"TUESDAY is the most pivotal day of the work week, due to a challenging square aspect between the Sun and Pluto. We come face to face with inner and outer demons with this aspect, and learn where and how we give our power away on a daily basis." Northpoint Journal: Your Guide to Planetary Influences for April 9 to 15, 2018 by Pam Younghans.

NorthPoint Journal Your Guide to Planetary Influences for April 9 to 15, 2018 by Pam Younghans by ForeverUnlimited Northpoint Journal: Your Guide to Planetary Influences for April 9 to 15, 2018 by Pam Younghans Highlighted Aspects this Week MON: Mercury trine Ceres, Pluto sextile Juno, Mercury sextile Pallas Athene TUE: Venus square Nodes, Jupiter trine Juno, Sun square Pluto, Venus trine Mars WED: Sun quincunx Jupiter, Venus semisquare Chiron THU: Venus sextile Neptune FRI: Sun conjunct Eris SAT: Jupiter sextile Pluto, Mars sextile Neptune SUN: Mercury direct 2:20am PDT (9:20am GMT), New Moon 6:57pm PDT (1:57am GMT on Monday) PERSISTENCE AND TRUST are our keywords for the next several days. Having spent this past week pushing the boulder up the mountain, oftentimes only to see it roll back down, the advice to "continue on" can feel like a tall order. And yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel: next weekend we have the second Jupiter-Pluto sextile on Saturday, and a potentially life-changing New Moon on Sunday, the same day that Mercury goes direct. Until then, we are working within the energies of the Last Quarter and Balsamic Moon phases, which take us first through a period of readjustment and elimination (from today to Thursday morning), and then through a time of closure and surrender (from Thursday morning through next Sunday). But let's take it one day at a time for now. It feels like the best way to manage these demanding times is just to pay attention to our next step, and let tomorrow care for itself. ON MONDAY, we have very supportive aspects involving retrograde Mercury and two of the asteroids. One of these aspects increases our ability to communicate from the heart, through empathy and other nonverbal transmissions (Mercury trine Ceres). The other enhances our capacity to skillfully convey our message through words (Mercury sextile Pallas Athene). Both of these Mercury aspects can help us think more positively, which is always a boon. Also on Monday, Pluto forms a helpful sextile aspect with the asteroid Juno. This interaction can deepen our relationships with significant others, through being willing to transform and release old patterns of over-idealism, victimization, and withdrawal. TUESDAY is the most pivotal day of the work week, due to a challenging square aspect between the Sun and Pluto. We come face to face with inner and outer demons with this aspect, and learn where and how we give our power away on a daily basis. This square marks a next step in a process that started three months ago. As we work with this influence, it may help to refer back to what was going on around January 9, when the Sun and Pluto were aligned. To help us with the issues that come forward on Tuesday, we can look to the support of friends, allies, and partners, thanks to Jupiter being trine Juno and Venus being trine Mars. PLANETARY ASPECTS on Wednesday keep us a bit on edge, although overall it should feel calmer than Tuesday. We'll be frustrated with still having to deal with old emotional issues when we really just want to be moving forward (Sun-Jupiter quincunx), while also wondering if we can really trust friends to be there for us (Venus-Chiron semisquare). Thursday has a soothing Venus-Neptune sextile in effect, which helps us bring compassion, understanding, and forgiveness into our relationships. But a Sun-Eris alignment is building in effect throughout the day, being exact very early Friday morning. We're still learning a lot about Eris, since the dwarf planet was so recently discovered. But given that Eris is the goddess of discord, it will be interesting to see if people tend to express themselves in a confrontational way. ON SATURDAY, we have two favorable events, the most significant of which is the Jupiter-Pluto sextile. This is the second of three times this aspect is exact -- the first time was on January 15, and the last will be on September 12. As these two planets work together, the process of transmutation is accelerated. It is an opportune time to use techniques such as shamanism and psychoanalysis to facilitate deep change. This may also be a time when more truth is revealed, especially around the use and abuse of power. As we see reality more clearly, we can renegotiate our priorities and begin to purge excesses and corruption. The other aspect on Saturday is a Mars-Neptune sextile. While not a major event, this combination can soften the ego and help us align our actions with our spiritual values. THE NEW MOON on Sunday occurs at 6:57 p.m. PDT (1:57 a.m. GMT on Monday). The power of this lunation lies in the alignment of the Sun, Moon, Uranus, and Eris in Aries -- and in the fact that all four are in square aspect to Pluto. This New Moon can light the fires of change on many levels, and begins a lunar cycle in which we take new risks. This is a time to allow our self-definition to be re-imagined, and to move through and beyond the fears that once held us back. As astrologer Emily Trinkaus says in the current issue of The Mountain Astrologer magazine: "We can harness the surge of fire from this Aries stellium to help us break through stagnation and reawaken our warrior spirit. This lunar cycle could be a wild ride, but creativity arises out of chaos, and our hidden gifts and powers are often revealed only through friction and conflict." THE FIXED STAR activated by this New Moon is called Eta Piscium. This star provides a subtle but powerful feminine influence, according to astrologer Roderick Kidston: "There is huge shakti here, power manifest through persuasion and inclusion rather than aggression and conquest ... The determination here is quiet, deft, and yin -- not loud, sweaty, and yang. It is the determination of water, which dissolves or finds its way around any and every obstacle." Anne Sullivan, the incredible teacher whose patient and determined efforts helped Helen Keller make communications breakthroughs, had Mercury conjunct Eta Piscium in her birth chart. Powerful and tenacious, indeed. IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: You are moving through a potent time of deep change in which your very definition of self is being altered. Along the way, you will become aware of the ways in which you give away your power, whether it is to other people, to situations, to the past, or even to your own impulsiveness. As you become increasing self-aware in these areas, you gradually reclaim your inner authority and personal power, enabling you to go forward with much less baggage than before. In peace, Pam Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2018. All Rights Reserved. About the Journal Astrologer Pam Younghans writes the NorthPoint Astrology Journal based on planetary influences and guidance received. Her hope is to offer perspectives and insights that will assist you in utilizing current energies to enhance your life experience and accelerate your spiritual and personal growth. Astrology Readings To schedule an astrology reading with Pam, please e-mail pam@northpointastrology.com. Visit the "Readings" page at www.northpointastrology.com to learn more about private sessions. Feel free to share this NorthPoint Journal with others who may enjoy it! When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including all contact and copyright information. http://www.northpointastrology.com/northpoint-journal.html Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2018. All Rights Reserved.