I’m out of town right now so I’m a bit delayed in posting the full article to my website, but here’s the introduction to help you get started on the month of May. I’ll be sending out my newsletter Sunday so if you want to sign up and receive the translations of these reports into English, visit my website or sign up in the sidebar here.

As the month of May begins, the opposition between Saturn and Uranus is still very much with us.  This tension between the pull of that which is familiar and known (Saturn) and that which is new and strange (Uranus) will diminish over the next few weeks but the principle of integrating these two opposites will be with us for quite some time.  This is the fourth phase of five, and the cycle will complete next summer.

Mercury is retrograde now, so plan for delays and glitches of all kinds.  Mercury is in the fixed and stubborn sign of Taurus where the flexibility required by the retrograde period is harder to achieve.  Just breathe and relax, and the details will follow eventually.

The element of air is underrepresented until the Sun enters Gemini.  The only planet in an air sign is Neptune, and Neptune’s pressure for transcendence does not encourage the objectivity and reason that the element of air provides.  For the first few weeks of May we may lack some of that objectivity and it will be necessary to attain a more rational viewpoint through the conscious application of mental focus.  This will be somewhat difficult until after Mercury turns direct on May 11.

Neptune’s influence is particularly powerful this month since it is slowing down in preparation for its retrograde turn at the end of the month.  When a planet prepares to change direction its apparent movement (from our perspective here on earth) is slower and the planet beams a more powerful ray than it normally does as it moves through the sky.  With the focus on Neptune we will be called from within to remember that there is much more to life than the physical realm.  Spirituality, poetry, creativity, music, and a general sense of compassion and divine love will be more important right now than usual.

Saturn also changes direction this month – after a few months of retrograde travel it will begin to station (stand still) towards the end of the month.  As the planet of restriction that creates limitations for us, Saturn’s stationary periods can emphasize that restriction to a greater extent.  If you remember that Saturn seeks structure, order, discipline and hard work, you can avoid some of the more difficult effects of a Saturn experience.

Mercury traveling retrograde can make it more difficult to define our thoughts and ideas, but with a harmonious trine from Mercury to Pluto on the 3^rd we have more focus and there is more power behind our ability to concentrate and communicate.  This is a good time for meetings or difficult conversations as any power imbalances will be harmonized and put to good use.

Mercury is also in a trine to Ceres on the 4^th.  This is a time to take care of ourselves and others – to spend some time in the garden or the farmer’s market, appreciating the wonders of the bounty of the earth.  A square from the Sun to Mars that day presents a chance of some minor conflict but could also energize us to take difficult action.

I’ve posted the December Planetary Illuminations report on my website, and you can read it here.  If you’re a subscriber, you’ll receive your newsletter with the translation into English later today.  If you’re not yet a subscriber (it’s free!) please sign up on my website.  You can also find my daily updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Not only is the Moon in Gemini, the sign that rules the processing of information, but Mercury, the information planet, is very strong at this time. Mercury is in a challenging square to Uranus, suggesting that our ideas and preconceptions about our world (Mercury) will be subject to a radical shift in perspective (Uranus). Mercury is also in a harmonious sextile to the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune which has been in force since early 2009 and continues to affect us. This harmonious aspect helps to soften the challenges of the Mercury/Uranus square (which can heighten anxiety in those who have a more tightly-wound nervous system), and helps to encourage healing (Chiron), creativity (Neptune), and a sense of faith, optimism and good will.

Saturn and Pluto are still in square formation as they will be through February of 2010, forcing the eruption into consciousness (Pluto) of the hard work that needs to be done in order to achieve certain goals and let go of tragedies from the past. The combination of Saturn and Pluto is a powerful one that forces us to face up to hard truths (Saturn) and let go of anything that is holding us back (Pluto) so that transformation can occur. Read more about this powerful cycle here.

The other big news for December is that Uranus turns direct on December 1 after being in retrograde motion since the summer. Planets don’t really move backwards but occasionally from our perspective on Earth they appear to, and we call this “retrograde.” When planets are traveling retrograde, their influence is more personal and can be somewhat inhibited. Uranus, as the planet of innovation and radical new ideas, is less able to implement those new ideas and the radical change for which it is famous when it travels retrograde. With Uranus changing direction and turning direct we are in for some surprises and reversals during the first week of December.

Venus (governing the way we relate to others), which has been in passionate Scorpio for the past few weeks, moves into lighthearted Sagittarius on December 1st which lightens up our relationships and is excellent for any kind of social engagement.

