Leo Horoscope April 2008

April 2008 Astrocast

Key Events:

New Moon: 04/06/2008

Full Moon: 04/20/2008

RX Planets: Pluto 04/02/2008

Saturn until 05/03

This month there are two fairly complementary aspects going on with four of the outer planets, which move slowly enough that these will be in effect for the entire month of April. The first aspect involves Pluto, who's currently in Capricorn, your Natural 6th House of work, health and pets, and Saturn, who's retrograde in picky Virgo, your Natural 2nd House of possessions, finances, and pleasures. Pluto moves very slowly and went into Capricorn in late January of this year. Thus, he has fairly recently changed signs and therefore Houses, which means his energy is going to be directed slightly differently than it's been for the past 13 years.

I like to refer to Pluto as the Zodiacal Roto-rooter. If you've ever had the experience of having clogged sewer lines, then you already have an idea of what I'm talking about, except in a figurative sense. If there is anything that you think is hidden out of sight, and most likely out of mind, but has something amiss, Pluto excels at bringing it to your attention in no uncertain terms. Invited or not, he'll bring in the backhoe and start digging up the area in question, strewing dirt, mud, grass, roots, landscaping and everything else that might be in the way all over your beautifully manicured yard. Meanwhile people go tramping through this mess and track it into your house. However, when all is said and done with the mess properly cleaned up with dirt, grass, rocks, and so forth back in their respective locations, things are much better than they were before. After all, it's never pleasant if you have to worry every time you flush the toilet, kapeche? Another analogy would be lancing a boil or removing a diseased organ via surgery, thus eliminating the toxic influences so it can heal. At any rate, I'm sure you get the general idea.

So, that said, let's think about what Pluto might be up to in your 6th House of work, health and pets. If you're already thinking, "Oh, crap, not that!" you're probably right. If there's anything amiss in one of these areas that you've been purposely (or maybe not so purposely) ignoring, brace yourself. This is going to be in effect for a long time (we're talking about roughly 15 years here, folks), so there will be plenty of time to examine each of these areas of your life in excruciatingly fine detail. Just remember that when all is said and done you'll be better off.

For the month of April, as I already said, Saturn will trine Pluto from Virgo, your 2nd House of possessions, finances and pleasures. (I figured it wouldn't hurt to repeat that after the digression addressing Pluto.) Saturn has only been in Virgo since last September, so this is a relatively new venue for him as well. This Lord of the Planetary Rings (which are mysteriously shrinking, by the way), is all about restrictions, delays, discipline, authority, responsibility and obligations. Needless to say when these two get together we have a real party on our hands--NOT! (It's probably worth noting at this point, before you go lock yourself in a closet for the next decade-plus, that if you have these areas of your life in perfect order then you have a form of cosmic immunity to these transits. However, if things aren't perfectly squared away, then they'll be brought to your attention, possibly in an unmistakable manner, though as previously noted you'll be better off when all is said and done. You may want to get in the habit of repeating that to yourself on a regular basis.)

So, getting back to this liaison between Saturn and Pluto, here are a few examples of how this trine might play out. If there is anything that needs attention relative to your work or health, that is probably going to come out. That is a pretty broad statement, I know, but this is where it will be slightly different for everyone. If there's anything about your job you've honked up in some way and managed to keep it a secret, at least up until now, you can expect to see it on Fox News any day now. If you don't like your job, if it's just not "you" or you're unhappy in any way, this will also come to your attention, perhaps when you find yourself dreading getting up in the morning to go to work, or daydreaming yourself away to anywhere else imaginable during working hours. We spend too many hours a day working to do so in a job we don't like. Of course changing things is easier said than done, especially in the current job market, and there's always the possibility that a major rework will be required as far as education, etc. But remember that you have 15 years to "git 'r' dun."

While Saturn is in the conversation this month, he'll be operating from your 2nd House of possessions, finances and pleasures. Naturally these are directly related to your job, in one way or another. If you're having trouble paying your bills, which wouldn't be too surprising for a Leo since y'all tend to like nice things, regardless of whether you can afford them or not, it's likely you'll be having your nose rubbed in this little pile of debtor doo-doo as well. Remember the keywords for Saturn include restrictions, delays, discipline, responsibility, etc. If you're perfectly disciplined with how you handle money because you were blessed with a Taurus or Capricorn ascendant or Moon, you can take a big sigh of relief about now as you probably don't have much to worry about. Anything else, and all bets are probably off. Leos, bless your little pea-pickin' hearts, tend to perceive themselves as royalty and often don't care much for working as it is. I hate to come out and say you're lazy, but working for a living is usually not high on your list of favorite activities, unless it's doing something you really love.

So, I think that's enough said on that one as it shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out from there what that Saturn - Pluto aspect is all about. The good news is that it's a trine, so the energy will flow between them in a harmonious way which should be less painful than some of the other possibilities. Bear in mind, however, that come November 2009 it will be a nasty square, so if you haven't taken care of business by a little over a year and a half from now, the reminder will be a kick in the butt as opposed to a tap on the shoulder.

