5/2 ~ Mercury (ideas, thoughts & concepts) ~trine~ Pluto (rebirth & transformation):

This activation makes any deep delving within easier and more fruitful. It encourages you to ask the deeper questions, clarify your deeper feelings and trust your intuitive, gut-hunches that are telling you something has to die so that some other aspect of your consciousness can live. You will want to explore your inner Self, sort through recently gathered information and try to understand better what your natural process really is. It is best to be alone for such research.

Take a day or a weekend and grab your most powerful books & music and get somewhere beautiful if you can, and if not, then your bedroom will do just fine – then dig deep! You are finally ready for the deeper truth, and you will be transformed by what you learn. If you must communicate with others, plan on that being deep as well, so best to talk to a trusted advisor or wise elder. Nothing superficial today. The only warning with this energy is not to become obsessive about one particular idea – and certainly don’t try to force any ideas on others. If you feel the deep need to focus on one particular thing, that is fine but try to keep some perspective or write down all your revelations so that you can reflect on them at a later time when you can be more objective and prioritize better.

5/2 ~ Venus (essence & natural beauty) ~sextile~ Neptune (consciousness & vision):

This energy connects your true values & priorities to the planet of dreams, mysticism & other dimensions (Neptune). You have an opportunity to gain some real traction on making your vision tangible just by connecting to the essence that you want to experience. Feel the feeling and that will lead to the physical manifestation. This energy helps you believe in what is possible and supports any artistic expression or active practice, such as vision boards, affirmations etc, anything that can help you hone the actual vision. Steps & strategies are for other planets, Venus only cares about the essence of Nature, Love & Beauty and Neptune is definitely not who you’d work with for ‘steps/strategies’ ; -) So, tune-in to the natural beauty around you and suspend any usual inner dialogue for a day or two (as soon as you can) so that you can connect to some inspiration that is guided by your own Heart & Soul (from the inside-out).

5/3 ~ Mercury (expression) ~square~ Jupiter (truth):

This energy challenges you to integrate your smaller, individual point of view with the larger vision for your life. On one hand, you can see the big picture in new ways, but on the other hand, you may not be very interested in the details that bring it about. This is another good one for expanding your consciousness and thinking outside the box, but as the insights come into your conscious awareness, be mindful of the steps that it will take to make your ideas a reality. This activation is also great for course-corrections where your ideas are concerned and will open you up to learning something new or it may bring in a crucial piece of information, just keep in mind that you will have to stabilize anything you start and probably have to review some details down the road because of something you overlooked in your enthusiasm for the new Truth being revealed from within.

5/3 ~ Sun (essential Self) ~square~ Saturn (responsibility):

With this energy, it is best to understand that you will have two distinct pulls within – obligation to others versus responsibility to Self. It’s not nearly as bad as it feels, however, it does bring up something we all work really hard to balance to some degree or another – SELF & OTHERS. How much do you owe your Self and how much are you obligated to others? Balance and reciprocity come to mind as guides. One of the challenges of this influence is making negative assumptions that there is no support for you when in truth, you haven’t asked for any and *help must be invited*. Saturn brings up our relationship to Time, and some people may feel restricted, as if life/other/outer is all too demanding and there’s never any time just for the individual. This activation is a push to grow. It’s time to hold your own structure in some way and reclaim your Inner Authority (also Saturn’s domain) to direct your life. Others may find their lives falling apart because they have avoided responsibility for so long and now there’s no more “wiggle room”. Rather than have a meltdown, take a nap and resolve to wake up with a plan, a strategy for taking the next step, even if that means simply asking for help or guidance from someone older and wiser. It’s time to deepen your dedication and commit to your Self in a whole new way. Recognize any current limitations and work with the resources at hand for now. The Sun usually illuminates the core essential nature or Self, so see where you may be stuck and need to break out of a rut of some sort and trust that taking charge and making a decision and choosing a direction is *inviting help* from the Universe to support your new direction.

5/3 ~ Mercury Enters GEMINI (Until July 11th):

Mercury is entering its home sign, doubling its normal influence out the gate, but it is also where it is going to Retrograde so let’s prepare for some personal processing over the next 2-months. On any day, Mercury activates our mental processes, mental capacity, mental speed and all of our ideas, thoughts, concepts & perceptions. When in Gemini, it increases the likelihood that you are going to need some extra grounding and extra time to individually process whatever is “UP” for you at this time. Normally, this would be the time to look at your current ideas and options and more/less weigh them out and it would only be for the usual 3-weeks but now, because of the Retrograde, you are processing and reviewing bigger concepts in your life. You have to review how your thoughts manifest your reality, how/when/why you get stuck in any negative mind-loops and where what you believe influences what you think is even possible. This is a major upgrade to our intelligence, thinking & ways of processing all that Life throws at us.

