 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| APRIL 2018 FORECAST ©2018 by Richard Nolle last revised March 31, 2018 |
If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Location for all mundane charts is set for the Great Pyramid at Giza; the choice being strictly arbitrary in any case. Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.
PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2018 World Forecast Highlights (41 8-1/2 x 11" illustrated pages); focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in toll-free anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761, and charged to any major credit or debit card. Orders may also be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.
"If I were to live for tomorrow, I would have lived fullest for today."
-- Santosh Kalwar
The world changed last month – or at least, the year did. The Max cycles that began in March (Mercury and Mars) continue this month – and well beyond, in the latter case. If you’re not already up to speed on them, see the Mercury Max and Mars Max sections in my March forecast. But for now, here’s the nub of it: solar and geomagnetic storms on and off all month; and a steady stream of more and worse in the "fires, crashes, clashes and explosions" category. It’s not all dystopic. But if you’re not prepared for that element, you’re apt to walk right into a buzz saw. So . . . first things first.
I promised you last month that March wouldn’t be going out like the proverbial lamb, and the headlines bear that out. The March 31 full moon was one of the indicators I saw of an increase in the number and intensity of strong storms with powerful winds and heavy precipitation on the one hand; and moderate-to-severe seismic activity (M5+ quakes, notable volcanic eruptions). My forecast called for a geophysical shock window from March 28 to April 3, so we still have a little bit of that turbulence to go yet.
There’s more of this to come from the 13th through the 19th (anchored by the new moon on the 16th); and from April 27 into May 3 (centered around the full moon on the 30th). Neither of these is a SuperMoon-class disturbance, mind you. But that doesn’t mean we can brush them off: any new or full moon tends to attract a cluster of storms and seismicity during its associated shock window.
I suspect that the April 13-19 interval will be the most disturbed, since the new moon is conjunct Uranus, and comes within a day of the inferior Sun-Mercury conjunction on the 15th. (The latter is one of the critical junctures in the current Mercury Max cycle.) Speaking of which . . .
Solar and Geomagnetic Turbulence
While the Sun has been relatively quiet for many months now, it still manages to respond to the Mercury Max cycle – just not as strongly as in its more active phases. In turn, geomagnetic storms (Kp5+ tend to bubble up with greater frequency and intensity during Mercury Max; most especially within plus or minus three days of the five critical phases in that cycle. (See the accompanying table of 2018 Mercury Maxes.) Three of those criticalities occur this month: on the 1st (the inferior Sun-Mercury conjunction), the 15th (the direct station) and the 29th (Mercury’s maximum western elongation and the end of the Mercury Max cycle).
2018 MERCURY MAX CYCLES
Max-E S-Rx Cnj. SUN S-D Max-W MAR 15, 2018 MAR 23, 2018 APR 1, 2018 APR 15, 2018 APR 29, 2018 JUL 12, 2018 JUL 26, 2018 AUG 9, 2018 AUG 19, 2018 AUG 28, 2018 NOV 6, 2018 NOV 17, 2018 NOV 27, 2018 DEC 6, 2018 DEC 15, 2018 Max-E = Mercury (Evening Star) Max. Elongation East of Sun (Max begins)
S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde GBegins)
Cnj. SU = Inferior Conjunction with Sun
S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)
Max-W = Mercury (Morning Star) Max. Elongation West of Sun (Max ends)Dumping Gigawatts of extra energy onto our home planet during these intervals stimulates the Earth’s magnetosphere, atmosphere and mantle. The result is extra storm and seismic activity, and an increase in geomagnetic storms (Kp5 and higher).
Some of these things will show up in the news and weather reports – earthquake and volcano activity plus damaging storms are the usual suspects. But spectacular auroras and other electromagnetic disturbances affecting radio and satellite communications, electrical and electronic infrastructure and the like are also on the table.
The human nervous system is such a system, and it too is vulnerable at times like this – in some of us more than others. You probably know who you are, what to expect, and what to do. Do it. Don’t forget.
The 2018 Mars Max cycle got underway last month. (See accompanying table.) You know what to expect, if you read my March forecast: a crescendo of "fires, crashes, clashes and explosions"; an outbreak of ultraviolence. Remember, this has only just begun. Go slow, get a grip, and stay focused.
2018 MARS MAX CYCLE
SUN-090-MARS MARS S-Rx SUN-180-MARS MARS S-D SUN-270-MARS MAR 24 JUN 26 JUL 27 AUG 27 DEC 3 SUN-090-MARS = Sun-Mars Waxing Square (Max begins)
MARS S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde Begins)
SUN-180- MARS = Sun-Mars Opposition (Mars Perigee)
MARS S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)
SUN 270 MARS = Sun-Mars Waning Square (Max ends)The big picture here is that Mars spends the 2018 Max cycle between 4 Capricorn and 11 Pisces. This range, and the specific degrees and dates mentioned above, outline the high points of the 2018 Mars Max. Mark those dates in red on your calendar (give or take a few days or so) as focal points for the “fires, crashes, clashes and explosions” factor. To them must be added April 2 (Mars Max conjunct Saturn in the sky above, and opposing Mercury in Donald Trump’s birth chart), the last week of April (Mars Max conjunct Pluto in the heavens, opposing Saturn in Trump’s natal chart); mid-May (Mars Max opposing Trump’s natal Venus), late July (the lunar eclipse conjunct Mars Max), early August and mid-September (Mars Max square Uranus), and mid-November (Mars Max square Jupiter).
