Aries (March 21 – April 19)

Your mind seems to be racing with brilliant ideas, and if so, write them down, lest you later forget even one tiny detail. This month, your ideas have profit potential. Late last month the new moon (March 27) was in entrepreneurial Aries that infused you with excitement and energy, and that feeling continues now. As the month begins, you may be working on preparations to launch a professional venture involving something new to society, possibly involving cutting-edge technology or medical research. In the process of working on this project, you will learn and grow.

You may feel it is the right time to officially start your venture, but due to two important planets retrograde, proceed slowly. Venus, the planet in charge of your earned income as well as ruler of your committed business and love relationships, will remain retrograde until April 15. Venus started to retrograde last month on March 4, so this month brings a continuation of that trend. In early April, you may see a financial slowdown or setback, or may need to make a concession in a negotiation. Venus retrograde, the ruler of your second house of income, suggests you may need to rethink your plans and question assumptions that you used to build your strategy. Venus, retrograding the entire time in Aries – having a greater effect on you – will not return to full strength until May 18.

In addition, Mercury will also be retrograde, April 9 to May 3. The planets that orbit closest to earth – Venus, Mercury, and Mars – are the ones we feel most when retrograde. (Happily, your ruler, Mars, will be in fine shape.) Mercury will start out retrograding in Taurus, but half way through its retrograde will slip into Aries as it continues to retrograde. Again, you will need to expect delays. As you deal with Venus and Mercury out of phase, you can feel free to meet with others to discuss details, but do not seal everything officially on paper quite yet. Things will continue to shift, for that’s the way things work when Mercury is retrograde. Never sign a contract while Mercury is retrograde. As you see, in every way, the universe is sending the message that you should stop, look, and listen, but not act just yet.

Forces at play near the full moon, April 10, may make you want to rush into a committed relationship at work or in love, but you would be wise to hold back, for at that full moon, Venus will still be out of phase and traveling in your sign, Aries. Overall, early and mid-April will be a complex time for relationships. Uranus will add considerable relationship tension because this planet of chaos and unpredictable events will oppose the moon and conjoin the Sun. Your need for freedom will be strong, and if your sweetheart or spouse puts demands on you, you will likely bolt. The full moon period will be volatile, and the relationship you will be trying to form at the start of April may, by mid-month, seem fraught with difficulties. Stay optimistic – the universe is testing your commitment and determination to forge this agreement – that is all. If your goal of coming together is to ultimately work, you will have to iron out details within four days of the full moon, April 10.

Your career seems to be sparkling brightly and poised to bring you a heap of good news. Near the same time of the full moon of April 10, on April 5, warrior Mars, your ruler, will be in fine angle to powerhouse Pluto, helping you transform your professional life and image in magical ways. As you rise in status this month, you will likely be prosperous, something you will see after the new moon in Taurus of April 26. Your expenses have been unusually high lately, but this new moon should calm you, and bring more money to your bank account. This month will require patience, but with careful finessing, you can turn all the many moving parts of the month to your favor.

Taurus (April 20- May 20)

Mars, the energy and action planet, is now in Taurus, giving you a big advantage over competition. This trend started last month and will continue until April 21. Mars will continue to boost your courage, determination, and drive, so use that energy to plan, but not to settle talks quite yet. You will have the ear of the most important VIPs, but hold back on actually initiating actions. Venus, your ruler, will continue to be retrograde until April 15, and Mercury will retrograde from April 9 to May 3, too, so you may find projects move in slow motion. Don’t rail against delays – they are there to help you rethink your tactics.

The full moon on April 10 will bring a work project to a conclusion. It seems to be a well-paying project, but problems that will come up without warning may catch you off guard. Electric Uranus in harsh position to the full moon might keep your nerves on edge. Keep a simple, elastic agenda, and protect your health.

Your living space, other property you might own or rent, or special needs of a family member may now clash with all the career demands you are dealing with, and you may not know which to attend to first. The answer is, address home or a parent’s needs first, for that is where the full moon will fall. Full moons demand instant attention to the matter at hand, so you’ll solve things, but perhaps not permanently – there may be more to do down the road to fully fix questions regarding this private area of your life.

At some point in April, you may need to travel to distant shores, or work on settling an immigration, visa, or green card matter. Or, you may be involved in an important publishing, broadcasting, or advertising project. In any of these areas, you’ll find things will work in your favor, for Mars will receive beams from Pluto, giving you considerable clout on or near April 6.

