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

The Overview for May

This year the month of May brings a lot of major aspects, planets shifting signs, with a primary focus on all things Pisces, Aries, and Taurus. This month brings a review courtesy of Mercury retrograde, along with endings activated by Mars in Pisces and new beginnings activated by Mars conjunct Jupiter in Aries.

The Partial Solar Eclipse will begin to shut down old energies in the house where we have 11 Taurus, and as it’s on a Sabian Symbol representing “the garden of life and mind,” this month we’ll see how we’ve been cooperating with Nature by the “harvest” we bring forth.

All eclipses are “cosmic recyclers,” and we have two at work this month. We have the Solar Eclipse which is short and weak and in play for just over 3 years, and we have the Lunar Eclipse which is long and strong and in play for 5 months and 10 days, with extreme intensity between mid-June and late September. The themes of the month are set by the New Moon, while the subsequent Full Moon brings those themes to fruition, indicating the latter part of the month requires clear visualization of our heart’s desire, along with efficiency and adaptability.

This month will put many people at crucial forks in the road of their destiny, with a need for compassion, forgiveness, and the willingness to “let go let god” to create the space to embrace the new beginnings shown by Jupiter’s entry into Aries and its conjunction with Mars just days later. This conjunction sets a new 2 year cycle into motion wherever we have early Aries in our chart.

This month is the final Bundle Jones pattern when the Moon transits from Capricorn to Taurus between April 30 and May 2 and between May 18 and 29, since the Sun and Mercury have both extended the span of occupied planets into early Gemini. While it’ll still be a crowded house wherever we have Pisces, Aries, and Taurus, by June we’ll be expanding into a Bowl pattern as all the planets will occupy the span from late Capricorn through early Cancer. You can find out more about the Bundle and Bowl patterns by going into the archives.

Saturn is now in the part of Aquarius where we learn to manage our feelings and our individual spirituality in playing our part in the greater Aquarian 20 year era now developing. This month Saturn crystallizes what Jupiter opened in April 2021 and fixed as a platform for future development when Jupiter was at 23-25 Aquarius between September and early December 2021. That implies the promise created then will crystallize in some way this month. All of this has prepared us for our tests in “picking up and delivering spiritual power” beginning in late May.

The two major conjunctions this month (Mars/Neptune, Mars/Jupiter) indicates old cycles ending and new cycles beginning where these fall in the chart. Mercury retrograde in early Gemini shows returns and reviews wherever we have early Gemini, so get your business affairs in order as soon as you can, since the first half of May Mercury will be “crashing into retrograde” with the usual delays and miscommunications. (As I’m giving my talk on my new book “Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames” on May 21 at the Inferior Conjunction, I hope it will help all to remember those friends and Soul Mates who have helped us become who we are today!)

When Mars is in late Pisces, it will trigger the recent Jupiter conjunct Neptune, bringing purification wherever we have 25 Pisces. We’ve all been navigating a heightened feeling awareness while Jupiter has conjuncted Neptune, and Mars will kick the energies into high gear, preparing us for the rocket ship blasting off with Mars conjunct Jupiter in Aries!

Because Saturn is in forward motion and now in its shadow zone, we’re in the beginning phase of this year’s “triple transit lessons.” We’re still seeing the manifestations of things we’ve never seen before and currently are moving our 2021 vision of making a greater contribution into a managed form of action and social expression. April began our practicum in a form of training which will be important for the next two years, given where the Mars conjunction with Saturn happened. It’s all about being willing to learn new skills, so accept the training, since it’ll lead to greater effective power by 2023.

Planets Slowing Down and Shifting Signs

As noted, this month shows some planets moving forward at brisk speeds while others are slowing to go retrograde this month and June. Mercury slows down during the first three weeks of May before the Inferior Conjunction, and then speeds up after that. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus continue to move forward at full speed, while Pluto slows to go retrograde in late May, Saturn slows to go retrograde in early June, and Neptune slows to go retrograde in late June.

This month all the visible planets change signs at least once except Saturn, and Venus changes signs twice! This month Mercury, ruler of Gemini and Virgo, will give us two sign experiences (Taurus and Gemini), and the Sun, ruler of Leo and Cancer, will give us two (Taurus and Gemini). Mars and Jupiter, rulers of Aries/Scorpio and Sagittarius/Pisces respectively, will also both give us two sign experiences (Pisces and Aries), and Venus, ruler of Taurus/Libra, will give us three (Pisces, Aries, and Taurus). This clearly indicates a lot of activity in the Pisces, Aries, and Taurus sectors of our charts!

