**Please note: I’ll be speaking at Norwac, the astrology conference in Seattle, on Memorial Day weekend. I will be available for a limited number of private sessions, so if you plan to attend or live in the area and would like to have an in-person consultation with me, please feel free to email me: rose_marcus@shaw.ca
Forecast Overview:
Eclipse season officially began with the Scorpio lunar eclipse on April 25, but eclipses can be triggered well before they actually happen. Last month’s new moon on April 9 and Pluto’s turn to retrograde on April 12 supplied extra turbo power to the first of our three eclipses. Just to remind you of a few of the headlines, this Scorpio eclipse brought the Boston bombing, an earthquake in China, a terrorist threat in Canada, another teen suicide in Canada, another child rape in India, the building collapse in Bangladesh, and more bloodshed in Syria.
Through the first half of May, a number of planets cross the karmic axis. Venus has been first (April 27, 28). She’s followed by Pallas Athene, the warrior/justice goddess (May 2, 3) the Sun (May 5, 6), Mercury, (May 8, 9) and Mars, (May 11 – 13). Whether you witness the unfolding as subtle or striking, know that we are in the thick of the karmic program. To hit the nail home with more force, these planets have also been forming oppositions with Saturn in Scorpio. A crystallization influence, Saturn forms the base of our reality. When in Scorpio, it can be experienced as undermining or as power-play time; so far we have witnessed both. If you have recently felt Saturn as a block, a penalty, or hold-up, past May 5 you should see better surpassing.
The days leading up to the Taurus solar eclipse new moon on May 9 are highly activated. Watch money markets/trends. What price do we put on life? What price are we willing to pay to perpetuate our as-is reality? How high is the price of greed or the fear of have-not? Where do we get stuck or resist our own abundance? This net worth, self worth eclipse is a launch pad for advancing all matters related to Taurus archetype – ie. money, survival, survivorship, mortality, sexuality, fertility. Taurus also correlates to that which sustains our existence and our quality of life, in other words, our personal assets and resources, and the world’s most precious assets too.
Pallas Athene, the warrior goddess, brings the political fight, human rights, personal rights, and search for justice into the solar eclipse arena. British Columbians go to the voting polls on May 14. While the war in Syria, the war against terrorism, the war against women, children, poverty, starvation, and human violation sends shock waves through our collective heart, Juno in Aquarius in critical angle to the solar eclipse suggests we poised at a karmic break-through threshold. Juno is the contract and covenant asteroid. Before liberation can occur, the full light of awareness must shatter through the darkness. On the personal note, Juno suggests a karmic calling forth of a relationship or opportunity which is now ready to make its presence known in your life.
Just prior to the solar eclipse, the transiting moon and Ceres in Cancer stimulates the ongoing Uranus/Pluto transit. Ceres is both a seeding and a resurrecting or reclaiming influence. In the sign of Cancer, it ignites matters to do with home and family, vulnerability, food sources, agriculture, personal and national security. It seeks to nourish, sustain, protect, make safe and secure.
Venus entering Gemini on May 9, Mercury and Mars in Taurus are activated by this solar eclipse. Watch for a key person, messenger, event, communiqué, announcement, or news to set wheels in motion.
The Sagittarius lunar eclipse on May 24 also involves Venus and Mercury, but this time they are on the same page (conjunct in Gemini). This is a mobilizing time for people, news, information, markets and trend-setting. An epidemic or run-off is within the range of possibilities too. This full moon eclipse is hardly visible, but it is a super moon which means it has more than the usual punch. It holds resonance with the first of Uranus/Pluto alignments which took place on June 24, 2012. At that time, the United Nations officially declared Syria’s situation as a civil war, Greece formed a new government, Mubarak was sentence to life in prison, and Mohamed Morsi was declared President of Egypt.
On Victoria Day, May 20, the same day the sun advances into Gemini, Uranus squares Pluto for the 3rd of 7 alignments, bringing us to yet another razor’s edge, threshold-crossing peak. May 26 to 28, Mercury and Venus conjoin Jupiter. That’s a lot of added action surrounding this May 24 eclipse. This lunar eclipse references Syria’s chart, specifically its Mars/Uranus position. (Jan 1, 1944, 5:41 am, Damascus, Syria.)
