May

May… putting down roots…

This May can be a highly productive month, a time when we make our plans for the future with full awareness of the vagaries of radical change occurring around us and in our world. We can devise a best practices approach by which to realize our goals and achieve our aims. We may be able to come up with innovative ways by which to stretch our finances, making our monies go further under the impending inflationary currents that may become increasingly evident. The early part of the month offers focused energies by which we can budget our time and our expenses and concentrate on the truly important while letting go of the extraneous.

This month is a time for us to put down roots for our new projects and new activities. We can build upon rock now, for we have the ability of considering different facets that may impinge upon our plans, all the while maintaining flexibility in order to adapt to shifting conditions.

We start the month with no planets in Fire Signs, six planets in Earth Signs, one planet in an Air Sign, and three planets in Water Signs. The month begins with three planets in Cardinal Signs, four planets in Fixed Signs, and three planets in Mutable Signs. One planet is in a Positive Sign, nine planets in Negative Signs.

This month of May starts with a great imbalance. We have no Fire, little Air and a strong focus on the Earth Element. While we might not be fired up and ready to go, we can take some of the thrust of enthusiasm we might have felt back in April and now give our thoughts and abstract concepts greater form. If we see May as a period of putting into effect the ideas and plans of April, then we can create solid foundation stones for our intentions, for this month of May begins with a Stellium of three or more planets in Taurus with Venus, the Sun and Mercury in the Fixed Earth Sign ruled by Venus. This Stellium is short-lived for Mercury exits Taurus on the 2nd to enter its own Sign of Gemini.

We also have an Earth Grand Trine operational into the third week of May with the planets in Taurus trine Saturn in Virgo and trine Pluto in Capricorn. And on the 1st, Venus emphasizes this Grand Trine by exactly trining Pluto and trining Saturn.

The month begins with an emphasis on effectiveness, on creating both a strong base of operations and presenting ourselves in a competent and stylish manner.

The positive energies of this month should not be lost, for the first three weeks of this month provide one of the most productive periods of this year.

Despite the volatility of these times and the increased anxiety generated by the radical swings in emotions and heightened sense of lack and limitations, this month allows us to create a composure and an ability to embrace the adage: necessity is the mother of invention.

If we avoid falling into a victim role, we can assess the present situation, consider the likely unfolding of conditions and make the necessary preparations not only to survive these times but in fact to thrive during these times.

Stasis tends to contribute to stagnation. Dynamics offer opportunities of transformation and witness to things turning on a dime. We are in a dynamic phase, one that could prove challenging to those who assume past circumstances will continue into the future or to those who feel the need of someone else making it right for them.

Thinking outside the box, considering options not otherwise taken into account, taking responsibility for our actions and testing the waters of new techniques and new activities could all prove useful tools in our skill set for taking advantage of the dynamics of these times.

On the 2nd, Mercury enters its own Sign of Gemini. Our mind can consider various possibilities, entertain a myriad of ideas. Also on the 2nd, Saturn ends its retrograde cycle begun back in December. As though a weight is lifted, we may find that delays and frustrations start to drop away. We are coming out of our annual period of hibernation that Saturn retrograde represents. We have greater abilities to move things forward in a detail-focused way. We do have to watch for believing that past successes can be replicated in the present. Old patterns and old mindsets need to be updated as Mercury squares Saturn on the 3rd. We can engage in many possibilities but it would be important that we not get locked by old beliefs nor skip over important details in a rush to get on with life.

The Taurus New Moon on the 5th offers fertile ground for us to plant our new seeds of Springtime projects. The emphasis is upon doing it differently, streamlining our operations and balancing both the form and content so that they both serve and enhance each other. We may decide to do a Spring cleaning, clear the clutter and utilize new techniques by which we can be more effective with less expenditure of energy. Let’s keep in mind that we are being asked to juggle more and more on a daily basis. While our activities list is fuller than ever before, we also have to be aware that in our juggling the surrounding conditions are changing. More so than ever before, it is important that we embrace the Taoist saying: ‘bend like a reed or break like an oak’.

