Current Transits for May 2012 Current Transits for May 2012Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Jupiter Quintile Chiron, 5-4
Full Moon at 16Sc01, 5-5
Jupiter Octile Uranus, 5-7
Saturn Trioctile Chiron, 5-11
Chiron Sextile Pluto, 5-12
Venus Retrograde Station at 23Gm59, 5-15
Jupiter Quincunx Saturn, 5-16
Juno reenters Scorpio, 5-17
Jupiter Trioctile Pluto, 5-17
Pallas enters Aries, 5-17
New Moon / Annular Solar Eclipse at 0Gm20, 5-20
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
May looks like the opening act of a rather eventful summer. Much of the month is a spectacular planetary storm that introduces some of the important themes we'll be dealing with for quite some time. May is loaded with "big aspects", at least 6 of them by my count, which hints at the pivotal nature of this time all by itself. Of course, many of these aspects are simply acts of introduction for an even bigger aspect that starts Jun 24, the square of Uranus and Pluto, a 3 year aspect that promises to overturn many areas of our lives. I've hinted at this one for several years now -- guess what, it's here. The storm pattern is built around this coming square, although every major planet contributes, so we'll get a good taste of what this aspect is about at mid-month. Other bits of news include the start of a retrograde cycle for Venus on May 15 (to Jun 27). While many people know of the pitfalls of Mercury retrograde, much less is heard about Venus. In my mind, Venus backing up is much more difficult, since she works at a more intuitive, feeling based level that throws off our responses at a more basic level. Also, the new moon on the 20th is an annular solar eclipse with an interesting back story. (The full moon on Jun 4 is a partial lunar eclipse.) In short, this is a high powered month with repercussions for quite some time. Get ready for a "challenging" time...
There are 6 "big aspects" to discuss this month, an unusually large number of significant influences. It should be noted that even when I describe some of these as a "quick contact", there is no such thing as a quick outer planet. So even though the aspect is exact on a certain date, essentially all of them are quite active all month. In addition, Pallas and Juno change signs and Venus starts a retrograde cycle. Also remember we are starting an eclipse season with eclipses on May 20 and Jun 4, always a time of big adjustments.
Jupiter is quintile Chiron on the 4th. This is a quick single pass transit. The effect of this aspect can best be summed up in two questions. What's holding you back from making a wider connection with the world around you? And why on earth do you really believe that's an issue? Jupiter rules our contacts with others and the benefits we receive by sharing our goodies among ourselves, while Chiron is the feeling of limitations we impose on ourselves due to past fear and shame. The wild card here is the quintile aspect, a contact that works by looking at problems from a new perspective that frees you from the old way of living. You don't solve problems so much as move beyond them so they become a non-issue. This is a supportive influence for you if you're trying to move past old restrictions that have been keeping you from flourishing. Too bad it doesn't hang around longer.
First impressions of the full moon chart is that it's weak and without obvious focus. The Sun and Moon are somewhat isolated from the rest of the chart. The rest of the planets seem to fall into 2 separate groups that are loosely connected. Obviously, we're still in a transition phase leading up to the coming storm. One of these groups includes Uranus, Ceres, Mars, Pluto and Chiron, with Vesta, Juno and Neptune on the fringes. The other group contains Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Pallas.
The Moon is in Scorpio, so don't be surprised if powerful emotions or just plain moodiness crop up. You may not be able to put your finger on what is causing these feelings since the planets triggering them are not really talking to the Moon. In particular, the Uranus-Pluto group is stirring up powerful waves in the deep psyche in coming weeks. If you're unaware of these currents, they still happen to you, only below the surface. It helps to get away from the busy-ness of daily life occasionally and give yourself some time to let these hidden influences bubble up to awareness. The second group is complex, but seems to operate at a more normal level. If I had to pick one planet as the focus of this group, it would be Saturn. Pretty much, this group is daily living, taking care of life's mundane concerns. It should be noted that these two groups are loosely connected by 8th harmonic aspects which have an element of friction and discord in a muted way. It makes it hard to balance out the various parts of life, particularly the mundane and the spiritual. You'll probably find yourself concentrating on one part to the exclusion of the other or flipping back and forth between them instead of successfully integrating the two sides. If you can't handle both sides at once, you'll probably experience a number of hassles or roadblocks in certain areas of your life -- just a reminder note from the universe to be less one-sided. These issues may not surface until the storm picks up in about a week.
Jupiter is octile Uranus on the 7th, another quick single pass contact. This aspect tends to work mostly on the mental plane. Jupiter is the conventional wisdom of our culture, the common reality we all more or less share and agree to. Uranus is more the intuitive, seat-of-the-pants that is being created on the fly by those free thinkers on the leading edge of change. And given that this is an octile, there's a lot of friction, even conflict, between these two views of the world. It's a time when new ideas and viewpoints need to fight for their acceptance, even as obsolete ideas struggle to maintain their hold on our lives. Given that Jupiter is also aspecting Pluto, the urge to undergo deep evolutionary change is all the stronger. I suspect this octile makes for a rather harsh and shrill dialogue between people on opposite sides of this mental divide, as though the rhetoric wasn't inflammatory enough already. It's a good time to question your own assumptions, especially those social norms that we incorporate into our lives without thinking. Many of our old mental habits don't apply anymore, even if we don't realize that. "The same old" won't cut it anymore.