The other aspect in force all month is a sextile between Jupiter and Uranus. I'll spare you the bad jokes and just cut to the chase. Jupiter, which is usually benefic and expands what he touches is, as already noted, in your 6th House of work, health and so forth. Uranus, planet of change, surprises, and unexpected events, is in your 8th House of transformation; this house also includes intimate relationships, shared resources, and death and regeneration. This little planetary handshake should bode well for expanding opportunities in this area that will either result in or come about because of a major transformation on your part. Now it's just up to you to make it work.

Other action this month involves a virtual planetary convention in Aries, your Natural 9th House of beliefs (which include politics and religion), legal matters, long distance travel and higher education, involving Mercury, Venus and the Sun. The New Moon occurs there on the 5th, which implies something new in this area as well. Mercury, which influences our thoughts and communication skills, will be hanging out in that neighborhood between April 3 - 18. Part of this time he'll be trining Pluto, which might bring some good ideas your way regarding that job or health situation. Another host of ideas may come your way when he trines Jupiter between April 12 - 16th. However, be a little cautious during that time because he'll also be squaring Neptune, which could set you up for some delusions or pipe dreams that aren't in touch with reality. If you're looking for inspiration of a creative nature, this will be great, but if it's dealing with more practical, realistic matters, be careful. Between April 17 - 21, after Mercury moves into Taurus, he'll trine Saturn, which should bring some solid ideas your way, if you haven't figured them out yourself before then.

Venus will also be in Aries most of the month, starting on April 7th. Venus is another benefic planet, which should bring good things to this venue. If you're involved in any activities in this area you should be perceived in a positive way, and it could also be beneficial financially. However, she'll be squaring Pluto from April 5 - 10, which is likely to feed back into that work/health issue in some manner, and during about this same time she'll also be in an aspect known as a quincunx with Saturn. A quincunx usually indicates that an adjustment is required, or perhaps a need to justify your position on something that will probably involve your finances or possessions and whatever is going on in your 9th House of beliefs, legal stuff, higher education, long-distance travel etc. In other words, if you're planning a trip abroad, you may find that it's going to cost you a lot more than you originally planned and that you have to make some changes in your itinerary, or perhaps something else along those lines. On April 29-30, however, Venus will have moved into position as a trine with both Saturn and Pluto, creating a Grand Trine, which should bring everything together in a favorable conclusion.

Last but hardly least, especially considering that he's your Sign Ruler, the Sun will also be spending most of the month in Aries, at least until the 20th when he moves into Taurus. The Sun usually represents our ego, and in Aries it's likely to be on a roll. He also serves to throw some light and emphasis on the house he's transiting, which again is your 9th, of beliefs, legal stuff, travel, etc. He'll be squaring Mars the first half of the month, which could result in some arguments, perhaps about your dreams or wanting to escape the mundane in some way. This is also the house where any hidden enemies reside, so bear that in mind, also. Conflicts are even more likely between April 8 - 13, when Mercury will be squaring Mars as well. As if that's not enough, the Sun will also square Jupiter, creating a T-square, between April 5 - 15, which is likely to put you in the middle between some crisis related to your work and your dreams, or possibly those hidden enemies as a worst case. The good news is that you'll have plenty of energy, but the bad news is that your leonine temper is likely to be triggered, so you'll need to make sure you don't make things worse by some fiery display that turns off those that might help in some way. Hard as it may be to shut up, it's probably in your best interest to do so. The second half of the month, the Sun will trine Pluto, however, which should be useful for learning some important things about yourself and hopefully a positive outcome in the work or health department.

Also during the first half of the month, Mars will trine Uranus. Uranus is all about changes, surprises and unexpected events. Occurring in your 8th House of transformations, intimate relationships, and shared resources, there is no telling what this is about, but it's likely to be interesting, to say the least. Since it's a trine, it should ultimately come out in your favor, but Uranus is so unpredictable you never know. From April 20 - 30, Venus will square Mars, which won't be particularly auspicious for male - female relationships. This could also further direct your thoughts regarding some of your dreams and what might be keeping you from them, perhaps something related to your beliefs. Another aspect to keep an eye on is when Mars is quincunx Neptune between April 23 - May 3. As already noted, this aspect usually calls for an adjustment or justification of some sort. Neptune is in your 7th House of relationships, which could incline you toward being a bit too idealistic in this area. Tied into Mars like this is, it might mean that a realistic pursuit of your dreams will entail some attitude adjustments regarding relationships. Leos tend to think they're the center of the known universe, so this might be something to think about if your relationships haven't quite measured up, which will be an even greater challenge with Neptune throwing all that idealism about in a very imperfect world.

All in all, this looks like a very active month for Leos. There's a bunch going on with your work and/or health over the next several years, and this month in particular will highlight this with respect to your possessions and finances. There's likely to be some activity in your beliefs, legal, long-distance travel house as well as in your 12th House of dreams and inspiration. It definitely looks as if you'll be anything but bored this month.