Mars

Mars is in Pisces the first 24 days of the month, and Aries the last week of the month. While in Pisces, Mars is ruled by Jupiter transiting between 28 Pisces and 3 Aries, making Mars more compassionate and submerged the first 10 days of May, and more dynamically action-oriented after that. When Mars finally joins Jupiter in Aries, it’ll be back in its home sign and very powerful! So we have a Pisces/Pisces Mars quality the first 10 days, a Pisces/Aries quality the two weeks after, and an Aries/Aries quality the last week of the month.

From May 1-10, Mars is in the Cancer decan of Pisces, ruled by the Moon with an additional dose of Jupiter. From May 10-24, Mars is in the Scorpio decan of Pisces, ruled by Mars with an extra dose of Mars. The last week of the month Mars is in the Aries decan of Aries, ruled by Mars with an extra dose of Mars. So Mars’ expression will be completely different as the month develops!

Between May 1-10, Mars will prove agitating to those with planets between 10-20 degrees of Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius, and from May 10-24, will agitate planets or points we have between 20-30 Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius. The last week of the month it will have the same effect on planets between 1-5 Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

In May, Mars’ main aspects are a month-long sextile with the Sun, a quintile with Mercury the second week of the month and a sextile the third and fourth weeks of May. Mars makes a septile with Pluto and Uranus during those same weeks, and of course, it also makes the conjunctions with Neptune and Jupiter, in each case initiating long wave cycles.

Even though it doesn’t make many frictional aspects this month, as I’ve offered before, when Mars is within a degree of forming or separating while making a hard aspect with a planet, slow down and show deliberation and caution in how you use force. Hard aspects to/from Mars always require that we moderate or antidote impulsiveness and impatience.

Sign Focus

This month the sign focus is all over the map! We have a very strong Pisces energy the first 2 days of May, after which Venus enters Aries, followed by Jupiter leaving Pisces and entering Aries on May 10, with Mars also shifting out of Pisces into Aries on May 24. While the month begins with Sun in Taurus and Mercury in Gemini, they trade signs between May 20-23.

That means the first 10 days of May features Venus and Jupiter changing signs, and the last 9 days of the month shows the Sun, Mercury Venus, and Mars all changing signs (Venus enters Taurus at the end of the month). So this month begins with a heavy Pisces and Taurus energy, followed by increasing Aries energies through the end of the month.

The Aquarius-Taurus Tension This Year

We’ve finally gotten a break from the intense Saturn-Uranus squares. Last year we were all put through a lot of pressure wherever we had 11-17 Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, and though Uranus is still in that sector, Saturn has now moved past the square until August. Then it squares Uranus through early December, again challenging us to see what matters so we can let go of nonessentials.

Last year we had three squares from Saturn to Uranus; one from 8 Aquarius to 8 Taurus, another with Saturn retrograde at 14 Aquarius square Uranus at 14 Taurus, and a third with Saturn direct at 12 Aquarius and Uranus retrograde at 12 Taurus. These waning (upper) squares between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus mark the culmination of the cycle set into motion with Saturn conjunct Uranus in 1988. Interestingly, in 1999-2000 Saturn in Taurus made its waxing (lower) square to Uranus in Aquarius, so last year activated conflicts dating back 20 years.

We’re Actors On A New Stage With A New Set

The Grand Mutation of Jupiter conjunct Saturn at 1 Aquarius began a new 20 year Aquarian Era in December 2020, as well as a new 200 year Era, moving global energies out of Earth and into Air. We’ve begun to grow beyond the materialism of the past 200 years and have entered two centuries of Air emphasis, with its qualities of relatedness, receptivity, versatility, movability, lightness, and cooperative ideas, visions, and ideals.

The 2020 Solar eclipse on the Summer Solstice is still facilitating a grand reorientation in our lives, including an acceptance of new allegiances and life directions, and the December 2020 Solar eclipse at 24 Sagittarius is still helping us remove blocks to our happiness. The June 2021 Solar eclipse at 20 Gemini is already removing irrelevant and extraneous ideas and considerations from our decision making process, and the extremely beneficial Total Solar Eclipse at 13 Sagittarius in early December gave us a promise of major gifts and unique interactive opportunities which will be perfect for whatever we need. Rewards are coming these next 4 years!