Venus, your ruler, has been retrograde since March 4 but will go direct on April 15. When your ruler is out of phase, you may find that you have slipped into a Spartan, all business, no-nonsense mood. After Venus goes direct April 15 you will see improvement, and things will improve even more by mid-May. With Venus napping, it is not the time to make any radical changes to your looks – no plastic surgery, for sure. It’s not the time to change your hair from dark to platinum blonde, or even to choose new eyeglass frames, and this includes my male readers too. Any dramatic changes to your appearance should be shelved, but, of course, keep up regular grooming, which is always necessary to do. If you are single, most of April won’t be the best time to meet a new romantic interest either, so for that, wait until late April and May – birthday time.

The new moon at month’s end will be a big help to you. Arriving on April 26 in Taurus, it will allow you to lay the groundwork for courageous actions in May. You’ll want to jump on projects, but again, slow down and act after Mercury goes direct May 3 – and even then, leave a space of as many days as you can muster. Uranus will encourage exciting innovation, and Saturn will add stability to your new ventures. The finest benefit to this new moon will be to encourage artistic expression – work on your craft and you’ll be pleased with results. Seal things in stone in May.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

In April, you will likely be thinking about your dreams for the future and be anxious to materialize them. This month is not the time to make an important initiation, but it is a good time to plan. Question all your assumptions, and through examination of them and gathering facts, you can set a solid path. You will encounter obstacles, and you will have to come up with ingenious answers to roadblocks you encounter before you can move forward. It would be tempting to wave off obstacles, but that would not be the right move. You have the kind of planetary energy that hints at big success, so stick to your program, and as you approach difficult questions, take each day one at a time.

This is the right time of 2017 to prioritize the goals and to decide what is most important to you. As you have matured, you may have changed your perspective about what really matters to you. April will be an ideal time to reflect, catch up, and to delete or add priorities. Retrograde planets will open your schedule, so your life won’t be as frenetic as it might be usually – you will be able to breathe. Your eleventh house of hopes and wishes was activated at the last new moon, March 27, so you may come up a clearer view of how you’d like your life to proceed.

Concurrent to this meditation will be the full moon, April 10, again energizing your social life – especially in terms of romance – but a relationship with a friend or a sweetheart may have become complicated. Jupiter will arrive arm-in-arm with the full moon, a beautiful aspect, but will be directly opposed by Uranus at 180 degrees, causing sudden, possibly nerve-jangling, news at this full moon. It’s an emotional time, so keep your schedule clear so you can address whatever comes up without feeling conflicted.

Venus will continue to retrograde in Aries and Pisces, a holdover from March 5, and will go direct April 15. Venus’ turn direct will help to stabilize and boost your love life, as Venus rules your fifth house of fun, love, and leisure. Relationship improvements will be slow – Venus will take until May 18 to ramp up to former strength – but on the plus side, the progress will be steady and noticeable.

At this full moon, April 10, you may be thinking about the sweetheart you are dating, a child, or a pregnancy, or about a friend. Or, you may be centered on a party or other activity you had been looking forward to attending. It looks like many friends would be there to see you, too. Although you may initially experience some reverse news at this full moon, it can in the end bring a happy culmination because active Mars will be in lovely angle to transformative Pluto. Mars and Pluto are both traveling in realistic earth signs, and at elegant angles, so to get the best from these planets, you need to be practical and clear eyed too, even if the full moon makes you initially feel very emotional and sentimental. Try to view much of this month as a novel where you are the protagonist. What will our hero do next?

Mercury will start to retrograde April 9 to finish May 3 in Pisces. Both Venus and Mercury orbit close to earth, so you feel the effects of both planets more when retrograde than you would if an outer planet were retrograde. Mercury is your ruling planet, so again, you will feel the slowdowns this planet can bring when out of phase. Find ways to benefit from the delays the occasional frustrations that come with Mercury retrograde.

When warrior Mars enters Gemini on April 21, the energy will change and brighten considerably. For the first time in a long time, you will be in full control. VIPs will pay attention to you, support you, and be impressed by the vibrant drive and passion you have for your goals. You will have to accommodate Mercury retrograde however, so you may have to reschedule social events when obligations to work and family suddenly come in the way. At work, the same trend will be at play – delays will proliferate. No matter, Mars will be in Gemini until June 4, and because Mercury will go direct on May 3, and Venus will be gaining strength next month, May will be your month to let rip and go for the gold.

