TRANSCRIPT Ep. 339 | Mars Enters Aries: Full Speed Ahead!

TRANSCRIPT Episode 339 | Mars Enters Aries: Full Speed Ahead! (4.6.26)

Hello, Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is April 6th, 2026. Welcome to Episode 339 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

This week, take a chance and go after your desires because Mars is the busiest planet this week. It makes an aspect to unpredictable Uranus, enters its springtime home of Aries, and discovers that giving is receiving as it connects with selfless Neptune. The Capricorn Last Quarter Moon, square the Sun in Aries, features two of the most assertive signs in a lunar phase that emphasizes action. And I answer a listener question about transits that repeat in your birth chart. What are they trying to tell you?

Mars sextile Uranus (April 8, 2026, 9:11 am PDT)

On Wednesday, April 8th, at 9:11 a.m. Pacific Time, Mars makes a sextile aspect to Uranus on the very last degrees of Pisces and Taurus. This 29th degree of a sign is called an anaretic degree, and these degrees give a planet a certain sense of urgency and momentum, as though something is getting ready to tip over into its next form.

Mars at 30 Pisces carries the Sabian symbol, The Great Stone Face, and it is about a rock formation that is idealized by a boy who, over time, begins to resemble it. This image talks about the way we gradually become whatever we admire or hold up in our minds as an ideal. And we need to remember there’s no single right version of who we’re supposed to be. We invent ourselves as we go along, and that is shaped, at least in part, by what we value and what we desire.

It’s aspecting Uranus, which is on 30 Taurus, the Sabian symbol A peacock parading on an ancient lawn, an image of displaying ourselves confidently and with flair, but it’s also superimposed over a long history. So together these symbols kind of talk about a moment when self-expression meets self-creation.

This transit can wake up powerful instincts around self-preservation and competitiveness, and that’s especially true in work or professional matters. During this aspect, we might see promotions, new responsibilities, or shifts in direction, especially where technology is involved, because that is strongly represented by Uranus. You might also decide to change up your exercise routine because that’s ruled by Mars and a change would be represented by Uranus, or you might meet someone new that you’re strongly attracted to.

Mars and Uranus together can be edgy and impulsive, so we need to be mindful of our bodies and our reactions to things. This is traditionally known as an accident-prone combination, but really, it’s because accidents can happen when we’re changing our routines, or we’re being a little bit impatient or reckless, and those are all possibilities with the combination of Mars and Uranus. But this potentially is a strong catalyst just for change in general, and if you use it consciously, this transit can help you stand up a little taller and move closer to being the version of yourself that you really feel ready to become.

Mars enters Aries (April 9, 2026, 12:36 pm PDT)

Mars enters Aries on Thursday, April 9th at 12:36 p.m. Pacific time, and this is where the Aries season really starts to heat up. Mars is in one of its home signs when it’s in Aries, and that means it’s especially strong there. And unless it’s connecting with a planet like Saturn, maybe or Pluto, its default setting is full speed ahead, direct, decisive, fast-moving, and absolutely focused on taking action.

There is the strong sense of, “I need to do this and I need to do it now.” When Mars is in Aries, good manners can begin to feel optional instead of necessary, especially if it’s something that is going to slow you down or get in the way of your moving forward. This is not a subtle energy, but I have to say it’s extremely effective, and it is excellent in the birth charts of, say, first responders, leaders, anybody who’s required to act quickly and make snap decisions.

And when Mars is transiting this sign, that same influence is more universal. If something needs to get done fast, or you need to get somewhere as directly as possible, you are going to be happy to have Mars in Aries on your side.

The Sabian symbol for the first degree of Aries is A woman rising out of the water and a seal rises and embraces her. It’s a powerful image of emergence, of something coming up out of the realm of imagination or possibility and into reality. This is a degree that encourages us to recognize our potential and to let it take form. And Mars in Aries reminds us that it’s not enough just to be aware. At some point, we have to act to claim our liveliness and to step fully into who we are here to be. Mars will be in Aries until May 18th, when it enters Taurus.

