April Astrology and the Grand Cross ~ This is A Game Changer

The Cardinal Grand Cross is building over the next few weeks for later in April. Here's my take on it with a few other's thoughts and ideas thrown in.  The Full Moon eclipse of 15th April which is visible right here on the East coast of Australia will be spectacular and introduce the energies of the grand cross to the planet.   The rest of the time after will be the lead up to April 23/ 24th and the exact lineup.  The Moon also triggers the cross twice, before and after the 23rd.

Watch the Full Moon rise fully eclipsed on Tuesday evening the 15th April as it comes over the horizon.  It will be a beautiful sight with Mars above the Moon and Spice (fixed star) to the right.

best,            

Richard Giles

The Cross Of Changes ~ 

The Cardinal Grand Cross of April 2014
by Richard Giles

There are times in astrological forecasting that astrologers get very excited or cautious about coming large scale transits.  This month of April is one of those occasions.

Early this year a Grand Cross began forming on and off in the Cardinal signs that will have large scale impacts on the world of politics, finance and social-cultural events (Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). Over the last few years two of the outer planets are describing square aspects to one another that's grinding away at our stable institutions and shifting everything we've taken for granted.  Its the Uranus-Pluto square that's been operating since 2012.

Uranus and Pluto are two of the strongest of our outer planets and play a major part in establishing the impact of new trends downloaded into our world collective and doing so, they cause massive alterations in our social and political fabric. This year is the fifth in a series of squares to each other (lasting through until 2015) and these squares are aiding the shift to a more sensible economic and political world system and also bringing with them a gradual collapse (sometimes faster) of all the systems to which we have become accustomed. Expect governments to try out rigid controls as well. Along with change goes breakthroughs and Uranus-Pluto are always associated with scientific, technological and medical shifts.

What is a Grand Cross?  Briefly according to Bil Terniery in his "Dynamics of Aspect Analysis" classical astrology book, the Grand cross is composed of four square aspects and contains friction, strain and pressure. The dynamic convergence of these forces can also supply the fuel for people and nations to become completely positively purposeful.

The Cross consists of the planets Uranus in Aries, Jupiter in Cancer, Mars in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. They will form the strongest aspect on 23rd / 24th April (in Aust.) and this cross will be also activated by the Moon on 21st and again on 27th April.  What is activation - when a faster moving body like the Moon comes into the Cross pattern it will trigger the pressures and find weak points and thus the energy goes up several notches. These April few weeks are likely to be the scene of (or the seed of) dramatic shifts around the world and in your country, state or home.

Four Grand Planets

The planets involved are - Mars (action, anger, desire), Jupiter (beliefs, religion, expansion), Uranus (rebellion, fast change, freedom), Pluto (reformation, power, fear). This all happens most strongly at 13/ 14 degrees of the Cardinal signs. In the weeks leading up to the exactness of the Grand Cross we begin the activation of the configuration with the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse of 15th April at 7.42 UT (in Aust. at 5.42pm [AEST] at 25 degrees Aries/Libra).

When the Moon rises that evening in eastern Australia, Mars will have risen just before it and the Moon will rise with fixed star Spica right next to it. And Mars will be at its closest to the Earth on the 14/ 15th (in its retrograde phase) at the same time as the eclipse. Mars will be bright red star just above and to the north of the eclipsed Moon.

This lunar eclipse is also very close to the fixed star Arcturus. These two fixed stars have a similar influence, being very fortunate stars. However Arcturus is somewhat grittier and more apt at dealing with the darker aspects of life on Earth, while Spica is more a sweet and innocent type.

Mars at that point will be at its brightest, the same brightness as Sirius in the night sky and is very red and Spica's colour is blue.  So we have the red Mars just ahead of the Moon and the blue Spica near the Moon (and it will be darker with no moonlight so Spica should be visible - maybe with binoculars) and this means we have the choice between the red (Mars) pill and the blue (Spica) pill !  The Moon will probably be very dark red/brown/orange.

