Numerologically, May is a 11/2 universal month [5 (May) + 6 (2022) = 11 = 1+1=2] in 6 universal year. Eleven is considered one of the master numbers – the repeating ones are a signal of heightened probability – something new and quite out of the ordinary. The number 2 brings things together. You need two to make three and all of the numbers beyond that. There are increased possibilities in an 11-month – insert a This is Spinal Tap references here. This is further indicated for two reasons, one is that the planet of chance and unexpected change, Uranus is sitting in the sign of Taurus, and the other is that we are in the middle of an eclipse season which always has a feeling of divine intervention to it. Doors with open. Others will close. Bring a towel if you’re going to get emotional about it.
Uranus has been in Taurus since May 15, 2018, and will remain in the sign through August 27, 2026. This is an uncomfortable transit that we’ll all be experiencing for the long term but it does, as a general rule, prime the ground for…I don’t want to say disaster. But when we think of the fixed earth sign of Taurus it’s not even off-brand to compare their sudden and legendary anger to that of a natural disaster. Tensions will heighten on our planet the deeper Uranus digs into this fixed earth sign. The eclipses are just a spark, but a spark might also be all that is needed.
This is one of those points where I think that it’s important to remind my imagined readers that understanding the astrological weather should make you feel prepared, not paranoid. When we know better, we can do better.
May is definitely a month to watch out for. It doesn’t have to go badly – for you or for anybody else. But it’s going to be a bumpy ride on the winding road and you might want to keep two hands on the wheel or abandon your normal vehicle altogether. May is going to be a month to only wager with what you can afford to lose. May is going to be a month worth wagering if you have something to lose. May is going to be a month where it’s very important to put on your gas mask and make sure it’s secure before you try to help others.
The Setup
We begin the month with the Sun and Uranus in Taurus, Mercury in Gemini, Venus Mars Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces, Saturn in Aquarius, and Pluto in Capricorn. By the end of the month, the Sun will have moved on into gemini, Mercury will have retrograded backward into Taurus, Venus will be in Taurus, and Mars and Jupiter will have moved into Aries. A lot of going down and shifting at the moment, best get your very best balancing hooves on.
The Nitty Gritty
May begins with a bang one day early when we experience an intense partial solar eclipse at 10° Taurus that will be closely conjunct to the aforementioned Uranus in Taurus. All cards are going to be on the table this weekend and it’s anybody’s game, so you’d better bring your A-Game if you want to play. This is our first solar eclipse in this Taurus-Scorpio nodal cycle so it is likely to set the tone for the next couple of years of solar eclipses. This solar eclipse conjuncts our North Node which makes this extra future facing – this is the best day of the year to set long-term goals so long as you are willing to leave a bit of it up to “fate”. Nothing happens on a straight path where the lunar nodes are involved but that is s part of the magic.
On the first of May, Venus sextiles retrograde Pluto in Capricorn, and on the 2nd she enters the cardinal fire sign of Aries and we might assume that she might finally, after a hard start to the year, get her mojo back. Aries isn’t always considered the sweetest placement for Venus, but she needs a heavy dose of confidence after that long march in time with a very cranky Mars. She stars in May but it may be a bit soon to spend too much time enjoying the limelight. If Venus in Aries can be a bit of a starlet, we can see through her month beginning and end with aspects wiith Pluto that sometimes, fame leads to scandal.
The is an undertone of shining too bright throughout the month as both Venus in her role as the Morning Star and the Sun flare dramatically about. The Sun conjuncts Uranus on 5/5, a day which has Caution Lights written all over it. Anything could happen though which means good things or bad things. It’s a good day for a solid dose of chance – whatever that means for you.
With it comes the lesson that echoes throughout all of this month’s energy: take the chance if you want to or need to, but duck and role instead of being flattened. The choice is always up to you. When the Tower card shows up, don’t scream “Not by the hair on my chinny, chin chin.” – let the houses of straw fall where they may.
That said: Be very fucking aware of this month if you know that your house is made of straw. That’s a very specific warning but if you know, you know.
There’s some problematic energy so it would be best if you could avoid getting involved in a problem. Mars in Pisces is sitting in a supportive sextile to the Sun and Uranus at the beginning of the month which is likely to make people quick on the trigger. Mars in Pisces is pretty passive-aggressive though so expect some backpass half insults before there’s outright conflict. Don’t discount the temper of the bull, though, don’t just go around waving red flags for no reason. Somebody’s likely to take the bait.
Things may get even more confusing after Mercury retrogrades at 04° Gemini on 5/10. Mercury in Gemini always moves in both directions anyway so I think we’ll notice the retrograde less than average, at least until Mercury retrogrades backward into Taurus on 5/22 but it will still fuzz all of the connections a bit. Expect misunderstandings and some communication snafus. Keep an eye on your tech, check your battery, and proofread thrice before hitting “Send” if grammar matters. Mercury retrograde is a great time to travel if you do not care where you are going or if you will arrive at a particular destination on time, or maybe ever.
