Today marks the start of an astrological period in which five planets – Pluto, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Mercury – are all retrograde at the same time. Fortunately this will last only until May 8th, when Jupiter turns Direct.
When a Planet is Retrograde, which is to say its apparent motion from Earth’s point of view is backwards, then its energies are best directed inwards, rather than outwards. That is to say, whilst it may be a bad time for trying to deal with other people, it is however a good time for dealing with yourself, for example your mind, your internal thought processes, and your own spiritual development.
Going against the grain during a retrograde period is often thought not to lead to success – as is most commonly thought during a Mercury Retrograde period. This is not entirely true – it is only a bad time if the disasters happen to other people, otherwise one may be lucky enough to experience a certain amount of schadenfreude!
For those that are interested in such things, the crucial dates for the rest of 2016 are as follows:
Most number of planets retrograde at one time: 29th April to 8th May i.e. 5.
Most number of planets direct at any one time: 19th November to 18th December, then 30th December til end of year i.e. 1 – apart from four days at the very beginning of the year, there have been and will be no time in 2016 when there is not at least one planet retrograde at any one time.
Sol Ascendans - The Website of Alex Sumner 
Prince: In Memoriam
Prince, 1958 – 2016 RIP
Earth’s greatest purple treasure!
Artisan of purple happiness
And craftsman of purple pleasure!
Purple the music he composed
Purple the instruments he played
Purple the love he spread around
And purple the millions that he made!
Drab and grey looked the world
Before Prince purple-turned it
His purple-talent surpassing all
That the acclaim he truly earned it.
One day, the Purple One expired –
Grief struck the entire nation!
Long tears and cries and wails rang out
At this Purple disincarnation.
But a Purple Spirit from the cadaver stirred
And into the Purple Air arose;
Purple the aura it radiated forth;
And Purple its ethereal clothes –
And down a Purple Chariot came
Drawn by Purple Unicorns
The Purple Ghost climbed therein
And so to heaven was he borne.
The Princely Ghost looked up ahead
As saw to where he would fly
A Paradise of Purple Light
Which filled the purple sky.
Purple were its blissful walls
Purple the dreaming towers
Purple pleasure gardens lay beyond
Bedecked with purple flowers.
Purple were the hills and vales
Purple the rivers and trees
Purple Bird-song filled the air
As did the buzzing of purple bees.
“Halt!” a purple-voice boomed out
Almost terrifying the Purple One,
“Thou canst not enter this Purple Heaven,
Unless thou tell the good that thou hast done.”
Prince stared bewildered for a moment
As the purple words assailed him
Desperately he tried to think
But his thoughts, they almost failed him –
But then he remembered his Purple Fans
And the happiness he had created
So he gathered his purple wits together,
And to the Purple God he stated:
“My purple songs are mystic gems
Too numerous to mention –
They raise the listeners up from their lives
Up to a purple dimension.
“My purple standards of excellence
Are, to musicians, an inspiration:
Long may the Purple Legacy continue
From generation to generation!”
“Fantastic!” the Purple Deity cried,
“Your deeds are duly noted –
Take your rightful Purple place herein:
A Purple-Angel, you’re promoted!”
So Prince approached the Heavenly City
Bathed in its Purple-glow
Saint Peter opened wide the gate
And told him: “INDIGO!”
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