May began with the full moon (on 2 May) that had many people asking what was going on. Being a Scorpio full moon, its intensity was pretty much guaranteed, but the impact was increased by it also being the Wesak (or Vesak) moon. The Wesak moon is known as Buddha’s moon because the celebration of Wesak is the day chosen by Eastern buddhist religions to celebrate Buddha’s birthday, enlightenment and death. Last month I discussed how this year’s April full moon was the Easter Moon, which in Christian religions marks the Easter period recognising the birth, death & rebirth of Christ. So the last couple of full moons have brought with them huge collective energies that encourage us to remember our divinity and potential for enlightenment as illustrated by Christ and Buddha. No wonder they’ve been shaking us up a little.
Fortunately a new moon in Taurus is just around the corner on 17 May. Taurus is a stabilising, earthing and grounding zodiac sign. This is a positive cosmic time to visualise and feel what you wish to manifest for abundance, peace and calm. Thoughts and feelings must be in alignment to manifest your desires, so focus particularly on bringing your feelings into sync with your thoughts of abundance. Even if you only manage to hold this alignment for a few moments, you’ll still be achieving a lot.
There are a number of planets in retrograde motion this month and this retrograde emphasis also provides opportunities for grounding and stabilising – this time through reflecting, integrating, digesting and assimilating any changes that have been taking place. Jupiter and Pluto are both retrograde throughout all of May, and Neptune and Chiron join them later in the month – Chiron on the 21st and Neptune on the 25th. I’ve already been bitten by the retrograde bug and have been making huge progress with piles of paperwork that had built up over the past couple of years. My mind is already feeling fresh and clear, and I’m only half way through it. What has been collecting dust in your life (either internally or externally) that could do with a good bit of attention?
The last few days have seen some interesting planetary activity with Mars making a difficult alignment to Pluto. An example of how this planetary alignment might manifest is the recent crackdown on hoon behaviour by Victorian police. Mars is a symbol of how we assert ourselves, so cars, speed and men (i.e. the masculine assertive principle) fit into Mars’s symbolic realm. Pluto symbolises, among other things, right and wrong use of power. Over the past few days a number of hoons have had their cars seized on Victoria’s roads. On Saturday a 19-year-old man was caught doing 160 km in a 100 km zone and a couple of hours later another 19-year-old male was caught doing 200 km in a 100 km zone. The previous day a 23-year-old man had his mother’s car seized when he was caught doing 140 km in a 60 km zone. Mars and Pluto are in alignment from 11 to 15 May. It’s worth observing in our own lives how well our own Mars energy is expressing. With Mars contacting Pluto we are being encouraged to recognise any ‘wrong’ use of Mars power and endeavour to transform that into ‘right’ use. Symptoms of a suppressed Mars might include latent anger, irritability or hostile feelings towards others. An aggressive Mars might include our own versions of ‘hooning’. A balanced flowing Mars is shown through the ability to effortlessly express desires with respect to our own and others’ needs.
Finally Jupiter and Saturn are travelling in harmonious alignment throughout most of May. Their exact alignment was on 6 May. When these two connect favourably much in life runs smoothly. Jupiter, the planet of joy and fortune, can find firm footing in Saturn’s steadiness. Being the planet of reality and responsibility Saturn helps bring to fruition the possibilities of Jupiter. This connection can truly help bring dreams into reality. What a relief to know that Jupiter and Saturn are a happy pair behind-the-scenes during this month of surface turbulence. With these two working their magic, bringing our thoughts and feelings into sync at the new moon on the 17th can truly help manifest abundance.