Your April 2019 Horoscopes

Happy season, Aries! You get to open the month with a luminous new moon in your sign on the 5th, which is the perfect opportunity to begin a pet project that’s all yours. If you’re used to collaborating, whether that’s writing, dog-rearing, children-raising, homesteading, etc., that’s all good, but you need something that gives you total control. You’ll be a better partner in business and in love if you have an outlet just for you. 

On the 10th, Jupiter moves retrograde until August, and you may feel like you’re reliving conversations you’ve had with extended family or in-laws. Maybe they just didn’t hear you the first time (a likely story), or maybe with Mercury finally direct, they changed their tune (a more likely story). It’ll be frustrating, but any open issues will finally be put to bed that week. 

The full moon on the 19th may inspire some surprising conversations with partners, either in love or work (or both). Secrets may come out (so prepare to come clean if you’re hiding something, or you may totally reframe how you saw them). This one is likely to be more surprising than bad, so keep an open mind. What you think may be a confrontation might end up a heart-to-heart.

Do you suspect you have a nemesis? The new moon on the 5th will sharpen your intuition about connections and rivals. Be very selective about who you spend time with during this period of time—unless you’re privately assessing for loyalty. But even if you’re keeping your enemies close, make sure you’re touching base with your supportive and wise friends, too.

When Jupiter goes retrograde on the 10th, you might have to get a little more real about your finances than you thought. It’s not that you’re hemorrhaging money, it’s just that you may not have realized where your biggest monthly spend is (and therefore, how to control it). Download a spending tracker app or swear off the $15 daily lunches while you handle this situation.

A project at work may make you feel buried and totally alone during the full moon on the 19th. Try to speak up clearly and early, before the deadline rears its head and no one was clear on what part they were responsible for. The biggest killer is indecision; trust your gut and act when you feel the instinct. It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and you may escape this without needing either.

Room in your calendar for one more drinks thing after work? You may find yourself invited to a lot of things, Gemini (maybe even dates, too!), and being this in-demand never felt so natural. Lean into being a social butterfly (you are the sign of being a social butterfly) and do what you were born to: talk your way around any room. You may leave with any of the following: signed contracts, declarations of love, the email address of a lifelong hero, etc.

On the 10th, you may have to revisit the terms of engagement with prospective clients, business partnerships or even your spouse. Don’t give up, but it may take until mid-August, when Jupiter goes direct, for momentum to pick up on plans you thought were ironclad.

The full moon in Libra on the 19th could bring some surprising news from your kid. Whether she’s confessing that she hates her new school or that she wants to quit the play, the hardest part for you won’t be how to advise her, it’ll be how well you can adapt to this “new” version. The sooner you roll with the changes, the sooner it’ll feel like the natural evolution of her personality—and not a threat to your relationship.

If you’ve been hoping and praying and crossing fingers for a new job, the new moon on the 5th is blessing your efforts. Wherever you are in your hunt for new work, you will break through at least one of the doors you knock on, so knock on as many as possible. If you approach this as if victory is guaranteed, then it likely will be. (Psst, here are Anna Wintour’s tips for dressing for an interview.)

When it comes to your health, don’t just wing it, Cancer. On the 10th, Jupiter retrograde will put some pressure on you to be diligent about repairing injuries, staying away from irritants (even if your heartburn can usually tolerate pizza and coffee) and making appointments with all your specialists. Your teeth may not be bugging you, but it couldn’t hurt to get a cleaning, so go bug your dentist. They’ve missed you.

On the 19th, the Libra full moon may bring news of a roommate suddenly leaving or a real estate opportunity that slipped through your fingers. It’s going to mean change, but it’s not an un-sunny prognosis for you, Cancer. It’s all about your ’tude going into it—give yourself a day to fully mope about this loss. And then on the 20th, with the help of Taurus season, you will rise again.

Whether or not you have spring break this week, consider taking a trip around the new moon on the 5th. If you’re feeling the itch to roam—especially if you want to go it alone—the stars are aligned for you to finally be the object of Cartagena Instagram envy rather than the subject. 

When Jupiter goes retrograde on the 10th, it may puncture the honeymoon phase of a romantic engagement. It’s an incredible feeling to bask in the pure connection of someone cute who shares even your controversial opinions on why burrata is overrated or how we’re actually not in a golden age of TV, but every party ends eventually. But learning to de-pedestalize each other is a huge part of real, stable love. In short, this is a good sign that you’ve really got something.

