4 Major Astro Changes Happening This Week!

Dear readers, May is a transition month that marks the beginning of the 2020 retrograde season. In the middle of the upheaval that we’re going through right now, the time for isolation and/or reflection will continue as we’re called to come to terms with our past so we can be ready for the future. Mars in Pisces joins the retrograde planets in their “slow it down” campaign, making it clear that this is not a time to push forward, but to reconsider our goals, our dreams, and our relationships.

Saturn retrograde: May 11

This year’s Saturn retrograde has two phases: first, time lord Saturn appears to be moving backward in the innovative sign of Aquarius until June 2, then he continues his retrogradation in industrious Capricorn until September 29. When Saturn goes retrograde, our lives slow down, our methods and values are put to the test and we’re called to revise our plans and our strategies. The following months will be a test to our patience and our resilience. We’ll be called to accept limitations and slow progress as normal phases of life and to re-discover the resources that can help us thrive.

Saturn retrograde in Aquarius will be a time of revising our hopes for the future and finding ways to turn these hopes into quantifiable goals. The community will play an important part in our lives until June 2, whether we’re huddling up with like-minded people or separating ourselves temporarily from the group so we can figure out our priorities better. This will be an incubation for the social, technological, and ideological progress that Saturn in Aquarius will bring in the following years.

From June 2 until September 29, expect a blast from the past as Saturn retrograde in Capricorn will bring up themes linked to work, efficiency, integrity, responsibility, and judgment that have been active in our lives for the past two years. This is Saturn’s last dance through his home sign Capricorn for a while and it will be a (temporarily) final call to get our act together, to establish priorities and boundaries, and to trust our ability to succeed, especially in the area that Saturn activates in our chart. On a global level, it will be an equally pressing call to restructure abusive, corrupt or outdated institutions, practices, and belief systems.

From about May 6 to May 16, Saturn will station towards retrograde. The stationing period will bring an increased focus on work and responsibility and more awareness of the things that are limiting or putting pressure on us (time, social structures, authority figures, perhaps our own inner critic). These days can feel like we’ve just hit a roadblock, so take it slow and start getting used to the idea that many important issues will be on hold during the next months, asking for reflection and delayed gratification rather than action for change. Trust that the rewards for your hard work will come in time.

Until June 2, the signs that will be feeling this transit the most are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, while Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn will be the most impacted from June 2 until autumn.

Venus retrograde in Gemini: May 13

Until June 25, our love life and our relationship with pleasure and attachment will receive a makeover from love goddess Venus. Venus rules the gentle, loving, pleasure-seeking part of us, so during the next month and a half we will work with our soft side to improve the relationship we have with ourselves and with others.

When Venus is retrograde, we can feel an increased need for affection. Relationships seem to make or break us, especially if we’re talking about past issues that are still left unresolved. If an old lover or friend reappears in our life at this time, it’s an amazing opportunity to work things out, whether that means being realistic about the separation or finding common ground again. However, it’s good to remember that this person is in your past, not in your present, for a reason. On the other hand, some of us might start a new relationship during Venus retrograde. These relationships don’t tend to last (it’s not a final verdict, though); their role is rather to awaken us to what we truly want from a relationship, beyond our tendency to repeat familiar patterns.

If you’re in a relationship, issues that you’ve been sweeping under the rug can come to the surface to be processed. Since Venus retrogrades in the chatty sign of Gemini, this is a good time to talk openly with your partner and to see things from a logical perspective. It could be difficult to make a decision at this time, since the Twins can see all sides of a problem equally. It’s best if you can reflect for now and save the decision for when Venus goes direct again.

If you’re single, you could discover and heal some blockages around relationships or learn to enjoy the connection you have with yourself more. Either way, Venus retrograde prompts us to find a bridge towards our heart, to find out what is her true desire, and to trust in our ability to give and to receive love. In the airy sign of Gemini, conversation, mental connection, and touch will be some of our favorite ways to express affection.

