May Horoscopes By Steve Judd

  ARIES: 21st March - 20th April

Within the last couple of months the rate of change has accelerated to a degree not experienced before, a rate outside of normal reference. This ratcheting up of anticipation and even trepidation brings with it a sense of urgency that can’t be explained in terms of logic and rationality or even in terms of emotion or feeling – it can only be known through direct experience. Uranus is breaking new ground now, or at least for those of you under 84 years old, and is bringing with him a desire to break free from the mundane and the boring, to revolutionize one’s lifestyle in a way that isn’t so much disruptive or chaotic but hopefully instead stimulating and exciting. But the potential for just staying the same is falling through the floor that way only leads to permanent ruts and premature aging... There is an almost compulsive need to do something – anything! – that releases an element of pressure or steam, and this urge cannot be denied or ignored except at one’s peril. But neither is it appropriate to just act impulsively or just for the hell of it. The ideal solution here is that you are finding unusual and novel solutions to old problems in a way that would not have been conceivable even one year ago. During May the day by day urgency and immediacy of life will calm down in quite a notable way, taking you out of the limelight and letting you step back so that you can begin the process of assimilating and integrating the events and developments of recent times.

  TAURUS: 21st April - 21st May

And you hit the ground running... The first half of May, with a combination of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars in your sign should be one of the fastest times in recent memory, particularly just before the Taurus new Moon on the 10th when all five inner points will be with you. There is an abundance of energy around now and with it comes the potential for both development and fortune, so perhaps the first half of this month is a better time than normal for putting in that extra one or two percent. Mars is in your sign until the very end of May, bringing with it the physical energy needed to get things done, making this a very physical month. Mercury rushes through Taurus in the first two weeks of May, bringing with it a rapidity of both movement and information that can be at times a little too fast for comfort, and Venus is with you until the 9th, suggesting that the first week of May will be more easy going and less hectic than other times of the month. It is the time of the 8th to the 10th that is the most unpredictable, where either intransigence or action will win through, depending on individual circumstances. Rarely does this combination of concentrated day by day energy happen, so make the most of the first half of the month and then let yourself coast into steady neutral as May unfolds. Just don’t do the normal Taurus trick of doing nothing because by doing so you’ll miss a number of potential opportunities.

  GEMINI: 22nd May - 21st June  

May is going to be the most volatile of months during 2013, in that the swing from one end of the spectrum to the other could scarcely be more profound. The month starts so quietly, and you would be forgiven during the first ten days of May for wondering what the fuss is about. But as the middle ten days of the month start, there are subtle changes in the undercurrents, perhaps even a degree of complacency kicking in, and then all of a sudden things are going to accelerate significantly. Venus moves into your sign on the 9th of May, followed by your chart ruler Mercury on the 15th, from when on the rate of movement, information, news and travel is going to take off. There are so many compressed experiences coming up over the second half of May and during June that it would be unwise to even think of long term plans or decisions at the moment, there’s still a lot of water to flow under the bridge. And of course, Jupiter is still picking up speed, during May bringing a much greater degree of volatility and freneticism as well as hopefully opportunity and humor into the lives of those born from the 8th to the 15th of June. And be aware that next month is going to get even faster before plateauing at the end of June from when you will be able to draw breath. It’s a time to cram the experiences in, for taste and trial and experiment – the analyzing and long term decisions can come later once you’ve got the actions underneath your belt.

   CANCER: 22nd June - 22nd July

So far this year there have been a number of different developments in your life that seem to have an underlying common theme – that of shaking you loose from some of the more rigid foundations that have become solidified over recent years. What you will see looking back on this year is a gradual loosening of a number of ties. For some of you, this will be experienced as times of trauma or crisis, accompanied by sudden and unpredictable change, whilst for others exactly the same energy will be seen as the closing of old doors and the emergence into something more liberating than ever before. And during May you are likely to become steadily more aware of a growing sense of anticipation and even excitement which although incomprehensible in terms of explanation is nevertheless clearly evident in your nervous and emotional system, seemingly on orange alert but not in a negative way.... This is because the events of the first half of 2013 are metaphorically designed to get you more flexible and less rigid so that you can arrive at the end of June with a feeling of both strength and tolerance tinged with adaptability. The second half of this year will be the fastest six months for twelve years in certain areas of your life, and it’s important that you arrive at the start of this period in good condition and raring to go so that the results can be optimum. May is the start of the final run-in, a month where everything is just going to get faster and faster.