If you’ve been dancing around conflict with that one friend whose “jokes” are more like mean, unfunny roasts, you may find your words with this Libra full moon on the 19th. Unlike other lunations, this one is less about having it out and more about stepping back and enforcing some boundaries. Maybe you attend the group outings but scale back the one-on-ones. Until she gets an actual, non-threatening sense of humor, you won’t miss the digs.

Money is a theme this month, Virgo, and the new moon on the 5th may bring you a financial windfall that you didn’t see coming—perhaps through getting a raise, a settlement coming in or a family member writing a check. If you’re writing down goals for the next half of the year, this is the absolute golden window for planning. Enlist an advisor or accountant if you can, because the best laid plans in early April will actually end up working out.

If you had big ambitions to frame and hang your pictures, spring clean your wardrobe, buy a new nightstand, etc., they may fall to the bottom of your to-do list when Jupiter goes retrograde until August. It’s not that you won’t be able to redecorate and refresh your home eventually…but you’ll find life getting in the way a little more often than usual.

The full moon on the 19th will, again, raise—and resolve—a money issue that’s been stewing for a while. It may be a sequel to last month’s Worm Moon, so be prepared for a brief re-hash. However, this lunation may come with a surprise pivot either away from one source of income (you quit, lose a client or are laid off) and toward another (new full-time job, side hustle taking off or freelancing picking up), and the key to surviving this one is by embracing the unconventional. Your relationship to money may change, and although that can be incredibly stressful, the chances are good this month that it’ll be for the better.

Wow, Libra, you could get engaged or married in the first week of the month! The new moon on the 5th is one of the absolute best omens for partnerships to strengthen their commitment. Because there are no planets in retrograde, you have all of the cosmos working in your favor to make your engagement, wedding, blood oath, joint venture, etc. actually stick for the long term. There will always be another retrograde, but you two are going to make it.

Speaking of retrogrades, Jupiter will begin to turn backward on the 10th, which will last until August 11th. For you, this means erring on the side of over-communication with friends, peers and family. You may experience symptoms not unlike a Mercury retrograde, with misunderstandings becoming a little more common, and your usual articulate self will struggle to say exactly what you mean. If you’re in school or taking classes, you may feel the material is more challenging. Don’t let it eat away at your self-esteem, Libra. You’re still the same smart, charming and eloquent purveyor of zodiac justice and diplomacy, but think of this period of time as a necessary due diligence. When Jupiter is working for you, things come easily. When he’s in retrograde, not so much. But it doesn’t mean they don’t come at all—you just need to put in a little bit more work. 

The full moon on the 19th is in your sign again, attacking your sense of independence. You might feel over-reliant on praise from your partner or friends, which can lead to a jealousy spiral when they notice the achievements of others (and, um, comment excessively on Instagram!). The way out is NOT to up the competition with a full-out photoshoot of your Corgi, Mosquito, awash in a sweater that cost more than your wedding shoes (although, that would show ’em...), but to give yourself a mandatory detox of social media or anything else that triggers your instinct to compare. Mosquito loves you no matter what, and he’s a very good boy. Learn from him.

You may land your dream job in the first week of April, Scorpio. The new moon on the 5th is an incredibly friendly one to any employment hunting you may be doing—even if you’re happy where you are. Sometimes the most fruitful networking happens when you don’t want to make a move and therefore have all the power. But even if you don’t have all the power, this moon will give you all the luck.

On the 10th, Jupiter begins moving retrograde until August, which could delay or slow down your ability to make money. If you were hoping for a raise, that may not come until months from now, or if you’re chasing freelance checks, you may have to follow up one or five or 15 times…

You may want to lay down for the full moon, Scorpio. It’s another one in Libra, and like last month, it’s activating your sector of mental health and personal vulnerabilities. If you’re prone to depression or anxiety, be extra kind to yourself during this moon—which may mean saying no to people who want your attention right now. It may feel like a zero-sum game of meeting others’ expectations and nurturing your alone time, but they’ll be fine. They have their own full moons to attend to...

April begins in the most romantic way possible for you, and the new moon on the 5th could bring any of the following: a sexy new person in your life, your crush telling you it’s mutual or a ton of people seeing and responding to your creative and magnetic self. Most importantly, you will feel sexy and crush-worthy and creative and magnetic. (This moon is as much about you falling in love with yourself.)