When it comes to finances and personal style, Venus retrograde can help us re-evaluate how we want to use our resources and how we want to embody her beauty. Many of us can emerge from this retrograde with a new style or with increased confidence in our power of attraction. When it comes to shopping, however, make sure that your investments fit your priorities: what we buy during Venus retrograde can often lose its appeal afterward. It’s generally a good idea to look for value within, not without, during a Venus retro.

The signs that will feel this transit the most are mutable Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

From May 12 to May 14, stationing Venus will bring themes linked to love, relationships, self-love and self-worth, pleasure and attachment, art, and style to the center of our lives. Sail through these days with a lot of self-care and positive self-talk!

Mars in Pisces: May 13

From May 13 to June 27, fiery Mars transits the elusive sign of Pisces. If Mars in progressive Aquarius had us feeling restless and brought some major changes in our society during the past month and a half, Mars in Pisces will emphasize rest and regeneration. As if we didn’t have enough of that already! Still, this transit can be an emotional rollercoaster and it requires us to look within before taking concrete action.

With Mars in Pisces, it’s less about direct action and more about going with the flow- something uncharacteristic for this warrior planet. Pay attention to your dreams during this transit, keep a dream journal, and practice gentle exercises such as yoga, swimming, or dancing to work your mind-body connection. Make sure you allow yourself enough time to rest. If you want to start something new (even though it’s better to wait it out at least until Venus goes direct again), it could be a spiritual practice, a creative project or something that benefits more people; these are the kinds of actions that Mars in Pisces supports the most.

With this transit, anger or frustration can wear the mask of sadness, guilt, passivity, resignation, or deception. We could be feeling confused, restless, our sleep patterns can be erratic. It helps to stay in contact with our feelings and our impulses, choosing connection (to ourselves, to loved ones, to the universe) instead of addiction (stay mindful if any unhealthy habits resurface at this time) or avoidance. Try not to settle for things you don’t actually want during this transit and set good boundaries for your energy.

The signs that will feel this Mars transit the most will be Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. Stay tuned for the June horoscopes, when we’ll see how this fuzzy Mars in Pisces energy will interact with the larger-than-life Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse! 

Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn: May 14

From May 13 until September 14, Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn will slow down career progress, prompting us to re-evaluate our goals and our strategies to achieve them. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we can already see how this process started from around February when Jupiter entered his retrograde shadow. From May until the end of the year, we will continue reorganizing our plans and re-envisioning our goals both on a personal and on a social level. The signs that will feel this transit the most are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

Jupiter retrograde marks a window of time when we’re called to slow down and to reflect on the values and beliefs that fuel our efforts toward growth. Lack of integrity, lies, corruption, self-righteousness, excessive control is likely to come to the surface during this period since there’s nothing that Jupiter in Capricorn wants more than honest work. Stay mindful of your own tendencies towards self-righteousness or judgment towards those who are different. Observe your thoughts and choose to react according to your authentic values.

We will probably have more work to do than usual, with an emphasis on the why’s and how’s of it. This is a good time to reconsider your vision of success, to reevaluate your priorities, and to cultivate an abundance mentality. Think of it as an inner journey, a cosmic break when the Universe is taking all our dreams and gestating them. Of course, we need to give it time! On a global level, we might realize more and more that abundance is not only for the privileged but for everyone, even as the favored ones protest and try to strengthen their control.

In 2008, when Jupiter last went retrograde in Capricorn, we had the financial crisis and the great recession; now, as we’re confronting the Coronavirus recession, we’re called towards realism, pragmatism, and hard work once again. Remember that Jupiter retrograde in Capricorn is not the best time to start a new job, a new business or to take big risks towards anything that can be seen as “expansion”. Choose to stick with what’s safe for now and reflect on your priorities as you get ready for things to start gaining momentum again in autumn.

From about May 10 to May 17, Jupiter will station towards retrograde, so we could see important events linked to faith, religion, business, education, travel, contracts, law during these days. At the same time, these are the days when we’ll feel that progress is starting to slow down, asking us to look within for guidance instead of pushing forward with our agenda.

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