipses in the sign Aries at 29º. The Sun enters Taurus right after the Eclipse and Mercury stations Retrograde in Taurus. Change of plans
Weekly Graphic
Monday, April 17th
[9:09 PM ET] INGRESS: The Moon enters Aries
On Monday, the Moon will continue to transit through Pisces after separating from the malefic planets. The Moon will not make any connections today, but her next aspect is a sextile to Venus, after she enters Aries. That’s the only shift that occurs today, the Moon changes signs. The Moon moves from the double-bodied sign of Pisces into the Tropical sign Aries, which brings more urgency, action, and influences events to manifest quickly and abruptly. The Moon on Monday will enter the sign where she will Eclipse the Sun, so pay attention to the beginning part of this week for effects of the Solar Eclipse this week. However, for a majority of the day, the Moon will not connect with any planets in the sky. It is advised to do nothing, rest, and not start any major projects. The Moon is pretty void since it will not connect with any planets before it leaves Pisces. Pisces is a sign of indulgence and comfort, so I advise leaning into those feelings more today. Flow like the fish.
Tuesday, April 18th
[11:46 AM ET] The Moon in Aries sextile Venus at 08º38’ Gemini
[6:16 PM ET] The Moon in Aries square Mars at 12º27’ Cancer
On Tuesday, the Moon will continue to move through Aries, the sign of its Eclipse, and the two planets it connects with today are Venus in Gemini and Mars in Cancer. The Moon in aries makes a sextile to Venus in Gemin which can promote friendship, socializing, and the need for peace, harmony, and justice. The Moon and Venus are in a supportive aspect with each other, which shows friendship between these planets. Venus brings a sweet connection our way that smoothens the fiery, abrasive, and swift nature of the Moon in Aries. The Moon shows quickness of action and urgency to socialize in this connection.
While Venus’ motives are to calm, soothe, and unify people together, the Moon and Mars are the next planets to interact with, and I consider this aspect as one of the more important ones for the week. The reason is because the impending Eclipse is ruled by Mars, and the Moon is not only connecting with its domicile lord, but it is also connecting with the ruler of the Eclipse. The Moon and Mars are in a square with each other, which is an omen of fights, conflict, confrontation, danger, and harm that is brought towards the body. Be careful of physical injury from fire or burning during this time period. The square aspect shows enmity between these planets, but both Mars and the Moon are in a mutual reception with each other. Mars is in Cancer, the Moon’s sign, and the Moon is in Aries, Mars’ sign. The condition of both planets is mixed, since Mars is Fallen, it shows dissapointments and struggles with engaging in fights, conflict, and being direct in action, but the Moon is in Mars’ sign, and it pushes its nature of the sign its in over to Mars, empowering Mars and providing some strength. Whereas Mars has more struggles manging conflict, anger, and enmity between others due to side-stepping and not tackling issues head on, the Moon in Aries brings a noticeable boost in action, energy, and impulsiveness on Tuesday. This is the day of Mars, and the Moon is squaring the day ruler, so beware of impulsiveness leading to sudden disruptions, violence, and confrontation. Mars can also be an indicator of fires and burns. It is not advised to travel, since the square of these planets can indicate robbers, liars, and thieves. Mars will feel emboldened and empowered with the Moon pushing its nature to it, but still struggle to manage the energy that the Moon provides. It is advised to not be involved in conflict, as it will not benefit either party. The Moon doesn’t have much strength in Aries, and is said to be peregrine, which is equivilent to a stranger wandering, but Mars is in Cancer, the sign of its depression. This configuration is challenging for both parties and can result in mutual harm. Not all reception is supportive or mitigates the situation. Sometimes we get instances like this where the hard aspect of planets who are recieved but in a position of dignity shows the tumbling down of honor and strength through conflict and aggression.
Wednesday, April 19th
[1:26 PM ET] The Moon conjoins Jupiter at 23º38’ Aries
On Wednesday, the Moon will continue to move through Aries, and after a tense encounter with Mars in Cancer, the Moon makes a conjunction to Jupiter in Aries. The theme of this Aries Moon is all fire, action, urgency, and sudden disruptions. With the Moon making a conjunction to Jupiter, this is generally considered to be more auspicious of a connection since Jupiter’s goal is to liberate, bring freedom, remove limitations and restrictions, restore faith, create inclusion, abundence, and optimism. I am conflicted on how to interpret this conjunction in the context of an Eclipse, however the conjunction highlights matters of law, justice, and judges to be important. I see this as an omen of these things, liberation, freedom, and lawfulness being occulted, more obscured, and tainted. If we think about whats going on in the US with some of the state laws that have been passed targeting, disenfranchising, and seeking to erase the existence of trans youth, the obstruction of the law is clear through the Eclipse near Jupiter.
