Some months, instead of writing horoscopes I just want to sit down with each of you and offer something nice, like a piece of fresh fruit. One tangible, simple, good thing. But instead we are here to check in on the astro weather together, i.e., that ongoing hurricane-level storm that just keeps going. Zooming out, we’re in a time of unprecedented changes that has some resonances with the Age of Revolutions in the late 18th century (see January’s year-ahead horoscope). It’s a disorienting time to be alive. For many of us, the future we thought we were moving toward seems to have vanished, or at least been indefinitely delayed. We haven’t even processed one grief when another tragedy breaks. I know we would all prefer the stars to offer us a break—something magical, something restful, a stretch of calm, sunny weather. A ceasefire in Palestine would be a good start. Then maybe a massive redistribution of corporate wealth. Accessible and affordable housing. A collective ethic of care. I could go on, but again—can I offer you a piece of fruit? Maybe some blackberries, or a freshly cut pineapple?

Because I’m sorry to say that, zooming back in, this month is a lot, astrologically. Eventful, potentially stressful, potentially even more disorienting—I wouldn’t say this April is the cruelest month but it isn’t necessarily kind. So, right now, it’s up to us to be kind to each other.

We start with Mercury in Aries stationing retrograde on April Fool’s day, a recipe for frustration, irritability, and most likely some pranks landing very wrong. In this prickly atmosphere we then have a Solar Eclipse in Aries on the 8th. Eclipses are like a strobe light in a club—exciting for some, unsettling for others, downright dangerous for a few, and disorienting for all of us. Eclipses break us out of routine ways of thinking and offer a fresh perspective on what seems familiar. That may sound refreshing, but imagine you’re eating a sandwich and then someone flips on the overhead light and you see mold on the bread. Eclipses always show you something you need to pay attention to, and it’s rarely something you’ll enjoy learning. In Aries, what’s being highlighted is our tendency toward shadow-side Aries behavior: defensiveness, hyper-vigilance, a tendency to react before thinking, and survival fears that may escalate out of proportion to the situation at hand.

And, as if this weren’t enough, we’re also experiencing a conjunction between Jupiter and Uranus this month. These happen about every 14 years and tend to jumpstart a revolutionary new social or political reality. The most recent Uranus-Jupiter conjunction coincided with the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street—a time when insurrection was not yet a rightwing pastime and many leftists were wondering if we might actually be winning. The effects of this conjunction will last for some time and are impossible to predict—Uranus, in particular, brings wildcard energy—but the energy can be a tipping point for cultural undercurrents that have been building.

Phew. Are you still with me? Let’s circle back to what we can do during times like these. I invite you to hold three intentions that may be a struggle to practice but are worth reaching for, nonetheless: kindness, curiosity, and generosity. It will be much easier this month to lash out or to tune out the world. Reaching for kindness doesn’t ignore basic self-protection or putting up with bad behavior—rather, kindness includes holding firm boundaries and speaking hard truths. The key is to do so with respect for the other person’s full humanity. Practicing curiosity can help you move from a doomy perspective to a creative one—as well as creating the conditions for deeper understanding and empathy. Finally, generosity is how we keep showing up for each other right now. Being as generous as you can with your time, your money, your energy, and your problem-solving can help you feel that you are a part of this historic time, not just subject to it.

And we’re not all going to live up to these intentions perfectly. That’s part of the kindness piece—be kind to your failures, too. In that spirit, I offer you these horoscopes with appreciation for your messy coping mechanisms, your imperfect activism, your unfinished grieving, your ongoing work to unlearn the garbage you’ve been taught about people (and yourself), your erratic attempts at self-care, your broken heart, your unexamined and your overly examined ways of showing up in the world.

I go into more detail about this month’s transits and how to work with them on my Patreon, including astrological strategies for artists and lovers. I’m also available for readings, so please reach out if you need support or accompaniment. You can also follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know about new offerings.

Aries

Be kind first and foremost, to yourself. If you’re feeing agitated, activated, or irritated this month remember that there are tools for coming back to a place of feeling grounded and safe. If you don’t yet have these tools, this is a great time to learn and experiment. Figure out who’s on your care team—Maybe your therapist and best friend and dog? Maybe your partners and gay chosen uncle? Whoever you’re reaching for, remind yourself that you’re not alone. After the eclipse on the 8th you’ll be integrating a lot of new information—you may want to make a big change, but don’t leap before you have the full picture.

