Growth Outside the Comfort Zone

Make It or Break It Vibes - Don't Freak Out, Deep Breaths

This is my energetic synthesis of the week based on the current astrology, according to Tanaaz from Forever Conscious, and Chani Nicholas from the Chani App. Suggested journal prompts are italicized and in bullet points.

Artis Mooney, mixed media • 2000

What’s in the air, astrologically and energetically speaking, the Week of April 20?

We are a month into the Astrological New Year and have just traversed the first zodiac sign, Aries. The sun shifted into Taurus season on Sunday the 19th, giving us an anchor, bringing some softness and stable energy, grounding us down to the Earth.

Hopefully you, like me, are feeling a bit of relief from the relentless, fiery Aries energy last week which peaked with the Aries’s New Moon on Friday. If you felt like you were losing your mind, like you might spontaneously combust, or like you wanted to jump out of your skin, you’re not alone. We had a pileup with 6 planets + Chiron in Aries, and it was… a lot.

This week may feel like a sigh of relief, I know it does for me.

Where we are now is kinda like - when you begin a garden, you put a bunch of seeds out there, and you know not every single one of them are gonna grow, right? So now, we begin to see what is actually sprouting, and what are the seeds (of our growth) that we want to intentionally nurture.

It’s time to curate the garden of your life rather than just seeing what survives as the wildflowers and weeds grow.

Remember — during Aries season is when we plant the first seeds of the year.

Taurus season is when we water and nurture those seeds.

This is going to be a good time to focus on one priority at a time.

Reflect back to the goals you set for the New Year or ideas you’ve been percolating on since the Spring Equinox:

• What seeds of intention that you’ve sown look viable?

• What is beginning to sprout?

• What are you dreaming of or exploring that feels like it will be sustainable longer term?

This week, on Sunday the 25th, Uranus moves from the sign of Taurus into Gemini for its next 7-year stint. This is one of the biggest astrological events of the year!

Uranus — the planet of awakening and change, instigates the necessary shift to help us live a more authentic life.

Uranus spends about seven years in each sign of the zodiac, and the changes it brings are usually shocking, potentially ground-shaking, and can turn everything upside down.

On a collective level, the technology of information literally changes the world whenever Uranus is in Gemini.

Last year, from July 7 to November 7, Uranus dipped its toe into Gemini, so it’s good to think back to that time -

• Were there any grumblings of change coming into your life in midsummer to mid-autumn?

• Was there something like a health issue, or anything that was trying to get your attention, indicating a big shift is afoot, or needed?

When Uranus goes into an air sign, this brings social change, and this shift will be felt not just by Gemini, but also by the other air signs, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

We are seeing a reordering of the world’s powers, concepts around liberation and freedom are shifting (in both directions), and we may also be experiencing this in our personal lives, and in relation to what role we want to play in this spiritual revolution.

The change and upheaval Uranus in Gemini brings is in the area of your freedom of expression, so if you’re not feeling free to express yourself, in whatever way or area of your life, that is coming up for a shift now.

We are going to be working with this energy for seven years!

Look to see where Gemini is in your chart for more awareness around how this may impact you. Obviously, in some ways, it may feel the most intense in the first week or few as we ease into it.

This is a time to tell your story!

Free up your throat.

Tend to how you communicate.

It’s time for us to share our stories in a new way.

Reflect this week:

• How can I express myself and use my voice in a more authentic way?

On a collective level, most likely this will show up in our technology, because this placement also signals tech, speed, ups, innovations in the way we connect, etc.

But first — throughout this week, before it makes that move, Uranus is wrapping up its last time in the sign of Taurus, where it’s been since 2018.

Uranus in Taurus may have changed our relationship to materialism, money, the environment, our planet Mother Earth, which Taurus rules over.

It may have been shaking up things that were stable in our lives, or felt like they would be there forever.

Taurus is stable, and likes structure and order, and Uranus is the opposite of that. So if we’ve been trying to create stability, structure, and order over the past 7 years, and feeling like the Universe has been fighting against us or challenging us, that could be why. Maybe something has happened in your life quite suddenly that turned your life upside down, and this may have caused you to really examine what’s important to you, and why your values are what they are.

Taurus is about what’s mine, what I own, and sometimes we get too identified with that. With Uranus in Taurus, there may be financial challenges. We’ve been seeing the change in stability of resources pop up on the global scale, in the form of wars, tariff bullshit, control over oil access, etc.