The new moon April 26 will be in Taurus, lighting your house of meditation, reflection, and confidential talks. This new moon is excellent, so if you work in a subdued way, in private, and behind closed doors, you will be a wunderkind of productivity. If you have a book to write, an advertising campaign to create, a grant application to send in, or any other item on your list that requires your full attention, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can polish off that major task, and with quality results. Friends will want to know your secret to such high productivity in April – the answer is that you have an angel in that new moon April 26. By screening out distractions, your concentration will be high.

This same new moon will also give you night vision, giving you the ability to see the unseen, and to heighten your awareness and intuition about events around you. When the facts are not there, others often become anxious, but not you now – you’ll see through the mist this month with exceptional clarity.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Pressures at work are mounting as a result of the recent new moon in Aries at the end of March, and everyone, of every sign, is feeling those stressors in different ways. Saturn was in hard angle to that new moon, and because Saturn is in your workaday sector, it seems part of the problem is too few people are in the department to get the assignment out. This means everyone will likely have to shoulder more responsibility for a while, possibly making most workers cranky or overtired. This is a situation that will go on for several months before it will be fully resolved, so pace yourself, dear Cancer.

Management may not have the funds to hire more recruits, or, if you are self-employed, you may not be able to find qualified, experienced, affordable workers to pitch in. You’ll have to use ingenuity to bring about a resolve. The key may come from a friend who seems to have an original yet practical idea that you may be able to use. Additionally, if you belong to a professional society, Mars’ position suggests that one of the members can give you a great idea to solve your staffing situation.

The full moon of April 10 will find you pulled in two directions, between needing to give erratic demands from clients or management at work and wanting to enjoy the positive, comforting situation culminating at home. Your living space or a family member, most likely a parent, seems to be on your mind. It is clear that home will win all your attention at this full moon. Your family adores you, so nestled in their presence is where you will likely find a cozy haven against the volatile forces your workaday world. Uranus is opposition the full moon to tight degree, so your nerves are likely to be on edge near or on April 10. Every one of every sign will feel the tension, but fortunately Jupiter is prominent too, and will add a soothing element You may feel your life is in very high contrast this month, with home bringing good news, but work bringing a cascade of challenges that have to be solved instantly as they come up within four days of April 10.

With Mars moving into Gemini and your twelfth house on April 21, see if you can work outside the office during the rest of the month through the first week of June. You might want to work at home, in your home office, or at the library, away from the dramas that appear to be bubbling up regularly at the office.

Let’s pivot now to the social activity you can look forward to doing this month, which will bring exciting news after the new moon of April 26 arrives, plus ten days. It seems you are getting ready to enjoy a festive event with friends. It might be that you will be attending a wedding, birthday party, or victory party for friend who won a promotion. Whatever it is, you will be able to kick back and relax. In coming weeks and months, you will be able to join friends more often, as this new moon will open up your schedule in subsequent weeks and allow you more free time to enjoy friends.

Venus has been retrograde since last month, March 4, and will go direct on April 15. It will take a little extra time beyond April 15 for Venus to be strong and helpful again. Venus governs beauty and affection, so April’s first three weeks would not be a time to look for someone new to date, or to make any dramatic changes to your appearance. Follow along on tried and true skin care program rather than experiment, and don’t book a new dermatological treatment, and avoid scheduling plastic surgery. Save those actions for May, when better aspects prevail. Venus is the natural ruler of your home sector, too, so you may change your mind about a vacation home you want to rent, or in your choice of roommate, as two examples. Make no firm choices involving a living space or the care of an elderly family member. This is a month to think, and not act quite yet.

Making things more complicated, Mercury will be retrograde too, from April 9 to May 3. Don’t rail against delays – go with them. Mercury will retrograde in your career and friendship house. Professionally, you’ll have to go over old ground and change projects to fit new dictates from the client or management. Socially, however, you’ll enjoy a benefit of Mercury retrograde because Mercury will be moving backward in your friendship sector, so you’ll see at least one beloved friend you’ve not seen in a long time. It will be exciting to catch up and share stories.

Leo (July 23- August 22)

You've been busy lately, so you seem ready to bolt out the door for an adventuresome vacation. The new moon of March 27 last month started you thinking, and you will be able to flee town, for you have plenty of planetary energy in your travel sectors. Alternatively, you might have other things on your mind other than actually traveling - a topic centered on a publishing or broadcasting assignment, or a legal matter.