Capricorn Last Quarter Moon (April 9, 2026, 9:51 pm)

And now it’s time for the Moon Report. And we begin, as always, with the week’s major lunation. This week, that’s the Capricorn Last Quarter Moon on Thursday, April 9th at 9:51 pm Pacific time at 20 degrees, 20 minutes, Capricorn and Aries. This is a dynamic and action-packed combination.

And the Sabian symbols of these planets set the tone for it. The Moon’s symbol is 21 Capricorn, A relay race, while the Sun is on the symbol 21 Aries, A pugilist entering the ring. These are both really sporty and competitive images. And what they emphasize is effort and stamina and the willingness to step forward when someone needs to take action.

The Last Quarter Moon is the final action point of the lunar cycle. In this case, the one that began with the New Moon on March 18th at 28 degrees Pisces. This phase asks, what do we still need to get done before we can close this chapter? What are the adjustments or decisions, or commitments that we need to make in order to bring this particular cycle to completion? The Moon in Capricorn is considered in its detriment, which just makes it a little harder for the Moon to do its work in that sign. And it can make emotional needs feel a little bit heavier or more demanding. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, and it is the sign where Mars is exalted. So we know this isn’t a soft or sentimental Moon. It is innately connected with two kind of hard planets, Mars and Saturn.

At the time of this lunation, Mars and Saturn are both in Aries, too. And this combination can create a lot of pressure and a feeling of urgency. The upside is that if you need to do some serious heavy lifting, especially in the department of work, the energy will absolutely be there to help you. But this can be a period of increased tension, as symbolized by the Sun and Moon in a square to each other. Emotions can easily get triggered. Misunderstandings are more likely than usual, especially when people are feeling pushed or judged. So be gentle with yourself and extend that gentleness to others whenever you can. Not everybody is moving at the same pace, even if it feels to you like maybe they should be.

This Last Quarter Moon marks a time to take stock of your maturity and your accountability. We do first really need to consider the needs and feelings of the people we care about. But after that, this is a great lunation to come up with a detailed plan for long-range goals. This lunation calls for an organized and responsible approach, as well as knowing when to look for advice and when to delegate tasks to people who are trained professionals. Neither Aries nor Capricorn loves to ask for help from others, but in certain cases, there are people who do a particular thing all the time, and they’re very competent, and there’s no harm asking for their help.

The Moon’s Sabian symbol, A relay race, reminds us that some aspects of who we are can only be experienced within a group. We don’t do everything alone. And the goals of a group are never exactly the same as our own, but cooperation is essential.

The Sun’s symbol, A pugilist entering the ring, talks about meeting challenges head-on. It’s about testing our strength, understanding our limits, discovering where we truly stand. This is a moment to take the reins of adulthood, make final decisions even if they’re difficult, and accept any consequences that come from choosing your own path forward.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the Last Quarter in a lunar phase family cycle that began with the New Moon on January 11th, 2024, at 20 degrees 44 minutes Capricorn. And the way these lunar phase family cycles work is they extend the influence of a particular New Moon, and you can do this with any New Moon, and expands it out over a three-year period. So the things that we want to do at a particular lunation, a particular New Moon, that we can’t get done in just the 29 days of a transiting lunar phase, we now have three years to expand the influence of that New Moon and accomplish some of the bigger goals of that New Moon sign.

So, at that New Moon in January 2024 that was in Capricorn, maybe you were making some big goals for yourself. That is something that Capricorn does. Maybe you thought to yourself, I want a new job, or I want a new career, and how can I move forward toward that? Very few of us change career overnight without really having given it a lot of thought over a good period of time.

