The moon in Taurus answers to Venus, which made a conjunction to Jupiter in Pisces on the same day, fuelling the cosmos with a hunger for beauty, for love that transcends borders and boundaries. And, while this kind of hunger is not limited to romantic love (think of the love a refugee feels for their native land), the sextile that Venus in Pisces makes to Pluto in Capricorn on 1st May begs to differ. When Venus charges under the stars of Aries on 2nd May, the heat intensifies.
Meanwhile, Jupiter in Pisces makes a sextile to Pluto in Capricorn on the third, and Mars in Pisces makes a sextile to Uranus in Taurus on the 4th, two aspects that remind us that the private forces of pleasure are but a sliver of the collective drive for intimacy and connection. On 5th May the Sun in Taurus makes a conjunction to Uranus, reminding us that change is uncomfortable — yes — but discomfort can be an edge we ride towards fruition.
Aries Sun & Aries Rising
An interesting thing about fire is that it has no true form. A flame is a reaction, bonding with air, growing and diminishing, never staying in one shape. A fire finds stability in the earth, wrapped around wood, enclosed by metal and stone. A fire needs something to eat, needs shelter to last. In Pisces, the fiery energy of Mars is dispersed, doused, riding an errant oil spill. If this transit has left you exhausted and spread thin, you’re not alone. If on the other side of this scattering, you’ve found yourself reaching for something that can shelter you, it’s only natural. The solar eclipse on the 30th lit up your house of possessions, of things that help secure you to the world. On May 4th, Mars makes a helpful aspect to Uranus, offering you the initiative to make necessary changes. Remember, even if the efforts you make don’t move you in a straight line, they still move you.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Taurus Sun & Taurus Rising
If you are someone who loves the natural world, if you are someone who has stood before the wise face of a mountain or the open mouth of the sea, then you might be someone who has found yourself wondering how it is that humans can keep living in the light of this generous earth and obsessed with all the ways they fall short. It’s true that a positive attitude won’t get you everything, not in the face of so many systems of oppression, anyway. And, it’s true that one can’t buy their groceries with seashells and good vibes. The material world matters, the material world demands matter from us, and so we must learn to live with it or at least alongside it. But, learning to live in this world isn’t the same as learning to betray its principal beauty — which is also our beauty. Moving forward, try to remember: True compromise is an act of mutuality.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Gemini Sun & Gemini Rising
How does it feel to have Mercury back under your stars? Did their planetary body arrive like a messenger from beyond the veil? Have you found yourself grappling with information that’s hard to integrate? Or dealing with concerns you thought were laid to rest? There’s a certain amount of forward momentum in your life these days, dear Gemini, a light that keeps spreading to reveal more of the road before you. It’s only natural that as you take up more space and share more of yourself, you learn more about yourself and your relationship to the world around you. And, while it’s true that you’re a curious person who loves learning, not everything we learn about ourselves brings us pleasure — if it did, there’d be no challenge in it, no charge. Honour what you uncover by giving yourself time to retreat and reflect. The road won’t go anywhere without you.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Cancer Sun & Cancer Rising
There’s a lot of travelling language in the esoteric world, a lot of talk about spiritual journeys and life paths. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this language; it works most of the time. It’s just that when we speak of travelling, we speak of a home base, and when we speak of journeys we anticipate a beginning and an end. These sorts of frameworks have a way of weaseling into our subconscious, of making us doubt if we’re on the right path — if we’re on any path at all. Doubt makes the journey difficult, it makes it lonely, especially if we wish to move toward others. The truth is, whether you feel held or you feel adrift, you are on a path and you are right where you should be. The path doesn’t begin when you feel surefooted and ambitious; it is a living thing and it is always with you, like a shadow you cast as you move forward, stretching and changing shape.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Leo Sun & Leo Rising
Because Leo is a luminary, it stands to reason that an eclipse might impact you intensely. During a solar eclipse, the moon hangs between the Sun and the Earth, the moon darkens the Sun. The moon is associated with our emotions, with what we need to feel secure, with mothers (as we understand them). The Sun in the proud sign of Taurus is willful and resilient, they work to be reliable and resist relying on others — in this way they are not unlike Leos. Of course, if you were to ask a Taurus whether or not the people they love and support are weak or a burden, they would come to the defence of those they care for. So many of us have been raised to believe that there’s something admirable about facing hard times on our own, if not by our families, then by a world that profits off our loneliness. Isolation is manufactured and unnatural. A cow in a herd is strengthened by it and the herd is strengthened in turn.ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Virgo Sun & Virgo Rising
As the archivist of the Zodiac, you probably know that good news and bad news travel in pairs, the way that opposites attract. Of course, that doesn’t mean that one should expect equal helpings of each one. It’s true that Mercury feels good in Gemini, their other home, that information seems to move master and with more precision. You may find the projects you’ve been working on gaining headway. You may feel the relief of getting an answer you’ve been waiting on. But, it’s also true the Mercury’s retrograde shadow is upon us, and fledgling endeavours might prove themselves unwilling or unready to fly. That said, a retrograde on the horizon isn’t a closed case and there are many ways that its influence is likely to play out. When Mercury in Gemini makes a sextile to Venus in Aries on the 6th, you might find that while circumstance plays a part, so does persistence, and sometimes you can get what you need as well as what you want.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Libra Sun & Libra Rising
Eclipse season has a reputation for ushering in transformative energy, for showing us a sign and bringing us into the light where we belong. Which is all well and good but one might interject and say that the Libras of the world have had enough transformative energy, that Pluto’s sojourn through Capricorn and Venus’ retrograde period have been transformative enough. Perhaps it’s worth noting that not all transformative energy is a test of your mettle, and not every eclipse cycle features a crumbling tower. Perhaps, on the other side of all the work you’ve done simply to stay alive — to live through this — is that kind of transformative energy you get to access on your own terms. Perhaps what awaits you is not a trial by fire at all. It’s art that moves you to tears; it’s music that changes everything you know about music; it’s land that feels like home and love that makes your heart feel like spring water?
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Scorpio Sun & Scorpio Rising
It would be enough to endure Mars’ movement through Pisces, like watching someone swim back to shore against waves that keep pulling them out, like being the person swimming. It would be enough to wear a person out, to tinge each day with a feeling of strain and overexertion. Adding a solar eclipse in Taurus to the mix doesn’t just raise the stakes, it makes the shore seem further away. The swimmer moves in opposition to the waves because that is the familiar direction. The moon darkens the Sun in Taurus, opposite the stars of Scorpio. Of course, oppositions are meant to challenge us; they teach who we are and who we are not. But facing an opposition doesn’t always mean moving against it or fighting it. When the swimmer is tired, they can float on their back to rest. The people and projects that deplete you must be meaningful to you. Why else would you give so much of yourself to them? Is there a way for you to rest in that meaning for a while?
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Sagittarius Sun & Sagittarius Rising
The meeting of Jupiter and Venus in the sky is no small matter. Jupiter is well resourced under the stars of Pisces, and Venus adds a certain rosy glow to the scene — an invitation to indulge because life is for living. Indulgence doesn’t necessarily mean frivolous spending. Since both of these planets form a sextile to Pluto in Capricorn, indulgence can look like letting yourself dream bigger than you have been. In as many ways as you can imagine, it’s time to transform your relationship to wealth, whether that means re-imagining your budget or investigating how you can contribute to different reparations movements. Wealth isn’t all about money; it’s also resources and support. With the lingering influence of the solar eclipse in Taurus, you may feel moved to provide those very things for others, like opening your home to a friend in need or stranger seeking refuge. Move forward with the faith that abundance is collaborative.ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Capricorn Sun & Capricorn Rising
Some people like to get wild under a full moon, fuelled by the lore of werewolves and witches. But a new moon carries its own buzz, especially a new moon in your house of pleasure and creativity. Of course, getting wild isn’t something that happens to you; it’s an invitation you accept or an invitation you write yourself. It requires you to bend the rules, especially your own. In that light, or — ahem — darkness, it’s worth remembering that it’s not a crime to put yourself first, to want pleasure and make it a priority. It’s not a crime to love the indulgent parts of yourself, to protect them from those who might cast their judgment and, in doing so, infect you with it. It’s not a crime unless casting it in that light thrills you and, if so, then it’s time for you to plead guilty as charged.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Aquarius Sun & Aquarius Rising
As we move past the portal of the solar eclipse in Taurus and into this new cycle, it might be tempting to set up your satellite. And while, you’re more than welcome to commence the slow, deliberate, process of scanning all approaching wavelengths for a sign — of change, of transformation — there’s a good chance your pursuit may prove disappointing. Which is not to say that change isn’t coming, or that the transformative waves you seek aren’t seeking you. Of course it is, of course they are. It’s just that the will of the universe, its many worlds and endless shifting possibilities, is a mystery — no matter how perceptive and prepared we think we are. Not everything can make it on your radar, Aquarius, and not everything should. Sometimes, the subterranean needs privacy to do its work, sometimes the best you can do is let go and let it.
ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Pisces Sun & Pisces Rising
It’s true that Pisces people have a reputation for whimsy and sweetness. But anyone that’s ever loved a Pisces knows that they’re just as much sugar as they are spice, with a little bit of salt thrown in. Perhaps the sweetness your lot is known for is the initial moment of reflection — when someone sees themselves as you might see them, softened by waves and dappled light. Venus’ conjunction to Jupiter enhances the effect of this loving gaze, turning up your sense of self and attracting others to you. The other side of this influence is discernment. What water knows and humans have yet to learn: Reflections change as the light changes and they’re not always kind. Sometimes, the truth doesn’t feel kind even if it feels right. You get to decide how much you show people of themselves. They decide how much they’re ready to see. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARIANFLOWER
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Your May 2022 Horoscope Is Here