When it comes to your career advancement, you are also getting mixed signals. On one hand, you have had Mars in your tenth house of honors, awards, and achievement since March 9, and will to continue to host Mars there until April 21. This is a sure sign that you should have no trouble getting the attention of VIPs. Clearly, this alone shows you are anxious to move ahead.

However, your timing is not quite right for making career gains for several reasons. First, Venus is the natural ruler of your solar tenth house of professional acclaim, the same area Mars is visiting, but Venus went retrograde on March 5 and won’t go direct until April 15. Mars will remain in this part of your chart until April 21. You will start seeing career progress gradually after April 15, and much more so after May 20, so trust this to be true – keep to your program and know success will come soon.

Adding more complications, Mercury will be retrograde almost all month, from April 9 to May 3, giving you the feeling like you are walking through glue. It is generally not wise to accept a new position during Mercury retrograde. You will notice Mercury’s slowdown as soon as April begins. You will need patience, for Mercury will be moving backward through travel and financial sectors, the very areas that are energized and where your thinking will likely be centered.

The full moon, April 10, will emphasize your commitments and contracts, as well as your plans to travel, this time a short distance. Any contractual deal on your desk this month appears to be a generous one, and you will be tempted to sign immediately. Yet by the full moon, the timing will be even worse than signing earlier. Mercury will be in full speed retrograde, and Venus won’t be vibrant and alert either. Put off signing any papers. Verbal acceptance is considered the same as a written agreement, so delay giving a final answer. Your environment will be too volatile to bring about a good resolve.

Sit tight with career matters until you get to the new moon April 26, a rather lovely demarcation line, for that new moon will help you forge a major career breakthrough, the best of 2017. The compensation package being offered at month’s end will likely be generous, too, particularly in terms of benefits, such as health insurance, commission, bonus, and vacation days, flex time, and so forth.

If you are artistic, this new moon April 26 will help you sell your ideas, for creative Neptune is transiting your house of other people’s money. Further, a supportive Saturn, planet of long-term gain, will bolster this new moon. This says if you have your feet on the ground and come across as realistic, steady, and cognizant of budgetary constraints, you will impress financial types who will be in the process of assessing your experience, ideas, and potential.

Pluto will be powerfully helpful too, beaming from your house of assignments, saying that if you need funding or approvals to launch a project, you may be closer to getting a green light than you assumed. By May 3, you will be home free – Mercury will go direct, and all the work you put into your career will gradually start to bear fruit. By May, Venus will move into fire sign Aries, a brilliant place for Venus to be for Leo, and you’ll be in happily in clover on so many fronts: romance, career, money, and having plain old fun.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

You are under superb aspects for generating money, but money matters nevertheless seem to be causing stress. The new moon that appeared late last month on March 27 put a focus on bank loans, mortgage, court settlements, child support, and division of property in divorce, court settlements, taxes, insurance, commission, and other such funds. Although you should do well financially, Uranus will act up and bring to the surface hidden information that needs to be discussed and sorted out before you can move forward. Your love life may have brought up differences in opinion about money with a romantic or business partner. This disagreement may have to do with a question involving a child or a creative project. These types of matters could dominate first part of April for you.

On April 11, the full moon will mark a time when you have to decide what to do about financial negotiations or questions that have been consuming your attention. You will be pressured to sign your name on a contract, or to simply make a verbal agreement – don’t. In astrology, a verbal agreement is considered the same as a written one. It’s too soon to make up your mind or to know which changes you need in that contract.

Venus will be retrograde at the time, a continued trend from March 4, and will turn direct April 15. Venus rules your second house of earned income, but with Venus asleep, she won’t be in a position to help you. Still, no planet turns to full power instantly; Venus will be lackadaisical and not fully up to speed until May 18. This suggests that at the full moon, you may change your mind about a certain plan or course of action you had been thinking about over the past three months.

Underscoring this trend of uncertainty is that Mercury will be retrograde from April 9 to May 3. Mercury is your ruler, and the planet of communication, negotiation, and perception, so things will be a bit “off” this month in those areas. Fortunately, as a Virgo, you are flexible and also a deep and critical thinker, traits that will serve you well at the full moon.

Long-distance travel may be coming up, or, alternatively, you may have to focus your attention on your aim to get a university education, advance a project involving the media, or think about a legal matter. Travel seems the most likely area to light up. Mars will energize this area of your chart by moving through your ninth house, and so Mars will give you the option to pack and go. Considering the tensions concerning money that may come up earlier in April, being in a new setting for a while later will free you to enjoy life and regain your sense of balance.

