Astrological Forecast for May 2009

Get things in motion early in May! Mercury goes retrograde in the early hours of the 7th, beginning three weeks when communications go awry, data gets lost, electronics malfunction and agreements come apart. The basic rules for this time, the 7th through the 30th, are to avoid signing contracts, buying a car or any electronic device, and to expect delays and snafus of all kinds, especially where commerce and communications are concerned.

Mercury retrograde periods are good times to chill out a bit, disconnect your Blackberry, and give your thumbs a rest from texting. Nonverbal activities, like having a nice meal, appreciating a painting or watching a sunrise, are good alternatives to our plugged-in lifestyles. This is the "background" time, without which we can’t really make sense of what’s going on in the foreground of our lives. Taking a break from the flow of information not only feels good, it is also a necessary part of the process of incorporating it on a deeper level. It’s an opportunity for depth, as opposed to skimming along the surface of the information highway. If you want to read, for example, try rereading something from the past and letting your understanding go deeper. You’ll see that far from being a time of chaos, this period has its own values.

Now, I’m getting the dates a little out of order - but hey, that’s appropriate with Mercury retrograde - but at the end of the month we have a real Confusionfest, as Mercury stations to go direct on the 30th, just a day after Neptune stations to go retrograde. Two planets changing direction within a day of each other would be a big deal anyway, but both of these two cosmic tricksters tend to really cloud things up when they station. By all means, enjoy the end of the month with good music, a movie, or meditation, and pay attention to your dreams for messages. But I wouldn’t sign anything, buy anything, or expect to get much practical work done during the last week of May.

May isn’t all about Mercury, of course. Venus and Pluto are in a trying square to each other again on the 2nd. This is the third time since February that the pair have made this aspect - due to the Venusian retrograde. The most recent time they were in square was on April 3rd. Relationship and financial stresses that came up in early February and which came to a head in early April can finally be resolved now. This aspect pulls in a lot of intensity, which will light a fire under many relationships. If the stress is just too much, you might see a breakup, but it is also possible to really open up about what we want and need from our partners, and deepen the union.

The 7th and the 8th have a strange and excited energy about them, as we approach the Full Moon on the 9th. As Mercury is just starting to throw himself into reverse, we can kind of picture this energy mix as sort of like chugging a high-caffeine energy drink mixed with vodka. Good judgment may not be in the cards, although this is another time when connecting with our dreams in a meaningful way is a real possibility.

The 14th and 15th feature powerful but subtle aspects between Venus and both Jupiter and Neptune. We may or may not be on the right track, but these aspects will encourage us to give something a try in the areas of romance and finance. Gambling isn’t necessarily a good idea, but on the other hand, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Saturn stations to move direct on the 16th. He’s been retrograde since the beginning of the year and projects can move forward a little easier now. Still, the days around a Saturn station tend to slow everything down to a crawl, and Mercury is retrograde, so expect things to putter along for a while. The Sun and Neptune are square to each other the next day, an aspect that isn’t great for clear thinking about practical issues, and the Saturnian spin is likely to invoke feelings of hopelessness in some cases. Remember that all these changes are transitory.

Mercury’s retrograde will be taken to another level on the 20th, when the Cosmic Messenger makes a tough square to Neptune. Although it’s still more than a week until their double-station, this is yet another day when confusion and resulting commotion are liable to run very high. Yet this is also a golden opportunity to think "out of the box" and see things in a new way. A trip to your favorite psychic might yield some very interesting results, too.

Probably the most significant aspect of the month, from a social or political perspective, is the meeting of Jupiter and Neptune on the 27th. These two giants get together to further social causes, often involving economics and the leveling of class distinctions. As they are meeting in progressive Aquarius, the effect of their meeting should be strong, if not immediately apparent. Look for an upsurge in talk about nationalization of banks and other industries, in the U.S. and abroad, as well as a very critical look at the excesses of the past.

May presents us with some powerful opportunities, but also asks us to look beyond our regular stock of answers and consider new and different approaches. We’ll see some of that on the collective level, for sure, with two outer planets stationing and the powerful Jupiter-Neptune aspect. But much of the emphasis in May is on the more local level, and the question will be how each of us deals with our own lives. Listen to your dreams and visions, and pay attention to inspiration when it comes.