The Beauty Witch: APRIL

Hold onto your berets, mes amours! It will come as no surprise that April comes bounding in full of action, throwing back the draperies and dragging you from your comfort zone into a flurry of activity that only the Ram can conjure, but…this time around, he’s even more overpowering. And irresistible. Quoi? Well, we just happen have a very fortuitous gathering of planets – a soirée, if you will – in harmony with the most energetic New Moon of the year, which occurs on April 1^st (2:24am EST.) This planetary huddle ensures many fabulous aspects, so wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you’ll be in the bold and bright Aries energies all day long, so be sure to work this Moon to your advantage. There is an absolutely divine force of strong ambition igniting new ideas to make money, and allowing personal income to grow in ways that you actually find inspiring…imagine that! I say it that way, because right now, literally, if you can dream it you can do it. It sounds lofty, perhaps, but with the blending of strengths in the stars right now, everything is achievable. The motivation, optimism, and drive to make it real are all yours, all the cosmos ask is for you to be willing. Take the risk. New ideas are swirling thanks to Mercury’s happy involvement, and Saturn steps up to ensure you have the focus you need to stay on course. New Moons develop their magick over six months, so whatever you begin now will grow in power all through Spring and Summer, to shine like one million stars by October…what could be better? Whether launching a new business venture, creative project, or both, entrepreneurial prowess is at its highest right now, though if you are focused on a new job, proposal, or pitch, you will also find everything you need at your glamorous fingertips! Count on Aries sheer force of will, combined with his unfailing courage to get you where you are meant to be going, mignonettes, with charisma to spare.

In the spirit of Aries brightly burning internal passion – which is always apparent on the outside – I offer you a gloriously sexy potion to give your skin a glow like no other: the sensual sorcery of a petite ritual crafted to polish skin to purrfection while feeding it what it desires. You’ll be left a dewy, youthful lustre that will have them assuming you’ve just spent all afternoon in bed with a highly skilled lover.

Amour Cerise

Facial Masque & Exfoliant
Conjures approximately ¾ cup of potion

¼ cup cherries
1 tablespoon apricot, chopped
¼ cup almond flour
1 tablespoon chia seed oil
1 tsp orange rind, grated

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and blend until very smooth – the smoother you can get it, the easier the application. Though it is that simple, don’t rush the ritual! Rather, take your time adding the ingredients individually, connecting with the energy each one gives. Hold your visual strong, and feel the actuality of it throughout your body. Keep this with you as you apply the potion: massage gently into clean skin, and really enjoy this glorious feeling – it’s quite pleasurable. Add a second layer, pressing the masque into the skin, and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes (don’t forget you neck, décolleté, and back of hands.) When you are ready, rinse well, pat dry, then follow with your mists and serums, etc., but take a look before you do at your glowing face – this treatment brings a fresh new dewy brightness to the skin, and a silky smooth texture. You’ll feel it, too, with newly massaged cells regenerating and making everything come alive.

Cherry A lush gift of Venus, water-ruled cherry bears potent love, beauty, and sex magic. Ripe with vitamins A, B, C, and E, they contain a heap of antioxidants. Beyond beautifying skin and hair, they can improve your vision, and help you get your beauty sleep, thanks to a natural dose of melatonin.

Apricot Among the first of the Spring fruits, Venusian apricots bring love and peace along with a multitude of beauty benefits. Loaded with vitamins and minerals (particularly vitamin A,) apricots contain a generous dose of fiber, help to strengthen bones, fortify the blood, and boost metabolism.

Almond Rich in calcium and vitamin E, almonds strengthen bones, repair damaged skin, lessen fine lines while preventing new ones, protect against UV damage, and feed you from head to toe. Magically, almond brings wealth and protection. They are ruled by air, which gives potions a lightness of energy surrounding the intellect, reminding you to ease up on the kind of worrying that wreaks havoc on your face.

Chia Seed Oil Rich in omega-3 oils, chia is a powerhouse moisturizer for even very dry and irritated skin, quenching and healing seasonal shifts to your visage. 

Orange Fiery, protective orange supports collagen production and cellular renewal while bringing forth love and prosperity.

