Planet Waves Monthly for April by Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19) — It’s not merely that this will be one of the most unusual months of your life so far. Rather, you are entering a phase of existence – lasting years – that will stand apart from anything you’ve experienced before. Yet despite the extraordinary astrology, the message of your charts is about doing the work of self-actualization. This concept is all but omitted from the world, except for my going on about it. If you are in any way struggling, the question is: are you being real with yourself? Related questions include: are you being true to your healing process? Do you compromise your values because you’re in a relationship with another person? The simplest way to describe self-actualization is to recognize that your relationship to yourself is your one and only priority in this world. The condition of other relationships are expressions of your commitment to your own being. It may seem like something else is true — and I would say that all of that “something else” is a distraction from your core mission. This is not about being narcissistic or egocentric. Those things deny the existence of others, and the various roles that you serve for people and that they serve for you. Yet you must have a point of orientation from which you can define “self” and “other.” If you find this difficult, take solace that many are in your situation. Very few take action, which means to actualize, which means making decisions based on honest perception. And that is the theme of the moment.


Taurus (April 19-May 20) — This may be one of the most unusual and brilliant months of your life, if you can hang loose and shed some of your attachments to the past. You don’t need familiar right now — you need bold and adventurous. Embrace the sense of ‘no turning back’ that’s likely to infuse your every step. You may feel like you’re not up to such an adventure, because you’re not personally ready for it, or have not done enough to “find yourself.” Yet taken as a whole, these coming weeks and months are all about making unexpected discoveries. That suggests there is no way to predict who or what you will become under a series of influences unlike any other that you’ve ever experienced. Among the challenges you face are making comparisons between what might be, and what has been. However, if this astrology is saying one thing, it’s that the past is the worst possible reference point for your future potential. So you’ll hopefully get to the point where your only option is to “let go and let God.” Events in your adjoining sign Aries may have you under what feels like quite a lot of pressure to discover something you don’t know about who you are. Yet you don’t have to do much more than remain open minded, go with the flow, and stay in contact with what you’re feeling rather than trying to pretend you’re not. Who you are and who you express in the world are about to drop into perfect alignment, and if you let this happen without resistance, you will gain something you take with you for the rest of your life.


Gemini (May 20-June 21) — The challenge for all of us and especially for you is to think with your whole brain. Though this is not based on exact science, the metaphor works well enough: humans tend to think with half of their consciousness, and half of their awareness (at best) and shut out the rest. This leads to a polarized and distorted view of oneself and of existence. As the world goes wild this month, and unexpected and even impossible developments seem to burst out of nowhere, resist the temptation to be razzled and dazzled by the show. Keep your awareness turned inward, and calmly study your responses to people and situations. Notice that you will have two seemingly diametrically opposed views on any circumstance. See if you can spot this happening, and make a note of what those opposing or distinctive viewpoints are. Then, consider the idea that there is a way to see the world that transcends the parts, and the sum of the parts. You are a different person when you do this, when you transcend your limited or “hemispheric” perceptions. This is what you feel when you’re suddenly “the real you” and not one of these contentious, opinionated half-selves. The result is both accuracy of perception, and a state of calm that you can easily abide and wish would be with you all the time. This month, Sedna enters your birth sign for the first time in 11,400 years (yes, since back in one Stone Age or another). This represents a profound and necessary shift in the mental environment — especially your own.


Cancer (June 21-July 22) — If astrology means anything, this will be one of the most unusual months of your life. The central image is a kind of debut where you emerge into the world as the person you always thought you might be. To stand visibly in your truth, as a matter of action, is to stand out. It’s to express your desires and your accomplishments honestly and with humility. That is a vulnerable place to be. Yet it would seem that if you want to claim your position in the world, vulnerability is a small price to pay. And remember — it’s a feeling. Those who admit their vulnerability as a conscious idea are often protected by their commitment to truth, and by being in alignment with themselves. This has a way of repelling interference, or giving you the strength to handle any that may come your way. Many who feel the safest and most confident have problems lurking at their door. While you’re a private person in many ways, your current necessity is to be recognized and noticed. This is not a matter of ego, pride or fame. In order to do your best work, others must know about you. And your visibility is a matter of the example you set for others, which in the end, is your only teaching and your only true accomplishment. Model for others your ability to be steadfast and true in a world of chaos and deception. That is the mark of strength and integrity, and it’s the story being told by your astrology — now and far into the future.


Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The key to understanding Leo is the idea that your spiritual or religious orientation is about self-development. You do not need a deity or a supreme being. You probably see the fallacy of that idea, and understand the way that it’s abused to gain power over people. I am not saying that the universe does not have a Creator and that there is no wise or helpful spiritual agency. What I am saying is that so far as I can see, you know that the way to higher consciousness is through your own self-awareness, and your commitment to growth. And it would be a wonderful thing if more people figured this out, because most of the alternatives lead to spiritual bankruptcy, or people falling under the thrall of powers that would be better described as darker rather than higher. The April 8 eclipse is a bonanza of self-actualization. It’s about the awakening to who you are, and who you always were. This, in turn, offers an opening into many new possibilities, all of which you contain within you (and always have). The healing that the world needs is personal healing, because no other is possible without it. And that is what you have available. Think of the eclipse of the Sun, the celestial body associated with Leo, as a curtain drawn back, revealing something within your own awareness: the attractive power of wholeness. You will get a look at how important the example you set really is. In the words of A Course in Miracles, this is a journey without distance to a destination that has never changed.


Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — This is your moment to reach escape velocity on a concept of relationships you no longer can abide. Consider the long arc of your personal history: how much of your energy have partnership, romance, and marriage consumed, and how much have they given back? You may be one of the lucky few who has come out ahead. There may be things you would never trade back for some other experience. I’m not talking about that, though; I am talking about the idea of losing yourself in a person, or investing yourself in them so fully that there is little left of your previous concept of who you are. This sometimes manifests as alternating between “the me who is in a relationship” and “the me who is not in a relationship,” as if they are two different people. Knowing something of women’s history, and the collective memory we may have of a time when women did not have names, this is something to be vigilant about. There are still places today when married-off means that all is well and good. And men are still conditioned to think that their life is not complete without a woman, especially a wife. Yet this cannot be supported by the psychic structure of true personhood; of self-actualization; of having the space and the freedom to be yourself. Most relationships are formed on the basis that you will remain the same person who you are today, and that is why growth is so stressful. I have read for many clients for whom even the idea of healing is threatening to a relationship. Yet growth and healing (as one idea) is your single highest priority. You know that no matter what else happens, you must be your own person — and that and nothing else is the basis of your relationships.


Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — From one day to the next, you may feel like you’re waking up in a different world. This may involve your partnerships and relationships, as well as the most ordinary situations, walking around in what were once familiar spaces with recognizable people. The gift of this moment is your growing recognition of what unusual times we are living through. The mind usually smooths over that kind of awareness, and reduces everything to the expected and predictable. Yet in truth nothing really is; the ego conceals much beauty and extraordinariness. You may observe significant distinctions and unusual qualities whereas before you saw very few. Moreover, they will matter to you: you will know that your new way of seeing is teaching you something about yourself. As the April 8 eclipse approaches, imagine the world is becoming a wholly transparent place, where you can gaze at all of the situations in your life, and have the ability to move through the different spaces — anywhere you want. What will you do with this freedom? I suggest taking your time and getting to know people. Slow down and mingle with anything you’re considering being part of. Seek understanding while remembering it does not come quickly or easily — though part of your new perceptual gift is the patience to learn. At no time are you an outsider gazing in; rather, your perspective is from within the midst of the world, surrounded by it on all sides — even as your inner observer speaks to you about the meaning of events and the people you encounter.


Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You came into this life to do something all your own — your invention, your idea, your design, and your opportunity to express yourself. Not everyone has such a mission. You may think they do, but then wonder how they can do something from day to day that bears no resemblance to who they truly are. For those people, you provide an important example, though that too is secondary to serving in the specific way you’re called to serve. Most others would be made very nervous by doing something so distinctive and unproven. Heck, you might even be a little edgy about it. Yet you’re at the point where you have little choice but to take up your true dharma and get busy. The universe has a way of clearing the path when people make a decision to do what is truly right for them. And even if you encounter obstacles, they will be learning opportunities, and provide you with valuable experience. Therefore, do not fall for the illusion of a blockage of any kind, or of external resistance. Your charts describe how the fastest way to take a curve is to be in the inner lane, then move silently past whatever might have blocked your way. Be respectful and generous, and you’ll make friends where you could have made adversaries. And you’re well poised to recognize the power of your state of mind as your best ally in any situation. I know this sounds trite — but I mean it sincerely. Keep it positive; meaning, say yes to yourself. There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.


Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — These days may have the feeling of a moment you’ve long been waiting for, and I’m happy to tell you that is true. If you’ve ever needed cosmic consent to be who you are and do what is right for you, you have it now — with astounding emphasis. Indeed, anything may feel right, so make sure that’s really true. I have a clue for you: Do the one thing you’ve always wanted to do the most. Embark on that path: take the first steps if this is the beginning, proceed boldly if you are underway, and resolve to go the whole distance if you’re most of the way there. Where is there? Only you know. But one thing I can tell you is that it’s as much an approach to travel and creation as it is a destination. Several events unfold this month, and I think that the order is important. The April 8 solar eclipse describes the seed of your creative impulse, which is self-discovery. You are not here to produce anything; you are here to understand yourself — and that gets the results. Those are shown in an April 20 conjunction of your ruling planet Jupiter with revolutionary Uranus. This is about you inventing a new approach to your work, based on your newly-acquired self-knowledge. Then the healing process shifts to your relationships. The message there is to relate to others not as half of a relationship but as a whole person. I suggest you seek collaboration rather than completion. If more people got that far, the world would be a better and more peaceful place. And you just might do it.


Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You’re in a profound process of sorting out your priorities, your ideas and your sense of belonging on the planet. Most descriptions of Capricorn say your sign is about aspiring upward. My take is that what you live for is to be grounded and confident in who you are — and succeed from that place. You’re at your strongest when you start inwardly and let your reality ripple outward into the pond of existence. You have plenty to reflect on from the Pluto-in-Capricorn years, though you also know that you’re being called to de-emphasize the past and be present in the moment. Pluto’s new location in Aquarius is urging you to understand your priorities — and how they are different from those of everyone around you. Events in Pisces are saying you must get over your guilt complex, and not let your emotions cloud your mental clarity. There seems to be a tremendously important decision you have to make, though the pressure is false, and you will soon see that there is a solution to the situation that serves everyone. The discovery is the power of mental blocks, and how much strength you can set free by letting them go. The resulting clarity and understanding will help you determine the proper direction of movement, which will feel logical, and have no sensation of guessing. Yet the centerpiece of April’s astrology involves your home-making and security angle. I suggest focusing specifically on the spaces you live in, and make them perfect for who you are. It can take a long time to settle into a home, but when it happens, you know it: everything feels right, and you’re certain you’re waking up the very place that you want to be.


Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your sign has what I call a ‘contrarian’ side, which sometimes shows up as disagreeing with others for the sake of doing so. Yet this is a mere shadow of your true originality. Pluto in your sign indicates that you now have the strength to never allow yourself to be persuaded of what you don’t agree with, or what is not true. That’s the flip-side to ‘contrarian’, which can be ‘conformist for convenience’ — and we’ve all had plenty of lessons about the dark places that leads. Yet you don’t need either of those. Your mind is shockingly fresh right now, and you may walk around with the ongoing amazement that you’ve never seen the world quite like you do now. Feed that experience gently, and take any opportunity to rethink what you thought was ‘settled science’. This includes anything you thought you knew about yourself. Don’t worry — your psyche will not collapse with the shock of personal discovery. Rather, it will feel like taking off tight shoes and sweaty clothes. One thing to be real about is your anger. It can be a powerful motivation for change, or a toxic acid that burns you up from inside. But you can’t do anything about it, or with it, if you don’t acknowledge how you feel. So start there. Remember that once you make contact with anger or the feelings that mask it (frustration, depression, and confusion), you will be motivated to make changes. Fortunately, given this month’s total eclipse and many other factors, the time is right for radical growth and progress.


Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Accomplish by creativity, stealth and shapeshifting what you cannot do by force. To that end, proceed slowly and gently, and pay close attention to your surroundings. Make yourself noticeable in only the ways you want to be noticed; practice selective dispensing of information. Spin everything consciously to create the image that will be useful to you, and gently work your way through resistance and obstacles. Persistence rather than aggression is your friend. Translate feelings of impatience into something tangible, which are the series of steps you will need to take to get from where you are today to where you want to be. The worst judgments are your own self-judgments; this is not easy to master in a world that seems to deal out harsh opinions on a moment-to-moment basis, though they cannot stick to you if you do not agree. The unusual sequence of events that span the incomparable month of April 2024 take you through some strange inner territory as the world goes through its upheavals. Whatever your outer circumstances may be, how you regard yourself is the defining factor in nearly any outcome. The concept of “enemy” really means “inner persecutor.” At the moment you’re going through a profound rite of passage in the realm of experience known today as self-respect or self-esteem. This involves understanding all facets of the value that you put upon yourself. There will be problems that money can solve, and I suggest you resist the temptation to take that approach. Stick to what is right and true.