Astrological update for the week of May 16-23, 2022

How did everyone fare during the eclipse Sunday night? I was knocked so off kilter (the eclipse squared my natal Pluto which and a bunch of progressed planets) that I forgot what day it was yesterday! So this forecast is late, but hopefully better late than never as they say.

This week is a bit quieter astrologically, although Mars, planet of action teams up with Neptune, planet of transcendence, in the sign of Pisces (culminating around 2:30 am on Wednesday). At its best this planetary combination can release a torrent of creative energies and unbridled compassion; at its worst, it can bring confusion and the kind of passive aggression that Mars in Pisces is known for. Mars needs to express itself forcefully, and in Pisces that force is watered down and sometimes disappears, so the aggression of Mars can be quite leaky and come out in unexpected places.

The Moon will have moved from Scorpio after the eclipse into Sagittarius which can be a  mixed blessing: Sagittarius is certainly hopeful and optimistic, but if the wrong thing is expanded under the Sagittarius influence it can cause problems. Tread carefully in the evening of the 17th (Tuesday) when the Sagittarius Moon will face off against Mars and Neptune.

On the heels of a powerful eclipse this can be somewhat destabilizing so in the early part of the week we may want to try to avoid open conflict where possible and wait for the fog to clear. It shouldn’t take long for that to happen since the Moon enters Capricorn on the 18th around 8 am which helps to ground and stabilize. Then a harmonious trine from the Sun to powerful Pluto on the 19th will burn through the clouds and help to clear up any confusion. Mercury (mind) harmonizes with Jupiter (optimism) the same day which helps to enhance understanding and generally positive thinking for an extra boost of clarity.

The Moon enters Aquarius on Friday the 20th at 8:52 am EDT, and then the Sun enters Gemini at 9:22 pm on the same day. This shift into the airy element, especially with Mercury retrograde, brings new energy into the mental realm and makes any kind of communication easier and more facile, especially since the Sun conjoins Mercury on Saturday the 21st at 3:17 pm. This marks the midpoint of the retrograde cycle and because both Sun and Mercury are at zero degrees of Gemini, the very first degree, that Gemini influence is a powerful one. Curiosity, changeability, adaptation – all of these aspects are highlighted now. This is a wonderful time for writers and communicators of all kinds.

The Moon will leave Aquarius for dreamy Pisces on Sunday May 22nd, bringing back some of clouds of illusion that we saw earlier in the week because it will form a challenging square to the Sun and Mercury. But this lasts for only a few hours late morning that day EDT, and a lovely harmonious sextile from Mars to transformative Pluto builds throughout the day to culminate around 6:15 pm EDT.  In addition, Mercury retrogrades back into Taurus to facilitate completion of anything left undone.

If there is something you’ve been trying to accomplish which has been a challenge because of retrograde do-overs or Mars/Neptune confusion, Sunday might be the perfect day to make it happen, especially the Sun and Jupiter are moving into a beautifully harmonious alignment for good fortune which culminates on Monday May 23rd.

That takes us nicely to the end of the week!  I hope you have a good one. ❤️

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