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On the Astrology Podcast for May 2021, Chris Brennan tells us that in the first half of May, Mercury is traveling through Gemini, its home sign where it is happy, and it connects with Saturn and then Jupiter in harmonious angles. This shift of planets going into Gemini takes us out of fixed Taurus—the sign that does not want anything to change, but just wants pleasure. This shift of planets moves them (particularly Mercury and Venus) into chatty, changeable Gemini. It can be good and refreshing in the first half of the month.

Austin Coppock notes that mutable signs are meant to change things up. He points out that the planets in Gemini are lively, very mobile, go, go, go with lots of talk.

Kelly Surtees says, “I have a bias toward mutable signs.” These are the signs that help with the transitions because they embrace. new things and make changes happily. She notes that early in the month, Mercury stimulates our thoughts and ideas, but the move of Venus out of its home sign of Taurus causes it to lose some strength when it leaves. She adds that there is a “real interactive quality to this Gemini transit that, when Venus moves into Gemini on the 9th, will represent the pleasure of exploring—curiosity and interactive connectedness. It is also, she says, related to bees, butterflies and birds. Fertilization, seeds for the future.

Chris adds that we have a playfulness, movement, freedom of movement, at least in the first half of the month until mercury goes retrograde and goes backward in Gemini to hit a challenging square angle to Neptune – much like when Venus did the same thing last year and the second wave of COVID hit. He says he is nervous about the Mercury retrograde in late May being a repeat of that wave that happened after the Venus square to Neptune in 2020.

The full moon in Scorpio at the end of April had to do with privacy and transparency, they point out, and that interestingly coincides to the time when Apple released its privacy app that requires companies to let you know if they will be tracking your movement for ads.

As for the moons of May Pam Gregory notes that we are now already into the eclipse season, with very powerful eclipse on the 26th of May. The sun exactly comes to conjunct Uranus, which sets the stage for May because we have strong Uranus energy all the way through. So the sun being conjunct to Uranus can highlight sudden shocks, surprises, earthquakes (physical or political) and volcanoes.

”May gets off to a start where we are blasting off into new territory, letting go of the past, dealing with change that we may not have expected.”

Rick Merlin Levine

For the last couple of months Rick Levine has been talking about our gradual detachment from the events of 2020, but he notes that we can’t get rid of them. He tells us that in May, while there are a couple of events that create more of a separation, we will get the sense of a recurring theme that goes back to things that happened in 2020 that show, on a deeper level, we are not quite done with that time period yet. But at the same time, Levine says, ”May gets off to a start where we are blasting off into new territory, letting go of the past, dealing with change that we may not have expected.”

Astrologer Anne Ortelee tells us that our move into eclipse season this month means we are passing through a portal that brings us to a new theme, a new flavor, she says, that we will be working with. This particular Full Moon eclipse on May 26th involves Mercury in Gemini with the sun in Gemini and the moon in Sagittarius. Mercury is our thoughts and decisions, and full moons are when things come to fruition, so Anne says Mercury will be prompting us to please make a decision. It is “go time.”

Pluto is at an uncomfortable angle to all this, and she explains the vibe with this scenario:

“People from your past will come forward to remind you of what you didn’t do, or did, or what you wish you had done, or hadn’t done. Or you will have an aha moment and say, ‘You are just like my first husband.’ “ She goes on: “…mercury is about elimination—he’s the messenger but is not necessarily a friendly guy because he will be inconjunct Pluto. Pluto will talk to you and go, ‘I pointed this out to you a few times,’ and this is when everyone says, ‘I know. I’m doing it again, right?’ And Pluto says, ‘Yeah. You want to change now?’ And to the extent that we redo or not, that’s the deal. And Saturn will go retro in the middle of this mess. May is very busy.”

Acyuta-bhava Dasa also notes that Mercury, in general, is known for ruling things like technology, communication, media, information, learning. It is our communication style or habits, it rules markets and money, details and organization of things like that, so we are looking at a real period of mercurial change related to these types of things.

Saturn, is the maker of rules and laws, and is the energy that wants to hold on to tradition and status quo, and Uranus, which Saturn is squaring off with, is the rebellious, unorthodox, unconventional, inventive energy that wants to break loose of that. Neither one can work without the other, Levine says.He points out that throughout the year we will seek to find ways to incorporate the futuristic changes of Uranus (whether we like them or not) into the status quo, the old ways, without necessarily losing the stability of these traditional structures that we have. We may be looking at how we can take the best of the past of what our history has established and taught us, along with the best of what our rules and regulations have brought us, and move it forward into a new way of doing things.