Beauty Witch Secret: This recipe yields a large amount of potion, and I find trying to cut the measurements down makes the blending process difficult…so, what to do with all this abundance? Add ¼ cup of Celtic sea salt and a splash more oil, and it becomes a sublime full-body treatment. A bit messy, yes, but beyond worth it. Just apply as you did to your face, adding more to a second layer, and allow it to sit on your skin for ten minutes, then rinse. (If you can’t wait that long, it will still have its benefits – you’ll see.) No plans for a body ritual? Refrigerate and this entirely edible potion to smoothies, yogurt, atop porridge and chia pudding, to receive its magick from the inside out.

Aries Power Card: The Emperor Create your own destiny. Be aware of your own power and strength; wield it wisely. Aries is also associated with the Queen of Wands: Courage, confidence, independence. You are in charge. From the Aquarius deck by Dawn Aquarius.

Though our New Moon is much to sing about, there is even more happening this month that deserves breaking down into tiny bites of gorgeousness, just to ensure that we savor every bit of all its flavors. As we remain in the swell of Aries excitement, our lovely Venus begins a dalliance with Pisces on April 5^th, making her soft curves even more appealing. Relationships of all kinds will benefit from a gentle, delicate kindness in appreciation of one another, though you could potentially see someone through tinted lenses – you know the kind that bathe their every move in a swathe of dreaminess? Mmm. It won’t be the reality of the everyday you may potentially come to know with them, but in these sweet days you won’t really care. Enjoy the reverie, just avoid getting lost in the perfumed garden for too long. And while this can be delightfully dizzying in affairs of the heart, it can also be disastrous to the affairs of the wallet. Watch what can only be described as “fantasy spending.” You know what I mean. You don’t actually need another dress for the turn through the Jardin des Tuileries you might be taking at some point, but you may in fact need a few startup dollars for that project I mentioned earlier. (Ok, ok…I want more dresses too, so let’s keep each other on track, yes?)

Next nibble: Our chatty pal Mercury will be entering Taurus on April 10^th for a brief stay before  he moves on to Gemini later in the month, so we find our thoughts becoming more sensible after being somewhat over-active recently. Expect speech to become more careful, deliberate, and quieter, while patience returns to communications. If you are traveling, or planning to, you may want to take your time working out the details now for the more distant future, as opposed to any spur-of-the moment jaunts right now.

Then, on April 14^th, Mars charges into Pisces, creating a bit of confusion where goals are concerned. On one hand, we find our motivation directed towards the less traditional, which can be freeing in terms of creativity. However, our energy tends to wane faster, and be much less focused. Watch out for allowing emotions to dictate where action is what is really needed, though it is an auspicious time to allow in a more spiritual perspective to your plans. Mars is simply not comfortable in the sign of The Fish, so bear this in mind if you suddenly feel as though you are drifting off course. You haven’t lost your balance, but you will feel the sometimes woozy uncertainty of a planetary Pisces stellium flowing in and out. As always, use the beautiful traits of the sign to best align with what’s going on, and focus on channeling creative imagination and kindness.

Ah, but a Full Moon is on her way! This one will be a little tricky, but we can navigate it with style. April 16^th brings us a Growing Moon (2:55pm EST) in delightful Libra, which will struggle for its classic diplomatic finesse as a tricky Plutonian aspect abounds. This may find you feeling more than a tad anxious, but rather than allowing it to overtake the situation, the way to the peaceful outcome Libra craves will be through coming up with innovative solutions to any issues at hand. Allowing fresh ideas to bloom will be your passport to resolving any conflicts that may come up now, particularly with relationships. Remember that Venus is here, and she asks that you find compromise. If you do, ultimately, her love will win out, even if that means letting go of someone. As you ponder all of this, channeling your energy into things she adores will soften any hard edges, so pour yourself into art! A jaunt to support live music or theatre, would be a splendid thing to do, as would an inspirational visit to a museum or gallery. Even a low-key wander to a bookstore or cinema would quiet your anxiety, and ignite your own creativity in the process. Beauty heals, after all.

This Moon goes void-of-course several hours after fullness, so do work your magick the eve before, when the Silver Lady holds court in the sign of harmony.