Neptune, in critical aspect (square) to the karmic axis, is also a highly influential factor of the lunar eclipse. It raises the collective consciousness. On the one hand, Neptune can act as a dissolving, diffusing, or dissipating influence. It can raise hope or disillusionment. There can be loss, evaporation, or slipping way. On the other hand, it can bring much sought after potentials into manifestation.
Neptune references iconic moments, people, and transitions; among the range of possibilities, we could see a major announcement, trade, market run, agreement, or paper inked. All three eclipses are active on Nelson Mandela’s chart. The ticket prices are sky rocketing, but the game, concert, trade-show, or conference could be the one-off you don’t want to miss. No matter where you find yourself, the experience should be notable, pivotal, and karmic. I’ll be speaking at Norwac, Seattle’s annual astrology conference.
Transiting three signs in the course of one month, Mercury travels very fast through May. Mars enters Gemini on May 31. Expect more action out there in the world and for your life to mobilize with greater than usual speed too.
May 9: Solar Eclipse: 5:28 pm (19:31 Taurus)
May 24: Lunar Eclipse, Super Moon: 9:25 pm (4:08 Sagittarius)
May 1: Mercury into Taurus: 8:37 am
May 15: Mercury into Gemini: 1:41 pm
May 20: Sun into Gemini: 2:10 pm
May 28: Pallas into Gemini: 8:07 pm
May 31: Mars into Gemini: 3:39 am
May 31: Mercury in Cancer: 0:07 am
**May 20: Uranus square Pluto (#3 of 7 alignments: 2012 – 2015)
Dates to watch: May 1 – 14, 21 – 28
ARIES (March 21- April 19)
Once it starts to break open for you, the pace will pick up plenty of speed. By May 5 or 6, you are likely to find yourself turning a sharp corner. Ceres triggers Pluto and Uranus for the better portion of this month. It’s a critical month to re-view and revamp your career goals and material bottom lines. Ceres also brings a long standing family dynamic/issue to a karmic turning point.
What is it that holds deepest value and meaning for you? The solar eclipse on May 9 brings it into sharper focus. This potent eclipse is one that creates a sharp dividing line between what was and is. It begins a new net worth and self worth cycle. It can support you to manifest, create, secure, and solidify in a way that you have not yet been able to do. The advance of Venus into Gemini suggests an opportunity to study, communicate, write, reach out, mobilize and diversify in some new way. It is an ideal time to look for a new job or income source, to revamp your social profile, website, marketing, to rearrange banking or loans, etc. A sibling, friend, colleague, messenger, agent, challenger, or lover can be an instrumental key to where life takes you next. You may borrow, commit, or gain. A signature can seal the deal in some momentous way too.
Victoria Day, May 20, can produce edgy or high strung energy, thanks to the third instalment of Uranus square Pluto. Even so, supportive stars make for stimulating social exchange, or a creative think-tank day. Too, synchronicity and surprise is a peak. Shop, search, talk, share, make contact. You can discover a solution, gain added clarity, have an “ah-ha” moment, etc.
Coinciding with the US holiday weekend, the lunar eclipse on May 24 is mobilizing in some significant way. It can prompt travel or more than the usual social involvement. May 24 to 30 is a particular fruitful time for putting yourself out there, for making connections and inroads.
TAURUS (April 20 -May 20)
Whether its push come to shove or ambition and inspiration that does it, you should feel well invigorated as Mars hits a good fighting stride in your sign to May 31. While the lunar eclipse on April 25 may have been confronting, the solar eclipse on May 9 sets a fertile launch pad, especially so for those born on or near this date. Even so, it is also a cut-off, ultimatum, or do battle time. Someone could suddenly pull the plug on you. You could be squeezed out of position, find yourself displaced or replaced. It’s much better to be proactive rather than to play a sitting duck. More lucrative opportunity and choice lies ahead.