Flexibility and adaptability are key elements to surfing the waves of these times.

On the 9th, Jupiter transiting through Capricorn goes retrograde and will be retrograde until early September. Our desire for expanding our interests may have to take a back seat as we deal with unanticipated variables that come out of the blue. Humility and a willingness to be a co-creator of our destiny rather than trying to master our universe may be asked of us in recognizing that the higher forces and the universe may have a far better plan for us than we could ever imagine for ourselves. It is best that we be open to peripheral vision and willing to try things differently.

The 9th also has Mars entering Leo. The long Mars transit of Cancer is over, and we may feel that we have greater vitality and desire to put our imprint on our activities and on our lives. We might feel as though we had gained a second wind with greater enthusiasm and a desire to embrace the joie de vivre, the joy of living.

On the 12th, the Taurus Sun sextiles Uranus and trines Jupiter. We are looking for change in our lives, ways by which we can become more autonomous, freer in our self-expression. Now is a time for us to test the waters, whether those waters are trying new experiences we have never tried before, or making changes in our home environment and the ways we do things. Experimentation would be important now for it provides us a mirror regarding where we have been and where we intend to go in our lives.

The 14th has the Sun square Neptune. We may feel a little dazed, even somewhat confused about our prospects, our friends, our future plans. While things tried may fall away, the fact that we tried reinforces the sense of our intention to make changes in our lives to improve our lifestyle.

The Taurus Sun sextile Uranus and trine Jupiter on the 12th is followed on the 18th by Venus in Taurus sextile Uranus and trine Jupiter. Get-togethers and gatherings could prove great fun with new contacts and even potentially new infatuations adding some verve to our lives. Although connections with others can be enlivening, Venus squares Neptune on the 14th. We have to watch for misreading other people, for the liability of the trickster, someone appearing one way the reality being different, is strong now. We could easily put someone on a pedestal, give someone the benefit of the doubt, all the while that we are seeing the potential rather than the reality.

The Scorpio Full Moon on the 19th, just before the Sun moves into Gemini, asks us to do an inventory-taking. Are we dealing with situations that truly have meaning for us or are we being distracted by wishful thinking and impossible dreams? We may find that a sense of contraction starts up again with a need to budget and stick close to our budget, both in regards to our time and our finances.

As the Sun moves into Gemini on the 20th, Venus squares Neptune. With Gemini the Sign of the Twins and the energy from the 20th on being like a metronome, we have to watch for potential whipsaws of extremes during the rest of the month.

Jupiter sextiles Uranus on the 21st which could allow us to believe that we can pull rabbits out of the hat. Maybe we can, but it would be wise to be cautious in making moves dependent upon luck and remote possibilities. On the 22nd, the Sun squares Saturn, and we might feel as though we had been punched in the gut. Our energy can drop precipitously and we might realize that we had not attended to all the details or paid attention to the specifics.

The whipsaw continues on as Venus exits Taurus and enters Gemini on the 24th, thereby creating a Stellium of three or more planets in the Mutable Air Sign with Venus joining the Sun and Mercury in the Mercury-ruled Sign. We may find ourselves scurrying around through the rest of the month, even reminiscent of Alice’s Mad Hatter feeling that we are late for some important event but not fully cognizant of the world around us.

On the 26th, the potential for zaniness could be ratcheted up severalfold. Venus squares Saturn on that day, and in addition Neptune turns retrograde and Mercury turns retrograde. We now have a Stellium in Gemini with Mercury in its own Sign turning retrograde for its second of this year’s three retrogrades which continues until June 19th. Any important decisions or signing of important documents would be better done either before the Mercury retrograde or after. For as we are all becoming increasingly aware, Mercury retrograde is often like Murphy’s Law where ‘whatever can go wrong will’.

May begins on a high note and like a well-composed symphony we can put the different aspects of our lives in a well-ordered and melodic manner. This ability to accomplish and put down roots continues into the third week of May when dissonance and cacophony could become more the rule.

Carpe diem, let’s seize the day, and take advantage of the opportunities during the days of these first three weeks of May.

May… putting down roots…