During the first week of December Jupiter (expansion and fulfillment) is approaching a conjunction to Chiron (wounding and healing) which will culminate on December 7. While Jupiter is a beneficent planet that brings good fortune and confidence, it also has a tendency to expand us in many different ways. In conjunction to Chiron, this expansion can open us up to the old wounds that Chiron comes to heal. Ultimately this is an extremely positive experience, but there may be some momentary pain during the week leading up to the exact aspect on December 7.

Uranus forms a harmonious trine to Ceres (nurturing and self-care) on December 3, so for a week before and several days after that time we are inspired (Uranus) to improve our relationship with ourself and our body (Ceres). We may be confused about how best to accomplish with Neptune square to Ceres at the same time (peaking on the 5th). This may result in illness or a lowered immune system that may last until the 10th or so. However, a harmonious sextile from Venus to Saturn (discipline) on December 4 will help us to embrace the concept of working hard (Saturn) in order to achieve the results in our relationships with others and with ourselves (Venus).

Mercury (information processing and the mind) has a busy few days between the 5th and the 7th. First, Mercury enters the disciplined and success-seeking sign of Capricorn on the 5th, making it easier for us to attend to mental matters that require focus and diligence. Then on the 7th Mercury interacts with both Saturn and Pluto (conjunct Pluto, square to Saturn). Pluto intensifies our thinking and potentially adds a compulsive or obsessive quality to our thoughts and expression. Saturn adds focus and discipline but also the potential for negative thinking and communication difficulties. These few days are better for writing, for which solitude is extremely beneficial and enables us to better use the power and strength of Pluto and Saturn. Conferences and negotiation require a sensitivity that will be lacking during this short period.

Thanks to DR for filling in while I was in the Pluto school of death, inner rage and mystery (more about that later!!).

This is a wonderful and magical time, coinciding with the ancient Celtic festival of Beltane which occurs at the midpoint of Taurus (but more commonly on May 1) and the Buddhist Wesak festival later this month at the full moon. You can read more about the astrological significance of Beltane in this article from last year.

Meanwhile, Skywatch for May is posted, and here’s what’s happening during the beginning of the month:

The beginning of May finds us in a preponderance of Earth energy, with four planets (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto) in earth signs, and no planets channeling Fire. Details are what is important now – the practical details that make up every day life. It may be more difficult to find the inspiration to take action and the energy to follow through (the Fire qualities) until May 10 when Mars leaves watery Cancer for Leo.

Mars has traveled back and forth through Cancer since the end of September of last year, and the sensitivity of that sign has created irritation and confusion as the concepts of defense and offense become confused by the protective instincts that Mars in Cancer promote. When Mars enters Leo on the 9th it will be the only planet in a Fire sign, but it will be a welcome change that will free up the Mars energy for action that gets bogged down in water.

Jupiter has been approaching the second phase of a sextile (harmonious aspect) to Uranus that will perfect on the 21st. This is a tremendously exciting and stimulating planetary combination as it incorporates the expansion and optimism of Jupiter with the stimulation and “new”ness of Uranus. New ideas and innovative ways of looking at the world are easier now than ever.

At the end of April Saturn was as close to a trine to retrograde Pluto as it has been since last summer when the two were locked in a close and harmonious dance. The trine of Saturn’s discipline and structures to Pluto’s instinct for transformation and regeneration is a powerful ally in any kind of business plan or spiritual metamorphosis. During the first week of May Venus trines both Saturn and Pluto in a Grand Trine that will promote harmony and beauty in interpersonal relationships as well as soften any rough edges to changes that we are making in our lives.

Saturn is powerful during this first week of May – it has been traveling retrograde since December 19th of last year and is now slowing down to a “station” as it prepares to change direction. Saturn turns direct on May 2 but will continue moving extremely slowly and its influence is therefore more intensely focused during this time (until mid-May or so). For good or ill, Saturn will be bearing down on us, challenging us to do our best work and focus on what really matters.

When Mercury leaves earthbound Taurus for Gemini on May 2, the mood will lift considerably. Mercury is at home in its own sign of Gemini, and the mental function is much more active there. Conversation, debate and other discourse is accelerated and minds tend to be more open and curious except for a few days around May 3 when Mercury forms a square to Saturn. At this time we could see a tendency toward more negative thinking and traditionalist views.

On May 4 Neptune conjuncts the North Node of the Moon, signifying an important event (North Node) having to do with the unfolding of our spirituality or consciousness (Neptune). Neptune is virtually at a standstill all month as it prepares to turn retrograde on the 27th, and its influence is more powerful than usual. Neptune demands that we let go of our attachment to the material world and realize an inner experience of divine transcendence. This transit to the North Node is likely to play out on the global stage since Neptune is a more transpersonal planet, and we could see an illumination of our collective dreams and fantasies (Neptune) aligned to a greater path or direction (North Node).

