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Number 73

 April is a busy month, astrologically speaking, with Mercury moving retrograde, the Wesak Full Moon, Saturn opposing Uranus, Chiron moving in Pisces, Saturn retrograding back into Virgo and Uranus semi-sextiling Neptune.  Some of you may prefer to just read the monthly over-view as section 2 and 3 have been published in previous newsletters when the particular energies aligned for the first time.

 Blessings

Christine 

Blessings

 Christine Rothwell

' 03 9584 6532

Email: christiner@netspace.net.au

Website: www.christinerothwell.com.au

 Contents

1. April Overview
2. Saturn opposition Uranus
3. Uranus semi-sextile Neptune
4. 2010 Astrology Classes.

·        Beginner’s / First Year on Monday nights

·        Intermediate / Second Year on Thursday nights

·        Advanced / Third Year one Saturday afternoon per month

5. Consultations and Gift Certificates

1.    April Overview

 Pluto stations retrograde at 5Ò Capricorn on April 7. The times when a planet stations are when it is said to be most powerful… it is as if the God is standing still and demanding we notice him.  Pluto invites us to engage in deep soul searching, confront our fears and own our shadows. This station highlights all the fears and issues that Pluto’s current transit of Capricorn has constellated and which may reach a peak in the middle of the year when a t-square configuration involving Pluto, Saturn and Uranus forms. This configuration has been dubbed the ‘Cardinal Climax’ or ‘Cardinal Cross’ and has been the subject of much speculation within the astrological community.

 On April 8 Saturn retrogrades back into Virgo until July 22 when it returns to Libra. This suggests that Saturn is making its last call for us all to attend to the Virgoan realms. Saturn takes about 29 ½ years to orbit the Sun and therefore spends about 2 ½ years in each sign. Saturn’s current transit of Virgo began in September 2007. Saturn in Virgo challenges us to review, restructure and take responsibility for the realm of Virgo personally and collectively, challenging us all to become more efficient and attend to the details of life. You may feel called to tie up some loose ends regarding:

• Your health- sorting out your diet and / or fitness regime
• Your daily routine – finally coming to grips with some unproductive habits and routines
• Your skill base – taking responsibility for developing some new skills, however much you prefer not to!

 On April 13 Uranus semi-sextiles Neptune, intensifying the current bond of mutual reception that exists between these two planets during the years 2003 to 2011. This relationship of ‘mutual reception, highlights all things Uranian and Neptunian or [Aquarian and Piscean], bringing them into conscious relationship. In esoteric astrology these two planets are said to rule the third eye, suggesting the possibility for psychic awakenings and deeper levels of ‘seeing’ for those whose third eye is open. This configuration has been referred to as where Science [Aquarius] meets Spirituality [Pisces]. See section 3 for more information.

 The New Moon in Aries on April 14 is harmoniously aspecting both Neptune and Chiron, making this an auspicious time for physical and spiritual healing as well as developing a more compassionate outlook. Aries is the warrior of the zodiac and aligned with these planets he becomes the spiritual warrior. New Moons are powerful times to set new intentions and this New Moon is especially powerful for beginning new healing and spiritual quests.

Mercury enters the retrograde loop on April 4 in preparation for turning retrograde on April 18, a process that heralds a new Mercury cycle that will begin on April 29 when Mercury conjuncts the Sun. The retrograde process takes place in the sign of Taurus. 

Currently Mercury is still visible in the evening sky but he will disappear for   about a week when he is lost in the blaze of the Sun – April 22 to May 5 - - to re-appear in the sky just before sunrise around May 5 or later. In esoteric terms this is the most intense and powerful part of the retrograde process as this when Mercury assumes his alter ego as Psychopomp and Guide to the Underworld. In this role Mercury is associated with the Egyptian scribe Thoth, who has access to the Halls of Record [Akashic records]. Esoteric writers suggest that the retrograde phase of Mercury creates an opening that allows access to the wisdom of our soul and the wisdom of the Cosmos.  

