Welcome Spring in this exciting year! The planets gathered like storm clouds in various configurations all winter. The last 10 days of March were perfect for inner and outer stress. Perhaps you sought answers and felt the pull to faith. However, in April things are blowing in the wind and we begin on a serious or cautious note. In mid-April we get a fresh start or reboot, if you like. In May the good stuff is easier to see and June is great for personal and political house cleaning. Hmmm, what will we keep and what is moving on out?

Winter began with a collective howl in India at the treatment of women. As we leave March there is a whole list of things worth howling about at home and abroad. It was a winter of anger, angst, violence and storms. We are more sensitive to mental illness and more aware that violence to the innocent at least appears more common. However, now we go toward personal peace as we move through the spring. Will there be big storms? Yes! It is spring. Will there be great joy? Yes, it is spring! Will you be able to enjoy your life? The answer to that question is not as direct: It lives between you and your perspective aka your perceptions.

April begins with the Sun, Venus and Mars all in a high-minded lunar mansion. Venus is at her best here and her compassion is palpable if you will take the time to notice it. That’s a little tricky because Mars, the planet of action is with her. In fact, she will travel with Mars and the Sun for 2 weeks. If you would like to have peace of mind or simply be able to see the good stuff in the midst of nasty-news alerts, then set your intention now. Think of the Sun as your life force energy. Where is it enhanced and where is it drained? Can you find peace in the midst of warring words? Can you be aware without being wary? We all have these planets within us. Now, expect the best of them and us in the midst of what appears to be angry, aggressive and greedy actions at home and abroad. When the planets move through enlightened lunar mansions, it does not mean that we all suddenly seek enlightenment. However, when nothing else seems to quiet your inner mental war, then the path to compassion appears. By April 14th, all three planets get a fresh start. What stress will send you down the path to enlightenment this month? For many, it is relationships. I mean that in the simplest terms: you and your spouse, lover, boss, child. Us versus “them” politically or along any line that can be drawn. There is no better time to notice where your thoughts go and who you view as your opponent.

May begins with a gathering of planets in the constellation Aries and a powerful lunar mansion called Bharani. Bharani myth is poignant: it is the story of mortality. The deity “yama” is associated with this little slice of the heavens. He is the first mortal to face death and for his courage the gods placed him in the heavens as a light for all who will follow. This sounds ominous, but it is the natural journey from this world into the next. That is likely a hot topic as we begin the month of May. I’ve noticed when this mansion is strong in a person’s chart, then so is the desire to give birth. Expect plenty of talk about reproductive rights, the right to a gentle death and what will come with Obamacare. However, this is not what the entire month is about.

Mars moves forward and triggers fierce opposition and powerful decisions for the first half of May. We feel it in our own lives and see it as a nation and perhaps the world. Is this all about an event? It might be, but it is a gathering of facts about mortality. This sounds darker than it is. On May 5th Venus moves into her own sensual constellation, Taurus and we celebrate the joy of life on this Earth in the bodies we have. One by one the Sun and Mercury join her and they shift our attention to Jupiter, the optimist, as we move through May. Simply put: Life in a body is finite, but the joy of the senses and the gift of time in a body on this Earth is a treasure indeed. It is our thoughts about what it should be that gives us grief. As we move through May we realize that each day is a gift and some days that awareness is born of our own mortality. So let’s not squander another moment on dread or regret! The party is now!

On May 30th just before midnight CST, Jupiter moves into the constellation Gemini. That is exciting news because the folks with planets there have taken the heat from Pluto and Uranus for several years. Now, they get to see how they might recycle the wear as wisdom.

June finds us ready to sort things out: Literally, out of body, mind, spirit and your life. Notice what you are hunting for and you’ll see what you think is missing. Notice what irritates you and you see where you need compassion or wisdom or just trust that other ideas might have a right to live…grins. It’s all about hunting through your irritations and if you are truly brave you will face your beliefs and fears that lie beneath the irritation. How can we expect our political parties to cooperate when we won’t? I guess you could say that is their jobs. However, isn’t it ours, too? All right, I don’t want o needle and nag. I know that as I type this I will be tested within the hour and will be tested throughout the season. However, I still say, bring it on so I can hunt through the grit and find the inner gold.

How the Money Flows: There may be a collective clench in the Market in April. Volatile transits in late March may play a part. Saturn is the reality planet. The Sequester symbolically represents Saturn’s nature which is to cut or limit spending. One by one the visible planets will face Saturn and pass through the karmic eclipse path. I don’t know what this will bring, but it is a classic combination where we could see a real battle between what we want and what we can afford. I suspect that “The Sequester” will be part of this process. I also suspect real life news about what we can and cannot afford and why. I also suspect political hyperbole and manipulation. Hold on, as T.S. Eliot said in “The Wasteland”, April is the cruelest month. Yes, that is an example of hyperbole…grins. April is the best time to slow down and literally watch to see where we are going. Restraint will reward you, but it will take a while.

In mid-April things begin to loosen. In May, we get some collective enthusiasm and national pride going. That really helps the flow of cash. In June we really see where the money is going and I believe that it is flowing. I’m not sure we want to know where it’s going, but the news is out and as we move through the summer, it is harder and harder to ignore. That is when Jupiter is facing Pluto and Pluto reveals greed, graft and, yes, the good things it is buying.

How the Love Grows: We step back and assess our relationships in April. The urge to run is strong. We want a little personal space. All this talk about the end of life leaves some folks wondering if they really can walk through the final chapter with another…or if they will be there for you! Go slow, read the writings of wise elders, who have traveled this road before you. Notice how you can nurture them and notice how you in turn grow. This is a brief period, but if you have been sitting on the edge, then you might just take the leap away. Most of us want a little insight. As we move into May things look so much better. Venus is happy and generous and joyful in the constellation Taurus. Soon, she is joined by the Sun and Mercury and they all gather around the big, fat, jovial planet Jupiter. This is a great time to get out there and a wonderful time for weddings and celebrations and we will spend plenty of our available resources on looking good, too. June is the month for weddings and the party continues. We are looking for the good stuff in life and celebrations are part of it. Congratulations folks, we take what we’ve learned this year and we know what is worth celebrating.

Cynthia Novak is a professional astrologer and the author of the “Daily Astrological Planner 2013”. She can be contacted at: 817-261-2984. Hear Cynthia’s talk entitled, “Astrology & You” at 11:30am on Sunday, April 21 at the Wellness Expo in Addison.