Time to Clear
Obstacles
The May 2007 Forecast
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Past forecasts
T
he full moon fell too close to the beginning of the month for me to sneak the forecast in
before it occurred. This has been a powerful lunation, since it revisits the fixed pattern of
the past two years. If you recall, we’ve been dealing with a concentration of planets in the
fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). The fixed pattern helps us focus on what we
want to keep and what we need to let go of or change. I have written about this repeatedly since
August 05, so look at any forecast since then for details on the wide variety of experiences we
could have or create. (Pick a month that was significant to you.) While this pattern has been on
its way out, this month it gets a next-to-last hurrah. The full moon highlights anything that is left
to be resolved from the issues we’ve faced over the past two years — and it’s likely that you’ll
have some, since the pattern is not yet complete. This month, while the Sun is in Taurus (through
the 20th), we’ll have the opportunity to settle another aspect of the issues we’re dealing with. As
you can see from Chart A, this is a time of great power, enhanced by the yearly worldwide
Wesak Festival, or “Buddha Day”.
“Hot-Spot” Dates to Watch
There will be multiple “hot spots” this month to watch for and use to your advantage.
These are triggered primarily by the Moon and Sun, but Mercury will also play a role for a few
days. The dates are (more critical dates in bold):
May 2
May 4
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8–9
May 12
May 15–16
May 20
May 24
You’ll notice that there aren’t very many of these dates that are not in bold! That’s
because there are so many planets piled up in the fixed signs right now. You don’t have to keep
track of them — just think back on the issue(s) you’ve been facing since August 2005, and you’ll
know what’s up in your life — if you need to!
What can we do to make the most of these contacts (because they do represent an
opportunity)? We can use all the skills we’ve developed thus far to persevere through the
situations we face, while we develop them further. The key dilemma of the fixed signs is
knowing when it’s time to let go. Faith (Neptune) is a factor, but it must be informed (Saturn)
faith. Healing a deep wound is also part of the agenda, even if not understood. While this wound
can be physical, its core is in the spirit, even if it manifests in forms such as emotional, mental,
physical, or as an immense obstacle in our lives.
It’s Not Over Till It’s Over.
There is a feeling of completion about May’s events, but there’s another shoe to drop —
two in fact. While Saturn completes its cycle in three months, Chiron’s and Neptune’s cycles are
still developing. In fact, new challenges will arise around the 20th and 24th that are feeder
experiences for the following five months. The situations that emerge this month (and new ones
will emerge) will rescue you from the past but establish conditions that will need to be overcome
in the coming months. The good news is that we are all close to closing the door on these issues.
The even better news is that, if we’ve done it right, we will be in a better position than we were
in before August 2005.
The cycles of Chiron and Neptune are becoming increasingly intertwined, culminating
next year when they will be traveling together. However, even this year, we will be hard-pressed
to tell them apart: Their retrograde stations (the time when we recognize what we’re working on
in conjunction with their cycles) occur only 4 days from each other. This means that we are likely
to experience one singular dilemma that encapsulates both planets’ energies. The theme of this
experience will somehow relate to ways in which we thwart our own or others’ freedom. Stated
as a question, What do I need to do to make myself truly free? We will be challenged to address
our ways of creating our own obstacles. This is the most effective way of clearing our path. The
good news is that, since others did not create the obstacles for us, we have it in our power to
remove them ourselves — if we can become aware of them. By a mere change in perception,
they may disappear! Of course, we will have to work to remove them when our inner obstacles
have real-world counterparts. As I type these words (based on reading the archetypes of the
planets), I notice that this applies to any number of political and international situations, from the
Iraq War to the political parties in any country. Is it curtailing our freedom to live “green” now,
or is it wise self-management to enjoy greater freedoms in the long run?
Another issue related to these planets is what it means to be identified with a group. In
other words, are the groups that we identify with truly aligned with our best interests? This can
apply to everything from family to cultural/ethnic group to political party to professional
organization. We will all be re-evaluating our affiliations.
So, for the cycle(s) of Chiron and Neptune, we can talk about “date clusters”, when their
energies and the issues related to them leap into the forefront. They are:
August 5–13 peak experience of the cycle (the halfway crescendo, like a full
moon)
October 19–31 release of the cycle (when things start to return to a new normal)
The dates in August are the final time when the fixed pattern will exert its strength in our
lives. This is will be the “hottest” of the two date clusters. However, the strongest of the hot
periods this year is this month (May). The simplest thing to do now is to observe what happens
on the 20th – 24th, because this sets the tone for the coming months.
