Written and published exclusively for Chatelaine. Read the French version here. Illustration, Kiki Ljung.
We are officially welcoming eclipse season, since the partial solar eclipse in Taurus took place on April 30th (read last month’s horoscopes for details). Generally, the time during and in between eclipses can feel disorienting, like you’re moving through the twilight zone. It can also feel exhausting, because major shifts and changes happen during eclipses. It takes a lot to metabolize these adaptations.
The sky is a flurry of activities, with Venus entering Aries on May 2 and Jupiter following on May 10. There will be a general vibe of indulgent adventure-seeking. Mercury stations retrograde in Gemini on May 10, which gives us a collective pause to finish overdue projects instead of starting new ones. Journeys and communications may be a bit wonky in the next three weeks.
In Scorpio, a total lunar eclipse (where the full moon turns red) takes place on May 15 (it’ll be visible in North America!). This culminates whatever began back in November 2021. It’s in a challenging aspect with Saturn, which can illuminate the limitations of your personal situations.
The Sun enters Gemini on May 20, which signals the end of spring and the beginning of summer. And the backwards-moving Mercury re-enters Taurus on May 22, retracing the same steps it has already taken since the end of April. Mars enters its home sign Aries on May 24, which can mobilize certain areas of your life into action. Venus enters Taurus on May 28 to sweeten the waiting game and inspire you to take things slowly in contrast. And finally, a New Moon in Gemini occurs on May 30, starting a new annual cycle of beginnings in this part of your chart. Read your horoscopes for the synthesis of May’s astroweather!
I highly recommend that you primarily read the horoscopes for your rising sign. If you don’t know your rising sign, you can read for your sun sign (born during the day) and/or moon sign (born at night). Read it all if you like, and take what resonates. To figure out these placements, enter your birth date, location and precise birth time into an astrology app like Time Nomad or online at astro.com. For more guidance on how all of these play together, visit charmastrology.com.
Taurus: This season of eclipses initiates you into epiphanies about your restlessness and urgency for change. While you normally prefer to slowly pick at the edges of transformation, you are catalyzed into action this month. Whether the shape it takes is externally noticeable is yet to be known. Despite the uncertainty that hangs over your pretty head, you are undoubtedly in a bigger cycle of embodied and relational shifts. You’re well on your way.
Gemini: It may prove challenging to harmonize your desire for excitement and your desperate need for quiet alone time. Prioritize noticing patterns and paying attention to the responsibilities on your plate. You can clear out some that do not require your leadership. Instead, dedicate more energy towards unpacking your tendency towards self-sabotage. These things are connected. Notice when you are avoiding important inner self-work through mundane daily life responsibilities.
Cancer: Your outer world achievements are likely to showcase the true colours of the people around you. This month, there is a longing to share a more authentic version of yourself in the highlight reels of your public life. It’ll bring in new people towards you and perhaps trim some out. What matters the most is resonance. Lean into what’s true for you in this moment more than what’s expected of you.
Leo: Here’s hoping you can do something about the cabin fever of your days and mind—whether this means literally (safely) travelling to renew your dulled-out inspiration reserves, or perhaps taking up a new field of study to stimulate your brain. This month is all about explorations and journeys. You’ll find yourself having an urgent desire to share your work with the world and make new connections. Please do—and make sure you’re enjoying yourself.
Virgo: Turning inward, balancing your spreadsheets, tending to your emotional health, taking your time, walking away and trying again. These are some of your suggested to-do lists this month, dear Virgo. It seems as though you’re on the verge of disbelieving your old narratives. This is good. Don’t take yourself too seriously but trust that you’re right to question even your tried and true ways.
Libra: The thing about being open to love (of all kinds) is that you simultaneously become a student of grief. To be present and engaged in life and relationships is to be open to loss. An open heart is a broken heart. Not broken to mean misery and despair all the time, but broken open, as in softened by life and loss. This is a beautiful thing. Please do not misunderstand. May you find the courage to love despite your vulnerability and grief.
Scorpio: It’s been nice how inspiration can shake the stagnation out of your achy bones and weary heart. As you metaphorically mood-board your way to your renewed sense of self, your relationships mirror the profound changes you’re experiencing firsthand. This is good, even if sometimes it is painful and bittersweet. As the month comes to a close, you may become less indulgent and more interested in taking brave and strategic action. All in the spirit of supporting the new you that’s becoming.
Sagittarius: May has the potential to be both spicy and sweet, but you also have to carry your own weight. It’s a work hard, play hard kind of vibe. Indulge and shower yourself with the type of love and devotion you desire. Be bold, take some risks. But remember to also do your homework. Show diligence and devotion where it matters. Take responsibility for what is yours to bear. Revel in the fruits of your labour.
Capricorn: Moving in the direction of your desire is foundational to supporting yourself. Creatively expressing who you are, in all the complex facets of your personhood, is necessary to feel alive every day. Being awake to this part of your life will shift your ideas about care, labour, relationships and belonging. What would happen if work begets, instead of abolishes, pleasure? What kinds of choices will you make instead?
Aquarius: Sustainability will remain unattainable when you continually underestimate the danger of overextending yourself beyond capacity. Sometimes you learn this lesson the hard way, but sometimes things work out in your favour. Do not be skeptical of ease. That’s a miserable way to live. Instead, revel in the grace of not having to strive and struggle. Don’t let guilt ruin the fun you could be having.
Pisces: Romanticizing dramatic and sweeping life events can sometimes dilute the significance of the mundane. Change happens when you alter the microscopic details of your daily life. One of the root words of habit means to live. Pay attention to what you’re mindlessly cultivating through your habits. Be more in touch with the pulse of your day-to-day instead of yearning for that one big extraordinary moment that you think will fix most of your problems. Start small but stay consistent.
Aries: You might be feeling larger than life this month, dear Aries. Ride this wave of shameless confidence and let your audacity take you where you’ve never been but always wanted to go. One antidote to grief is a persistent commitment to engaging with life. Find what makes you come alive and do it. Invite more sweetness into your day-to-day.