Astrological Forecast Overview
This is a month of overlapping transitions from old to new, as several new cycles are born. Energies are winding down on the Mars cycle as this planet of action speeds up to its regular pace. Venus presents us with an ending and beginning, closing out her cycle begun October 2010. Looking back at what’s happened since then, what’s changed? What have you learned?
Our experience of Venus is kaleidoscopic now, as she simultaneously sends signals about her coming retrograde, which commences May 15 at 23°59′ Gemini. She’ll travel back to 7°29′ before she’s done with her backward dance. Now towering over us at sunset, she’ll begin to fall back into the Sun, until in 43 days (June 27) she’s rising high in the morning sky before dawn. As we’re ending the old cycle, she’s preparing us for the new one. Look at what’s happening in your life for the thread of meaning that ties to love and values. What you’re being led to do, feel the urge to complete, is part of this new cycle.
Venus is also “out of bounds” (above the zone of the ecliptic) through the end of the month. This often results in behavior that seems out of bounds in some way, especially from women. Since Venus is also conjunct the South Node, there is a karmic note to communications now, especially those concerning love.
Our cycle of wealth and expansio, is renewing itself this month as well, when the Sun conjoins Jupiter on the 13th at 23°11′ Taurus. This creates a general feeling of abundance and confidence to use an Earth Grand Trine, the last exact one of the pattern we’ve been experiencing since a year ago. The days we’ll be feeling this the most are May 8–16.
This time period carries a focus on healing as well: Mars kicks off a kite pattern at the same time, carrying punch from several contacts with Chiron since a year ago February. If the energy hasn’t been released by now, it’s time now—and it will turn out well.
Yet a third omega-to-alpha moment comes with the New Moon (Solar) Eclipse on May 20. We’ve instinctively been clearing out the rubbish of the past so that we are cleared and ready for the next chapter of life. We don’t want to carry forward anything that we don’t want hanging around for the next six months. The eclipse recalls a situation that we’ve been focused on since December 2010, and will bring them forward another step in their development.
The remaining astrological cycles are still in opening phases, except for Saturn’s. Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are still bringing new impulses in for us to sort out. Saturn is past the halfway mark in its yearly cycle, and all is available to us as far as our relationship life is concerned. There’s a soul connection that we are still developing in some way, and Saturn leads us forward through that process toward balance and wisdom.
Of course, Uranus and Pluto are still building toward their first of seven squares to occur over the next three years. We’ve been getting signals from the inner planets as they’ve passed through Capricorn and Aries. This is opening the doorway to great transformative processes inside each of us, and on a collective level as well. It is changing our values—who would have thought a few years ago that the human quality of greatest value would become thrift and lack of materialism—yet that is what is happening as we transition into a post-consumerist world. Their first square comes to us at the end of June.
Venus and Saturn feed each other nourishing messages throughout Venus’s long stay in Gemini (April 3 – August 6), with a peak on May 13 as Venus starts her retrograde. Allow the deeper process of development to shine through the moments of ego-pressure to make something happen in your bonds with others, and you’ll be building the right foundation for the future.
(Except as otherwise noted, all interpretations in this astrological forecast are based on a natural chart, using the beginning of Aries as the ascendant, and times listed are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC–7).
A “Void Moon” or “Void of Course Moon” (or “VOC moon” for short) makes no significant aspects until it enters the next sign. Its void period is thought to be a poor time for starting new projects or making concerted effort toward existing plans.
According to William Lilly, the Moon in Cancer (Moon’s rulership), Taurus (Moon’s exaltation), Sagittarius and Pisces (signs ruled by Jupiter, the Great Benefic) “performeth somewhat.” Lee Lehmann reports that she has tested this, and “you can take it to the bank.” Another way of putting how this works in an astrological forecast is that, when an action is taken during the void period in one of these signs, you get “unanswered success.” That is, the lack of planetary action prevents your action from being denied.
Daily Astrological Forecast, May 2012
May opens with Moon in early Virgo, infusing our dreams with insights from Mars’ recent retrograde as it collects energy from this planet of action and self-assertion. We feel the urge to finish projects and circumstances left incomplete from the first three months of the year, and we’ve got the drive and focus to do it, as Moon ties Mars, Pluto, Sun, and Jupiter together into another iteration of the Earth Grand Trine we’ve been graced with for nearly a year. Productivity and optimism levels are high today.
The Moon in Virgo finishes her connections with the other planets in Earth in the wee hours, then brings our attention to areas where our relationships need mending. We’re not likely to resolve things now, but our insights will come in handy later. At 3:58 am, the Moon enters a daylong void-of-course period that ends at 7:04 pm when it enters the astrological sign of Libra. It’s a great day to catch up on filing and take care of some organizational tasks that will set you up for future successes.
