Today I am going to start with a summary of the planetary energy for April. Then I am going to shift direction and discuss current events in Ukraine. So, as April begins, the Full Moon will be conjunct Mercury. Any unsettled emotions that were left over from March could feel amplified again.
In the early part of the month, Mars and Saturn form a conjunction. This can increase feelings of uncertainty, but also a sense of resolve or resignation. Like Sisyphus, we may feel like we are pushing the proverbial rock up the hill with little success. Mars and Saturn will start to separate mid-month and this will give Jupiter and Neptune more room to work.
These two planets will continue moving through the sky side-by-side in April. As I’ve said before, with a Jupiter/ Neptune conjunction the energy is focused on spirituality. artistic pursuits, imagination, fantasy, speculation, inflation, crude oil, and water. When Venus joins this duo in the last week of April, uncomfortable feelings may subside.
However, resist putting your head in the sand. When Venus joins this conjunction, that is a real temptation. And remember not to confuse fantasy and reality.
Now I am going to spend a little time looking at the world stage. There is no completely reliable birth information on Vladimir Putin. He is reported to have been born on October 7, 1952 in St. Petersburg. Without a birth time I can’t really go into his chart in a lot of detail. However, some transiting aspects do stand out. He has had Pluto in Capricorn squaring his natal Saturn/ Neptune/ Mercury conjunction in Libra for a while now. The Saturn, Neptune, Mercury is already a combination inclined towards delusional thinking. His memory is long and his capacity for suspicion is great. This combination is supported with 60-degree sextile aspects from both Pluto and Mars (which form a 120-degree trine aspect to each other). He believes in his authority and that he is well insulated and protected within that authority. However, his natal Saturn/ Neptune/ Mercury conjunction is also forming a hard 90-degree square with Uranus in Cancer. This makes his disposition and thinking highly unpredictable, even erratic.
But why initiate a war now? By transit, Putin has Jupiter forming a 90-degree square to his natal Mars. This could certainly lead to an aggressive position. And he has transiting Uranus conjunct his natal Jupiter. Uranus conjunct Jupiter is usually an aspect indicating good luck or a windfall of some kind. In Putin’s case, he may be feeling unbeatable.
There are many natal charts for Russia because, unlike the United States, Russia has a long history with many pivots and changes taking place with its borders and government. The most recent natal chart for Russia is dated December 25, 1991at 5:25 PM GMT in Moscow.
This natal chart has Mercury conjunct Mars, as aspect indicating a confrontational and argumentative communication style. This conjunction is in a loose 90-degree square aspect to transiting Jupiter and Neptune. The aspect has been going on for a while now, so the buildup to the Ukrainian invasion was percolating for long before it was initiated. And Mars square Neptune is an aspect that may indicate exploitation and physical or mental/emotional abuse. And that has certainly been the case with respect to Ukraine.
And while Neptune and Jupiter are supporting Russia’s natal Pluto/ Venus conjunction, transiting Saturn is squaring Pluto and Venus. From a planetary standpoint, Russia was never going to be able to just waltz into Ukraine and take her over.
Now let’s look at the natal chart for Ukraine. Ukraine has a natal T-square formed by the opposition between its Moon in Aquarius in the first house and a 4-planet conjunction between its Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus in late Leo/ early Virgo in the seventh house. And all five of these personal planets form 90-degree squares to Pluto in Scorpio on the tenth house cusp. This is the chart of a country that has had to fight tooth and nail for its independence on multiple fronts. Who and what controls Ukraine may be debated, but those Leo and Aquarius planets will always fight for freedom. Ukraine experienced its Saturn return a few months ago. Now, transiting Saturn is conjunct the country’s natal moon in the first house. This is a dynamic for stepping up and demanding autonomy and mature self-governance.
Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky is a relatively young man. Born in 1978 on January 25 in Krivoj Rog at 2 PM, his natal chart indicates abiding ties to Ukraine’s natal chart. His natal Sun and Venus conjunct Ukraine’s natal Saturn, indicating his deep love for Ukraine and its people, so much so that he ran for office to actively defend his country’s freedoms and sovereignty. His natal Mercury conjuncts Ukraine’s Uranus/ Neptune/ North Node stellium indicating that he is dialed into his people’s collective unconscious and mindset. His natal Moon opposes Ukraine’s natal Moon, acting as a mirror for the people he leads. His natal Saturn at 28 degrees of Leo is conjunct Ukraine’s natal Jupiter/ Mercury/ Venus/ Sun Leo-Virgo stellium. This is the mark of his call to leadership and sense of responsibility to his country and fellow citizens. Because his natal Mars opposes Ukraine’s natal Saturn, this position is not without hardship and a toll on his vitality.
Zelensky recently underwent his Uranus opposition by transit. This is an aspect that occurs in the fourth decade of life. It can cause people to hurl themselves into a full-blown mid-life crisis. Or it can create the steppingstone into full adulthood and all the responsibility that entails, as well as all the rewards of personal growth. Clearly Zelensy has chosen the mature path and answered the call to unwavering leadership.
Finally, Zelensky has what I call a guardian angel in his natal chart. This a triangle formed between a trine (in his case, Neptune and the Moon) and two sextiles (his moon and Pluto, as well as Pluto and Neptune). My feeling is that regardless of the outcome of this senseless war, Zelensky will likely emerge as a legendary hero in his country, as well as a beacon of hope to oppressed people worldwide.
And where does the United States fit into this situation? Our country is undergoing its Pluto return. The last time the UK experienced its Pluto return in the mid-1800’s it was engaged in eight different military battles and full-blown wars. While Putin is trying to win this war with military might, the Western world is waging an economic war to subdue Russian aggression. Because Ukraine’s Mars is conjunct the USA’s natal Neptune, I suspect we will be drawn into this conflict more deeply than we care to be involved.
As for NATO (which also has a natal chart), transiting Jupiter and Neptune are in a 90-degree square aspect to the organization’s natal Moon and Uranus, which are conjunct. This influence could be destabilizing to the organization. And Pluto is conjunct NATO’s natal Jupiter. I’ve heard this transit called “the bubble that burst.” In NATO’s particular case, though, I think of this aspect as the rubber meeting the road. This situation truly is a test for the alliance. It may be difficult for the participating countries to continue to remain in unison, at least until Jupiter moves into Aries in May 2022. If they can continue to act as a united body, there is the possibility for NATO to emerge even stronger and better from this situation, as indicated by positive aspects from transiting Saturn.