Steve Judd's Forecast for April 2011

What a time to be alive. At various different times this month the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus are all going to be in Aries, possibly the biggest line up of Arian energy that there’s been in 2,000 years. Traditionally, this suggests that this is the time of the individual, where personal choice, personal expression and personal freedoms are going to become steadily more the major issue of the day. The Aries new Moon on April 3rd is conjunct Jupiter and opposite Saturn, indicative of major shocks and quakes in the economical and financial markets. This Moon strongly aspects the September 2011 charts, again suggesting that secrets and lies from then may surface shortly. Then there’s Mars in Aries conjunct Uranus at the same time as the Aries new Moon. That statement alone makes me want to metaphorically c**p myself, something dramatic, explosive, incisive and radical – gulp. By the second ten days of April, things have quietened down relatively speaking, and the Libra full Moon on the 18th is somewhat tame in terms of global effect. It is all Aries, novelty, newness, innovation, risk, danger, major new beginnings and the rise of the individual with the accompanying and inevitable opposite, the continuing attempts to regulate and structure society. And in the final ten days of April, Mars joins with Jupiter and things get really larger than life. I think that astrologically speaking the first and the last ten days of this month are the most directly experiential times of this year – I anticipate major changes, out of which will come the phoenix. And of course – until the 23rd, it’s Mercury retrograde – in Aries! So none of it is going to make any sense. Test, taste, trial, experience, experiment, re-invent yourself, begin again. But don’t make long term plans and don’t sign contracts big time, because April is the month where everything changes.

What a time to be alive.

Aries So fast that there’s barely time to breathe, and guess what? It’s going to get faster. On the one hand you’ve got both Uranus and Jupiter in your sign, bringing the permanent background impetus for change. Add to this the fact that Mars enters your sign on the 2nd April, suggesting that the day by day pace of life will greatly accelerate from then on, and it looks decidedly fast. But – Mercury is retrograde in your sign until the 23rd, and despite the fast and almost manic energy of the month, nothing is going to make sense until the last week of the month. There’s a greater potential for confusion and uncertainty, disagreement and misunderstanding, with information coming your way that is unlikely to be complete or fully reliable. It’s not a month for making agreements or signing contracts, for committing oneself or finalising any type of deal. It’s a great month for allowing the universe to have its way with you and to let yourself flow with the go, enjoying yourself whilst at the same time giving yourself permission not to make any large scale decisions. The Aries new Moon on the 3rd April kick starts this whole process and initiates you into what will be without a doubt the fastest month of the year, and the ways in which you manage this month’s events will strongly influence the rest of the year, so act and behave in ways that you’ll be proud of yourself for in six months time.

Taurus The horizon seems to be changing colour – there are signs of developments in the near future getting a lot closer, but there is still a degree of waiting and impatience to put up with in the short term. As far as April goes, this is a time to be prudent and not to let your normal financial common sense desert you. You can move forward in steady steps, and the wise amongst you will feel the desire for acceleration but instead choose to keep your foot hovering over the brake, knowing that it isn’t quite time just yet…. There is actually a potential for self sabotage in the short term, especially if you overstretch yourself in anticipation. There can be miscommunications and misunderstandings at the resource level if you’re not careful, so don’t push the boat out as far as long term expenditure goes. Yet the more the month progresses, the more you’re likely to find yourself with itchy feet. The urge for movement, for action and for stimulation will get stronger, and it will take some self control to continue biding your time. For many months I‘ve been talking of your time coming, and from next month onwards you’ll find that that are real developments that have the potential to change your life for the better in ways that haven’t been around since the late 1990’s. But until then you have to have just a little more patience and prepare yourself so that next month you hit the ground running.

