24 - Treading Water: Astrology for the Week of April 7

Mercury and Venus tread water in the sky while an emotional Full Moon in Libra is on the rise. It’s a good week to slow down and feel your way through. Don’t forget to take the podcast poll so that I can record what you want to hear!

• 01:14 Week overview
• 03:11 Venus retrograde conjunct Saturn
• 06:14 Mercury stations direct
• 08:17 Venus sextile Uranus
• 10:31 Mercury conjunct North Node
• 12:17 Full Moon in Libra
• 20:27 Venus stations direct

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Transcript

Hi, I'm Claire Gallagher, and this is Third House Gossip, where we spill the astrological tea. So pour something delicious and let's chat. This podcast is sponsored by me. So to support the show and support yourself, come see me for an astrology reading. Just head to astrologywithclaire. com. That's astrology with C L A I R E dot com.   

Hey, Astro Lover. Welcome back to Third House Gossip. This is episode 24. I've called it Treading Water, and I'll explain that as we go. This is the astrology for the week of April 7th. Before we dive into that, I just wanna remind you that the podcast. Poll is open. I've been doing a Venus retrograde experiment with these weekly forecast episodes, and I am ready to make a choice on whether or not I'm going to keep it.

So if you want your voice heard, go ahead and vote in the poll. It'll take you two seconds. It's [00:01:00] anonymous. It's just three questions, multiple choice, and I'd really appreciate it if you did that. The link is in the show notes. 

I think that's all I have to say about housekeeping for today. So let's dive into our weekly overview. The big news this week is that Mercury and Venus retrograde are coming to an end, but. We've gotta remember that that doesn't mean a magic bullet or a snap of the finger. It's definitely a gradual turning around, and I'll talk more about that later.

We are starting to clean up and clear up and integrate all of the lessons we've learned over the last, you know, four to six weeks. It's been a lot. We are also having our full Moon in Libra, which will be a little bit dramatic and emotional in my personal Astro opinion. All right, let's do our roll call.

The sun is an Aries, the moon is waxing through Leo, Virgo, and Libra, where it will be full, and then it'll, it'll be begin. Its waning [00:02:00] cycle in Scorpio. Mercury is in Pisces. Venus is in Pisces. Mars is in cancer. Jupiter is in Gemini. Saturn is in Pisces. Uranus is in Taurus. Neptune is in Aries, and Pluto is at the third degree of Aquarius.

Just from the roll call, we can tell a lot about how the week ahead is gonna feel if we just think of it. In terms of elements. There are four planets in water signs. This week we have three in the sign of Pisces, so Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. We also have the north node there, and then we have Mars still swimming its way through cancer.

So all in all this week is. Really watery. And if we think about what water does, it merges and combines and connects. So there's a community element to water, but there's also a deep emotional component to water. So there might be a lot of feelings come up, a lot of sensation based things that [00:03:00] maybe you can't put into words just yet.

And so I encourage you to just feel your way through and the clarity will come later.

All right. Let's start with Monday, April 7th. Venus Retrograde will make a conjunction to Saturn in Pisces, and this is Monday, April 7th in most time zones. So this is two out of three. The first time Venus Retrograde made a conjunction to Saturn was on January 18th, and the next one will be on April 24th.

So we've got a little bit more of this story to go.

Anytime a planet makes a conjunction with Saturn, it kind of goes through a sort of reality check where it has to get real with itself about what it's doing, and if it's successful, I'm using air quotes. So with Venus retrograde, making a conjunction to Saturn, our connections with other people. Also our passion projects, things that we love and care about.

You know, all those [00:04:00] Venusian artistic endeavors are coming in contact with this report card planet that's gonna basically say, we're on track, we're on time, or we're not on track. We're not on time. This is a really good moment to reflect on where you really are,

to be very clear about what it is that you want, how you've been going about that during Venus retrograde, and if it's working out for you or not. What needs to be tweaked, what needs to be changed, what still requires a little bit of effort. You know, Venus and Saturn together represent tough love in a way.

