A Month Full of Retrograde Planets! Oh my. No, we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.

May’s complicated celestial ballet begins with the May 3rd Station Direct of Saturn (2′ Virgo), a New Moon in Taurus on the 5th and a Retrograde of Jupiter on the 9th (22′ Capricorn). Early May looks like a time for some kind of complicated financial restructuring. By then the Banking crisis will have reached the point where bailouts (for Banks, not consumers) and other large scale solutions to the Mortgage Crisis are underway. The forward movement of Saturn brings unacknowledged problems front and center, while the Retrograde of Jupiter tends to pull the covers off of the protections that have been at work. This gives us all no other choice but to work on real solutions. This is really good news for people who actually HAVE real solutions and not just more band-aids. Expect to see the Eco-boom begin in earnest now. People are seriously going to be looking for real, sustainable long-term answers to ongoing trouble - like gas prices, mortgage crisis, escalating costs of living, etc, etc. The list goes on.

But the dance does not end there, later in May a whole new set of shifting sands rearranges the picture once again. On May 25th Chiron turns Retrograde (21′ Aquarius) and on May 26th Neptune Retrogrades (24′ Aquarius) both of which tangle with the planets in Taurus, creating a financial tug-of-war on the personal level. But once again, long term new beginnings for business are really favored and we’ll see some real innovation happening now, it could be time for you to buy that solar powered egg-beater you’ve had your eye on. Also, get ready to revise all of your long-term ideas and plans now in light of a new set of information. And finally, last but not least the Full Moon in Sag on the 20th asks, in a not-so-gentle way, to let go of useless old ideas or ways of looking at things, and may even demand that we leave a group, association or affiliation behind. Remember, when one door closes another one opens!

Overall May is a very powerful month for the Earth signs: Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo to get busy with all your wordly Earth-changing plans. This is especially true if you were born in the first week of any of those signs or if you have significant planets in the first degrees of Earth, even better if those planets are exalted (like an early Taurus Moon, Mars in Capricorn or Uranus in Virgo for example). You’re getting a strong tailwind from the stars which can only help you gain altitude.

Mercury Retrograde ALERT! Mercury enters the Shadow on May 11th at 13′ Gemini and becomes Retrograde on May 26th at 22′ Gemini - and no, the condition is not curable. But if you’d like to learn more about how to USE it and not LOSE it (your mind that is) then check out my video here:

aries - Around the 11th of May there is a window of opportunity calling your name - don’t let it pass you by. Especially since around the 17th there is a burden or hardship on the horizon that you either must or choose to tackle or be forced to handle. So, if you get a nice tax return in early May, save it for the rainy day that sneaks up on you a week later. Towards the end of May, it won’t matter what comes your way, you’ll have the fortitude to get through it come hell or high water, or locusts, or dragons to slay, or, or…

taurus - Play like Nike and ‘just do it’ - whatever IT is. You can plow through a two ton concrete embankment now (and you might just try for the fun of it). There is some kind of momentum on your side and a big win is getting ready to pop for you. This isn’t the sort of out of the blue dumb luck that Sag’s take for granted all the time, this kind is for stuff you’ve worked long and hard for, so breath it in, enjoy it and celebrate. You deserve it.

gemini - You probably don’t think you are fickle, but sometimes other people do. And all month long you are gearing up to do something that will either make everyone else think you are fickle, or make them scratch their heads trying to figure out how you were 3 steps ahead of the game. Mercury enters the Shadow at 13′ Gemini on the 11th and goes into full-out Retrograde at 22′ Gemini on May 26th. This means for the next 2 months 87% of Gemini’s will drive 92% of the worlds population into a dizzying state of distraction. Could someone please get me the anti-dote?

cancer - Early in the month some new social life is born for you where you could find friendship and romance. The Full Moon on the 20th urges you to let go of some idea or philosophy about your routines, employees or heath/food habits. The downside here is that if you can’t seem to let go wrath could take over. If you find yourself in this position, aks for outside help. The Retrograde of Mercury in the subconscious part of your chart stirs up trouble and asks you to dive deep to find the source of any current problems.

leo - Battles over possesions and taking on too much stuff in your daily routines could leave you feeling zapped this month. Get some R&R and dive into the depths of your philosophical truth, this is where your own personal alchemy can take place. In fact the Universe is asking you to spend the next 6 months re-evaluating the validity or depth of a truth you’ve been taking for granted. The Zen Buddhists would say, that if you want to know the meaning of truth, you must first come to know the oneness of all things.

virgo - You can do very well in the early part of the month, and later too provided that you don’t get bit by the Mercury Retrograde in Gemini double-speak bug. That’s one bug you don’t want to give OR to get. So check and triple check all of your agreements and make sure that there are no loopholes or slippery slopes for people to weasel out of, because under this influence all forms of dealmaking are subject to interpretation and mucho morally grey area. Put a chastity belt on your daughter and pay extra careful attention to the legal-ese.

libra - Time to take inventory. It’s always a good idea to know what stock you have in the store - even when that store is your own inner warehouse of feelings, thoughts and beliefs. Your deeper side is dying for attention, expression and long walks down the garden path. Don’t get lost in the maze of philosophy that presents itself now. Your salvation will come from real, tangible deals and financial connections you can make with others this month.

scorpio - This month presents a mixed bag of confusing possibilities. It would be wise for you to meditate on your options and mull them over rather than leap like a Mexican jumping bean. You don’t want to put all your enchiladas in one basket, but you don’t want to miss the Fiesta either (it is Cinco De Mayo after all). My suggestion: take as much of an educated guess on the future as possible, then make a well thought through (but not exciting) decision. Then grab a Margarita and dance to the Mariachi music.

sagittarius - Holy Moley. That’s the official term for your Horoscope this month. Things are shaking more than a dance party in a California earthquake. Nothing, and I mean nothing is stable this month for you, so get used to the ground shifting and shaking. You will wind up having to let go of something near month’s end. Try not to shed huge crocodile tears, it’s something you need to let go of anyway. Romance and dating is so unpredictable that you should just set your alarm for mid June and take a break ’til then.

capricorn - Well, Saturn moves into direct mode early this month and it does help you to gain control over the crazy schedule you’ve been keeping. It also lands a heaping helping of control over your environment onto your plate - so make use of it while you can (for the next 6 months). Halted projects, delayed interludes and stalled motors get going again for you. Not a moment too soon either, so make your plans clear, set your schedule and organize all travel plans early in the month before Mercury messes with all of your routines after the 11th.

aquarius - This month you get into a ‘team up with others’ mode that could lead to financing, or getting into the financial markets. A cautious approach is best for you and be sure you fully understand the obligations you are taking on - because you WILL be obligated. At least you suddenly feel like your head is in order, just as family ’stuff’ looms out of nowhere and creative projects (or children) get crazy and really hard to manage as  the month progresses. You’ll need to have your mind clear just to deal with everyone else!

pisces - Guppies dive into the safety of escapism while swimming in captive fish bowls, sharks must keep moving to sink teeth into their next meal and trout seek out the most crisp and beautiful environment in which to thrive. Which are you? Each has its own challenge this month, the guppie never even gets in the game, the shark finds the tables turned when tangling with a hunter and the trout can make a clean getaway if he avoids the bait. It takes awareness to navigate these strange waters. Keep a fishy eyed lookout.