Gemini The main theme of this month is the gradual transition of energy from that of dealing with public image, visibility levels and profile in the eyes of the outside world at the start of the month into the steady development of better and better community areas, suggesting that your popularity levels are going to improve in ways that might have surprised you a few months ago. You can safely wrap up any outstanding affairs left over from the recent surge of professional visibility, knowing that the most prominent time of the year is now behind you, you can safely step down into fourth gear and that there are no new large shocks or challenges coming your way over the remainder of this year. At the same time, you can begin to make new plans for the medium term future with more confidence than at any time this year so far. There’s the chance to make something new. Admittedly, it’s only dreams and visions at the moment, but by the end of the month you should be in a position to turn them into plans and schedules and after that the only way is forward. The best areas of life for your personal development as far as April goes are those of your communication skills and your ability to merge and blend in and with community, so make an extra effort to be good to your friends at the moment, it’s like putting money in the bank. That way they’ll be there for you in the future when and if you find that you need them.

Cancer There are planets affecting you in the area concerning your one to one relationships, there are planetary influences affecting your career, and planetary influences hitting your home and family life. Most areas of your personal life seem to be under some degree of challenge one way or another, and sometimes all you can do is just go with the flow and take it on the chin – after all, that’s what the Cancer shell is all about. If you try and make things happen your way now, you’ll only aggravate situations into something undesirable. Go into anything and everything with your shields up at least until the second week of the month. It may be that anything you do will be misconstrued, there appears to be a temporary breakdown in clear communications and it could be that many things are not what they seem. Best not to make any firm commitments or long term decisions based on what’s going on around you this month, at least until the last week of April, because there’s a kind of electric fog around you that can bring a degree of confusion, distortion and uncertainty. There’s a philosophy that asks the question ‘how can you help anyone else if you’re not in good working order yourself?’, and that applies particularly to Cancer during the first three weeks of April. Don’t let yourself get too drained by others apparent needs of your time and energy, otherwise not only will you have to sort everything out for everyone else, you’ll also get the blame. Put yourself first – it makes sense.

Leo You’re one of the very few signs of the Zodiac that are in a position to benefit from this month’s planetary activity. There’s two ways that this can be specifically demonstrated – firstly, have a look at your creative output, whether that is your children, your creative produce, your ‘babies’, whatever you do that creates. This is a month where the creative juices seem to be flowing more easily, bringing a greater ease and opportunity for your natural talent to be coming through. And then there are your philosophies, your willingness to walk your talk and your ability to leave a clean and conscientious life. It is a month of aspiration – you can elevate and climb into a higher frame of anticipation, you can dare to push yourself harder than normal with better chances for success. Of course, there’s always the option of taking it easy and doing nothing, and if you choose that option then you won’t lose anything except the windows of opportunity that are currently floating across you. If opportunities aren’t taken, they move on into more appreciative territory, so there is an obligation to take chances as they arise. Sometimes you have to make your luck, but every so often an element of fortune comes into your life and when it does there is normally only a limited timespan to take your fortune. Use it or lose it. Nothing is going to make you do anything, but sometimes a little bit of self discipline goes a long way.

Virgo So much has happened over recent years, especially in the last fifteen months, that now you’re more than a bit frazzled. You may find yourself a bit jumpy or nervous, on the look out for the next ‘incoming’ and wondering where and when the next big one is going to come from. Well, - it’s not. There are no new big changes coming up, and the external jumpiness and walking on tiptoe is your way of externalising the internal sense of worry. The more you get it out the better, astrologically speaking. Because there are no new challenges coming in you are likely to find that this month is a great time for download, release, cleansing and clearing, and getting rid of the breath that you’ve been figuratively holding for many months. I know that this sounds typically archetypal as far as Virgo goes, but this month is actually very good indeed as far as administering to your bodily needs goes. Great time for a minor fitness drive, for changing and improving your nutrition and diet, and for adopting a more functional and effective approach to things like time management, day to day routines etc. Later this year you are going to find clear evidence of situations in your one to one relationship patterns becoming steadily more developmental, and the very first signs of this may be coming through in a rather hazy way at the moment, but external input into your life this month can be a little uncertain, so focus on yourself.