The Moon is in Cardinal Libra, making contact with the flagship planets of our new era, volatile Uranus and transformative Pluto. This is a long-term process that is in its opening stages; as such, we are also opening to the dilemmas that it contains, layer upon layer. We serve ourselves best when we let go of fear that prevents us from fully accepting the insights that will help us find a way through. Delicate communications can be handled well as the day waxes past noon, as Mercury sextiles Venus. Do what comes naturally.
The Moon brings more positive vibes when it reconnects yesterday’s Mercury-Venus sextile, a step in the process of resolution that will be completed with Mercury’s opposition to Saturn on Saturday, timed to the Full Moon. Whatever happens, know that it foreshadows events over the next three days of the Full Moon. This makes for a lively morning, and a feeling of deep satisfaction emerges from taking thoughtful actions at this time. The more we apply the lessons learned over the past two years about how to interact with others, the better the result. The Moon is void from 11:02 am until its entry into Scorpio at 7:20 pm, so give yourself a break in the afternoon to take care of your inner being, the perfect prep for the Full Moon. A Moon trine to Neptune sends us off to dream on a positive note.
It feels like Decision Day today: Mars squares the Moon’s Nodes for the third of three times, tying in with events on/around December 12 and March 15. The alert observer will see a thread that will be expanded upon during the coming lunar cycle, when we have Solar and Lunar Eclipses that set the stage for developments over the coming six months.
Two other planetary connections bring us to the point of decision and action, Mercury’s opposition to Saturn, which we’ve been experiencing through Venus and the Moon over the past few days, and the Full Moon, at 8:35 pm PT/16°01′ Scorpio/Taurus. If we haven’t said it by this time, we’ll want to say it now. If we don’t say it now, we’re likely to experience some regrets, but more opportunities are coming. Whatever happens today is part of a much longer-term scenario, so whatever happens don’t give up and don’t rush anything. This is the peak opportunity to clear the path so that the coming eclipses can have full beneficial effect in our lives.
Using the Full Moon chart cast for Washington DC, President Obama is looking masterful as he handles domestic policy decisions, making a tough call that requires taking the long view and leads to greater harmony overall. The feud between the legislative chambers has never been more pronounced, with the lack of restraint recommended by the House quietly ignored by the Senate. The weather looks windy in the East.
The Sabian Symbol for the degree of the Full Moon (17 Scorpio) is, “A woman, filled with her own spirit, is the father of her own child”. This suggests the ultimate alchemy of life, the hieros gamos, or higher union of the two halves of self into true selfhood that opens the doors to higher awareness. This is the perfect energy to add to the oppositions that are occurring today, counterbalancing their tendency toward separation with a strong dose of inner unification. When we are whole, we use separative forces more easily.
The Moon in Scorpio finishes her power-building process with an opposition to Jupiter, which opens us to her void period at 5:14 am. We have a long potentially leisurely day ahead of us, since the Moon does not leave its void until entering Sagittarius at 6:39 pm. A square to Neptune suggests restlessness near bedtime, ideal for dance and moving meditation.
Before we rise, our Sagittarius Moon anticipates the coming Mars opposition to Chiron by square in the course of the morning. This could spawn a few awkward moments as Mars quincunxes Uranus (the third of 3 times)—we could be jumping the gun, but that may be necessary to the process.
When Mercury enters Taurus at 10:15 pm, the second Earth Grand Trine of the month commences. This one lasts through May 16 and builds energy toward our New Jupiter cycle, which commences on May 13. After an eye-opening early contact with Venus, the Moon supports ease and flow with harmonies to Saturn, Mercury and Neptune. What didn’t get said over the weekend may now be more easily clarified. The Moon’s void period shouldn’t trouble us, lasting from 6:34 until 7:00 pm, when she enters Capricorn.
Our Capricorn Moon brings out our greatest challenges once again in its weekly rhythm, as it squares Uranus, then carries its energy of awakening to Pluto, where it is used to plumb the depths of consciousness. We are assisted in our deep dive by Mars, who is still helping us to prepare for what’s coming. We’ll be able to launch new plans based partially on what we discover today. Starting in April, the Moon’s conjunctions to Pluto are also conjunct by declination, creating an occultation, or eclipse, of Pluto. This brings additional intensity to the experience, but we may not notice.
