Grace McGrade is an intuitive astrologer based in Los Angeles. She is the head astrologer of the app Stars Align. Her sessions include birth chart readings, transits, energetic clearings and psychic consultations. For more astrology, read her guide to rising signs and moon signs. Read an overview of what 2026 has coming up for us this year here.

April starts with high energy, as the Sun ingresses into Aries, signifying the beginning of a new astrological year. The pendulous fog of Pisces season has lifted, freeing us from our inhibitions, and as we come out of hibernation and enter spring, life seems to speed up rapidly. Aries energy acts first, apologises later. Fast, direct, impulsive, the sign of the Ram draws our focus from the imagination to the immediate. We’re back in our bodies with a vengeance, eager to incite new beginnings (and the occasional argument if anyone dares to mess with our mission) and actualise impulsive ideas in real time. If Aries had a slogan, it would be Nike’s “Just Do It”, as no other zodiac sign provides more excitement about the spectacular potential of the present moment. Our creative engines are revved all the way up, our willpower has been restored, and we are supernaturally confident.

The first of the month starts with high stakes, as the Full Moon in Libra opposes the Sun in Aries – creating a point of contention between ourselves and our counterparts. While we may want to blindly forge ahead solo, compromises need to be made. While Aries says “Go, go, go!” this Libra lunation says, “Wait, hold off, be considerate of others”, and as a result, we may feel pulled in two opposing directions. On the plus side, this Full Moon provides the confidence for confronting any relational imbalances that require our attention. 

Jupiter in Cancer squares off with the Sun in Aries on April 5, pressuring us to push our luck. This is a day for inflated opinions, increased appetites and overindulgence, when emotions may feel larger than life. This bodes well for dramatic dates or forthright omissions of love, but gambling or hedonism may backfire, so exercise caution. On the 9th, Mars enters its home terrain and joins the party in Aries, amplifying our ability to act on ambitions. Alert and energised, Mars provides surplus stamina to tend to all of our affairs, while sharpening our more reactionary reflexes – so watch out for the compulsion to incite conflict.

The biggest transit of the month is Uranus’ entry into Gemini on the 25th, adding wild-card future-facing energy to the astrological mix

On the 14th, Mercury moves into Aries and then aligns with Neptune and Saturn over the course of the Aries New Moon on the 17th, adding sudden flashes of psychic brilliance to our thought processes. It’s the ideal time to set intentions for a brighter future, as Neptune provides the ability to dream, while Saturn provides a scenario for implementing structure. Days later, on the 19th, the Sun moves into steady Taurus, bringing us back down to earth after a season of speed and heat. The pace softens, and we slip off our armour and enter a more Venusian landscape, attuning to our senses and looking for what satiates us. This adds a much-needed sense of grounding, tactile energy, as we’re eager to cultivate beauty in our surroundings. 

While the Sun in Taurus wants to slow down and savour the moment, Venus enters Gemini on the 24th, adding an irresistible desire to follow what stimulates us, rather than staying stagnant. Venus in Gemini is slightly scattered, allergic to boredom, and quick-witted – adding a flirtatious and slightly unhinged cadence to our one-on-one interactions.

The biggest transit of the month is Uranus’ entry into Gemini on the 25th, adding wild-card future-facing energy to the astrological mix. Uranus is the rebel planet of advancement, awakening and disruption, and wherever it goes, change is inevitable. In Gemini, Uranus rewires our conscious thought and communicative abilities, and has historically coincided with the widespread distribution of information: the invention of the steam-powered printing press, the spread of propaganda during times of war, and the advancement of travel. As Uranus rules technology, major advancements are on the horizon, especially in areas of computing, phones, algorithms, apps and transport. On an individual level, this seven-year transit brings about sudden realisations, synchronicities, and an unfiltered edge to our words, making it easy for the truth to travel, and travel fast. Gemini is no stranger to polarity politics, and as more and more information comes to light, we could change our opinions quite suddenly. This is the season where perspectives shift, culture accelerates, and nothing stays hidden for very long.

ARIES / ARIES RISING

By the time April begins, your season is well underway, sharpening your instincts and spurring sudden insights. You’re daydreaming about new trajectories, strategising about new pathways, eager to leave your mark on the wider world. After a long astrological winter, April provides a wake-up call. Get your ducks in order, be definitive about your dreams, and GO for it. Feathers might be ruffled on the 1st of the month, when the Full Moon in Libra falls into your sector of partnership. Wherever it is that you’re headed, not everyone is along for the ride. This is a divergence of pace, a moment where you may find yourself parting ways with those who want to slow you down. Onwards and upwards, Aries.

