Welcome to the our monthly astrology column coming by way of Kelli Jenkins and Hayley Trussell, better known around Indy as the Spellsisters. Check out their website and Instagram feed for even more info from the world of horoscopes and tarot, or to book a private reading.
APRIL 2021 OVERVIEW
While we typically enter this period of the year with bright-eyed optimism, this year it doesn’t feel so precious. What we usually think of as a beautiful re-awakening after a long winter’s nap isn’t so refreshing this year. We’re a little weary—this past year we’ve been put through the ringer (and if you look back over the astrological transits over the past year, it totally makes sense). We’ve spent the past year getting scrappy and learning to trudge forward at all costs, and it’s paid off. We’re still here, right?
On the 3rd, Mercury enters Aries with a bit of self-righteousness that might feel like it’s well-meaning honesty, but that might come off instead as stubbornness. The key here is to respect that everyone’s experience is, while sometimes vastly different from our own, still valid. At almost the exact same time, Venus enters Gemini. Temper your conversations with lots of perspective. This could be a kind of war between the way you’re feeling towards your people and the way you’re communicating with them. Like we said before, what might feel well-meant might seem patronizing. People don’t want to feel like you feel sorry for them; they want to feel like you understand them. We guess what we’re trying to say is this: There is a high probability of being misunderstood in really unintentional ways that could be detrimental to relationships if not monitored.
But then again, there’s also a threat of taking this monitoring too far and creating way too much emotional distance. There’s potential for better clarity and more sincere connection but on the flip side, the type of grand idealism that comes with making space between feelings and words has the potential to come off as deceitful or confusing. Steer clear of evasiveness, for the first week of April at the very least. The point is to be careful that you aren’t being too forward or forceful with your personal ethics…while also ensuring that you aren’t keeping your ideals entirely to yourself. There’s a fine line to walk here, especially as on the 7th Mars in Aquarius makes a Square to Uranus in Taurus. This aspect, which happens yearly, is usually associated with big, contrasting moments. Uranus revolutionizes and innovates while Mars forces forward motion—the connection is like an electric spark.
April has some pretty fantastical vibes. Lots of dreaming and idealizing, but all this masculine revolutionary energy is met with plenty of feminine aspects. On the 14th Venus enters Taurus, recentering the focus to decadence, opulence, security, and emotional stability. The headiness of early April will be balanced with this softer-focus type of action. Mercury also makes its way into Aries on the 19th, providing some much-needed space for reflection. Goals can start to be put into action here, especially when the sun enters Taurus on the 19th. Things start to feel a lot more pragmatic and realistic after a few weeks of disruptive thinking and dreaming. That dreaming has its place, though, and this time is meant to shake things up. Once the sun meets up with Mercury and Venus in Taurus, pursuits of personal development will take precedence in a very real and practical way.
April might feel tinged with confusion and maybe even a little extra stress. This is because we are beginning to see the new ways forward, and they aren’t what we were expecting six months ago. Adjusting to our brave new world is an uphill battle that we have to climb daily, and this month, it feels like even what is considered comfortable at one hour is completely foreign the next. Once, I read that your own mind can be your best ally or your worst enemy. That is totally valid in April. This month has so much potential to completely revolutionize our lives… it just depends on your comfort level with disruption and how you react to that.
Pluto goes retrograde in Capricorn on the 27th. This can make us feel stubborn, with a tendency to try to cling to our old ways here. But we are being met with the motivation and ability to refine and move forward with innovation. Your personal chart might help you understand how you will feel inclined to navigate changes like these, but astrology can’t dictate your actions. This month, we have to remember that everything except for action is an illusion: what you want to happen isn’t real if you don’t make it happen. What people show you about themselves is reality. If what you do and what you feel don’t align, you’re not going to reach your desired outcome.
BIRTHDAY SPOTLIGHT: ARIES (March 21-April 19)
You’re ready to weather whatever storms are headed your direction this Aries season. In fact, you’re probably bored from all the inaction, rest, and general malaise you’ve been feeling in the last month of Pisces season and hoping life takes a turn and stuff gets weird. Don’t worry, boredom won’t be a problem for long: This month is chaotic AF and you’re in your element ready to follow the plot-twists. There will be a massive rest on behaviors that are no longer serving you in April, particularly at the beginning of the month, but part of that process includes temporarily replacing old patterns with other bad (but different) habits while you work through your issues. It’s okay to play and even get a little stuck in the roller coaster of drama that comes up for you right now. All these changes and fits and starts are leading you to a more honest place where you can be yourself and release yourself from stagnancy. Everything is illuminated and direct communication is on your mind with Mercury and the New Moon in your sign at mid-month, encouraging real talk. You’re a shining diamond of authenticity and other people want to see you, follow your lead, and get on board with your agenda. You have a powerful presence now, so don’t lose touch with your magnetism. Fated meetings and unexpected encounters are coming in at the end of this month to restore your confidence in yourself, open you up to adventure, and give you something to dream about.