Today through May 16, healing experiences are highlighted with harmonious connections from the Earth Grand Trine supporting the revelations that come from Mars’s opposition to Chiron. This is the third of three passes, the final chapter in a story line that started February 2011. The Moon augments the Earth Trine energies when it fills in a second Trine in late degrees, from its position in Capricorn to Sun and Jupiter in Taurus. Mercury’s sextile to Neptune commences the healing experience, while a Moon square to Saturn takes us into our discomfort about what really matters so it can be released. At 12:11 pm PT the Moon is void of course, until 10:03 pm when it goes into Aquarius and the energy of the Last Quarter Moon.
We feel the approach of the Last Quarter lunation event now that the Moon is in Aquarius, where it will occur. We encounter internal resistance as an “Aha! Now I know what to do!”, and then we set about handling it.
The day is void of planetary contacts until the Last Quarter Moon, which occurs at 22°33′ Aquarius/2:47 pm PT. The gaggle of planets that is collecting in around 23–25° accepts the Moon into their midst, and connections to Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn cascade through late afternoon. The Earth Grand Trine is there in full form, and with Mars opposing Chiron, creates a kite pattern. These energies soothe our way through a healing process that will open us to what’s next.
There is an Air Grand Trine between Moon in Aquarius, Venus in Gemini, and Saturn in Libra. This is highly significant, since this is the energy under which Venus will start her retrograde next week. Venus makes her station only 4′ away from perfecting a trine to Saturn; this is close enough for the Greeks, but modern computers will not pick it up. With “lunar glue”, it works, especially today. The sleeper contact of the day is Chiron’s opening sextile to Pluto. This is the engine behind the healing portal we are currently passing through.
Whatever is happening is the opening of a doorway into a new world, not what anyone expected. There are so many new energies about to snap into our energy grid over the coming week, that this Last Quarter Moon and the events that ensue will set the tone for our experiences over the next year. The Moon enters its void period at 5:52 pm, which lasts until tomorrow at 4:42 am.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, an energy of romance is in the air. There could be a “romance of nations”, a peace deal, or a celebrity relationship that grabs the headlines. Breakthrough may occur in the legislative realm, and the President is looking very kind and leader-like.
The Sabian Symbol of 23 Aquarius is, “a big trained bear sitting down and waving all its paws”. We can do back flips and somersaults with the energies available to us now, but we might want to use them in more practical ways. This is a seed-planting time for the next year, and it’s worth more than finding a fancy way of engaging the crowds. Showmanship is a good thing as a celebration of our abilities, but authenticity and meaning also count.
We get the “New Jupiter” today when Sun conjoins it at 23°11′ Taurus/6:24 am. This ends a period of energy accumulation and opens us to a time when energy can be dispersed in this new cycle of prosperity. Although it starts in Taurus, Jupiter will spend most of the coming year in Gemini, traveling the path set forth by Venus during her retrograde, which starts on Tuesday. The energies for Jupiter’s new yearly cycle are auspicious, with Mercury trining Mars and opening the full, final expression of the Earth Grand Trine that Jupiter participated in throughout the past year and especially in late summer and mid-March.
Moon in Pisces magnifies and supports the process as it sweeps across the harmoniously connected planets, Neptune, Mars, Mercury, Pluto, and Chiron. With every heavenly body talking to each other, we’ll experience the same, but it might be internalized in part, because we are dealing with dreamy, spiritual Pisces, after all.
The Moon continues in Pisces, muted by lack of contact, but Mercury reaches its beneficial trine to Pluto to help us see the practical ways through our current situations. It might be a challenge to say what’s real, but it will be easier than at any other time and will turn out well.
At 4:59 am PT, the Moon goes void in Pisces, after contacts with Jupiter, Venus, and Sun. The square to Venus alerts us to the dynamics of what’s coming on Venus’ retrograde, which commences at 7:33 am/23°59’32” Gemini. Venus will be retrograde for 43 days, until June 27. During her retrograde, we renegotiate our agreements in all our significant relationships. Much of this takes place unconsciously, and through it we see which ties we want to take with us into the next 19-month Venus cycle. The Moon enters Aries at 2:45 pm; since the void period in Pisces is still productive, we can activate plans over the course of the day. However, Venus’ standstill may change our desire to do so.
Mars is the active player today, as it trines Pluto and opposes Chiron, the third pass for each, tied to its recent retrograde. Yes, we’re still working things out that emerged during its backward travel January 23–April 13, as we will do throughout the coming two years, until the next Mars retrograde. The emphasis is healing, and after today our focus shifts somewhat to other things. These contacts finish off the Earth Grand Trine that we’ve been experiencing since May 8. The Moon in Aries reaches the planets that challenge us most, adding the element of the unpredictable and the deeply transformative to our emotional mix. This is a good day to be flexible and listen to our heart.