Mercury Retrograde happens 3-4 times per year, so we get multiple opportunities to process our lives and do a personal *data dump* of all the non-essential bits of information that we pick up along the course of our daily lives. That means we also get 3-4 times per year to take a time-out from INPUT!! PAUSE – go inward – review the last 3-months at a minimum and the last 5-years at a maximum because that was the last time that we had a year of ALL Air Signs that Mercury lingers in. So this year, we are processing more information than a normal year and at the same time, we have more options & opportunities to sort through as well so a pull-back is not a bad idea. This time, as most of you know, can be weird in that communication breakdowns are that much more likely to occur – like misunderstandings between people, computer, car or mechanical breakdowns. But again, that is the Universe’s way of telling us to slow down and check on things – do some personal maintenance. It’s time to do a mental cleansing, cleaning & clearing so that whatever choices you make going forward are for your Highest Good. This is a time to turn inward to listen for your Soul’s guidance, to commune with your Angels, Ancestors & Animal Spirit Guides because the veils are thinner and it will be easier to hear them. Try to keep a light, flexible schedule and take any down-time that you can to process & integrate your own life so that you can organize your own ideas and take advantage of the options & opportunities presenting themselves NOW.

This *Sacred Season* is About …
Development/Sweet Spot between *Seed & New Life*
Fertility
Conception
Community
Sacred Union
Gifts & Abundance
Celebration of Sexuality
Freedom & Responsibility
New Bonds & Attachments
Ripening, Blossoming & Fruition

This Cross Quarter is an infinitely potent time ‘in between’ ~ a place, also referred to as the “Sweet Spot” – that very thin membrane between Seed and New Life … between Spring Equinox (seed) and Summer Solstice (new life). It reminds us of the beauty & sustenance Mother Earth has always provided, not just for humans, but for all life on this planet. It is time to tune in, harmonize and synchronize your rhythm with Nature’s rhythm. Just like we invite the Invisible Assistance and Ancestors during Samhain/Scorpio Gate of Power (Nov) which honors Death (in the Life/Death/Life Cycle), we can now (May) invite the Elementals, Nature Spirits, Devas and the Plant Kingdom into conscious collaboration. It’s a great time to honor their teachings and sacrifices made to assist, feed & support life on this Planet in ways humans may not always be capable of. This is an initiation and marks the beginning of Summer, life is bursting forth, initial work is done and this is a time to celebrate fertility, abundance and our relationship to Mother. It is a time to celebrate all that you have created and contributed to, while mindfully preserving *Life* along the way. Ritual, dance, drumming, toning and/or chanting are always used in celebrations of Earth and Her bounty, as is wearing or surrounding your Self with Green, the color of Life, Love and the Heart Chakra.

5/6 ~ Venus (values, relationships & resources) ~trine~ Pluto (purification & transformation):  

Anytime Pluto’s involved the intensity levels go up and you are able to hear, feel or sense your SoulSelf more clearly than usual. Venus brings up that which is most important to you personally, your individual values & priorities, especially where your relationships & resources are concerned. This is an easy angle, making purification & transformation smoother than usual too. So, what are you ready to change? How have your values & priorities changed completely in the last year or so? Use this activation to deepen your connection with those you love most and allow or encourage the relationship to evolve to a totally new level. If you’re working on your relationship with money or self-worth specifically, then this activation is a good time for prayer or ritual that supports positive change & your vision for the future. Pour any intense emotions or revelations into art of any medium or do a vision board, but give expression to the depths you recognize as coming to the surface of your conscious awareness. This energy tends to “intensify” relationships and/or emotions. You may feel extremely drawn to someone, emotionally as well as physically. You may feel the intense need to express your love, mentally, emotionally or physically. This energy is great for bringing deeper insights to the surface, which ultimately should strengthen any relationship. A new relationship started under this influence will usually have an intensity about it, as will any form of creative expression, artistic or otherwise.

