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Written and Narrated by Pam Younghans.
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Astrological Overview: April 3 - 9, 2023
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.
Aspects of Note this Week:
All times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours; For Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), add 7 hours.
MON: Mercury enters Taurus, Mercury square Pluto
TUE: No major aspects are exact today
WED: Mercury sextile Saturn, Sun conjunct Chiron, Full Moon 9:34 p.m. PDT
THU: No major aspects are exact today
FRI: Venus sextile Neptune, Mercury sextile Mars
SAT: Sun semisquare Saturn
SUN: No major aspects are exact today
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LIBRA FULL MOON: A Full Moon is on the calendar this week, at 9:34 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, April 5. It occurs when the Moon is at 16°07´ Libra and the Sun is at the same degree of Aries. The Aries-Libra polarity of this lunation requires us to find a balance between self and other, between assertiveness and tact, between independent action and cooperative effort.
Entangled in the energies of the Full Moon is Wounded Healer Chiron. Positioned only 15 arc minutes away from the Sun, at 15°52´ Aries, Chiron demands to be seen and acknowledged. This can manifest as unexpected aggressiveness or explosive anger coming to the surface, as the inner child feels it must throw a tantrum in order to get attention.
As a result, relationship issues may come to a crisis point this week, especially if one party has been feeling unfairly treated, or has perhaps been downplaying their own needs for the sake of keeping the peace. Full Moons are always times of heightened emotions and revelations, and with giant planet Jupiter also close to the Aries Sun at the time of the lunation, we can expect exaggerated reactions this week.
Libra, as the sign of The Scales, is also concerned with fairness, justice, and lawsuits. Jupiter rules lawyers, the courts, and themes of law and order. These issues are highlighted and in the news as the lunar cycle reaches a climax this week. With Chiron's influence woven into the mix, there are likely to be accusations of unfair treatment due to individual rights being violated.
The Full Moon is also in minor hard aspect to Saturn (sesquiquadrate) and to Uranus (quincunx). With these influences, certain restrictions may feel unfair but we will also benefit from being flexible in our assessment of the situation.
ECLIPSE SEASON BEGINS: The current lunar cycle comes to a close on April 19/20, when there will be an annular Solar Eclipse. This means that this week's Full Moon marks the beginning of our first eclipse season of 2023.
Eclipse season has a very different feeling sense than other times of the year. We can feel somewhat removed from reality, but at the same time, events in the outer world can be more dramatic and move more rapidly. They may also seem to be more fated or karmic in nature.
DAILY ASPECTS: Here are this week's most important planetary aspects, with my brief interpretations of each.
Monday
Mercury enters Taurus: Mercury will move through placid Taurus from April 3 to June 11. Usually in a sign for about three weeks, the Messenger Planet will linger longer in the sign of The Bull due to being retrograde from April 21 to May 14. While Mercury is in Taurus, people may tend to be more cautious about making changes or embracing new ideas. Decisions are made based on practical concerns and common sense.
Mercury square Pluto: As soon as Mercury enters Taurus, it forms a challenging square aspect with Pluto in Aquarius. There is likely to be a disruption in plans with this aspect, and verbal disagreements in which both sides stubbornly refuse to be open to alternate opinions. Power struggles can result, based on each party being certain of what they know and resistant to input from others.
Tuesday
No major aspects are exact today.
Wednesday
Mercury sextile Saturn: Communications can proceed more reasonably today with this sextile in effect. Thinking is clearer and people are more rational in their words.
Sun conjunct Chiron: Wounds may be highlighted now, but this Sun-Chiron alignment can also help us see with greater clarity what steps we need to take for our healing and rehabilitation.
Full Moon: The Libra Full Moon reaches its peak at 9:34 p.m. PDT on April 5 (0434 UT April 6).
Thursday:
No major aspects are exact today.
Friday
Venus sextile Neptune: This aspect enables us to feel greater sympathy for others and encourages us to find common ground.
Mercury sextile Mars: We are more able to express our emotional needs calmly with Mercury in Taurus sextile Mars in Cancer.
Saturday
Sun semisquare Saturn: Some discouragement is possible with this aspect. Responsibilities can interfere with our ability to be independent or to fulfill personal desires.
Sunday
No major aspects are exact today.
A READER'S QUESTION: How do we move beyond karmic patterns, situations that keep recurring in our lives?
As a first step, some inner self-exploration is advised, to discover what our Soul is asking us to learn through the repeating situation. Once we understand what qualities our Soul wants us to develop, we have a starting point for healing and growth.
The list of possible Soul lessons is as varied as each individual, of course. One person might be learning to pay closer attention to their intuition and less to the opinions of others. Another might be learning greater self-love, to accept their own humanness and fallibility. Still another might be learning patience and forgiveness, or how to be supportive without becoming a rescuer.
Astrology can be very helpful in this process of self-discovery. Our natal chart can provide essential insights into the area of concern, or we can explore personal transits that are in effect when the situation recurs.Understanding the nodal axis in our chart can often shed good light on what we perceive as "karmic" situations. The Moon's South Node shows traits that we have overdeveloped over the course of our lifetimes, that we are hoping to transmute in the current incarnation. The North Node, which is always exactly opposite the South Node, reveals qualities our Soul has intended for us to develop this time around.
Once we become aware of the higher purposes of a repeating situation, there are many ways to do the personal work required to shift the pattern. Working with a trusted therapist can be very helpful, as can meditation, energy work, and shamanic journeying.I hope this answer is useful, and gives you a starting point for your journey.
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IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: Self-care is a strong theme this year, Aries, which means you may need to move more slowly than is natural for The Ram. As you commit to your own healing process and take the necessary time for reflection and renewal, you begin to feel more hopeful and have the confidence to take new risks, perhaps ones that you did not feel capable of previously. You may also find that you refine your beliefs this year, adjusting your life philosophy to include greater compassion and support for your inner child. (Solar Return Sun conjunct Jupiter, semisquare Saturn, conjunct Chiron)
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SAVE THE DATE! My next webinar, which will cover May through August 2023, is set for Thursday, May 4. My working title is "A Quickening: The Quantum Shift Gains Momentum." I'll include details and registration link in next week's Journal. I hope you can join us!
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TRANSLATION and AUDIO/VIDEO VERSION: This weekly Journal is now recorded (in English) AND the text is transcribed into 30 languages! You'll see a row of flags under "Available Languages" in the upper right. And, there are options to listen to the audio (in English) or watch a video directly beneath the photo (see top of page).
The Journal entry is usually updated by Sunday evening, with the recordings appearing late Sunday or by Monday depending on your time zone. Please share this information with those who might benefit.
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For previous weeks of the Astrological Journal, click here.
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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
For more information about NorthPoint Astrology offerings, please visit northpointastrology.com or visit her Facebook page.
