Now onto more about the stars ahead...
May 2020 ~ Venus Retrograde PLUS Eclipse Season Begins
Expect a busy month with lots of communicating, driving around (or other method of movement), and a ton of extra social engagements and other things on your to-do list. Depending on the situation in your particular locality, the social and movement energies could be online or take other forms. Either way the chance for burn-out is high with all of the scattered energies brought by Gemini and aspects with
planets in this sign. Knowing this beforehand could help you to commit to daily or other regular practices to help keep yourself grounded. Even with the movement of planets through Taurus in the earlier part of the month, you will see how you really will need extra help staying centered as the month moves along!
Three planets go retrograde this month, including Venus the ruler of love, beauty, design, self-esteem, and money. Make sure to leave some space for issues in any of these departments that have been swept under the rug since the rug will be pulled up this month with everything under it flying around!
If you can be present with what shows up every day instead of trying to push forward titanic initiatives, you will likely have an easier time and if you let the Universe show you what to focus on instead of forcing your agenda, this month could be quite sweet and enjoyable. Mars moving into Pisces may also facilitate this retreat into the simplicity of daily focus, your inner world, and creative
expression.
I often use the visual of the web a spider has woven with the retrograde being a time to kick back and see what food comes in. I love keeping that in mind as this month progresses. This month is fantastic for observation mode, watching and reviewing carefully what comes in before deciding what to do with it all and trying to implement short-term plans based on your decisions as things are likely
going to evolve rapidly over the next few months.
Eclipse rumblings from the eclipse series that starts June 5 and runs through July 5 will likely be felt. Storylines in process over the last 2 years that were very prominent at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 are likely to come back up now and reach some final conclusions as the Cancer/Capricorn eclipse series that started mid 2018 ending with the eclipse set in June and July.
Sweet boosts are more likely on or around these days: 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 22, 24, 25, and 29.
Drama or stress are more likely in the days around: 3, 4, 11, 12, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, and 29.
Check out more May 2020 highlights:
** Note: Often the effects of planetary transits are felt before or after the actual day the transit occurs. Also note that dates may shift a day or so depending on your time zone. Also note that general transits can effect people differently depending on many factors, including transits to the individuals personal charts.
May 3 — Venus in Gemini Square Neptune in Pisces — Because of Venus retrograde, this aspect will happen there times - May 3, May 20 and July 27/28. This transit tends to bring the experience of insecurity and disappointment or disillusionment in love. It is not the best time to make a commitment in money or love as you are more likely to fall prey to seduction that might not have much substance.
Guard your internet and other security more carefully. Although the transit does tend to lean towards a negative experience, it is likely to be short-lived and it can give excellent insight into a deeper issue that wants to be rectified, once healed, it can turn into a positive.
May 4 — Sun and Mercury Conjunct in Taurus — Focus and persistence are given a boost now. This time can be great for tedious tasks and can be exhilaratingly productive.
May 7 — Full Moon at 17° of Scorpio (and Mercury in Taurus Sextile Neptune in Pisces) — Look to the financial, relationship, psychological, and spiritual sectors of life to come to fullness, fruition, drama, or accomplishment now. A sweet alignment with Mercury and Neptune can increase the odds that this time will tilt towards the positive.
May 9 — Mercury in Taurus Trine Pluto in Capricorn — I love this aspect for good news and important steps. Please note and thoroughly explore all of my resources on Venus retrograde (I have links to these in the retrograde section at the end of this report) to see what types of important steps you may want to avoid though. In general I like this time for important things that are moving
something already in motion along a continuum or something short-term or lower stakes. Good news of money or other support could come in at this time.
May 10 — Sun in Taurus Sextile Neptune in Pisces — I love the potential this transit brings for creative inspiration, productive art projects, spiritual breakthroughs, and other enjoyable experiences.
May 10-11 — Saturn retrograde at 1° of Aquarius (going back to 25° of Capricorn - going direct September 29th) — Saturns chop-busting may move more to the internal integration phase. Saturn retrograde can bring a break or other open spot to rest from hard work in process. This transit could also mean the hard work shifts to more of a behind-the-scenes focus. Those with strong Capricorn placements
will be especially affected by this transit. If some of your ventures in the outer realms seem to be losing steam, know that this is likely temporary and you will have your stern taskmaster ruler turning back to full speed at the end of September.
May 12-13 — Venus Retrograde at 21° of Gemini (back to 5° of Gemini going direct on June 25th with post-transit shadow period lasting through July 29) — This is the official retrograde beginning for Venus but remember that the storylines for this transit have likely been in process for over a month already. See all of my resources on this transit, there is a lot to know! I have links in
the special retrograde section at the end of this report).
May 14 — Jupiter Retrograde at 27° Capricorn (back to 17° of Capricorn going Direct on September 13) — The ruler of luck and expansion gets sleepy now. The mood matches all of the other retrograde energies. See my many resources on the types of things retrogrades are great for. Luck or momentum that may have been strong before now may seem to fade into the backdrop but don’t worry! This
transit is about testing and preparing for future expansion so appreciate that weak links will likely be revealed so that you can strengthen them to soar further when Jupiter goes direct and beyond.
May 14-15 — Sun in Taurus Trine Pluto in Capricorn — I love earth trines like this for boosting security and shoring up systems that are the core of our lives. You may get recognition or something else that you worked on previously could come through now.
May 15 — Mercury in Gemini Sextile Chiron in Aries — You wear your scars proudly now! This is a time when wrinkles that show the passage of time but also wisdom gained are more appreciated for the latter than concern for the former :)
May 17— Sun in Taurus Trine Jupiter in Capricorn — Another boost from an earth trine today! Things may be gelling in a wonderful way or you may just bust a bunch of things off of your to-do list and feel really satisfied.
