Mercury Retrograde & April's Major Astrological Events- part 1

Astrologically speaking, April 2024 is the biggest month of the year, and one that many Astrologers have been anticipating for some time. As we’re now in the corridor between two Eclipses and on the back of the Equinox in March followed closely by the Full Moon/ penumbral Lunar Eclipse in the sign of the celestial scales, Libra, I’ve been reflecting on where stability can be found when there is so much ongoing imbalance, injustice, uncertainty and volatility in outer world events and integrity appears so desperately lacking in the leadership department.

The place of balance- and authority- for me is found by going inward while keeping a birds eye view that in the far larger evolutionary scheme of things we are in an era of important consciousness shifts- in our awareness and perceptions of what’s truly important, in the way we live, or think, our values and interaction with the planet we live on. We are in a period of exceptional transition reflected in the many powerful astrological alignments taking place over recent years- especially the last 4 years- and now here we are, a quarter of the way through the year at what feels like another threshold.

The major Astrological events of April are many so I will break this down into two posts. As the month gets underway, Mercury turned Retrograde on 1st April. A regularly occurring phenomena 3- 4 times a year, Mercury Retrograde has become quite a buzz topic in the media over recent years as interest in Astrology has gained more traction in the main stream!

ALL planets (other than the Sun and Moon) have Retrograde motions throughout the year, periodically appearing to stand still (or station) and then appearing (from our point of view on Earth) to go “backward” with speedy messenger of the gods planet Mercury doing this more frequently than any other planets. There is also the shadow phase (I just read this has been called the Retroshade!) which is the pre-retrograde and post- retrograde span of degrees which Mercury covers as it goes forward/backward/forward between it's stations retro then direct.
With any planetary retrograde phase, there is a natural slowing down to pause, review, reflect energy which as a cyclical energy is meant to serve us energetically. But this shift in rhythm can be a little chaotic- more obviously with with Mercury- so can feel confusing, inconvenient or frustrating... if we’re attached to the way things “should” be, it can feel like a spanner in the works!

As Mercury governs all manner of communications- speaking, listening, transport, logistics, buying and selling, contracts, negotiations, data and information exchange, there can be glitches in all these areas- but as long as a degree of flexibility is maintained in the process rather than with impatience or reactivity, the retrograde period can also be a fruitful phase.

As a rule of thumb, because of the potential for miscommunications or misunderstandings, RE commerce and contracts, it’s considered best to hold off on major business launches or if a document needs to be signed, take care to read the fine print as errors can be made.

It’s also advisable to allow extra time for potential delays with transport or shipping. So if you’re going on a trip or sending a parcel in the post or have to meet a submission deadline factor this in. Reviewing decisions, emails or texts is also wise-  especially important while Mercury is in the act first think later” “sign of Aries! Plus we are approaching a conjunction of Mars (Aries' planetary ruler) and Saturn on 10th April which can be barrier or a big stop signal- so acting responsibly is key.

While Mercury itself is not making major aspects to other planets - there’s such a lot of planetary emphasis in April on Aries, known for being an impulsive Fire sign, that this month presents a challenge for weighing up the consequences of our choices and actions- the forte of opposite sign Libra!
In part 2 of this overview I will be covering some of the significant planetary alignments happening this month, including the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse Aries, happening on 8th/9th April (depending where you are on the planet). I will then do a part 3 after the Eclipse to cover the upcoming Jupiter Uranus conjunction at the same degree which hasn't happened since May 2010!