  LEO: 23rd July - 23rd August

You’re on the receiving end of a number of different challenging circumstances this month, none of which are going to be long term or majorly problematical, but during May there are going to be one or two situations that cannot stay the same any longer. This could relate to your professional situation, in which you may find yourself having to make some hard choices about your personal boundaries and how far you are prepared to let them be pushed, or it could relate to your localized family situation, where it may be that the demands of those close to you on your time and energy are beginning to become more than a hindrance. Either way, it seems that this month there are a number of circumstances outside of your control that are seemingly dictating situations in your life, and this can only be tolerated for so long. It is the first half of the month that is the most potentially verbally fraught, and if you’re going to say something that you will later regret then this is the time that you will do it. Some of you, especially those born at the start of August, are going to find this time one of stimulus and excitement, but the majority of Leos during May are going to be a little bit edgy, as though they are wearing a sandpaper coat, and needful of a quiet space where they can feel protected and nurtured against an increasingly hostile world. The hardest path to take at this time is the middle one, not denying yourself but neither treading on others’ toes.

   VIRGO: 24th August - 22nd September

It may be that in some areas of your life there is such an electrical energy that things are quite frenetic – whilst at the same time in other areas, there are real opportunities. Certainly, if you find that you’re more primal or instinctive side is pulling you towards specific choices or actions in the first half of the month, do listen to it as opposed to the rational or logical mind. Yet as the month evolves, so your capacity to overreach or overstretch yourself increases, so if you intend to do anything of significance during May, you’re probably best off doing it in the first ten days of the month as opposed to later on. As the middle of the month approaches, there can be an aura of indecision developing and as a result one or two situations around you may become a little cloudy or confused, and by the end of the month there’s a notable shift around you, with the last week of May being potentially difficult if words and minor actions at that time are taken too personally. You’re beginning to look like a bit of a pin cushion for the coming short term, until the middle of July, and this is partly because others see you as safe and stable enough to unload on, so try not to take things too personally. Within a couple of months the hardest times of the year will be behind you and you’ll have a clearer run in towards the oncoming future in a way that isn’t available now. If you push too hard now you’ll only meet problems, so why not let things slowly and organically develop?

  LIBRA: 23rd September - 23rd October

A combination of Saturn over the last three years accompanied by the attentions of Uranus and Pluto have left many of you reeling until the start of this year, and developments and evolving situations of just the last two months have not helped much, bringing with them the immediacy and urgency of dealing with other people in ways that are almost distasteful, certainly difficult. And now, all of a sudden, it is as though there is a sudden cessation of attention, as though you’ve suddenly become invisible to a vast amount of the world. The attention of the world is now focused elsewhere, and over this and next month you’re in a position where you can rest up and recharge, safe in the knowledge that there’s nothing new coming in your direction at least in the short term. It may be that come the start of July a number of different developments could start requiring a lot more of your time, energy and attention, but until that time you’re relatively low and staying below the radar screen. The second half of May is more upbeat than the first, especially when it comes to being creative and/or travelling, and there are no new signs of any direct challenges or difficulties forming this month except perhaps at the day by day level – the essence of May is that you can breathe deeply again, knowing that you’ve got two months to both recover and recharge. Time to take stock of this year so far and start taking more responsibility for your choices.

  SCORPIO: 24th October - 22 November

With Saturn still retrograding through the early part of your sign and the reverberations from the recent Scorpio full Moon still echoing through your life, this month is not scheduled as being quiet or stable. Increasingly, there are clear and distinctive lines and boundaries being drawn between what is yours singular and what is yours plural, whether the ‘what’ in question are finances, possessions, resources or opinions. On the one hand, there will be increased calls for you to work with other or others, a choice that will at least in the short term hinder your personal self-development to a minor degree. On the other hand, how can you help anyone else if you’re not in good working order yourself? Sometimes putting yourself first isn’t selfishness, its self-enlightened interest. What you should find is that people around you will become more specific in their demands/requests of you, and it will be easier for you to say yes or no, black or white in ways that won’t leave room for discussion. It is primarily your interactions with other at the singular level that are most prone to difficulty in the short term, especially during the first two weeks of May when there is a whole cluster of planets in your opposite sign. Perhaps the best option is stay relatively in the background whilst things work themselves out, any hasty large scale decisions now just wouldn’t work out the way you hope. Bide your time and see which way the land lies by the second week of June.

  SAGITTARIUS: 23rd November - 21st December

Some of you are actually having a whale of a time at the moment, although lessons involving moderation and self-discipline may also be being ignored. If you’re born between the 8th and the 16th then this month is going to hold in it the potential for a lot of larger than life developments which if you’re not careful can completely absorb you to the point of losing your objective focus on the world. Keep things in perspective. It may well be that all of you will see the pace of life, as represented by developments in the lives of individuals around you, becoming faster and faster to the point of being almost manic as the second half of May develops, and it is probably prudent not to make any type of major change of course or new long term decision based on recent and upcoming information – it is not going to be until the middle of July that you are going to be able to get perspective on this year so far with any degree of accuracy. And it is the annual Sagittarius full Moon on the 25th, in particularly challenging aspect to Neptune which only supports the idea that there is no safe form of clarity to be had at the current time. Far better to suck it and see, and gauge your opinions more accurately come the middle of July. This month will become increasingly informative, but whilst the details will all be there, the big picture hasn’t as yet fully formed.

