May 2017 Forecasts

Mercury Stations Direct May 3
Life is full of surprises. How well we can adapt to them with a smile is reflected in the strength of the planet Mercury. Mercury starts the month off in a precarious position between Pisces and Aries, as it conjuncts Uranus. I’m not sure anyone is that flexible!!

Mercury is changeable, adaptable and malleable, just like our minds. If we become too fixated on things the way they are, we lose out on the many possibilities presented to us in every moment. But if we allow our minds to get carried away with each and every new stimulus, we are left feeling nervous and agitated.
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The conjunction of Mercury and Uranus - as Mercury stations direct in May - is one which brings with it even more surprises to uproot us from our inertia, but may be a little too unnerving as the pace picks up again throughout the month.

Mercury’s retrograde - and its return to direct motion - is a return to life after a life lived between lives. It returns to life slowly, however, so we would benefit from slowly returning to our routines, as we gather our thoughts.  

Full Moon in Libra May 10
The full Moon in Libra is a powerful full Moon, with Venus continuing to move towards its degree of exaltation, as the Moon comes into opposition to an exalted Sun in Aries.

Here we find balance between our unique purpose and our shared ideals.

The beginning of May is one of the ‘softest’ periods of the year because of the strength of Venus, although other intense transits are creating an enormous amount of stress and upheaval.

It is often the simple pleasures in life that become the most important thing when going through such upheavals. In war, for example, it is often some small kindness that gets people through the greatest difficulty.  
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Sun in Taurus May 14 – June 13
We move outdoors more in the summer months, as we connect with nature and our Higher Self through the simplicity and perfection of the natural world. We indulge our senses and find meaning and purpose in the simplest of pleasures.

The colour of a flower, the rolling hills, and depth of the waters, all become a reflection of the multi-layered tapestry of the soul. 
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New Moon in Taurus May 25
The new Moon in Taurus marks a turning inwards; a cohesive experience of returning to a sense of oneness with nature and the natural world around us; one which we may neglect at others times, but which becomes a profound sense of communion in the month of May.

This month is a very contrasting period: with the strength of our Moon, as well as Venus, propping us up, but with a sense of doom with the Saturn and Mars opposition. 
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Mars in Gemini May 26 – July 11
So May is not all light and rosy, is it?! No, it is not. Mars and Saturn are not cooperating well with each other. They have been in battle mode since Mars moved into Taurus in mid-April, despite some reassurance from Jupiter in Virgo.

Mars continues an antagonistic relationship with Saturn as it passes through Taurus in April and May, moving into Gemini and a direct line of sight with Saturn, and away from Jupiter’s benevolent gaze. Instead, Mars glances back at Jupiter bitterly, while Saturn returns a stern gaze from Sagittarius.

When Mars and Saturn face off like this there is always as sense of tension in the air, with the inevitable expressions of this leading to fighting with ourselves and others. Whether on an individual level, or a global scale, we see these tense transits create an inordinate amount of stress.

There are some benefits to this, of course. We can knuckle down and get to work on some detailed work and planning. Mars initially exchanges signs with Mercury, until Mercury moves into Taurus in June. This is helpful, in that these enemies are more able to relate and adapt, even while the pressure is felt from things falling apart.

It is often the case that when disasters hit that even the most inimical of foes can come together and exchange ideas to create a more productive way out of the chaos.

Much is possible if we are able to channel these intense negotiations into productive strategies. 
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Venus enters Aries May 31
Venus moves out of its place of exaltation and of compassion, into a place of pure passion by the end of May. It crosses over the sensitive juncture between endings and new beginnings.
 
The bar is lowered from the lofty heights of Pisces, where we can start to exercise with this same bar at a reachable height. Exercise itself may be a good outlet for our passions, as Mars and Saturn come head-to-head and we are asked to cool down the intensity.
 
You may have a desire you want to fulfil, but others have theirs too. Compromise is harder to come by while Venus is placed in Aries, but at least we have a say in what we want.

Globally, however, this portends to more conflict. Personally, we no longer wish to pander to others, which would only leave the Mars impulse feeling a little left out. At least with Mars itself in exchange with Mercury in Aries we can negotiate somewhat.
 
All our skills of negotiation and diplomacy are tested in May, and into the summer, as things begin to shift in ways in which we had never imagined.
 
It’s thrilling, and unnerving at the same time.
 
Let us play nice and do the right thing, by ourselves and by others.

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Jupiter Retrograde in Virgo until June 9
Jupiter continues to retrograde in Virgo until June 9 so this is the last full month of Jupiter’s retrograde: a month which grinds our ideals to a halt for intense scrutiny, while pressures are mounted on how we hope to improve our lives.

With all three malefic ‘planets’: Saturn, Mars and the north node, influencing Jupiter, our big ideas are tested this May, as Jupiter slows its transit in Virgo.

It does so opposite to Venus until the end of May, strongly contrasting our ability to let go and enjoy what is presented, with our need to do better.

Either stance is a polarized view of life, which finds more balance by having some order, while taking time out to simply be. 


OM TAT SAT