April is upon us, and so is the pollen. Everything is covered with a thin coating of the yellow stuff, and if people weren’t scared enough of the Corona Virus, now we have these terrifying allergies to contend with. Seriously, every sniffle is suspect, even if we’ve had allergies for years. However, the grape hyacinths are fading out, and the lone purple iris is doing its best to brighten our back yard. The miniature tulips and hostas are blowing up, the apple tree has its first blossoms, and it’s so exciting to see what the garden might be in a month or two! Husbear’s sunchoke is even perking up.

We’re also surrounded by bumble bees and wasps. Wasps are pollinators too, so I just try to give them a wide berth, but the ones above our front door have got to go. The birds are back in full force, and I’m writing this in my office with the windows open and the sound of the stream gurgling in the back yard. I love Spring, pollen and wasps aside.

April is named after Aphrodite, and hopefully she’s hard at work in your homes if you’re quarantined. She’s great for smoothing over the rough parts and bringing us back to a state of love. I wish love for you all this April.

Birthstones: Diamond

Lunations:
April 7, 10:35pm EST Full Moon (Libra)
April 22, 10:27pm EST New Moon (Taurus)

Astronomy:
April 21-22: Lyrid Meteor Shower
April 25: Pluto goes retrograde

Celtic Tree Month:
Alder (Mar 18th- April 14th): Balance, reawakening fertility, accelerated growth (good time for business or creative ventures), harnessing your hidden potential, balancing practical and mystical, release, foundations, determination, confidence, facing things you’ve been avoiding.
Willow (April 15th-May 12th): Resonance and harmony, creativity, fertility, feminine rights of passage, inspiration, love, love divination, sleep with a willow wand for vivid dreams, protection for underworld journeying, found near water, spring cleaning physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually, letting go of the past.

Holidays (mundane):
April 12: Easter Sunday
April 15: Tax Day
April 24: Arbor Day

Holidays (Pagan):
Never too early to prepare for Beltane on May 1st!

Themes and general activities for the month: Flowers, planting your garden, mowing the lawn for the first time, buying or cutting flowers to decorate your home, visiting local parks (safe social distancing rules apply here), pulling out the grill for the first time, bird watching, putting away Winter clothes.

Herbs I’m using: Dill (perfect for Spring and as an aprodesiac), catnip (Joe’s seeds have sprouted and we’ve been able to give small bits to the cats- they’ve been going crazy!), fennel (great in fresh, crunchy Spring salads)

Stones I’m using: Kyanite (energizing and clearing to all the body’s energy centers), jade (green symbolic of nature while also bringing in wealth and good luck), fluorite (creativity and communication)

Goddess of the Month: Morrighan. Her tag line says ‘Death and Magic’ and normally that would seem really weird for this time of year. But with Covid 19 taking lives left and right, it sadly fits. There is magick in this time of death and uncertainty, and if we can find it, we can be transformed to something better than we were before.

We’re being asked to look at everything through new eyes right now, through the eyes of death and loss. Our ability to cope with the darker side of life is what will save us for the future.

3 card reading:

First we have the 7 of Wands. We’re being challenged in a way we’ve never been challenged before, and it’s our time to stand our ground. We have to deal with adversity head on. I can’t help but relate this to all the changes we’re having to make in our lives right now to deal with the Corona Virus. It doesn’t seem like we’re taking a very active stance, but staying home and listening to the WHO and CDC are a way of fighting, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Next we see The High Priestess reversed. Usually, when I see this card reversed, I see it as a warning. But it actually seems fitting in this position. Don’t dwell too much in your feelings. A lot of us are sleeping in later, wearing PJs all the time, stress-eating, and while these are just coping mechanisms, they’re also signs of depression. I can’t help but wonder if the things we’re doing are feeding a wave of worldwide depression. Sure, there are bright spots, but I think the High Priestess reversed is telling us to keep from sinking down into the depths of our emotions right now. Distractions are good!

And finally, we have the 7 of Swords reversed. So everything that has been taken from us will be returned. We’ll spring back, it may just take a little while. Everything will be restored to at least the way it was, if not a new, better reality. We just have to hang in there!

Our special guidance card is Goblins. This is a card that shows up when you feel like something has been taken from you, and the hurts and wounds fester. Don’t let them fester. Make lists of the things that you’re grateful for, enjoy the delicious home-cooked food that we normally don’t have time to prepare, work on a project that you keep putting off. Distract yourself with all the things that are good in your world, and that will help you empowered in your world.

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A Daily Prayer
By Amie Ravenson

I give thanks to the Maiden for this day
For all the opportunities and new beginnings
For the unbearable beauty of the world
For energy and enthusiasm to enjoy it

I give thanks to the Mother for this day
For all my loved ones and those that love me
For the joy of creating and nurturing
For the strength and love to birth my life

I give thanks to the Crone for this day
For the wisdom and spirituality I have gathered
For the knowledge to choose the correct path
For the authority to be independent

I give thanks to the Horned God for this day
For the wild, primal spirit inside my heart
For the balance in nature and inside myself
For the bravery to fight for what I know is right

My personal tides and goals: I’m going a bit batty being stuck inside. I already work from home, so it’s nothing for me to go a week or more without seeing anyone but Husbear. As great as he is, it can be really difficult to feel human when you can’t get out into the world. I deal with loneliness on a regular basis. The other truth is, Husbear’s job is iffy right now, my job is iffy right now, and we’re pretty terrified about our finances. But I have Netflix, lots of books, and writing projects to work on. Here’s to making the best of a crummy situation!