Saturn is trioctile Chiron on the 11th, the 4th of 5 such contacts. This series of contacts started back on 2010-10-28 (just before the 2010 elections); the final connection is coming up on Jul 29, wrapping up the series. Saturn is a teacher to us about such unpopular topics as responsibility, discipline or living within our means -- not the kind of friend most people invite to their parties. He tends to impart a mood of limitation and lack, a feeling of being hemmed in. Given his current retrograde cycle in late Libra, issues of our responsibilities within relationships with others are high on his list of lessons. Chiron is still getting his act together in early Pisces, unloading a heap of painful and embarrassing emotions on us. And the trioctile brings these two together in an inharmonious fashion, as if to make the message beyond ignoring. We're nearing the end of this aspect this summer, so now is the time to finally get right with the people you interact with on a regular basis, relying on your strength of character, not your fears and anxieties. We feel the walls closing in on us for a reason -- we put those walls there in the first place and we're responsible for liberating ourselves from it. It's time to move beyond false restrictions.
Chiron is sextile Pluto on the 12th, the 1st of 5 contacts. The next time they meet is on Sep 6. The series continues until 2014-2-25, so this is a potent, long lasting influence. These two planets make an interesting combination. Pluto takes us deep within ourselves, revealing uncomfortable truths we're normally unconscious of, while Chiron helps us overcome the fear or anxiety that causes us to recoil from these truths and turn the other way. Together they let us face the way we are with courage and honesty. Their conjunction in 1999 showed this trend admirably -- I turned this aspect into a vibrational remedy called "Shadow Master" that has been useful with a number of clients over the years. I suspect this sextile will have similar qualities, letting us get real with ourselves. Since this is a 2 year influence, we have some time to go through the process; because it's a sextile, the process is made easier if you just do the work. It also means Chiron will be intimately entangled with the Uranus-Pluto square the next few years, making a complicated situation even more so. Perhaps Chiron will take the edge off the square, allowing us to see radical change through a healing lens, not just a call to revolution. The changes have to happen on the inside first if the outer transitions are to have a lasting influence. Be frankly honest with yourself...
Venus reaches her retrograde station of 23Gm59 on the 15th, starting a 6 week retrograde period. This time continues until Jun 27, when she goes direct again at 7Gm29. Despite all the fancy, frilly and love oriented associations astrology has with Venus, her role in the psyche is pretty basic. It can be summed up in one simple question: Do I like this or dislike this? All living beings are attracted to what they like, mostly because it turns out to be good for them (usually). Similarly, we are repelled by what we dislike because it protects us from harm. We learn these tendencies before we can even talk, which makes them very hard to change or understand. Also, like many things learned in childhood, your likes and dislikes may actually work at cross purposes with your greater goals as an adult and need to be questioned periodically. Venus retrograde is an excellent time to look at what is valuable in your life. When she's backing up like this, your tastes and values change. Things you'd normally not be attracted to suddenly look intriguing. That's the basis for the common warning about these cycles: save your receipts when you buy something. It may enlarge your tastes, but just as likely you'll find your new purchase rather tacky and want to return it. The same goes for relationships (especially romantic ones) that start during Venus retrograde. You may be attracted to someone totally out of character for you. A few weeks from now, Mr. Right may turn into Mr. Terribly Wrong. Explore and have fun expanding your boundaries -- that's how you break out of your early learned behavior. But leave yourself an escape route in case you change your mind later. I generally consider Venus' effects on such basic visceral responses more troublesome than the way Mercury retrograde scrambles the thinking mind. The effect goes much deeper. This is one of those times when it doesn't pay to trust your gut instincts, since that is what is off. Be a bit cautious until you sort these messages out...
Jupiter is quincunx Saturn on the 16th, the 1st of 3 such contacts. The next contact is on Dec 22 (just a day after the infamous Winter Solstice of 2012), while the last one is on 2013-3-23. Here's another aspect talking about the larger social implications of this time. The Jupiter-Saturn cycle is closely linked with events and trends at a national or even world level and the quincunx is an aspect that says matters are out of balance and need to be readjusted. It's been many years since we've had a positive aspect between these two planets (the trine of 2007-8, curiously as the housing bubble burst and the financial collapse started), so it feels like the world has experienced a long string of bad news. Unfortunately, we're not done with our troubled situation yet (mid 2013 at the earliest). It's hard to be patient, but you can't speed up the process -- things need to play out on their own schedule, not ours. The next two contacts are intriguing, as Jupiter and Saturn are joined by Pluto in a persistent Yod pattern. The changes go deeper than we can even imagine right now.