Jupiter quincunxes Saturn today as well, a part of the waning half of their 20-year cycle. A trend rather than event, we’ve been feeling this as a bit of life’s structure from the past that pulls us back—that we must clear in order to move forward. We can use this contact to renew our focus on making it so.
The Moon completes its productive stay in Aries at 2:44 pm, bringing an illuminating perspective on Venus’s purpose in our life during its just-started retrograde. An opposition to Saturn may bring distress over what we need to do that remains to rectify relationships that are currently out of balance. This is more likely to respond to sustained effort than to one conclusive action.
Moon enters Taurus at 3:03 am, allowing us to make headway once again. It reconnects the planets that have been with us in the harmonious Earth Grand Trine, with trines to Pluto in Capricorn and Mars in Virgo. This bodes well for all actions taken today, but they will bear fruit on the slow, yin schedule of subtle development.
The Moon in Taurus hides from us the full force of the impending New Moon Solar Eclipse, but we can still feel the alignment, if not the energy of the sign it will be in. All things are complete for the past eclipse period, which started November 24 last year. Now it’s time for a new chapter. Today is the dark of the Moon, called the “Wishing Moon”, but with an eclipse we need to go deep to find what we really want to carry forward, since all ties disconnect during the eclipse. The ones we want (or need) to keep reconnect in a matter of hours. Our clarity will be highest in the evening hours as head and heart align to the tune of a Moon-Mercury conjunction.
The Sun enters Gemini at 8:16 am, shifting gears into a more socially oriented focus. Moon does the same, after spending most of the day in Taurus expanding our reality via a connection to Jupiter. It enters Gemini at 4:05 pm, triggering the energies of the New Moon Solar Eclipse, which comes at 4:47 pm/0°20′ Gemini. This is an annular eclipse, where there is a ring of the Sun visible around the Moon at the time of greatest totality.
This lunar event reinvigorates the emphasis on piercing through ancient blocks, karmic or ancestral, and clearing them so we can move on. There may be “leaving” and completion events in our life, fulfilling directions that have unfolded since December 2010. A feeling of destiny pervades our experiences. What happens today holds a key, but it is only the beginning of a process that will be timed by Venus, Mars, and Saturn in addition to the lunar cycles that play out before the next Solar Eclipse on November 13.
In the chart of the New Moon Eclipse cast for the US, the healing energies are highlighted, with Mars’s opposition to Neptune-Chiron on the MC-IC axis. This suggests that a new truth will emerge and grab the awareness of the nation. The party out of power will play the victim card as it has before, but the public is not so eager to buy into it.
The Sabian Symbol for 1 Gemini, the New Moon Eclipse degree, is “A glass-bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders.” It is a time for seeing into the depths of the unconscious mind, its wonders to behold. It is a magical world that reveals its beauties when we clear our negative associations with what is hidden. It is luminescent and rich with resources for our present and future use.
The Moon carries on in Gemini, spreading our awareness of how we can use the eclipse energy in our life. There may be a particular point of discomfort as it connects to Mars, that we should not ignore. It will fuel our growth in the coming months. Don’t be afraid to take it on, as it holds a key to your freedom. Mercury reconnects Saturn to Jupiter over the course of the day and makes its beneficial conjunction to Jupiter, smoothing the way for lasting agreements.
The Moon completes its journey through Gemini, adding its magnetism to Venus’s alluring energy, and tying it to Saturn once again. If there’s a person from whom we feel isolated, we will feel the urge to reconnect, and the impartiality of Gemini fosters our ability to do so without emotional reactivity. This indicates that a deep healing process is tied to this relationship. There are no set outcomes here, except that the healing must proceed in order to move ahead in whatever the next direction is. At 3:51 pm, the Moon is void of course, giving us an evening to use in contemplation and connection on the inner planes.
At 4:31 am, the Moon goes into Cancer. Emotions run higher now, and we feel the stakes are higher in proportion to our attachment to outcomes. The overriding energy of the day is contained in the Sun’s square to Neptune, which signals that this planet’s retrograde is not far away. We may wonder if the thing we’ve been sacrificing for is worth the effort—if the outcome is going to be what we seek. Look inside for your answer. Moon in Cancer brings out submerged story lines and introduces a plot twist that requires our attention.
As Moon continues in Cancer, it activates Mars, and we see the value of the preparations we made earlier this year. Mercury enters Gemini at 4:12 am PT, one of its home signs. We’ll be able to life ourselves out of emotion more easily, feel more like connecting with others and experiencing life outside our doors. Words become more important, and we are more able to communicate our feelings as Mercury and Venus head toward a conjunction on June 1.