Mercury will pass between 26° Taurus and 04° Gemini three times in total: first in the pre-shadow phase, again while Mercury is retrograde (in reverse), and a third time when they move forward again in their post-shadow phase. Pay attention to what is coming up right now as you may have to revisit it at a later date.
The Sun will conjunct our North Node on 5/13. This has a pretty similar energy to our Sun-Uranus conjunction on 5/5 but with less negative impact so long as you are walking your proper path. The North Node is our guiding star; it represents, on a fundamental level, something that we were put here on this planet on the day that we were born to strive towards. Though eclipses are intense, emotional, and often disruptive, they still often right us on our paths.
This is not happening at this time by accident. The next day on 5/15, the Sun squares off with Saturn in Aquarius and we find our egoic version of our journey tested in some fundamental way, and then we are hit with the third blow as we experience a full lunar eclipse at 25° Scorpio on 5/16. The Scorpio full moon is among the strongest we experience and this eclipse will be visible to American residents – this is a night to stay up and stargaze at the blood moon. Spend some time with water if you can. You may be forced to make some choices during that weekend or you may find that your Other’s made some choices that affect you. Things may be completely out of your hands.
Eclipse energies are too unpredictable to properly forecast – they relate a lot to you, your natal chart, your placement of the lunar nodes, and how it relates to your chart, and if you are in alignment with you you really are not. (That’s hard to determine, of course, but I do think most people are intuitively aware when they have stepped off of their path) You can examine these things by sign, house, and aspect to learn more.
Just don’t make any rash decisions. Mars is conjunct Neptune so the way forward may be really hard to see and Mercury is not doing us any favors. They may take on the role of the Wanderer while they walk the low road but that doesn’t mean that they are carrying a lamp. Be your own Hermit. Find your own path. Be true to yourself first.
When the Sun enters Gemini on 5/20, he runs face first into Mercury who is inching back toward Taurus. The two meet on 5/21 so there might, for a brief moment, be light but it will dim even further when Mercury enters Taurus the next day of 5/22.
Great weather for divination, pathfinder, or journeying of any kind. Not so great weather for getting things done, or knowing what day of the week it is, or all of those other mundane little things that we tend to rely on our rational brains (or better yet, computers!) to keep track of for us. There is no time.
Mars enters Aries on 5/24 which will be somewhat of a relief because, by then, we might be itching for any hint of direction. Still, the lack of impulse control of Mars in Aries plus a somewhat blinded to reality retrograded Mercury isn’t the best combo, so I think that we should wait until Venus moves OUT of Aries into peace-loving Taurus on 5/28 before we make any rash decisions. Venus and Mars were not nice bedfellows on their conjunct journey throughout this year (they made war, thanks guys) and I’d rather that they were in separate signs for a while.
The last couple of days of the month are our sweet spot. We’ll have exited eclipse season after our lunar eclipse in Scorpio and as Gemini season arrives, some of the lessons of the lunar nodes will be fading away. With Mars in Aries and Venus in Taurus, we can relax and maybe just get things done now, eh? Work hard to fix what we have to and play hard with our rewards? Mars will conjunct Jupiter as well which is a lucky day indeed. The Gemini new moon on 5/30 will likely be much lighter and airy and a welcome reprieve at month’s end to let us breathe.
The Details
4/30: Solar eclipse 10° Taurus
5/1: Venus in Pisces sextile retrograded Pluto in Capricorn (28°)
5/2: Venus enters Aries
5/3: Jupiter in Pisces sextile retrograde Pluto in Capricorn (28°)
5/4: Mars in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus (14°), Jupiter enters its shadow (28° Pisces)
5/5: Sun conjunct Uranus (14° Taurus)
5/6: Mercury in Gemini sextile Venus in Aries (4°)
5/7: Sun in Taurus sextile Mars in Pisces (16°), Uranus enters its shadow (14° Taurus)
5/10: Mercury retrogrades 04° Gemini, Jupiter enters Aries
5/13: Sun conjunct North Node 22° Taurus
5/14: Mars in Pisces sextile North Node in Taurus (22°)
5/15: Sun in Taurus square Saturn in Aquarius (24°), Sun in Taurus sextile Neptune in Pisces (24°), Venus conjunct Chiron (14° Aries)
5/16: Total eclipsed full moon 25° Scorpio
5/18: Mars conjunct Neptune (24° Pisces)
5/19: Retrograde Mercury in Gemini sextile Jupiter in Aries (01°)
5/20: Sun enters Gemini
5/21: Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury (00° Gemini)
5/22: Retrograde Mercury enters Taurus, Mars in Pisces sextile retrograde Pluto in Capricorn (28°)
5/23: Mercury in Taurus sextile Mars in Pisces (29°)
5/24: Venus in Aries sextile Saturn in Aquarius (25°), Mars enters Aries
5/25: Retrograde Mercury trine retrograde Pluto (28°)
5/27: Venus in Aries square retrograde Pluto (28°)
5/28: Venus enters Taurus
5/29: Mars conjunct Jupiter (02° Aries)
5/30: New moon 09° Gemini