I always find getting my hands in something to be fabulously stress-relieving, so why not whip up a batch of beautifying bonbons to ease your jitters? You can feed your beauty by eating whole, raw, plant-powered love bites that fill your entire body with radiance, and make Venus proud. Full Moons are notorious for releasing a tidal wave of emotions, and all too often we reach for processed, sugar-laden “rewards” for our suffering – but, of course, they only amplify the negative. Raise your vibration instead, mes beautés, with these magickal indulgences:

Bonbons Aux Cerise

Beauty Bites
Conjures 13 bonbons

1 cup cherries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup apricot, dried
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon vegan butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch Celtic salt
Pinch Aleppo or cayenne pepper (optional)

*Preferably alcohol-free on both extracts – Frontier and Thrive both make them, and are found in larger health food stores and online.

 In the same fashion as we made our New Moon potion we are going to combine everything as we create out magick. Place all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until a dough is formed. If using frozen cherries, the juice can make the dough softer, so you may wish to add a bit more flour as needed. The pepper is optional, but oh-so-good! Aleppo pepper is a Syrian variety that is a little tougher to find, but has a lovely depth and a bit less heat if you prefer.

Form the dough into small spheres (lovely planetary shapes!) and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour. These are delish breakfast nibbles with a morning brew, or as little bites later in the day to boost your energy, with a luscious cherry almond allure that reminds you to feed your beauty, always. You can easily add a protein powder if you wish to make them even more potent.

Oat The earthy oat is actually a gift of Venus that draw money toward you. The bran is actually the outer layer of the wild, unprocessed oat containing high levels of nutrients and antioxidants that stabilize blood sugar, with higher protein and fiber (and less calories) than processed oats.

Vanilla This gorgeous, lusty Venusian vine is rich in copper to promote collagen and elastin production, and has noted aphrodisiac powers. 

Celtic Sea Salt Harvested by hand off the shores of France in the ancient Celtic method, this salt is a potent detoxifier, and rich in all precious trace minerals. It is left in its natural state, bringing pure sea magic in the form of both potent manual exfoliant and mineral-rich nutrient.

Aleppo or Cayenne Solar and Mars-ruled, this protective, cleansing, stimulating, warming spice fights inflammation and disease, infuses vital minerals (like age-defying copper), soothes digestion, and increases circulation. 

Beauty Witch Secret: Cherries are excellent manifesters of love magick! Consume them throughout the season, in as many ways as your imagination can dream up, for deliciously drawing l’amour near…and that includes the love you need for yourself.

Well! Are you keeping up with this whirlwind of a month? The Sun moves into steadying Taurus on the 19^th, which should help, because on the 29^th Pluto goes retrograde in Capricorn, which can cause old wounds to surface for the greater purpose of healing, and it can feel like being stuck in an odd limbo between the past and the future. Yet, this is a five-month retrograde of personal transformation that creates a needed fresh start, particularly when it comes to relationships, both with others and with yourself. It’s a continuation of the letting-go-of-the-past theme that we keep seeing, and for good reason, as new beginnings are everywhere. When we no longer feel the compulsion to repeat old patterns, we are released, and so many new and wonderful things can begin to emerge. The beauty is, of you do the work, you are not destined to be perpetually stuck in the same situations, drawing the same types of interactions towards you, and having the same emotional upheavals over and over again. People attuned to spirituality can really feel this transit quite intensely, but as with all of these cosmic shifts that demand change, know this: if you are open to that transformation, it will unfold a lot more smoothly.

And finally, we close the month with another New Moon, this time a Solar Eclipse in Taurus on April 30 (4:28pm EST.) Now, eclipses are generally rather disruptive by nature, but this one feels less so. The steady groundedness of the Bull sees to it that we get through this one with considerably more ease than usual. Here, we have a golden opportunity to make solid, long-term decisions where income is concerned, and isn’t that nice? There will be some assessment of practicality, too, wherein we see clearly where we need to rework our budgets, and perhaps be more realistically inclined, but overall, we can really make a plan here. So, we end this incredibly powerful month with a solid trail to saunter down, one which has been fearlessly blazed by Aries, and now, begins to bloom. Enjoy those flowers, mes amours.

Love and Stardust,

Xo Alise