You seem to want to travel this month, and even though there are reasons why I would ask you to delay your trip, it looks like you will go anyway. I would recommend going in June instead, but it looks like you may need to go now. The full moon that occurred in Libra, 10 degrees, in your third house of communication and travel on March 31, one day prior to the start of April, suggests you will have a goal to complete. You might need to see a client face-to-face to work out a deal, or to get a signature on a purchase order. In the early days of April, your trip will likely be to a close-by city or town.

If you didn’t leave yet, you might have to go during the first four days of April. The problem with that full moon is that Saturn and Mars will be orbiting exactly together in Capricorn, and in hard angle to the transiting Sun (your ruler) in Aries and the full moon in Aries. This trip surely will be arduous, and you will earn your keep.

The third house rules all kinds of communication, negotiation, buying and selling, advertising, printing, and publicity, but alas, Mercury will be retrograde (something I will get into in more detail later in your report), and so you can’t put any of your plans into motion quite yet, not until later in the month. You must get beyond April 15, and if possible a week beyond that, just to get as far away from this planet gone haywire as is possible. One of your best days to sign a contract will be April 23when energetic mars and good fortune planet Jupiter will join forces.

On April 2, Mars and Saturn will conjoin in Capricorn, which is a stop (Saturn), go (Mars), stop (Saturn), go (Mars) aspect of crossed signals. Saturn will win, for you really do have to slow down. If you rush forward, you will be out of tune with the rhythm of April. The hesitation of what to do in the first few days of April will pass quickly. This would not be a day I would suggest to sign papers, for you would build this fire (Mars) and ice (Saturn) aspect into the DNA of the endeavor, for however long that endeavor is in place.

One warning about April 2: Mars and Saturn in conjunction is a classic aspect ruling possibly of injury through falls, hurting especially bones – in particular the knees – and also teeth. Watch where you walk, keep walkways well lit inside and outside, and you should be fine.

You are working harder than you have ever worked before, and clearly, the pressure is on you to be productive. As I mentioned last month, business will be brisk for you, but it looks like you’d like to have more hands on deck. With Saturn touring this house, it might be hard for you to find qualified, affordable help to hire. If you occasionally get well-written letters with a resume attached, keep those letters handy. You never know when one person’s inquiry will help you solve a staffing problem.

One of the reasons your work life is so busy is that Mars is stirring the pot on your workaday sector, giving you an avalanche of work on your desk. Mars in Capricorn tends to put a spotlight on money and the appropriation of funds, so at least part of your time will be consumed with doing that. Next month, when Mars departs on May 15, and after that, your workload should ease.

Mercury started to retrograde last month on March 22, and will continue to do so until April 15. During that time, try not to sign any contracts or give verbal agreements. It’s not a good idea to buy any electronic equipment or airline tickets – do so AFTER the retrograde is over. Every time I have bought airline tickets while Mercury was retrograde, I had to call the airline, extend the trip, and pay a big re-ticketing fee.

During Mercury retrograde, you will find the mail is slow, you become forgetful, and you pick up the wrong understanding of a message that someone is trying to transmit to you. In the US, tax day is April 17, and I am wondering how many tax returns will be terribly inaccurate because some people will rush the process. When Mercury is retrograde, you must slow down and be deliberate in all that you do. Double-check all your work.

The very fact that Mercury will be retrograde in the first half of April means conditions around you are changing, but you won’t see the truth of this immediately. This is why you should not agree to any binding promises. The qualifiers you are using now to make a decision will soon be out of date, and later when things do shift in a more obvious manner, you will wish you had waited. This is the reason during Mercury retrograde you should observe and plan, but not sign off on anything yet.

    Is your suitcase shouting to you from under the bed to get you to pull him from out from under there – saying, pack me up and let’s go? I bet it is! Your chart has possibilities for travel written all over it.

Keep in mind that Mercury is at his worst at the start and end dates of the retrograde, which is, for many, counterintuitive, but it’s true. I can see the length of time it takes Mercury to travel one degree by looking at an ephemeris, a daily table that tracks the positions of the planets. (NASA has a similar table of planetary positions.) That is how I know that Mercury acts like a wild child at the start and end dates. Mercury will retrograde in your long-distance, foreign travel sector, which is your ninth house of travel, international relationships, immigration concerns, publishing, broadcasting, legal and academic matters – all areas you might see a temporary slowdown.

If you would like to learn more about Mercury retrograde, and why it is never wise to buy new electronic items during this phase, you might want to look at my article, “All You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde,” on the lower left hand side of my website of Astrology Zone. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/2ny6INl

If you are reading my forecast on my premium paid version of my app, go to the menu, find Life Love + More, and then Susan’s Essays. You will find the same article with a different headline, “Mercury Retrograde and What It Means for You.” I am not sure why my tech team changed the name on my same essay!

Next we come to the new moon of April 15, and again your mind will be back to travel, and at this time, your mind will be on international travel. Is your suitcase shouting to you from under the bed to get you to pull him from out from under there – saying, pack me up and let’s go? I bet it is! Your chart has possibilities for travel written all over it.

New moons open doors, so you may be able to see an opportunity arise that will allow you to work overseas (possibly situated there, or at your regular base, working internationally without leaving home). Alternatively, you may get a top assignment in publishing or broadcasting that will make you very excited – and you won’t see this coming.

If you do travel, it seems you will likely do so for professional reasons, for the ruler of your ninth house, Mars, is currently circulating in your solar sixth house of work assignments. Alas, any trip you take after April 15 will likely to be somewhat arduous, and with Pluto in hard angle to that new moon, you may face a difficult client who is making unreasonable demands. Be ready – it’s better to know and be ready than not know.