Clarity and physical momentum increase midmonth, when Mercury and Mars move into your sign. Veer away from conflict, and try to slow down when you need to, as it’s an especially busy, high-energy time. Verbalise or write down what you want on the 17th, as the New Moon bodes well for manifestations. On April 25th, Uranus enters Gemini and moves into your sector of conscious thought and communication, providing a cerebral sense of electricity that rids you of your inhibitions. This is word-vomit, truth-telling wild-card energy – so brace yourself accordingly.

Aries Beauty Recommendation: MACXIMAL SILKY MATTE VIVA GLAM LIPSTICK

TAURUS / TAURUS RISING

The first half of April may make you feel unusually insular, as the Sun transits your sector of spirituality and seclusion, encouraging you to take a time-out. Despite this, professional matters may require your attention on the first of the month, when a Full Moon in Libra calls for some recalibration at work. Try not to overexert yourself to appease others. If you can prioritise personal time in the lead-up to Taurus season, rich rewards await. Recharge your batteries, listen to your intuition, and take time alone. There’s a quiet awareness that something major is ending. 

Uranus has been moving through your sign for the past seven years, dismantling old identities, disrupting your sense of stability, and pushing you toward a more liberated, self-defined version of who you are. By April 25, that chapter closes, and life ceases to throw unnecessary hurdles your way. In the days leading up to it, on the 19th, your season begins, and you may find yourself looking back at the past version of you with a kind of disbelief. Your season is sweet and serene, and you remerge into the wide world with an unshakeable confidence others can pick up on. The last few weeks of April are all about enjoying yourself, affirming yourself, and letting yourself be seen.

Taurus Beauty Recommendation: Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

GEMINI / GEMINI RISING

With the Sun moving through your social sector, there’s a steady influx of invitations, collaborations and moments where you’re reminded of your place within the wider world. It’s a brand new astrological year, and major changes await for you. Starting on the 1st, the Full Moon in Libra asks you to differentiate your creative voice from the herd, and distinguish where fears of being perceived by others have hindered your self-expression. With Aries lighting up your sector of friendship and community, this month is all about finding your true tribe, fellow unapologetically honest, forthright creatives who can keep up with your pace. Collaborative opportunities may arise out of the blue – so get up and get out there. If you are ready to call in new counterparts or friends, look to the New Moon on the 17th to set intentions. Days later, on the 24th, Venus enters Gemini and grants you an effortless sense of magnetism that pulls all the right people into your corner. 

The major turning point of the month occurs on the 25th, when Uranus leaves Taurus and enters Gemini, adding a surreal sense of electricity to your day-to-day life. This is the start of a seven-year cycle that will redefine who you are from the inside out, bringing sudden realisations, synchronicities and surprises that completely reprogram your beliefs about how life works. You’re stepping into a version of yourself that feels more unpredictable, more innovative, more fully expressed. Embrace change

Gemini Beauty Recommendation: Merit Beauty Signature Lip Blush

CANCER / CANCER RISING

With the Sun moving through your sector of career, reputation and long-term trajectory, there’s a sense that eyes are on you as you go through a period of increased visibility. You’re being observed, evaluated, and in some ways, elevated for your professional and public merits. But the Full Moon in Libra on the 1st softens the edges of that momentum, drawing your attention back to home, to your inner world, to the emotional foundations that everything else is built on. There’s a recalibration happening between public ambition and private needs. You can’t keep pouring into your future if your present environment isn’t holding you properly. Clean house, sort out your living situation, and inspect your surroundings. 

On April 5, Jupiter in Cancer squares the Sun in Aries, creating a breakthrough moment. There’s heat, momentum, and a surge of confidence that changes your beliefs. You might feel pulled to say yes to everything, to overpromise, to leap before fully considering the consequences. New professional opportunities may appear on the New Moon in Aries on the 17th. A dream job, promotion, or new trajectory may suddenly open up. Days later, on the 19th, the Sun moves into Taurus, shifting the focus to more social matters. The major headline of the month occurs on the 25th, when Uranus moves from Taurus into Gemini, adding a strange kind of psychic intelligence to your sector of spirituality. This is the beginning of a seven-year cycle, enhancing your intuition, spurring sudden realisations and insights. Listen closely.

Cancer Beauty Recommendation: Brain Dead x Jeff Goldblum Goldblooming Perfume

LEO / LEO RISING

The Sun in Aries is amplifying your appetite for discovery, travel and answers – as if you suddenly have an impulsive desire to uncover the true meaning of everything. On the 1st of the month, the Full Moon in Libra helps you to break free from negative thinking patterns or concerns about others that may have been holding you back, helping you harness a new mindset with less baggage. Wanderlust takes hold, and you find yourself playing with new philosophies, studies or spiritual practices, all centred on life’s possibilities rather than its limits. It’s a happy-go-lucky, mythically potent time, so set your sights on your highest purpose. 