Local Aries: Erin Brady, Owner of Orange Crush Vintage, Bartender at White Rabbit Cabaret
Famous Aries: Anya Taylor-Joy from The Queen’s Gambit
AND NOW FOR THE REST OF YOU...
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
It’s your way or the highway this month—like always, let’s be real. But the funny thing is, you may be the one taking the highway. Something isn’t right and you don’t know why, but it’s starting to creep out of your unconscious into your higher consciousness and it’s kinda impossible to ignore. You’re done negotiating on what you need and you *really* don’t have time for bs this month. As all the planets begin to shift into Taurus by mid-month, you are realizing what you want and starting to pull back from what is wasting your time and will never be enough. You know your worth and you have a plan for where you’re headed that may not include other people’s ideas. In the past few months, you’ve discovered that certain liabilities exist in a relationship or situation that make it no longer worth it for you to continue to invest your energy. You should leave if you don’t feel welcome; you should walk away from what doesn’t feel meant for you.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
You are overrrrr it. You’re finally ready to admit that something is truly over and not try to desperately give CPR to something that’s been dead for weeks or months. It’s time to let things wrap themselves up and honor the sacred cycle of life in its fullness. More will fill the space that left you lost or deeply and overwhelmingly bored. It’s just taking time. Part of the process is having patience and really letting yourself feel the emptiness (and not filling it up with stuff you don’t want). As you ride into the month still coasting on fumes from the full moon in Libra, you’re realizing that being accountable to another person/partner in crime may not cramp your style and may help you move forward with letting go of the “old you.” You are being tempted to move on and let old habits die a fiery death. If you were wrong, then you were; if you were right, then you were. Just let it go and let new life breathe into the space that’s left.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You need a break, a rest, and a mega-chill session this month, Cancer. You’re working too hard and so burnt out that you’re actually a little slap-happy, open, and optimistic. Good. Go with that! Use the fact that you’re in an oddly vulnerable and hyper-exhausted state to force yourself to take risks or pull back in ways you normally would overthink and talk yourself out of. Do the more difficult thing that requires less effort. You may normally over-give and this month has you feeling preternaturally selfish. You may normally get defensive and start fights, but this month you’re feeling like you don’t have the emotional bandwidth to get into it. It’s time to do less of what you always do. April is a month of being pushed into doing surprising things. There is a golden opportunity that is only on the other side of taking the leap. Hint: it may not look like leaping. It may look like acting cool, collected, and out of character.
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Something is off. Your intuitive bells are ringing again and again but you keep pushing snooze, thinking “yeah, that’s probably just work stress” or “i’m getting sick.” NO. You’re not. You’re right, but you may be right about the wrong thing. There are many concurrent illusions you’re untangling that are making it difficult for you to relax or even figure out if your worries are meaningful. The worries are pointing you to a problem that is lying dormant just underneath the surface of your understanding, and that feeling of uncertainty can make you feel like you’re going crazy. While you try to figure out what’s going on, sleeplessness, anxiety, depressive thoughts may plague you until you uncover the root problem. Like food going bad in the fridge, you have to sniff out the culprit to dispose of it and sometimes it can be hard to tell. Only then can you calmly make moves on your instincts and be sure you’re seeing things clearly. You are missing a critical piece of information to make any big decisions. Rest in this lack of clarity while the sensations come up to test you. You don’t have to decide just yet: More will be revealed at the full moon in Scorpio on the 26th.
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
You’re holding back in a mature way in the beginning of April and taking a step backwards into your comfort zone. Something that happened around the full moon on March 28th made you question your worth and now you’re building back up your confidence and restoring your belief in your own power. Vulnerability, tenderness, and kindness build bridges to connect you to what you deeply want. These are your superpowers right now. You have a particular intention and desire in mind, but you’re not going to chase it and you’re not going to force it. You’re too smart for that and you only want what wants you back. Toward the end of the month at the Full Moon in Scorpio on the 26th, an unexpected event leaves you feeling grateful that you pulled back your energy. You hate an upheaval, but they always show up when you least want them. Do not try to control anything and you will be *shocked* at how much this random chaos helps you realign your life.