Venus in Gemini, starting May 9 helps you to make better social, relationship, and financial inroads. Mercury in Gemini, starting May 15, doubles up on this last statement. The switch to Gemini in the second half of the month makes it more possible for head and heart to talk more freely with one another. Key relationships can move onto a fresh same page too. Whether this means more togetherness or two separate ways depends on what has already been in play. Venus, Mercury, Uranus/Pluto and the lunar eclipse of May 24 can also introduce new karmic players, be they lovers, friends, co-conspirators or competitors. Watch for plenty to spark in the last two weeks of the month. This is an exceptionally lucrative time for the money chase, creative endeavour, and social involvement. It can also be an opportune time to get a new address.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
Seven placements in Taurus at month’s start suggest it’s an especially fertile time for creative development, and for planting a new garden inside your consciousness. Call it “honouring my higher self more”. A budding new romance can be in the works for some of you too. If you have felt stuck or blocked, you won’t be for long. Venus in Gemini, May 9 to June 2, Mercury in Gemini, May 15 to 31 and the rest of this month’s dynamic stars will launch you on your way. What’s brewing or stewing behind the scenes will gain greater visibility once the May 9 solar eclipse strikes its match. Once it does, you can expect to be on a much faster track. The days preceding the eclipse are hotwired.
The sun’s entrance into Gemini on May 20 is accompanied by the dynamic Uranus square Pluto transit. Mercury is also a player. This can be a synchronistic or jarring day. People, ideas, information, opportunity or inspirations can suddenly jump out at you. If the day or days surround it comes and goes with little impact, watch for the May 24 lunar eclipse 24 to ring the bell. Coinciding with get out of school time for some, Memorial Day weekend for others, the super moon eclipse in Gemini can signal the start of a vacation, a money chase, or a relationship adventure. May 23 to 29, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter in Gemini enjoy each other’s company. It’s your best time to reach out and touch someone, to travel, network, promote, to move residence, invest, play, develop, create, or to sign important papers and agreements. One way or another, Mars in Gemini, starting May 31, revs you/it up even more.
CANCER (June 22-July 22)
Whether it is obvious to you or not, last month’s transforming eclipse has been a major catalyst. It will continue to unfold for you in increments. For most of the month, Saturn in Scorpio is well aligned with Neptune in Pisces and Ceres in Cancer. This resourceful water trine provides access to your buried (and not so buried) emotional and creative reservoirs. You know there’s a whole lot more for you to explore beyond your current existence.
Whether circumstances build step-by-step, or whether synchronicity sweeps the floor all at once, the solar eclipse on May 9 sets the goal on making your prospects more tangible and real. This eclipse is lucrative for the money chase, for personal reinvention, and for a new life chapter. With this month’s Uranus/Pluto activation putting it all on the line, the radical and risky simply can’t be avoided.
Teamed up, social, r alone, the lunar eclipse on May 24 is ideal for a getaway-from-it-all weekend. Someone could make an unexpected appearance. Whether through communication, actions, or circumstances, you could meet with a significant repeat or déjà vu. An exchange can peal back more than is in intended. Don’t take chances with your health or your safety. The days following the full moon dish up plenty to think about. You’ll find you are especially expressive and forthcoming, others are too. The conversation or stream of consciousness seems not to have an end. In fact, it is just beginning.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Have you had a tough go as of late? We all have. Just past the first of the month, you should start to see a break. The May 9 new moon solar eclipse gets an early kick start from the transiting Aries moon, May 5 to 7. This solar eclipse is in Taurus, it influences your career activities and prospects. It can catapult your status in the world or within your private life into a new direction. This eclipse pertains to goals, objectives, right timing, ripening stages, reaping or harvesting. It can signal the start of a major professional or personal achievement and recognition cycle. Out of desire or necessity, more personal or financial responsibility is possible now. Whether you take it on willing or are forced into it, it will prove to be for a worthy goal. When it shows up, it does so for a reason. For some, this month’s eclipses are catalysts for the discovery of a more purposeful life path. They set circumstance into play that can help you to bring your gifts out into the world in a more significant and satisfying way.
Venus advances into Gemini on the solar eclipse of May 9, Mercury on May 15, and the sun on May 20, the same day Uranus squares Pluto. The second half of the month requires a lot less force and a lot more open-endedness. You’ll suddenly find more variety, options, and avenues are available to you. It’s a better time to get connected and involved, to promote, share, scout, explore, network, and diversify. You’ll move through your own paces much faster too. The lunar eclipse weekend of May 24 could put you on a social high. It can be a great party or special event weekend. Travel and shopping fits the bill nicely too. If you like to gamble, stay wise about it. The days following the full moon can bring you closer to a special someone. Too, you make a major purchase or plan, sign a lucrative agreement/contract, or undertake a big step forward in relationship or personal matters.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Your future is colouring itself in with better definition. The first half of the month is stacked with Taurus planetary activity. Primarily, the stars are positive, reaffirming, and confidence building. You’ll come to see that you have an ample source of strength and determination developing from within. Outwardly, there’s fresh and lucrative opportunity.
Whether pre-planned or suddenly thrust into action, the solar eclipse on May 9 is ideal for professional, scholastic, social, or personal life activities. Go to where the money or opportunity is. Expand your knowledge, your repertoire or your notoriety. Relocation, marketing, publishing, and broadcasting ventures can be especially lucrative now. Spend on your future. It’s your best investment.
The month ahead suggests you have more than one priority or part of your life on a radical redirection or acceleration program. The concentration in Gemini in the second half of the month can keep you juggling or running more than the usual, so make sure you stay up to speed as best you can in the first half of the month so that you can go the distance with fewer encumbrances.
Venus enters Gemini on the solar eclipse May 9 and Mercury follow suit on May 15. By the time the lunar eclipse happens on May 24, Venus and Mercury are working as a team (they are conjunct.) This super moon lunar eclipse gets it off the ground and into the air. Venus/Mercury suggests a key person acts as an influential catalyst or bridge. They could be someone in a position of authority, an agent, sibling, friend, advisor, etc. You can find yourself in favour with those in charge, or you can gain more attention for something you have accomplished. You can launch into a new professional or private life chapter, and/or gain a new address. Change happening to others can directly or indirectly affect you. This eclipse is also a lucrative time to switch gears and/or to sign a financial contract, lease, bank term, etc. In the last week of the month, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter team up. Your popularity and reputation can grow nicely. You should find relationships with those in positions of influence are harmonious. It’s a good time to ask for favours, a raise, a new position, etc., to team together on a project, or to map out short term and future plans.
LIBRA (SEPT 22-OCT 22)
Finances or circumstances may have caused added strain in recent weeks, but there are better days ahead, especially in the latter half of May.
May 4/5 can be a time to set the record straight, to sign documents or to make a commitment. The week of May 6 can put relationship matters and professional matters on the fast track. Something unexpected can get you up and out of your comfort zone. When the moment strikes, act fast. The May 9 solar eclipse is an ideal time to make a break for it and/or invest in your future. Aim for a new financial, professional or educational direction. Diversify your portfolio, your products, or your skill sets. This is an ideal time to launch or upgrade a website, to expand your marketing and media inroads. It is also a time for you to have a serious dialogue with you own soul, to look at your core issues and to make a commitment to living a higher quality of life. May 9 to 14 can be a critical staging, grooming, shaping, and/or decision making time. You can be confronted by necessity or another.
Mercury’s advance into Gemini on May 15 helps you to expand and explore more. Packing extra punch, the sun’s entrance into Gemini on May 20 coincides with the first the of two Uranus/Pluto peaks of the year. From here through the end of the month, the stars are in your court. Make the most of it.
Venus and Mars are conjunct in Gemini on the lunar eclipse of May 24. Mercury, Venus and Mars in cahoots through May 28 offer your best time to wheel and deal. Socialize network, negotiate, promote, perform, exhibit, scout, make plans, aim higher, welcome your future.
SCORPIO (Oct 23~Nov 22)
You should feel the pressure eases up just past the start of May. Too you’ll be better able to surpass your own inner/outer battleground. Whether circumstances are of your choosing or forced upon you, the solar eclipse of May 9 begins a new financial, social, or public life status. The days preceding this eclipse could be catalytic, perhaps unexpectedly so. Regarding work, health, equipment, transportation, paperwork, or communication matters, May 6 – 8 could be especially challenging. Stay alert, keep safety in mind and watch for the unexpected.
Venus enters Gemini on the solar eclipse, Mercury on May 15 and the sun on May 20, the same day that Uranus and Pluto join forces yet again. Finances, alliances, news, messages, key relationships, plans, short trips, and marketing matters – more than one opportunity or issue can give you a run for it. You can be directly or indirectly influenced by others. May 13 to 16 can put added concentration on family, safety, and security matters.