With the Sun entering Taurus on the 19th, restabilising your professional trajectory, the areas in need of change shift. Changes to your social scenes come on the 25th, when Uranus enters Gemini, beginning a completely new chapter around community, collaboration and the kinds of spaces you want to exist within. The past seven years reshaped your career and public identity in ways that likely felt destabilising but necessary. Friendships may change dramatically, as new networks, new audiences and new collaborators await. It may feel sudden, even chaotic at first, but it’s aligning you with connections that are more generative and open, reflecting the person you’ve become.

Leo Beauty Recommendation: REHAB Matcha Scalp Serum

VIRGO / VIRGO RISING

With the Sun moving into your sector of sex and intimacy, your attention turns toward vulnerability, power and the subtle dynamics that exist between you and others. The first few weeks of April pull you into deep psychic territory, and you are more aware than usual of the energetic exchanges between you and your counterparts. The Full Moon in Libra on the 1st brings a moment of clarity within these dynamics. Where are you giving too much of yourself just to keep the peace? Where are you craving more depth or reciprocity? Aries energy is all about what’s new, and this next chapter favours budding relationships over draining ones, so don’t be afraid to assert your needs. On the 17th, a New Moon in this region amplifies your magnetism and bodes well for setting intentions for sexy, soul-deep connections. 

When the Sun moves into Taurus on the 19th, a trip may be in the cards, as you set your sights on new horizons, prompted to explore physically and philosophically. Days later, on the 25th, Uranus enters Gemini, electrifying your professional life. As Uranus is the planet of change and freedom, this could mean you are suddenly compelled to follow an off-beat calling that excites you, or perhaps that a new avenue of work opens up. It’s the beginning of a long-term transit that radically changes your career, public reputation, and approach to the wider-world. Enjoy the electricity.

Virgo Beauty Recommendation: The Ordinary PHA 5% Exfoliating Lip Serum

LIBRA / LIBRA RISING

Partnerships are pronounced for all of April, as the Sun enters the sector of your one-on-one relationships, catalysing the connections that are meant for you, and bulldozing down the ones that aren’t. On April 1, the Full Moon in Libra helps you to identify imbalances that have been affecting these dynamics, and you are uncommonly courageous about asserting your needs. Conflict may arise to coax you out of patterns of overcompromising. If fallouts occur, don’t worry, because as April progresses, new counterparts, collaborators and companions come into your life, making it a fast-paced, socially stimulating time. If you’re looking for love, set intentions on the New Moon on April 17, which starts a fresh chapter for connections. 

On the 19th, when the Sun enters Taurus, things get sultry and more sensual, and you’re even more attuned to the beauty in the world. You may feel inspired to take an existing bond to the next level, as you’re craving depth, sex and intensity. Then, on the 24th, Uranus enters Gemini, instigating a seven-year cycle that changes your beliefs. This is where life starts to get interesting, as you are supplied with evidence of the intangible, perceive more synchronicities, and feel inspired to establish a new sense of faith. New neural networks are forming, and surreal circumstances await, challenging what you thought you knew about reality.

Libra Beauty Recommendation: Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream

SCORPIO / SCORPIO RISING

The Full Moon in Libra on the 1st of the month may deliver downloads about how you’ve been taking care of yourself, calling for more solitude and a deepening of your spiritual practice. Throughout April, you’re more motivated by healing, with the Sun supporting you in high-energy Aries, you may feel compelled to make changes to your routine, upgrade your lifestyle, or streamline your day-to-day practices. You’re revamping your daily rituals, more determined than ever, destined for success. Aries energy favours all things new, making this an ample time to try a new workout, restructure your work schedule, and refine your habits. 

While you’re booked and busy for all of April, when the Sun enters Taurus on the 19th, the vibe gets more romantic. After seven years of relational upheavals, Uranus finally departs from your sector of partnerships on the 24th and enters Gemini, ushering in a period of heightened psychic sensitivity. Think of this as the beginning of an era of deprogramming and awakening. As Uranus moves through Gemini over the course of the next seven years, it changes your approach to intimacy, heals attachment wounds, and inspires deeper discussions. On the 30th, Venus enters Taurus and bestows you an amplified ability to attract partners, collaborators and helpers – so get yourself out there. You’re in high demand this month.

