Retroshade April Tarotscopes

Hello spoonie stargazers! Well, we made it through another Mercury retrograde! Phew! That was a rough one. Please note that we are now in what is called the post-shadow period of Mercury retrograde, and we will be in this period until April 16th. The post-shadow period, otherwise known as “retroshade,” is a time for integrating and processing everything we reviewed during Mercury retrograde. Don’t be surprised if things still feel kind of wonky, and there are still some miscommunications over the next few weeks. I feel like I say this all the time, but I do feel like the energy is going to lighten up here for a lot of us, especially towards the middle and end of April.

I am looking at the chart for April 1st, and will just give you some little highlights I see here. Of course we have the Sun in Aries, which brings us that fiery energy that drives us to evolve and grow into our purpose. It also brings that Mars energy, which has lots of bonuses, but does mean that we can be prone to getting heated and irritated more easily. It’s helpful if we can keep kindness at the forefront, and take time before firing off. We’ve also got Venus, Mercury, and Neptune in Pisces, starting the month out on a very dreamy, perhaps even hazy note. With all this Pisces energy, we are likely to feel our intuition strengthened, and we are definitely going to be swimming in the Pisces waters of our emotions. I’m also looking at this beautiful sextile between the Moon and Jupiter, which I think brings a bit of lightness and fun to the cosmic equation. Moon in sextile with Jupiter is a social, friendly, caring aspect, which I think will bring a certain sweetness to the beginning of the month…even if things are still a bit shaky. We’re starting out the month in a post-shadow contemplative, quieter way, but there are definitely a lot of nice aspects throughout to keep us feeling some magic.

Retroshade Tarotscopes

I used the White Sage Tarot for this reading. I am also trying a new thing out—I’m on YouTube now! If you’d like to check out my live video recording of this reading, head on over to my YouTube channel StarsNSpoons LeahRuthe and let me know what you think. It’s definitely a format I’m new at, am still learning and tweaking things. As always, please read your sun AND rising sign (you can find out your rising sign on a free chart site like this one.)

Aries & Aries Rising (Mar 21 – Apr 19): I pulled the 7 of Wands for you this retroshade. It’s time to take charge. You can achieve what you want if you keep putting in the effort, so now is not the time to give up. Don’t get distracted by people who don’t understand your path, or by people struggling with envious feelings towards you—this card does sometimes speak to those kinds of energy blocks, but if you keep your goals up front and center, and put in the work, you’ve got this. Reflect on how you let others influence you as the month begins. Are there ways in which you let others’ opinions hold you back? What do you want to accomplish in the coming months? Now is a good time to reflect on some of these things, and start planning how you will pace yourself so that you don’t burn out or run out of spoons.

Taurus & Taurus Rising (Apr 20 – May 20): I pulled the 6 of Cups for your retroshade energy. This is a card of harmony, and of things from the past popping up to provide some answers or solutions in the present. This shadow period could have you feeling nostalgic in a nice, dreamy, Venus-in-Pisces kinda way. Reflect on all the people, places, events, and work you’ve done to get to where you are now. You’ve experienced and done a lot, and looking around, it’s pretty awesome what you’ve created for yourself so far—even if things aren’t perfect, even if the health struggles are still very real, you’ve done some great work and come really far. Relationships with solid foundations are also highlighted with this card, so take a look at where you are feeling apprehensive in your relationships. Are the limitations you are worried about real, or just fear? Enjoy this wistful, dreamy, harmonious energy, and focus on how to bring more stability into your life.

Gemini & Gemini Rising (May 21 – Jun 21): For your retroshade I pulled the 5 of Cups. It looks like things might have gotten a little (or a lot) out of balance this past Mercury retrograde. It’s time to reorganize and rethink priorities. If you’ve recently gone through some pretty major loss or disappointment, this post-shadow period is the time to first honor those feelings, and then begin to pick up those broken cups, mop up the spills, and look around to see what you still have. In traditional depictions of this card, often there will be a person crying over three spilled and broken cups. If you look in the background, however, you will see that there are still two cups intact and standing. The message here is to shift your focus now from the loss, to look around and see the good things you still have going on, the resources that are still there for you, the people who still love and care about you. Things are going to change, and that’s something we can learn to take comfort in when we are recovering from a rough time.

Cancer & Cancer Rising (Jun 22 – Jul 22): Your retroshade energy is the 9 of Swords. This is a kind of a spiraly card, where you’ve had a lot swirling around your mind, and have spent so much time searching for answers and solutions. Now is the time to step back and reassess, and shift your focus to getting good sleep, self-care—take a big break from this problem-solving mode you’ve been in. A lot of the time, especially as an intuitive Cancer, the answer is already there inside us (or right in front of us), you just need to quiet your mind so that the solution can step forward. Take a big time out during this post-shadow period to meditate, take some salt baths, listen to music, and take care of your body. The way forward will get clearer, and April is actually looking pretty sweet for us crabs! We just need to get out of our heads, and try to tap into our intuition as we move through this retroshade.

