This month we continue the themes began in March. We are in Aries season and Mars is in charge, directing the show from earthy, matter-of-fact Capricorn. If we want to make the most of this month, we must harness the spark and energy of Mars and channel it, Capricorn-fashion, toward some long-term goal, aspiration, or, better yet, challenge.

We start the month with three planets in Aries — Sun, Mercury, Uranus — and three planets in Capricorn — Mars, Saturn and Pluto. These signs are said to square one another, as in “squaring off,” so a stressful relationship.

The tension here lies between the two signs: Aries, the exuberant sprinter fueled for the short race by a burst of adrenaline, and Capricorn, the calculating mountain-climber who considers every possible misstep when preparing.

We have a difference of timing and approach. Mars-ruled Aries prefers to act first and think later, trusting its instincts to eek through the tricky bits, though sometimes it rushes out of the gate only to trip on its hastily-tied shoestrings. Its speed is fast and its timing now.

Saturn-ruled Capricorn prefers to strategize, relying on planning and perseverance to climb to the top, though sometimes its caution prevents it from taking fruitful risks or innovating. Its speed is calculated and its timing deliberate.

For these two signs (and their ruling planets) to collaborate effectively means allowing Capricorn to put a break on Aries’ more reckless impulses (and tendency to burn out or lose interest before finishing) without killing its momentum, and allowing Aries to infuse a bit of its courage, passion, and youthful enthusiasm into Capricorn’s tendency toward excess caution and naysaying.

At worst, Aries feels like corporate just sent him the foulest sort of bean-counter, a rule stickler who requires a ton of useless paperwork (in duplicate) and quotes the risk management manual like it’s Shakespeare. Capricorn, in return, feels like he can’t attend to anything, because he’s saddled babysitting an immature, adrenaline junkie who springs into action before understanding the situation. So, frustration, anger, and exasperation result.

Another way to think about it might be this: April is a bit of a home-improvement project. No matter how enthusiastic at the outset or how prepared, something will probably go sideways. And there you are, wrench in hand, feeling short-fused because it’s taking twice as long as you expected, and you have to make yet another trip to hardware store. (On the other hand, if you give up, your kitchen is in pieces, you still have a mess, and the repair still must be made…so better to persevere!)

Where Capricorn and Aries fall in your natal chart can tell you a lot about where the tensions lie in your own life and how best to direct your attentions — in April, but really through mid-September when Mars finally leaves Capricorn for good.

In general, where Capricorn falls in your chart (the “house”) shows the area of life where you must mature, take more ownership, and come into your authority. Means doing the right thing rather than taking the path of least resistance, following the rules, and not shirking your responsibilities. It’s where you must address the cracks in your foundation and do some serious restructuring so you can move forward successfully for years to come. (This influence lasts through December 2020.)

Where Aries falls in your chart shows the area of life where you must show more courage and make some changes now, a place that feels a little out of control and needs reigned in to serve and support the greater restructuring happening in the Capricorn house. (This influence lasts through mid-September 2018.)

To find out what areas of life are impacted for you, look in the below list. If you know your rising sign (the ascendant), read it as well as your sun/birth sign. (For instructions on how to find your rising sign, go to the bottom of this article.) For a list of key dates throughout the month, click here.

Aries:

Capricorn House – Career, public roles and how you’re defined in the world, your reputation as a citizen, ambitions, what is readily known about you (your title, your marital status, major roles such being a parent, etc.)

Aries House – Image. Self. Brand. Identity. Charisma. Health. Your appearance (clothes, hair, face, bearded/hairless, tats or piercings, etc.) Facebook. Profile. Name. How you carry and present yourself to others. Your personal way of interfacing with the environment.

Taurus:

Capricorn House – Higher education, spirituality/religion, philosophies and systems of understanding the world (e.g. sociology, economics), our morals and belief systems, long-distance travel/journeys, publishing

Aries House – Your hidden fears/anxieties/guilt, ghosts from the past (old patterns, old family dynamics, old baggage, etc.) that need to be transcended and turned into spiritual gold, the ways in which you sabotage yourself, those who are disempowered or disempowered and those who advocate or help them, places of respite or places of confinement (retreats, ashrams, prison, hospitals, soup kitchens, etc.)

