May 2023, Month of Love and Power: Daykeeper’s General Astrological Influences

Power comes from change. Pluto, the planet of transformation, calls us to take back our power this month. The road might be rocky, as it includes a Full Moon Eclipse in Scorpio (ruled by Pluto) and some challenging aspects from feisty Mars, ruler of last month’s Eclipse in Aries, who in May dares to make several tough aspects to the likes of proud Jupiter, slippery Neptune and the godfather planet Pluto himself.

But if this is already starting to make you feel like, “Hey driver, is there another planet to spend May on this year?” you’ll be happy to know that Venus, planet of love and prosperity, will also be in town. As ruler of the Sun and the New Moon in Taurus, Venus will also be ruling Jupiter, who expands whatever he touches, and will also be bowing to Venus as he enters Taurus mid-month. The goddess planet makes several major harmonies, softening Pluto, Jupiter, and Neptune as she glides up and gets on their sweet side. Pluto, for instance, is about inner work, like it or not. Venus calms this volcano by activating the love factor in our relationships, finances and self-esteem.

The month begins right on Pluto’s station to retrograde at 0 Aquarius (0 degrees of any sign is a critical degree). Pluto is the inward planet, the one who plumbs the depths and pulls us with him, whether we want to go, or not. In a way, retrogrades are similar, directing energies inward. The retrograde station of the planet of power can be compared to an oil well mounted on top of the earth, thrusting its drill directly downward through the topsoil and upper crust, as deep as it needs to bring up that greasy black gunk that will translate into riches.

Pluto tends to bring up dark secrets, public and private. We can expect more on Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump, perhaps the Dalai Lama, and other potentially unsavory revelations. On a personal level, this is good time to do some drilling of our own. Our shadows, our self-sabotage, our fears, our half-done processes of healing that somewhere along the way got left hanging with broken edges in the dark… This is time to take the dive and pull up the gunk that translates into riches.

Although Pluto has a bad rap and can certainly get us looking around for the fire exit (for years on end), it’s important to remember that his ultimate function is to empower. And it isn’t always grueling. If we have at least begun a process of inner work, the dark planet is a bit more lenient, and if transmutation has become part of our voluntary experience, Pluto’s renewing benefits can be evident. By noticing and collaborating with the process, and using the opportunity for a deep dive, we can get into a whole different relationship with reality, and end up in a very different place by the end of the month.

The importance of Pluto’s retrograde is increased at 0 Aquarius, which sextiles the critical point of the Equinox New Moon in Aries, which triggered clarity about our updated identities. The Solar Eclipse in Aries that started the present lunar month was another link in the chain of our rebirth. Aries is action and outward-oriented, and Pluto’s retrograde, as well as the Pluto-ruled Full Moon Eclipse of Friday, May 5 in Scorpio will help us leave inner baggage to move in that new, more independent direction.

Does so much Pluto sound ominous? The medicine comes with a spoonful of sugar in the form of strong Venus influences.

On Thursday, May 4, Venus squares Neptune, fueling our heart energy, creative abilities, and romantic impulses. It opens a window for…

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