May opens with a Full Moon, on the 1st, in Scorpio, 11°20’, at 10:23 am Pacific time. May Day also features a sextile, 60°, between Venus in Gemini, 09°14’, and Saturn in Aries. This is a good lunar time to dive deep in conversation and discuss any inner work we are doing on ourselves with our partners. Where do we wrestle with putting ourselves first or with taking action in our lives or in our relationships?
A Scorpio Full Moon is a great time to bring truth to the table, work with issues of intimacy or with power struggles, or dive into some pure passion and intensity with another. I think of the lyrics of Dark Star by the great songwriter, Robert Hunter. His words suggest the transformative power of relationship, “Shall we go, you and I while we can? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds.” The Full Moon loosely trines (120°) Jupiter in Cancer. By May 4th, Mars in Aries, 19°30’, squares Jupiter. Be bold and ask, how can we heal ourselves while also nurturing and supporting others?
Pluto (NASA photo)
On May 6th, Pluto in Aquarius, 05°30’, slows down in the sky and stops to turn retrograde. At 05° Aquarius all month, Pluto’s impact can marinate like fine wine. Pluto is a very slow-moving planet and when Pluto lines up or aspects a natal planet or important point in our birth chart, wounds from the past may surface or we may face challenging events in our lives that force us to face our fears or wounds so we can change and transition into another stage of our lives. The “dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes.” Look to see where early degrees of Aquarius (and other fixed signs – Taurus, Leo and Scorpio) lie in your natal chart.
Wherever Pluto is moving in your chart, the “lord of the underworld,” the planet of revealing and processing our innermost psychological “shadows,” is also in orb (range) of a sextile (60°) to Neptune in Aries, at 03°, for almost the entire month. “Reason tatters, the forces tear loose from the axis.” Part of successfully navigating a Pluto/Neptune time is to claim a little “enlightened selfishness” for your own meditation or spiritual reflection. You need a vision for how to move ahead!
Mid-May brings some excitement and sudden realizations. Expect fresh perspectives and ideas! First, we have a New Moon in Taurus, 25°57’, on May 16th, at 1:00 pm, conjunct Mercury. A beautiful time for appreciating music, love, peace and calm. Look inward for flashes of insight on how to bring more beauty and sweetness into your life. May 17th, Mercury enters Gemini, joining Uranus at 5:10 pm. Sudden revelations are in order!
May 18th, Mars enters Taurus and Venus enters Cancer, creating a sextile at 00°13’. What a lovely shift from the strong Aries energies of April and early May. We feel a collective sigh of relief, a little easing up of the battling tendencies of last month. Let’s hope for peaceful negotiations across the globe. For us at home, late May is a fine time to have some spring get-togethers, loving connections with good friends and family, or even some simple moments enjoying a hike or time in the garden.
Two days later, May 20th, Sun enters Gemini, conjuncting Uranus, 01°30’, on May 22nd. Once again, pay attention for sudden eye-opening moments. Think outside the box. “Searchlight casting…for faults in the clouds of delusion.” May 25th, Mars in Taurus, 05°25’, squares Pluto retrograde in Aquarius. We can fall back into negative patterns of stubbornness despite a time that is ripe for healing and morphing into a more authentic path for ourselves. “Shall we go, you and I while we can?”
May ends with a Full Moon, 09°55’, Sagittarius, 1:45 am, on the 31st. In a trine (120°) with Saturn in Aries, La Luna asks us to claim our fiery lust for life – we have a right to take up space! – while also making sure we are grounded in what we are doing, providing a sense of freedom and independence for not only ourselves, but those we love. Enjoy this lunar time of expanding our horizons while we reach for the stars!
photo by C Cadge