Events of May, and Your Monthly Horoscope: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter on the Move

This page contains the May monthly horoscope for paying Planet Waves subscribers. Each sign and rising sign receives a 300-word essay each month, and a 200-word essay during the other weeks.

“Eric has been deeply dedicated to astrology for decades, and his prolific work is based on the application of astrology to the living field of human experience — bringing awareness to the journey of deepening and awakening, both individual and collective. He engages with the full spectrum of astrological considerations, from the philosophical to the experiential, and I’ve been grateful for the many illuminating (and fun!) exchanges we’ve had down the years.”

— Melanie Reinhart, author of Chiron and the Healing Journey

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today I have your May monthly horoscope, available to our esteemed subscribers who make it possible for me to sit here and write this stuff for you. Thank you.

This is a big month, with Jupiter entering Taurus for a year, a lunar eclipse, Mercury changing directions and Pluto in Aquarius making itself known and felt.

You may find your May readings on the individual sign pages, or on the all-12 signs page in your My Account feed. For those curious whether the past happened, here are the sign pages for 2022. One distinct thing we do is collect monthly horoscopes by sign, so you may scan back and read the whole year, or prior years.

This provides you with context. Context is meaning.

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The Moon is exalted in Taurus

The Emphasis is Now on Taurus

April was a relatively calm month astrologically, despite the big solar eclipse on the 19th, and Mercury going into reverse gear without stepping on the clutch. May comes with some escalating energy, and a series of rapid events, as we test out a new era of Pluto in Aquarius.

A lunar eclipse Full Moon on May 5, right at the midpoint of Taurus, describes a transpersonal event or series of events. With all this Taurus activity, we must be on the lookout for discussions of currency, central bank cryptos, inflation, and the price of commodities.

Taurus in all forms is a reminder to remember what is important to you: what you really value. Because digital conditions push people out of their bodies, a wide diversity of physical, emotional and spiritual priorities are being lost or dismissed. 

Without our ability to ground in what matters, eventually, nothing will. The generations that today are past their Saturn return may have some ability to stay connected, but it will be limited by the pressure to give up and get with the program. 

I trust that Jupiter in Taurus will provide a diversity of both reminders and opportunities to stay connected to one another, and to honor what is of genuine value. This will require more soul-searching than you might expect. We are close to having been totally hijacked. And as Andrew McLuhan wrote to me today, “It’s hard to have a sense of humor when you don’t have a body.” 

Here are a few highlight events of the next five weeks or so. More on the STARCAST podcast.

May 1 — Mercury conjunct the Sun in Taurus. This is the halfway point in Mercury retrograde, which ends May 14. Mercury, the Earth and the Sun align for the interior conjunction. A ginormous magnet is as close to us as it gets, accounting for most of the weird effects this transit has. The retrograde began with a close, but not exact, conjunction between Mercury and Uranus. This actually happens June 4.

May 5 — Full Moon eclipse in Scorpio takes place with the Sun at the cross-quarter, in Taurus, making it an especially influential eclipse. What occurs at the cross-quarter is magnified and will have a way of jumping the now-imaginary line between the personal and the public. Scorpio is a difficult position for the Moon. Because the Moon is exalted in Taurus, a Venus-ruled sign, it’s often challenged in Scorpio, a Mars-ruled sign, where it has a mean-spirited tendency.

The Moon passing through the Earth’s shadow is a moment of awareness and reflection of a problem with aggression that is beginning to consume all of society. This is due to digital conditions erasing the core of what it means to be human — and violence being the usual shortcut to “finding oneself” when there is a void to fill.

"Holding Up." Photo by Lanvi Nguyen.

May 7 — Venus enters Cancer, and makes a square to M87, a massive galaxy. This will have some deep emotional effects, and be an occasion to sort out shades of need and desire. Venus will make many aspects to planets in early Capricorn and throughout Aries. Note that in June, Venus moves into Leo, where it will go retrograde, stay a while and remain until Oct. 8 when it enters Virgo. Full interpretation is in the Taurus Studio reading.

May 9 — Sun conjunct Uranus. Today in particular, pay attention to astrology: do not set the TV on the edge of the bathtub and catch up on reruns of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. 

May 11 — Mars square Eris. Set amidst so much other astrology, this one may be a bit turbulent, given the deeply personal nature of the signs involved (Mars in Cancer and Eris in Aries). This square has an aggressive quality to it, which may become inflamed in the era of “to find out who you are, do something violent.” Remember that aggression is the modern equivalent of therapy. It is a kind of last resort for self-actualization.

May 14 — Mercury stations direct. You will learn something you were not expecting to learn. Or maybe figure out something you were mystified by. That’s why it’s best not to make important commitments during Mercury retrograde — the missing information problem. Shadow phase ends May 31, when Mercury enters new territory for the first time since the retrograde. All of the month is a good time to probably not buy a condo and to make minimum payments until you figure out where you stand. The next Mercury retrograde begins on August 23. 

"The Ground Speaks." Photo by Lanvi Nguyen.

May 16 — Jupiter enters Taurus. There are a lot of sleeping giant placements in Taurus, including Albion (1992 QB1) and Sedna, which will take their turn being illuminated and magnified by Jupiter.

May 17 — Jupiter square Pluto. This is a fairly rare aspect that happens about every 13 years. However, this time it’s happening with Pluto in a new sign, and moments after Jupiter has changed signs. Its main theme is “Knowledge is power,” with the caveat, “I know a lot less than I think I know.” It’s the perfect aspect for a guru who wants a huge following. And it tends to have a desire to concentrate power. It’s also a proving moment for the Pluto-in-Aquarius era. What jolts, shakes, budges, wiggles or dances under this influence? Put a pin in the map. That fault line will move again soon.

May 19 — New Moon conjunct Sedna. It seems like all of astrology has forgotten Sedna, discovered in 2003, with an 11,408-year orbit (this keeps getting updated; I am surprised they can figure it out at all). Depending on who you ask, we are at the Sedna return of the end of the last glacial period. But nobody was there with their digital camera, so it’s hard to say. Sedna takes so long to orbit that one cycle goes through more than five astrological ages. Named for the Inuit creation goddess, Melanie Reinhart proposed the key phrase, “Keep your heart open in hell.” Sedna is very close to the end of Taurus, where it has been since 1967. 

May 20 — Mars enters Leo. The good news here is that Mars is not retrograde. That was so late 2022.

May 21 — Sun enters Gemini. I predict that the reincarnation of Prince will be born sometime in the next few weeks.

May 31 — The month ends with a conjunction of the North Node, Jupiter and the Chiron discovery degree, though you can be sure that me and Barbara Hand Clow are the only people who think about it unless one of us mentions it. 

And there you have it, in theory — lived reality is next.

With love, 

Taurus Astrology Studio Available for Instant Access! This is a 75 minute reading, as good as a personal chart, and better than therapy. If you need guidance, ideas or affirmation, this is for you. You may promo code TaurusStudio33.