If you are in college or graduate school, you seem to be very focused on getting your heavy load of work done, or if you are about to apply to various universities, you may be making your choice now. You may be considering the idea of doing a year abroad, or getting a grant to do research in a foreign country.

Alternatively, you may be ready to defend your thesis very soon, and if so, you seem to be spending a lot of time in the library, checking your facts. If you are in a legal case, you will have to be very careful about having everything in your case sewn up. Mercury retrograde won’t help matters, but neither will the cranky planets filling your detail-oriented sixth house, where the gang of three are currently located: teacher Saturn, active Mars, and bossy Pluto.

As a Leo you are innately creative, and with Jupiter sending a divine signal to Neptune, the planet of vision and imagination, now touring your eighth house of other people’s money, using your creativity will make you shine and help your cash flow noticeably. The caveat is that you must think outside the box. As they say, be ready to break a few eggs.

Not only will Neptune help you, but Mars will too by getting in touch with Venus in a heavenly way. Neptune and Jupiter will make perfect alignments at the time of this new moon April 15, and each planet will stimulate your creative thinking. You could be on the verge of a powerful breakthrough, so burn the midnight oil and think up ideas without editing them, dear Leo.

The most interesting part of this new moon of April 15 is that the Sun, your ruling star, will be in perfect alignment with Uranus, almost guaranteeing that this new moon will set off change and surprise, just when you least expect anything to happen.

At the same time, Venus in Taurus will move through your prestigious tenth house reputation sector all month until April 24, so VIPs and peers alike will show enthusiasm for your ideas. Subordinates will want to work for you, for they feel they can learn from you. Higher ups want to give you more responsibility. Your work will show even more progress next month, so create work you are proud to show – very soon you will be rewarded.

Now we get to month’s end – the full moon of April 29 in Scorpio 10 degrees will give you a chance to beautifully improve your living conditions. You might be moving within four days of April 29, and if so, you have chosen one of the best days of the year to do so. There are so many changes you can make to your home or other property you might own or rent – renovate, decorate, make repairs, paint several rooms, get a new roommate, landscape your yard – the list is nearly endless. Full moons bring closure, so at this time you may see the end of the work your contractor has been doing for your home.

Romantically, although you will have a big emphasis on travel, work, and home, you will also have a little time for fun and love. When Venus enters Gemini, from April 24 to May 19, you will be in your element. I tell you this because breezy fun is coming. You do have a lot to do this month, and at times work will be heavy, but doing it will give you pride in what you have accomplished. Single or married you will have more time for relaxation and time with your current and new friends.

It’s time to expand your horizons and leave town. You might start on a small scale at the beginning of April, going a short distance at the start of the month, but as you get deeper into April, you go a much farther distance. Short or long distance, either way, your trip would likely be taken for business for a face-to-face meeting with a prestigious client.

If it turns out to be true for you, you will work hard, but be pleased with the outcome of the meeting. Even if you do not travel, foreign people may still play an important role in your life. You might be on the phone and email with others at a distance all month, or hosting visitors from abroad to your city, particularly from mid-to-late April.

You may be asked to sign papers in the first days of April, due to the full moon in your third house that occurred March 31, but with Mercury still retrograde until April 15, if possible, wait until after that date. If you sign early in April, you are likely to overlook points in the deal that aren’t favorable to you. If possible, choose an astrologically sunny day – April 23, when Mars (action) and Jupiter (good fortune) will be in sync, one of the finest days of the month.

If you work in publishing or broadcasting – industries ruled by the ninth house – manhole covers will be popping open all around you, and you will be very busy attending to all you have to do. At the office, no matter what you do for a living, you will need more staff, especially in the department involving budgetary appropriation and accounts receivable / payable, but no matter what qualifications you will look for in candidates, qualified workers will be hard to find. Saturn will be creating obstacles, and Mercury retrograde won’t help, so as a result, you may have to do double duty until you can locate suitable recruits.

A new project may come up with a client based abroad, and this assignment will be unusual in some way and take you down a new path. It may be that your client is not clear about the instructions you are given, so go the extra mile to summarize the plan. When starting the project, add more time and money to your estimate than you think you need – the project you get this month will have many moving parts and will be complex. Add your client’s volatility and indecisiveness, you can readily see it will take time to get things right.

Still, although this sounds like the job might become a nightmare, you will actually find the job stimulating because it will expose you to new technology and allow you work independently much of the time. If you are opening the doors of a new business, your timing is good – do so after April 15. I particularly like April 23, when booster rocket Mars and good fortune Jupiter will align. Profits would be very likely if you start then.

If you were considering going back to college or graduate school, the planetary picture is perfect for making solid plans after Mercury goes direct April 15. If you need to defend your thesis this month, the same is true – you couldn’t wish for a better time to do so, for you will impress VIPs. This is not to say that the presentation will be exactly easy, for the critics hearing your thesis will be thorough in their questioning of you. You’ve got this, dear Leo. Study up and be confident.

If buying, selling, renting, moving, renovating, decorating, or making need repairs on your home, keep alert on April 15 and April 23 when you may get a big, heartening clue that will lead you to the right answer in terms of real estate or contractor.

Then, within four days of the best home-related full moon of the year in Scorpio, April 29, you will crystalize your plans, find accord, sign papers, and move forward. If you are buying or selling real estate, you will do well financially, and if making improvements now, you are likely to vastly improve the value of your home. If you are leasing your first apartment, you will be thrilled with the space you choose. On another score, if you have been looking for a way to help your mother or father in a substantial way, the right solution will arrive at month’s end, too.

Although most of April you’ll be consumed with work, study, travel, and an emphasis on your home, at the end of the month you will have time for fun and love. Venus will move into highly compatible air-sign Gemini and the house of friends, new faces, and events. Venus will work hard to help you find ways to unwind and find balance in a busy month.