April is a “5” Universal Month [4 (April) + 1 (2026) = 5] in a “1” Universal Year. “5” months tend to involve a lot of tension and strife, as they break up the perceived solidity of the “4” month that comes before it. This is in line with this month, which is dominated by a major stellium of Mercury, Mars, and Saturn, who will meet up in conjunction with one another at 07° Aries towards the end of the month. Things are going to feel complicated and acutely personal all month long.
The Set Up
We begin the month with the Sun, Saturn, and Neptune in Aries, Mercury and Mars in Pisces, Venus and Uranus in Taurus, Jupiter in Cancer, and Pluto in Aquarius. By the end of the month, the Sun will have entered Taurus, Mercury and Mars will enter Aries, and Venus and Uranus will enter Gemini. All planets will be in direct motion this month.
The Nitty Gritty
April looks much easier than February or March, but we still have to contend with Saturn in Aries, as it is Aries season. This Aries season is not going to Aries like we want it to; the natural cardinality of the Ram is significantly slowed down by the weighty presence of Saturn.
At a glance, it may seem like this is the absolute antithesis of Aries season (Saturn is detrimented in Aries, after all), but if you look deeper, Saturn energy is good, solid springtime energy. If you do not plant any seeds, there will be no harvest. Boom, Saturn energy unlocked. This is your sign to work WITH Saturn in Aries energy, not struggle against it. The work you put into your own life will be rewarded. The results may come slowly (Saturn energy…), but they are coming.
The Lights: The Sun and the Moon
We begin the month with a strong full moon on the 1st at 12° Libra. This Moon is well appointed because Libra is ruled by Venus and Venus is in the sign of her domain, Taurus. The Sun will still be widely conjunct to Saturn (06°), which will tone down the energy somewhat. This supports magic working with the Sun in Aries, Moon in Libra, Venus, or Saturn. Libra is the sign of the other and relationships, but with Saturn so tightly involved, I would avoid any relationship magic unless you are very serious about that partnership.
Energies will be heightened throughout this lunation (especially in the evening, when the full moon goes exact in the US), and it could create some domestic troubles, especially in partnerships where one person isn’t holding up their end of the bargain.
We should note that the Aries Sun is already in a tightening square to Jupiter in Cancer (exact on 4/5), so I wouldn’t call this lunation “lucky” by any means. More necessary.
The Sun will remain mostly unaspected all month. It makes a conjunction to Chiron at 26° Aries on 4/16 and then a major stellium with the Moon and Chiron during the new moon at 27° Aries the next day on 4/17. This is a day to step carefully. For some (especially those with planets in late Aries or Libra), this may bring back situations that arose during our total solar eclipse in Aries in the spring of 2024. There, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Chiron were conjunct. Chiron has been holding on to any aches and pains from that eclipse season. This is a chance to clear out anything that feels really stuck, and also an opportunity to set intention with Aries energy that isn’t as inhibited by Saturn’s presence.
On 4/19, the Sun enters Taurus. This is a mixed bag. Normally, this isn’t great because the Sun is exalted in Aries, but, as I said above, Aries season can’t Aries like it’s supposed to this year. We might not get any more spring in our step until we’ve entered Taurus season. First they sleep, and all that…
Things are growing, and we ARE getting somewhere. It just may not feel like it for most of the month.
Our Taurus Sun will square off with Pluto in Aquarius on 4/25, but most people won’t notice it.
Saturn in Aries
Saturnian energy is going to take center stage all month, at least through 4/19-4/20. This is our first Aries season with Saturn in Aries, and shit is about to get real. There is no avoiding Saturn if he comes knocking – sooner or later, even the most avoidant person needs to pay the piper.
The big flex is knowing what you owe and having your dues ready.
We can see this Aries season as a karmic tax season. I don’t mean that new-agey, woo version of karma (oooh, what comes around, goes around) either. That’s not astrological karma. Astrological karma is more like the pendulum swing: what goes out, must come back. You are born into a certain time, to a certain group of people, and that time and that group of people have karma. It was all of our karma to live in a time of a global pandemic – with its good, its bad, and its ugly. It is our karma to have to deal with the aftermath of the lockdowns, the misinformation, and the very real collective trauma that is still unfolding.
If you are not hiding under a rock, you can probably see that all of us – the collective We – need to have a great reckoning. Climate change tipping at the point of no return, fascism on the rise, disaster after disaster after disaster, yet another war over oil. All of these things have the potential to “come due” in the month ahead.
It’s important to note that Saturn is not a personal planet. Yes, some people will have a personal reconning while Saturn is in Aries, but this is also – more accurately – going to be a collective reconning.
It will be more personal for people with the luminaries (Sun and Moon), personal planets (Mercury, Venus, or Mars), or Saturn in Aries. But it will have a social impact, and those most sensitive are always affected by this.
We are in this shit (Saturn in Aries) until April of 2028 – this is a long-haul transit; the expected value of slow-moving Saturn. The energy of this is going to be most pronounced during Aries and Libra seasons, but we’ll get some pressure during Cancer and Capricorn seasons as well.