Libra Saturn is now halfway through its current phase of operations, and many of you are now in a position where you can ask of yourself as to what you have experienced, felt and learnt since October of last year. By stepping outside of yourself and looking at your situation from a detached and impersonal perspective you can see your state from a more objective level, and perhaps as a result make significant decisions without letting your short term emotional or mental states influence you too much. It’s almost as if you’re temporarily better off on your lofty perch, looking at the world from a distant viewpoint, and thus allowing you to be clearer and more black and white about what it is that still has value to you and what it is that doesn’t. If you let yourself get too involved in the ongoing drama of life that seems to be developing around you, you’ll find that you get caught up in the minutiae, to your detriment. Better to be a bit more distant, because from this position you can make rational assessments and decisions about what is worth continuing with and what you can let go of. Don’t let yourself get entrenched in the ongoing crisis and drama at the day by day level, this is merely a distraction compared to the bigger issues at work here. It’s not ruthlessness to make or take hard decisions now; it’s basically self preservation and common sense. Trust your inner judgement more than others’.

Scorpio It’s said that fortune favours the brave, and in some cases this is true. At the moment, you do seem to have a capacity to see how favour and fortune can work well for other people, but not for yourself. The cynical part of me suggests you hire yourself out as a money hunter for others this month, and take a commission. Certainly your ability to see how external resources can become a greater force in your life is at a high, so areas such as loans, mortgages, inheritances, tax rebates, sponsorship or other forms of funding can easily enter your immediate awareness during April. And as long as other people benefit from this more than you do, you will benefit – substantially. You’re going to find that as you get more into the year so your capacity and ability to work steadily better with people at the one to one level improves substantially, but in the relative short term you need to check that your ability to manifest resources is good and not let your good nature get taken advantage of. You’ll find that as April evolves so your willingness to let others take on some of the more mundane responsibilities of life becomes easier, and you’ll be able to put some greater focus into those things that have priority. But April is the final month of preparation for the upsurge of energy that comes in May and pushes and promotes you forward in much faster ways than anything so far this year – get ready.

Sagittarius With all that’s going on in the world you may be forgiven for feeling that you just want to hide in a corner until it’s all quietened down, but ultimately all that means is that you will slip further behind than you already may be. If you’re going to take the initiative and make things happen, then the area in question is definitely that of your personal creative expression. If there’s anything that you’ve always dreamt of doing, of thought that you’d like to give it a try, then April is not a bad month for test and trial, experience and experiment. It’s a creative month, where a number of nurtured projects can come to fruition. It’s a fertile and conceptual time, so make what you can from the imagination; you’re more in touch with your creativity than you may like to think. Alternatively, if you’re more content to follow or go where the road leads you, the first ones you need to listen to are the children! ‘From the mouths of babes’ is an old saying, but this month as far as you’re concerned there’s more than an element of wisdom coming from the youth. And if you’re not content to just follow, but neither are you in the space to be particularly creative, then there’s always the old Sagittarius option of travel. Nothing is that big that it can’t be run away from! Flippant perhaps, but nevertheless April is one of those rare months where you can actually dare to enjoy yourself without guilt and without worrying about what kind of mess you’re leaving behind you.. Just be aware that in May you’re going to have to pick up the pieces ...

Capricorn You can go out there and be a dynamic force for change this month if you want, but be aware that by doing so you’re really going to be playing with the big boys and that this is not a practise or a drill, it is the real thing. You may choose to stay detached from what is going on around you, preferring a more objective and detached perspective, but there is the philosophy that it’s better to try and fail than not to try at all. It’s almost inevitable that you’re going to get hurt in some way this month, so factor this in and make allowances for it in the medium to long term game plan. That way you go into anything and everything with your shields at least in readiness, if not fully deployed. It’s not that you need to be suspicious or worried; it’s that you need to be aware that all around you things are not as normal, and you’re directly in the firing line. It’s not specifically aimed at you, but you are in the way, so duck. It can get well messy if you’re not careful, and you may have to stand up and defend yourself in a number of arenas if you’re not willing to either take a back seat or at least compromise with yourself over certain timing issues. It’s really not in your best interest to be too projective now, because by doing so you will either have to play real hard ball, or else you’ll have to take defeat on the chin, and neither is desirable. Bide your time, despite the apparent urgency there is no rush ...