The conflict continues to build through the month of May and come to a second crescendo by mid-June. Then, Levine tells us, the energy will begin to dissipate again and come to a third and final crescendo this year on December 23rd. Although the energy will still hang with us through 2022, it won’t be quite as severe as it will be for the rest of this year and on through the end of 2021.

DAILY DETAILS:

MAY 1

Based on the sun meeting up with Uranus exactly on the last day of April, Rick Levine tells us that “May gets off to a start where we are blasting off into new territory, letting go of the past, dealing with change that we may not have expected.” He explains that this is because the Sun/Uranus conjucntion “has an electric quality to it,” much like lightning that we know is happening around us while we never really know where it will strike.  This sets up three. Days of tension that builds through the middle of June with the Saturn/Uranus challenges (squares), because the sun today also forms a challenging square to Saturn, which Levine says is quite powerful.  Chatty, logical Mercury is also at a challenging angle to expansive, beneficial, over-the-top Jupiter, which brings in a sense of trying to work things out between the push-pull energy this year between the old guard and the new vision.

Acyuta-bhava Dasa notes that the Sun’s challenging square to Saturn is akin to a “moment of serious reckoning” and maybe having to overcome obstacles, as well as letting go of something, facing a sobering reality, or dealing with limitations and constraints that have to be dealt with. But, he points out, whatever this challenge is, it will build character, discipline, bring maturity and experience, and end up getting results if we put in the hard work that we are faced with.

MAY 2

Rick Levine notes that early in the morning on May 2nd, Mercury forms a trine with Pluto (and the moon will connect with Pluto on the 3rd briefly). This, he tells us, is a “deepening and an intensification of how we use our logic.” Since both planets are in earth signs, it is useful and grounded energy, but Mercury brings in an element of thinking about things—how to use the earth energy—and how to manage getting the stubborn bull energy of Taurus to move.  Pluto is transformation, taking charge and using one’s power, deeply hidden secrets. Mercury hitting Pluto is the beginning of several planets connecting with Pluto as they move through Taurus—Venus and the sun will follow in the days ahead. What this will do, Levine says, is intensify and let us realize “how grounded, how embodied, how enmeshed some of these deeper things are that need to be changed and need to be transformed.” And through the harmonious trine angles to the planets, there can be positive results. Mercury starting things off gets us to start thinking about how we can work with the deeper, grounded, pragmatic energy Pluto offers. 

Also on the 2nd, Levine points out that Venus forms an angle of opportunity to Neptune (a sextile)—and Venus and Neptune are both creative, loving energies.  But Neptune brings in imagination that could get to the point of illusion or delusion and so become misleading. Venus focuses more on romance, love, beauty, money and happiness, and connecting this way with Neptune can stimulate the imagination into dreaming about the potential possibilities that relate to these Venusian qualities.   

MAY 3

Rick Levine tells us that our burdens of responsibility are lightened when clever Mercury enters Gemini on May 3.

Uranus works like lightning, he says. “We know what is going to happen. The energy is out of balance. We can see the storm and we know there is thunder and lightning happening but never know when or where the lightning is going to strike.”

The Sun Uranus conjunction has an electric quality to it and in the first three days of May—there is tension around the building issue between Uranus and Saturn, that will build again through the middle of June at the second of 3 exact squares between the two planets. That is quite powerful, he says. “Even though Saturn is the planet of the status quo, Saturn is moving through futuristic Aquarius, makes it like oxymoronic all on its own, but we also have Jupiter moving through Aquarius.”

He says we will escape from “the stuck solidity of things as we think they should be and as we think they are. The obstinacy, the stubbornness, the firm conviction of Taurus that just isn’t going to be convinced, pushed or pulled out of its own comfort zone.”

As Chris Brennan’s group discussed, Mercury in Gemini is chatty and lively, and when Venus comes in a few days later, it can bring in a curiosity and a desire to explore things, to play, to move about freely. We may feel, this week, as we did last year before the second wave of COVID hit—as if we are finally free, but Mercury will go retrograde later in the month and we have to wait and see what happens this time ‘round when Mercury comes into a challenging angle to Neptune and hits that point three times between late May and early July. However, Mercury is generally communication, and short-distance travel, what we talk or think about and what we agree to. Neptune confuses things, or blindsides us and that would be through what we hear, discuss, learn about, or experience in local travel. Neptune can be depressing, so we may hear depressing news in June through early July—or confusing news that we are not clear about. Venus, last year, was about fun, and pleasure, and Neptune confused things and made us go back over that (Read the May and June 2020 Round-Up articles on HungarianAquarian.com for that original discussion).