Key dates

·        Exact dates: April 18 to May 12

·        Sensitive degrees: 2 to 12 degrees of Taurus

·        Full time of influence: April 4 to May 29

·        Time for insight: April 29 when New Mercury Cycle begins [Mercury conjunct the Sun]

·        Time to act on new ideas / beliefs: May 12 to 29

 Remember Mercury retrograde always provides us with the opportunity to free our thinking from habitual ruts and develop a more conscious set of mental attitudes and beliefs. Concerns may arise over the first few weeks and the answers and insight can appear when the new cycle begins on April 29, Sit with your insights until after May 12 when Mercury goes direct. The next few weeks are the time to express your insights and put new plans into action.

 Chiron moves into Pisces on April 20 for a brief stay of 3 months before it retrogrades back into Aquarius to complete its mission there. On February 9 2011 it will return to Pisces and remain there until 2018 to 2019. Chiron now brings the potential for healing and reconciliation of opposites to the realm of Pisces. This will highlight our Piscean wounds that include patterns of co-dependency, addiction, denial and escapism as well as choosing [consciously or unconsciously] to be the victim. Healing will also come through the Piscean realms of dreams, imagination and working with the unconscious mind as well as through opening our hearts and embracing love, compassion, empathy and forgiveness. Chiron in Pisces will highlight the healing power of the unseen in its many forms.

 Saturn opposes Uranus on April 27 for the fourth of five exact hits. This time the opposition is taking place at 28 degrees [almost 29] of Virgo and Pisces. Soon Saturn will move into Libra and Uranus into Aries to form the cardinal t-square with Pluto that dominates the astrological landscape for 2010.  In this opposition we see the forces of change, democracy, equality and universal brother/sisterhood [Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius] clashing with Saturn [the ruler of Capricorn], the status quo, tradition, conservatism, fear and rigidity. The opposition is calling for a re-balancing of these energies collectively and within each individual. More information in section 2

 April 28 is the Scorpio Full Moon, celebrated as Wesak, the Festival of the Buddha. It honours both the physical birth of the Buddha and his spiritual birth or enlightenment. In esoteric literature this Festival is the time when the Buddha returns to remind us of the possibility of awakening or enlightenment. It is a time to refocus on our spiritual lives and look at what needs to be released or let go, so we can become more compassionate and awakened.  As this co-incides with Mercury retrograde and Chiron moving into Pisces it is a very potent and auspicious time to heed the Buddha’s message and focus on both our spiritual and inner lives.

 2.    . Saturn opposite Uranus: April 27

This article is now posted on my website so many of you may have already digested this information.

Saturn opposes Uranus for the fourth of five transits that will take place over 2 ½ years. The first of these transits coincided with the election of Barack Obama to the U.S. Presidency. The dates when these aspects become exact are:

• November 5 2008
• February 5 2009
• September 15 2009
• April 27 2010
• August 27 2010

 Here we see the two old mythological foes, Uranus and Saturn, forming a tense aspect that speaks of conflict between the forces of change, freedom and liberation [Uranus] and the forces of conservatism and the status quo [Saturn]: Saturn symbolizes the old, Uranus the new. Uranus also rules new technological inventions and innovation generally while Saturn is associated law and order, all administrative institutions including those in the domains of government and finance.

 Both planets have their constructive and destructive sides and the opposition tends to bring out the conflict between them so the two energies can be re-balanced in a more productive way.

 We can therefore say:

·        The forces of change and progress [Uranus] are putting pressure on governmental and financial structures [Saturn]

·         There is a need to re-structure [Saturn] some of the freedoms [Uranus] that the financial sector, bureaucracy and law and order institutions have enjoyed.

·        There is a need for more responsibility [Saturn] in implementing the New Technology [Uranus]

 Some western leaders, including our own Kevin Rudd, are talking of the need for major restructuring and re-regulating [Saturn] of excessive capitalism [Uranus]. Furthermore we are experiencing climate change as a result of irresponsible application of scientific innovations.

