If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget it. This is real astrology. See the section above. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT). Current UT date and time appear at the top of this page. (To update display, use your browser's reload/refresh button.) 

After a hectic couple of months, April offers some relative respite: no SuperMoons, no eclipses, no major planetary alignments, and only one planetary station (when Venus goes direct on the 20th). Think of it as the calm before May storms in on us. The one really solid carry-over from March is a continuation of fear and uncertainty in major financial markets around the world, what with Venus retrograde most of the month and the Jupiter-Pluto opposition waiting just around the corner in early May. On the plus side, school and workplace violence should be on a downtrend in April, following the couple of scary months I predicted.

To be sure, there's bound to be a minor spate of bad weather, flooding and seismic upset (including Richter 5 or greater quakes and volcanic eruptions) as the month opens, what with Luna reaching maximum north declination on the 1st. Watch for this to be a carryover from March 31st that stretches out to late on April 2nd. This is followed almost immediately by another seismic and meteorological outburst starting on the 4th and continuing through the 11th, as suggested by a couple of cosmic factors. One is the Moon's perigee - closest approach to Earth - on the 5th, which should stir things up starting the day before then. Close on its heels is the Moon's southward crossing of the celestial equator on the 7th, another geocosmic stress indicator. Almost simultaneously, the full moon of the 8th starts making its presence felt, extending up to three days afterward as well.

Full moons are planetary in scale, and so all of planet Earth is at risk for the kind of seismic and meteorological upheaval such alignments signify. But a look at the astro-locality of this particular alignment does suggest a few target zones during the April 4-11 risk period. These include the Bering Strait and eastern Brazil; and a zone along a north-south line from Denmark through Italy and down through west-central Africa to around Capetown; plus east Asia on a north-south line from the Korean peninsula through southern Japan, eastern Indonesia and central Australia. Anyone living in (or visiting) these areas may be more likely than the rest of us to witness first hand a severe storm, coastal or inland flooding, a moderate to severe earthquake or a volcanic eruption. But while these zones are in some sense in the bull's eye, so to speak, they're not the only places such calamities will occur during the April 4-11 risk period. So take precautions just in case, have alternatives for outdoor activities, be prepared for weather-related travel delays, etc. I don't expect to see world record storms, seismic events and the like this time around, but that's no consolation if a tornado or hailstorm tears across your path.

Weather and seismic activity should return to more nearly normal levels after the 11th - with one small exception. As the Moon reaches maximum declination south of the equator on the 14th, you can pretty well figure on a brief upsurge in storms, floods and quakes (and possibly volcanic activity as well) kicking up from the 13th through the 15th. Afterwards, relative calm and quiet should resume, until a combination of celestial factors starts building on the 20th, continuing in force through the 26th. The culprits in this case are first the Moon's northward crossing of the celestial equator on the 21st, and then the new moon in Taurus on the 23rd. Of course you should be on the lookout for the normal bumper crop of strong storms, flooding, and moderate to severe seismic activity during this period. (In the latter category, watch for an up-tick in Richter 5 and higher quakes as well as volcanic eruptions.) Jupiter being within just a few degrees of exact opposition to Pluto as the new moon takes place in the heavens, weather (and maybe even seismic events) can play havoc with transport and communications networks during this risk window, which looks like the major one for the month. Blackouts, derailments, road closures and wind-whipped wildfires are among the potential hazards, in addition to storms affecting air and sea travel. Better not to push too hard than to crash, and better still to remember this in time so it can do some good. Major insurers are apt to suffer a big hit from this one.

This being a new moon, you can expect to see its potential made manifest virtually anywhere on Planet Earth. While the whole planet is under the gun, astro-locality suggests that a few targets are more likely than others to take a direct hit. These include a north-south zone stretching from the southwest coast of Greenland down through the center of Brazil, and a similar north-south line running up from central Australia, through Indonesia and southern Japan on into China.

The April 20-26 new moon period looks significant for major world equity markets: probably a sharp drop followed by strong buying as institutions and individual investors figure the bottom is either very near or already at hand. Volatility remains, and some major hits will happen later in the year, but all in all there seems to be a significant shift in investor psychology afoot: the bear is not forgotten, but greed begins to replace fear as the dominant market driver toward the end of April. Financials should be among the first to catch the updraft . . . With Venus going stationary-direct and Saturn nudging back into Taurus during this same period, there's a major sea change going on. If you're a long term investor, quality stocks offer some tempting bargains at a time like this. Those with a short term horizon should probably stand pat, because the roller coaster hasn't come to a halt yet.

This same new moon period signals increased hacker insurgency directed against the communications infrastructure, primarily affecting governments and large corporations. But when you overload systems and turn computer worms, viruses and Trojans loose - well, lots of people tend to get caught in the crossfire. Keep your security protocols tight and up to date!

Last but not least, as April draws to a close, one final storm and seismic risk window opens up 30 hours either side of the lunar declination maximum on the 28th. This one's short but surprisingly destructive at its worst, so keep tuned in to the news and weather during this period.

  

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)