And so this brings in questions about, is this really worth my effort? Is this thing I love or a person I love this thing that I want, something that I can really work for and work towards and something I wanna put my effort towards. [00:05:00] It can also sometimes point to a need to simplify or to pare down.

This might be coming in the form of prioritization and saying no to things that you like in order to say yes to things that you love. This aspect is always referring back to the structure of our relationships, the base and the foundation of our relationships, and if they are strong and able to withstand the storms of life, if you will.

So sometimes this type of conjunction can require a conversation about restructuring something in a connection. So that might be a conversation that's been going on for quite some time, you know, maybe since the beginning of January or mid-January to be exact. And it's still going to continue on through, uh, the end of April.

So this is a good check-in [00:06:00] point. Check in with your relationships. Check in with your creative projects and really see if you're where you want to be with them. And if not, see if you can make some practical adjustments to nudge you along the path.

Literally just a few minutes later, mercury will station direct in Pisces. And this is happening on Monday, April 7th in most time zones. I have a whole episode on what it means when a planet is stationary and that's when a planet stops in the sky and is preparing to switch directions.

So this happens at the beginning of a retrograde, and it happens at the end of a retrograde two, and it's a collection of days or weeks, depending on how fast a planet is traveling. Where the planet just stays at one degree of the Zodiac and it just hangs out there for a while. This is why the end of a [00:07:00] retrograde isn't like turning on a light bulb or snapping a finger.

Everything doesn't just suddenly go back to normal. There's a really gradual shift from retrograde to direct If you wanna hear. All about stationary planets. Make sure you listen back to episode 11 where I dive really deep into that. Essentially when a Planet Stations, it pauses and Mercury is not going to move.

It may station direct on April 7th, but it's not gonna start moving again until April 10th. So there could still be this feeling of delays and waiting that you're experiencing, and if that's the case, there ain't nothing wrong with you. That's just how the Astro works. Also remember that Mercury is in kind of an awkward position in Pisces.

It doesn't really have the speed or the clarity or the tools that it's used to working with [00:08:00] when it's in this sign. So things can still feel a little foggy and maybe a little disorganized. It's not the best time for clarity and detail oriented work or making a plan, but it is a really good time for feeling and reflecting.

Next we have Venus Retrograde making a sextile to Uranus. This is Tuesday, April 8th. Unless you're in the western US or Canada, it'll be the night of the seventh. This is another two out of three. So the first time that Venus sextiled Uranus was on January 26th, and the next time Venus is going to sextile Uranus will be on April 8th.

So this is the middle of a storyline. Okay. When Venus and Uranus interact, it's kind of the opposite of when Venus and Saturn interact. Venus and Saturn interacting is quite serious. It's that reality check about your relationships and your creativity. When Venus retrograde makes a sextile to Uranus, it's about [00:09:00] what's possible, what's fresh, what's exciting, and what's new in those types of topics.

So be willing to try something. Fresh, be willing to try something different. You know, maybe a few days ago. On Monday, you kind of came in contact with a challenge or a quote problem in a particular area. Well, on the eighth or the seventh, depending on where you are. When Venus sextiles Uranus, you might come up with a solution or a fresh.

Approach. So really keep an open mind and remember that Venus is still retrograde. So we're in this beta testing experimentation sort of season, and I encourage you to really explore that on this day, this. On a like low stakes level can just show up as being kind of a fun and spontaneous vibe. You might feel like following your creative urges, exploring a different part of town, taking a [00:10:00] new way to work, you know, just doing things slightly differently than your norm.

From an artistic standpoint, I would definitely experiment with color and visuals. Experiment with design. You can rearrange a room if you want to. That's really fun to do with Venus and Uranus. Or just go out somewhere different, be around different people. Like I said earlier, explore a different part of town just to do something a little bit upside down for you and have fun doing it.

Zooming forward to Thursday, April 10th in North America, or Friday, April 11th. In Europe and Australia, we have Mercury and Pisces conjunct The north node, this is three out of three of a series. The first was on March 1st, the second was on April 4th, and the final one is on this day, April 10th. So remember that the north node is like a hungry mouth and it [00:11:00] tends to turn the volume of a planet up all the way as high as it can go.