Taurus

Be kind to your escapist tendencies. Your dreams and fantasies have important information for you this month, so allow yourself enough spaciousness to let your mind wander. Taurus energy is famous for its stamina, but that also means you don’t always know when to stop. Don’t push yourself to burn out—learn to take regular breaks (including breaks from worrying) that are truly restorative. Remember that your wellbeing is more important than whatever task you’re trying to knock off your to-do list.

Gemini

Be kind to our messed up, polarized, anxious and angry collective. Remember that your new friend or ex-lover or the cashier at the grocery store or that weirdo online are all humans who are more scared than they’d like to be more often than you know. Again, this doesn’t mean putting up with bad behavior, but it does mean knowing when to de-escalate, crack a joke, ask someone how they’re doing, or at the very least just away. You have the power to help people feel connected, though, so try to use that power for good this month.

Cancer

Be kind to the part of you that longs for more. Maybe you have dreams that were put on hold by the pandemic and are still out of reach. Maybe you’ve been struggling to find a job that pays enough, treats you well, and is aligned with what you really want to do. Maybe a part of you blames yourself for this and thinks you’re doing something wrong or you’d have what you want by now. Please don’t equate your self-worth with your material success (or career success, or relationship success, etc.). Don’t give up on your dreams just yet, but also remember that merely being you is enough.

Leo

Be kind to the part of you that wants to believe in a better future. These times are testing whatever you once had faith in—whether that faith was in some kind of divine being or that the arc of the moral universe would continue to bend toward justice (to paraphrase MLK Jr.). A crisis of faith is a natural response to this moment, but this month you’re being called to rebuild your relationship to what is beyond knowing or predicting. Sometimes it is the act of reaching, listening, and wanting that matters.

Virgo

Be kind to the part of you that’s tired of growing and learning and just wants everything to calm down for a minute. There’s a part of you that feels like as long as you are aware of a problem you need to be working on its solution—a recipe for insomnia and exhaustion in our hyperconnected world. This month’s eclipse highlights a need to set boundaries with your own mind—practice finding moments of calm even when everything is far from perfect.

Libra

Be kind to those people you love the most who can also annoy the hell out of you. Partners, best friends, close family members, collaborators and colleagues who know you well—these relationships may feel extra pressurized this month. Some of this pressure can come from boundaries you haven’t set or conflicts you’ve been afraid to face. Anything you’ve been pushing away is bound to bubble up this month, so make an intention to face it head on and with respect. Conflicts are inevitable—handling them with love is how you keep intimacy strong.

Scorpio

Be kind to the part of you that feels you’re not doing enough for others right now. Many of us don’t understand how to balance giving to others with caring for ourselves and Scorpio energy often defaults toward all or nothing: either you’re devoting all your time and energy and money to a cause close to your heart, or you’re focusing entirely on your own wellbeing and ignoring loud calls for support. These two modes reinforce each other, and in both you’re ignoring something vital for your own wellbeing: feeling that you are a part of the larger world. This month invites you to seek a better balance between offering of yourself and restoring yourself, with the understanding that it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Sagittarius

Be kind to the part of yourself that is struggling to create right now. Whether you’ve got a novel that you’re stalled on writing or you’ve lost your inspiration for making music, these are difficult times to be channeling your artistic impulses for the world. I wouldn’t totally give up on whatever it is you once found useful, but this may be a time to change your medium or reconnect to your sense of purpose. What idea is dogging your heels right now, even if it wasn’t one you thought you could pursue?

Capricorn

Be kind to the part of yourself that finds it hard to rest, even when you’re home for the night. It’s time to renew your relationship to your home, especially if you have the kind of schedule that means you’re either rarely there or working from a home office all the time. In whatever way your home has taken on the qualities of your own emotional state, pouring some love into where you live can also help you work through what you’re feeling. This doesn’t mean buying tons of new furniture or committing to a DIY wainscoting project—it could just mean moving around the furniture or putting some fresh flowers into a vase.

Aquarius

Be kind to your tendency to take other people at face value because you are such a truth-teller that you expect that of them, too. This month could land you in a few communication difficulties, through no fault of your own, and when you review your part in them I’d like you to remember that trusting what people tell you is not a character flaw but a virtue. That said, it may benefit you to get curious about why someone is responding in any particular way you find surprising.

Pisces

Be kind to the part of you that hates change. You are generally more adaptable than other signs, but in part this is because of your innate optimism—if something sucks right now you can send a part of yourself into a possible future where things are better. But that muscle is getting worked out a little too hard right now and in many ways you need to come to grips with the present moment. What is the kindest way you can invite yourself into the messiness of now, holding room for your grief and fear, promising yourself that it’s worth it to be here? Your assignment this month is to create as long a list as you can of what is worth loving in your life, exatly as it is right now.

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