Home is where the heart is this month! The Sun is now in TAURUS – it’s the time to slow down, mellow out and smell the flowers! Have you been feeling fried & frazzled over this past month? Ease off the accelerator pedal and retreat from the intensity & turbulence of the past ARIES month. Reconnect with nature – take a drive into the country, a walk in the woods or a picnic in the park. Hug a tree, roll around in the grass and feel the earth beneath your bare feet!
Snuggle in with family & friends, and create more comfort and stability in your personal universe. Since TAURUS is a fixed earth sign, you’ll want to put your base of operations in solid condition and reinforce your personal foundations. Domestic affairs, property matters, community involvement and environmental concerns are major priorities these days; it’s appropriate that we celebrate both Earth Day (April 22) and Mother’s Day (May 13) during this solar cycle.
With the nesting instinct so powerful now, it’s the ideal time to build, remodel, decorate, garden, lay carpet or tile, buy real estate, refinance your home or make a major move. Building contractors, interior designers, realtors, landscapers, furniture outlets and home improvement stores will be doing a booming business this month! You may feel an urge to bake bread, get a massage, study voice, piano or an acoustic instrument, explore your genealogical roots, consult a feng shui expert or take a class in ceramics, jewelry making, weaving, painting, flower arranging or woodworking.
Acknowledge a primal urge to experience the natural world, make a deeper connection with the earth, get your hands in the soil and grow some vegetables, flowers or trees. TAURUS symbolizes the “freshly plowed earth of springtime, ready for the seed.” The best planting days for above-ground crops are: April 20-21 & 27-28 and May 15 & 18-19. The best days for root crops and perennials are: April 30, May 4-5, 9-10 & 14.
Venus—the ruler of TAURUS—is also in the sign TAURUS as this solar month begins. You could find it very pleasurable to spend quality time with family (& extended family), as well as to create more beauty & harmony in your domestic scene. On April 22 (Earth Day), Pluto begins its 5½-month retrograde in CAPRICORN, and along with Saturn also in retrograde in CAPRICORN, symbolizes a time for transforming and restructuring those aspects of your life in need of rejuvenation and reorganization. Pay special attention to business, financial, governmental or legal matters.
On April 24, Venus moves on to GEMINI, lightening up the energy and stimulating fun conversations, new ideas, short trips and increased contacts with neighbors & relatives. Reconnect with your grapevine and get back into circulation! The energizing Mars/Jupiter sextile, also on the 24th, will add a positive note – think about signing up for a class, catching up on your reading, or setting some travel plans in motion.
Mercury, still in ARIES, will square Saturn on April 25; be patient and don’t get discouraged if you’ve been running into obstacles or delays. The dynamic Mars/Pluto conjunction, on April 26, will provide you with the energy & incentive to break up any logjams and can support you in getting some long-term projects off the ground. Do what you can to stabilize your home life with the practical Sun/Saturn trine on April 29; your efforts will be well-rewarded!
The FULL MOON in TAURUS/SCORPIO, also on the 29th, comes to a full boil (at 5:58 pm PDT)! Deep emotions, power struggles, domestic & territorial issues can arise; the challenge is to channel these potent energies constructively. Defuse any potential conflicts or jealousies before they get out of control! Do your best to find a balance between your private and public life, and keep a healthy separation between home & career. Protect your assets and secure your base of operations.
There will be a certain angst in the energy field, due to the Sun/Lunar Nodes square (aka MOON WOBBLE), which peaks on April 30. During the week before—and after—this unstable aspect, keep your feet on the ground, hold yourself in check and don’t rush into things or make impulsive decisions. Although you might feel a sense of urgency, it’s advisable to wait until things settle down a bit!
A compassionate, healing vibe emerges with the empathetic Sun/Neptune sextile on May 6. However, the tense Mercury/Pluto square and the spacey Venus/Neptune square on May 7 could stir up some stress or confusion — and you could feel overwhelmed as the excessive Sun/Jupiter opposition comes to a head on May 8. Rein yourself in and don’t take on more than you can handle. The creative Sun/Pluto trine (May 11) signifies a good day to initiate a new project – take some risks and have fun! Be kind and hold your tongue with the sharp-edged Mercury/Mars square on May 12. Mercury settles down in family-oriented TAURUS on May 13 (Happy Mother’s Day!) and makes an electrical conjunction with Uranus at the same time — celebrate this day in a unique way!
The middle of May will go down as a major turning point in this year! To begin with, the NEW MOON in TAURUS starts things off on May 15 at 4:48 am PDT; dig your roots a little deeper! Be gentle with yourself, indulge your senses to the max and build up your sense of inner security. The throat, vocal chords, cervical vertebrae, lower jaw & ears are associated with TAURUS; anxiety & stress in home, family, security or safety matters can manifest as dis-comfort in these parts of the body. So be good to yourself and tend to your creature comfort needs!
A significant planetary shift also occurs on May 15 along with the the TAURUS NEW MOON — Uranus takes its first steps into TAURUS since 1942! After spending the past 7 years in ARIES, its entry into TAURUS (initially from May 15 to November 6) could shake us to our roots! The role of Uranus is to change, revolutionize and ultimately liberate us, and it could challenge our everyday habits, routines or attitudes as it enters this fixed, earth sign. As this new 7-year cycle unfolds, we will begin to question the foundations, structures, support systems and comforts that we’ve taken for granted in the past. There could be disruptions or adjustments in home, family and property matters; the key is to stay flexible, realistic and open to evolving to higher levels!
Finally, on the evening of May 15, Mars leaves CAPRICORN and advances on to AQUARIUS (which, coincidentally, is ruled by the planet Uranus). The explosive Mars/Uranus square, which has been building up over the past few weeks, reaches a climax on May 16 — holy cow! We will be experiencing volatility and high tension on a global scale, particularly in political & financial affairs. Be especially careful with sharp objects, mechanical items and electricity around this time, as power outages, computer glitches or hazardous conditions could disrupt things during this erratic cosmic shift. Lay low, take it easy and keep yourself out of harm’s way! With Mars in free-spirited AQUARIUS until mid-August, unpredictability, surprises or sudden changes will become the norm. The upcoming three months will be a time for challenging the status quo, seeking alternatives and doing things differently — revolution is in the air!
Venus leaves GEMINI and moves on to nurturing CANCER on May 19; the scintillating Venus/Uranus sextile, on the same day, could stimulate some magical, spontaneous social activities. Treat yourself to an elegant dining experience, try out a new recipe or enjoy time with some caring friends. It’s going to be an interesting, unpredictable month ahead. Do whatever it takes to relax, chill out and roll with the punches. Above all, stay safe, grounded and comfortable. Big hugs to you!! 
© 2018 Diane Elizabeth Clarke