APRIL THEME: ACHIEVING UNION
by Simone Butler

As the first full month of spring, April evokes the exhilarating energy of the spiritual warrior. We now have a chance to experience what the Shambhala teachings of Tibetan Buddhism call "wind-horse." This is the energy that arises as you fall in love, the rush an athlete feels, the thrill of artistic creation. It is a state of aliveness that comes from letting go and relaxing into the basic good-ness of life. You raise your energy with the breath, or wind, then ride it like a horse.

I have learned from practicing it that this uplifted consciousness includes sadness. It's a bittersweet mixture of joy and sorrow that the Shambhala warrior tradition considers the ideal human emotion. Cultivating windhorse means you keep an open heart, accept whatever emotions arise and stay connected to others. This is not always easy, especially on those days when just getting out of bed is a major accomplishment. But this is the time of Aries, the warrior, which means we forge on anyway and nurture ourselves as best we can. Now we look within to see what brings us joy, apart from others' expectations.  

Venus and the Sun are square to Saturn at the solar eclipse on the 8^th, making the first part of April a time of unexpected changes and challenges. This was the day that royal couple Charles and Camilla had originally chosen for their wedding. Given the notorious instability of eclipses, it's not too surprising that the Pope's funeral bumped their nuptials to the following day. Yet the eclipse energies colored the entire weekend, and along with the square from Venus to Saturn, form an apt metaphor for their star-crossed love. Thwarted by fate, they were forced to conform to tradition (Saturn) and wait years before being vindicated. By marrying his long-time love at a solar eclipse in I'll-do-what-I-please Aries, Charles is dealing the monarchy, still recovering from Diana's impact, another blow. But Venus square Saturn also suggests a karmic payback, perhaps sparked by their marital indiscretions.

It often takes something as strong as an eclipse to trigger change . Still, getting married so close to a solar eclipse is not a good omen. The wedding aspects also include a retrograde Mercury (potentially adverse communications) and a void-of-course Moon ("nothing will come of it.") This may affect the couple's relationship with the public more than with each other. After all, their relationship has already stood the test of time. But either way, this marriage will require a warrior's commitment to hang tough no matter what.

Once Mercury turns direct on the 12^th, communications flow more easily. Then on the 13th, the spiritual warrior energy reaches a peak as Mars (the warrior) conjoins Neptune (spirit) in Aquarius (blending masculine and feminine). This is the time to act on your dreams. Soon after, Venus and the Sun move into nature-loving Taurus, fertilizing the ground for rich, new beginnings.

The period between two eclipses can be intense, especially since the lunar eclipse on April 24^th falls in Scorpio/Taurus, the axis of magic: Scorpio conceives the intention and Taurus manifests it. This event reactivates the Divine Marriage eclipse of Nov. 9, 2003, which was part of a six-pointed star in the heavens symbolizing a unification of heaven and earth, masculine and feminine. What was emerging in your life at that time? This eclipse brings it back for completion.

The imagery of a royal or divine marriage suggests that April is about achieving union, with yourself or another. Like Charles and Camilla, steadfast warriors of the heart, we commit to marrying our authentic truth, for better or for worse. This means taking a stand for what really matters to us. We raise windhorse through contacting the basic goodness inside ourselves and extending it to others. Then we leave our hearts open to experience whatever may follow.

© 2005 by Simone Butler.

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