Pam Gregroy points out that the moon comes to a challenging angle with Uranus on the 3rd of May so in astrology the moon is the people , so this is potentially revolutionary people. Mercury is going into Gemini before the 4th hits, so, she says the theme of Uranus in Taurus is creating nervous tension based on the higher energy Uranus brings to a sign where things want to stay put and not change and that is being enhanced as mercury gets into Gemini moving quickly but slowing down mid-month before it begins to backtrack through Gemini. But early on in the month, she points out that Mercury in its own sign “wants to gather in mental information” –it is a quick mind that wants information from everywhere, and together with the strong Uranus energy, there could be wonderful benefits. We could see our frequency or our consciousness raise at this time, Pam says.

Acyuta-bhava Dasa notes that the sun in Taurus in its challenging square angle to Saturn as of the first of the month, plays out more fully around May 3rd.

He also talks about Mercury going into Gemini, and he says “this is very significant because wherever Gemini falls in your birth chart, the fact that Mercury is in that sign means it is home”—in its own sign—and it will be positive and strong, along with big changes into the area where Gemini falls in your birth chart. Mercury going retrograde at the end of the month keeps mercury in Gemini longer, and there will be a solar eclipse in Gemini later in the month—bringing in new ways of communicating, writing, thinking, driving, perhaps, working with the marketplace. Mercury (and, therefore, Gemini) rules technology, communication, media, information, learning, your communication style or habits, as well as markets and money details and organization (Mercury also rules Virgo—which is organization and attention to detail—so Mercury is very logical and keeps busy–thinking). Acyuta-bhava says, “Don’t be surprised if your thinking or your way of communicating or mental environment of your life is going to go through a significant change between now and around mid-June.”

As Chris Brennan’s group discussed, Mercury in Gemini is chatty and lively, and when Venus comes in a few days later, it can bring in a curiosity and a desire to explore things, to play, to move about freely. We may feel, this week, as we did last year before the second wave of COVID hit—as if we are finally free, but Mercury will go retrograde later in the month and we have to wait and see what happens this time ‘round when Mercury comes into a challenging angle to Neptune and hits that point three times between late May and early July.  However, Mercury is generally communication, and short-distance travel, what we talk or think about and what we agree to. Neptune confuses things, or blindsides us and that would be through what we hear, discuss, learn about, or experience in local travel. Neptune can be depressing, so we may hear depressing news in June through early July—or confusing news that we are not clear about.  Venus, last year, was about fun, and pleasure, and Neptune confused things and made us go back over that  (Read the May and June 2020 Round-Up articles for that original discussion).

Pam Gregory points out that the moon comes to a challenging angle with Uranus on the 3rd of May so in astrology the moon is the people , so this is potentially revolutionary people.  Mercury is going into Gemini before the 4th hits, so, she says the theme of Uranus in Taurus is creating nervous tension based on the higher energy Uranus  brings to a sign where things want to stay put and not change and that is being enhanced as mercury gets into Gemini moving quickly but slowing down mid-month before it begins to backtrack through Gemini. But early on in the month, she points out that Mercury in its own sign “wants to gather in mental information” –it is a quick mind that wants information from everywhere, and together with the strong Uranus energy, there could be wonderful benefits. We could see our frequency or our consciousness raise at this time, Pam says.

MAY 6

Venus forms a harmonious 120˚ angle (a trine) with Pluto, which Rick Levine tells us brings our desires, our values and the things we want and like to the table.  These qualities, he says, bring us to the point that “we’re willing to take the step deeper if we find ourselves in some strange rabbit hole. Rather than trying to escape, we want to go deeper and get to the source. We want to figure things out.”  This takes on more power when Venus comes into a challenging angle with Jupiter in a couple of days.

MAY 8

Venus moves into Gemini on its way to pass Mercury when that planet slows down to go retrograde  (when it appears to go backwards in the sky).  Acyuta-bhava Dasa says this is good news because he says it brings “the goddess of good fortune of pleasant or pleasurable, desirable things and harmony,” and meeting up with Mercury means pleasant speech, good deals, and ease with negotiation as well as smooth transactions, communication, writing, learning, teaching and reading.

Rick Levine points out that Venus squares Jupiter today, but in a way “that lightens the energy but it is also a bit indulgent.”  It gives us, he says, a “taste of what happens when we lighten our touch—what happens when we actually go for what we want…and allow ourselves to be distracted by the potential and possibilities of the future and not hold on to the status quo.”  Venus in Gemini with Mercury, he points out, allows us to be less rigid, open to change in positive ways. However, it can also mean we won’t necessarily be “willing to hold on to those things which we really value in things that are important because we now can be coerced or convinced or misled by people who are maybe pulling us off track….”

Anne Ortelee adds that Venus is flirty in Gemini and may want to buy things. At the point when Mercury and Venus meet up in Gemini as Mercury slows down, we could have a lot of drama, since there is an eclipse coming up in Gemini at the end of the month, as well. But when Mercury slows down and meets Venus toward the end of the month, Anne tells us, “There is a happy energy, but because of the retrograde, it is a retrospective energy,” meaning reunions, ceremonies and other sentimental things, especially with Jupiter moving into Pisces next week on the 15th.

MAY 11-12
NEW MOON IN TAURUS

Acyuta-bhava Dasa points out that this new moon in Taurus emphasizes Venus (which rules Taurus) and focuses us on the Venus Mercury positivity.  The moon is exalted in Taurus, meaning it is strong and happy. So it is a positive new moon, overall, which Acyuta-bhava tells us will bring the stabilizing Taurus energy in to new things. “Anything that you’re reorganizing or strategizing, re-visioning and stabilizing things—that should go really well….Purchases that you need to make or any way in which you need to invest in something—especially things related to technology or learning….”  With Venus in Gemini with Mercury, language and communication are highlighted, so it could be a good time to begin (new moon) learning a language (Mercury) or to buy media equipment.   

Rick Levine points out that this new moon is very close to a positive angle of opportunity to Neptune—which becomes exact the following day (the 12th), which gives us “ this sense that imagination has the answers, that compassion, kindness, dreams” are significant.  This is important because the new moon is in the rigid, stubborn sign of Taurus, which focuses on sticking to “its values, but here its values are tied to this dreamy Neptune…so this is a very imaginative and creative new moon.” 

Kelly Surtees suggests that this new moon will feel “like a nice calm, stable lunation—enjoyable and relaxing.” But that will be far from what we will experience at the end of the month with the lunar eclipse two weeks later, she says.  “A lot is happening at the end of the month, but in the beginning, things are more stable and easygoing.” 

Austin Coppock says it should be a good time—fun, playful and carefree—a fortunate couple of weeks.

In addition, at the time of the new moon, Acyuta-bhava points out that Mercury is in a positive aspect to Saturn which helps ground the scattered nature of Mercury, adding a bit of support and maturity to what we are thinking about, talking about, writing about, negotiating.  It is, he says, a good time for compromise in negotiation, or for finding an older, wiser mentor with experience who can offer support, as well.

Rick Levine notes that the Mercury/Saturn aspect “basically lets us know that our thinking, our logic is sound; our thinking is concrete” and that “even though our ideas—with Mercury in Gemini buzzing around like a bee flying in the winds of thought, like a kite in the spring.breeze—the fact…is that Saturn is grounding the energy, giving it authority…and giving it stability.”

Kelly Surtees notes that Mercury and Saturn work well together, bringing a clarity in thinking with less discord.  It is, she says, a good time to come to an agreement, dealing with the paperwork and finalizing things.  Chris Brennan adds that “Sometimes Mercury in Gemini can be good at communicating but can be flighty or shallow, surface level.” But in this positive aspect to Saturn, he says there is “a sense of depth and gravity to what Mercury is doing at the same time.”  He also notes that this can be an accumulation of knowledge that comes through trial and error—the culmination of what was learned from the past.

Austin Coppock points out that the “solidity that Saturn provides comes at the cost of speed.” It is not just getting something done but sitting down and taking the afternoon to get it done.  It is, he agrees, a good time to research things thoroughly or learn about what happened historically.

Pam Gregory says that the new moon is almost 120˚ away from Pluto—a very harmonious angle—which she says, suggests “that there’s going to be some transformative power that is added to any truths, revelations or rebellions that are happening at the time.”   The new moon in Taurus, she says will be linked to the earth since Taurus is an earth sign representing nature and “the natural simple rhythms of the earth.”  However, also in Taurus are Uranus and the dwarf planet Ceres, which represents the harvest and agriculture, and Black Moon Lilith—representing wild, instinctive energy. This unpredictable earth-focused energy, she says, can bring on extreme, unpredictable earth events like shifts in the tectonic plates and earthquakes, and possibly disruptions in the food supply.

MAY 13

At the time of the new moon, Jupiter was at the critical 29th degree of Aquarius, which represents “an instability that something’s going to change,” Rick Levine notes.  Since Aquarius is a fixed sign, change is not welcome.  But Jupiter at 29 degrees means we need to anticipate  the change—between the new moon in Taurus (where change-provoking Uranus is holding court) and Jupiter on the diving board ready to splash into watery Pisces, which Acyuta-bhava Dasa says will give us a taste of what the first half of 2022 could be like.  That’s because Jupiter going into Pisces now is only temporary, and it will return to Aquarius at the end of July, returning to Pisces at the end of December 2021.   Jupiter is the ancient ruler of Pisces, so it is at home there, and happy there, and depending on where Pisces falls in your chart, in can expand on the theme of the house it falls in. If it is in a money house, it can bring abundance, if it is in the house of family or the house of children, the family can expand.  But being in Pisces, Jupiter is expanding what Pisces is all about.  There is its element of water, which Autin Coppock says, could bring the rain, which could be good in areas where there are droughts or fires.  Or it can bring floods.  Kelly Surtees notes that “wet is a binding agent that brings connection, and psychologically and emotionally we are all aching for that with the dryness (lots of planets in Capricorn) we have had.”   She adds that Pisces is an emotional sign, and Jupiter there could bring a flood of emotion.  Chris Brennan says it is “the taste of freedom,” freedom of movement, and with Jupiter, a fullness.  Jupiter in Pisces is happy, and it brings positivity and hope that things can get better.

Jupiter is truth, and it will reveal the truth. Yet, though Jupiter is happy in Pisces…he is kind of like a drunken fool, you know, saying things when you are drunk about what you are thinking.

Astrologer Anne Ortelee

In his special video on Jupiter in Pisces, Acyuta-bhava Dasa, points out that Jupiter in its ancient home, Pisces, is generally positive, fostering growth in philosophical, faith-based perspectives, or enhancing the area of life that the house it falls in represents, and growing things quickly, sometimes out of proportion, including our bodies, or doing things to an extreme—sleeping, working, escaping (particularly in the 12th house), spending, playing, and so on.  He adds that the cycle of Jupiter would put that planet in Pisces about once every 12 years, and we can look back at past times when Jupiter was in Pisces to see what was going on in our lives.  Specifically, he says look at January to June of 2010, and September to December of 2010, as well as winter 1998 to 1999.  If you know what house Jupiter was in when it entered Pisces at those times, you can better understand the way Jupiter could play out now.  But ,overall, Acyuta-bhava tells us that Pisces is a spiritual sign and one that represents dreams, so Jupiter there “brings an easier connection to source, to oneness, unconditional love, and to your dreams—whether daydreams or nighttime dreams.”  He believes we will have stronger intuition or psychic energy and visions, and that we would do well to expand our spiritual vision for ourselves and the world.

But Rick Levine notes that Jupiter moving into Pisces is expansion without limits.  Normally, he says, Jupiter is limited by Saturn—the taskmaster, the boundary, the limit, the authority.  But Neptune—the modern ruler of Pisces, which is also hanging out in Pisces right now–has no limits, no set logic, no laws to conform to, and is a place where there are no rules.  Anything can happen, because Neptune is fantasy and imagination and creative expression. Jupiter joining with the Neptune energy is extremely significant, he says, because last time Jupiter was in Pisces, Neptune was not there, meaning it was over a century ago when those two planets were in this same sign. This period could relate Piscean traits to Jupiterian things—laws, education, religious beliefs and philosophies, international travel or cultural ideas, publishing and broadcasting, the world or space.  Jupiter will expand the imagination, fantasies, dreams and creative expression—going with the flow. But at the same time, Neptune and Pisces can represent psychological pain, confusion, depression, addiction and misrepresentation (hiding something or being blind-sided or lied to). But it also represents compassion and caring about others and in Pisces, there is the sense that we are all connected and Jupiter there gives us insight in how to expand that connection and compassion.

Anne Ortelee points out that we could be reclaiming hard emotions, and it is important to “align with the place where you feel centered and balanced…when you’re in the middle of stuff.”  Jupiter, she reminds us, is truth, and it will reveal the truth. Yet, though Jupiter is happy in Pisces, she says he is “kind of like a drunken fool, you know, saying things when you are drunk about what you are thinking.” She is a bit worried, though because other planets going through Pisces have affected issues related to the pandemic, so she is afraid that Jupiter could expand the spread of the Virus.

MAY 15

Rick Levine points out that at the time of the new moon fiery Mars in Cancer is at a challenging square angle to the wounded healer, Chiron in Aries, the place Mars rules.  Mars in Cancer is like the “fierce assertion of the maternal energy, of the feminine protecting its home, its lands, its country, even though we often think of mars having to be macho.”  Levine tells us that the message for Mars squaring Chiron is “that we can’t jut blindly fight for what it is that we think we should be fighting for.”  This, he says, is because the sign of Cancer often has to do with insecurity, a fear of loss.  When Mars is in a square angle to Chiron, it represents conflict, and it means we have to resist fighting and find other ways to resolve “differences and our own insecurities instead of …just punching….”