Gemini:

Capricorn House – Secrets/mysteries, research, the occult, psychology/the unconscious, private suffering/suffering of mind (grief, psychological complexes), your partner’s income, debt/credit, insurance, inheritance, chronic conditions

Aries House– Your dreams and aspirations for the future, goals, your friends and associations, groups of like-minded others, organizations, finances from career, the destiny you wish to create for yourself or for society

Cancer:

Capricorn House – Relationships, interpersonal negotiations, open opposition or conflict with others, lawsuits

Aries House – Career, public roles and how you’re defined in the world, your reputation as a citizen, ambitions, what is readily known about you (your title, your marital status, major roles such being a parent, etc.)

Leo:

Capricorn House – Illness and those who work with illness & prevention (nurses, massage therapists, acupuncturists, nutritionists), routines (especially health and daily routines), work environment and work habits, mentoring/apprenticing

Aries House – Higher education, spirituality/religion, philosophies and systems of understanding the world (e.g. sociology, economics), our morals and belief systems, our Truths, long-distance travel/journeys, publishing 

Virgo:

Capricorn House – Self-expression, creativity, progeny (be they children, creative projects or entrepreneurial ventures), sex/romance, play, risk-taking/gambles

Aries House – Secrets/mysteries, research, the occult, psychology/the unconscious, private suffering/suffering of mind (grief, psychological complexes), your partner’s income, debt/credit, insurance, inheritance, chronic conditions

Libra:

Capricorn House – Home, property, foundations of life that ensure we are safe/stable/grounded, feeling at home within ourselves, our most private self, end of life/plight of the elderly, family, lineages, legacies, earth/land, the past/early childhood

Aries House – Relationships, interpersonal negotiations, open opposition or conflict with others, lawsuits

Scorpio:

Capricorn House – Communication, siblings, mental patterns (the things we say to ourselves or habitual ways of thinking), neighborhood/community, paperwork, networking, writing

Aries House – Illness and those who work with illness & prevention (nurses, massage therapists, acupuncturists, nutritionists), our routines (especially health and work routines), work environment and work habits, mentoring/apprenticing

Sagittarius:

Capricorn House – Income, personal values, finances/spending/budgeting, resources (financial, intellectual, emotional, spiritual), self-worth and self-value

Aries House – Self-expression, creativity, progeny (be they children, creative projects or entrepreneurial ventures), sex/romance, play, risk-taking/gambles

Capricorn:

Capricorn House – Image. Self. Brand. Identity. Charisma. Health. Your appearance (clothes, hair, face, bearded/hairless, tats or piercings, etc.) Facebook. Profile. Name. How you carry and present yourself to others. Your personal way of interfacing with the environment.

Aries House – Home, property, foundations of life that ensure we are safe/stable/grounded, feeling at home within ourselves, our most private self, end of life/plight of the elderly, family, lineages, legacies, earth/land, the past/early childhood

Aquarius:

Capricorn House – Your hidden fears/anxieties/guilt, ghosts from the past (old patterns, old family dynamics, old baggage, etc.) that need to be transcended and turned into spiritual gold, the ways in which you sabotage yourself, those who are disempowered or disempowered and those who advocate or help them, places of respite or places of confinement (retreats, ashrams, prison, hospitals, soup kitchens, etc.)

Aries House – Communication, siblings, mental patterns (the things we say to ourselves or habitual ways of thinking), neighborhood/community, paperwork, networking, writing

Pisces:
Capricorn House – Your dreams and aspirations for the future, your friends and associations, groups of like-minded others, organizations, finances from career, the destiny you wish to create for yourself or for society

Aries House – Income, personal values, finances/spending/budgeting, resources (financial, intellectual, emotional, spiritual), self-worth and self-value

TO FIND YOUR RISING SIGN (the Ascendant):

You’ll need the following information: date of birth, place of birth, and, most importantly, time of birth.  Go to the following webpage and select “Extended Chart Selection” at the bottom right section of the page.

• Select the bar which says “Click here to show the chart,” which is to the right and above the “Options” area of the page.
• You should find yourself at another page. Select “Click here to go directly to data entry page.”
• You’ll be taken to the data entry page. Enter your birth data and click on “Continue.”
• Your natal chart with the positions will appear.  At the upper left, look for the information in red text. Your rising sign appears after the word “Ascendant.”
• You can print the chart if you like, too.

As always, a broad analysis such as this is no substitute for a personal astrological consultation based your full birth data.  If you are interested in setting up an appointment, please email me or see my scheduling calendar!