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Take your time and do your due diligence. The options will weigh themselves this time, and all you need to do is exercise understanding. It’s usually not easy for you to sit with the uncertainty even though so much is unknown. The Full Moon on March 28 might have illuminated some unseen truth for you, requiring you to look deeper at what you thought you knew and re-examine your life in a really cool way. The universe is full of crazy opportunities and why can’t they be for you? It’s hard to hold yourself back from what you want when you realize how easy it is to just…. do whatever you want. The only issue is that you have to decide what that is, and therein lies your eternal challenge. You know without a doubt what feels good. But the issue is that lots of things feel good and right now, it kinda seems like any path you pick is charmed. And how lovely! The key to your happiness this month is simply going with the flow—in the direction of what feels good. You are actually glowing right now if you are in alignment. IFYKYK (If you know you know!) If not, the full moon at the end of March did its best to put you on the right course. The only way this month is challenging for you is if you’ve been ignoring those nudges and feelings; your inner voice is your soothsayer.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Sometimes, it literally just is kismet. It doesn’t have to be anything but chance! Things that feel too good to be true often are true. And it might be hard to believe but not every new person that comes into your life has an ulterior motive. Very Scorpio of you to think so! Often, you struggle against the good things that happen, simply because they have happened without warning and good fortune doesn’t make sense, even when there are boldfaced facts before you. It’s still real and valid even if it wasn’t in your plans. Things are good, aren’t they? Then why does it matter how it happened? This month feels kind of like the upside down for you. Everything feels cryptic and like a trick, like there’s some kind of alternative possible outcome. There is no hidden camera (at least, not that we know of). Mid-month, Venus, Mercury, the sun, and Mars all enter Taurus, and you need *a moment* to adjust. On the 26th, there is a full moon in your sign. People are going to be shooting their shot and I would be hard-pressed to guess anyone would be the target aside from you. Most likely, you’re receiving good propositions. You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first. The bottom line is that you know instinctively when you’re safe to be vulnerable, even when it’s with a new person—so why torture yourself? Just do it.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
You love to help but you hate to ask for it. I feel like this month you’re learning that being a helper-martyr hybrid does not make a lick of sense. Being needed just a little bit appeals to you… But like, needing somebody else? Gross. Listen, babe. Unfortunately, you can’t always get it done on your lonesome, and sometimes you don’t even know where to start. You are truly currently surrounded by people who are waiting to be of service to you. This month is requiring you to slow down and double check your work. Take things easier than usual and don’t rush or cut corners. You know the saying: “measure twice, cut once.” It would be a lot easier if you could just tell someone what you need. Maybe you wouldn’t have to measure or cut. Ask and it is given. As a fellow fire sign, you love hanging out in Aries season, and usually this time of year, you’re struck with wild bouts of Party Rage Fever™. You are the patron saint of PRF™. This year, though, you have the opposite inclination: an instinctive need to slow down, like actually physically. It’s not even cuffing season, but are you cuffing right now? There is something about your vibe that is off the rails, but like, in a really, really good way. You’ve switched tracks and this slower pace suits you quite nicely, wouldn’t you agree?
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
A sudden exposure is leading to so much clarity. You are realizing on a much deeper level that not everything has a reason, and despite your inclination to make sense of things, it doesn’t need to be logical to be true. Example: I’ve never personally had an alien encounter but crop circles exist??? I’ve never been to Antarctica but I think it’s there. Strange but true. Who can say? Against the odds, whatever is going on with you is making you feel way much more optimistic and enthusiastic about the future. You like sitting in uncertainty for once. Maybe a change of heart or sudden brush with tragedy has brought you back down to earth after a few months of science fiction-esque isolation (literal or figurative). If you’ve been feeling like you’re not of this world, or like maybe you don’t exist at all–perhaps it’s because you have been hiding parts of yourself away for so long that you nearly forgot they existed while still feeling them like a phantom limb. You’ve been carrying them without even knowing and their soft outer edges are beginning to take shape in real life once again. It is so unlike you to have such unexplained mythical, mystical experiences. Something is making you a believer… in dreams, Santa Claus, the universe, your own potential, etc.
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Things seem to be coming completely full circle and you find yourself back where you started, but at an advanced level. It makes sense that as we start to see the world return to some semblance of order, you feel oddly like you’ve been here before… or maybe you made this happen?! The fact is that you, Aquarius, are the keyholder, the change-maker, the gatekeeper, the water bearer. Zuul-ish vibes. You know more than you might think and you have seen parts of this coming. As the future begins to take shape, remember where you were the last time you saw such sights. How different you are now! I’d wager you have found a bit of inner stillness and this sense of deja vu doesn’t completely knock you off your feet like it might have once upon a time. Despite how hidden the outcomes of your life’s current situation seem, you’re kind of guiding the ship in a way. In human terms, you might have more influence than you realize in work situations or in relationships, or even in your family dynamic. In Aquarius terms, you are the one that brings forth revolution in all situations. How this is interpreted or put into practice is entirely up to you–do you act as though you influence change or do you sit idly by?
Pisces (February 19-March 20)
You have a unique ability to see both sides right now and that could come in handy if tension arises. As someone who is fiercely loyal and highly opinionated, you don’t usually take on the role of mediator in situations. Choosing a side would typically leave you absolutely gutted. But right now, you find yourself as, oddly, the only one with objective insight right now. It’s hard for you to detach emotionally but your ability to agree and disagree with both sides of an argument are elevating you and putting you in the hot seat. This might not be so literal or so heavy. Ultimately, whether this is about actual conflict resolution or not doesn’t matter. The point is that you usually feel heavily skewed in one direction or another and steadfast in your standing. This month you are given the rare gift of…. Passivity? Suddenly something that’s been plaguing you feels like it’s not that deep. Nothing seems to be about you this month: you’re not in the eye of the storm or the highlight of the drama. Blessed be the silence. You can take this opportunity to measure the odds against each other, and maybe even turn them all to be in your favor. The Full Moon in Scorpio on the 26th will strike the clock back to ticking and once reality sets in, you’ll feel inclined to start kicking the tires.
Photo by Schwebach Photography.
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