But there was a First Quarter nine months after that on October 10th, 2024, at 17º57’ Capricorn. That might have been a moment when you took some action toward this new goal or this new objective. Nine months later was a Full Moon on July 10th, 2025, at 18 degrees 50 minutes Capricorn. That’s a peak moment in any lunar cycle, and you were able to look at where you began at that New Moon and the goals that you set for yourself and say, okay, here is where I am now. I can see very clearly how I got here and what more needs to be done before I’m really finished with this cycle. Now it’s nine months later at the Last Quarter Moon in this lunar phase family cycle, and this is the moment in any lunar cycle where we again take action.

But this time, we take action based on what we already know and have experienced since the previous New Moon. So we are ready to really wrap things up in this cycle, and the Last Quarter in Capricorn is saying whatever’s been standing in your way of really making the leap towards this new way of life, this new career that you want to pursue. Now is the time to push and trust your instincts and trust all of the work that you’ve done up to now.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On Wednesday, April 8th, the Moon in Sagittarius squares Mars in Pisces at 2:51 a.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 2 hours 13 minutes and then enters Capricorn at 5:04 a.m. This can be a combination that is a recipe for hurt feelings.

If you do happen to be awake at this time – this is the middle of the night Pacific time, a little bit later in the rest of the country- and if you are awake, be a bit mindful of your temper. Both the Moon in Sagittarius and Mars in Pisces are ruled by Jupiter in Cancer. And Jupiter amplifies anything that it comes in contact with, so your emotions might be expressing themselves in a larger way than usual. And Jupiter is in Cancer, and it’s funny that the people closest to us are the ones who really have a knack for getting under our skin. If you find yourself getting into a conflict with a loved one, just try to stop what you’re doing and take deep breaths and maybe take a walk around the block.

Use this Void-of-Course Moon to get in the habit – because we like to initiate new habits at a Void-of-Course Moon, there’s nothing that the Moon is going to encounter before it changes signs that will disrupt the habit. So, try to get in the habit of using self-control and exercise instead of taking your frustrations out on those who are close to you.

On Friday, April 10th, the Moon in Capricorn trines Uranus at 3:24 p.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 1 hour 31 minutes and then enters Aquarius at 4:55 p.m. This Void-of-Course Moon period is in the Earth signs of Capricorn and Taurus. Both of these signs really appreciate money and the security that it can bring. You might consider using this Void-of-Course Moon period to research Uranian kinds of money, cryptocurrency if you’ve been interested in that, or just regular stocks.

If trading really isn’t your thing, this is a great time to research apps that can help you manage your money, that can maybe even save you money when you’re shopping. A friend told me about an app that she uses every time she goes grocery shopping, and it adds a few cents to her account every time she shops. There is an app that you can connect with the browser on your computer – I think it’s called Honey, might be? – and it will help you find the best prices for things if you’re shopping online. So this is the kind of thing that this Void-of-Course Moon connecting in Earth signs with Uranus involved might really appreciate.

Mars conjunct Neptune (April 12, 2026, 10:30 pm PDT)

On Sunday, April 12th at 10:30 p.m. Pacific time, Mars makes a conjunction with Neptune at 2 degrees 39 minutes Aries, on the Sabian symbol 3 Aries, A cameo profile of a man in the outline of his country. This conjunction, Mars with Neptune, really brings to mind the name of that Errol Morris documentary, The Fog of War. Mars is usually like our personal bodyguard and defends our safety, our ego, our ability to take action.

But when Mars meets Neptune, it’s as though someone has slipped that bodyguard a mickey and the instincts are blurred. Motivation kind of slows down, and sometimes it’s not really clear what we’re fighting for or who we are fighting. This is not an energy that favors brute force. Neptune really takes some of the edge off Aries and Mars in that regard, but it can be really effective when you channel it consciously.