Mars is busy this week, because it is also forming an angle of opportunity (a sextile) with Uranus, which can allow us to “find new ways to assert ourselves without necessarily having to beat up the underdog (as with Mars square Chiron).  Uranus offers a new way of doing things or seeing things.

Mars (the impulsive fighter) is also coming—by the 15th–to an uncomfortable angle (a quincunx) with Saturn, the authority, the traditional way of doing things.  This Mars/Saturn aspect can mean “not necessarily doing it the way that we’re supposed to” and that “Mars in Cancer is not about denying anger…or resisting an outward expression through aggression,  it is about denying the feelings we have and that something needs to be done,” like a fight or conflict.  It is more about working out the emotions in our home.  Saturn is annoying Mars but the solution is working things out internally.

Also at this time, Anne Ortelee says that Mercury in Gemini is preparing to go retrograde, when it appears to go backwards in the sky, which it does about three times a year.  It is when people from our past may show up in our lives again, or something you thought was finished pops back up and you have to deal with it again. In addition, Venus is heading to the point where the nodes of fate are in the next couple of days, and that adds to the possibility of past lovers or friends showing up or calling.  She says, “This is a time where we may be finding new people, people coming back, important connection being made…if you’ve been thinking you want a romance, yes, okay… a power struggle also.” 

She also talks about mercury and Mars being “out of bounds” and with Mercury in Gemini, it means “you know when you’re telling the truth or not, what you are doing right,” and Mars is in a hard aspect to Pluto, so we may make choices that are not a good idea.”  She connects these aspects to the firing of Liz Cheney by the GOP and says “the key is making the choice towards what is right (Gemini).” Mercury, Anne says, always tells you what it is going to do, and this month we have mercury at the midpoint between Mars and Uranus, forming what is known as “an ear,” which she says is “kind of like listening to the conversation and you know it’s one of those, it’s whatever you hear is important to hear, so even if you don’t like it, even if you’re perceiving it as negative, it’s important.”  She notes that we will hear stuff coming out that we should remember because it’s good to be aware of. 

MAY 17

The sun has been moving through Taurus toward Gemini, and in doing so, it hits a number of fixed stars at the end of the sign of Taurus, which Acyuta-bhava Dasa says “can be a little bit brutal.” 

By the 17th the sun forms a harmonious angle with Pluto in Capricorn.  Pluto represents a number of things, including taking charge, major transformation (through death and rebirth), as well as deeply hidden feelings and knowledge—secrets.  Rick Levine says that the sun forming this angle to Pluto is “a deepening of our perspective and a willingness to take any interaction, any experience and to go even deeper.” 

MAY 18

Rick Levine points out that today we have an interesting configuration between Venus in Gemini and Chiron (the dwarf planet that is the wounded/healer energy), which he says is getting a boost of energy from Uranus, which is exactly in the middle of the two.  It is “demanding immediate and sudden change” as we move ahead to where Venus will connect with Saturn at a harmonious angle on the 19th. 

The sun has also been at the harmonious degree to Pluto in Capricorn since yesterday, which Anne Ortelee, notes ushers in a time for renegotiation of the direction we are going in or the introduction of a new way of thinking.  She points out that Mars, Mercury and Venus being out of bounds makes things very emotional, and her advice is to acknowledge it, realize you can’t fix it, and then figure out what will make you feel better.Part of this combination will be the mindset of “you can’t make me do it!”  But the moon is also moving through the signs quickly hitting mars in Cancer, bringing on the emotions. When the moon moves into Leo early in the week it aligns with unpredictable changeable energy of Uranus in Taurus, and it will bring on intense, possibly sudden, passionate and challenging emotions. 

MAY 19

Venus and Saturn align with a harmonious 120˚ angle , bringing “a sweet balance between what we want, what we like, what our values are (Venus in Gemini) even though we may be a bit scattered…a bit distracted,” Rick Levine tells us.  Saturn then anchors those feelings and thoughts and brings the sense that these things feel real, “and we know that we’re moving towards something that is significant.”  But at the same time the sun is at the critical point of 29˚ of Taurus, getting ready to change energy from the fixed, settled sign to a more sociable, chatty, thoughtful sign that leads us to a point of being willing to make some adjustments. 