All of this leads up to the New Moon on May 6 which provides the opportunity for a new beginning.

Pluto turns retrograde today, and will continue it’s travel back in time through September of this year. Pluto spends more time retrograde than any other planet, which is only fitting since it is the planet that more than any other takes us through the underground and forces us, kicking and screaming, into transformation.

From Skywatch for April:

Ever since December, we have been experiencing a lack of planets in the Fire element. Fire provides the inspiration and energy to take action, and that inspiration has been missing over the past few months. That is about to change during the first few days of April as Mercury (mental functions) and then Venus (love and beauty) join the Sun in the fiery sign of Aries. This should give us all a bit of a boost in our physical energy, but it does mean that during the first week of April both Mercury and Venus will be square to Pluto. Pluto intensifies everything that it comes into contact with and tends to dredge up anything that is hidden, so this is no time for secrets. The truth will come out under the Pluto influence, and this is all for the best.

Speaking of Pluto, Pluto has been “stationing” (slowing down to a standstill) in preparation for its annual retrograde turn on April 2. With Pluto retrograde, or appearing to be moving backwards from our perspective here on earth, we tend to experience its influence a little more deeply as it pressures us to go back and review the debris in our life that is keeping us from moving forward. Pluto rules over our spiritual destiny, and sometimes using a heavy hand to keep us on track.

Saturn comes within a degree or two of a trine to Pluto during most of April, which helps to give form and structure (Saturn) to Pluto’s urge to destroy and create new life. Saturn’s stability helps us to create strong structures out of the wreckage of what we leave behind under Pluto, and is a wonderful ally in this process.

To sign up for your own free subscription to Skywatch, visit my website.

Looking ahead, March is going to be a month packed with astrological adventure, including the Vernal Equinox occurring at the Full Moon which forms a Grand Cross to the Mars/Pluto opposition. Fasten your seat belts!! Here’s a tidbit…

As March begins, four planets are still in Aquarius: Venus, Mercury, Chiron & Neptune. This is still a strong Aquarian signature, with the voice of reason prevailing over emotion for the most part. Only one planet (Saturn) is in retrograde motion, and until April 2, when Pluto changes direction, there is a decidedly forward emphasis in most areas of our worldly experience. In May both Jupiter and Neptune will retrograde and we will begin to retrace our steps again.

There are a lot of planetary interactions in March, signaling a period of activity and change even though these are largely interactions between the faster moving planets that are of shorter duration and less significant in scope. For the first week or so of March Venus, Mercury and Chiron are in conjunction, fusing their energies to promote healing (Chiron) of our relationship to ourselves and to others (Venus) and our ability to communicate and relay information (Mercury). The Chironic process of healing is not always an easy one; it requires our attention and willingness to walk into the fire of potentially painful emotions. During Chironic periods we are extremely sensitive to the buttons of our old wounds being pushed, and there is potential during this first week for emotional reactions in the extreme. Chiron is in play throughout the month with an inconjunct (30 degree aspect) to Uranus that will come to fruition at the end of the month. Combinations of Chiron and Uranus can make it difficult to integrate our internal wisdom (Chiron) with the pressures of a restless desire for change (Uranus). This can result in an energy imbalance that may require additional steps to improve, such as with yoga, long walks or hot baths.

Ideally, we will take this opportunity to feel a little more deeply and invite these emotions to enter into the conscious realm where they can be recognized and then released. This process will be particularly powerful for those of us with planets in the middle degrees of the fixed signs (Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio, Taurus).

While all of this is going on, Mars is moving into position for its final opposition to Pluto, a cycle that began last fall and has followed the planets as both have changed signs: from Mars in Gemini opposing Pluto in Sagittarius to Mars in Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn. Mars is our drive, our aggressive instinct, and you can see how things can get a little riled up when Mars is interacting with Pluto, Lord of Death and Transformation. Pluto tends to put its Supreme Foot down when Mars gets uppity, but in the final cycle we often see the resolution of that battle. Mars and Pluto together are a formidable combination that results in irrevocable change when the lessons from the earlier phases of the cycle are integrated. Mars re-enters the sign of Cancer on March 4 and the final opposition is March 6, but we will be feeling its effects for several days prior to that which is likely to add a combative influence to the touchiness of the Chiron conjunctions mentioned above. Fortunately, a conjunction of sweet Venus and romantic Neptune will soften the edges of any conflicts that come up, providing creative ways to move through difficulties and release old patterns as Neptune’s urge to dissolve and transcend does its magic.

read more here…