First of all, my apologies for the late delivery of this e-news. I’ll put it down to the combined effect of the weekend’s Full Moon and Mercury turning Retrograde. Naturally I don’t believe in using astrology as an excuse but every now and then I can’t resist blaming the planets! Jokes aside, the truth is of course that it’s the way we react/respond to the energy of the planets that’s ultimately relevant, so perhaps I should correct myself and say ‘I’ll put the late newsletter down to my response to the weekend’s Full Moon and Mercury turning Retrograde’ 
This current Mercury Retro phase began on 7 May at 02 degrees Gemini and will complete on 31 May at 23 degrees Taurus. It won’t be until 16 June that Mercury will reach 02 degrees Gemini again (the degree it went Retro at). After that date, we’ll be out of the effects of this Mercury phase and all it entails. As always, when Mercury is Retro (three times every year) we’re cosmically encouraged to go back over old ground by reflecting, revising, completing or re-doing anything that needs deeper levels of attention. Generally we tend to feel as if our daily plans are interrupted and the interruptions cause us to ponder what needs extra attention in our lives. With Mercury beginning its Retro phase in Gemini – the sign of communication, networking and excitability – it seems we might’ve started thinking or discussing great ideas about how to progress in life, but that some extra Taurus grounding is needed before we can implement our plans. We may feel stopped in our tracks, as if we were picking up speed and about to go ‘yes!’, but suddenly we’ve discovered that Mercury has taken us back into the cautious sign of Taurus.
Mercury first travelled across 23 Taurus to 02 Gemini between 23 April and 7 May. Have a think back to those days and see if any small (or even big) details were overlooked and now need attention. It could be as simple as snippets of conversation (Gemini) that need more awareness brought to them. For example, someone might’ve dropped a hint about something important but it’s now only when Mercury is going slowly in Taurus that you realise the hint was even there. Under Taurus it’s possible to find ways to make real what is only in the ether with Gemini. Perhaps offers or agreements were made that have not yet been followed through. Now’s the time to be practical about how to meet agreements and even to assess how reasonable or possible they are.
Taurus is ruled by Venus, the planet most associated with relationships and money. You might recall that Venus was Retro from 7 March to 18 April causing us to think deeply about our connections with others and our financial goals. Now that Mercury is going Retro in Venus’s sign, once again we are encouraged to stay patient and ponder financial and relationship issues some more. Clarity and forward movement are more likely after 16 June when Mercury moves past the degree at which it went Retro. Spend between now and then having necessary conversations with financiers, bosses, accountants, friends, family, lovers and partners about your goals and how they mix with theirs. Take things slowly. Double-check you’ve understood the feelings, ideas or advice of others correctly. Take time to reflect and review. Be sure you have crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s before agreeing to anything. Of course life doesn’t stop during this time. Decisions still have to be made and contracts signed, but it’s best to check as much fineprint as possible before going ahead.
Our culture loves to move on and forget the past, but more often than not, at least one of the planets is Retro at any given time. It seems the cosmos knows the importance of properly digesting the past. In our rush to move on we often overlook the joy of the past and might not allow the good times to properly feed and nourish us by processing them within every cell of our being. Under Retro phases we have the chance to recollect and integrate those joyful memories. We also have the chance to find and release painful memories that have us stuck on autopilot, going around in circles rather than moving on – same themes, same patterns, just different circumstances to play them out in. This month Saturn stops being Retro on the 17th, easing some of the reality checks it’s been bringing. Saturn Retro is a bit like a school headmaster enforcing detention and showing us how not to keep repeating mistakes or defeating patterns. With Saturn moving direct from mid-month, we’re let out of detention, stronger and wiser, and much less likely to repeat mistakes even if we’re still worried we might.
May’s Full Moon and New Moon are attention seekers! The Full Moon on the 9th happened at one of the year’s cross-quarter days. Just as we have the four ‘quarter days’ – two equinoxes and two solstices – there are also four cross-quarter days, each of which is a powerful junction point in the year’s cycle. The Full Moon was in Scorpio, the zodiac sign of intensity and depth, so if like me, your boat felt rocked by the Full Moon you were most likely discovering and releasing previously hidden information for clearing and transforming, especially within relationships. The New Moon on 24 May will be in the early degrees of Gemini, bringing back the message of this month’s Mercury Retro phase (Mercury went Retro in the early degrees of Gemini, and Mercury is Gemini’s ruling planet). Take extra care around the 24th as events associated with communication, contracts, networking, driving, public transport, computers etc are especially unstable at this time. Our minds might be playing tricks and anxiety could heighten. People might say things they wish they hadn’t and the less attractive sides of our personalities could erupt. The media might go into a frenzy over something. Under New Moon energy it’s difficult to see what’s really going on (there is no visible moonlight at a New Moon) so wait until after 16 June for greater clarity.
