April 7th ~ 14th
“The search for the Absolute” by Rene Magritte
You are your own Tree of Life, roots and limbs and trunk. Somewhere within the wholeness of the tree lies the very self, the quick: its own innate Holy Ghost. And this Holy Ghost puts forth new buds, and pushes past old limits, and shakes off a whole body of dying leaves. And the old limits hate being empassed, and the old leaves hate to fall. But they must, if the tree-soul says so… ~ D.H. Lawrence (Aaron’s Rod)
Mercury has now entered the shadow period before its retrograde station on April 21st. Over the next few weeks it will gradually appear to slow down, until it finally comes full stop on the 21st. And so may we also find ourselves becoming progressively more introspective, and reflective. However, through most of this period Mercury will be sextile Mars, which could also sharpen and hone our minds and perceptions.
Mercury will be sextile Mars for the first time this weekend (7th or 8th of April), followed by a second sextile on April 23rd, extending the duration of the transit through to the end of this month. This is great weather for spirited discussion, or to tackle some sort of intellectual activity. Mercury/Mars weather feels sharp, clear and decisive.This can be an excellent time to sort things out in our lives, and aggressively tackle that project that’s been gathering dust on the shelf. But as we approach the retrograde phase on the 21st, we may need to remind ourselves, that not everything needs to be spoken out loud and shared with others. For words can have consequences when spoken out of turn.
Pluto square the Nodes of the Moon
But perhaps the most significant transit this year, is the one being highlighted by the Solar Eclipse on April 19-20th: Pluto square the Nodes of the Moon. This transit began to close in as soon as Pluto entered Aquarius on March 23rd, but we were already seeing evidence of something going on weeks before that. this included the sudden and inexplicable series of bank collapses beginning with the run on the Silicon Valley Bank in California. The financial world is expected to be unpredictable when Uranus is in Taurus as it has been since 2018, and will be through 2025. Especially as it has been conjunct the North Node in Taurus. But with South Node in Scorpio, and Pluto now at the bending of the Nodes, Pluto is the one challenging the financial world.
The sorts of things you can expect from Pluto transits to the Nodes are some sort of societal, economic or political changes in the world. The Nodes are not actual planets, these are places where the eclipses are, or are going to be occurring. The Solar Eclipse on April 19-20th at 29º of Aries, is closely square Pluto at 0º of Aquarius. When planets are square, or at the bending of the Nodes, it can feel like we are in a place of transition. Pluto will be at the bending of the Nodes for most of this year, from now through the end of October. The Nodes are in the financial signs of Taurus and Scorpio. And because Pluto is the modern co-ruling planet of Scorpio, it would not be unusual to see some impact on the economy.
Pluto, however, is primarily concerned with Power: who has it; who or what is leveraging that power; how they use or abuse that power; and what they do with it. This includes economic and financial power. But Pluto and the Nodes will be straddling between, and changing signs during this period. So some of the other things we might be concerned with Pluto at the bending of the Nodes might be: Authoritarian Regimes, Corporate and Political Corruption, the Abuse of Power and Wealth; capitalism run amuck; and the fall from grace of strong and powerful leaders.
How will this affect us as individuals? Most of us will be witnesses on the scene. But there could be whole groups that will be more affected than others by some sort of political, economic or social change. And then there are those individuals who have sensitive points in their charts from 27º of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) or the first 3 degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius), who are or will be experiencing big changes in their own personal lives as well. These may or may not be directly or indirectly related to what is going on in the world at large, but could still feel as if they are straddling an abyss between one phase of life and another.
Here is the 2023 Pluto square Nodes time line:
March 23rd: Pluto entered Aquarius and closes in with the square to the Nodes in Taurus/Scorpio
April 20th: Solar Eclipse at 29º Aries 53’, is square Pluto at 0º Aquarius
May 1st: Pluto stations for its retrograde phase
May 17th: Jupiter enters Taurus while square Pluto at 0º Aquarius and conjunct the North Node in Taurus.
June 11th: Pluto returns to Capricorn
July 17th: The Nodes leave Taurus/Scorpio and enter the Aries/Libra axis while exactly square to Pluto at 29º of Capricorn. July and August is when the transit of Pluto square the Nodes will be at its most exact. It will be from the Solar Eclipse on April 19th thru July that we might expect the most activity associated with the Pluto/Nodal transit.
October 11th: Pluto stations for its direct phase at 27º Capricorn 53’, while the Nodes are at 24º 55’ Aries/Libra. At this point they will begin to separate, so that the influence will be gradually lessened. However the repercussions and consequences of what transpires during this transit could be felt for months, perhaps years to come.
Pluto square the Nodes is about saying goodbye to one era or phase of life even as we are giving birth to another. This is a turning point in our lives.
Pluto is gradually moving out of Capricorn and into Aquarius. That’s a big deal. It’s changing our relationship to power, who holds it, and what they do with it. And in the process there are going to be huge social and political changes. But the strong and powerful do not just bow out gracefully. Especially if they are accustomed to holding that power. They will try to hold on for dear life and dig in even deeper. Pluto square the Nodes is about Change, Transformation and Adaptation on some sort of global level. But it will also be a story about the resistance to change.
Aquarius is a sign associated with the people, with humanity as a whole, where no one is so great as to overshadow or diminish the rest. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius (1777-1797), we saw the seeds of democracy being planted throughout the world, giving birth to governments run by the people, for the people. It was also when a new economic class, the middle class was being born. And this is significant. For the effect that Pluto in Aquarius can have on governments, political parties and society as a whole could be quite evolutionary and profound. But it will not be achieved without a few struggles along the way.
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: