Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Jupiter Enters Aquarius May 1

For the months of May, June and July, we have the opportunity to exercise Jupiter's expansive nature again as he moves out of his sign of debilitation, Capricorn. When a planet is stationed in its sign of debility, its natural abilities or influences are impaired or suppressed. We may feel a shift toward a more expansive environment due to Jupiter, a planet associated with fortune and abundance, moving into a better sign. However, we must know that Jupiter in Aquarius is still in Saturn's domain, and is additionally aspected by Saturn who is opposite in Leo. This is a very interesting face-off in that Saturn in Leo has the role of the destroyer of out-dated, established means of leadership, which has traditionally been for many world cultures an imbalanced ruler-subject relationship. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, and it is a leader in the sense of Jupiter's role as “guru” or master. In this sense, Jupiter can represent the "establishment" or that which guides our political and cultural choice. Jupiter will occupy Saturn's idealistic and innovative air sign, Aquarius, for the next three months, not the most comfortable place for an honorable representative of the establishment. There will be a chance for the common person (represented by Saturn) to come face to face with their leadership and to create a new balance of power, one based more on the Aquarian ideals of brotherhood, equality and humanitarianism rather than our established Leonine system of central authority and subjugation, which Saturn has been working to destroy since the beginning of his occupation of Leo in August 2007. At any rate, it is always interesting when Jupiter and Saturn are opposite, whether in a person's birth chart or in the moment, as those two planets represent the principles of expansion and contraction, respectively, and when they are opposite they can act to create a balance between those opposing forces, which is something we all must ultimately learn to do as we evolve our way through life.

Mercury Retrograde May 7 - May 31

As if to add another spinning plate to our act, we get to experience the always fascinating journey of Mercury pretending to move backwards through the zodiac at his rapid pace between May 7 – 31. Mercury begins the retrograde movement at 7° of Venus' earth sign, Taurus, and travels back into Aries, resuming direct motion at 28° Aries on May 31. Taurus is an earth sign, so that may give us some indication as to what Mercury's antics will affect this time. Taurus is ruled by Venus, and is a domain of material beauty, possessions, and the arts. I would not recommend this time period for signing any contracts or making any firm moves on purchases of high-ticket items such as real estate or vehicles. This would be a better time for taking inventory of what is on hand and reviewing how your possessions and holdings help or hinder your personal expression and ability to communicate with others. Mercury's condition is somewhat improved by the current exalted status of Venus, who is the ruler of Taurus. That doesn't mean that the usual Mercury-retrograde events won't occur, but it could mean that they wont be extremely harmful or that they result in some type of positive connection.

Full Moon in Libra May 8

The Moon is full at 24° Libra on Friday, May 8. When the Moon is full, it is always in the sign opposite that of the Sun. In this case, the Moon is in Venus' air sign, Libra, and the Sun is exalted in Mars' fire sign, Aries. Interestingly, these two rulers of this full Moon, Mars and Venus, are currently conjunct in Pisces, where Venus is exalted. So, we have the influence of two exalted planets (Sun and Venus) on this full Moon. This will be a great night for socializing, for passion and for creativity. It is the culmination of the lunar cycle begun in Aries on April 24. Enjoy what could be a beautiful and magical evening.

Saturn Resumes Direct Motion May 17

Saturn's slow, steady and determined destruction of outdated forms of government may step up a notch once he resumes direct motion at 20° Leo on May 17. Don't expect any sudden moves from the old man, but rather prepare for a strengthening of the tug that threatens to pull the rug out from under the old boys network. Once Saturn starts plodding forward again, he'll take about four months to traverse the remainder of Leo and head into Mercury's earth sign, Virgo, in September 2009. So, this may prove to be an eventful summer due to the opposition of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius-Leo.

Mars Enters Aries May 23

Mars enters his own fire sign, Aries, on May 23 for a six-week transit. During the majority of Mars' trip through Aries, he will have the opportunity to operate independently of the other planets, neither giving nor receiving aspects with the slower moving planets. An exception to this is Venus, who will join Mars on May 30. Mars is very powerful in his own sign, and will give us the opportunity to manage our power and resources with confidence and courage. This is a good period of time for building, planting, planning and executing; although do keep in mind that any important ground breaking should occur after Mercury resumes direct motion at month's end.

New Moon in Taurus May 24

The new Moon this month occurs at about 9° Taurus, right as the Sun is rising on Sunday, May 24 in the lunar mansion called "Krittika" which is known as "The Star of Fire." It gives the power to bring change into form by burning out impurities. There is great creativity associated with this nakshatra, and often the goals sought through this lunar mansion will be met by using boldness or aggression. At the time of this new Moon, we see both Mars and Mercury at the very beginning of their respective signs (Aries and Taurus), a condition known as "sandhi," which implies transition and instability. Additionally, Mercury is still retrograde at this point, so it is advisable to refrain from delving into any major life changes on the coattails of this new Moon. Rather, use the energy of Krittika to burn away that which is negative in order to create fertile ground for the positive once the tide changes.

Venus Enters Aries May 30

Venus joins Mars on his own ground on May 30, where she'll gracefully pass through in about one month's time, catching up to Mars mid-May and traveling in tandem with him through mid-July. With Venus being the main planet to influence Mars during this time, it bodes well for all who are undertaking work projects that require the finesse and grace of Venus. The conjunction of Mars and Venus through the next couple of months could also create fertile ground for male-female relationship; the interaction of these two very human planets that represent male and female always introduces a measure of passion and sexual tension that can be so essential to certain creative projects. As Venus gets settled in Aries during the first week in June, and as Mercury resumes direct motion during the same time, we should feel a bit more free to move forward and initiate new phases. Use the slowness introduced by Mercury and Saturn in May to clear the ground for the next set of moves, which will begin to activate during June.