Something quite out of the ordinary has been happening in the sky. Ever since Sunday, April 12, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn have been in a visible planetary alignment—aka when multiple planets line up together on one side of the sun at once. Now, from a purely astronomical standpoint, this is cool because you’re able to see these planets with the naked eye, and they’ll be sitting above the eastern horizon just before sunrise. They’ll fall out of alignment on Friday April 18.
But if you’re not into planet-gazing, and are curious as to how in the world this is relevant to you, I’ll have you know that this cluster happens to carry major astrological indications. In astrology, Saturn represents discipline and structure; Venus represents love and relationships; and Mercury is associated with communication and logic. Right now, Mercury is in Aries, while Venus and Saturn are in Pisces—which is the sign that the North Node of destiny happens to be in, too. All of these planets gathering near Saturn indicate that it’s decision-making time, astrologer Whit Forrester says.
“This planetary pileup peaks around the full moon on April 12th, and it is forming a harmonious trine to Mars,” explains Whit. “It highlights themes of structure, communication, and attraction—so how we shape our lives through self-esteem, relationships, and creative expression. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to unify your ideas or take an action step toward a long-percolating goal, now is the time to engage that energy.”
Relationship-specific goals might be the best ones to address right now, because this cluster is meeting us at the tail end of Venus Retrograde (the transit during which Venus moves backward in its orbit, and therefore throws our romantic relationships for a loop by causing drama and petty fights to arise). Since Venus went direct on April 12, and there was also a full moon in Libra that day, that means it’s time to harness the strict Saturnian energy nearby and apply it to your love life, according to astrologer Lisa Stardust.
“If there was ever a time to make a decision about love, now would be the time,” she says. So if you felt extra empowered this week to shoot your shot with a crush, book a first date, or do something fun to re-ignite the spark with your partner, this has been why. And if you haven’t yet, don’t worry, you’ve still got one more day!
“Since Saturn and Venus will be close together, people will be committing to relationships or making decisions about who they want to partner with. Venus and Saturn are very close to the North Node of destiny, so this will be one of the many conclusions to this year’s Venus Retrograde. It’ll be a fated day towards love and the commitments we make towards relationships.”
Expect rewards later for seeds that you’ve planted in your love life during this window. “Having this Venus Retrograde halt its backwards motion a degree or so from Saturn, in a sign it thrives in, allows us to show people what we have long been working on,” Whit says. “You might find that you are gaining the attention of people whose approval you’ve sought and that any longstanding self doubts are less of a hurdle than they have been previously.”
