Hey y’all,
Spring is stretching its limbs, shaking off the last chills of winter. The light has changed; it lingers a little longer each evening. The air feels different, charged with possibility. Each year, Aries season arrives to push everything forward, but with eclipse season, Venus & Mercury both retrograde, and Neptune dramatically changing signs, the past few weeks have had us moving through a dense fog. Retrogrades and eclipses (as well as activations of Neptune) have a way of making us second-guess, replay, and retrace our steps. But now, the tide is shifting a bit. Hooray!
In this 3rd week in the wheel of the year, we stand in the East on the Medicine Wheel, the direction of childhood new beginnings. In the Daoist Wu Xing (5-element) cycle, Wood is the element of the season, reminding us that vertical growth is both inevitable and unpredictable. Sometimes it is steady and slow, like roots deepening into the earth. Other times it is wild and sudden, like a vine climbing toward the sun overnight. We are in that moment now, where everything is starting to move again, but not yet at full speed.
Mercury and Venus are waking up. The full moon in Libra (the first lunation post-eclipse season) is on the horizon. In Human Design, the energy of the sun this week moves from Gate 51, the Gate of Shock, into Gate 42, the Gate of Growth. We are stepping into something new…. but first, we may have to be shaken awake.
This week in the Wheel of the Year:
MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: East
WUXING Element: Wood
PAGAN Season: Ostara
ZODIAC Season: Aries
I’CHING Hexagram/HUMAN DESIGN Gate: 51 (April 5-10) > 42 (April 11-15)
51 = Thunder over Thunder (Zhen: “A Powerful Jolt”) or The Gate of SHOCK
42 = Wind over Thunder (Yi: “Increase”) or The Gate of GROWTH
MOON Phase: Full moon in Libra (in HD Gate 23 (The Gate of Assimilation, Splitting Apart)
PLANETARY Transits:
Monday, April 7: Mercury stations direct in Pisces
Saturday, April 12: Venus stations direct in Pisces
Mercury and Venus Stationing Direct
Mercury stations direct in Pisces on Monday, April 7, but clarity does not return all at once. If Mercury retrograde felt like navigating a dream world with no clear path, its direct motion will feel like waking up too fast from a deep sleep. The messages are still foggy. The words may not come out right. Mercury in Pisces does not deal in logic, sharpness, or precision. It speaks in symbols, in whispers, in the language of intuition.
I always find that Mercury retrogrades in water signs are the hardest to untangle. The mind wants a clear answer, but the lessons come in feelings, in moments of quiet realization rather than sudden understanding. If you have been waiting for an answer, it may arrive slowly, piece by piece. The best thing to do right now is trust that you already know more than you think.
At the end of the week, on Saturday, April 12, Venus also stations direct in Pisces. This is a big shift, especially for matters of love, creativity, and self-worth. Venus retrogrades are deeply personal. They stir up old wounds, resurface past loves, and make us reevaluate what truly brings us joy. Now, as Venus moves forward, things begin to soften. Relationships find clarity. Emotions start to flow again.
But just like Mercury, Venus does not rush. It lingers in this space, making sure we have learned what we needed to. If something ended during this retrograde, trust that it was meant to. If something new begins, let it unfold naturally. Love, in all its forms, is finding its way back to us.
Gate 51: The Gate of Shock (Saturday, April 5- Thursday, April 10)
We all know the feeling of thunder cracking across the sky, illuminating silhouettes around us, shaking the ground beneath our feet. This is the energy of Gate 51, the Gate of Shock, also known as Awakening. In the I Ching, it is Hexagram 51, Zhen, Thunder over Thunder. This is the force of initiation, the moment where everything changes in an instant.
In the Human Design bodygraph, this gate in the Heart Center, where courage and willpower live. Shock is not gentle. It does not ask for permission. It arrives unannounced, breaking us out of our routines and pushing us into new territory. Sometimes this comes in the form of a sudden event, something that jolts us awake in our heart center, whether we are ready or not. Other times, it is an internal shift, a realization that hits like lightning and changes the way we see everything.
