By Angel Lopez:
May opens up with us in the center of Taurus Season,
a time for laying down the building blocks of manifestation.
Through May 20th, Taurus wants you to take your most inspired ideas to the next stage and actually give them some concrete tangibility. But it also wants you to be down to earth about it. There’s a real practical nature to the way Taurus approaches a task.
This can be a time to actually get some things done
without getting lost in the dream space.
Now, that’s not to say that Taurus wants you to be all work and no play. In fact, Taurus really loves it when you tap into your creative space. Ruled by Venus (the goddess of beauty, art, and love), Taurus loves when you connect to the divinity of creation and honor it in some sumptuous, gorgeous way. With Taurus, there’s a greater chance to bring any of your visions into more stable forms. And couldn’t we all use a bit more stability in our lives these days? Taurus also asks that you give yourself a tremendous amount of self-care. Taurus urges you to take stock of how well you’ve been giving to yourself. After all the work settles, Taurus loves nothing more than to crawl into its favorite creature comforts. So how are you honoring the need to adore yourself?
One of the biggest events of this season comes on May 7th, when the Scorpio full moon shines its intense light across the night sky. And this one may want to illuminate the invisible, interior forces that Scorpio holds court over. But as full moons are a time for releasing, we have the invitation to let go. So, consider the inner demons and shadow elements that you usually try to suppress. I know for me, I try to keep those saboteur voices at bay, the ones that tell me my goals aren’t worth pursuing. This full moon is a time to do some work around releasing the grip of your subconscious.
There have been a lot of anxieties and fears building up,
so are there creative ways to release them out into the world?
You may have to lean into the feelings with this one in order to move through them, as this moon is potent for emotional waters to swell. But the answer to generating more self-esteem, more confidence, and more connection to your true spirit’s path is through navigating these waters. It’s important to let go of anything that you’ve been holding on to that has no real place in the life you’re living now.
It’s okay to cry about it, to journal about it,
but then to tell those old pieces of your psyche,
“You have no power over my future choices.”
May 10th finds Saturn coming to a standstill and moving into its retrograde phase, which lasts until Sept. 30th. Saturn is the planet that rules authority, responsibility, and hard work. So, with this slow down, you may find yourself taking stock of what you’ve been responsible for and whether the way you’ve been working is gaining you the productivity you actually desire. It ignites the period of time that we’ve covered since early February, so we all look back on the ground we’ve covered since then.
How in that time have you been taking responsibility for the future you want to build?
Is it possible to connect more purpose to the work you do?
You may be feeling like you need to shift some of your work to better reflect all that you’ve learned about yourself in these last few months, so take the time to begin those adjustments. Employ both your imagination and your intuition in this process, and this can be an externally productive time.
It’s possible to move creative projects forward with a greater sense of clarity, to build on business ideas with an eye toward inspiring others, and to make sure you’re doing your part to make the world a better place.
On May 11th, Mercury will exit the gentle landscape of Taurus for the busier space of Gemini, where it feels more at home. There until May 29th, it brings with it a major ramp up of communication. People are going to be buzzing about, wanting to get answers to the questions that you haven’t had the mental space to consider. And connection will play a much larger role here. But you’ll also have to work a little harder to keep your head clear, as it’ll seem like there’s so much conversation trying to happen around you. Make sure your head is not hitting the pillow with that conversation still going.
Mars also shifts signs as it moves into Pisces on May 12th. This is water it does not love to tread in. Pisces is a slow energy, whereas Mars loves to keep moving. And this can feel like moving through molasses. Mars will be here until June 28th, so those first few days will be tough. But once he settles in, he can help you to move forward from a more intuitive place. He can help you to tap into those creative spaces and get imaginative with how you pursue your day’s activities. And, with Mars in Pisces, Spirit should always be the first call you make in the morning. So, be sure to have a solid morning practice in place for yourself.
It doesn’t have to involve a meditation pillow.
Pisces loves to dance!
May 12th also finds Venus entering her retrograde phase, which will last until June 26th. She will be traveling back through Gemini, which is communication-centric. Venus, who cares all about your relationships, will be in line with Mercury, pushing us toward the conversations that need to happen. It’ll be the time to get into the verbal weeds and state all of the unresolved things. So, some of these exchanges may be hard, but they’re ultimately trying to push you to be the better version of yourself. So, there’s no avoiding a re-assessment of relationships. You must take a closer look at who you’ve been choosing to partner with and how do those people feed your mind. You may reconsider starting a new relationship during this time. If you do, just know that it may come with a unique set of issues, and it could bring up some old relationship issues you need to work through right away. Venus is also concerned with your money, so how you’ve chosen to partner with money also comes up for review. You may start to have conversations that can help you to rearrange your money, or approach it in a new way. And because it’s Gemini, which is all about your mind, it’s about how you think about money. Is it your friend or your foe? It may be time to just make it more of a greater ally.
On May 14th, Jupiter enters into its retrograde phase, where it will be until September 13th. Jupiter is interested in your personal growth, as well as your relationship to abundance and optimism. This transition is all about growing into the person you’ve wanted to see yourself become. Are you seeing some themes in this month’s astrology? The onset of Jupiter’s retrograde poses some specific questions for you. Have you been growing in the way that you want to? How have you been expanding toward the future you envision for yourself? By this time, we will have four planets retrograding, so the energy of looking backwards in order to make clearer sense of the present will be potent.
Since Jupiter works in larger cycles, you’ll be revisiting 2008’s territory. Yup, dust off those memories and think of how you were moving your life forward back then. It holds clues to what’s trying to manifest now. Consider what that time wanted to teach you about stepping into the next “grown-up” version of yourself.
On May 20th, The Sun then moves into Gemini, ushering in a more general sense of connection, communication, and mental activity. Since Mercury and Venus will already be at play there, this won’t find you in shocking new territory. But it will ask that you continue on reaching out to those in your life who need to hear your voice. And whose voice you need to hear.
Collectively, we’ll also move forward in answering the questions about how we can move forward in a way that’s smart and reliable. There will be lots of debate, and everyone may want to be right. But ultimately, all you can do is your part.
Honor your voice; use it when necessary; and always be willing to lend an ear to anyone who may need some comfort.
We all are on this wild ride together, and I hope you’re finding your way through it in a healthy, safe manner.
Angel Lopez is a film producer, writer, astrologer, and co-host of the podcast, THE SPIRITUAL GAYZ alongside his husband, our Spiritual Guru Brandon Alter. Angel has been studying and working with both tarot and astrology for twenty years. He hosted the astrology web-series, ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL, and writes the blog ASTROLOGY REALNESS. He has also had pieces published on Upworthy.com and The Huffington Post.
On the film side, Angel produced the Sundance Film Festival award winning film DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, as well as the features THE DINNER and STATE LIKE SLEEP. He also wrote and directed his own short film, I CAN’T WITH YOU, which had its premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival, and he recently finished producing filmmaker Justin Simien’s second feature, BAD HAIR.