Libra, April 2016

March was major for you, Libra, thanks to an emotionally revealing, life-changing eclipse that landed in your sign, but April brings plenty of excitement, too—especially in the realm of relationships and intimacy. You'll start feeling the shift in your partnerships early in the month, on April 5, when your ruling planet, Venus, enters Aries, and when Mercury enters Taurus.

Venus is the planet of harmony, beauty, love, and money; while this lovely planet feels a little awkward in Aries, the baby of the zodiac, this will still be a fabulous transit for you because it will be lighting up the partnership sector of your chart, bringing positive vibes and positive interactions.

Because you're the sign of fairness and cooperation, you're always easy to get along with, but during this time that will be especially true. Even better, other people will be just as eager to deal fairly with you!

Single Libras looking for a partner—this partner can be romantic, professional, whatever you want—will find extra luck now. If you're already teamed up with someone, things will definitely feel flirty (or, if the relationship is nonromantic, platonically friendlier) with Venus hanging out in your opposite sign.

The planet of communication, Mercury, enters sensual, stable Earth sign Taurus on the same day that Venus enters Aries. The sector of your chart that will be activated by Mercury in Taurus is one that rules over deep, sensitive issues like death and transformation, and other complicated things like debts and intimacy. If there's an issue around sharing in your relationships—whether that means cash, emotions, or physical affection—Mercury's transit through Taurus will be the time to think things through and hash it out.

If you're working out any tax issues or problems with money, this is also a fab time to problem-solve. Mercury can solve any puzzle; in stubborn, unmovable Taurus, Mercury is set on getting it all done.

Because of the Mercury retrograde, which begins on April 28, Mercury in Taurus will be parked in a very sensitive, psychic, and intimate sector of your chart for quite a long time, so keeping track of your thoughts during this transit is a great idea. Journaling is a great way to examine your feelings and to relieve stress. Keep note of intimacy issues you deal with in April, and review your findings in May while Mercury is retrograde. You'll gain an incredibly deep understanding of yourself and your relationships. The Mercury retrograde will allow you to revisit any sensitive issues that you overlooked or under-examined in April. (Of course, it will also cause delays, break your electronics, and cause communication mishaps! Don't forget not to sign any contracts, Libra! You know the Mercury retrograde drill.)

Hoping for a fresh start in your partnerships, romantic or otherwise? The new moon in Aries on April 7 will create space for a new beginning to unfold. Watch who you meet around this new moon—they could become an important partner in your life. This is a lovely new moon to hold a ritual for pulling in a partner or for healing yourself of past heartache.

If you're currently in a shaky partnership, keep this in mind: Aries is the baby of the zodiac, the sign of innocence and trust. As the baby of the zodiac, Aries also has an incredibly short attention span, forgiving and forgetting easily. It's your choice whether this means staying with the person and truly starting fresh, or leaving them behind, ready to love someone new.

As the infant of the zodiac, Aries is phenomenal at "walking off" heartache. Aries can bounce back from pretty much anything—but so can you, Libra! All you are, according to an old astrologer's saying, is an Aries who went to charm school.

Whatever way you choose to use the new moon vibes, April 12 will be an awesome day for communication in your relationships, as well as for socializing and making connections, thanks to Venus forming a super easy aspect to Mars.

Speaking of Mars: On April 17, Mars turns retrograde in Sagittarius! Mars is the warrior planet, and Sag is a fab sign for it to be in, being that Sagittarius is an archer, complete with a bow and arrow. (Also, Sag is a centaur, and I think you would agree that showing up to a battlefield and seeing centaurs would be horrifying.) Anyway, Mars is energetic in Sag, so slowing down and retreating during a retrograde feels awkward, a total drag, but we can't spend all day fighting— we need to rest and regroup! Strategize!

This Mars retrograde will find you rethinking how you communicate with others, as well as whether or not the agreements you make actually benefit you. Do you make enough demands? Do you fight too much on others' behalf or take less than you deserve just to make things easier (classic Libra problems)? If so, this Mars retrograde period will help you get really clear about all this stuff. Next month, when Mars reenters Scorpio during its retrograde, you'll get even clearer about how your finances and self-worth come into play in these situations.

If there is a conversation you've been aching to have, because Mars retrograde will be intensifying the communication sector of your chart, you'll likely feel you can't wait any longer and need to confront the problem.

Additionally, relationships with your siblings and your local hood will become priorities in a way you're maybe not used to. Trips you were planning may need to be postponed, and problems with your car or mode of transport could also pop up.

The next day, April 18, the lord of the underworld, Pluto, turns retrograde in Capricorn, which will stir up power issues you have brewing at home or within your family. On a brighter note, on April 18, your ruling planet, Venus, will trine commitment-loving Saturn, which will bring blessings around your relationships and all the important talks you'll be having soon! Saturn craves stability and Venus craves harmony, so when these two energies are working well together, awesome things can happen.

Things get intense on April 19, when the Sun enters Taurus and Venus challenges Pluto. Because Taurus rules that tricky, intimate, transformative sector of your chart, the big bright shiny Sun entering that sector will make it impossible for you to ignore those issues. Venus in a power struggle with Pluto will bring up tension—especially around feeling secure—but this combination can go in many ways, bringing up fights, suspicions, jealousy, and/or hot sex.

On the financial front, the full moon in Scorpio on April 22 will shed some light on material matters, as well as your self-esteem! Spoil yourself on this full moon and allow yourself to be a little superficial. Sure, Scorpio is the sign of depth, intensity, and rebirth, but sometimes being a little shallow is the deepest thing you can do. We like to joke (well, it's not really a joke) that you Libras are vain, but your brains are also constantly at working, weighing pros and cons and carrying the weight of the world, really. This full moon, step back from all the intense shit you're working out and just pamper yourself. Find space to be present. Instead of digging deep for answers, be in the now. Perhaps the answers you're looking for are right in front of your face, not buried deep down in some swamp of complicated feelings.

Venus meets wild Uranus on April 22, which will bring a huge sense of freedom and adventure to your relationships, and on April 29, Venus will enter Taurus, bringing blessings around all those intimate themes you have been working on. If you've been waiting to get deep and dirty about your issues in relationships, Libra, April is your month. See you in May!