The adage ‘things are not what they seem’ is very apt for much of May. Just before the New Moon, this year’s anticipated Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron alignment comes into effect. The combination of these three can arouse confusion, illusion and floods of tears over disappointments. Yet it’s just as likely that once the fog clears, we see that things were not what they seemed and everything really is okay. The opposite is also possible. We might think that all our dreams have come to fruition and throw big celebrations only to realise later that we’d ‘counted our chickens before they’d hatched’. As if to emphasise that reversals of expected outcomes are possible during this period, Neptune shifts into reverse (Retro) on 29 May. It seems that the best attitude throughout May and the first half of June is one of caution. Mercury’s Retro phase in Taurus seems to emphasise where our attention needs to be – i.e. on cultivating Taurean attitudes and activities. These include patience, perseverence, steadyness, calm, caution, reserve, regular excercise, nutritious food, an appreciation of being in process, going slowly but surely, being sensible with money and careful in relationships.
Let’s take a closer look at the Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron alignment to see why so much caution is advisable. Jupiter is known for its ability to expand whatever it contacts with its larger-than-life influence. Neptune is known for all things to do with enchantment, both in the positive and negative, including our spirits being truly uplifted, or our hope for a better life being manipulated through fakes, frauds and falsehoods. This is like being hoodwinked in a magic show – it’s okay if we’ve bought tickets to a magic show because we know that tricks are being used and we even want to be tricked, but it’s not so great if in our real lives we are being tricked. So with Jupiter next to Neptune, life circumstances in May could get expanded into being more and more wonderful and positively enchanting, or they could get expanded into being more and more deceitful and disappointing.
One platform for tricks to play out is through the media. I know I’m going to be careful to check the facts behind media stories in May. With Mercury, the planet of the mind, Retro in Taurus it seems we’re being asked to put our minds on to Taurean matters and rewind back over media stories in late April (see third para above). At that time, swine flu was the major breaking news. Deaths from swine flu had been increasing throughout April and in late April the alarm had escalated. The zodiac sign Taurus relates to animals, mother earth and food production. It also relates to money and the economy. The other feature news story for quite some time now has been the Global Economic Crisis. In May with Jupiter and Neptune aligned we might be lulled into false beliefs that we are safe from the Global Economic Crisis and the Climate Change Crisis (a possible symptom of which is swine flu, i.e. flawed food production – this time pig farming). At this stage, governments are responding as if the old systems can continue with emergency measures implemented. Perhaps this is true. Perhaps it’s an illusion.
Chiron is also in exact alignment with Neptune and Jupiter in May. Chiron is the centaur (half human, half horse) and warns us of situations where we are out of touch with one half of reality. Known as the ‘wounded healer’ Chiron shows our wounds and diseases yet fortunately also shows pathways to healing. Chiron in alignment with Neptune and Jupiter can point to large scale illnesses such as swine flu. It can also help us find the solution if we are willing to face truths that we have been ignoring and begin taking a path toward genuine change. Chiron’s greatest gift is the ability to build bridges. Sometimes illnesses or crises bring people together in ways that were never before possible and differences can be bridged. With Chiron’s influence, let’s hope the global focus is on bridge-building during these testing times.
In our personal lives, we might be faced with our own or loved ones’ wounds. An old illness might flare up or an old grief. But remember that in May things are not necessarily what they seem. With Jupiter’s impact we might think the ‘wound’ is way worse than it is. Yet with Neptune’s influence we could just as easily go into denial and fool ourselves that it’s not there. Thankfully Chiron helps us build a bridge between the two extreme reactions of hysteria or denial. If we are willing to see what needs to be dealt with, May is also a month of enormous healing potential. Both extremes of enchantment are possible – miracle healings are just as possible as escalated symptoms. The best any of us can do in such a hall of mirrors is go one step at a time and find the simplicity in each moment, no matter what seemingly amazing or drastic thing comes our way. It depends on where this triple alignment falls in your chart as to which parts of your life are likely to be affected. It could be romance, career, health, finances, holidays or so on. In my 2009 zodiac sign ebooks, I discuss the influence of this alignment on each zodiac sign. Go here if you’d like to purchase a copy.
This Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron alignment has three exact line-ups this year (in May, July and December), but really its influence is at least subtly in effect from now until the year’s end. The impact of May’s Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron alignment lasts until at least 11 June. This is just before 16 June when Mercury passes back over the degree at which it went Retro. As such, most of May’s energies do not complete until mid-June. After that time, we’ll be able to look back and see which magical dreams really did have substance and which were simply sandcastles in the sky.
In this mischievous month, consider taking up the energy healing special offer ($70 instead of $80 for 1 hour) to clear and rebalance your energy field. Remember that things are not necessarily what they seem in May so take time to double-check everything and be careful not to take things at face value.