Scorpio Beauty Recommendation: Outside In Silk Serum Foundation

SAGITTARIUS / SAGITTARIUS RISING

Spring has sprung and opened up your world. With the Sun in Aries, you’re in for a season of full-throttle fun, as the April accentuates your sector of pleasure and play. Watch out for the Libra Full Moon on the 1st of the month, as it falls into your sector of friendships, catalysing the occasional crash-out. You’re not meant to follow the herd, you’re meant to lead the pack. Speed-bumps aside, most of April feels like a dreamy, creative renaissance, and the world around you looks vivid and enticing. A square between Jupiter, your ruling planet, and the Sun on the 5th amplifies appetites – try not to overindulge or push your luck too far. Instead, use April to discover new and more holistic mediums of fun, outlets of art, or free-spirited flings. 

Invite more pleasure into your life on the 17th, during the New Moon in Aries. Work-life gets busy for you on the 19th, when the Sun progresses into security-focused Taurus. Then Uranus enters Gemini, your opposite sign, inciting a relational reschuffling of sorts. You’re eager for stimulating partners, and things in your romantic life are subject to change as Uranus spurs sudden crushes, out-of-the-blue run-ins, and strange synchronicities that change the way you perceive partners.

Sagittarius Beauty Recommendation: Refy Blur and Hydrate Primer

CAPRICORN / CAPRICORN RISING

The Full Moon in Libra on the 1st lands at the top of your chart, putting your career, visibility and responsibilities into sharp focus. You may feel the weight of everything you’ve been carrying, and the realisation that something needs to shift in order for this to be sustainable. At the same time, Aries energy is pulling you back into your inner world, asking you to tend to your emotional body with the same discipline you apply to everything else. There’s a younger part of you that wants attention, rest, play and softness. April reminds you that not everything you do needs to be productive. 

Aries season aids you in clearing out emotional residue you’ve been carrying for years, whether through family dynamics or inherited patterns. You’re allowed to not be in survival mode all the time. By the time Taurus season begins on the 19th, something clicks. You feel more grounded, more connected to what you actually want to make, and attuned to your senses. Then, on the 25th, Uranus enters Gemini, and life seems to speed up. You’re experimenting with new systems, schedules and ways of working that feel freeing.

Capricorn Beauty Recommendation: Disco Queen SPF 50 Luminous Body Oil

AQUARIUS / AQUARIUS RISING

Mercury retrograde is over, but you’re still moving through April with an unfiltered edge. The Sun in Aries enlivens your sector of thinking and speech, and suddenly everything feels fast, instinctive and electric. Ideas arrive out of nowhere, conversations take on a sharper tone, and you’re more willing to say exactly what’s on your mind. There’s a slightly unhinged enthusiasm to it, but it works. These impulses are God-given. Get a pen to paper, write things down, follow the thread before it disappears. The Full Moon in Libra on the 1st can stir tension around beliefs, opinions, or the way you see the world versus how others do. You may feel pulled into conversations that escalate quickly, or realise that not everyone is aligned with where you’re heading. Try not to get caught in unnecessary conflict. You don’t need consensus to move forward. You’re understanding your perspective more deeply, and where you’re no longer willing to water it down. 

When the Sun moves into Taurus on the 19th, your energy shifts. You’re ready to slow things down, stay in and focus on your space. You are attuned to your surroundings, making your home feel better and more beautiful. Then on the 25th, Uranus, your modern ruler, moves from Taurus into Gemini, electrifying your sector of pleasure, play and creative expression. This is where things open up. Unconventional attractions, sudden crushes, new creative interests that feel slightly chaotic but irresistible.

Aquarius Beauty Recommendation: Horace Mezcal Musc

PISCES / PISCES RISING

April is all about developing an unshakeable sense of self-worth. With stern Saturn out of Pisces and now in Aries, obstacles are alleviated, and you are faced with decisions about how you earn, spend and value your energy. This is an important juncture for healing scarcity wounds and deciding that you deserve abundance; if you can be confident enough in your own ability to create reality, reality conspires in your favour. Dream big, but pair your goals with pragmatic action. 

On April 1, a Full Moon in Libra lights up your sector of intimacy and shared energy, sounding the alarm on any imbalanced dynamics that are pulling you out of your own path and into someone else’s. Don’t engage with anyone else’s self-made crisis. Instead, the majority of April calls for more selfishness and self-assuredness. The headline of the month occurs when Uranus, the planet of awakening and change, enters your sector of home and family, freeing you from inherited beliefs and programs that may have been unconsciously hindering you. This can help you connect the dots between your early experience of childhood and current circumstances, while freeing you from the baggage of the past.

Pisces Beauty Recommendation: Levagen®+ Smart Face Serum