Juno backs up from Sagittarius and reenters Scorpio early on the 17th. She'll remain in this sign until Sep 16 when she returns to Sag; her transition from Sag to Capricorn is on Dec 18. Juno is the Queen of Relationships, particularly close romantic partnerships based (ideally) on love and mutual respect. Of course, when this ideal is not met, Juno reacts quite badly, resulting in a lot of rage and covert hostility. Her retrograde cycles are a time when relationships are tested and weaknesses exposed, sometimes to the breaking point. The situation was less trying while she was still in Sagittarius, a more casual sign than most. But Scorpio is another matter! This sign promotes extreme emotional reactions, especially when suspicion and doubt take over. If you find yourself questioning your partner, take a look at yourself first to see if you're blowing things out of proportion. There's a strong tendency to see the worst in others for no good reason. (On the other hand, sometimes partners are actually jerks...) Don't let your emotions run away from you during this time. Be patient with others.
Jupiter is trioctile Pluto on the 17th, a single pass contact. This is the second time this month that Jupiter has highlighted the Uranus-Pluto square -- hint, hint! Like the octile to Uranus, this aspect tends to undermine conventional wisdom and challenges the status quo. Feelings of discontent are prevalent in the public at large, an ill-defined desire to change things without really knowing what the appropriate fix might be. It wouldn't surprise me if there is some kind of economic problem that makes the news this week, as Jupiter has an affinity for the well to do in society, not to mention the major financial institutions, and Pluto puts them under stress. Plus Jupiter is winding down operations in Taurus shortly as he prepares to move into Gemini on Jun 11. The benefits of living in society seem less alluring than usual and not even Jupiter can hide that from us...
Pallas moves from Pisces into Aries on the 17th. Due to an upcoming retrograde cycle, she'll back into Pisces again Oct 3 through 2013-1-10. At that time she returns to Aries until 2013-3-30, shifting into Taurus. Pallas is good at planning that leads to action. She sizes up the situation before her and sees how to get from here to there. Considering how different in approach the signs of Aries and Pisces are (it's hard to imagine 2 signs that are more opposite in nature), this retrograde cycle is really stifling your ability to take action. Aries wants to get busy and do something -- now! Barging ahead like this hardly counts as "planning", so a bit of restraint may be in order. Pisces, on the other hand, is so unfocused and unmotivated that it's hard to accomplish anything. When you're confused, try studying the confusion! Obviously there's a more balanced middle ground between these extremes that is more effective. Going to either extreme is an indication that you're not choosing your path in a more conscious and skillful fashion. Just be certain you actually get off your butt and do something during this placement -- Aries demands no less.
This solar eclipse chart is intriguing in many ways. First of all, the basic storm pattern based on Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto and friends is still active, even though the Sun and Moon are gradually moving out of this picture. They are more in touch with Neptune and the asteroids Juno and Pallas. Mercury is about to pass over Jupiter on the 22nd, so Mercury is the most prominent trigger planet.
Another curious fact about this eclipse is that it's conjunct the tiny star cluster called the Pleiades (or "The Seven Sisters"). The Pleiades play a prominent role in many star myths around the world, especially those mythologies dealing with the mystery of precession. Whenever the Sisters show up in an old story, you can assume there's a deeper spiritual or mythic content to the tale. One concrete instance of this connection relates to Mayan temple sites in the Yucatan. Temples were often designed so the Pleiades passed directly overhead, but as the stars precessed through Taurus over the centuries, these zenith passages happened at more northerly latitudes. Over time, one temple site after another rose to prominence and then fell into obscurity as Pleiades-in-the-zenith passed them by. In our time, sites in the northern Yucatan, such as Chichen Itza, are favored. The Sisters were also important in their calendrical calculations and related rituals. Given all the 2012 hoopla around the Mayan calendar, this seems like a significant connection.
The eclipse is visible across the northern Pacific basin. Since this is an annular eclipse, the Sun isn't blacked out completely by the Moon, but is reduced to a spectacular "ring of fire" visible along the central eclipse path. This path stretches from southern China and Japan, to northern California, Nevada, northern Arizona and New Mexico. There are plenty of sacred sites (like Mt. Shasta) and old native civilizations along this path -- it's almost as if the eclipse is trying to energize these ancient sites. The ring of fire should make for spectacular sunsets across these states.
Astrologically, the eclipse activates Neptune, Juno and Pallas heavily. We've been tuning into Neptune a lot since it moved into Pisces back on Feb 3 and as it approaches its retrograde station on Jun 4 (just after the lunar eclipse!). Neptune brings us into a rarefied spiritual dimension, a world of dreams, myths and ideal worlds. But the curious thing about this psychic realm is that it's deeply entangled with the mundane physical world. The spiritual is spilling over into everyday life in a mysterious and confusing manner. With Juno directly opposite the eclipse, your close relationships are an important stage for encountering this higher heart energy. Drop your pretenses and petty games as you open up more to your heart center. The trick is to let this play out in everyday life, as demanded by the planets in the old storm pattern. This is an intense astrological event with far-reaching results, though it requires sensitivity on your part to make the connections. If you don't "get it", this is the start of a very confusing time.