The Gene Keys follows this energy from the shadow of Agitation to the Gift of Initiative to the Siddhi of Awakening. At its lowest expression, it is pure restlessness- it makes us uneasy, reactive, and on edge. But if we release the feeling of agitation and embrace the movement, and take initiative to step into the unknown instead of resisting it, shock becomes a force of transformation. At its highest frequency, it is a moment of deep spiritual awakening.
I have learned to respect the energy of this gate. It is not always comfortable, but it is always necessary. If something unexpected happens this week, ask yourself—what is this waking me up to?
Gate 42: The Gate of Growth (April 11-15)
After the shock, growth begins. Gate 42 is known as the Gate of Growth and is connected to the energy of completing something you started. In the I’Ching, this is Hexagram 42, Yi, Wind over Thunder, also known as “Increase”. With this energy late in the week through the weekend, we move beyond the initial jolt of awakening and into the steady process of expansion.
In Human Design, this gate sits in the Sacral Center, the source of sustainable energy. Growth is not just about starting something new. It is about seeing things through, completing cycles, and fully experiencing whatever life has placed in front of us.
The Gene Keys describes this as the journey from the shadow of Expectation to the gift of Detachment to the siddhi of Celebration. The shadow side of this energy is waiting for life to match a specific vision, having rigid expectations of how things should be. We think we know how situations should unfold, and when they do not, we resist. The real shift happens when we release that expectation, detach from assumptions, and allow life to surprise us. When we stop clinging to what we thought we wanted, we make space for something even better, which is definitely something to celebrate.
This week, let go of the need to control the outcome. Trust that growth is happening, even if it does not look the way you expected it to.
Full Moon in Libra (Saturday, April 12) & the Polarity of Gate 32 (Continuity) and Gate 42 (Growth)
The full moon in Libra casts its light on the delicate balance between holding on and letting go. Libra is often thought of as the sign of harmony and beauty, but its true lesson is discernment- putting on the scales what is worth preserving, and what has run its course? This lunation brings us face to face with that question, highlighting where we cling to the past and where we must embrace the cycles of change.
In Human Design, this full moon lands in Libra’s Gate 32, the Gate of Continuity, located in the Spleen Center in the bodygraph. This is the energy of endurance, instinct, and the fear of failure. It is deeply connected to the past, to ancestral wisdom, tradition, and the long-term vision of survival. Gate 32 holds on to what is valuable, what is proven, what has stood the test of time. But its shadow is fear- the fear that change will lead to loss, that what we build will not last, that growth is uncertain.
Opposing it across the wheel is the Sun in Gate 42, the Gate of Growth, located in the Sacral Center in the bodygraph. This gate is about completing cycles, embracing expansion, and trusting the process of evolution. Where Gate 32 holds on, Gate 42 urges us forward. 42 does not dwell in the past, but instead pushes toward the future, asking us to finish what we started and allow life to unfold fully. The highest expression of this gate in the gene keys is celebration, which is simply the ability to release expectations and embrace the unknown.
This full moon illuminates the tension between preservation and expansion, between instinct and experience, between past and future. Gate 32 says, Be careful. Will this last? Gate 42 responds, You will never know unless you allow it to grow.
Where in your life are you hesitating to move forward because of past fears?
What are you holding onto that is keeping you from stepping fully into the next chapter?
This lunation is a turning point. The Sun in Gate 42 encourages us to trust the natural cycles of growth, to remember that some things must come to completion so new things can begin. The Moon in Gate 32 reminds us to honor the wisdom of experience, and to move forward with awareness, not recklessness. Together, as the moon mirrors the sun, they ask us to walk the line between respect for the past and faith in the future.
This is not a moon of sudden action, but of deep recognition. Something in your life is ready to be completed, expanded, or restructured. The wisdom is already within you: you only need to listen.
The Path Ahead
This week carries the energy of transition. Mercury and Venus are shifting forward, but not yet at full speed. The Human Design gates guide us through shock and into growth. The full moon in Libra asks us to find balance between the past and the future.
I have learned that moments like this—when the energy is changing but not yet settled—are where so much magic happens. If life feels uncertain right now, trust that the pieces are falling into place. If you are feeling shaken, know that awakening is often uncomfortable at first. If something is ending, remember that growth always follows.
This week, let yourself release expectations and move with the current. Let yourself be surprised.
Sending you shock waves of love, care, and growth,
Alison
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