Mercury’s first act in Gemini is to reactivate the planets in Mutable signs. First up is a square to Neptune that highlights unknown factors that we feel we must know; over the coming week, Mercury will contact the remaining planets in the pattern, again stimulating our healing process. The Moon goes void of course at 7:34 am leaving us will greater awareness of what still must be accomplished to bring balance our way. The day is not wasted though, since we can use the Moon’s void period in Cancer. The Moon enters Leo at 3:11 pm PT and initiates a feeling of optimism and alignment with a sextile to Mercury.
The Moon continues its sojourn through Leo, creating a Minor Grand Trine with Sun and Uranus that we can use through Monday to fuel our ingenuity.
Mercury makes its superior conjunction to the Sun, the midpoint of its 4-month cycle amidst a packet of sextiles. Our celestial Messenger brings intuitive flashes and insights from Uranus as it harmonizes with this planet of awakening. Look for beneficial results of Mercury’s three contacts with Uranus in March-April. The Moon in Leo creates another Minor Grand Trine with Venus and Saturn to open the doors to a new understanding of love. It is a good day for social connections. The Moon enters its void period at 4:54 pm with a feeling of uncertainty that we can use over the evening to fuel introspection. This lasts until the Moon makes her way into Virgo at 11:06 pm.
The Moon makes her First Quarter square to the Sun at 1:16 pm PT/7°53′ Virgo, to thicken the plot that is emerging on this eclipse lunar month. It is a day full of planetary activity, with the Sun’s sextile to Uranus pervading the day. The Moon sets the tone, drawing our attention to the healing process we’re currently involved in, so that we know what our emotional reality is. With support from Pluto and Mars, we understand a lot more, and will use it in the coming week to adjust our way of managing the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse that arrives on June 4. Mercury adds conscious mental awareness and the ability to communicate about it with a square to Chiron. We get all the ingredients we need as mind and heart connect the dots. Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised.
In the chart of the lunation set for Washington DC, the economy of the US is being affected by shifts in the world economy, especially by those whom the US calls friendly powers. The US dollar is the go-to currency again, and this helps stabilize prices on domestic goods, but oil is still volatile. A legislative impasse seems destined to stand but secret negotiations may create a resolution that does more to reveal the problem than solve it.
The First Quarter Moon’s location at 8 Virgo reveals the Sabian Symbol: “A girl takes her first dancing instruction.” A new outlook is being born in human culture, and this toddler of consciousness is taking its first wobbly steps into a post-materialistic world. Similarly, we individually will have the opportunity to take our first steps forward into a new experience. Be bold! Dance your way through!
The Moon continues in Virgo, making sure that we are taking care of ourselves in addition to meeting others’ needs. If we need to make adjustments, today is the day to do it. The Moon’s void period commences at 10:50 pm, giving us a night to integrate before we take on more serious social tasks tomorrow.
The Sun squares Chiron today, opening us to what needs next to be healed as it enters its retrograde next month. We have time now to make adjustments, accelerate or slow down the process. The Moon enters Libra at 3:46 am, to give us another take on the deep changes we’re experiencing, the new version we’ll be working with on this six-month eclipse chapter of life.
The tone of the day is eagerness and resistance. We want to rush ahead, yet fears detain us. This is the sign that we need to ease ourselves into the situation gradually so that we are not overwhelmed. In this way, we can dispel our fears little by little, more easily identified when we are not flooded by them. Toward the evening, we feel the breezy perspective offered by the planets in Gemini. Communication releases blocks by acknowledging them in safe company. Over the next 24 hours, we’ll have an easier time putting words to what we feel.
Moon in Libra carries the energy of easy communication over from last evening. The discussion has a serious tone that could end in agreements and commitments that will be especially beneficial, even if the unknowns make it hard to tell right now.
For more than 20 years, Terry Lamb (M.A. Linguistics, UC San Diego; C.A. NCGR, EEMCP) has been helping people to understand how cycles and energies work and interact in their lives. She augments her astrological acumen with energy medicine, Yijing (Chinese Book of Change), cosmology, psychology, and a broad range of health and spiritual studies.
Terry is among the nation’s most knowledgeable, insightful, and engaging astrologers. With pragmatic optimism and compassion, Terry’s approach has helped clients and students find their own way to “walk among the stars”. She is dedicated to using astrology as a way to create our future and free ourselves from “fate”. She goes along with Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Her unique approach to astrology can be learned through her home study and apprenticeship programs (contact her directly).
Hello,
In the astrology forecast for May 30th–
I am unclear about what is meant by “six-month eclipse chapter of life”. Does it have anything to do perhaps with the Sun square Chiron aspect?
Thanks.