Your May Horoscopes Are All About Reinvigoration

In May, the lambent horniness of Taurus careens, rather sharply, into the adolescent mania of Gemini. This is the midpoint of the astrological springtime, and the season of embodiment. Aries season delivered the possibility of a return to our physical lives — to contact, urge, impulse. As the sun works its way through Taurus, we strategically lay the seeds we wish to fertilize. Then, as the gusts of Gemini blow in, we give way to the simplicity of the raw experience, rendered novel after a long quarantine. This month, we will negotiate the terms of stepping out into the world.

Desire and indulgence are brought into vision with the new moon in Taurus on May 11. It’s time to come out of the holding pattern, get clear about what it is you want, and then pay the overseas shipping prices to get it. With Mercury, planet of communication, entering its home domain in Gemini on May 3, the present is finally catching up to itself. There’s no more waiting for the world to start. You can voice your desires now. You won’t get in trouble.

The main event of the month comes on May 13, when Jupiter — planet of vivacity, splendor, and, let’s face it, excess — begins its summer residency in its home sign, Pisces. From this point through the end of July, the largest and most ostentatious planet, long restrained in the codified structures of Capricorn and Aquarius, can finally forget the rules. Much of the action of late has been in Taurus and Aquarius, both fixed signs, which is well and good for structuring our personal and collective future. But Gemini and Pisces are mutable and demand a spirit of experimentation and escalation. Only through the chutzpah of Gemini can we test the limits of the new world order. Go see what kind of trouble you can stir up.

Meanwhile, since December, Saturn, planet of structure, rules and limits, has busily deployed information, vaccinations and governmental mandates from its command center in the humanitarian air sign Aquarius. On May 23, as the teen spirit of Gemini takes over, Saturn will reverse course, going retrograde through October, revisiting the business raised in February, March and April. Though the verdict of the trial is in, and the vaccine is out, is this thing really over? What’s the plan? And who is accountable?

On May 26, the embodied spirit of Gemini faces its inverse, with a full moon total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. While Gemini tends to spin out with no sense of an overarching framework, Sagittarius can’t help but fit every action into a larger politic. With its ruling planet, Jupiter, in the sign of the human collective, Pisces, Sagittarius will force a reconciliation of selves, incorporating the humanitarian consciousness developed in 2020 with the hatching, reborn individualism of spring 2021. Are you free to reinvent yourself? Which intrinsic ethics will endure with you beyond this pandemic? And, as masks inevitably come off, what moralistic self-definition are you ready to cast aside? When is life lived for something greater, and when can you stop trying to make an example of yourself? With Mercury launching into a retrograde in Gemini on May 29, the inner reconciliation will begin.

Aries & Aries Rising

For much of May, the sun loafs in the languid gardens of Taurus, while Mars finds itself languishing in Cancer’s smothering embrace. Your sense of late-quarantine, early-springtime momentum may feel blueballed, at least through June. Your drive, your mission, and your just rewards will have their moment. But for now, reward your senses, collect inspirations, test the waters, and let your attack plan marinate.

Taurus & Taurus Rising

The delights of the Taurus sun — long overdue in this scarcity era! — come under review and reform from the drip-drip, socially conscious Saturn in Aquarius. Saturn, in the humanitarian domain of Aquarius, aims to reimagine our ideas of entitlement and worth, far beyond the immediate and the gratifying. Get clear on your core values and non-negotiables, and root yourself in the company you keep. Your time, and your relationships, are your most cherished of possessions. Make sure that the people in your life, and the work you do, aligns with your ideals; it’s time to leave the kids’ table.

Gemini & Gemini Rising

With Venus and Mercury launching into your home sign, you can finally unshackle bonds of civil decency and communal obligation. Finally, you can attend three birthday parties in a night, and sleep through your STI screening the next day. You don’t have to pretend to read anymore! With Venus squaring Neptune, planet of delusions, a late-in-the-month eclipse in Sagittarius, and a retrograde in Mercury, you’ll be forced to integrate the lessons of the past year with the mesmerizing new present. The hyper-stimulation of Gemini season must, inevitably, lead to a redrawing of terms and boundaries. Nothing has to be set in stone, but with no context for why you do what you do (and who you do it with), you could get swept up in the vortex.

