As the editor of the Arizona Society of Astrologers newsletter, I compose an overview of each month. Today we take a look at the primary factors for the month.

This year the month of May features three planets going stationary retrograde and Mars transiting the Mercury stationary direct degree of transfiguration, indicating we’re all “graduating into a new realm of Being,” which I noted last month is obviously happening with the global pandemic, and also that we should see major developments in the transfiguration process in some way by early May when Mars transits the end of Aquarius.

All of the retrograde stations represent a threshold point, after which we get to backtrack and retrace the Venusian, Jupiterian, and Saturnine themes set into motion during the times those planets made their first pass over the degrees in their respective shadow zones, or the span of degrees a planet goes retrograde. These spans are traversed three times; the first when the planet is direct, before going retrograde; the second when the planet is retrograde, giving a different perspective on that span of experience. The third is when the planet is again direct, when we should be familiar with whatever we have to learn from that span.

Major global events often correspond with the outer planets going stationary direct or retrograde. As these stations fall during Mercury’s ingress into Gemini and Mars’ ingress into Pisces, expect even more dramatic changes than usual which will produce four gigantic effects!

First, the houses where Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus are going retrograde will be an area of focus. Second, planets and houses in our charts involving Taurus, Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces are all going into review mode. Third, planets and houses in our charts involving Gemini and Virgo will shift at that time from the gentle fixed Earth of Taurus to a more natural Gemini Air expression. Fourth, planets and houses in our charts involving Aries and Scorpio will shift at that time from the friendly Air of Aquarius to the deep, mystical, cloaked Water sign of Pisces.

While the first three weeks of May show the Sun and Mercury trine Jupiter and Pluto, creating favorable grounding energies wherever we have late Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn in our charts, we also have a lot of friction! Mercury squares Mars on May 10/11, and by the end of May we see Mercury square Neptune and quincunx Pluto and Jupiter, bringing confusion and a lot of adjustments and sacrifices.

Along with these, we also have Mars semisquare both Pluto and Jupiter, followed by the very intense and scattered squares of the Sun-Venus “inferior conjunction” in Gemini square to Mars in Pisces. So in late May and early June we have the Sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto all in octile-series aspects to each other. This will generate enormous friction for those with planets and points in the second decan of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, as well as around 24-28 Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

Because of where the friction occurs, stay focused on details, learn to relax with a sense of humor and a clear vision of what’s true and what’s not. There will be “crisscross” energies dominating late May and early June, so be flexible, don’t be attached to perceptions, and generate happiness, especially when others are having a hard time.

Once Mercury enters its home sign of Gemini, it begins to share center state with Saturn, who is the final dispositor for all other planets before then. At that point, Mercury will rule the Sun, Venus, and Uranus and Saturn will rule the rest until Mercury enters Cancer at the end of the month.

Saturn is still the Master of center stage, both in Capricorn and Aquarius, and this month it begins to “galvanize us to action” through a “cosmic visitation” which can “liberate us from adverse conditions through spectacular developments.” We’re now moving through a time of transition and intensifying friction which will last through January 2022. The trines this month will help us understand and stabilize the emerging process, while the squares require our attention to details, a sense of organized service toward a better future, and a sense of humor and irony.

While we aren’t having in house programs because of the quarantine, we have plans to create a significant video library on astrological topics, and are launching the first video offerings on May 18th. I’m about to do a prototype presentation via Zoom for the Tucson Astrological Guild, and plan to do other video programs in the future. If you’re interested to be on the newsletter mailing list to know about coming programs, please email me via the link on the top left of the site.

Since I also include this in the newsletter, I’ll offer it to you here:

PLANETARY MOTIONS IN MAY 2020

SUN – 12 Taurus through 11 Gemini
MERCURY – 7 Taurus through 4 Cancer
VENUS –20-22 Gemini then back to 16 Gemini
MARS –22 Aquarius through 13 Pisces
JUPITER –27-28 Capricorn then back to 27 Capricorn
SATURN –2 Aquarius (all month) 
URANUS –7-9 Taurus
NEPTUNE –21 Pisces (all month)
PLUTO – 25 Capricorn (all month) 
TRUE NORTH NODE – 1 Cancer to 30 Gemini

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SIGNIFICANT ASTROLOGICAL OCCURRENCES IN MAY 2020

NORTH NODE ENTERS GEMINI – May 5
FULL MOON/WESAK FESTIVAL; May 7; Sun 18 Taurus, Moon 18 Scorpio
SATURN STATIONARY RETROGRADE – May 10 at 2 Aquarius
MERCURY ENTERS GEMINI – May 11
MARS ENTERS PISCES – May 12
VENUS STATIONARY RETROGRADE – May 12 at 22 Gemini
JUPITER STATIONARY RETROGRADE – May 14 at 28 Capricorn
SUN ENTERS GEMINI – May 20
NEW MOON – May 22; Sun and Moon at 3 Gemini
MERCURY ENTERS CANCER – May 28