The new moon in Taurus, April 26, will be your friend, for it will rally lyrical Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto – a trio that can add stability, more fun, and a closer rapport with your partner. At the same time, Venus will tour your relationship house, smoothing the way to meaningful discussion that can lead to a feeling of understanding between you and your partner, whether you are united in a love or business relationship. For sure, the end of April will be your favorite, and with Mercury about to turn direct May 3, you will see the pace pick up and projects will start to move at a fast clip.

Backtracking to April 21 for a moment, your career will light up brilliantly once Mars enters Gemini on this date, to stay until June 3. This period will help you lay the groundwork for a big career opportunity to come up after the new moon next month, May 25. To make the most of it, prepare by reorganizing your CV and if you are creative, putting your newest completed work in your show-and-tell portfolio. Time spent now getting ready for a big leap forward in your career at the end of May and early June will likely help you get not only one, but two offers.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

You are the celestial favorite this year, for you have Jupiter in Libra. Under normal circumstances, life should be sunny and bright. Still, the new moon that arrived late last month in your committed partnership sector may have brought up an old wound with your spouse or with a family member. It will take time for you to sort out the details, so take your time.

This month, Pluto may continue to dredge up feelings from the past that have been long forgotten and that perhaps you have been tempted to avoid. Still, by thinking about those long-buried emotions, and gathering more information about the situation, you may come to a new perspective. Planetary aspects are there for a reason, and although confronting an old memory may be painful, in the end you can come to greater peace and satisfaction.

This month is truly about looking back not forward, for Venus, your ruler, is retrograde, a trend that started March 4 and continues until April 15. Until you reach month’s end, you won’t make a lot of progress, but progress isn’t the point – reflection is the more important element here. Among other things, Venus is bound up with your self-image as well as with your feeling in a romantic relationship. You will now decide whether you have had the right perspective and may make adjustments if the answer is no, it was not quite right.

With Venus out of phase, it’s not the time to make a radical change to your appearance – no plastic surgery, no dramatic change of hair color from brunette to blonde, for example – but doing routine grooming is, of course, fine and necessary. Avoid experimenting with new and untested dermatological treatments in favor of sticking to all tried and true beauty procedures and products. Venus also rules your commitments, and with Venus in a weakened state, you won’t have access to her greatest powers. In other words, it’s not the month to become engaged, for example, for the union might eventually frustrate you with its lack of emotional support.

Mercury will also be retrograde this month, from April 9 to May 3. This will affect your view of your partner. As you see, not only is your appreciation of yourself under review, your feelings for the person closest to you may also be subject to change. You need not come to any final decisions, for in the smoke and mirror environment of April, few things will turn out to be exactly as they seem. Sign contracts next month, not in April.

On April 10, the full moon will fall in Libra, so something of enormous importance is about to come to culmination for you, within four days. The emotional atmosphere – so prevalent in the start of April – may bring tensions to a crescendo. Your partner appears to be acting erratically, making you wonder what to think. Allow your partner some slack, and wait to see if a pattern of behavior emerges or if this month is simply an aberration of character. Again, avoid a rush to judgment and be generous.

Your expenses will run high this month, for Mars is coaxing you to increase the balances on credit cards. You may discover you need to pay a sum in taxes, but don’t be blue – many people are in the same boat, and once Venus normalizes its orbit, you will find many new ways to make money. Alternatively, you may want to apply for a mortgage or re-financed mortgage plan, or seek venture capital or sponsorship for a business idea. It is a good time to examine your financial standing in all areas, perhaps by seeking advice from a trusted financial advisor. It’s also the right time to assess your insurance coverage to see if it is adequate to cover your evolving lifestyle.

If you feel short of cash, you may be able to find additional funding at month’s end (or be paid what you are owed by then) because of a friendly new moon in your financial house due April 26. At that time, you can set up a workable plan for your future and gain a feeling of strong financial security, thanks to a helpful beam from Saturn.

After all your calculations, negotiations, discussions, and decisions are done, you will be ready to break free by taking a lighthearted, broadening trip to a place you’ve never been. You will feel greater sense of ease and have an ability to travel to a distant location once Mars enters Gemini on April 21, to stay until June 4. Take this as your signal to go. Later, when Mars enters Cancer in early June through most of July, you won’t be able to go anywhere, as career opportunities will be too delicious to ignore. If you take up one of the offers, you’ll want to be at your desk proving you are the star that your boss or client feels you are meant to be. While you have an ideal time to take an adventurous vacation at April’s end, do so!