Aquarius Neptune leaves your sign temporarily on April 4th; from when on there will be no planets in the sign of Aquarius for the first time for at least fourteen years. So that means that everything is going to slow down, yes? Forget it. It does mean that much of the recent urgency has transmuted into a more consistent rumble as opposed to the jagged peaks and troughs of recent times, and there are no new dramatic times of crisis or sudden change coming up for you in April, but at the same time don’t take it too easy because familiarity breeds contempt, and it would be easy to forget recent lessons and slip back into patterns that you should have dissolved by now. Current situations concerning communications suggest that interactions at more than the one to one level are prone to misunderstandings or even breakdown, so don’t go letting short term difficulties cloud the bigger picture, because otherwise you can sabotage yourself for the long term. It’s a month where you either step back into the relative safety of community and your social friendships, or else you remain ambivalent about the messages and communications you are getting from others in your life at the one to one level. You may find that not everything is the way it seems, but real clarity won’t come until the end of the month, so don’t take too many chances in the short term – wait a few more weeks.

Pisces During the first few weeks of April it’s all going to be a bit dream like, there’s no sense of new permanence or clarity around and everything’s just a little nebulous… but that’s OK, you’re a Pisces, you can handle that type of energy, yes? Best thing as far as the first three weeks of April go is to stay relatively low. Just because the biggest and the baddest of influences as far as 2011 is concerned are over doesn’t give you the right to completely relax, but it does give you the OK to slip back a gear into what might seem to others like blissful ignorance, even if only on the superficial level. Whether or not you’re aware of it, the last few years have seriously trashed you and now that it’s over the temptation to bounce back screaming ’Look! I’ve survived!’ is strong, but really…. Do you need to move so fast? Isn’t there a space and time for you, to recharge, download and cleanse and purify oneself? There is nothing new going on or coming up that is going to bring any new challenges or major difficulties, and at least for this month you can lower your shields and let yourself relax. Lots of long, warm baths are recommended, as is making the time to reflect on recent developments. No point in making big decisions yet, let alone actions, there are still a number of new realisations to come that will change some of your attitudes and opinions, and things aren’t going to settle down properly in this area for a few months yet, so tale your time ... you have it.

About Steve Judd

Steve was born near Southampton in southern England in July 1955. After leaving the army at twenty, Steve found his first astrological book in 1980, and spent the next years buried in books studying astrological basics, leading to his first consultations in 1982. He is totally self taught. Over the next fifteen years, he expanded his ability by doing 4,000+ chart readings.

In 1994, after many years working at the Glastonbury Festival Green Fields, Steve was a founding members of the Big Green Gathering and is currently on the Board of Directors. Since 1998, Steve has increased his astrological career many fold, starting when he began work for the astrological phone lines. He wrote for Jonathan Cainer, as well as contributing to Jon's web site and column in the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail. During 1999 and 2000 Steve worked as a real-time internet astrological consultant for World International Television. He now works solely for himself.

In the last eight years, Steve's number of consultations has increased to the point where he now has records of over 20,000 horoscopic readings, with a loyal client base, many of whom return for monthly and yearly updates.

Steve has considerable experience of dealing with different media. He has appeared on local radio stations in Cornwall, Bristol, Hereford, Stevenage and the highlands of Scotland amongst others, on local TV in the HTV and GMTV areas, and has national TV appearances to his name. He has his own brand of idiosyncrasies which endear him to his many clients and fans, which coupled with his bohemian and sometimes direct attitude makes him a unique individual.

In September 2003, Steve began studying for the Master of Arts Degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the Sophia Centre, Bath Spa University. He was awarded his Masters Degree on July 22 2005.

If you enjoyed his forecast, please visit Steve’s website at www.stevejudd.com or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .