May 2018 Astrology Forecast

Are you ready for it? Because it’s coming! May is BIG in the astrological calendar this year and it’s all down to Uranus changing signs after his seven-year jaunt through Aries.

The Month begins with Mercury exiting the shadow zone on May 3 from the previous retrograde period. This indicates a final mental clearing and a sense of forward momentum. We begin to think ahead and make plans and preparations for ideas we want to implement. On May 5, Ceres crosses over the degree of the lunar eclipse that occurred on January 31 this year. This could possibly bring to life issues that occurred around that time. As Ceres is an aspect of Mother Earth, perhaps now the time is ripe to draw upon what was learned or activated at the eclipse earlier in the year.

Tension begins to build on May 8 as the Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius squares the Sun in Taurus. It introduces the theme we will be working with when Uranus enters Taurus this month. We’re instinctively drawn to innovate and test new possibilities under the realm of Aquarius but the Taurus Sun reminds of us on the ease and comfort of all the well-trodden path. It’s hard to change old habits but that’s exactly what needs to happen.

May 12 sees Mars entering the shadow zone of the upcoming retrograde period. Even though Mercury has released us on one level, there is still a sense that things are beginning to slow down. What is done now may need to be revisited later. Goals set now may take longer to achieve than anticipated. Every retrograde period provides us with a chance to review and reconfigure. The more we try to rush, the harder this period will seem so it’s best to adjust your pace as necessary.

One of the main reasons that we need to slow down when it comes to pursuing goals is that there may be some unexpected changes coming our way that will change the game plan. On May 15 we have a New Moon in Taurus just a few short hours before Uranus enters Taurus. With Uranus in the last minutes of Aries in the New Moon chart, the sense of anticipation is electric! Taurus of course prefers the quiet life, but I doubt any of us (I’m a Taurean) will be having much of that over the next seven years. Change is needed, and Uranus will roll it in whether we like it or not. It’s best to expect the unexpected and to be open to breaking fresh ground in our lives.

Mars will accentuate the Uranus effect as he enters Aquarius on May 16 and then squares Uranus on the same day.  This square to Uranus will be the first in a series of three due to the upcoming Mars retrograde. When aspects repeat like this, it’s like the universe is making a point. We’re likely to get a taste of things to come as eclectic Uranus keeps us guessing. Taurus is a sign associated with stability but with Uranus now present in this sign, the ground underfoot keeps shifting. Consequently, we need to remain loose and flexible so that we can react accordingly. Frustration however is also possible as Mars likes to go from A – B without much of a detour. If nerves get frazzled, if we take things too personally, then the result is that we can become impulsive and even reckless as we try to force things to go in the way we think they should. Uranus and Aquarius remind us to be objective and that new perspectives give us a better potential for growth.

Mars will sextile Chiron on May 20 so at least there is a soothing balm amidst some of the heat. We have an opportunity to activate our inner healer. Chiron also tempers some of the frustration by offering us alternative directions to explore. As a guide and teacher, Chiron instructs that maybe we don’t need to rebel (Mars square Uranus!) to challenge the status quo.

A Virgo First Quarter Moon on May 22 provides the first turning point since the New Moon. Practical solutions are favoured over yet more discussion, but we may still feel in two minds about whether what we’re doing is useful or helpful. Jupiter’s unwieldly sesquiquadrate to Chiron also on the same day could lean towards over-sensitivity, especially if we feel harshly judged by others. Paying attention to the beliefs we hold as well as awareness of our wounds helps to mediate some of this awkward aspect. Jupiter soon makes up for it though with a lovely trine to Neptune on May 25. This is the second in a series of three trines between the two. There is an increase in compassion and spirituality which could manifest as an outpouring of aid to those who are suffering. Imagination grows under this influence so on a personal level, each of us can tap into the collective pool of the unconscious to find solutions to problems that evaded us in the past. Between May 27 and June 6, we will have a grand trine formation with Venus, Jupiter and Neptune, so even though this month is quirky and unpredictable, there is also moments of heart-opening tenderness and creative inspiration to draw upon.

The Full Moon in Sagittarius on May 29 should serve to add in some extra enthusiasm and expansive mindset. This Moon is well supported with a sextile to Mars and trines to the North Node and Chiron. Perhaps we feel like the odds are in our favour and there’s a little luck on our side. Saturn is edging back into a square with Chiron (until October 19, 2018) which may serve as a reminder of the tough times we went through last year when this aspect was exact. However, with Saturn also reliving the trine to Uranus (until November 11, 2018) by the end of the month, we see that despite everything we have been through in the past, some level of stability has been maintained or re-created.

Perhaps Saturn is reminding us that the Uranus through Taurus transit is not to be feared. Although Uranus in Taurus may displace what we have relied upon for so long, the long-term security we seek will emerge from the dust. Farmers know that you can’t keep planting the same crop in the same ground year after year as eventually the soil becomes depleted of nutrients and the crop withers. Sometimes you must break the pattern and create something new to bring back vitality and value.

May 2018 Astrology Forecast – Major Aspects

Painting – ‘Murnau Garden’ by Wassily Kandinsky