NorthPoint Astrology Journal: Your guide to planetary energies for April 11 to 17, 2016 By Pam Younghans

NorthPoint Astrology Journal: Your guide to planetary energies
for April 11 to 17, 2016 By Pam Younghans

Highlighted Aspects This Week
TUE: Mercury sextile Neptune, Venus trine Mars
WED: Sun sesquiquadrate Mars
THU: Ceres enters Aries, Mercury trine Jupiter
FRI: Sun semisquare Neptune, Mercury quincunx Saturn
SAT: Mercury conjunct Vesta, Venus quincunx Jupiter
SUN: Mercury trine Pluto, Mars stations retrograde (5:13am PDT, 12:13pm GMT), Pluto trine Vesta

THE GEMINI MOON rules Monday's skies, providing us with lots of mental energy in the morning for taking care of emails and brainstorming ideas. We'll want to take care of most important matters before noon PDT (7pm GMT) -- once we're into the afternoon hours, the Moon will be void of course, which means actions we take or decisions we make for the rest of the day may not have the outcomes we expect or consciously hope for.

We're back in the groove on Tuesday, and (with help from a Mercury-Neptune aspect overnight) may even awaken with some dream images or inspired ideas that will be useful in our waking life. This should be a productive day overall, as a courageous Venus-Mars trine enables us to be both assertive and receptive as needed to make progress.

WEDNESDAY looks a bit uncomfortable with a contentious Sun-Mars aspect as the primary influence. This is not a good day to promote our own agenda, as we'll easily go into defensive mode (or trigger resistance in others), especially with the Cancer Moon making hard aspects to Pluto and Uranus.

We have more support for accomplishing tasks and feeling good about what we've done on Thursday, due to a helpful Mercury-Jupiter trine. In fact, we'll want to get most strategies figured out on Thursday, since aspects on Friday look a bit confusing and not as optimistic.

AS AN UNDERCURRENT throughout the week, we'll be feeling some tension building. Two forceful planets come to a standstill and change direction within two days -- Mars goes retrograde (backward) next Sunday (April 17), and Pluto follows suit on Monday (April 18).

When a planet slows to change direction, we usually feel its effects more deeply -- so throughout this week and next, we'll be aware of powerful desires brewing within us, and may be more in touch with a need to assert ourselves in an attempt to take control of a situation.

AS WITH ALL planetary influences, we can use these strong energies in either positive or negative ways. If we've been needing an extra boost of courage to help us take charge of our lives, Mars and Pluto can help in that regard. But, if thunderstorms have been brewing, these planets can mobilize the forces to bring issues to a crisis point.

During Mars' 10-week retrograde phase, the Red Planet will travel backward through Sagittarius and dip back into Scorpio. Our task over this time is to consider where our actions have or have not been in alignment with our beliefs, values, and inner knowing of what is true and right for us.

More on Pluto's retrograde influence in next week's journal …

In peace,

Pam


Copyright Pam Younghans 2016. All rights reserved.

Photo:  Aurora borealis Fairbbanks, Alaska, USA on April 6, 2016 (credit: Ayumi Y. Bakken, posted on Spaceweather.com)