I mention President Trump’s chart here not only because it takes direct hits from this year’s Mars Max, but also because it has been so heavily aspected ever since the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse, which fell on his natal Mars at the ascendant while Saturn was at the same time sitting on his natal lunar eclipse; also because the February 15, 2018 total solar eclipse reactivates his natal Mars-ascendant alignment. Now that Mars Max is also drawing a bead on the President’s chart, he becomes more beleaguered by the day. As I pointed out in my August 2017 online forecast, the solar eclipse that month has ominous connotations for the President. (The eclipses of 1974 and 1998 had impeachment connections for Presidents Nixon and Clinton.) As I put it in that forecast, "Is impeachment in Mr. Trump’s future too, under the same eclipse that brought Mr. Clinton to that impasse? Or will it be a 25th Amendment removal from office? Or something else? There are a lot of possibilities here; none of which bodes well for Mr. Trump." Astrology goes back to a time when rulers didn’t leave office for constitutional reasons, so there are less genteel possibilities in the picture here.
Of interest to me, with regard to these Mars transits and the eclipses activating Trump’s natal Mars, is that his BC data yields an astro-locality map featuring a Mars horizon line that arcs through Washington DC and Pyongyang, North Korea. Mars, the planet of war, connecting these two points at the moment of Trump’s birth is ominous, both literally and figuratively. (For more on astro-locality mapping, see the Astro-Locality section at the end of this forecast.) So much Mars activation, at so many levels, raises the specter that Mr. Trump is surrounded by danger, which threatens not only him but also the world at large – particularly during the Mars Max cycles of 2018 and 2020, if he manages to stay in office that long. I don’t expect he will; in which case the greatest Mars Max threat comes after his time in office: late 2019 and on and off throughout 2020, when at one time or another we’ll see Saturn conjunct Pluto – or within a few degrees of each other, plus Mars Max and Mercury Max.
Unfortunately, given that war and peace hang in the balance over Korea even in the best of times lately, rash action can easily spin out of control. We can be sure that the infamous Trump petulance will raise its ugly head frequently during Mars Max. The fact that Mr. Trump’s natal Mars horizon line arcs from Washington DC across North Korea is noteworthy. Born under Mars rising, Mr. Trump is widely known for his belligerence, for going on the offensive when he feels threatened, for bullying his way through adversity. Those lifelong traits are especially dangerous now that he is Commander in Chief – and particularly under all these Mars Max contacts to his natal chart.
Last month’s major planet station (Jupiter retrograde on the 9th) is echoed by the Saturn and Pluto retrograde stations this month (on the 18th and 22nd respectively). These are financial and political tremor times, when fear and greed shake up geopolitics and the markets. It’s far too early for Armageddon; but not too early to think about locking in your profits with an eye to buying back in at a discount after the storm passes. Just don’t make a fetish of exact dates – NEVER make a fetish of exact dates. Saturn and Pluto will spend the whole month within a degree of their exact station points, so either set your targets on auto-execute, or keep your eye on the screen and your finger on the trigger. (Especially around the 16th and 30th – particularly the former date, so near the Venus-Jupiter opposition.)
Best interpersonal playdates: The 9th through the 16th. It probably won’t come easy, but at least there’s a chance.
If you have significant horoscopic emphasis around 9° or 21° of the cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn), then this month’s Saturn and Pluto stations bid you think security, survival and revival. (Check your chart!) The Mars alignments to these points at the beginning and end of the month mark times of emphasis in this regard.
The Venus-Jupiter alignment on the 17th emphasizes 21° in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius). If these degrees are prominent in your own natal chart, issues of control and excess are likely to be important around these dates: literally and figuratively, good times need to be accompanied by a designated driver.
All mundane astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are set for the Universal Time (UT) of the event, and calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8. Charts are set for the location of the Great Pyramid - a purely arbitrary choice, since location is irrelevant to these charts. Unless sotherwise noted, sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe or Star Rover apps for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows; storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone; and earthquake maps are screen captures from the QuakeFeed, QuakeWatch or QuakeZone apps for iPhone. Any market images are screen captures from the default iPhone Stocks app, unless otherwise noted. Weather images and storm tracks are screen captures from the Weather Channel app for iPhone.
SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)
|
Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/message 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com |
|