It amplifies and exaggerates a planet's personality, and it makes a planet hungry. So when Mercury makes a conjunction to the north node, Mercury's volume is turned all the way to the tippy top. It becomes exceptionally curious. It really wants to get something. It wants to intellectually understand something.

It might be like. Craving new insight or new knowledge, or it might really wanna communicate something specific with someone important. There can be an insatiable quality to the things of Mercury on this day. So there can be a lot of thinking. And typically when Mercury is in Pisces, it's more a little bit like.

Worrying or overthinking or a little bit, uh, messy thought process, if you will, but, you know, third time's a charm. So clearing up some [00:12:00] miscommunication is definitely something that could happen on this day. It's not a great day for details, but it is really good for conceptual thinking, big concepts and or processing emotion or having a real heart to heart . 

Okay, let's dig into the full moon in Libra. This is happening on Saturday, April 12th in North America and April 13th. If you're in Europe or Australia.

When we think about Libra just by itself, we might think about themes of relationships and connection. We might think about how life is feeling balanced or not, if it's feeling pleasant, if it's full of leisure and fun, we might think about themes of art. And music, and sometimes scholarship, we might think about communicating with tact and diplomacy.

You know, these are the typical Libra themes that often are [00:13:00] talked about when the full moon happens there. But we have to remember with any full moon and any new Moon, any moon for that matter, that there's a context that the moon is always talking to other planets, and that really informs how the themes are experienced and expressed.

So I'm gonna give you a little bit of the astro jargon and then I'm going to interpret it. So to put this moon into context, yes, it is a full moon in Libra. So Libra themes are being highlighted, they're coming to a culmination or a fullness. And also, you know, check word Libra is in your chart. These are probably the themes that's gonna show up and use for your life.

So the first thing is the full moon and Libra is separating from a trine to Jupiter and Gemini. Next technical piece, it's applying to a square with Mars and cancer, and it's ruled by a stationing, Venus and Pisces. So this is where I'm getting all of my [00:14:00] interpretation from are these particular pieces.

So let's break 'em down and talk about what they mean in English. What I'm getting from these pieces is that we're going to see what's possible, what's hopeful, and have this optimistic mindset early on with the moon, and then maybe quickly follow that up with, oh. What challenges need to be overcome and addressed to get to this place that we hope for?

That's often what happens when we have Jupiter and Mars both influencing the moon. There's this real optimism from one end, and I don't wanna say pessimism, but more like, uh, stop sign if you will, on another end. There might be this weird dichotomy or combination of feeling encouraged and also maybe a little discouraged at the same time. It could be in the same area of life, or it could be in two totally [00:15:00] different areas where one area you're like, yes, I've got this in the other area. You're like, oh, not quite.

Okay. Um, both can be true and both are going to be highlighted by this full moon in Libra.

If we wanna use Libra as a relational sign, which we certainly can when it is in Square to Mars and cancer. Instead of feel good themes coming up, you might notice some discomfort coming up or some relational insecurities coming up, specifically old feelings and tenderness that you thought you'd already dealt with coming back up.

So the moon is showing you what needs tending to what might hurt, what might be painful from the past or the present in order to move forward. There can be a feeling of hesitation or fear when Mars is in cancer, and so that can also creep its way in and feel [00:16:00] really big when the moon is full in talking to Mars in cancer.

It can highlight a place in life where you feel outta place or different than everyone else, or maybe like you don't fit in or you feel left out. This is gonna be very specific to your chart and it's not going to apply to everyone of course. But if I think about where this is, for me, it makes a lot of sense.

So think about where the Full Moon and Libra is. Also where Mars and Cancer is, and the reason I'm saying this is that Mars is in a difficult position. It's in a place of fall. And what that can often indicate is a person or a group of people that are kind of on the outside. And so sometimes that can make us feel like we are on the outside of something. Noticing where you feel separate from others, different from others, and seeing if you can still connect [00:17:00] in spite of that.

With this tension between the Full Moon and Libra and Mars in cancer, you might notice instead of what feels in balance, you might notice what feels out of balance, what needs a little bit of fixing up some reorganization in your life so that things can feel a little bit more manageable. You might notice where things.

