Horoscope Week: April 29 to May 5, 2019

Horoscope: April 29 to May 5, 2019

Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.

Highlighted Aspects for This Week
All times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 7 hours.
MON: Sun sesquiquadrate Jupiter, Saturn goes retrograde
TUE: Saturn conjunct South Node, Venus trine Ceres, Mercury sextile Mars
WED: Mercury square nodal axis, Mercury square Saturn, Uranus semisquare Neptune
THU: Mercury square Pluto, Mercury trine Jupiter
SAT: New Moon 3:45 p.m. PDT
SUN: Mars quincunx Pluto, Mars opposite Jupiter

AS WE TRAVEL THE ROAD that takes us from April to May, three compelling planetary events provide the backdrop for our journey, while a handful of other aspects reveal either smooth stretches or the challenges of uneven pavement.

Two of the more significant events are linked together: Saturn goes retrograde on Monday, and then exactly aligns with the South Node on Tuesday.

WHEN A PLANET comes to a standstill, whether to go retrograde or direct, its influence becomes heightened in our experience. We usually feel this for a week or more on either side of the exact date, since the planet is virtually motionless throughout that time.


innerself subscribe graphic


Last week, on April 24, Pluto made its station, and this week -- on April 29, just five days later -- it's Saturn's turn to change direction. This overlap of their concentrated energies is making this a very pivotal time. Pluto is the great Transformer, lord of the underworld, and rules over major life transitions, including the passage into the afterlife. Saturn is Father Time, lord of karma, and tests our strength and discipline.

Both planets are in Capricorn, which rules over the structures that we rely on to be solid and strong. Pluto is revealing where certain systems are faulty, while at the same time, Saturn is testing their strength. As a result, we are seeing breakdowns in areas we perhaps had thought were dependable.

In our personal lives, this effect is concentrated in the area of life represented by the house that contains 20 to 23 degrees of Capricorn. If we have planets or points in our birth charts at those degrees, we will most likely be feeling this impact on a very personal level.

THE LONG-TERM IMPLICATION of all of this activity is increased because the South Node is also currently moving through those same degrees of Capricorn. And, in fact, Saturn exactly aligns with the South Node on Tuesday of this week.

The South Node represents our pull into patterns of the past that no longer serve us. While this node is in Capricorn -- and especially while it aligns with Saturn -- we observe tendencies to fall into the negative qualities that can be associated with both Saturn and Capricorn: fear, control, melancholy, pessimism, resentment, rigidity, selfishness, the suppression of feelings, and a lack of empathy. In essence, the South Node is telling us that the old methods we used to use to survive -- basically, putting blinders on to our feelings and perhaps to the emotional needs of those around us -- are no longer viable.

THE NORTH NODE, always exactly opposite the South Node, reveals the positive qualities we must develop in order to evolve. With the North Node in Cancer, we are called to become more caring, not less. We are called to choose trust over fear and control, inspiration over pessimism, and understanding over resentment. We are also encouraged to express our feelings instead of suppressing them, and to become more creative and intuitive in our approach to life.

Saturn will align with the South Node one more time this year, on September 27. But, Saturn and the South Node will be joined at the hip throughout August and September, never separated by more than two degrees. This makes that entire two-month period very significant for our collective evolution. At that point, we should be able to look back at late April/early May and see connections between the two time frames, further clarifying the lessons of this alignment.

AS IF our table wasn't already full enough, our planetary waitstaff deliver another course this coming week. On Wednesday, we have the final (of five) exact semisquares between Uranus and Neptune. This is a very long-term influence, one that we've been working with since the middle of 2017. This week represents the culminating experiences related to this aspect, wrapping up its lessons.

While a semisquare is often thought of as being a "minor" aspect, any relationship between two slower-moving planets can be significant. In this case, especially, since Uranus and Neptune are both transpersonal planets, we are considering some deeper questions related to our ongoing process of awakening.

URANUS AND NEPTUNE traveled side-by-side in Capricorn throughout the early 1990s, and were exactly conjunct three times in 1993. Although both of these planets can have substantial impact on our mundane experience, they also help us to transcend the limitations of the physical plane — Uranus working on the level of the mind, and Neptune working on the level of the heart.

In the early '90s, many of us experienced a sudden and perhaps shocking change (Uranus). Events that occurred may have at first evoked disbelief and disillusionment (Neptune), but over time, they eventually opened the door to new growth in consciousness. Those events woke us up in some way, burning away areas of fog that had been limiting our self-awareness.

THIS SEMISQUARE is the first challenging aspect between Uranus and Neptune since their alignment in 1993. In essence, we are sitting for our first major exam covering everything that we've learned spiritually over the past 26 years. We are being required to take another growth step in consciousness, to dissolve another layer of the veil that has separated us from one another and from our divine selves.

Uranus and Neptune are compelling us to expand our capacity for higher-level thought and sensitivity. Our yearning to attain this evolutionary growth deepens every time we experience the lower-vibrational manifestations of the two planets — the erratic and destructive behaviors associated with Uranus, and the deception and disillusionment linked to Neptune.

I feel it's safe to say we've been experiencing a lot of that frequency in the past two years, since this semisquare began to work with us. And, it would be easy to fall into a pit of apathy, based on a sometimes overwhelming feeling of futility. And yet, we want to ask ourselves -- what has been (and is) the higher purpose of all of this? This type of question connects us with the higher frequencies of Uranus and Neptune, and opens the door to that next expansion of consciousness which so many of us long to walk through.

A NEW LUNAR CYCLE begins on Saturday, May 4, at 3:45 p.m. PDT, when the Sun and Moon align at 14°10? Taurus. Significant components of the New Moon chart include a Mercury-Pluto square (exact on Thursday), a Mars-Jupiter opposition (exact on Sunday), a Venus-Saturn square (exact on May 7), and a Sun-Neptune sextile (exact on May 8).

We generally think of peaceful, methodical progress when we consider Taurus. And, certainly, we can use the New Moon in this sign to set our intentions for creating more beauty and serenity in our lives. However, the other aspects tell us that we have a few hurdles to overcome along the way.

MERCURY'S SQUARE to Pluto perfects on Thursday, so we'll be aware of some differences of opinion and some frustrations toward the end of the week. Anger is easily triggered, especially if we feel we're not being heard by someone in authority. The verbal push-pull increases over the weekend, magnified by Mars in verbose Gemini opposing Jupiter in dogmatic Sagittarius. The fall-out might affect personal relationships and business alliances by the time of the Venus-Saturn square next week.

Our saving grace appears in a couple of ways: the Sun-Neptune sextile is a subtle influence, but it provides the opportunity for us to tap into the higher qualities of compassion, understanding, and surrender as we deal with practical concerns. This aspect also enables us to provide grounded spiritual support to others. And, next Monday, Mercury leaves impatient Aries and enters stable Taurus, helping slow down our responses and giving us time to think before we act.

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: This coming year asks you to realign with what you truly value. You are also remembering what it means to take care of yourself -- both your emotional well-being and your personal health -- even if others expect you to self-sacrifice. This is your opportunity to base your self-esteem on who you are, rather than on what you do, and to know your worth as an individual, not dependent on another's validation. (Solar Return Sun quincunx Ceres)

About the Author

Pam YounghansPam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or leave a message at 425.445.3775. For more information about NorthPoint Astrology offerings, please visit northpointastrology.com or visit her Facebook page.

Related Books

More books on this topic

at InnerSelf Market and Amazon