We begin the week recovering from the square that Mercury in Aries makes to Pluto in Capricorn on the 10th, a tense aspect that’s sure to kick up the dust on some old conflicts, include some hasty exchanges, and ultimately demand resolution — even if it’s a difficult one. Good thing, then, that Mercury moves in Taurus hours later, ready to batten down the hatches and get to work. Taurus energy is just as strategic as Scorpio energy, with a little more restraint and a little less sting, an influence that’s essential as the Sun continues under the stars of hasty Aries. And, while it’s true that stern Saturn makes a square to the True Node in Taurus the following day, encouraging us to rein it in if we don’t have a sound way forward, the week ahead is not all about discipline and restraint. In fact, these transits prepare us for an influence that invites us to do quite the opposite. On the 12th, Jupiter makes a conjunction to Neptune in Pisces, a powerful union of two planets that remind us the sky’s the limit and the depths of the ocean are still one of humanity’s largest mysteries. Here, opportunities abound, more is more, and your world is as big as you allow it to be. Revel where there’s revelling to be had but don’t throw caution to the wind, these planets open the doors and magnify what’s possible. Some things don’t get better the bigger they get, some things become so heavy that you have to let them go.

Aries Sun & Aries Rising

There’s something to be said for a house guest like Mercury, who moves on to Taurus just after forming an exasperating square to Pluto under your stars. While there’s nothing written in stone, it’s likely that you’ve had to face, perhaps even solve, some complicated situations this past week. Aries in Mercury’s square to Pluto on the 10th gets to the crux of the matter, playing the cards that have been dealt and giving you deeper insight into what’s at stake. While this may seem intense for a month that should be celebratory, it’s an important part of your growth and in theme with your solar return. The Sun’s sextile to Saturn on the 12th helps you connect the dots and draw better lines around your energy and time. Consider when and why you choose to carry someone else’s burden, how it helps them and how it keeps them from learning to carry it themselves.ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Taurus Sun & Taurus Rising

This week marks Mercury’s sojourn through your stars and while it may be an informative time for you, it’s not exactly the kind of transit that Taurus people experience casually. Mercury is a wealth of knowledge and incentive but they’re not exactly well known for being measured or respecting context. Mercury arrives and offloads. It’s on you to figure out what to do with all that, how to sort it, how to incorporate it into your meticulous life. Saturn in Aquarius forms a square to the True Node in your sign on the 11th, adding some professional pressure to the mix. Boundary work, it appears, comes in all aspects of our lives, often when it’s least convenient and easiest to shrug off. Of course, it feels good to open your life wide, to meet what arrives with a can-do attitude. But there’s a special magic in cultivating a powerful can’t-do attitude when you need it. Don’t let the inbox bully you, Taurus, the pace that feels good to you is the right pace. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Gemini Sun & Gemini Rising

Geminis tend to be people with a plethora of talents. Perhaps it’s their natural curiosity, a desire to learn by doing, to be part of the conversation even if that conversation is made up entirely of musical notes or spinning blocks of clay. While having many interests can enrich your life and your understanding of the world, it doesn’t exactly bode well for a world where being able to sustain yourself and provide for your future requires a certain amount of dedication and focus. If these past few months have had you feeling hemmed in by your life of varied and vast attractions, if conversations that seemed exciting turned out to be non-starters, take heart. There is a world where the vastness of who you are and who you’ve been is a gift to any endeavour, no matter how specific. Have faith in that world, don’t settle for a smaller one.ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Cancer Sun & Cancer Rising

It’s true that life is changing all the time and with our circumstances, but you of all people know that while change is a constant so is the cyclical nature of things. And, while cycles are responsible for beautiful things like cherry blossoms and tides, they’re also evident in our very non-linear healing process. You live, you learn, you live some more, you learn again but differently and with more depth. Plus, there’s something to be said for the pressure that Pluto in Capricorn has on all the Cardinal babes and the insistence of Aries season pressing up against you like a child that needs an audience at all times. At this point, adding a full moon in Libra to the mix is really just gravy on the hard biscuits — it might not make the biscuits any lighter in your belly, but it might make them more palatable. So take it easy on yourself, Cancer, and remember: Fucking up once is not fucking up forever. It’s just the bottom of the wheel, ready to turn again.ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Leo Sun & Leo Rising

I’m gonna get cheesy with you, Leo, because I know that deep down you appreciate an earnest approach. I’m gonna get cheesy with you in one of the best ways I know how, which is by sharing a song with you. The song is “Yes I’m Changing” by Tame Impala and even if it’s not your style of music, I encourage you to play it anyway and listen for the string of joy that lives inside of it. The vibe might feel a little distant at first, a little dispersed, and lyrics like “I was raging, it was late/ In the world my demons cultivate” might not strike you as joyful. But if you stay with it, the part where the atmosphere is murky becomes a sea you float out on, the part where something in you sings along: “Yes, I’m changing/ Yes, I’m gone/ Yes, I’m older, yes, I’m moving on/ And if you don’t think it’s a crime, you can come along/ With me” you might catch that string of joy and follow it to whoever and whatever it leads to.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Virgo Sun & Virgo Rising