Don't feel smooth, don't feel beautiful, where things might feel a little unfair or unequal. And this doesn't have to be like a big deal. This can be something as simple as noticing, oh, you know what? The way I've structured my morning routine really doesn't feel great to me, so I'm going to restructure it and I'm gonna fix it. So. Mars and Cancer can kind of show us what doesn't feel good, what doesn't feel comfortable, and the Full Moon in Libra is just kind of shining a spotlight on that and giving us an opportunity to make some adjustments.

[00:18:00] The last thing I wanna bring in about this full Moon is the planet that rules it, and that is Venus retrograde in Pisces? Actually, Venus has, yeah. No, Venus is still retrograde at the exact time of the full Moon, but it's. Stationing, so it's at its station degree. Again, check out episode 11 if you need more information on stationary planets.

When we have a stationary ruler of the full moon, instead of feeling release or relief or like we're getting something out, we can feel a little bit like we're getting stuck on something where we're really stuck on one thought process. Or swirling about with one thing. And with Venus and Pisces that might be kind of like a fantasy.

And with Libra comparison mind, it can be kind of like I'm really stuck on how I think I should be or how I think I should feel, or how I think this relationship should look. So it's can maybe [00:19:00] be a reflection on getting stuck on the shoulds and on a fantasy instead of reality. 

Venus and Pisces is an idealist and it's beautiful for that reason. However, when it's stationary, we can kind of get, um, a little. Preoccupied with that ideal and kind of disconnect from what's real. So that may come up a little bit. And just notice if you're pressuring yourself to meet this idealistic standard, that really is a fantasy.

It's not real. One of the questions I like to pose for a full moon, especially when things might be a little bit more challenging with a moon, is, now that I know this, how would I like to move forward? So now that you know this about the Libra Full Moon, how would you like to move forward?

Remember that full moons are revelatory. They're just showing us [00:20:00] things, and then we get to choose what we wanna do with that. And so this full Moon is showing us where things don't feel great, where things could be better, and also where we're trying to maybe live up to a standard that is out, out of reach or out of this world.

So those are the things that the Full Moon is asking us to let go of and to release. Now that you know this, how would you like to move forward?

All right, and finally we have come to the end of Venus retrograde. Venus will station direct on Saturday, April 12th in North America and April 13th if you're in Europe or Australia. It is gonna station direct at the 24th degree of Pisces. So if you have anything at the 24th degree of the mutable signs, that would be Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces, Virgo.

This might be really significant for you, and you might actually feel like you're kind of stuck in one place or really going deep with [00:21:00] something in. In particular, and again, more examples of that are in episode 11. Remember though that a station is a pause, and this is why I called this episode Treading Water because we have two planets in water signs stationing, so they're literally treading water in the sky.

Venus is gonna move again starting on April 18th. So we have about five days in this limbo liminal space where Venus is not moving at all and it's just hanging out.

Stations are great for a lot of things, not great for progressing forward or pushing forward. They're better for stopping in time and space and gathering yourself, so that might look like needing extra rest, going slower. Or reflecting on Venus retrograde. You know, that has been the main storyline since March 1st.

So take some time during these five days to maybe write out [00:22:00] some lessons that you learned and maybe some practical to-dos that you have gathered during your experience of Venus retrograde.

Stations are also really good for going deep with one thing instead of spreading yourself out among many things. So if there is a certain creative. Project or a certain to-do that really has your attention, it's totally okay to prioritize that thing and give it most of your attention instead of trying to be quote, balanced and go in a lot of different directions.

All right. That is the astrology for the week of April 7th. We have a lot of important things coming to a close, but they're not quite closed yet. We're sort of just in that liminal space, hanging out, treading water. Waiting for the next thing to make it self known, to make it itself clear. And so for now, just focus on taking care of yourself, addressing what's right in front of [00:23:00] you, and trying to be present with the slowness.

Don't forget to take the poll if you want to make your voice heard about, if you wanna continue these forecasts or if you don't care to. I am open to all of that and I'll be making my decision soon and we'll probably report what I've chosen next time. Much love.