The astrology for May of 2018 begins with us considering many varied options. We might have more of a spring in our step and feel as though we have embraced the promise of renewal and rebirth that the Spring season offers. Nothing may be too much for us, but we do have to be wary that we do not start juggling so many activities that we exhaust ourselves or find ourselves doing a lot without getting much done.
The 6th of May has the Sun sextile Neptune, and we might prefer to laze the day away. We are not interested in conflict or doing too much on this Sunday. We would prefer to reflect and contemplate and consider possibilities that have no limitations. This Sunday might be a time for a walk in the park or down by the seashore or just sitting back and enjoying a cool one. No pressure today, as we step off into our own reveries, a most mystical space where ideas flow and abstracts and concepts all have the prospect of becoming real. A nice day to get away into our own personal realm.
If we were able to step away from mundane reality into a perfect world of our own on the 6th of May, we might have been able to recharge our batteries. And that would have been a good thing, for the second week of May can prove daunting with us attempting to turn the maze of our lives into a labyrinth, going from mass confusion into the centering of our soul.
This second week of May starts on Monday the 7th with Mercury square Pluto and Venus square Neptune. This could prove a no-win time when we are besieged by belligerence and we discover different, and quite possibly unappealing, characteristics in someone. We might want to keep our head down, not engage in discussions that could become heated or try to win our point. This may be a time for us to tiptoe through the day and avoid stepping on any landmines, if only we could know where those mines lay hidden. It would be wise for us to be careful out there, maintain vigilance, be mindful and keenly aware of dramatic shifts in the energies.
The 8th of May has the Sun opposed Jupiter. Whether we stepped in it yesterday or not, we could be trying to justify ourselves on this Tuesday. A liability to overreach might be strong, and we can be overgenerous, extravagant, blindly optimistic and in the process digging ourselves a hole from which it would be hard to get out. These first two days of this second week of May may prove challenging, but it would be wise to take a Taoist approach to these days and keep in mind the sentiments of Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching: “The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong.”
The end of the second week of May could allow us to prioritize our involvements and draw upon our inner resources to accomplish our goals. The Sun trines Pluto on the 11th. We can dig deep into ourselves and concentrate on what has true purpose and significant meaning for us. Determination and persistence combined with ‘right’ action might be the necessary fuel to get us moving. Once we gird our loins and focus our intent, we may be able to virtually move mountains.
The 12th of May has Mercury square Mars. This energy configuration asks us to engage brain before brawn, to think things through before launching forward. If we are impetuous in our thoughts and in our actions, we may find ourselves slamming up against a brick wall of resistance. The key to this day is patience. Recognizing that timing is everything both in astrology and in life itself goes a long way in avoiding or, at the very least, mitigating pitfalls and engaging more opportune times for successful results. We may be champing at the bit on this Saturday, but Sunday can provide openings we cannot imagine on Saturday.
Mercury conjuncts Uranus on the 13th just before Mercury exits Aries to enter Taurus. With Mercury in the Sign ruled by Venus and Venus in a Sign ruled by Mercury, we have a Mutual Reception enhancing the power of each and of both. Mercury conjunct Uranus asks us to have our antennae up and work with peripheral vision. We may have some startling insights and learn remarkable news. If we didn’t push the envelope yesterday and run smack dab into a brick wall, this Sunday provides the element of serendipity whereby things can occur in a most unexpected, even magical, manner. We might evidence the truth of the paradigm shift where we do not have to make things happen but rather need to be open to receive in even miraculous ways. This can be a time of revelations. We do have to watch this high frequency energy whereby Uranus combines with its higher octave of Mercury. We can either be close to genius or fall into a maddening state, all determined by how we can work with the energy.
The third week of May is a highly charged and highly changing week. We have four Sign changes, as various planets move from one Sign to another. We have a New Moon, and perhaps the most significant Sign change is Uranus exiting Aries to enter Taurus for a brief prelude before Uranus moves into Taurus in March of 2019 for a seven-year cycle through the Fixed Earth Sign.
The Taurus New Moon on the 15th of May is the same day that Uranus exits Aries to enter Taurus. We now have a Stellium of three planets in Taurus as Uranus joins Mercury and the Sun in the Fixed Earth Sign. Our relationship with money, finances, our self worth are all likely to be issues that may go through significant review and important changes. I’ll write in a subsequent post the significance of Uranus in Taurus and what this transit is likely to entail.