 Somehow we need to find a way to use these two energies constructively so we can move forward as a global community. This suggests:

• Responsible [Saturn] application of the New Technology [Uranus] in a way that doesn’t create chaos [Uranus] or stagnation [Saturn]
• Constructive change [Uranus] of Government, bureaucracy, law and order, financial institutions [Saturn] so they can function more efficiently [Saturn] and reflect the current changes [Uranus] in the world situation.

 These aspects mark the mid-point of the Saturn-Uranus cycle that began in 1988 when Saturn conjuncted Uranus. This heralded the end of the old communist structures when Berlin Wall came down and the USSR underwent a melt down. The world order changed irrevocably then and it will again… or has already!

 The last two times we have experienced an opposition between these two planets were in 1965 - 7 and 1918 - 20. The mid-sixties were a time of massive social change when the old social order crumbled under a youth lead revolt that called for more freedom and social equality. The conservative backlash was just as strong but it was not able to constrain the Uranian forces of change.  

3.       Uranus semi-sextile Neptune

This article first appeared in the October 2009 Newsletter

·        June 10 2009

·        October 5 2009

·        April 13 2010

 Uranus semi-sextiles Neptune on April 13 for the last of three exact ‘hits’, intensifying the current bond of mutual reception that exists between these two planets. Mutual reception occurs when two planets are found in each other’s natural signs, creating a sympathetic connection and a blending of the two energies. Ancient astrologers called this condition “exchange of signs,” and believed that it provided mutual support and helped each individual planet withstand tension. Modern astrologers describe mutual reception as creating an affinity or synergy between the two planets in question. 

Currently Uranus is in Pisces from 2003 to 2011 [the sign that Neptune rules] and Neptune is in Aquarius from 1998 to2012 [the sign that Uranus rules], so between 2003 and 2011 these two planets are said to be in ‘mutual reception’. .This means that all things Uranian and Neptunian are currently being emphasized, highlighting the Aquarian and Piscean archetypes and bringing them into relationship.  

Aquarius /Uranus rules

• science, & technology
• aviation & space travel
• electricity
• ‘New Age’
• Alternative lifestyles
• innovation& the process of change
• humanitarian causes 

Neptune / Pisces rules

·        water supplies and bodies of water [oceans, rivers, lakes]

·        oil resources & the petrochemical industry

·        ideology

·        spirituality

·        compassion

·        creativity

·        altered states of consciousness

·        the imaginal world of symbols and images 

The mutual reception is facilitating a number of significant relationships that are being powerfully intensified by the semi-sextile aspect. Both these planets are called transpersonal planets as they move very slowly and tend to reflect changes in the collective psyche. Furthermore, esoteric traditions associate these two planets with the third eye and altered states of consciousness. Children being born in this time frame [2003 -2010-11] are naturally wired to a vastly different inner landscape and have will have the potential to be leaders in synthesizing these energies. Anything is possible when we embrace this new paradigm – if you can imagine it, then it can exist. 

 On a mundane level the mutual reception could lead to

·        further breakthroughs in the world of quantum physics that seem to come full circle and embrace metaphysical wisdom

·        new technologies that deal with the unseen forms of energy in all areas: medicine, science etc

·        breakthroughs in water technology /conservation

·        breakthroughs in medical technology / treatment, especially that which deals with the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system and chemical imbalances.

·        greater understanding of illnesses due to pollution and chemical toxicity

·        healing techniques that harness the power of the imagination as well as the power of compassion. Many individuals and groups are well advanced in this area and organizations such as the Heart Math Institute in the US are at the forefront of linking emotional states with medical conditions.

·        new visions of world peace

·        new humanitarian and social movements 

On a personal level this synergy suggests the potential for

• greater sensitivity [positive as well as chemical sensitivity]
• greater compassion
• heightened intuition
• opening of the ‘inner eye’ or ‘third eye’ 

Courses, Workshops and Classes

 Contact Christine on 9584 6532 or christiner@netspace.net.au for a brochure. 

 

Blessings

Christine Rothwell