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5/1 Venus trine Pluto
      Venus trine Saturn
5/2 Mercury enters Gemini
      Saturn turns direct
5/3 Mercury square Saturn
5/4 Neptune conjunct North Node
5/5 New Moon Taurus
5/9 Jupiter Rx
      Mars enters Leo
5/17 Venus square Chiron
5/18 Venus sextile Uranus
       Venus trine Jupiter
5/19 Full Moon Scorpio
5/20 Venus square Neptune
5/21 Jupiter sextile Uranus
5/23 Mercury trine Chiron
5/24 Venus enters Gemini
5/25 Chiron turns retrograde
5/26 Mercury turns retrograde
       Neptune turns retrograde
       Venus square Saturn
5/29 Mercury trine Chiron

Dates and times are all Eastern time zone

The beginning of May finds us in a preponderance of Earth energy, with four planets (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto) in earth signs, and no planets channeling Fire. Details are what is important now - the practical details that make up every day life. It may be more difficult to find the inspiration to take action and the energy to follow through (the Fire qualities) until May 10 when Mars leaves watery Cancer for Leo.

Mars has traveled back and forth through Cancer since the end of September of last year, and the sensitivity of that sign has created irritation and confusion as the concepts of defense and offense become confused by the protective instincts that Mars in Cancer promote. When Mars enters Leo on the 9th it will be the only planet in a Fire sign, but it will be a welcome change that will free up the Mars energy for action that gets bogged down in water.

Jupiter has been approaching the second phase of a sextile (harmonious aspect) to Uranus that will perfect on the 21st. This is a tremendously exciting and stimulating planetary combination as it incorporates the expansion and optimism of Jupiter with the stimulation and "new"ness of Uranus. New ideas and innovative ways of looking at the world are easier now than ever.

At the end of April Saturn was as close to a trine to retrograde Pluto as it has been since last summer when the two were locked in a close and harmonious dance. The trine of Saturn's discipline and structures to Pluto's instinct for transformation and regeneration is a powerful ally in any kind of business plan or spiritual metamorphosis. During the first week of May Venus trines both Saturn and Pluto in a Grand Trine that will promote harmony and beauty in interpersonal relationships as well as soften any rough edges to changes that we are making in our lives.

Saturn is powerful during this first week of May - it has been traveling retrograde since December 19th of last year and is now slowing down to a "station" as it prepares to change direction. Saturn turns direct on May 2 but will continue moving extremely slowly and its influence is therefore more intensely focused during this time (until mid-May or so). For good or ill, Saturn will be bearing down on us, challenging us to do our best work and focus on what really matters.

When Mercury leaves earthbound Taurus for Gemini on May 2, the mood will lift considerably. Mercury is at home in its own sign of Gemini, and the mental function is much more active there. Conversation, debate and other discourse is accelerated and minds tend to be more open and curious except for a few days around May 3 when Mercury forms a square to Saturn. At this time we could see a tendency toward more negative thinking and traditionalist views.

On May 4 Neptune conjuncts the North Node of the Moon, signifying an important event (North Node) having to do with the unfolding of our spirituality or consciousness (Neptune). Neptune is virtually at a standstill all month as it prepares to turn retrograde on the 27th, and its influence is more powerful than usual. Neptune demands that we let go of our attachment to the material world and realize an inner experience of divine transcendence. This transit to the North Node is likely to play out on the global stage since Neptune is a more transpersonal planet, and we could see an illumination of our collective dreams and fantasies (Neptune) aligned to a greater path or direction (North Node).

The New Moon on May 5 is in the Earth sign of Taurus, the sign of working with the earth, accumulating wealth, experiencing the pleasures of Gaia. This is the time of fertility and of beginning new projects that will enhance our wealth or our pleasure and give us greater stability and security. This New Moon incorporates within it the Grand Trine of Venus, Saturn and Pluto, and is a wonderful time for weddings or commitment rituals. It's a good time to conceive a child or to start a garden. Chiron forms a wide square to the New Moon (Sun/Moon conjunction) which suggests a necessity to repair a past difficulty in order to utilize the energy of the New Moon to move firmly into the future.

Jupiter and Chiron are also powerful now as they slow down in preparation for their retrograde turn (Jupiter on May 9 and Chiron on May 25. By the end of the month we will have four traditional planets and Chiron as well all traveling retrograde (appearing to move backwards from our perspective on earth). We experience retrograde planets more deeply internally than when they are traveling in direct motion, and as a result the world in which we live can seem more difficult to navigate during those times. There is more of a focus on the inner life and our inner process during these times, and this is particularly true of Jupiter retrograde. Jupiter rules our confidence and sense that life has meaning, and when it is retrograde Jupiter demands that we find that meaning deep within ourselves rather than in the outside world.

Venus is active in the middle of the month, with a square to Chiron on May 17th, a sextile to Uranus and trine to Jupiter on the 18th, and a square to Neptune on the 20th. Venus usually works on us through our interpersonal relationships but can also have an effect on our internal values and possessions. In any event, we are likely to encounter new and unusual (Uranus) kinds of people that are helpful to us and help to expand our world (Jupiter). But we may be prone to idealize these situations (Neptune) in a way that forces us to revisit old wounds of the past (Chiron).

The Full Moon on the 19th is likely to be an intense one! Not only is it the second Scorpio Full Moon in a series, but it is at the last degree of Scorpio. The 29th degree is sometimes called the "anaretic" degree, or the "karmic" degree, because it is like the final exam. By the 29th degree we are by necessity learning any lessons of that sign that we have not yet assimilated before we can move into the next sign.

All of this is part of a major Yod to the South Node that occurs on the 21st and incorporates a conjunction of Chiron to the North Node. A Yod, or "Finger of Fate" aspect, is an event of great significance of which the Apex planet (in this case, the South Node) is the key. (I don't use the Nodes of the Moon for these aspects in an individual's chart, but they are useful to consider by transit.) The importance of the South Node shows that there will be an illumination of an episode from the past (South Node) that is brought into the current time period so that patterns of behavior can be alchemized into new modes of behavior and thinking that are more useful to us.

On the 23rd we'll be able to assimilate all of the information downloaded during the previous week of intensity when Mercury forms a trine to Chiron and facilitates the healing process and the deepening into wisdom of any challenges that we faced during the cathartic Scorpio Full Moon. Because Mercury and Chiron are both moving very slowly now this trine will be in effect for at least a week between the 21st and the end of the month.

The entry of Venus into Gemini on May 24 takes our relationships out of the Scorpionic intensity and brings a need for more variety, more communication, more of a light approach to our interactions. This will come in handy because on the 25th Chiron turns retrograde, followed by Mercury and Neptune on the 26th and the focus becomes more internalized and the ability to communicate with others during this process will be a valuable one. This is particularly true around the 26th when Venus squares Saturn and we are more prone to isolation and misunderstandings in our personal dealings.

Don't forget that when Mercury is retrograde (from the 26th until June 20th) communication can be more difficult and contracts and other negotiations are often fraught with complications. If you can avoid entering into business arrangements during this period it's helpful, but if you can't just do everything you can to be sure all points of negotiation are clear and in writing, and prepare yourself for surprises.

There's a lot going on in May, and it's mostly internalized. We'll be going inwards and learning a lot about ourselves and the way we fit into our world which can be a valuable experience!