Leo & Leo Rising (Jul 23 – Aug 22): I pulled the 9 of Cups for your retroshade energy. You’ve come through some difficult times, but this card is the “Wish” card! This brings an energy of contentment, happiness, stability, and even a “seek and ye shall find” vibe. You can find whatever you’re looking for, and bring your ideas to life right now, so spend some time this post-shadow period to get really clear on what you want, because it’s coming to you once you go forth and look for it. This is also a great time to let your imagination run wild, and write down any ideas or inspirations that come to you in the coming weeks. The feeling I get from pulling your card is that a creative fire has been rekindled in you, and I think if you just go ahead and follow those sparks, you will soar.

Virgo & Virgo Rising (Aug 23 – Sept 22): I pulled the 4 of Swords for you this post-shadow period. It’s retreat and recovery time for you this April. You have probably really been through it this Mercury retrograde, and now you need to rest and recuperate. Let go of that go-go-go mentality for a few weeks, and force yourself to do some deep self-care this retroshade. Most of you have worked your asses off physically, mentally, and emotionally, and it’s time to cut yourself some MAJOR slack. Spend some time with people who energize you and lift you up, sleep in a lot, veg out and binge some shows, relax in your happy places. You are entering the calm after the storm, and my feeling is things are going to ease way up by the end of April.

Libra & Libra Rising (Sept 23 – Oct 23): Your retroshade energy is the Page of Cups! Pages are often about messages and information coming in, and in the case of the Page of Cups these messages are in the realm of family, relationships, partnerships, love. This post-shadow period is a good time to think about new projects, or if there’s something new you want to learn it’s a good time to peruse classes. If you’re stuck at home a lot, check out online courses and free local workshops that seem doable. This is a nice card for this time—the Page of Cups is a pleasant, contemplative energy that is eager to learn, and often comes with interesting news or info. April should turn out to be a sweet little month for you, with potentially big things growing from the seeds you plant.

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising (Oct 24 – Nov 21): Okay, so I pulled the Death card for you again…which is no surprise since it’s the major arcana card associated with your sign, and you’re often in that transformation energy in some way or another. This one feels pretty big, like some pretty major changes are coming, or you’re in the middle of them. This is a time to embrace the unknown, and as much as you can, let go of attachment to outcomes. This feels like a big new beginning you’re entering, so take time for you in the coming weeks. Big changes are taxing on your spoon supply, so make sure to work in self-care, and quiet alone time (especially looking at you, fellow introverts). There might be a lot of pots on your stove right now, but you can work in peaceful recuperation, even if you have to get creative to do it.

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising (Nov 22 – Dec 21): Your retroshade card is the 2 of Wands. Some decisions might need to be made during this post-shadow period, as 2’s are often about choices and bringing things into balance. The things you’ve been putting your efforts toward are going to start paying off, but this is also a time to assess where you are directing your energy. Are you happy with the projects and people you’re giving your time and energy to? Does some of your energy need to be redirected towards more fulfilling efforts? Take some time to do an energy inventory to see where things might use some shifting, and don’t forget to work in an allotment for self-care and recuperation, as always!

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising (Dec 22 – Jan 19): I pulled the 3 of Pentacles for your retroshade energy. You’ve put in the work, and this card indicates it’s starting to (or about to) pay off. This is an energy of expansion, growth, collaboration, and success. This card also comes up to let you know that plans you put into motion now will have a great shot at paying off in the long run, so spend some time this post-shadow period to think about what you want to build in the coming months. If you put in the work and thought, it’s likely to be fruitful. I think this can also apply to health stuff—if you’ve been working hard at getting to a better place with your symptoms, perhaps that work is going to start to show in how you’re feeling. Work can mean a lot of different things, especially to us spoonies.

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising (Jan 20 – Feb 18): Your retroshade energy is the Strength card. This is a card of overcoming obstacles, finding yourself able to keep cool in rough situations, conquering negative thought spirals. I also got this strong feeling you’re going to be particularly adept at handling awkward situations this month. You’re facing a lot right now—whether it’s just a lot you are juggling, or a particular situation—it’s not easy, but this card comes up to tell you that you have the strength and drive to get through it and succeed. This is also a good communication reminder: keep communication open, and sharpen your listening skills this post-shadow period. You’ll find listening will get you farther than talking during this retroshadiness.

Pisces & Pisces Rising (Feb 19 – Mar 20): I pulled the Page of Pentacles for you this post-shadow period. Again, the pages are often messengers bringing in new information. If you do receive news or info, take some time to process it and understand it, as things can get a little confusing during the retroshade. The Page of Pentacles is all about learning, advancing forward, and often a good turn of luck. There is a little message that pops up here about not drowning yourself in work and responsibilities. Make sure to balance that with self-care and fun, even if you get swept up by the go-go-go energy of the Page of  Pentacles and the Sun in Aries. Incidentally, this is also a great card for spoonies, as it sometimes represents an unexpected improvement in health and well-being.

Catch you next time, and please! Leave me a comment, let me know how the messages are resonating with you, let me know how you’re doing with all these energies, talk to me! I’m feeling a lil lonely out here in blog land, so don’t be shy!

Solidarity and love, love, love,

Leah R. Chatterjee