When Jupiter, your ruling planet, goes retrograde on the 10th, you'll feel it more than anyone else. It may be more difficult to start new projects, personal or business, and your natural abilities to charm your way through meetings may not be sufficient. You'll have to be more buttoned up on all fronts—more communicative in relationships, on time at work, really practiced at any presentations or performance if you want them to go well. By August, you'll feel the wind at your back again, and all the work you'll have done in the meantime will only help you fly even higher.

The full moon on the 19th might bring a reckoning among your friends. If you've been butting heads with a one-upper or nitpicker (or both?!), you may decide the entire dynamic isn't worth it and remove yourself from the group text. Or you may decide to confront the person and be surprised at what the conflict looks like from their side. Even if that doesn't resolve things (hard to rebuild trust once it's been breached), it may help you see how to deal with such personalities in the future (they're everywhere!).

Eyeing some real estate? The new moon on the 5th is ideal for researching, bidding or closing, wherever you are in the process. If there’s a way to improve your home situation, either by moving, buying the place you’re in or completing renovations, the seeds you plant now will grow into a tree. Don’t worry if you don’t see an immediate result—you’re not wasting your time this week.

When Jupiter goes retrograde on the 10th, it could trigger a sense of defeat. You could feel like you’re moving through peanut butter just to get anything done, and everyday tasks that were once automatic are suddenly a huge hassle (like your favorite parking garage doubling its rates overnight). Even if the stress is external, it’ll be the internal negativity that’s hardest to battle. Be easy on yourself for the next few months, and don’t succumb to despair. (But do crack up your friends by making fun of your circumstances—you’re underrated for your sharp sense of humor!)

All that depressing retrograde energy may culminate in a career-related disappointment around the Libra full moon on the 19th, which is always a bummer. But this one may not be a loss at all —just a shift in direction. If you’re being asked to head up a team you never saw yourself heading up, that’s not bad news; that’s an opportunity for you to stretch your own perception of success. It’s never easy to pivot, but that’s your real talent, Capricorn. You can prove yourself in any context—and you will sooner than you think in this one.

You’re always nursing a few pet interests, but your intellectual mind will be highly excitable around the new moon on the 5th. Like Alice with the white rabbit, feel free to chase whatever strikes your curiosity. Fascinated people are the most fascinating, and there will be no shortage of those who want to hear about whatever obscure trivia or extended theory you’re working on.

When Jupiter goes retrograde on the 10th, you may rethink your friend group, especially if you’ve met a lot of people recently. They can’t all be besties who stay in your life forever, and this will begin a period of time when you can reassess who gets the all-access pass to your fabulous life, and who’s merely invited to the party.

On the 19th, the full moon in Libra may either wreck your travel plans (seriously, Amtrak tickets cost how much?) or make you wish you were somewhere else. Keep your famous Aquarian coolheaded sensibilities at the ready, because they will not only save your sanity but that of everyone around you. Instant hero.

Your money outlook is about to brighten, Pisces. With the new moon on the 5th, you may receive actual good news (your agent sold your book, you got that lucrative job offer with a rival firm, you won the lottery!) or simply realize you’re doing way better than you thought. If you’ve been denying yourself indulgences lately, you’ll find yourself in a position to splurge, at least a little, on the finer things.

Meanwhile, your revved-up career may hit a speed bump around the 10th, when Jupiter goes retrograde. Without his easy wins, you may feel totally hamstrung. But this is only a temporary detour, and what you’ll gain by being methodical and diligent now will far outweigh the progress delayed (even though it probably won’t feel like that). By the time Jupiter goes direct in August, you won’t just be ready to compete, you’ll be ready to win.

If the Libra full moon on the 19th turns you into a jealousy monster, well…it happens to the best of us. If your nemesis just announced some impressive victory (engagement, pregnancy, TV show, Vogue cover, whatever), console yourself with good friends, good food and good old-fashioned faking your secure, zen self until you actually become that secure, zen self. In the long run, that takes a lifetime, but you’ll probably be over this thing with what’s-her-name by Taurus season (aka the very the next day). 

Kiki O'Keeffe is an astrology writer in Brooklyn. You can sign up for her newsletter, I don't believe in astrology, or follow her Twitter @alexkiki.