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Horoscope: April 20 - 26, 2020
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 Standard Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 7 hours.
MON: Sun square Saturn
WED: New Moon 7:25 p.m. PDT
THU: Ceres enters Pisces
FRI: Sun semisquare Neptune, Mercury conjunct Eris
SAT: Mercury square Pluto, Pluto stations retrograde, Venus sesquiquadrate Saturn, Mercury square Jupiter
SUN: Sun conjunct Uranus
ONE of our spiritual tasks this week – and throughout these uncertain times – is to find beauty and peace amidst otherwise stressful conditions. While we may not always be as successful at this as we would like to be, with time, we can train ourselves with new habits of thought and practice.
We are tested in these new skills on Monday, when the Taurus Sun is square Saturn. Hard aspects involving Saturn usually provide a reality check on some level. They can feel heavy or even evoke some fear, requiring us to develop greater maturity, patience, and inner strength.
IN THE OUTER WORLD, this square represents the need to take stock of how we've been managing the resources that we rely on to support ourselves physically. These resources include the environment, food supply, finances, and material goods. Under this influence, we may be especially aware of lack or insecurity in one or more of these areas. But, this awareness is ultimately helpful, for it allows us to make necessary course corrections.
On a personal growth level, our challenge is to strengthen our sense of inner security, rather than relying on outer circumstances to reassure us. If we require outer forms to stabilize before we become peaceful within, we will be always checking conditions to make sure we're still safe. Once we find an inner serenity, our sense of well being is no longer controlled by the latest news release.
A NEW LUNAR CYCLE begins at 7:25 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, when the Sun and Moon align at 3°24? Taurus. With the New Moon in close proximity to unpredictable Uranus, we can anticipate some surprises this week, and over the next four weeks as the Moon waxes and then wanes. And yet, the New Moon is also in square aspect to Saturn, reminding us of that need to focus on inner stability as the waves of change continue to roll through our experience.
The New Moon is also in harmonious aspect with the nodal axis, those points in space that reveal our karmic past and evolutionary future. This means that our new lunar cycle can potentially play an important role in moving us toward a higher destiny, one that is guided more by personal connections and caring (North Node in Cancer) than by the controls wielded by authority (South Node in Capricorn).
This lunation provides an opportunity for us to integrate the qualities of the Divine Feminine even more fully into our beings. With the nodes scheduled to change signs on May 4, we are nearing a completion point of these lessons – so it's time to show the universe what we've learned.
CONDITIONS are quite variable in the last half of the week. Protests have already been on the rise since April 10, when Mercury, the planet of communication, entered assertive Aries. This week, Mercury aligns with the dwarf planet Eris (Friday), and then squares Pluto and Jupiter (Saturday).
These aspects indicate an intensification of clashes between individual rights and the power of government. Orators may feel especially impassioned under this influence, but the wiser of them will understand their responsibility for what actions their words could incite.
On an individual level, tempers are likely to be short, and words can be laser-like in their ability to cut through to the heart of a matter. Although we may feel driven to speak a truth, we must also be aware of the power of words to hurt or heal.
THE POTENCY of the square between Mercury/Eris and Jupiter/Pluto is even greater than it might be at other times, because Pluto stations retrograde on Saturday. Whenever a planet changes direction – from direct to retrograde (backward) or vice versa – it must slow to a standstill before it reverses course. As it reaches its "station," we feel its effects even more strongly than at other times.
Because this weekend's influences are so far-reaching, we must consider other manifestations that go even deeper than an angry exchange or two. Pluto reveals what has been hidden, Mercury conveys information, Eris demands to be heard, and Jupiter magnifies the situation. As such, suspicions are more easily aroused, and resentments that have been building reach the surface. Everything seems exaggerated, as if we were looking into a distorting mirror at the carnival. Conspiracy theories abound, and there is an obsession with getting to the truth of the matter.
Since these themes "christen" Pluto's retrograde phase, they will continue to play out over the next five months. It is interesting to note that when Pluto finally stations direct on October 4, it will be exactly square retrograde Mars. That is when we are likely to see additional fall-out from whatever issues arise this week, and perhaps an even more proactive response.
NEXT SUNDAY is the exact alignment between the Sun and Uranus. This influence, which is contained in the New Moon chart, gains full expression over the weekend. This marks only the second time that the two planets have aligned since Uranus entered Taurus in 2018.
We usually expect dramatic events when the Sun and Uranus align, and their first alignment in Taurus on April 22, 2019, lived up to its reputation. That week, pertinent news headlines included the fire at Notre Dame cathedral, a speech by Greta Thunberg at the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, a mudslide in Myanmar that buried more than 50 jade miners, and two large earthquakes in the Philippines.
Uranian events often shake our foundations, either literally or figuratively. Earthquakes, volcanoes, mudslides, and other acts of nature are common when Uranus is strong, especially with the planet now in earthy Taurus.
MANIFESTATIONS of Uranus can be disruptive, since they usually involve sudden changes that throw us off balance at first. But, there's a much more palatable expression of Uranus that we can take advantage of this week.
At its highest expression, Uranus is associated with higher consciousness. It is called the "higher octave" of Mercury, with Mercury representing the logical mind, and Uranus symbolizing the Greater Mind.
If you are doing any work in retraining your brain, this is a powerful week to see advancements. Meditations that open us up to insights from a higher form of intelligence are not only supported but enhanced. If you've been blessed with heightened intuitive or extrasensory experiences lately, you are likely to see even more developments over the coming days.
We may experience a form of "lift off" this week, especially around the time that the Moon exactly aligns with Uranus (Thursday, April 23, at 1:29 a.m. PDT) and the Sun-Uranus conjunction (Sunday, April 26, at 2:00 a.m. PDT). Be sure to ground yourself several times a day, and call in Divine Light to make sure your experiences are of the highest frequency.
FOR THOSE who are tracking lunar aspects, here is this week's watch list:
- Moon in Aries square Pluto: Wed, Apr 22, 2:31 a.m. PDT
- Moon in Aries square Jupiter: Wed, Apr 22, 5:32 a.m. PDT
- Moon in Taurus square Saturn: Wed, Apr 22, 3:39 p.m. PDT
- Moon in Taurus conjunct Uranus: Thu, April 23, 1:29 a.m. PDT
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IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: This is a powerful year for you, on multiple levels. Your Taurean need for consistency is challenged, requiring you to find that longed-for inner peace through conscious practice. At the same time, you are opening to a more cosmic perspective on reality. Although exciting, this can also be disconcerting for earthy Taurus. If you allow the shift to occur, and let go of your old definitions of self, you will find new opportunities await you. The doors that are opening will take you light years beyond the confines of your usual existence, if you choose to step through them. (Solar Return Sun square Jupiter, square Saturn, conjunct Uranus, semisquare Neptune)
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For previous weeks of the Astrological Journal, click here.
About the Author
Pam 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
