A version of this column originally appeared at jpost.com and is reprinted with permission.

IYAR 5781: LIGHTING THE WAY TO SOUL-HEALING

This is the month we count the Omer, repairing and building up inner soul characteristics which generates a Divine healing light hinted at by another name for Chodesh Iyar: Ziv, lustrous brightness. Ahead are abrupt illuminations and life-altering realizations that, once acknowledged and integrated, are conduits of soul-healing.

The Sun sextiles Mars / Ma’adin and Jupiter / Tzedek before squaring Pluto April 13-16. As Iyar’s Tribal ruler Issachar practiced discerning wisdom around understanding the times, so we must practice deliberate choice in where we aim the supersized surplus of accumulated aggressive, controlling energy. Resist the temptation to blow off steam at whatever moves. Mars trines Jupiter and Mercury / Kochav sextiles Jupiter and Mars, squaring Pluto April 17 and this is the day only the highest ascended masters and completely ego-less souls will survive without expelling a great deal of everything they’ve been repressing for the last year. There is just too much built up to hold inside. Sun and Mercury enter Taurus April 19, but placidness is short lived. The next big bump comes when Venus / Noga and Mercury conjunct Uranus / Oron and square Saturn / Shabbtai April 22-25. This is where the collected energies of the Omer work we’ve been doing comes in handy. How hard it is to love one’s neighbor when all the collective trauma is being triggered by forces which seem beyond control? Full Scorpio Supermoon April 26 is Pesach Sheni, the holiday of second chances, and Gevurah Sh’b’Hod, strength within glory. The greatest glory is channeled through humility, illustrated by the glory of Aharon haKohen Gadol, the peacemaker.

Mars squares Wounded Healer Chiron and sextiles Uranus at the Taurus New Moon May 11, Tiferet Sh’b’Malchut. Courageous vulnerability opens doors to radical self- acceptance: open yourself to the true healing light of Iyar.

ARIES / TALEH

Communicate big ideas April 17 when Mars / Ma’adim trines Jupiter / Tzedek and sextiles Mercury / Kochav for one gigantic opportunity to pitch your dreams to those who can help make them happen. Mars enters emotional Cancer April 23; your actions are filtered through your feelings at the Full Supermoon in Scorpio April 26. Emotional extremes drove Tribal leader Yehuda to make extreme decisions he later needed to do tshuva to repair. Be careful of dramatic extremes in any direction. Mars squares Chiron and sextiles Uranus / Oron May 11 at the Taurus New Moon. Be courageously vulnerable. 

TAURUS / SHOR

Venus / Noga enters her home sign Taurus April 14 and conjuncts Uranus / Oron April 22. An especially fertile time for original creativity of every kind, especially to do with the tactile senses. Mercury / Kochav and Venus conjunct April 25 right before the Full Scorpio Supermoon April 26, Pesach Sheni. An extraordinary second chance to connect, spiritually and emotionally, to the source of your joy. Venus trines Pluto and squares Jupiter / Tzedek before moving into Gemini May 8. Your powerful ability to take this rarified time and turn it into a magical legacy is a gift.

GEMINI / T’OMIM

Tribal leader Zevulon carefully ensures no treasures were left behind in all his many journeys. So must you April 17-18 when Mercury / Kochav sextiles Jupiter / Tzedek, Mars / Ma’adim, and squares Pluto and conjuncts the Sun. This celestial configuration empowers deep memory dives to review and internalize life lessons. You can’t go forward until you’ve integrated the past. Mercury enters Taurus April 19, conjuncting Uranus April 24. Extreme originality and charismatic charm make powerful potions! Use your power for good May 2 at Mercury’s trine to Pluto, before he enters his home sign of Gemini May 3.

CANCER / SARTAN

Full Supermoon in Scorpio April 26 deeply stirs your need to bond and to feel beloved. Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius May 3 with Mercury / Kochav square Jupiter / Tzedek and Sun square Saturn / Shabbtai triggers a new realization of the place you’ve made for yourself in this world. Like Tribal leader Reuven you bear the weight of family history. Heal ancestral wounds at the New Moon in Taurus May 11 with Mars / Ma’adim square Wounded Healer Chiron and sextile Uranus / Oron. Forgiveness heals both the giver and the receiver. Open your hands and heart.