Cancer & Cancer Rising

Mars, the planet of war, ambition, and individuality, continues to wriggle within Cancer’s smothering embrace. Unstuck yourself from the expectations of others and initiate your personal attack mode. Roll with the intrinsic selfishness of Taurus season, and blow off steam. You need to get out, go on the career offensive, and get physical, ideally without the company of your significant other. Don’t drown your individuality in codependency. Claim an outlet of expression, and blast it all the way.

Leo & Leo Rising

Since December, you’ve sought to align your creative expression to a larger ethos; you’re looking to bring your soul to the stage now, not just empty theatrics. This month, Saturn’s retrograde in Aquarius challenges you to learn and receive from your relationships — let your friends give you some perspective on what you’re doing. Venus in Gemini and the full moon in Sagittarius will expand your creative cohort, giving you more chances for experimentation, collaboration, and accountability. Right now, it’s not so much about what you do, but what you have, and that certainly comes to the people who stimulate your growth.

Virgo & Virgo Rising

The dust will not be settling for a while; best to jettison your plans now. The other mutable signs — Gemini, Pisces, and Sagittarius — light up this month, exposing you to an ocean of possible friends, lovers, and collaborators. However, for a place in the new world order, the gods demand a sacrifice, and a relinquishment of control. The full moon in Sagittarius on May 26 forces you to reconcile with your drives and motivations, especially those at the core of your history. Confront any old contracts or outdated fantasies you made for yourself. Allow for a change of desire and drive, and watch as your little matrix expands into the infinite.

Libra & Libra Rising

It’s the debút de saison, and Venus, your ruler, could do with some healthy social climbing. Go out, get some numbers, and plant the seeds of possible collaborations in the future. Venus enters the scatterbrained air sign Gemini on May 8, and, on the 27, is challenged by Neptune, planet of dreams and delusions. This is a time for frivolity, fun and envisioning possible new connections — and not for ring shopping. Hold off on posting about the triumph of your pandemic relationship for a few months more. See who else shows up (and drops out of) your daily life this summer.

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising

April’s Scorpio supermoon busted open yet another closet of hidden fears, resignations, and fixations. You’re at yet another new beginning, and it’s alright to resent it. Seek harmony now in relationships and in your home life; welcome first dates and new projects to challenge your long-held plans and beliefs. You’ve exhausted your personal bastions of power to make it through this pandemic. Right now, Mars in Cancer wants to refill your spiritual and creative cup. Walk among the people. See where and to whom you are led. The saga continues...

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising

Invest in your home life, and give yourself a safe space for creative incubation and play. Lay down some roots and boundaries at the top of the month, because come May 26, with the full moon total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, it all goes galaxy brain. You’ll have a chance to realign with your dreams and beliefs, and consider how your relationships and home life can spur you forward. Anything is achievable at this moment, but you’ll need a little focus before you blast off. Give yourself the means to play around without forcing any definitive imperatives. You’ll be able to stick the landing later.

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising

2020 was the demolition, and 2021 begins the renovation. Saturn, the all-father, planet of plans and structure, goes into retrograde from May 23 to October 10, reviewing its work from this February, March, and April. There may be rots in the floorboards which you didn’t catch the first time around. Your new plan, or mission, may spin into a few detours. This is a necessary challenge of your control, and through blood and fury, a chance to relinquish it. You have to ask for help, and admit that you’re not alone in this. Through the others in your life, you have the chance to double the scope of your personal vision. Can you let them in?

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising

The last few months have likely resembled Ariel’s first days out of the Mermaid Kingdom: enlivening, terrifying, and, at every turn, stupefying. Internal changes are registering immediately, and you’re often the last to know about them. You’re being seen in a new way, one which you don’t fully understand. Aquarians tend to have a delayed reaction, and Saturn’s retrograde this summer (starting May 23) gives you a chance to review and integrate how the new outer glow informs your inner vales. You’ve got time, at least before Jupiter and Saturn resume their courses in Aquarius this fall. Who do you want to be?

Pisces & Pisces Rising

Try to get some sustenance in your system before the orgy starts. On May 13, Jupiter, planet of abundance and excess, returns to its home sign Pisces for a legendary summer residency. You’ll suddenly get to catch up on a quarantine’s worth of raves, ragers, and stoned conversations at 3 a.m. in line for the taco truck. The best thing you can invest in is your home life: keep the refrigerator stocked, do your laundry on time, and allow yourself nights in to recuperate. With an eclipse in Sagittarius and Mercury retrograding through Gemini, you could lose yourself in the deluge. Double-down on the rituals that give you a sense of individuality, boundaries, and, most essentially, personal autonomy. It’s okay to say no.