The lunar eclipse on May 24 can see you face a major expense or undertake a significant investment. This is a stepping stone and risk taking time, not only for financial matters but also for relationship involvements. If you are going to sign on or up, make sure that you are on the same page with expectations and obligations. Also agree to leave room to revisit the discussion in the future. Regarding a contract or trial run, make sure to cover provisions for a second term. You don’t have to nail it all down all at once, but try to give yourself as much option and latitude as you can. This eclipse can also raise issues to do with immigration and citizenship status. What has been viewed as a future prospect could come into a more immediate framework. A relocation and/or professional redirection is well timed. Should you be in a relationship that is delivering less than you want or deserve, this eclipse can be the prompt that blows the cover off. If a parting occurs happens, it is likely to be of mutual consent, if not in the immediacy of the moment, then soon after. May 27 – 30, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter make for profitable activities, good connections, ease of mobility, transport, marketing, and communications, the ability to spread the word and/or to influence more people. A new trend or fad could spark your interest. Someone new could intrigue you too.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 ~ Dec 21)
Health, work issues, gardening (literal/figurative) and fixer-upper projects are likely to be all consuming through the first half of this month. The best you can do for yourself is to get a routine going and stick with it. As the month advances there will be the need to modify it or to shake it up, but for now, aim for productivity, consistency, and stability. Also, keep simplicity and ease in mind. The more straightforward it is, the more success you’ll have with it.
As a precursor to the May 9 eclipse, May 5 to 7 can spur you into action, perhaps unexpectedly so. Breaking out of the rut or stalemate is the main thrust of this Taurus eclipse. It signals a lucrative time to begin a new job, training or marketing program, or health regime. Someone you know could be instrumental in getting the ball rolling for you. A simple conversation could lead to more. If you are an animal lover, this destiny’s strike eclipse can be a time when a furry friend can claim you.
As stated in the intro, the eclipse can also bring survival and mortality issues to the surface. Don’t take risks with your health or safety.
The second half of the month is likely to be busier than the first half, thanks to the sign switches of Venus, Mercury, and the sun out of Taurus and into Gemini. You’ll find you interface with more people. There’s likely more to discuss and more running around or chasing down to do.
May 20, Uranus/Pluto can see you make a personal, relationship, or creative breakthrough. When the inspiration, will, or passion strikes, there’s no holding back. The lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on May 24 can be particularly igniting or catapulting if your birthday falls on or around Nov 25 or Dec 11. Venus and Mercury can thrust a key relationship or financial matter onto a faster track. This can be an auspicious time to begin a new adventure, to take a bigger risk on your future, to travel, promote or perform, to speak your truth, to demonstrate more of who you really are and what’s really in your heart. May 27 and 28 are lucrative dates to make contact, to get a move on, to socialize, spend, or enjoy.
CAPRICORN (DEC 22~JAN 19)
Saturn, your ruler, has been holding court as of late. Mercury is the last in a string of planets to oppose Saturn. As of May 5, the inner and/or outer push/pull is surpassed and the last knot is worked out. From here life accelerates. This Mercury/Saturn aspect brings you to a peak of accomplishment and sets the stage for the next contract term to be written, (actual, figurative, karmic). Renew your vow to your own transformation and empower yourself. Backed by the accumulation of time and experience, a more wizened consciousness, and formidable determination, Saturn is well supported by Neptune and Chiron in Pisces through mid August. For the better portion of May, both Ceres and Vesta in Cancer also support Saturn’s initiative. Regarding career and material wellbeing, home and private life, or social involvement, it’s the right time to plant new seeds and to watch them grow. Greater emotional satisfaction lies ahead. Of course, the stars will not let you build on a false foundation. If it cannot withstand the stress test, it will falter.
May 6, 7, can get the ball rolling faster than you planned, perhaps unexpectedly so. The Taurus solar eclipse on May 9 can be a lucrative one for career, creativity, and matters of the heart. There can be sudden expense or financial opportunity. On the other hand, this eclipse could be one of shattering through a mindset or psychological barrier. You could make a significant breakthrough or be thrust into unexpected territory. As stated above, the eclipse can prompt a severing time/breaking point for relationships or circumstances that no longer serve.