LEO / ARYEH

Enlarged energy opens new horizons when Sun sextile Mars / Ma’adim and Jupiter / Tzedek April 13 – 15, before squaring Pluto April 16. As Tribal leader Shimon proved with the conquest of Shechem, sometimes you’ve got to blast through a wall to get to where you’re going. Make sure you’re using all that energy for the right reasons. Sun conjunct Mercury April 18 for fiery conversation. The Sun – Uranus / Oron conjunction April 30 ignites inspired originality, theatrically displayed. Sun square Saturn / Shabbtai May 3 at Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius. Share the spotlight with someone you love.

VIRGO / BETULAH

The Sun and Mercury / Kochav in Taurus from April 19 brings your multifaceted skill set into focus, but you’re not just a cookie-cutter product; your individuality stands out April 24 – 25 at Mercury’s square to Saturn / Shabbtai, and conjunction to Uranus / Oron and Venus / Noga. You inspire trust around your core competencies; like Tribal leader Gad, guard your intellectual property and ensure you receive credit where credit is due. Mercury trines Pluto before entering Gemini and squares Jupiter / Tzedek May 3. Negotiate for your own best interests as a righteous use of power. 

LIBRA / MOZNAYIM

Venus / Noga enters her home in Taurus April 14. You are all about the shared values, valuables, resources, and intimacies portioned between you and your primary other. Venus conjunct Uranus / Oron April 22; if you feel unbalanced in your relationship, you may act abruptly and with extremism. Venus square Saturn / Shabbtai April 25; you want everything to be fair but that doesn’t mean everything is equal. Tribal leader Ephraim prematurely calculated the Exodus from Egypt. Powerfully hypnotic limerent attraction when Venus trines Pluto May 6, but don’t count your relationship chickens before they’re hatched – or conceived.

SCORPIO / AKRAV

Mars / Ma’adim trine Jupiter / Tzedek April 17 enlarges your libidinous energy; Mars enters Cancer April 23 making you extra sensitive to what others want and how you might provide that. Full Supermoon in Scorpio April 26, Pesach Sheni, lets you turn back time and fix what might have gone wrong in the past. Pluto stations retrograde April 27: focus on what you can do today to repair your unfinished yesterdays. Mars square Wounded Healer Chiron and sextile Uranus / Oron at the New Moon in Taurus May 11 displays a new level of courage in self-revelatory vulnerability.

SAGITTARIUS / KESHET

Mars / Ma’adim in Geminitrines Jupiter / Tzedek in Aquarius April 17, energizing your need for freedom. Though you’re restless and ready to roam, pick your destinations and your traveling companions wisely. Mercury / Kochav square Jupiter with Sun square Saturn/Shabbtai at the Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius May 3 is a potential mashup of competing value systems and practical priorities. You’ve got choices to make, determining the trajectory of your immediate future. Venus / Noga square Jupiter May 8, prioritizing whatever truly sparks your joy. You’re one of few who can align personal pleasures with professional ambitions.

CAPRICORN / GIDI

Venus / Noga and Mercury / Kochav square Saturn / Shabbtai April 25 enhancing the creative impetus behind your current initiative. You needn’t choose between aesthetics and performance; you’ve found a way to embody both form and function in your creative self-expression. The Full Scorpio Supermoon April 26 brings community support to your endeavors; you’re surprised to find how many are rooting for your success. The Sun’s square to Saturn May 3 at the Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius is your cue to pause and assess your resources. As Tribal leader Dan guarded Israel’s borders, guard your own assets. 

AQUARIUS / D’LI

You’re famously unique, and your individuality is on public display when Mercury / Kochav conjunct Uranus / Oron in Taurus April 24. You’ve never felt less like conforming to the world’s expectations; Sun conjunct Uranus April 30 brings ultimatums which you can’t dial back. Be ready to walk if you don’t get your way, which is total autonomy. Mars / Ma’adim squares Uranus at the New Moon in Taurus May 11 sparking abrupt actions, sudden separations, and unforeseen changes in direction, prompted by feeling under-appreciated. To keep you, they’ll have to admit you’re one-of-a-kind, and treat you as such!

PISCES / DAGIM

You’re not swimming in circles but in spirals, gaining torque at every go-round and accelerating towards your goals. Like Tribal ruler Naftali, you’re running to retrieve something of great value: respect for your work and proportionally upgraded status. Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear, including your intended destination! Mercury / Kochav sextiles Neptune / Rahav April 29, adding compelling charisma to your spin; Venus / Noga sextiles Neptune May 2, sweeting the sting when you blow past your competition. You don’t intend to burn bridges, but they might catch fire anyway on your way to success.

Lorelai Kude holds an MA in Jewish Studies and has been teaching, writing about, and practicing astrology professionally for 30+ years. Find more of her work at astrolojew.com