Hang on to your hats folks, for April looks set to be an exciting month with a very dynamic energy. First off, we have a cluster of planets in Aries with the Sun very close to Uranus, Venus, and Mars, squared by the Moon and Pluto. April 2 in particular looks like a day when we will need to be emotionally mature and try not to act or speak with too much haste. This is a good opportunity to break habits and patterns, though, to break free from aspects of the past, and to make changes that will be beneficial for our future. So it may help to contemplate what burdens you would like to shake off and what baggage you might be carrying around that is weighing you down. Consider if you are shackled or tied to something that just isn't you. It may, for example, be time to admit that something in your life — a job, relationship, or some other situation — isn't working, and it may be time to let it go, or at least to change it so that it can be improved. It may also be necessary to see how you may have become trapped in a certain situation or whether your own beliefs have been restricting or limiting you. Perhaps you've been stuck in a particular role for fear of upsetting others or because you felt it was your duty. Now, however, it is time to challenge any such beliefs and assumptions that may be holding you back. Could you let go of it now? April 2 would be an ideal day to perform some ritual connected with letting go and making changes.

April has a very refreshing energy throughout, but of particular importance is the new moon in Aries on April 10. This is perfect for new starts and for breaking free from the past. It is a highly supportive energy for challenging the way things have been up to the present and for feeling motivated and dynamic enough to make changes. Around this time it will be so much easier to set yourself free from any negative or restrictive situations, and there is a wonderful new moon to help you go for what you want. There is likely to be a positive "can do" feeling around this time, so the general mood of the population should be more upbeat as we realize that the future is bright and we can change things for the better.

Since this new moon is accompanied by Venus, you may like to consider how much beauty there is in your life. It often strikes me that beauty is sorely missing from many people's lives, whether it's because we don't have the time to notice it around us or because our standards have dropped and our art, music, film, and TV operate at a harsher, more base level than they did in the past. Beauty raises the vibration, lifts the soul, and is closely linked to love, which is another feature of Venus. So take a moment around this new moon to contemplate beauty — how much of it you have in your life, whether you notice it in others, whether you subject yourself to it through art and other media forms, whether you notice it in nature, and finally, whether you notice it in yourself.