We’re still "under the beams" of the Solar Eclipses we experienced in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and these “cosmic recyclers” continue to remove all that we no longer need in our lives. Take note of where you have 1 Cancer, 24 and 13 Sagittarius, and 20 Gemini, since 1 Cancer aligns us with a larger reality, 24 Sagittarius helps us find happiness, 13 Sagittarius gives us a new identity and love, and 20 Gemini removes what cannot be assimilated or communicated.

The mid-June Solar Eclipse at 20 Gemini continues to shut down parts of our lives in that sector for 4 years to come. All the eclipses in Gemini and Sagittarius are removing old ideas, old perspectives, old truths, and old futures. This month’s eclipses with Sun in Taurus will shut down old value systems in that sector, as well as the Scorpio sector after the coming Wesak Full Moon eclipse in mid-May. All in all, these are some very favorable eclipses wherever they fall in our charts!

As we study how successive Eclipses have affected various areas of our charts and lives, we can get a sense of the utility of these “Cosmic Recyclers” in removing what we no longer needed in those areas, creating a void which attracted new life experiences. They invite us to look back, and then forward, to see the continuity of “letting go, taking in, letting go, taking in” across the years.

The Grand Irrationality

In May, the 7-pointed “Star of Destiny" I’ve termed The Grand Irrationality is in play at the beginning of the month when the Sun biseptiles Pluto, conjuncts Uranus, and septiles Neptune. The second week of the month it’s triggered again when Mars makes a septile to Pluto, followed by a septile to Uranus as described in the Mars section above. It’s clearly going to be a time of more choices and changes as the world navigates a very irrational period!

All the septile-series 7th harmonic aspects trigger crucial choices and changes at “forks in the road of destiny.” I have written extensively about “The Grand Irrationality” which has been active for many years at this site and why all of humanity is forging its future destiny at this time. If you have a planet or point near any of the seven zones, your life is sure to be affected. In May these zones are around 30 Capricorn – 4 Aquarius, 22-26 Pisces, 13-17 Taurus, 4-8 Cancer, 25-29 Leo, 16-20 Libra, and 8-12 Sagittarius.

During the periods these 7th harmonic aspects are in play, if things get weird or crazy, be clear about the choices you’re making. While a lot won’t “make sense,” it doesn’t have to; just be clear about what you’re doing and why. Even though there may be interactions with unreasonable or irrational people, we still have the power to respond in productive ways.

As with “hard” aspects to and from Mars, if that planet (or really any planet) is involved in any non-rational aspect, whether one to our natal Mars or transiting Mars making a non-rational aspect to one of our natal, progressed, or solar return planets, it’s a time to be cautious during the period when the aspect is within a degree of forming or separating. Things have a way of getting strange during 7th harmonic aspects, so those are times to be especially deliberate and thoughtful in choosing our responses.

Primary Action Beats for the First Half of the Month

May begins with a New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse at 11 Taurus, putting the spotlight on that house in our charts. As this New Moon conjuncts Uranus with a host of sextiles and semisquares and Venus conjunct Jupiter, it should be a month of rewards, internal decisions, productive closures and stabilization, and the elimination of unproductive emotional energies.

With Mercury slowing to go retrograde, see the first half of the month as a threshold before turning inward to review recent developments, find new ways of viewing or communicating things, and seeing what comes up as part of a discovery in your Gemini sector. Because of where Jupiter is, bless the passages with compassion and forgiveness so you can enter the new Jupiter in Aries period unencumbered by ghosts from the past. Because of where Saturn is, be thoughtful and volitional in your choices, stepping back from reflexive responses.

As a result of the Mars conjunctions with Saturn and Neptune in April and May, we are promised new long term cycles wherever we have 23 Aquarius and 25 Pisces, so take note, since a lot will begin to activate in those sectors of our charts, as will 4 Aries when Mars conjuncts Jupiter at the end of the month.

During the times the Grand Irrationality is triggered, expect major shifts in the collective field both in terms of the old powers asserting themselves AND the new emergent progressive vision getting a new push. It’s as though the old and the new are on full display this month!

