April is the month that is eagerly awaited, when the snow melts and the sun begins to bring warmth to our skin. Though spring equinox started in late March, April is the month that truly feels like spring. In the ancient Roman calendar, April is the second month of the year. The name for this month is thought to derive from the Latin word aperire, which means "to open." The ancient Romans may have been referencing plant buds opening around this time of year. Throughout the Gregorian calendar year 2023, we have been preparing to enter a new chapter and make significant shifts in our lives. The first three months were dedicated to cleaning last year’s slate, entering a period of stillness and inner cleansing, and finally taking action under the ruler Mars. April is here to open the way for what is to come.
Energy of the Month: 9 of Cups ~Story to Tell by Ambar Lucid~
We almost completely fulfill the emotional and intuitive cycle that we started in January 2023–from Ace of Cups to the 9 of Cups. If we expand out to a greater macroscopic view, we see that April has so much more in store for us than it did last year. In April 2022, we had to experience growing pains before we could move forward in life. This year we tap into divine feminine energy to give birth to something new–a dream, a goal, a vision. Likely the divine child we are birthing has been gestating for 9 long months–in September 2022 in fact, the 8 of Cups presented itself.
Our creation had been resting in the waters all these months but we may have felt distanced somewhere along the way. We may have thought that it died when we were not actively attending to it—that we got interrupted and had to start all over again in January 2023, when our personal growth started to become more publicly apparent. In fact our subconscious psyche has been quietly working on our vision through our dreams and psyche. Now it is ready to be born in the manifest. It wants to see the light of day and be experienced directly. It will be helpful now to think of how we can best embrace this vision into reality. How can we best welcome it into the world? We need to prepare a space for it, nurse it, and care for it avidly for these next few years as it grows into fruition.
Love: Reverse Strength ~When the Lights Go by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs~
Right now our sense of inner strength and confidence is likely hurting, due to a recent negative experience. The reverse Strength card appears to remind us that we need to build ourselves back up and resist coping with destructive habits. We could also be struggling to support a long-term, or a potential partner with a broken heart while they are in this space. Ultimately this is something they must ultimately take the initiative on or they will pull you both down. This is not the time to pretend everything is fine and hold everything tightly inside, or these emotions will burst out at a later time and may even blow up into an explosive fight. Remember that it is not love that hurts us–it is the greatest strength that can be experienced. What hurts us are the painful associations that come with not being able to truly give or receive love–whether that involves deceit, needs that were unable to be met, or playing into our shadow selves. This wound cannot be healed externally by another person however. We need to summon our inner strength and courage to confront these difficult emotions head on, lest they overwhelm us and those who love us. We need to let go of that which no longer is ours, in order to open our hearts to love so we can receive its full healing properties.
Money: Ten of Pentacles ~Orange Blood by Mt. Joy~
The Ten of Pentacles asks us to look into collective wealth as a partnership or a family unit, rather than individual short-term needs. How are we manifesting long-term wealth that sets up family planning or our currently existing family for success? This is the end of an individual cycle and the return to a greater sense of oneness. We are closing up our singular past in order to open up to a shared future. The wealth we are looking to share goes beyond material goods or monetary value. Abundance allows for a relaxed state of mind in which we can let go of our worries, and feel a sense of safety because we are in a stable situation where we get to feel like equals. We release ourselves to a deep sense of peace, contentment, eagerness, love and joy. We are hopeful and feel we are able to plant our tree roots.
Work: 4 of Wands ~Burning Down the House by Talking Heads~
The four of wands appear when our dreams have a stable foundation to manifest into reality. Whether we have aligned with our ideal career path, or found an ideal balance where our work supports our passions, we are where we want to be. This path does not have to be traditional to succeed either– it can be off the beaten path or seem extraordinary to others. We are listening to our inner selves and burning our obstacles away with our actions. We are both on fire and prepared to fire away. Henceforth we will be doing very well in our work and may even feel unstoppable. We are well situated to get what we go after. Embrace this confident energy in work this month and move forward fearlessly. Don’t forget to celebrate each milestone along the way, as this will add positive fuel to the trajectory.
Health: Judgment ~María la Curandera by Natalia Lafourcade~
The Judgment card has shifted from last month’s primary energy to April’s health sector. This energy has stayed with us thanks to acting in our highest good, and we are reminded to keep up the good work in regards to our health. We want to approach health holistically and with a higher consciousness. When we pursue improving or maintaining our health with positive, healthy and constructive ways of thinking, we can be confident that we are building a sustainable practice. This can be in regards to fitness and healthy eating habits, but this also addresses our hearts and our psyches. We are asked to turn to nature’s powerful healing to address internal wounds. This can look like going outside and interacting with nature, using healing herbs, or listening to our intuition. Per the song, we can turn to the fire element to burn our pain into dust. The earth element makes use of the dust, from which flowers can spring. The water element takes on a soothing maternal energy that embraces us and we are asked to receive its love. The wind element blows us healing kisses (or perhaps even blows our obstacles away). And, as one last message, remember always that we are the medicine.
Spirit: Reverse Knave of Swords ~Nerves by Dianna Lopez~
Right now our spirits may be hurting and feeling ungrounded, likely as a result of the reverse Strength energy in our love sector. We are uncertain of how to use our sword–we may even be pointing it at ourselves and hurting ourselves with it. Now is not the time to try to bully our spirits with a tough love approach or to yield to our inner critics. We may be feeling very much on our own as a result of emotional pain, and we find ourselves unable to counter this idea logically. The mind is in a twist and convincing itself that this is true. The solution presents itself in shadow work, addressing trauma, and completing our emotional cycle. Rather than avoid the emotion and therefore allow it to have a perpetual hold on our psyche, we must allow ourselves to fully experience the emotion so that it may pass. We must also learn to challenge our negative thinking, be that with meditation, psychology, or meditation. We can also work with a professional, or turn to others who have our best interests at heart and can help us get out of this bind.
April has much in store for us. We must work through our pain to open our hearts and minds, because that is the only obstacle that remains in this month of spring and abundance. We are on our way. Skies will clear, flowers will come, and our souls will bear fruit.