Astrological update for the week of May 9-16, 2022
There’s a lot going on this week! Mercury turns retrograde on May 10th, the same day that Jupiter enters Aries. Mercury is in Gemini now, a sign in which it is very much at home, but it will retrograde back into Taurus on May 22nd. Mercury is the planet associated with mental activity, the processing of information, short travels and the operation of equipment. Where Mercury in Gemini is active and curious, easily able to change and adapt, Taurus is a fixed sign and Mercury in Taurus tends to be more stubborn and resists change which can make a retrograde period more difficult. During retrograde periods of any planet there is a tendency to retrace our steps and look back to re-assess aspects of our life which may not be ideal, and that is particularly true when Mercury is retrograde. So take precautions and be careful with communication and any processing of information, but expect that glitches may happen anyway. No need to put your life on hold or delay doing something important!
Jupiter enters Aries on May 10th, and you can read all about that here. Venus is already in Aries, and this infusion of fire will help to shake off some of the fairy dust of the Pisces stellium that’s been in effect over the past month. The challenge of Pisces is to find that boundary line between Jupiterian optimism and Neptunian illusion, and Jupiter moving from Pisces to Aries will hopefully help us to burn through any clouds of confusion. I’m also hoping it will bring an end to the stock market decline.
The lunar eclipse at the Scorpio Moon occurs May 16th at 12:15 am EDT, but the energies of the eclipse will be building for much of the week, especially once the Moon moves into Scorpio on May 14th. A Full Moon in Scorpio is a crescendo of emotion and passion, but when the Moon is eclipsed by the Sun something long hidden may be revealed. This is a pretty strong eclipse astrologically, with the lunar nodes just three degrees away from the Sun and Moon. The lunar nodes, the points in the sky where the paths of the Sun and Moon collide, are associated with past and future: the path to our ultimate destiny. This is what makes eclipses potentially so powerful.
A very tight square (90 degree) aspect from Saturn in Aquarius to the lunation (including the nodes) brings the Saturnian pressure for responsibility and structure into the mix. Saturn squaring the Scorpio Moon applies pressure to dig deeply into our personal resources for inner strength. Saturn squaring the Taurus Sun demands accountability and a clear look at the reality of the situation. This is not a time to be a victim, but instead to use that Saturnian discipline to craft a plan for growth and evolution. Fortunately a harmonious trine from Pluto will help to maintain a fertile ground in which a positive transformation can occur.
A conjunction from Mars to Neptune will build later in the week and won’t actually peak until next week, but this dynamic is embedded in the eclipse chart. Mars and Neptune are both in Pisces, and while the energy of Mars is watered down in Pisces, it can add some fire to Neptune to help to energize the dreamy Piscean fantasies into action.
One thing to note is the increasing presence of the fire element that is evident throughout the week: Jupiter entering the fire sign of Aries, fire planet Mars energizing Neptune, and Mars as the ruling planet of the Scorpio eclipse. The fire element fuels our desires, our drives and passions so expect this to be a lively week!
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Hi Lynn, I love your weekly updates! I just wondered if you had any thoughts about Saturn in all this? A couple of astrologers are predicting gloom and hardship because they say it’s squaring the eclipse? Do you think that might be the case or do you think the influence might be mitigated?
Hi Chris, I realized yesterday that I had forgotten about Saturn and I will update the post to reflect that. I never predict doom and gloom with Saturn – Saturn sits on my Sun and while a challenge in my younger life it has become a real gift to me. ❤️
Dear Ms. Hayes, Thank you for your insights. I’d been told by a local astrologer of my Uranus Return. I am 84. I am Scorpio sun, Libra Rising, Moon in Cancer. It may have occurred. I’ve been writing an article for publication, a hook for my unpublished novel. 2 nights running fabulous information that was pertinent to the article came to me as I was falling asleep – not waking dream. Gone in the AM! The 3rd night I put a table with writing materials next to the bed. When the thoughts came I wrote them down in the dark and translated them the next day for the article. An upside down mirror to my previous thinking.
All best, ever S Again
Thank you for sharing your story! That sounds like a very Uranian experience – channeling multidimensional information and turning our paradigms upside down. If you were born in the fall of 1937 as it appears from your description of your planets, Uranus would be at about 12 Taurus and the Uranus return would have begun in the spring of 2021 so you are just finishing it now.