The first half of the month should be very productive, with Jupiter sextile Pluto, Mars sextile Uranus, the Sun sextile Mars, and Mercury sextile Venus all during the first week of May. This is followed by many oppositions and quincunxes the second week, along with Mercury going stationary retrograde and Jupiter changing signs.

Because all the planets are spread out in a relatively narrow sector of the zodiac, we’ll have lots of activity wherever we have late Aquarius through early Gemini. When Venus and Jupiter change signs in the first half of the month, it indicates a shifting perspective on all houses and planets in Taurus, Libra, Sagittarius and Pisces. See what’s ending and what’s emerging, since major new developments are promised this month. Cultivate your intuition and/or your ability to read the collective atmosphere as you begin to accelerate into the future.

Primary Action Beats for the Second Half of the Month

The third week of the month brings us the Total Lunar Eclipse at the Wesak Festival, one of the “Three High Moons” of the northern hemisphere Spring, where a new “Buddha wisdom” comes forth for the entire world. Have a sense of humor as you get clear about your heart’s desire, and you could very well see “the Beloved” make an appearance in your life! As that Full Moon makes a powerful integrative T-square with Saturn, show heart, be creative, and prepare to “pick up and deliver spiritual power” in ways that show you and your world that you have linked “the above and the below” in your life, now able to receive blessings after the death of useless things.

This “wisdom teaching” Full Moon also makes very favorable aspects to Neptune, showing that whatever is taken away by that eclipse will lead us all to a mystery ritual, where we will have to serve in a role which may be beyond our understanding. Be inspired, as there is healing available via Venus conjunct Chiron. As Mars is conjunct Neptune through the third week of May, be sensitive to the dreams or intuitive flashes you may get which show you what’s at an end, and how to flow out of the old into the new.

The third week also brings Sun trine Pluto and Mercury sextile Jupiter, as well as the Sun’s entry into Gemini immediately followed by the Inferior Conjunction, showing a “fusion of life and mind” wherever we have 1 Gemini. That begins a time which will be “back to the future,” with new discoveries in some strange way echoing old discoveries from the past.

The last week of the month brings an “Old Moon,” offering visions of the future as we complete the themes of the New Moon. With Mars sextile Pluto, efficiency is very high, and when Mercury retrogrades back into Taurus on May 22 and sextiles Mars, we’ll see a shift in our Gemini and Virgo sectors which creates the platform for future developments in June and July. That week also brings us Sun sextile Jupiter, Venus sextile Saturn and square Pluto, Mercury trine Pluto, and Venus square Pluto, and Mars’ entry into Aries. Great for seeing to the core of things, with a turning point in who and what we like and why.

The end of the month shows Venus entering its home sign of Taurus, Mars conjunct Jupiter, and the Gemini New Moon on Memorial Day, beginning a time of learning to steer the momentum to things in productive and stabilizing ways as we practice the skillful use of spiritual power. As Mercury’s about to go stationary direct, see what needs to be eliminated to enjoy life to its fullest!

Evolutionary Development

This is the fourth month of the North Node in Taurus era! We’re now done with our time of evolving in the sign of learning and communicating, and are now in a time of our greatest development coming through the sign of appreciation, value, and enjoying the best life has to offer.

Because of Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces, the coming two years will help us find our allies as we build our new life. With Mars conjunct Jupiter in Aries, embrace the adventure in new actions and new freedom to be as authentic as you need to be. As usual, our wise friend Saturn is helping us to a greater understanding where we have Aquarius in our charts, with this month beginning our training in utilizing spiritual power to further our part of the larger Aquarian work.

We’re now about 2/3 of the way through two years of non-stop friction between Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus. We’ve hit a bit of relief these next few weeks, so use the time wisely, since that square will be back in full fury beginning in August. Keep eliminating all which is of no use in the future, keep building heart and focused spiritual expression, and remember your inner Spiritual Warrior can never be overcome.

This tension will be greatly relieved by January 2023. Given the tension between Aquarius and Taurus triggered these next few weeks by the Sun, Venus, and Mars transiting Taurus and squaring Saturn, stay focused on your larger ideals, and keep showing heart, taking heart, trusting the heart, strengthening the heart, and radiating the Love you ARE to your world, expressed through a conscious focus, concentration, and intention.

With so much activity going on in the sign of Pisces, it is a season of saying goodbye quickly while feeling a deeper connection with Source, and remembering we're all more aware, capable, and stronger together than we are separately. With the energies shifting to Aries, it’s a time to flame on and embrace the future which is coming at warp speed!