On the 16th, Mars exits Capricorn to enter Aquarius. In so doing, Mars ends the Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Earth Sign and triggers a strong impetus for independence. People are likely to accentuate their individuality with few restrictions and little willingness to accommodate social correctness. Everyone may be doing their own thing, marching to their own drummer with clear delineations giving way to a kaleidoscope of characteristics.
The 18th has Mercury trine Saturn. We can be quite adept in presenting things both with substance and in an appealing manner. We may seem to have a certain gravitas regarding whatever subject we choose to speak on. It would be hard to dispute what is said, for the empirical can back up the case, and the way things are said can be convivial and engaging. How can one argue with a combination of facts and pleasantries?
The third of four Sign changes during this third week of May comes with Venus exiting Gemini to enter Cancer on the 19th, shortly followed on the same day by Venus sextile Uranus. We might consider home projects and investing monies into creating a greater comfort zone for ourselves. We could also become aware of new technologies or inventions that would make our life far easier. This is a time when serendipitous encounters can feel like meeting a good friend or extended family member. We may be making plans for family get-togethers and consider hosting reunions in our home or traveling for our reconnections.
The Sun exits Taurus and enters Gemini on the 20th, the fourth of this week’s Sign changes. The move into Gemini by the Sun also ends the Stellium of three planets in Taurus. We may feel impelled to have the world as our oyster and engage any number of activities. Our commitment to any one thing might not be strong, for we may be more taken with the idea of sampling many, varied things. A greater sense of being ‘young at heart’ can also give us a greater thrust of energy as we fly from one thing to another to yet another. This is the time of year when we truly believe and engage the concept that variety is the spice of life.
An other-worldly quality can be a large feature of this latter part of May. It will be important that we stay grounded, even if our tendency may be to lose ourselves in reveries.
Mercury sextiles Neptune on the 22nd of May. Our intuitive sense can be heightened and we can blend visionary foresight with a detailed approach to come up with a solid understanding of what is going on. We might also be doing some springtime projects to brighten our home and enliven our environment. Creating sanctuary for ourself can provide a base of operations that is mentally, emotionally and psychically supportive.
It is important that we are not carried away by mental meanderings and lose our footing or lift off the ground. The liability to becoming ungrounded might be pronounced on the 23rd when Mercury opposes Jupiter and the Sun trines Mars. We might assume that we can do it all and then some. In such a case, we could take on more than we can truly handle, and in the process stretch our resources beyond reasonable limits. We may need some braking action to keep us from our overdoing.
A truly primo period seems to be Friday, May 25th when Jupiter trines Neptune and Mercury trines Pluto. This is a day when we can truly excel at ‘rendering under Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto god that which is god’s’. Our spiritual sense can be strong and we match it with a due diligence that can be laser-like in focus. We have an inner confidence, a faith that is not blind but a faith in ourselves and in our guiding destiny that impels us forward. We may feel that we are in the right place at the right time and that we are being divinely guided. At the same time, our mental abilities are acute and able to concentrate on the truly meaningful with strict attention to detail. We can have an understanding that all is right in the world — that every thing in our life is occurring in accord with a master plan, the divine design.
Let’s recognize that moments of full awareness are often offered us to affirm our journey and to bolster our faith in going forward. But they are often moments, brief interludes, times when we connect with spirit and the universal forces and get a breather from mundane reality.
Mundane reality can stare us square in the face on the 26th of May as Venus opposes Saturn. There can be reconnections with old friends or with family members. Obligations to get together on this long Memorial Day weekend in the US, the unofficial kickoff to summer, may be obligations too strong to resist. Let’s be wary of our interactions with other people. We might prefer to hide out but at least making an appearance can assuage any feelings of how one should engage social situations.
The highlight to the end of May is the Sagittarius Full Moon on the 29th, the same day that Mercury exits Taurus to enter its own Sign of Gemini. We could be giving thought to our summer travel plans and thinking about the weekend trips for reunions and get-togethers. Our sentiment may be ‘the more, the merrier’ with the intention of spreading our wings and avoiding any wing clippers. We are looking to expand our reach and have many irons in the fire as we move towards the end of Spring season and into our Summertime activities.
May 2018… rebirth, renewal, the renaissance…
