Wow! Wasn’t April INTENSE? I don’t know about you but Mars in Capricorn had my nose to the grindstone all month, especially as it happened in the area that rules my career. I’ve been like Capricorn’s mountain goat, head down and legs pumping steadily to get to the top. I’m not quite there yet but I’m aiming and focused… and grateful Saturn is there to give the steadiness and persistence I needed to avoid burn out, not to mention Pluto’s power to sustain. 5th – 6th May offers a chance to revisit what has been worked on, and align it throughout ourselves, from conscious to unconscious. Saturn usually gives what is deserved, so think about the payback you are hoping for and where you want to see success.
Now onto May, and two major themes are coming up: Flow and Change. When hiking in the desert once, I was amazed at the way the water shaped and controlled the landscape, even in a place that it rarely flowed. The change this month is like that, water and flow can offer great shifts and move huge obstacles, but the ease with which that happens all depends on you.
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu
Do I need to say anymore? If you only read to here, this beautifully simple quote will guide you perfectly this month. But let’s get more specific…
This month starts right after a particularly intense full moon in Scorpio and even the first few days may find deep emotions bubbling to the surface despite your protestations. Let it flow, it’s better out than in, see it as purification to enable you to be sensitive to new and let fresh energy in.
Into the second week, the theme of flow continues, with a sweet link between optimistic Jupiter and compassionate Neptune. Both planets are moist in nature and currently placed in water signs. We cannot fight a river, better instead to choose to flow with it and using our paddle (values and convictions) to stay afloat and consciously control our course. Boundaries are loose now, so take care not to fall into fantasy or build on illusions. It’s a perfect time instead to build castles in the sky and wait until later to make them solid. You may wish to retreat to allow yourself to reflect, dream, contemplate. Or be only with trusted intimates where you can be vulnerable. This energy will be felt most strongly around the 9th and 10th, and the Universe also gifts a steadying, calming influence at the same time as a healing balm for triggered emotions.
Both these planets are spiritual in nature and linked to the higher realms. Try to allow room in your life for grace to enter, and greater connection all month with be a reward. Gratitude, higher faith and depth of devotion all come to mind. Jupiter’s tracks through Scorpio since last October brought the seedy underbelly of society to the surface, with the associated pain and trauma (the global #metoo and USA #neveragain movements to name just a few). Neptune in Pisces has great compassion and healing, so hopefully, the links between these two herald a flow of peace, justice and forgiveness so we can all move onto a better future together?
I would also say that with all this water there is a chance to lose sight of yourself, to “drown” in the energies. Work on staying intact and building up a solid inner core will help with this. Check in on your boundaries, get clear on you are responsible for and what you aren’t, as cleaning up for others can leave you exhausted.
This river of change then picks up the intensity and becomes chaotic whitewater, with change-maker Uranus moving into grounded Taurus after 7 years in fiery Aries. I know people are already feeling this, particularly those with strong Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius charts. Uranus breaks apart, brings chaos, and offers shocks and surprises. In Aries it was a raging bushfire, burning all in its wake but in the earthiest of the earth signs, Taurus, it will be felt more like a rumbling earthquake. The ground will shake and shift, and things that are poorly built or maintained will topple. However anything solid and well-built will remain, though you may find your core foundations (values and principles) need some examining, adjustment or repair.
Uranus is also about breaking the bonds of the past to allow for freedom, authenticity and inventiveness. Listening to George Michael’s “Freedom 90!” recently I was caught by how Uranus in Taurus it is, how false appearances will get you so far but authenticity is the only way forward to true freedom and happiness. With intended irony, he used the supermodels of the times for the music clip instead of himself so he could leave behind his own sex symbol status of WHAM! days to reveal his serious songwriter abilities behind his WHAM! Days. He also was free of his binding contract with Sony not long after. All of this happened, of course, under a Uranus transit to his sun. This is the sense I’m getting of it all, that we need to break apart the appearance of things to get to the authentic inner core of ourselves.
On the 13 May, there is as a farewell taste of what Uranus’ last 7 years in Aries have been about, so some last triggers of this energy may show up. Then on the 15 May its ALL about Taurus, with Mercury moving in, followed by the New Moon there, and then Uranus shifting in for the first time in 84 years. He sure is coming in with fireworks announcing his arrival as Mars marches into play too. Both planets like to break things down and pull them apart, so it will be like a fire in a fireworks factory; hot, dusty and noisy as hell. You could give it positive expression in a number of ways, along the lines of:
- demolishing things that block your individuality
- asserting yourself to create freedom
- cutting out old patterns that stop you from being authentic
- fighting a rebellion WITH a cause
- putting energy into inventive and creative projects
- find new and dynamic ways to grow your higher mind and mentality
Knowing your chart will help here, as the house Uranus moves through will be the area of your life these can happen in. I will write more about this specific energy closer to the time, as it deserves a post (or many) of it’s own. And if you would like to some deeper insight into how this transit will affect you personally, you can book a consult with me to use this energy potential consciously.
Other notable dates this month
On 5th May Venus goes Out of Bounds (OOB), which brings an unusual and lawless manifestation of her loving and charming nature and heralds the individual Uranus into Taurus vibe. Venus rules Taurus, and the fact that she will be in her rebellious mode right as the king of rule breakers himself, Uranus, moves into her sign of Taurus, says even more about the unexpected and unstable energy of these times.
From the 5th to 20th she’s in Gemini at first, and acting like a girl at a hen’s party, drinking, dancing on the tables and kissing strippers, just don’t get too close in case she pukes on you. Or it can be making a crazy declaration of love in unusual places. Or rebellious acts in close relationships. Then from 20th, she travels into Cancer, a watery sign that suits her more. She will still be unpredictable here, but like a Mum’s night out where she lets her hair down but with restraint as she knows children and hangovers don’t mix! On a more serious note, in Cancer it could be going crazy renovating your home, making wild changes with your family structures or cooking exotic meals or unusual food combinations. Whatever you choose to do, have fun breaking the rules, as she will move back into her normal realms on 8 June.
And even more change on 17th as Mars moves out of steady Capricorn and into unconventional Aquarius. Yes, we can all take a sigh of relief as he has stopped energising the heavy, restrictive Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn energy. Mars in Aquarius is all about fighting for freedom, visionary energy, unconventional desires, passion for originality, courageous individuality, and fast and unexpected cuts to remove what is in the way.