News from Yogic Astrology

With the Sun in Taurus, an earthy and sensual sign, we notice nature displaying this energy by providing all sorts of beautiful colors, fragrant flowers, sounds of birds waking with the morning sunrise, and the feeling the warmth of the sun our face and earth on our bare feet. This is a great month to get out in nature and feel all the wonderful sensual experiences that awakens our connection to the earth and reminds us of the grounding we can receive simply by being in nature when life gets hectic.

Taurus is ruled by Venus the planet of love, beauty, money, possessions, and attachments to them. Venus spends much of this month, from April 25th - May 20th in the sign of Gemini. An image I like of Venus in Gemini is a butterfly or honey bee flitting from one flower to another, gathering in the nectar and dropping some somewhere else, or of catching a pleasant smell wafting through the air on a gentle breeze. Gemini loves to spread communications of all kinds, Venus loves to revel in the pleasures of the senses. Combined this is the spreading and sharing of sensory experiences. Venus is also the planet of romance - she is Aphrodite - and in Gemini this is a good month to share ideas on how to make our relationships richer in the pleasure areas.

Mercury is retrograde this month from April 18th - May 20th in the sign of Taurus. Planets are retrograde when closest to earth so Mercury is between the Sun and Earth in orbit; they also appear to move backwards against the backdrop of fixed stars that make up the zodiac constellations of the ecliptic. This retrograde movement indicates delays, missed connections, revisions, and do over's (and we thought we only had those as a kid at play). You might find more traffic delays or detours in your daily commute. You mind find yourself needing amendments and extensions on contracts. You might find your car, mechanical systems or appliances in need of repair. You might get your neighbor's mail by mistake, more calls from wrong numbers, or find more voice mails and emails getting lost in the shuffle.

Since Venus and Mercury are in each other's sign, it is important to remember the synchronicities of life this month especially with regard to our inter-dependant actions with others. We may be stopping at our neighbor's house to exchange mail for a reason. They may have a networking contact for us, an idea that helps us, a possession we might want to borrow, news about a great deal on something we are considering purchasing, or we may have it for them. So don't just return the mail and leave. Engage in conversation. Make it a mental game to find out why you got their mail by mistake and were supposed to talk to them that day. If they aren't home don't leave the mail go back again later. Same thing with a wrong number, instead of saying "sorry you have the wrong number" and hanging up, try saying "This is Julene, perhaps we've been connected for a reason. I'm an Astrologer who is looking to get a monthly group going in the western Cleveland area and a Realtor looking for homes for my buyers and buyers for my listings. Perhaps we can be of assistance to each other. What do you do and what are you looking for?" Of course put your name, job and what you are looking for in there. Sure some people will hang up but if they don't it could lead you to a new business or social networking contact. You'll never know if you don't ask. Until you do they are just a voice on your phone of no significance or opportunity.

Many people get nervous when Mercury is retrograde and say "don't buy or sign anything and refrain from making major decisions or moves." While that isn't bad advice it often isn't very practical. Life can't stop during these 3 weeks, no matter how much we might welcome that notion some days. You might have to buy a car or take it to a mechanic if it breaks down. You might have to buy a house before April 30th to take advantage of a tax credit. You might have to make a major decision about a new job or relocation. You can't let opportunities pass you by because Mercury is retrograde. But you should exercise caution, due diligence, clarity of points, follow through, and build cushions into your deadlines in case there are delays. If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is and you'll likely wind up returning your purchase or getting it fixed if that's the case. Contracts may need to be revised, deadlines extended, or someone may lose a paper you have to re-send or re-sign. It is a good idea to follow through and check in with everyone involved more often than usual while Mercury is retrograde. If you're a last minute person and delays have dire consequences at the last minute, do yourself a favor and put a cushion into your deadlines. You may need the extra travel time to the job or important meeting, extra time to close a deal, to locate lost pages or packages, or re-sign where there are missing signatures and initials. If you need a new car or house by a certain date, don't put that date on the contract. Put a date a week or so earlier to give plenty of extra time for last minute clerical blunders, bank errors, or dropped balls. If someone doesn't call or email you back, send the message again. They may have missed it. Remember synchronicity and check it first for clarity. Maybe you were supposed to revise your message and that's why they didn't get it or that it will have more meaning to the receiver at the time of the re-send.