For example, it’s a great transit for putting your Mars skills to work for a good cause. Volunteer for a favorite charity, coach a sports team for underprivileged kids, offer your time and effort where it is genuinely needed. This gives Mars the chance to take action, which it loves, but with compassion and with purpose. Mars conjunct Neptune can also bring a spiritual or artistic influence into your work or into physical activities. You might decide that you want to shift your exercise routine to something like yoga, dance, any form of movement that emphasizes flow rather than effort are very supportive when Mars is with Neptune. Try to cultivate flexibility in your mind and in your body and your spirit, and try to recognize when it is wiser to step back and rest rather than to just go forward and push harder.

What this transit is not very good for is anything that requires a lot of determined focus or drive, or going after a big individual achievement, because it’s so much better when Neptune’s involved to use your energy to give back, maybe to your profession or your society, and contribute in ways that might be a little quieter but really benefit more than just yourself.

The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is 3 Aries, A cameo profile of a man in the outline of his country. This is an image that speaks to awakening a broader sense of identity, of seeing yourself not just as an individual but as part of a collective story. It’s about recognizing the awesome power of life itself and understanding who you are in the context of others, your community, and the world that you share.

Listener Question: Transits that come back to the same place in a chart – what’s the lesson?

In this week’s listener question, listener Chloe writes, “Hi April, I have a question for you. When a transit keeps coming back to the same place in a chart over time, how do you understand the deeper lesson that’s trying to unfold?”

That’s a great question. Thank you, Chloe, and we’ll see this most often in the transits of the outer planets. Anything from even Jupiter all the way out to Pluto. And the reason for this is they kind of have long transits. You see something like Saturn, and it takes about two and a half years to go through a sign. All of these planets have relatively long retrograde periods.

So what will happen is say something like Saturn comes along and makes a square to Venus in your chart, and then later it turns retrograde and comes back to that same point, and once again squares Venus. It keeps going, then it turns direct, and later, once again, Saturn makes the third square to Venus. So these are the kinds that we see most often.

This is a story I heard long ago, and forgive me, I’m not sure if this is actually something that would happen. But the story, as it was told to me, was, let’s say, that you decided you wanted to convert to Judaism. So, you go to see the rabbi and say, “Hi, I’d really like to convert to Judaism.” And he just slams the door in your face. Then the second time you go back, you say, “No, really, I very much would like to talk to you about converting to Judaism.” And then he says, “No,” and then slams the door in your face. And then you go one more time and you say, “No, I’m serious. I really want to do this.” And he looks at you and says, “Okay, come on in.”

That’s what these repeated transits of the big outer planets are like, to me. Essentially, they’re kind of testing you and putting you through a process. If you get a planet like Neptune, for example, that goes back and forth, it can trigger the same point in your chart four or five times. And each time, you’re learning something more about those combinations of planets. But it’s not easy. And we are learning something as we go.

The first time, it’s a very new experience that we’re confronted with. If it’s something like Saturn and Venus, maybe you’re laid off from your job, or maybe you get a demotion. Maybe for some reason, some extra source of income that you’ve relied on is no longer available. And it’s a little more of a shock.

But let’s say you go out and you replace that income with another, with a gig or something like that. And then it happens again, you lose that job. And that time, it’s a bummer, but it’s not such a shock. You’ve been there before. And it’s the same area of your chart, it’s the same theme that is coming up. And you’re kind of braced in a way for that.

And then finally, the last time that it happens, you get one more gig, and it really sticks, and you’re really making some good income from it. So that is how I often see these kinds of transits playing out when they come back in your chart multiple times.

So, what is the deeper lesson? It really depends on the planets that are connecting with each other. But we can be sure if it’s one of the outer planets, and it might take a full year for that planet to finish this sequence of transits to a planet in your chart. So, we may not know the deeper lesson going in, but I can assure you we know what it is when we’re finishing up with the transit. And it really depends on the planets that are involved.

Chloe, I hope that helps, and good luck to you with any of these big repeated transits you might be going through.

If you have a burning astrological question that you would like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, please leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast. Or you can just send me an email at april (at) bigskyastrology.com, and be sure you put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

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