On a personal level, how intensively you’ve been feeling this depends on your Taurus placements. If you don’t have any major Taurus placements, the effects may have been more subtle.

THIS WEEK, Mercury, Saturn, & Mars are visible together in the early morning sky.

They are rising before the sun to get a jump start.

Early-bird-gets-the-worm energy.

MONDAY the 20th, in the morning, Mercury, Saturn, & Mars came together in an exact conjunction. This may have brought difficult conversations, or highlighted what's most challenging right now.

Saturn also conjuncted the Sun on March 25, and though it was not visible, it seeded something at that time, and now the first results of that thing may be beginning to show themselves, so reflect back to the last week of March and notice what is sprouting now.

This Saturn + Mars creates a bit of tension, because while Mars is super-powered, Saturn is super disempowered, Saturn slows Mars down.

This is the time for a more long-term strategy around the challenge at hand, a two-year-ish plan.

Saturn, the planet of consequences, really struggles in Aries — meaning sometimes with this placement, we may be like where are they (the consequences)?!

But as these shifts occur, consequences may begin to manifest. (For example, Hungary’s leader who was Trump’s mentor was just ousted, Swalwell dropped out of the race due to several accusations of sexual harrassment. We would really like to see some other consequences with the Cheeto in charge and his cronies, so let’s imagine that happening!)

On the flip side, this may be the time where we start to see, on individual levels, the good consequences of our very hard work.

Mars, Saturn, and Mercury coming together mean we may have to make some hard decisions, and take responsibility for what we say yes or no to, and when we do, we are delivered change on a platter.

Definitely check in with where Aries is in your chart so you understand clearly the area of your life that’s most impacted by this astrology.

For example, for Aries rising, it’s the body, self, your personal relationship to You. For me, Gemini rising, it’s about friends, groups, networks, community, how I’m going to win with a group of people! (And this week will be game changing for Gemini risings in other ways too because of Uranus moving into Gemini for the next 7 years.)

Check your chart, and tune into Chani’s full podcast to get all the deets.

Let us remember the magic of our words.

With Mercury conjunct Saturn, we’re being reminded that our words are bond. We speak reality into existence; that’s how we manifest.

Words can be wands or weapons, and this is especially true when these three are together in the early morning sky before dawn.

Mercury is going to call out the challenge, in detail, and with the Aries fiery influence, it will be loud and bold. With Mercury here, this is really gonna help us sort out our priorities, discern what is true and what is not, focus on the magic of what we’re manifesting, and take action towards it.

We can apply this to our individual lives, and to the collective, and continue always to ask ourselves, in any arena, what actions we can take for the betterment of all. If I'm looking back in two years, what would I feel so proud of, if I could accomplish it now?

• What is the Truth for you?

• What is important to you, and why?

• What concrete actions, big or small, can you take to support your ideals?

Remember that actions yield not only consequences, but results, so take note of what is working and what is not, and be willing to be flexible!

THURSDAY the 23rd - Venus and Uranus meet up, just about at the end of Taurus.

We are in a signal of a major financial shake up right now, so who knows what further destabilization is in store next.

Story as old as American pie - Rich get richer, poor get poorer!

But, this is a great bon voyage, as Venus rules Taurus.

Take a few minutes, as you reflect from 2018 to now, to center yourself in gratitude, and then contemplate -

• How have you grown in this time, what challenges have you overcome?

• What are the lessons are that you’ve learned over the past 7 years?

FRIDAY the 24th - Venus moves into Gemini, paving the way for Uranus with sweetness, rose petals perhaps.

SATURDAY the 25th - Uranus enters Gemini! Massive conjunction.

Recalibration of the order of our world, globally, and individually.

This will especially impact you wherever Gemini is in your chart, and may especially be felt by Gemini Sun & Rising, same with Virgo, Sag, and Pisces.

It’s time to get truly free, to understand liberation in a whole new way.

Sounds good to me!

Ask yourself:

• Who are your allies, your fellow freedom fighters?

• Who do you want to partner with in this Revolution?

• How are you contributing to the social innovation of these times?

SUNDAY the 26th - Venus sextile Neptune - gorgeous, flirtatious, romantic, delightful.

Mercury, ruler of Gemini, also squares Jupiter, perhaps bringing good news, confidence-boosting energy, and good results from the difficult conversation at the beginning of the week!

Remember, some of our best growth happens outside the comfort zone!