Jupiter and the Moon will be hidden beneath the beams as this conjunction happens, suggesting something happening in secret and actions concealed. These are the general themes of an Eclipse, things being concealed, hidden, and what is hidden becomes revealed. I wonder if secrets around religious figures, judges, corruptions of the law, and breaking oaths become revealed. This Eclipse is interesting because it highlights the Sun and Jupiter’s connection in Aries, and typically a planet going under the beams has undergone a reset of its cycle, but the entrance into the Sun’s beams shows matters being concealed, corrupted, and burned by the Sun, and what has occurred at the Cazimi becomes revealed once the planet emerges from the beams as a Morning Star. Jupiter is technically considered to be a Morning Star this week, but it is still invisible. As the weeks progress, Jupiter will be visible just before sunrise in the morning sky.
The Moon will not connect with any other planets for the rest of the day, but the Moon will be moving towards a conjunction with the Sun, which is the marker of the Solar Eclipse in Aries around midnight ET. So expect a major depletion in energy over the next few days, especially as the Moon is in Aries and waning.
Thursday, April 20th
[12:12 AM ET] SOLAR ECLIPSE: The Moon Eclipses the Sun at 29º50’ Aries
[12:29 AM ET] INGRESS: The Moon enters Taurus
[4:13 AM ET] INGRESS: Sun enters Taurus
[7:30 AM ET] The Moon conjoins the North Node at 04º00’ Taurus
[8:30 AM ET] The Moon in Taurus sextile Saturn at 04º34’ Pisces
Thursday is the big day in astrology: it is the Solar Eclipse in Aries. A Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon makes a conjunction to the Sun, but the conjunction must occur within an 18º conjunction to the North or South Node. The North and South Nodes are the northern and southern points where the path of the Sun (the Ecliptic) and the path of the Moon intersect. When the Sun and Moon conjoin or oppose near these points, the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment to occult each other. These occur every 6 months, when the Sun approaches the North Node or the South Node. For this reason, they are considered points of major endings (South Node) and beginnings (North Node).
Take a look at the house that Aries rules in your chart, this will give you an idea of what part of your life will develop new circumstances, new chapters, and new beginnings. The Nodes will change signs on July 18th, 2023 and they will bring an emphasis to major beginnings in the Aries House, and major endings in the Libra house. Eclipses take around 6 months for the manifestations to fully reveal themselves, but in Aries the nature of this Eclipse is explosive, abrupt, urgent, hasty, and swift.
I’ve talked about this Eclipse further in my monthly newsletter, so if you’d like to read more about that, check it out here.
Right after the Eclipse goes exact, both the Sun and Moon will enter Taurus which marks an important shift for the month. The Moon will begin waxing through this sign, which allows for us to feel more energized, revitalized, and gain more momentum but things are still going to feel funky over the next few weeks. The next lunation that is building is a Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio on May 5th, so we will be officially in the thick of Eclipse Season. The Sun and Moon will enter into the same sign as Mercury, who is currently stationing in the sky this week, getting ready to Retrograde and move backward through the zodiac. Pay attention to the house Taurus rules in your chart as well, because the Moon will be waxing and right as it conjoins Mercury, it stations Retrograde. We’ll expand on this on Friday’s entry, but on Thursday, the Moon will make a sextile to Saturn in Pisces, which moderately delays, restricts, and binds our actions early in the morning on Thursday. As the Moon and the Sun enter the Venus ruled sign, Taurus, who is concerned with pleasure, leisure, and rest, as the Moon conjoins the North Node, we may feel really lethargic and burnt out of energy. The North Node swallows the light of the Sun and Moon during this time, and these planets are seen to be the sources of vitality and life inside of us, so take it easy if you do not have as much energy over the next few days. Eclipses are like power-outages, they’re disruptive, zap us of our energy, and can feel energetically occulting.