  CAPRICORN: 22nd December - 20th January

It’s a little foggy out there at the moment, and more you try and get focus or concentration on to any specific purpose or direction, the cloudier it gets. Yet this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The prime planetary influences around you at this time are those of Pluto, Neptune and Saturn – none of whom are transparent about their workings. It is as though the unconscious and the subliminal, the subconscious and the transpersonal , the psychological and the neurotic are all working in ways that you can sense but not control or even influence. They know what they are doing, and they have your best interest at heart, being at least partly generated by your own internal workings. Don’t get in your own way. Here’s a test as to your evolutionary success or failure over recent times: Consider your position in life now compared to four years ago, and ask yourself whether you would swap current status for what you had then. Although your current situation may not be as much to your liking as it could be, I suggest that the quality of experience in recent times has made you much sharper and effective as a human being than before, and to step back now would lead into thick fog. The aspect forming now and for the coming few months between Saturn and Neptune suggest the opportunity to bring a quality of structure into the imagination, hopefully leading to a more formative manifestation in the outside world. ‘Whatever you can dream you can do, begin it now.’

  AQUARIUS: 21st January - 18th February

At the day by day level, elements of this month are going to be harder than you’ve experienced so far this year. You’re likely to find that your profile and public image in the outside world is coming under greater scrutiny than usual, and you’ll need to be on top of your game in order to avoid some of the potential pitfalls at the day by day level in your professional sphere. At the same time, it may be that your home and family situation is creating some type of friction, that inter relationships within the family may not be at their most diplomatic and that you could easily find yourself becoming the one that both has to sort everything out and take the blame. If so, and just for the short term, shoulder this responsibility quietly and willingly on the grounds that the alternative is to make a fuss and really – do you need the aggravation that will bring? Perhaps at least for the short term it is better to just deal with things whilst slowly but steadily firming up your mind about imminent choices and actions – bide your time, the most incisive period of this year is yet to occur. The first two weeks of May are the most verbally provocative, and this is when you’ll need to watch your responses, but all of the month is going to have an energy like an itch that you can’t scratch. Better to just knuckle down and take things on the chin, although some of you, especially those born from the 6th to the 13th, should find things more opportunistic than most.

  PISCES: 19th Feb - 20th March

May starts off with quite a communicative energy about the place, and you should find that your ability to communicate with others by phone, email, travel or just speaking face to face is quite enhanced and as a result information will flow freely. But as the middle of the month develops, so things start to get a little more complicated or sticky, and your ability to get clarity begins to diminish. It is definitely the first ten days of May that hold in them the best ability to get things done in an effective and efficient way, and what you’ll find is that this is when the most accurate of intuitions are available as well. This doesn’t mean that the rest of the month is difficult, although certain areas such as your public persona or your family arrangements can become mildly fractious towards the end of May. In the background and in the big picture there are no reasons for concern – it’s just that at this time there’s a kind of invisible chewing gum binding you down and preventing you from flying, and this isn’t going to clear for a month or two yet. It is primarily the latter part of May and the first week or so of June that is giving you the most grief, and this will only be at the personal and the day by day level. It’s likely that the coming few months will have a frenetic quality about them that will only dissipate come mid-July so till then keep your bullsxxt filters on standby and take ongoing developments with a pinch of salt. Only come July will clarity begin to ensue.

Global 
The first week of May sees jockeying for position, in two different ways. A conglomeration of planets in Taurus peaks on the 8th + 9th when the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all in that sign. And during that time, both Mercury and Mars are rapidly teaming up in opposition to Saturn and trine Pluto, suggestive of incisive and direct communications regarding fiscal boundaries and global plans – one or two people or countries may be sharply bought into line. By the new Moon on the 10th the stage is set, the coils tight ready for springing, everything is poised – and we go into a null zone for a day or five, followed by an astrological big bang on the 20th when Jupiter and Saturn are exactly three eighths of the sky apart, and Uranus is exactly square Pluto. If this doesn’t rock foundations then nothing will. Saturn is no help now, retrograding in the Scorpionic dark, getting his priorities right by chipping away at the old financial structures from behind the scenes but staying out of the fray, just acting as the brake. This month is real Uranus/Pluto stuff big time, fundamentals are changing and core foundations of the future are being negotiated, with no clear outcome as yet. And to complicate matters, the full Moon on the 25th is exactly square Neptune, whilst Jupiter continues to make hay going over the top in mid/late Gemini, so things will be as clear as mud.