Aries Horoscope for April 2017

Welcome to the wild roller-coaster ride that is April for you, Aries. The last month was powerfully life-changing and this month even more so! You have an unusual ongoing set of opportunities, responsibilities and daydream visions, which provide holistic inspiration or else serve as fantasy escape when the responsibilities of life on planet earth opposing your desire for unencumbered sailing get to be just too difficult. The truth is that your urge for freedom could be perhaps illusory and the strictures upon you build character, or is it the other way ‘round' This month has you guessing, and one solution is to consult your inner sense of direction that is strong in you now. When you can turn to the inside for guidance, and trust yourself in the doing of that, you are well on your way to a new self-identity that has long been brewing at deep levels.

The following was written by this month's guest columnist and AstroGraph team member Leslie Benson and edited by Henry Seltzer. To learn more about Leslie's work, visit Astrology for Awakening.

It’s that time of year when the Sun returns to same point in the sky that it was when you came into this world. Happy Birthday! This April is a particularly potent month for you, as there is a tremendous amount of planetary activity in your sign. The energies of the month are marked by a mixed bag of somewhat antithetical influences. There is a lot of push/pull, stop/go, expand/contract. This creates a certain degree of challenge, but the seeds of dynamism and tension can also land in very rich soil, promoting new growth and evolution. The potentials are huge for healing and opening to more love, joy, and goodness in your life. Aries energy is very much about the first rush of spring, when the land emerges from winter’s dormancy into a new burst of life-force energy, so that while growth is a big theme for everyone this month, it is heightened for you.

Just a few days before the beginning of the current month, the New Moon of March 27th marked the beginning of this lunar cycle, and the configurations suggest that a lot may be coming up for you in terms of balancing self and other. Your sense of identity could be in some degree of upheaval right now, and you might also be unusually reflective and turned inward. You may feel disoriented or confused at times, only to be followed by moments of striking clarity, where everything seems to suddenly make sense. With any tumult or unexpected events that arise, you do well to take heart that they are synchronistic messengers that are ultimately inviting you more deeply into your brilliance, innovation, and unique contribution in this lifetime. When moments of clarity and insight do emerge for you, there is a volatile or fleeting nature to them – the message could be crystal clear one minute, and then in the next disappear into the fog of the ethers. It is also indicated by Saturn’s strong placement that a big part of the medicine for you this month involves integrating and grounding new energy and lessons. When the epiphanies do flash in, pay attention; you could vocalize these in conversation with trusted allies or write them down. You could also bring the new insights that you have gained gently into your heart, your nervous system, and your whole body’s awareness. When you can play with different ways of integrating, it will help stabilize your system.

Venus has been traveling retrograde through your sign, and this signals a time of reflection and renegotiation around self-worth, relationships, and values. You are being called to look inwardly. Inner meditations could be spurred by outer events or conflicts with your partner or loved ones; the answer is never simple and blame does not usually help, so that the opportunity is there to look inside. One helpful practice when conflict arises is to gently ask “where am I not loving myself?” You could be surprised at what you discover. Bringing your loving attention to yourself in this way is deeply healing, and can ripple out into more harmony in your relationships, and in your overall well being. With this Venus retrograde operating so strongly for members of your sign, you may also wish to ask yourself about the beliefs you currently hold around relationship, and see if they are current, or if a new story is emerging.

Another big event this month is Mercury turning retrograde on April 9th. This Mercury station begins in Taurus, but Mercury spends most of its backward journey after returning to your sign of Aries on the 21st. It is good to remember that Mercury Retrograde in general can be a very fruitful and rich time, if we orient ourselves to this period by deeply listening, yielding, and slowing down. Your forward driving, quick-paced nature might have to yield, but it will serve you well in the long run. Trying to force things during this period of time will likely have the opposite of the desired effect. Because Taurus represents finances, you are both blessed and challenged in this regard. In the time of Mercury Retrograde, you will need to slow down in preparation for some needed course corrections, and in order to reflect on what’s working there, and what could use an overhaul. The middle of the month is an excellent time to look over budgets, reorganize, and restructure. I would recommend at least starting, if not completing, your taxes before the 9th (if in the U.S.). If you get a wild hair to start some new project, the latter half of this month is not the best time for that. You do best to keep your attention on the seeds you’ve already sewn.

During the Libra Full Moon on the 10th you may feel extremely sensitive in your relationships. If unpleasant events arise, they are there to reveal to you your blind spots and unconscious wounds. There continues to be a lot of mixed energies, and not all of them are flowing or will be comfortable. You will be shown something about yourself you may not have fully been able to be with in the past, perhaps feeling unworthy or not enough. The realizations of this powerful month might come to you with startling clarity, or could be accompanied by reactivity and anger. When you allow the anger to arise and move, but use care with how you direct it, you win the best of both worlds, and gain insight into yourself without hurting those that you love. You might come to being really able to love yourself as a spiritual warrior. The blessings of this time can be reaped with surrender, mindfulness, and slowing down. Take heart, for the universe is absolutely all in support of your most brilliant evolution and transformation. As much as there is startling energy stirring the pot to wake you up, there is also loads of heart-felt, optimistic and harmonious energy to help you weather the storm. You’ve got this, Aries!!