The Zodiac Dispatch: April horoscopes

Aries is the headstrong babe of the zodiac, eschewing caution in favour of bold action. As the first sign of the astrological calendar, Aries has an adolescent feel – full of vigour, heat, youthful urges, and impulsivity. Ruled by the war-monger, Mars, the ram fights for things or against them, but its energy is always confrontational. 

Nonetheless, Aries season infuses our life world with an almost steroidal drive to go harder, better, faster, stronger. While Sagittarius, Leo and Scorpio are all connected to Aries via element (fire) or ruling planet (Mars), all signs will benefit from the raucous energy of the ram as we begin the new zodiac year. 

Aries
It’s your season, hot-headed ram, as the sun (exalted in your sign) will be highlighting your selfhood and identity sector until 20 April. Your nature tends to shoot first and ask questions later – and with this particular solar placement, you could be feeling even more trigger-happy when it comes to thought and action. Don’t be too rash. Try instead to channel your energy during this triple espresso season. Hit the gym, office, and/ or night life hard, but make sure you have a direction. Being all dressed up with nowhere to go isn’t good for your sign. 

Taurus
In preparation for your season in late April, the sun is sunk deep in your mysterious zone of the unconscious. This is a ‘dark night of the soul’ placement. With the confrontational Aries sun illuminating this sector of your chart, you could find yourself battling with inner demons over past deeds committed or feuding with those closest to you over secrets and perceived slights. While none of this sounds good, keep in mind that the ultimate point of this transit is to accept and forgive yourself and others. 

Gemini
The Aries sun headbutts through your friendship zone this season. The worry here, of course, is that you could get into testy exchanges with your friends over petty things, so be aware of this possibility. Rather than fighting with them (bad Aries), fight for them (good Aries). A new moon on 1 April is the best day of the season to go out with friends. Try someplace new – Aries thrills at novelty. Use this little bit of cosmic intel to your advantage during this lunation. 

Cancer
The ram is ruled by aggressive Mars, which is why Aries tends to be at constant loggerheads with the world. But Mars also provides courage to fight for things you believe in – not the least of which is yourself. Take this influx of courage into your workplace this season. Think of your protective shell more in terms of battle armour, and strive to be noticed and heard more. Even though such brazen behaviour isn’t your metier, Aries energy is at least supporting bolder action should you choose it this month. The full moon in your home sector on 16 April is the best day to retreat from the hectic hullabaloo of the Aries heat. 

Leo
Your ruling planet, the sun, lights up your ninth house of travel during Aries season. This could be an auspicious transit to expand spiritual horizons in distant (or not so distant) lands. The ninth house in a chart deals not only with travel, but also with higher truth. Be a bit impulsive and book a short trip – it could lead to spiritual insight. A new moon in your travel sector on 1 April marks the best day to start planning your journey, but don’t overthink it. Be moved instead by the cosmic all spirit of the Aries sun. 

Virgo
Your intimacy zone gets highlighted this month by the ‘me first’ Aries sun. This might seem like a bit of a contradictory transit. The intimacy zone is about sharing (money, fantasies, innermost thoughts), while Aries is more about taking what’s yours with little regard for others. To put it another way: the ram makes its presence, voice, and desires known. It could very well be that you need to be a bit more like the ram in your intimate sphere this season. Maybe money matters need to be discussed? Spending curtailed (or increased)? Maybe your kinks need more attention – voice that, too. 

Libra
The scales are your symbol for a reason. Your nature is expert at balancing other viewpoints. In contrast, the nature of Aries moves forward without much thought for the input of those nearby. It's this headstrong energy that will be lighting up your relationship sector this season. While, in general, relationships clearly need to be more of the nature of Libra, sometimes good old-fashioned self-centeredness can help put love life and power dynamics on a more even keel. Over the next few weeks, become more ram-like when it comes to partners. Insist on your concerns and follow your desires. You can go back to your other-oriented sensitivity in Taurus season. 

Scorpio 
Both you and Aries share a ruling planet, military Mars, but this energy presents itself differently in your respective signs. For you, Mars manifests itself through war-like strategy. For the ram, it manifests as brute force and/ or courageous action. With the Aries sun flaming your routine and health sector this month, go more ‘brute force’ and hit the gym or the yoga mat harder. There’s no need to strategise this season, just do it. Aries brings triple espresso energy to our life world. Use it to make strides, literal and figurative, with exercise and health routines. A new moon on 1 April marks the best day to start a different regime or get a new gym membership. 

Sagittarius
Welcome to a month in the fun house: the Aries sun will be lighting up your romance and entertainment sector. Your love life should crackle with all this adolescent ram heat coursing through the astrological new year, but you should also be feeling more creativity. The romance sector has as much to do with artistic expression as erotic interludes. The new moon on 1 April is the best day of the year to go out solo and look for adventures, while the full moon on 16 April in your friendship zone indicates a great evening to entertain friends. 

Capricorn 
Your home zone gets a much needed dose of the initiatory Aries sun this season. We’ve grown accustomed to grey winter days, cold nights, dusty shelves, closed windows, and drawn blinds. But winter is finally over. Use the added energy of Aries to brighten the corners so that your home sparkles in tandem with the jewelled multiplicity of spring. Mark the new moon on 1 April as a date to begin your home makeover. The full moon in your career zone indicates a day to complete a work-related project or sign on the dotted line. 

Aquarius
With the hot-headed Aries sun lighting up your communication sector this season, pay particularly close attention to words coming across as too sharp or harsh. Aries is direct –sometimes to a fault. After all, Mars is the ram’s ruler and, like some battle-scarred general from Shakespeare’s Roman plays, it’s a planet that can be gruff or violent in words and action. Unless you are communicating in some dark Reddit dungeon of the internet, try to be careful with your words during this transit. Keep in mind, too, that the communication sector of a chart also deals with siblings – may they not catch the brunt of your martial tongue. 

Pisces
Your money zone is getting pumped up by the brazen Aries sun, but let’s not necessarily rejoice in this placement. Aries can be rash, fast, and loose. This is not the kind of money manager anyone wants. Given your less than sterling talent for reining things in, it’s imperative that you don’t spend money extravagantly this season, especially around 12 April. While this is a majestic, once-in-a-lifetime transit (you have both your ruling planets, generous Jupiter and dream master Neptune going exactly conjunct in your selfhood sector), it can lead to excess. This expansive Neptune/ Jupiter conjunction marks a wonderful day to be near oceans and dreams, not shopping malls and car dealerships. 

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