Friday, April 21st
[12:36 AM ET] The Moon in Taurus sextile Mars at 13º40’ Cancer
[4:05 AM ET] The Moon conjoins Mercury at 15º37’ Taurus
[4:34 AM ET] STATION: Mercury stations Retorgrade at 15º15’ Taurus
On Friday, the Moon will continue to move through Taurus and it was previously separating from a sextile to Saturn, entering into a besiegement since the next aspect is a sextile to Mars, while the Moon is exalted, strong, and dignified to manage matters of rest, safety, and serenity, there may be an undertone of fear and anxiousness that we feel from Thursday into Friday. The Moon will be making a conjunction to Mercury who is stationing in the sky today, and as the Moon emerges from the Beams, she shows the introduction of reversals, trickery, and delays in regards to work, laborers, news, messengers, and information. The Moon conjoining Mercury brings much debate, conversation, and lots to talk about, especially as Mercury is standing still in the sky. Lots of talks about why things cannot move forward and what needs to be reviewed. It is actually quite striking because literally 30 minutes after these planets conjoin, Mercury officially starts subtracting (moving backwards) in motion. Take a look at the house Taurus rules in your chart for hints of what needs to be reviewed, revised, and where you may be experiencing delays over the next 3 weeks. Mercury will shows revisions of plans, strategies, trickery, deception, interruptions, misinformation, miscommunication, and the need to rework out the details in this house. Mercury shows how things function like a machine, if one place is out of order, things can go haywire. Mercury Retrogrades are moments when we experience some sort of short-circuiting that interrupts our path from moving forward. The planets in the sky retraces its steps in the sky, and similarly we will be doing the same thing. A planet who is Retrograde is said to be someone who’s testimony is unreliable, confused, its actions erratic, unpredictable, and rebellious. The rebellious component comes from the fact that the planet is moving in an opposite direction than that of the other planets. Take a look at the houses that Gemini and Virgo rule as well too, they will be susceptible to the tricky influence of Mercury too. Mercury Retrogrades were not regarded as major events by the Medieval astrologers, they were more concerned with Mars and Venus’s Retrograde since it happened more infrequently than Saturn and Jupiter’s annual Retrograde. Mercury Retrograding 3 times a year was inherent to the theme of Mercury, and every time Mercury does Retrograde, its because it passes us and does another lap around the Sun. One revolution for Mercury around the Sun is 88 days, and every 88 days, we experience a Mercury Retrograde. If Mercury was Retrograde in an annual horoscope, in a lunation, or eclipse chart, it would be noted if Mercury somehow governed the horoscope. There can be a lot of hype around Mercury Retrogrades, but on a personal level, if Mercury is activated as your time lord or is the Oikodespotes in your chart, the motions of this Retrograde would impact you more than others. Check your facts, revise your papers, and don’t be afraid to dig deeper when things don’t make sense. We get to use Mercury Retrograde as a moment to sort out what doesn’t make sense. Revision is a part of the process. Mercury always reminds us that. This is good for revising your writing if you are a writer, re-looking at old work, and reflecting on the past.
Saturday, April 22nd
[6:10 AM ET] INGRESS: The Moon enters Gemini
[2:59 PM ET] The Moon in Gemini square Saturn at 04º46’ Pisces
On Saturday, the Moon will exit Taurus and will enter Gemini early in the morning. The vibe changes since the Moon has left its exaltation, and in Gemini it makes our mood more fluctuating and inconsistent, generally more cheerful and happy since the Moon will make a conjunction to Venus, and I mention this because today the Moon will make a square to Saturn in Pisces. So while we may feel a harsh sense of restrictions, blockages, and limitations from Saturn, the bodily conjunction of Venus has more of an impact on the scenarios going on here because a conjunction is more powerful than any aspect. This square from Saturn really does damper the mood today, makes it more serious, restrained, and even melancholic. Saturn can show strain, pressure, and burdens that are felt in our body and mind that make this chatty Gemini Moon more like feeling told to shut up, truthfully. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Saturn in Pisces, its that it makes an overcoming square to the sign Gemini, and the influence of Saturn is more cold, distant, and blocked off. Saturn quite literally is the furthest planet from the Sun that is visible with a naked eye, talk about distant. This energy will be building throughout the morning and afternoon ET, but the Moon will separate from Saturn after and make a conjunction to Venus in Gemini so the crude nature of Saturn will be softened by this conjunction.
Sunday, April 23rd
[8:43 AM ET] The Moon conjoins Venus at 14º13’ Gemini
(11:19 PM ET) Mars in Cancer sextile Mercury Retrograde at 15º15’ Taurus
To end the week, the Moon in Gemini will make a conjunction to Venus which is one of the fortunate connections to end the week. We talked about how the square to Saturn was more forceful and crude, but a conjunction of the Moon to a benefic is indicative of cheerfulness, sociability, love, romance, laughter, and pleasure. The mind is the thing that needs to be stimulated, aroused, and payed attention to here. Gemini is a sign that talks about speech, communication, and how people socialize. With Venus here, her influences softens, smoothens, and unifies people together through ideas, debate, and knowledge. Rest, laugh, drink, and talk for the day. There is also a focus on justice, fairness, and peace with Venus, and perhaps the Moon wavers the conversation towards these topics today.
Additionally, there is an interesting aspect that forms between Mercury and Mars today that has been building all week. Typically, Mercury would be making the sextile to Mars, in this case, but because Mercury has slowed down, and stationed Retrograde, Mars is faster and makes the aspect to Mercury. Mercury sextiling Mars is different than Mars sextiling Mercury. Both are in an aspect of friendship and agreement, but Mars does do harm in the sextile and even in the trine, it just signifies that the influence is lessened and mitigated. However, Mars making a sextile to Mercury can show damage to technology, quickness and hostility in speech, false news, rumors, and whispers; Mars brings its disruptive influence over to Mercury who rules our speech and comprehension, except there is the incitement of anger, impulsiveness, and audacity due to confusion and misunderstandings because Mars brings its influence to Mercury who is Retrograde. This won’t be the last time these planets sextile, since they will sextile again in Gemini/Leo, but it is worth noting that Mars is the initiator in this particular connection. We will cover this connection of Mars and Mercury more in the future.