The balance of super strong, sturdy earth energies greet us at the gates to the Merry month of May.  We feel anchored and grounded.  Six out of ten planets cycle through earth signs, four of them in cultivating and sensual Taurus.  The ground is warm, soft and fertile.  The first week of May is prime planting season.  Any seeds, whether your thoughts, words, ideas or actions will grow into exactly what you intend now.  Choose wisely.

Taurus is primal building block energy.  The first earth sign of the zodiac, it offers endless possibilities to cultivate and shape our lives.  From outermost Uranus to interior planets Sun, Venus and Mercury, we are invited to play with opportunities.  For Taurus rules value, worth, our skills and talents.  She asks, how should we make the most of our talents when opportunity comes knocking?  Will you recognize it?  Seize it?  Or refrain, fearful of what might happen if you dare say yes?  If you say no, will you regret your decision later on?  What is the worst that could happen?

The only constant, guaranteed for sure thing in life is change.  The ongoing challenge between Radical Uranus and Taskmaster Saturn pushes us out of our comfort zone.  Uranus rules Aquarius, the sign Saturn currently cycles through.  Their message is clear:  change and change now.  If you refuse to change, or grow, the alternative is stagnation, like a flower wilting on the vine for lack of water.  So better to tend to your garden.  If you are uncertain, stick a toe in.  Check the water temperature.   Try gradual shifts.  Experiment.  Observe what does not work; then pivot.

Adaptability is just around the corner. On Tuesday, May 4^th Messenger Mercury shifts into its own sign of Gemini.  Our minds flip a switch, become quicker, wittier and increasingly versatile over the next three weeks.  Flexibility is heightened that much more a few days later on Sunday, May 9^th when Valuable Venus joins Mercury in communicative Gemini.  We meet arising problems arising with every variety of solution as we succinctly connect to ideas, people, and resources.  Anything we planted in late April or the first days of May are skillfully tended with ingenuity and alacrity.  The base is established.  We are ready to go and grow as the New Moon occurs in Taurus on Tuesday, May 11^th. 

Aligning to Powerhouse Pluto, we are afforded prime time, heart-centered structural energy with which to build.  Capricorn Pluto asks:  what do you desire?  What are your goals, aims, hopes for achievement?  For this is THE New Moon to plant your intentions in the earth, water regularly and watch them sprout and blossom.  Messenger Mercury tied to the Lunar North Node in Gemini align with airy Aquarian Saturn, also making this a highly innovative and inventive New Moon.  We are blessed with materials (money and more) from the prodigious planets in earth signs as well as sharp-as-a-tack communications connectivity from the air sign planets.  Meaning, we have at our disposal a master manifestor wand.

There is a magician like power to this New Moon.  The question is, will you use your magic manifestor wand wisely, take it for granted or misuse its power?  Think Harry Potter.  It is vital to focus clearly on your New Moon intentions, to understand your reasons, motivation, the WHY far more than the how, of your desires.  If your reasons are unclear, hit the pause button and contemplate precisely why it is you want to achieve a certain goal.  If your answer resonates with a ping of truth in your heart center, proceed.  Hand write 3- 5 goals and plant in the softening, rich earth.  Eleven is a master number and the May 11^th New Moon means business.  Achtung!!  Be ready to go when it arrives.  You do not want to miss this ripe chance for growth.

Growth and abundance of a different kind surface three days later when Generous Jupiter rolls into inspirational Pisces on Friday, May 14^th.  For a few brief months of 2021, the titan of abundance gives us a taste of its upcoming 2022 cycle through dreamy Pisces.  Water, water everywhere.   You can either surrender to the flow or swim against the tide and get pulled under.  Believe, trust your intuition or drown in fear laden woe. Maybe you will paddle back and forth between the two.  Oceanic Jupiter in Pisces seduces us to dream BIG.  Music and water in ANY form will be of great benefit with this placement.  Use both generously.

For the next two and a half months, until the end of July, Jupiter floods us with divine guidance.  Tune in.  Listen.  Is it your imagination or reality?  Perhaps, a bit of both.  This window of late spring through early summer affords us a peak into how we may craft our dreams into reality.  For if we have learned anything from our pandemic reflections, we create our own reality forged from our imagination and intent.  Necessity is the mother of invention.  Look back for just a moment.  Where were you one year ago?  How has your life changed?  What was your state of mind?  How did you spend your days?

I know my mind and situation last May were dramatically different than this year.  Have you stayed the course, steered the boat of your life carefully, harnessing the winds in your sails. Or, have you run aground?  Pisces is imagery, visualization, a camera and film projector.  Jupiter cycling through Pisces projects the movie of our life on to a larger than life screen.  It reflects back to us all that we were, are and could possibly ever be.  Use this ten week stretch from mid-May to July’s end to dabble and dip into what might be as we resurface from the pandemic.

One week later, the Sun joins Mercury and Venus in Gemini on Friday, May 21^st.  Through the end of May, the Sun gradually aligns to Taskmaster Saturn, which turns retrograde motion on Sunday, May 23^rd for the next several months.  This is the first of two planetary retrogrades as we wind down the month of May. There is a noticeable gear shift as we head into June, a turning of the tide and mood swing of energies.

While we may not feel it so much with Saturn’s retrograde, we surely will when Messenger Mercury turns retrograde on Saturday, May 29^th.  Expect communication and technology snafus galore especially as Mercury’s retrograde occurs on the heels of the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on early on Wednesday, May 26^th in Gemini and Sagittarius.  Mercury-Venus in Gemini challenge Neptune, making this one very slippery eclipse.  Pay particular attention to your thoughts, words and language in general.  Say what you mean and mean what you say. Use language carefully and LISTEN intently to others’ messaging:  not just what they are saying but how they are speaking and even more critically, pay attention to what is NOT said.  Read between the lines.  Watch for body language and facial cues. There is far, far more than meets the eye than what you see or are aware of now.

The end of May is really tricky and chock full of prankster energy.  Smoke and mirrors, spin, spin doctors and con artists.  You may be stunned at manipulative twists from otherwise above board people; double talk is rife now.  Use caution and care.  THIS is the time to ask for more information and time, time to think about a prospect overnight, or longer; to do more research, to ask a trusted partner or friend for their opinion.

Given the signs involved with both Mercury retrograde (Gemini/communication) and the Lunar Eclipse (Gemini/Sagittarius), you may very well experience prolonged delays or difficulties with products and travel plans purchased at the end of May.   If you need to make buy electronic, technical devices or secure travel plans, be sure to do so no later than May 16^th or prepare to wait until late June. 

And as with all Mercury retrogrades, REmember to practice the RE words:  reflect, revisit, restore, renew, reclaim, review, research, etc.   From the May 26^th eclipse through the end of Mercury retrograde on June 23^rd, make the most of this nearly month long period by clearing out the old to make way for the new.   This is an excellent time for a thorough, top to bottom spring cleaning as well as taking a vacation.  Schedule a grown up play date.   Take a few days off, an afternoon or staycation, simply to get a change of scenery.  The prevalence of Gemini energy shines with variable uses of time; the more you take time to BE, the more you will DO.

Of Special Interest:

Please tune into my podcast Mystical Messages on Friday, May 14th to hear my conversation with  Certified Tarot Master and Astrologer John Marani.  We dive into John’s depth and breadth of experience with the Tarot and how it may be used for guidance and direction.  John is the author of In Their Own Words: The Major Arcana of the Tarot and lectures widely on the subject.