May 20 — Venus in Gemini Square Neptune in Pisces — See the May 3 listing for this same transit to understand more about this.
May 22 — New Moon at 2° of Gemini — with Mercury and Venus Conjunct in Gemini, Sun in Gemini Trine Saturn in Aquarius, and Mercury in Gemini Square Neptune in Pisces — Exciting travel, writing or editing news is more likely now! Money may make a surprise entrance or a trip with your honey could present now. Finding love during travels is also more likely. This day is pure awesomeness with one little
bump with a Mercury/Neptune connection that could increase the odds of miscommunications or travel/vehicle related issues. But since everything else is so sweet, any trouble may be superseded and quickly rectified.
May 24-25 — Mercury in Gemini Quincunx Pluto in Capricorn — Awkwardness is more likely to pop up in communication now or a stern response to something you are excited about could be a bummer. Be extra careful driving and moving your physical body around in an other way.
May 24-25 — Mars in Pisces Sextile Pluto in Capricorn - A sweet blessing with this transit that hopefully will help offset anything that comes up from the Mercury/Pluto transit on these same days. Inspiration meets the practical now in wonderful ways.
May 26 — Mercury in Gemini Quincunx Jupiter in Capricorn — Another little bump here to physical movement and communication. This one is more likely to bring overdoing or overcommitting. You may be feeling good and in the mood to say yes possibly taking more on than you will want to carry through.
May 29 — Mercury in Cancer Quincunx Saturn in Aquarius — More awkwardness in movement and communication with this transit. The series of Quincunx angles with Mercury this month coupled with Venus retrograde all increase the odds that any unresolved self-esteem issues come up in a way that is hard to avoid. Take then opportunity as these pop up to do some true inner healing. I love the
Emotional Freedom Technique for this (you can search for this online and find tons of free resources to help your alchemical process of turning inner lead into shiny gold).
May 29 — Sun in Gemini Sextile Chiron in Aries — This transit could bring a silver lining to any clouds brought up by the inner excavators listed above. Doing something tangible and productive on the patterns that come up now could be why this lining shines through.
Here is a repost of my special retrograde segment I posted in last months newsletter. I am thinking it will be good to repost the parts of this that are relevant each month so you have it readily available:
Here are some important pieces to making the most of personal planet retrogrades:
Foundational Understandings:
1. The “personal planets” that go retrograde are Mercury, Venus, and Mars, so it is these that I am referring to when I use that term.
2. “Retrograde” refers to a time when the appearance of the orbit of a planet appears to us on Earth like it is going backwards in the sky.
3. Personal planet retrogrades often coincide with an increase in certain types of occurrences and experiences making these times notably great for certain things and challenging for other types of things. To better understand which specifics for each retrograde, see my video Must-Know’s for Mercury Retrograde. Also see my video Venus Retrograde Must-Know’s (by the way this, to my knowledge, is the most viewed video about Venus retrograde on Youtube), and my video Must-Know’s for Mars Retrograde.
4. There is a time before and after each retrograde called “shadow periods” where the things that go along with the retrograde start to show up more frequently even though it is not officially retrograde yet.
5. People who were born in a personal planet retrograde cycle often have the opposite effects during the retrograde as others who don’t. People born in the actual retrograde cycle can see this in their charts as there is a marking on the birth chart that shows when a planet was retrograde and when it was direct. Those born in a “shadow period” need a more in-depth analysis to discover this truth as it won’t be
evident on the chart and needs to be calculated with an ephemeris. (Fun side note about this is that I am working with an awesome publisher to bring out an exciting new astrology book in 2020 and in this book I will show you how to figure this out ;) ) In the meantime, I always recommend observing and experimenting to see how using your energy in different ways during the retrograde has worked out in the past and how it manifests in the present.
6. Understanding the energies of the retrograde and how your personal wiring syncs up with the cycle can help you to have an awesome time when each planet is direct AND retrograde because you will line up your actions with the natural rhythm.
Retrograde Misconceptions Cleared Up:
- Misconception #1 ~ “I can’t do ANYTHING during personal planet retrogrades”. Totally not true!! There are a ton of things that have even more support in retrograde times than in direct cycles. Here is a blog giving lots of details about many things awesome to do during p.p.r.’s Maximizing Personal Planet Retrogrades. Even the things that are known to not be best to do in the retrogrades all have caveats and ways to work with them so there is much gray area.
2. Misconception #2 ~ “I dread the retrogrades, they have to be terrible!” Also not true! Many people have become out of sync with natural rhythms, not tuning into intuition and the Divine signs that whisper. It IS true that if you push against the tide trying to put your boat out during a strong incoming tide, you will get tired, frustrated, and more likely to not reach your goal
of getting out to sea but if you understand when these different phases of the natural cycle are occurring and you actively sync up with them, then things can be easier, more fun, fulfilling, and productive.
Personal Planet Retrograde Calendar for 2020:
Mercury -
February 16 - March 10
pre-shadow starting February 2 and post shadow going until March 20
June 17 - July 12
pre-shadow starting June 2 and post shadow going until July 26
October 13 - November 3
pre-shadow starting September 24 and post shadow going until November 20
Venus -
May 12 - June 24
pre-shadow starting April 10 and post shadow going until July 29
Mars -
September 9 - November 14
pre-shadow starting July 26 and post shadow going until first week in January 2021
The only time after February 2 in all of 2020 where there are days without any personal planet retrograde or shadow period are around March 30 through April 9.
I have posted April & May 2020 Horoscope videos, and my special video about Jupiter in Capricorn,
plus my video called How the Astrology of 2020 Explains the Coronavirus and Restructuring of Societal Systems on my Youtube Channel.
