While the early part of Spring could have had us going full bore in a spontaneous, even impulsive, manner, we tone things down and take them in a more steadfast manner as we come into May. We are ripe for seed planting and taking things step-by-step, even when one of the steps might prove to be giant steps or major leaps of faith.
On the 2nd of May, Mercury opposes Saturn and Venus exits Pisces to enter Aries, where Venus is in Detriment and uncomfortable in the Sign. We have to be wary of moments of depression, all the while tying up loose ends and possibly addressing past issues. Let’s keep in mind that much of the thrust of energy earlier in the season may need reworking or old matters cleared up before we can establish a solid format for our new interests.
With Venus in Aries, there is now a Mutual Reception between Venus and Mars, with Mars transiting a Sign ruled by Venus and Venus transiting a Sign ruled by Mars, both transiting Signs of their Detriment, where each is uncomfortable.
Relationships have been dicey over the past few months. People may have had chips on their shoulder, uncomfortable in their own skins and taking out their individual frustrations on the safe harbor of their intimate connections. Our relationships revolve now more around how interactions work for us rather than a win-win scenario where everyone is considerate of other people’s interests as well as their own. Relationships may be dicey at this time and we might assume the grass to be greener with persons other than the people in our lives right now. Such an illusion does not address the fundamental issue — the discomfort each of us may be feeling within ourselves but prefer to put the cause on someone else.
If we would consider our own situation and focus on what we need to accomplish in order to find satisfaction, we could discover that we are advancing our interests by focusing on the most meaningful projects that give us a real sense of purpose.
On the 3rd of May, the Sun trines Pluto and on the 6th, the Sun sextiles Jupiter.
After an early Spring when we may have been in initiation and launch mode, even engaging a sense of change for the sake of change, we can whittle down our varied activities to a select few in early May. We can better understand that we do not have to have it all but rather that we would prefer to concentrate on those involvements that truly speak to us and reflect our sense of value and self-worth.
It would be wise for us to keep in mind that life is about sifting through the myriad of experiences, situations, incidents and people to find the real gold of those individual events and connections that have true meaning for us. We can do our sifting and laser-like concentration in early May.
On May 7th, Mercury exits Taurus to enter its own Sign of Gemini. Once again, our interests may widen to a broad palette of anything and everything that catches our fancy. Our mind may be racing with thoughts of possibilities. People are likely to share the latest and greatest with whomever is willing to listen. Talk can be plentiful at this time, but similar to the sifting of new ideas and new interests, it would be wise for us not to jump at anything before we have considered why it appeals to us and whether it has practical and realistic application in our lives.
The 10th through the 14th of May can be slightly confusing. The Sun opposes Saturn on the 10th. On the 11th, Venus opposes Mars and Mercury squares Neptune. The 12th has Mercury trine Mars and the 14th gives us the Scorpio Full Moon at a time when Venus squares Pluto.
Although we could be enticed by shiny, sparkly things and situations that may sound too good [and too good to be true], we might question whether we have the capabilities of carrying out these appealing proposals. A mutual admiration society could have us encouraging someone or being encouraged by someone to go for it, even if only on a wing and a prayer, without the resources, the clarity or the due diligence. Now is not a time, however, for us to go blindly into the night, assuming through wishful thinking that everything will turn out in our favor in the end. On the contrary, this period may be a time for us to cull, pare down, and eliminate the dross from our lives. The more we can cut away the extraneous and outmoded from our lives, operate from a lean and mean attitude and concentrate on the essentials, we could also discover new doors opening up to us in a most unexpected manner.
The Scorpio Full Moon on the 14th is followed on the 15th with Mercury sextile Venus, Mercury sextile Uranus and Venus conjunct Uranus. As the saying goes: ‘when one door closes, another door opens up.’
While these times are times of transition with various familiar facets moving out of our lives, these times are also times of magic and miracles. The paradigm shift that all of us are experiencing is moving us from a sequential, linear progression of events into what we might consider random occurrences with unexpected situations coming out of the blue. These are times when we do not have to make everything happen like some type of control freak. On the contrary, these times call for us to work with peripheral vision, be willing to receive and open to possibilities that might even be seemingly impossible.
And during these times, the natural cycles of life are increasingly evident. Similar to the ocean’s tides with their ebbs and flows, life has phases of contraction and expansion. There are times when we might feel pressed and during those times it would be wise for us to contemplate and reflect on where we are and what we can do without. And there are times when we can open ourselves to opportunities that are not of our making but rather a result of our being in the right place at the right time. Exciting times in which we live, and the 15th of May could offer us some interesting, serendipitous scenarios for us to take advantage of.
With the idea of contraction and expansion, we do have to be wary of extremes. When we are going through a contractive period, we need to avoid feeling as though the world is closing in on us, crashing down upon us. And during our expansive phase, we need to avoid the sense that everything is going our way with no obstacles or impediments to trip us up. The extremes of desperate despair and irrational exuberance need to be moderated in order for us to maintain balance during these highly volatile times.
Irrational exuberance can be part of the energy operating around the 18th through the 21st of May. It begins with the two ‘good guys’ of the zodiac, Venus and Jupiter, square each other on the 18th. The 19th has Mars ending its retrograde cycle to turn direct, adding wind to our sails, and providing a greater thrust of energy to our activities. The Sun exits Taurus on the 20th-21st to enter Gemini, and we may move from a more patient, deliberate focus to once again juggling any number of things and going from one thing to another but possibly without much concentration or depth.
The Grand Trine in Water that we have been experiencing this year, with Jupiter transiting Cancer, Saturn transiting Scorpio and Neptune transiting Pisces is triggered with the Jupiter trine Saturn on the 24th of May. While the swings between expansion and contraction can be like a metronome at times, this energy configuration on the 24th allows us to expand in a manner that is structurally sound. If we are not distracted by the superfluous, this is a timeframe when we can build upon rock rather than on sand. We can establish firm foundations to expand our activities without taking on too much with the concurrent liability of overwhelm.
The Gemini New Moon on the 28th of May can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, we can be energized and ready to put spirit into action, largely thanks to the New Moon trining Mars. On the other hand, the New Moon square Neptune could have us chasing after illusory fantasies. The need for discernment and due diligence cannot be emphasized enough, for the New Moon impacts the next two weeks. While we have increased passion and desire to take on the world, we have to be wary that our itinerary is not a quixotic journey of tilting against windmills. Utilizing someone we trust as a solid sounding board for our plans might keep us from heading off in wrong directions. There can be a great deal of discussions at this time, but it would be important that the conversations be clear and focused.
Mercury moves into Cancer on the 29th of May, and we may be giving thought to reunions, family gatherings and summertime plans. While there can be a reticence on our part, the reticence could also serve as times of reflection and contemplation and pull in the reins of our liability towards racing off in all sorts of directions.
The latter part of May, early June can be an especially pleasant time. We may enjoy the warmth of Spring and the comforts of home with a desire to get together with family and friends for special occasions and celebrations. We may have a lot going on, but much of it is likely to be enjoyable, and it would be wise for us to use this time for recharging, recreation and re-creating.
May 2014… planting seeds, picking flowers…