The Sun in Taurus is a time to see the Light of a greater ability to find personal satisfaction on our own terms while maintaining the momentum generated in Aries. Because of the prominent Pisces energies, allow much from the past to flow down the Time Stream, clearing out space for the new already arriving in Aries which is being substantiated in Taurus. This continues to be a time to feel your connection with all of Life, and bless the passages which have helped you to the wisdom you now have. With the continuance of so much Aries Fire, it’s a great time to see how your individual unique spark of Light is part of the greater infinite Light field.

As we’re now in the second year of a new 20 year and 200 year cycle, remember a new era has dawned. Have courage and take the initiative to leave the Earth and fly free into the Air of what’s opening as the Grand Mutation expands its promise into the Divine transfigured ideal of a more just truth and future.

With recent Capricorn and Aquarius transits, we began a new chapter of crafting our role utilizing forms of personal power in Capricorn to serve the emerging Aquarian ideal. March began the closures we have to complete this month so that what is ending won’t impede the forward movement of the new openings initiated this month while Aries and Taurus are prominent.

Keep substantiating the resources and values of the new era opening for each of us. This month is another harvest month, with gifts for those who can forgive and bless the passages while being open to the abundance promised after we make the space to receive it.

*********

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

PLANETARY MOTIONS IN MAY 2022

SUN – 11 Taurus to 10 Gemini
MERCURY – 1 Gemini to 5 Gemini then back to 27 Taurus
VENUS – 29 Pisces to 4 Taurus
MARS – 12 Pisces to 5 Aries
JUPITER – 28 Pisces to 4 Aries
SATURN – 25 to 26 Aquarius
URANUS – 15 to 17 Taurus
NEPTUNE – 25 to 26 Pisces
PLUTO –29 Capricorn (all month)
TRUE NORTH NODE –23 Taurus (all month)

*******

SIGNIFICANT ASTROLOGICAL OCCURRENCES IN MAY 2022

SOLAR ECLIPSE NEW MOON; April 30; Sun and Moon at 11 Taurus
VENUS ENTERS ARIES; May 2
SUN CONJUNCT URANUS; May 5 at 15 Taurus
MERCURY STATIONARY RETROGRADE; May 10 at 5 Gemini
JUPITER ENTERS ARIES; May 10
LUNAR ECLIPSE FULL MOON/WESAK FESTIVAL; May 16; Sun 26 Taurus, Moon 26 Scorpio
MARS CONJUNCT NEPTUNE; May 17 at 25 Pisces
SUN ENTERS GEMINI; May 20
INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF MERCURY AND THE SUN; May 21 at 1 Gemini
MERCURY ENTERS TAURUS; May 22
MARS ENTERS ARIES; May 24
VENUS ENTERS TAURUS; May 28
MARS CONJUNCT JUPITER; May 29 at 4 Aries
NEW MOON; May 30; Sun and Moon at 10 Gemini
MERCURY STATIONARY DIRECT; June 3 at 27 Taurus

I want to welcome all to drop by our Astrology Arizona Facebook page and join the social media initiative going on there. Please feel free to contribute a topic, ask about a topic, or anything else related to our new group! See you over there!

I also highly recommend coming to our zoom presentations, since we have some of the best astrologers anywhere giving talks about all kinds of great astrological topics. We’ve had “Evolutionary Configurations,” “America at the Crossroads,” “Using Planetary Hours in Charts,” “Escaping the Twelfth House,” “Outer Planet Cycles and How The Past Affects the Present,” “The Three Part Self,” “Egotism, Narcissism, Identity and Self,” “How Our Chart Expresses Our Spiritual Potential,” the 2021 Solar and Lunar eclipses, and more.

Our January 2022 meeting featured predictions from two dozen astrologers about the coming year. We had a great talk about planetary cycles and the Arc Transform charts on February 26, and March 26 will be an entertaining talk about how astrology and the news are perfectly aligned these day! We have more great talks scheduled throughout the year so please consider joining us. I’ll be speaking about my new book The Magic of Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames in our May talk, so that will be a great talk for everyone, regardless of your skill level. You can find out more at the FB page, our website, or by writing me.

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

© Copyright 2022 Robert Wilkinson

© 2022 crystalwind.ca. All rights reserved.