In many respects, April is the true astrological new year, because we finally have some forward motion happening in the sky, with Mercury coming out of its shadow retrograde period, where it was transiting the murky, hazy sign of Pisces.
In many respects, April is the true astrological new year, because we finally have some forward motion happening in the sky, with Mercury coming out of its shadow retrograde period, where it was transiting the murky, hazy sign of Pisces.
Whilst the Chinese Astrological New Year was on February 17th, and the turning of the astrological calendar happened on March 20th with the Sun’s ingress into Aries at the Spring Equinox — marking the first day of the zodiacal wheel — it is actually April that feels like the true starting gun.
After the double conjunction of Saturn and Neptune in Aries on February 20th (giving us a tantalising first taste of the Fire Horse year — the only Chinese astrological sign that is purely yang, fire with no water), we dipped back into watery territory. Mercury entered its retrograde in Pisces on February 26th, stationing direct on March 20th, but the integration shadow period extends all the way to April 9th. Until that point, the cosmic fog of Pisces lingers. Mercury was also sitting there with Venus and the North Node, making for a watery month, even though we were technically in Fire Horse territory.
That is why April is the true astrological new year. Only then do our thoughts, communications, and plans finally crystallise — the hesitation and murk of those retrograde weeks behind us, and the full forward momentum of Aries ahead.
