April 8/9: Venus, the Sun and the star Eta Carinae indicate diplomatic efforts to compensate threatening and aggressive egos, while Pallas and M48 show the willingness to fix chaotic situations... The Sun and M68 help to raise self-esteem; Saturn, Vesta and the Horsehead Nebula promote an effective organization

April 8/9: This intense and hectic week starts with Venus in parallel with the Sun and opposed to Eta Carinae, one of the biggest stars in our galaxy. This represents the necessary strength to stabilize with harmony and diplomacy the explosiveness of egocentric, threatening personalities. Eta Carinae is a supergiant star, prone to constant eruptions, and is a threat in itself because when it explodes (within tens of thousands of years), it is very likely to destroy everything around it, including the terrestrial biosphere. Definitely, this process coincides with the recent threats from North Korea about nuclear war, but Venus and the Sun appear to have the strength to balance and handle the situation properly. At a personal level, try diplomacy to deal with irritable, egocentric and/or dominant people, instead of provoking confrontations.

     But there are other astrological combinations that represent the need for diplomacy beyond personal interests. Juno is in ecliptic conjunction with Supernova 1987A, in contra parallel to Mars and galaxy M49, and at 45° from Mercury. The relationship between the asteroid of commitments and the most recent supernova explosion in our galactic neighborhood reveals that many agreements and contracts will tend to break-up, sometimes in unexpected or drastic ways. This can affect many relationships, especially love or business, and this will make many marriages and societies to enter a critical phase... or simply to break-up. On the other hand, Juno can achieve new agreements if the need to harmonize is greater than the natural aggressive drive Mars. The planet of war is in parallel to galaxy M49, which represents a strong need to attract attention because of its high brightness and great gravitational power. Therefore, the best way to start a conflict personally or internationally is letting egotistic drives to stand before  collective/partnership needs. Hence the importance of not seeing things through a limited and individual scope. Instead, try to negotiate. A hard lesson in a society that glorifies the ego, but not impossible to assimilate ...or change. It's up to you!

     Juno is contra parallel to Venus and the Sun on April 9th, which can help to reduce the risk of confrontation and to soothe plaintiff egos. This combination represents fair and equitable relationships, both personally and collectively. The pursuit of equality will prevail as the week passes. Moreover, the parallel of asteroid Pallas to star cluster M48, and its sextile (60°) to Neptune indicates a good time to give some structure to confusing or chaotic situations with an effort of will. Pallas represents strategies, and M48, abundant in G-type stars, symbolizes a will that prevails. The contact with Neptune indicates where to lead this strategic deployment of force: to situations where there has been negligence, carelessness, disaster, victimization, confusion, chaos, disorganization, illness. Even if they appear difficult to solve, many situations will change for the better if there is the willingness to work on it. Do it now and you will succeed!

      The Sun in opposition to globular cluster M68 and at 45° from Neptune continues with the idea of compensating weaknesses or neglect. M68 is a very disperse cluster with a low metallicity, indicating in psychological terms a low self-esteem. The opposition of the Sun, if only for a couple of days, tends to balance this trend. So, if for some reason  feelings of inadequacy or insecurity arise, it is time to compensate them with self-assertion, a wider consciousness, a realistic outlook, emphasizing the positive side of life. We must brighten the dark corners of our existence.... or that of others as well.

    Finally, the mid-week will witness a strong activity of Saturn, which is placed at 135° from the asteroid Vesta and the Horsehead Nebula. This combination may coincide with a trend of organization and structure that can have extraordinary results. Vesta represents a strong concentration, while the Horsehead Nebula, with which Vesta is in ecliptic conjunction, tends to highlight situations, making them visible and obvious. Saturn involves practical demands and devotion to duty, so this astrological combination refers to a disciplined demonstration of personal energy, but the results are visible, tangible. Further, the level of exigence can be excessive and therefore it is not good to exaggerate in this regard, particularly in contexts where it is not needed as there is already an ongoing organization. However, Saturn is slowly separating from a contra parallel to star cluster M15, whose stars coexist in a disorganized and conflicting environment. This indicates that it is good to bring order out of chaos and restrict conflicts, putting goals to be achieved as a priority, as well as ignoring the differences between people. These can be overcome if there is discipline to focus on a common goal, despite maintaining different positions individually. There will be better times in the weeks to come for expressing independence and freedom. Nothing lasts forever! But for now, build on this momentum to achieve a better organization. It's worth the effort!


Carlos Duarte
Research Astrologer