Ceres in Cancer keeps the dynamic Uranus/Pluto alignment triggered through the first half of the month. On May 20, this bust-up-the-concrete aspect reaches the first of two peaks of the year. The further or deeper you go, the more there is to juggle. By this point Venus, Mercury, and the sun will have advanced out of Taurus and into Gemini.
Coinciding with Memorial Day weekend, the lunar eclipse on May 24 is an ideal time to getaway from the work or worry and to enjoy quality r & r. Then again, this eclipse can make you feel initially overwhelmed with the pile up of work and loose ends, and/or by the looming future. An announcement, revelation, contract, invitation, or replacement, can set bigger wheels in motion too.
What happens for one happens for both or all. Two birds at once, Venus conjoined with Mercury in Gemini on the eclipse suggest working along a double track, or a time to multi-task. This is also a multiple, domino, compounding, stepping up, or trading places aspect. Don’t hesitate to ditch or switch in order to get yourself where you want to and need to be. A better replacement is likely to be immediately found. Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in alignment from May 24 to 29 can bring you more work or more to work through, but they also provide a better work-it-out platform too. They open the door for more discussion, better communication, teamwork and same page accord. Aim to get a better game plan together. Concentrate on fixing, healing, modifying, and upgrades. Also recognize the now as a transition phase. Each step of the way will map it further. Use the experience and guidance you are given.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 ~ Feb 18)
The added strain, responsibility, or worry has been significant as of late. The days prior to the May 9 solar eclipse are sure to get you unstuck, over the hump, and into a faster move ahead. (You could become temporarily unglued or unhinged too.) What’s unleashed or released can easily sweep to an extreme. Juno, the contract/covenant asteroid, is at a critical angle to this eclipse. It suggests that you are poised a key life intersection and a major karmic choice-point time. Life can come at you, but what you do with it is entirely up to you. Do you continue the repeating loop or will you take a risk into the uncharted? You are offered great opportunity now, to make a significant leap, to reinvent yourself and to accelerate your evolution.
Looking for a new residence or a career change? You should find more and better options appear on the market as of May 5 onward. The advance of Venus into Gemini on the solar eclipse begins a better social and creative track. Mercury will also set the stage for a better communication and opportunity flow as of May 15. This pair will unite on the lunar eclipse super moon of May 24. Watch for life to piece it together for you. Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter keep good company through month’s end. They favour communications, social involvements, networking, pleasure pursuits, study, and travel.
Uranus and Pluto come to the first peak of the year on May 20, but thanks to Ceres and Vesta in Cancer, their influence is triggered for the entire month. In turn, Uranus/Pluto adds extra punch to the eclipses. A radical new reality is in the works and with it comes a new consciousness too. Welcome your future – it has been designed for your ultimate benefit.
PISCES (Feb 19 ~ March 20)
The solar eclipse on May 9 can move you past a relationship or personal hurdle, or circumstance road block. Off with the old and on to something hot, it can be the right time to make or renew a financial commitment, to start a new business or creative project, or to severe ties with someone or something that offers more challenge than growth. On the other hand, something or someone brand new can be just the ticket. Be open to exploring. It should take you no time at all to figure things out. Better options should be a no-brainer. Don’t hesitate to invest big. Money or attention spent on personal, education, family or home-base upgrades is well spent.
The advances of Venus (May 9), Mercury (May 15), and the sun into Gemini (May 20) can bring visitors or introduce you to new roommates. These planetary influences keep you busy with a home hunt, a key family member or close friend, family planning, gatherings, milestones, etc.
The first of two Uranus/Pluto peaks of the year occurs on May 20, but the transit is triggered all month, especially so in the week prior to and following the May 9 eclipse. This acceleration transit is prompting you to discover new internal resources, skill sets, and financial avenues. The transit is an individualizing aspect. It aims to set you free on yourself. In the process, you’ll develop more strength, independence, and self reliance. You’ll find you start to attract quite differently now too.
If you haven’t done it yet, the lunar eclipse on May 24 can be the time to get a move on. Be it a trip, a major financial investment, an official new relationship status, a professional opportunity or new home address, or what-have-you, opportunity and adventure are calling. May 24 through the end of the month, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter keep the buzz and the social opportunity going strong.