Anne Ortelee talks about the moon coming into a harmonious angle with Uranus in Taurus and quickly forming a similar connection to Pluto.  It could signal a time when we try to ease the passionate emotional shifts that are occurring this week.  Today is the day of trying to work things out.  But by the weekend, things will be an uncomfortable awareness of what it all means.  It will be a topsy-turvy week, she says.                                                      `

MAY 20

The sun moves into Gemini today, which Chris Brennan and friends point out makes the Gemini party complete.  Venus, Mercury, the Sun and North Node form a stellium—a grouping of three or more planets—that intensifies the blended energy of the mix.  Kelly Surtees notes that we should “pay attention to headlines when that aspect is happening—things you are getting curious about or interested in.” Austin Coppock adds that this movement of the sun into Gemini moves things along, and Kelly notes it could be something related to the Jupiter movement into Pisces on the 13th—the boundless imagination, visions and dreams.

Rick Levine notes that in some places the sun won’t get to Gemini until the 21st.

MAY 23

Today, Saturn, which has been slowing down since February, stops in the sky and we start to see it go backwards in the sky until October. Anne Ortelee describes the change it brings as a time to review what we did between February 14th and now, and we review changes we have made, and then decide in October, based on that time period, how we want to go forward.  She notes that those who are strong Cardinal energy (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) may have already made up their mind about the changes. This is the time when Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces start to determine whether they want to make changes or adjustments to the events that took place in February. The fixed signs of Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus, who will go kicking and screaming, will make the changes at the end of 2021.  Anne says this is the time we will begin to take action toward getting a new home, a new job, a new pet, to clear out things that we don’t need or to help our family get rid of things, make adjustments to our diets, our work, our life.

Acyuta-bhava Dasa describes this Saturn retrograde period as a time when, “if things have been difficult…the retrograde can mean a sudden reversal or pullback of the difficulties.”  Any damage we may have caused may be able to go through a recovery period, and allow us to move forward

Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock and Kelly Surtees point out that this retrograde is leading us back to the second time we have an exact degree of the challenging square between Saturn and Uranus which happens next on June 14, when, as Kelly notes, steady, stable things become inconsistent and erratic. There can be disruption, interruption and irregularity, she adds. Austin says this is moving us to a point where a structure will suddenly disappear and a new one will appear—a traditional, established system can be overthrown or shaken up to result in a completely new “version.”

Austin makes the observation that some people do better during unpredictable times and some do better in times of order. “A great general in Chinese history went to be evaluated by some sage, and the person said to him, ‘You will be a capable minister during times of peace, but a genius in chaos.’ ” 

The period leading up to the exact square in June, they said, moves along Taurus themes which Kelly points out are currencies, food, food tech (Uranus is technology) and food supply.  The challenging angle between Saturn and Uranus can bring new answers to the “question of valuing things,” or “rapid fluctuations and destabilization.”

As the two planet move closer to the exact square in June, the group notes that things will become more intense and because Uranus is uncompromising, things “need to be totally different now,” Austin said. Chris adds that things will happen quickly, with the slate wiped clean as fast as possible.

MAY 26
FULL MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE IN SAGITTARIUS          

Anne Ortelee says that as Saturn begins to look like it’s stopping and going backwards, it is taking our words and preparing for the full moon eclipse in Sagittarius to bring things to culmination. In other words, at the time of the Saturn slow down, if you say, “I’m done!” the finality of it occurs at the lunar eclipse, and the energy is connected to whatever you say you want to happen. The energy will build up to a crescendo from the 20th to the 31st.  The connection to Gemini, she adds, could likely turn power off—so watch your computers and printers and refrigerator/freezers—and it can reveal truths.  It can remove leaders as we see things differently, and bring an end to something, or rekindle something that ended before (like Bennifer).

“We do what we would not normally do,” she explains.  “Don’t say stuff if you don’t really want it, because it will be a permanent shift, coming through words. You can’t take it back.”

Chris Brennan notes that since eclipses happen in pairs over the course of six months, the December 14th eclipse was important and should have been the start of a new cycle.  On that day, Biden and the electoral college determination should have been the end of the presidential election cycle, yet there are still lingering questions. It is also the day that the first patient got the COVID vaccine. Austin Coppock points out that this eclipse is on the South Node, also known as the tail of the dragon, at 5˚ of Sagittarius.  “Generally, with the tail side, we are looking at releasing something or letting it go, creating an absence where there was a presence,” he says.  Jupiter rules Sagittarius, and with Jupiter having just moved into Pisces, it is stronger than it has been in a long time. Austin says this is the “clearing away of old quests, old meaning, or an old myth” making room for a new action or quest.

Kelly Surtees describes it as the idea of, “What has been operating for a while has washed away. What is the new dream for a new thing to carve or search for?”  Chris says it is the “culmination of events that necessitate the removal of something in your life—it is finally time to let go of thing we have been holding for a while.”  It can relate to eclipses from 6 to 12 months ago—last summer or the holidays. 