We note here that the cardinal signs have been on blast since early 2020, when we had a major planetary stellium in Capricorn; this is the continuation of a theme.
If you have Saturn in Aries, this is your Saturn return. You need to pay attention to everything Saturn does in your sign, but watch especially for when it conjuncts your natal Saturn (this may be up to 3x). If you have a luminary or personal planet in any of the cardinal signs, you might want to stay attentive as well. You will feel this the most when Saturn is within 05° aspect (conjunction, square, or opposition) to your planet.
Depending on your personal relationship to Saturn and what is going on in your life, major Saturnian transits can range from mildly challenging to back-breakingly difficult. It’s wise to remember that Saturn brings the hammer of consequence, but rewards are consequences, too. Saturn doesn’t have to be the bad guy – we humans paint him in that light.
Stellium: Mercury, Mars, and Saturn 07° Aries 4/19-4/20
Mercury and Mars have already been conjunct with one another twice this year, once in early Aquarius and again during Mercury’s retrograde in Pisces. Now Mercury passes Mars for a third time in spunky, aggressive Aries. Mars is even in his domain in Aries! That’s what I would normally say about this aspect.
Mercury and Mars are our two fastest planets. Mercury is literally fast, moving around the Sun 3-4x a year, while Mars’s fiery energy is quite quick on his feet (and most especially Mars in Aries energy!). These two combined feel like nearly literal combustion, the wind running through the flame and sparking more!
Saturn is a Hard Stop. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
As you might guess, this won’t end well for many people. Your goal should be to make sure that you are not one of those people. It might not be possible. Saturn is definitely not always within our control.
I am painting this cosmic STOP sign through this missive; it’s your choice whether to heed the warning.
Where are you rushing too fast in your own life? Saturn in Aries can be kind of sneaky; it can trick us into thinking that if we just run fast enough and hard enough, the Storm won’t catch up. Aries (and to some degree all of the cardinal signs) have the bad habit of disassociating through action.
Never stop moving seems like a sound strategy until it doesn’t. If you never stop moving, you probably didn’t stop to smell the flowers, and you missed the sensation of wind in your hair as you stood quietly at the peak, and you probably weren’t present at your person’s birthday party or on the phone with your Mom.
With such a strong planetary presence in Aries, we are all likely to feel a lot of pressure to keep going and keep moving this month.
The big flex is to step away from that collective pressure and find a place of rest. It might not be possible.
Carve out any space you can for yourself this month. Do slow things. Eat real food. Take a walk on the beach or go forest bathing. Do what will soothe your heavy heart.
This is going to be hard for many people. Do the best you can with what is coming up for you. Help others if you’ve got the energy.
I’m not particularly fond of any Mars-Saturn conjunction, so I’m a little bit grateful for Mercury’s help here. Mercury’s a great verbal negotiator, and their trickster vibes can defuse tense situations.
Our Personal Planets: Mercury, Venus, and Mars
We should all rejoice as between 4/9 and 4/24, Venus and Mars will both be in the signs of their domains (Taurus and Aries, respectively), which is a great boon for relationships of all kinds and helps the general “vibes” of the Gen Pop. We are finally seeing the planets shift back into their standard roles, with Mars as the aggressor and Venus as the diplomat. This supports all types of magic designed to support diplomacy, aggression, and all types of relationships that fit the standard M/f dynamic. (Don’t disregard Mars’ strong stellium with Saturn and Mercury around 4/19 and 4/20, though)
Overall, our planetary placements this month look like a major improvement. Mercury finally leaves their post-retrograde shadow and then finally Pisces (the sign of both their fall and their exile). Venus is in Taurus until 4/24, and Mars enters Aries on 4/9. Communication may get a bit on the aggressive side (Mercury in Aries), but otherwise, getting along with other people should be relatively easy, especially in comparison to how it has been since February.
Other than the major stellium mentioned above, none of our personal planets make any significant aspects this month.
Looking Forward
May looks much better than the preceding months. The two big astrological notes of the month are double full moons on 5/1 and 5/31 (not a blue moon because they don’t occur in the same sign), and a square between our Gemini Sun and the lunar nodes demarking the halfway points between eclipse seasons.
The Details
4/1 – Full Moon 12° Libra
4/3 – Mercury in Pisces trine Jupiter in Cancer (3), Venus in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius
4/5 – Sun in Aries square Jupiter in Cancer
4/9 – Mercury exits its post retrograde shadow 22° Pisces, Mars enters Aries
4/13 – Mars conjunct Neptune 02° Aries
4/14 – Mercury enters Aries
4/16 – Sun conjunct Chiron 26° Aries, Mercury conjunct Neptune 02° Aries
4/17 – New Moon 27° Aries
4/19 – Sun enters Taurus, Mars conjunct Saturn 07° Aries
4/20 – Mercury conjunct Saturn 07° Aries, Mercury conjunct Mars 07° Aries
4/23 – Venus conjunct Uranus 29° Taurus
4/24 – Venus enters Gemini
4/25 – Sun in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus enters Gemini
4/26 – Mercury in Aries square Jupiter in Cancer
4/28 – Venus in Gemini square the lunar nodes
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