In addition to all this rethinking, there is a high powered spotlight shining on all things to do with relationships  Not only is Venus retrograde, but about to turn direct on the 15th, but Mercury and Mars are in Taurus, which is ruled by Venus.  Jupiter is in Libra, also ruled by Venus and also retrograde.  What this means for most of us is that we are unsure about issues of love, money, anything artistic, and relationships.  Until mid April, it is just not a good time for purchases or decisions having to do with Venusian topics.  Want to redecorate?  Don’t!  Not until mid month at the earliest.  Want to propose to that special someone?  Well, you may not have thought through all the ramifications of the relationship yet.  Want to start a new job?  You may not really feel sure that you’ll get along with your co-workers, or whether you’ll like the work.  All of this uncertainty is at odds with the energy of the Sun in Aries, which wants to burst forward.

     At these times, Venus also tends to uncover scandals, so watch the rest of the skeletons come out of the closet for the next couple of weeks!

Jupiter’s transit in retrograde through Libra is reinforcing this message of “not yet, there is more to understand”.  During its forward movement over the past few months, it may have planted some seeds in our lives, and it is now time for those relationship seeds to grow.  We may see some sprouts popping out of the ground in mid June, when Jupiter turns direct.  Much of this energy is geared toward making us think about our relationships, whether social, business, family or romantic.

     On a larger scale, it is also asking us to reconsider issues which have to do with Justice.  We can see in the political world that changing the health care laws in this country have meant a rethinking about issues of justice.  The nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court bench has also brought issues of justice into the public debate.  With Saturn turning retrograde at 27 Sagittarius on the 6th of  April and Pluto also turning retrograde on the 21st of April, such governmental issues are also not likely to get sorted out anytime soon.  There is more evidence to uncover, more research to be done, before decisions can be made about weighty issues.

     When speaking of retrogrades, most people know that when Mercury goes retrograde, plans get cancelled, fall through, or can’t be made.  Computers get issues or viruses, and wires get crossed.  Well, Mercury will also turn retrograde at 4 Taurus on April 10 until May 4.  You’re probably already feeling Mercury retrograde.  When you finally figure out what you actually do want, around mid April, Mercury will probably still keep plans from going forward smoothly for a while.

     The overall message, with so much energy and attention on Venus, is to think about the place of love (and money) in your life.  How important is it to you?  How do you honor Venus?  How do you honor the loved ones in your life?  Are you making decisions which reflect the importance you place on your loved ones in your life?  Are your loved ones honoring you?  We are certainly thinking about these issues in our national discussion about health care and justice.  What if your decisions were the subject of a mini-series which played on national broadcast media?  Would you want others to see them, or if you were watching yourself, would you change some of those decisions?