They point out that a solar eclipse is happening on June 10th, “that fully activates the other side of the coin,” Kelly says.  It is on the North Node then, which she notes is the idea that “you can’t get enough, an insatiable quality.” Austin adds that the June solar eclipse will be in Gemini, an area in our charts that has already been “overstimulated” by Venus and Mercury being there.  And, how it affects each individual would be, in part, determined by where in your birthchart Gemini falls. 

Rick Levine also reiterates that this lunar eclipse means letting go of something from the past, and as a south node eclipses it is tied to the past.  “But we have all this energy in Gemini, which is insisting that we move our intellect by learning, by studying, by learning new things, by having new experiences, by being adaptable, by being ready to change.”   He also points out that the moon and sun, only a few hours before the eclipse occurs, form challenging square angles to Jupiter in Pisces.  Jupiter, Levine says, is “about taking our beliefs or our opinions and mixing that up with reality. We can think that what we believe is true and forget that what we believe is merely what we believe.”  He also says that “truth does not require belief, and belief does not necessarily mean it’s true,” so if we overinflate what we think is true, he says, it becomes self-righteousness.  This eclipse is about letting go of some of these beliefs, which may be tying us to the past. Or maybe, he suggests, they never really existed or were not as ideal as we think things were.  In order to move ahead, we have to sort this out.

Acyuta-bhava Dasa  notes that this eclipse and the square angles to Jupiter mean “this is going to be about faith, other worldliness, spirituality and there might be some sense of being resigned to that which is inevitable, but finding faith in it” in a way that strengthens our faith. He adds that this eclipse also relates to things that are “growing and appearing in the wake of newness coming through” and “a wisdom about what has to be let go of.” 

Around the time of the eclipse, we have mercury and venus squaring Neptune in Pisces,  Mercury slowing down and preparing to go retrograde (appearing to move backwards in the sky), and eventually Mars coming into a harmonious alignment to Neptune on the 30th.

MAY 29-30

Chris Brennan tells us that as Mercury slows down to go retrograde, it forms a 90˚ square angle with Neptune, and Kelly Surtees points out there will be three such squares between Mercury and Neptune.  This, she says, “feeds into a hazy, overwhelmed quality for Mercury”–the planet of communication, logic, thoughts, writing, and learning. Chris explains that, as many of us already know, Mercury retrogrades can be about miscommunication and confusion, but when it is at a challenging angle to the blurry energy of Neptune, it doubles these qualities.  He adds that early in the pandemic, in February or March of 2020, there was a difficult connection between Mercury and Neptune when Mercury was going retrograde.  The virus, he said, “was still new. No one knew how it was transmitted. They thought it was by touch rather than by air. People did not wear masks….They were making a mistake due to not being clear or having a false illusion.”   After Chris says at that time Mercury was in Pisces with Neptune, and now Mercury is in its home sign of Gemini, while Neptune is in its own home sign of Pisces, Austin Coppock notes that Mercury now in its own sign is very clever, and it can be clever in how ou act based on bad data, or having bad information.  “If you have wrong narrative within the story you believe is happening, but it is a different story, those smart decisions don’t end up being smart,” he says.

They point out that there are common threads for people thinking things were normal in May/June of 2020 and this May/June of 2021, because Venus also slowed down to go retrograde last year and was in a square to Neptune.  “Things were not over,” Chris said.  “It was a mistake to think things would be normal then.”  Kelly Surtees points out that this time it is Mercury, not Venus, in Gemini, square to Neptune, which she believes could be about transportation and travel coming back—gearing up again after a break—and “there will be mistakes made, quirks people forget based on foggy facts. Trying to do something that on paper seems it should work, but snags because things have not been operating at this level.”

But Mercury goes retrograde late in the month, on the 29th/ 30th, and most of the effects will begin that day, and last for three weeks in June.  Chris, points out, however, that the close timing of Mercury’s change of direction to the lunar eclipse could tie the retrograde into the eclipse energy, which would extend a theme, a crisis, and event that comes up and it would still play out in June. 

Levine, however, points out that throughout May, the speed of change has built up, and by the time Mercury goes retrograde, it is time to take a deep breath and “pull back, suck it in, clean up all that stuff that we haven’t dealt with yet so that as mercury turns direct toward the end of June, on through July and August, that we are then ready for the next phase forward.”

On the 30th, Mars will also make a harmonious trine angle to Neptune, which Rick Levine says relates to “this whole idea of illusion and dreams and the beliefs that we have are very much a part of what is going on here” and based on the eclipse having just occurred in connection with the tail of the dragon (the South Node), it is about letting  go of that which ties us to the past that simply is in the way of moving into the future.”  Mars aligning harmoniously with Neptune helps us to “dream our way into the future,” Levine says.