May is a “1” month (2021 is a “5” year + May is month “5” = 5+5=10 = 1+0=1). The number 1 is represented by the sign of Aries and the planet of Mars – it is the number of the ego-self. I always like to say that “1 is only the loneliest number if you aren’t a number 1”. That phrase may never have more meaning than it does during this month.
In short, the astrology of May does not support your ego stories – the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars will all be out-of-bounds this month which means that the Sun (representative of the ego) does not have a good handle on what is going on around it.
A planet is considered out-of-bounds when its declination reaches more than 22° North or South which is a fancy way of saying that it goes above the Tropic of Cancer or below the Tropic of Capricorn in the night sky. This happens quite infrequently (there is about 1% of having four planets out-of-bounds in a single month and there are more months than not where NO planets are out-of-bounds). I know that likely didn’t make a lick of sense so I just want to emphasize that it is rare to have one out-of-bounds planet and we will have four.
What it means energetically is that the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars (notably all of the personal “planets” not including the Sun) will be outside the influence of the Sun’s ego-driven energy. All bets are off. Rules don’t exist anymore. Anything can happen. This energy is powerful and can be handled (with care) but YOU HAVE TO LET GO. If your ego is in control, you won’t even end up on the ride.
This is especially problematic because May is a “1” month and so we look to Mars energy but Mars is in its Fall in the sign of Cancer all month. This will lead people to be very touchy/emotional about their ego stories. Easily triggered is an understatement. This is the kind of energy where you read something random on the internet that doesn’t have anything to do with you but you personalize it so much that you are completely convinced that it IS about you. And you write a nasty comment or a strongly worded letter, or it ruins your day/week/month but all you had to do was stop and remember that the world doesn’t, never has, and never will, revolve around you. That’s the Sun journey, right? When astrology was created, humans still thought that the Sun revolved around the earth because that was how we perceived it. And there are many humans, even as full-fledged adults, who cannot admit that they are not the only important human in the universe. That energy will be heightened all month.
Challenges to your ego are hard – even when you know full well that it isn’t about you, you can still get caught up in it. This is a month to be very conscious of your triggers – do the work to figure out why something is triggering you rather than projecting onto an/other. Tempers are likely to be short so if you are out of line, you are likely to get called out by it. Since Uranus in Taurus is heavily in play and Saturn will be retrograding in Aquarius, a lot of your triggers may still be taking place online. Take a break if you need to.
Pay attention to the stories that you are telling yourself. With Jupiter entering Pisces only to almost immediately retrograde back into Aquarius, you may be overcompensating for something or lying to cover up a truth you don’t want to face. Mercury and Venus will spend most of the month in Gemini which is a sign that likes to spin some fine tales. The lies you tell might not be as harmless as you perceive them to be and other people don’t like being lied to. Even more so, people don’t like being lied about.
This is a recurring theme but stay in your own lane and keep it honest this month. We’ve entered eclipse season and our lunar nodes are still on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis which brings truthfulness to the forefront. Where in your life have you asked people to lie to you? Where have you been lying to other people? Who can you trust? One of these signs (Gemini and Sag) always tells the truth, and one of them always lies – can you tell the difference? Do THEY know the difference?
All of our personal planets (except Mars) are going to pass over the North node over the course of the month – this is our eclipse point. The North node represents the becoming – its forward momentum. When it is in Gemini, there are more possibilities open than you realize (echoed by our out-of-bounds planets in Gemini) but you need to be open to them. The old way of thinking will not get you there.
Anything is possible when you believe that anything is possible. There is no faking this.
Our total solar eclipse at the end of the month falls into the sign of the freedom fighter, Sagittarius. If you have ever watched a Sag-type fight to claw themselves out of a cage, you know what I mean. The planets are working really hard to dissolve the places where we are holding on too tight – Sagittarius is about endless expansion.
If you are sensitive to lunar energy or have a Gemini/Sag sun, moon, or ascendant or have a personal planet near 5° in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sag, Pisces), you will likely feel this energy all month. Look at what is coming up for you – eclipse points are highly energetic and this one is shaping up to be quite the “thing”. Where it activates is an area that needs some extra attention and, given that it’s a total eclipse in Sagittarius, likely some pruning. Let what no longer serves you fall away.
And lastly, keep your options open. Good things arrive during eclipse season but they rarely take the form that you expect them to.