Mercury’s ingress into Taurus this week should be a welcome relief from the energy that Mercury in Aries was bringing. Don’t get me wrong, we all know that a Virgo loves to get the ball rolling. But, between the square that Mercury in Aries made to Pluto in Capricorn on the 10th and Mars’ transit through your house of service, it’s quite possible that any ball that Aries season added to the mix is one ball too many. Mercury’s shift into Taurus helps you narrow your sights and refine your approach. It’s important to conserve your energy, to put your best efforts into what means the most to you and will ultimately enrich your understanding of the world. Besides, the less scattered you are, the more time you’ll have for what makes your world go round: the people you care about. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Libra Sun & Libra Rising

Perhaps you’ve heard that the devil is in the details — that underneath the broad strokes, the hidden armature and the securing stitches can make or break a picture. But it’s also true that, as Gustave Flaubert once said, “The good God is in the details,” too. Here, the devil and God and all the words we have for forces outside of our control can simply boil down to a kind of beauty: the beauty of chaos and the beauty of harmony. Each has their own wisdom, each has their own power over us. With your ruling planet moving through Pisces, you may find yourself being called to notice the details in your own life — how they add up and how they influence your big picture. The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction on the 12th can offer you a greater perspective on these matters and initiate a holistic shift in your daily life. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Scorpio Sun & Scorpio Rising

Scorpios aren’t exactly known for their readiness to try something new, especially when so much of what keeps them safe and stable is in flux thanks to the likes of Uranus and the tensions Saturn keeps activating. And, it’s true that while Pisces season might be behind us, the cluster of potent planets under the stars of Pisces is most likely still having its way with you. Good thing, then, that when it comes to a planet like Venus in Pisces, the way forward is playful, creative, and erotic. It’s like a summons to a very good time that’s only aim is to make your life more fulfilling and less monochromatic. It’s a good time to remember that refusing to challenge yourself is its own form of failure. Besides, with Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in the mix, it’s likely that your efforts won’t simply improve the here and now but open the door to a field of possibilities. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Sagittarius Sun & Sagittarius Rising

We certainly can’t talk about next week without talking about the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces that’s got the cosmos in a whirl. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, of going big and making every place your home, links up with otherworldly Neptune on the morning of 12th April. As your ruling planet, Jupiter has an influence on you that’s particularly notable, and as a planet that also rules over Pisces, Jupiter’s influence is potent and well-resourced. But what could this influence look like on the ground? Because the stars of Pisces form a square to Sagittarian placements, it’s likely the opportunities that arise will require something of you. If you find yourself facing a situation that challenges your assumptions about your life — what it can look like, what shape your world can take — if you find yourself having to begin again, dare yourself to begin bigger.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Capricorn Sun & Capricorn Rising

Aries season brings a bit of tension to Capricorn babes so it’s a good thing that Capricorns like a little tension. They know that growth comes when you push past your own resistance, that the tighter the spring, the more powerful the jump off. And isn’t it getting to be that time? Aren’t you ready to prove that your work ethic can only be matched by your prerogative to have a great fucking time? Venus in Pisces blesses your house of witchcraft and connection, the same house where Neptune and Jupiter blow your possibilities wide open. These powerful planets flow nicely into your house of pleasures and creative expression — your house of joy — reminding you that you can write about it all you want but eventually you’re gonna have to let yourself be about it. You deserve to taste the life you talk about, after all, to get fed.ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Aquarius Sun & Aquarius Rising

If Saturn under your stars has had you stocking up, Aquarius, if it’s been teaching you to save for a rainy day — consider the possibility that “rainy day” doesn’t have to mean a stormy moment in one’s life. It can simply be a rainy day in April, at the height of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It can be a chance to align yourself with the dark earth and all the seeds that burst there, having spent so many months gathering their strength. Jupiter and Neptune combine in your house of resources, widening your experience of abundance and turning your luck around. While Saturn’s double D’s, discipline and discernment, might be valuable teachers, Jupiter’s school of self-belief is just as enriching. If there is a seed of possibility inside you, if there is a piggy bank dedicated to a little dream, consider giving that seed permission to take up a little more space, to get as real and alive as it can as the days move forward. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

Pisces Sun & Pisces Rising

Everyone’s talking about Venus and how lovely she feels under your stars. If your stars are aligned, then her presence bodes well for you, calling in exactly what you’ve been yearning for, finding the beautiful silver lining in the heavy clouds that seem to gather over humanity. And, if Venus isn’t exactly washing up on your shores in her gorgeous clam-shell chariot, then the conjunction between Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces on 12th April is ready to take you to the water. While the days ahead might feel — and prove to be — auspicious, it’s important for a go-with-the-flow fish like you to remember that getting what we want isn’t always the best thing for us. Yes, magic is afoot and it flows from you and through you, so it’s in your best interest to be careful what you wish for and mindful of what arrives. What you summon, you account for. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER

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