Astrological update for the week of May 8-15, 2023

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After a couple of fairly intense lunations, both of which were eclipses, the planetary energies are calming down a bit. Jupiter is finishing up its travels through the sign of Aries this week and will enter Taurus next week (read more about that here).

Venus has just entered Cancer, adding to the watery emphasis already in place with Mars in that sign. Where Mars (action) can be somewhat difficult in Cancer, Venus (relating) finds comfort and satisfaction in the emotional connections that are more easily made under this influence.

The sign of Cancer is ruled by the Moon – the doorway to the soul – and its connection to Venus helps us to develop relationships and interactions with others that are deep and radiant. Cancer is highly sensitive and very much in touch with the ebb and flow of emotion, and while Venus is in Cancer (May 7 – June 5) the bonds of family, either by birth or by choice, will be of paramount importance.

Mercury turns direct.  Mercury is retrograde for three weeks four times a year – a beautiful dance like the ebb and flow of the ocean. All planets turn retrograde (appear sometimes to travel backwards from our perspective on Earth) and at these times their influence can be stronger, and their messaging more important.

Mercury IS the planet of messaging – it governs the way information is accumulated and communicated, so when Mercury is retrograde (it’s also closer to the Earth during these times) all kind of information flow become more critical which is why sometimes we have problems with the processing of information. When Mercury turns direct, which it will on  May 14th, it will take about 10 days to pick up speed and travel normally once again.

Here’s what else you need to know this week (Dates and times are for the Eastern time zone, here is a time zone converter to adjust for your locality.)

Monday, May 8. The week begins with the Moon in Sagittarius until 7:32 pm EDT when it will shift into Capricorn. That change can feel somewhat sudden, especially since the Sagittarius Moon is dreamy and optimistic on Monday and then suddenly the reality check of Capricorn kicks in.

A Sun/Uranus conjunction is building on Monday to culminate on Tuesday, and that will require that we let go of ideas that are keeping us bound to something that no longer suits our purposes. The Capricorn Moon can help us think through any changes with a concrete strategy. (Moon square Neptune 2:22 pm, trine Jupiter 4:27 pm, Moon enters Capricorn 7:32 pm, opposes Venus 10:19 pm.)

Tuesday May 9. The Moon harmonizes with Saturn and Mercury to facilitate mental focus and practical applications. A Mars/Ceres aspect will motivate us to take care of our physical bodies so getting in some physical activity will be favored on Tuesday. Meanwhile there is a strong need for excitement and change, so try to leave some space in your days early in the week for something surprising. (Moon sextile Saturn 5:38 am, trine Mercury 7:27 am, Mars sextile Ceres 1:57 pm, Sun conjunct Uranus 3:55 pm.)

Wednesday May 10. The Capricorn Moon is VERY busy today, energizing and motivating us to accomplish great things. We are still in the throes of the Uranian influence to try new things and awaken dormant interests, and the lunar shifts will help us to shift easily from experience to experience.

The Moon moves into Aquarius at 10:05 pm EDT and bumps almost immediately into the intensity of Pluto which may feel a bit alarming. Just breathe through any feelings of anxiety and they will soon lift. ( Moon square Chiron 1:35 am, trine Uranus 3:32 am, trine Sun 4:20 am, trine Ceres 11:46 am, opposite Mars 12:38 pm, sextile Neptune 5:03 pm, square Jupiter 7:52 pm. Moon enters Aquarius 10:05 pm, conjoins Pluto 10:40 pm.)

Thursday May 11. The Aquarius Moon’s transformational ruler Uranus is considered to be the “higher octave” of Mercury because it connects us to higher states of information consciousness. Harmonious Mercury aspects build throughout the day to peak on Friday, so communication and learning from our higher intuition is favored on Thursday and Friday. (Moon square Mercury 8:45 am.)

Friday May 12. With a very active Aquarius Moon combined with Mercury interactions, nearly all of which are favorable, Friday is the perfect day to learn more through communicating with others or discovering new ways to have difficult conversations. A wealth of information is available to us now, and paying attention to small clues can be very useful today. (Moon sextile Chiron 4:13 am, Mercury sextile Saturn 4:41 am, Moon square Uranus 6:12 am, Moon square Sun 10:28 am, Mercury sextile Venus 10:43 pm, Moon sextile Jupiter 11:15 pm.)

Saturday May 13. With the Moon entering Pisces just after midnight, we move into a few days of dreams and wonder. Relationships are strengthened and there is some planetary assistance to ground these dreams into reality. (Moon enters Pisces 12:38 am, Venus trine Saturn 2:56 am, Moon sextile Mercury 10:43 am, conjunct Saturn 11:11 am, trine Venus 11:50 am.)

Sunday May 14. The Moon, still in Pisces, has the potential to stimulate new awakenings if we can wake ourselves from the Piscean slumber. This can be a day of heightened creativity but it will take some self-motivation. Fortunately the Sun activates Ceres to enhance our realization of the benefits of taking care of the body and mind in order to discover the peace of the soul. (Moon sextile Uranus 9:22 am, sextile Sun 5:16 pm, opposite Ceres 5:39 pm, trine Mars 10:30 pm, conjunct Neptune 10:56 pm, Sun trine Ceres 10:57 pm, Mercury stations direct 11:16 pm.)

Jupiter will enter Taurus next week bringing all kinds of new benefits which you can read about here. Meanwhile I hope you have a great week! 💖

 

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