5/8 ~ Venus (love, finances & relationships) ~square~ Jupiter (expansion & consciousness): 

This energy is a happy-go-lucky kind of energy that doesn’t really want to be bothered with the mundane, however, you must not allow that passing energy to get you so off track that it costs you more than it is worth. If you don’t have any pressing obligations, then this can be a fun, relaxing time, possibly with friends or out socializing in some way. However, if you have work to do, make sure it gets done first so that you can truly enjoy yourself without the worry of the pile being bigger when you return. Watch the excesses as well, food, drink and/or spending. On a deeper level, you may have to make some adjustments in your relationships or finances. Jupiter always reveals how we make things bigger’ (consciously or not) and this activation usually helps us be a little more realistic, so that we can align our true priorities with our grand vision of the future.

5/8 ~ Ceres Enters TAURUS (Until July 31st):

Ceres is the part of us that nurtures and it often describes how we like to be nurtured as well. It takes Ceres 4-5 years to make it through Aries-Pisces so that is the last time we had access to this energy and at that time, Uranus was not yet in Taurus, so that makes this very special. We can break out of any ruts that we may be in when it comes to self-care, exercise, nourishment, love-making – all the things that make being in a body delicious & miraculous. Uranus is cracking us open as a Collective so it may be a subtle affect, however, 5-years from now, it will be moving on so this may be our only shot at initiating new ways of nurturing and nourishing ourselves, each other and the planet. The next 3-months give you an opportunity to re-connect with what feeds you on the deepest levels – what makes you happy to be in a physical form. You can re-set how you do your creature comforts and how you define personal security. It’s an excellent time to beautify your surroundings, as well as your Self. It’s the best time to improve your diet and love yourself in a more literal way.

5/8 ~ Venus Enters GEMINI (until June 2nd):
This is special because this is the first time Venus has been back in Gemini since it Retrograded there Spring of last year (2020). It is our first opportunity to see how that evolution really shaped where & who we are now. This is where the “review” happened so it is where your life, your values & priorities were re-set for 8-years to come, if you think of the whole cycle. We recalibrated our ideas, thoughts & concepts and went deeper to cultivate some beauty & value so that we could come back now and share them with others. Over the last year, we have had our consciousness and our values utterly changed by the social/collective changes. Now is a good time to see what ideas are still worthy and what people are still standing (still in your life). I recommend you review the Venus in GEMINI Article HERE (10-pg/pdf) but here is what is immediately relevant to your next 3-4 weeks with Venus in Gemini.

Mercury Energy …

Mercury energy is about change, duality, choices, crossroads, and of course, transition. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which rules (among other things) transition. Transition originally meant “going across or crossing over” ~ sometimes it means changing from one state of form or being to another. What is powerful about this is not in the ‘being here or there’, but in being PRESENT wherever you are. If you are consciously participating in life, then this is a potent time for you. However, if you are overwhelmed and your systems are on overload, you may short-circuit, catalyzing the breakdown that so often precedes the breakthrough, which means that you may have to go down before you can come back up and function properly.

Special Venus Retrograde …

Every 113-130 years, Venus crosses in front of the Sun twice in an 8-year cycle and last time was 2004 & 2012. I had a special meditation circle in 2004 to celebrate and I actually got to witness it in 2012, on the Big Island, HI. Every time we have this special alignment, it is in Gemini or Sagittarius so it always coincides with an evolution of the collective values & social consciousness. It just so happens that then and now, we also had Gemini/Sag Eclipses permanently re-setting patterns in the social & collective realms, as well as on an individual level for those with Mutable Signs activated in their chart (Gemini/Sag/Virgo/Pisces).

Gemini Energy …

Gemini energy is all about how we think, process and express what we learn. It’s the department of life where communication and being able to express your Self is most important. This is the Area of Life you love to think about, talk about and explore the most. It’s about gathering, disseminating and processing the information you gather through your own 6-senses and individual life experience. How you learn and what you like to research is also a reflection of your consciousness.

Venus Energy …

Venus is all about what we love, cherish & value. It represents the essence of every good thing – all that we cultivate with our own time, energy & resources. It rules finances and relationships which is what everyone cares about the most in modern society. Not that they aren’t important, just that we all have our own values and what we feel is worth investing in or not so working with Venus, we always have to ask ourselves what we are spending our time, energy & resources on because that tells the Universe what our values & priorities really are and they evolve over time, every 18-months in personal ways and every 8-years in bigger ways.