If we chose the red pill (Mars) we have aggression and action, or if we chose the blue pill (Spica) we have too much peace and harmony (Spica is success, renown, riches, a sweet disposition, love of art and science).  In the movie The Matrix, the main character Neo, is offered a choice between swallowing a red pill or a blue pill. The blue pill would allow him to remain in the Matrix, an illusionary computer-generated world. The red pill would lead to his escape out of the Matrix and into the real world. It was an either-or scenario. He couldn't have it both ways. Spica could be misleading and what is needed is direct Martian action to guide us through.

Libra and Aries

The April 15 chart shows a big line up in Aries opposite 4 planets in Libra with Mercury (Aries) triggering the Grand Cross and Mars 8 degrees from the Moon. And the Moon is in close conjunction with asteroid Ceres. The Grand Cross moves closest into action on the 23/ 24th with Mars at 13 and 1/2 degrees Cardinal as are all the other three.  And the Moon triggers it on 21st (in Capricorn) and 27th (in Aries).

With a close conjunction to the Lunar eclipse by minor planet Ceres and as she is the Earth Mother we could say that this Lunar eclipse is looking over and protecting in a Ceres way, mothers, children and families.

We get a clear opinion from Marina of Darkstar Astrology ( http://darkstarastrology.com/ ) about Moon conjunct Ceres stating it represents "the wise elders who pass on their wisdom to their young and who serve as respected mentors".  This lunar eclipse shows a push towards a very supportive and nurturing family life, with an emphasis on women - as both Moon and Ceres represent the nurturing mother.  With the focus on nurturing mother-figures and a backdrop of radical and dramatic change, it seems that strong women acting as our protectors, will be giving a guiding hand through these troubled times (Jamie Partridge: http://astrologyking.com/lunar-eclipse-april-2014/ ).

No Traditional Mothering Types

It won't be your traditional mothering types as Mercury is conjunct Uranus. We can expect new and dissenting messages from our senior women on the planet.  Will it come through the mainstream media?  I'm not sure.  But elder women will show a lead towards a newer way in April.  We can expect these women to be wise, strongly independent and honest with some good psychic energy thrown in.  Watch for them as mid April comes upon us.

If you have planets in the positions mentioned earlier - in mid Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn you can expect the Grand Cross to activate your life as well. It depends on what planets or angles are there and you need an astrologer or your own astro-chart, if you have one, to see what the effects will be.

Even though the exact date of the Grand Cross alignment is 23rd April, it's so huge it really covers the whole month of April and indeed we will likely feel the effects for a long time to come.

Putting it all together we get a picture of the clash between old and new - systems breaking down, established structures changing, revolutionary ideas, changes in family patterns, women moving into strength, changes in the old ways of doing, facing enforced change, and facing our fears.  Nothing will remain the same after April 2014.   We have to adapt to changes very fast from now on and as Mars turns back to forwards motion on the 20th May, with the Moon in Aquarius (the emotional reformer and revolutionary) much of this will begin to fall into a newer place.

As astrologer Leah Whitehorse says at www.leahwhitehorse.com

"It's as though the human race has been asleep for a long time and we have consequently faced the darkest aspects of ourselves and what we are capable of. Humankind has been tempted away by the promise of riches other than those that bountiful Mother nature offers. We took our beautiful garden and laid waste to it. And one day, the world we live in now, our cities and empires, our banks and institutions - all these will be dust. "


"I think these times are forcing people to rely more on faith and trust and turn inside to a more spiritual place."     -     Barb Hindley, Astrologer

See How You Are Effected   -   the Uranus-Pluto Dance of Degrees.
June & September 2012 - 8 & 7 degrees Aries/ Capricorn,
May & November 2013 - 11 & 9 degrees Aries/ Capricorn,
April & December 2014 - both at 13 degrees Aries/ Capricorn,
and finally in March 2015 - 15 degrees Aries/Capricorn.

Eclipse Times for Brisbane (AEST) are  -  

Partial Eclipse begins,    3.58 pm
Total Eclipse begins,       5.06 pm
Centre of Eclipse,            5.45 pm
Total Eclipse ends,          6.24 pm
Partial Ends,                      7.33 pm

Richard Giles,  2014

You Can Run but You Can't Hide.." Take it for what it's worth,
Go to the end of the Earth.
You can run, run, run but
Oh, you can't hide from love. "

Jerry Butler "You Can Run (but You Can't Hide)"  Lyrics, 1962