By Armand Diaz
The cosmic weather continues to blow choppy through late spring, with eclipses, planetary stations, Mercury retrograde, and hot aspects sprinkled throughout May (and into June).
Still, there’s also a lot of potential for ease and soft transitions, especially in our personal lives. With most of the planets within a relatively tight grouping in the zodiac, there’s less room for oppositions and other tense aspects. Most of the configurations are what we call ‘easy’ aspects, trines and sextiles, which offer potential for development, building, and – if needed – release. The hotter aspects and planetary stations can be thought of as providing the necessary motivation: after all, too much ease can mean that nothing gets done.
The merry month begins just after a solar eclipse on April 30th, which was accompanied by a meeting of BFFs Venus and Jupiter in their favorite sign of Pisces. It may take some time to know what was seeded in late April, but we should probably get some insight in the first week of May.
Venus sextiles Pluto on the 1st, bringing good tidings from Jupiter, who will call in to Pluto on the 3rd. What’s implied here is significant and relentless change, supporting romantic, financial, and spiritual growth and development. There’s likely to be a feeling of inevitability about events that happen at the very beginning of the month, although you will have the ability to push things in the direction you want.
Venus enters Aries on the 2nd, adding some spring fever to romance and relationships. In Mars’ home sign, the goddess of love likes to get what she wants, and favors a direct and forthright approach to socializing.
As the Moon waxes, it makes sense to take things slowly, but the Sun’s meeting with Uranus on the 5th is unlikely to imply patience. It’s a bit early in the lunar cycle, but we can make an exception and initiate projects (especially with Mars also sextile to Pluto). It’s time to get a ‘fresh start’, so don’t hesitate.
On the 10th, Mercury stations to retrograde, beginning three weeks of technical and communication snafus. As always, the most prominent Mercurial mishaps are likely to take place right around the stations, so be careful from the 8th to the 11th, and again from June 2nd to 4th. Backup your data, double check emails, and try talking rather than texting.
Also on the 10th, Jupiter leaves Pisces for a visit to Aries. In the sign of the ram, Jupiter helps us to be outgoing, optimistic, and a little more focused on ourselves. We’ll see a spike in competitiveness, and perhaps some of us will decide it’s time to visit the gym, dojo, or archery range. Jupiter will stay in Aries until late October, before dipping back into Pisces for a couple of months.
Ceres enters Cancer on the 15th. The shift in energy is subtle, but this planetoid that has a lot to do with our food supply and the environment will no doubt be sending us some poignant messages while in the nurturing sign of the crab.
Such messages are likely to be lost in the static as we have a full moon total eclipse – square to Saturn, no less – on the 16th. This full moon is in the sign of Scorpio, which is always a tense lunation. Add in the amped-up energy of the eclipse, and things could become very emotional indeed.
Some themes that are likely to emerge include rebellion against authority, personal autonomy over conformity to social mores, and freedom versus the demands of relationships. Yet almost anything can become a source of emotional upheaval, so find constructive ways to channel any frustration you feel building. With Mars meeting with Neptune just a couple of days later, we’ll see some folks ready to go off on a crusade around the middle of the month.
As things heat up in mid-May, we have opportunities to use the energy constructively. The Sun trines Pluto on the 19th, just before leaving for Gemini on the 20th. Mars makes a sextile to Pluto, on the 22nd, then the Sun and Jupiter make another easy sextile on the 23rd, so we have real potential for constructive action as we move away from the full moon eclipse.
Relationships get to share some of the joy, with Venus sextile to Saturn on the 24th. With Venus in Aries and Saturn in Aquarius, this aspect should favor gatherings of friends, although there’s certainly the possibility that someone special will stand out from the crowd. Mars enters his home sign of Aries on the same day, adding a passionate vibe that favors getting out and connecting with others.
Things might get a little more tense as Venus squares Pluto on the 27th, before leaving for her home sign of Taurus on the 28th. This might suggest starting a conflict, then running for cover, although it could also signal fiery igniting of passion, to be played out over the coming weeks.
May just won’t stop. Mars meets Jupiter on the 29th, helping to heat up the passion that Venus and Pluto have started. Yet it’s also the time of the Gemini new moon, which might cool things down just enough to prevent the fires burning too far out of control.