The Month of 18s
If you look at the degrees of the planets
in Chart B, you’ll notice that four planets are at
17–18 degrees of their sign (Mercury, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus); five more are nearby (Sun,
Moon, Chiron, Neptune, Mars). This means
creates an “all or nothing” event pattern in our
lives. In other words, we’ll go for hours, if not
days, without activity, and then everything will
hit at once. This is especially true early in the
month, when the planets are most focused in
this zone. The peak of this pattern occurs on
the 4th and 5th, when Mercury contacts four of
these planets. Mercury contacts bring
awareness and understanding of previously
unknown conditions. Since what we don’t
know is likely to have created obstacles, we
may be inconvenienced by what we discover.
However, discovering the truth means that we
can deal with it and clear our path. Since some
of the contacts are harmonious, there is a way
out.
This pattern stays with us throughout
May, but the emphasis shifts from trying to
hold on (the fixed pattern) to trying to let go
(the mutable pattern). This first leaps into our focus this month on the 10th, but we are well
acquainted with the energy: We last encountered it on April 28–30, and it was the featured
attraction in March. (More on this below.)
The World Beyond Our Doors
The fixed pattern tells us what will be in the news this month as well. The primary issues
will be oil and energy; stand-offs between factions (such as Congress and the President); and the
pain of situations that defy resolution, such as the Iraq War. However, as we begin to tune into
the mutable pattern (involving Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) starting mid-month, we’ll
notice a different slant on the same stories. They will sound like global concerns and issues of
extremism.
The Big Ending
The end-of-month focus on the mutable pattern is all about Pluto. This is the “big ending”
that is coloring all events right now, and it receiving a fair amount of focus in May as well. This
is the beginning of the end of Pluto’s sojourn through Sagittarius. Its travel through Sagittarius,
which began in 1995, can be correlated with a number of transformations (Pluto’s key process),
not all for the better: educational reform, institutionalized religious extremism, any extremism,
the rapid expansion in communications capabilities, globalization, global awareness,
internationalism, religious fanaticism, any fanaticism. On a social and personal level, it can be
tied to acquiring a deeper understanding of the truth in all its subtleties, the nature and limitations
of faith and belief, and an appreciation for the power of speech and silence.
Over the rest of the year, we will see situations that push the limits in any of these areas,
such as that of Don Imus, who pushed the limits of free speech too far for CBS. This is the
beginning of a cultural retreat from extreme behavior on talk radio.
As I have mentioned before (see details in December 06 and March 07 forecasts), Jupiter
is creating a powerful trigger to Pluto’s swan song. Jupiter is in mid-degrees of Sagittarius right
now and currently moving backward; Pluto is near the end of the sign at 28 degrees. This creates
a story in our lives, one about how something powerful and heroic that we have been moving
toward for many years is currently stalled or in a state of doubt as to its outcome.
Both these planets are in the part of their cycles where they are building energy. That
means we experience them as part of developing situations right now. However, that is tempered
by the fact that, in the biggest process in our lives, because Pluto’s cycle is ending, we are
completing something too. So, we are in the developmental stage of a completion process. In
other words, we’re probably trying to figure out what we need to do to accomplish the goals we
set in 1995: Can I make it work? What do I need to do to make it work? What’s next, when this is
over? This is something where we feel driven by a deep longing, one which we may have even
buried because we’re afraid we can’t achieve it. However, the urge is strong now to accomplish
our goals, so we are more likely to be able to act in courageous ways — finding resources that we
never knew we had. This is a powerful positive energy if we dare to harness it and go along for
the ride.
Are You a Target?
If you have planets in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), you are
being affected most by this deep change. However, if you know someone(s) who has planets
there, it amounts to the same thing. This means that, while many people are born each year with
planets in these signs, there are certain age groups where these signs are strongly featured. They
will feel more deeply moved by these energies. They are those born in the years:
1942-48 (esp. 1943-44)
1949-50
1963-69
1978-80
1981-87 (esp. 1985-87)
1995-2007 (esp. 01-07)
If you were born during these years, you may notice some deep feelings and urges coming
up that drive you toward deeply meaningful goals — ones that feel purposeful to you. You may
notice the same thing in your friends who are in these age groups.
I don’t need to tell you who have planets in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
that your chart has been activated, but all the same, it helps to see our reflection in their movements.
Those born in the following years are more deeply affected by the recent fixed planetary patterns:
1935-42 (esp. 1940-41)
1939-57 (esp. 1946-48, 53-56)
1956-63
1976-81 (esp. 1976-77)
1984-95 (esp. 1984-84, 91-94)
1998-pres. (esp. 99-00, 05-07)
A Big Shift Is Coming.
However, at the end of this year, a big shift in the planetary winds is coming. For a long
time, the remaining signs of the zodiac, the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) have
had “planets lite”. That will change dramatically in December and last for 15 years. This is when
Jupiter (in December) and Pluto (in January) enter Capricorn. While Jupiter will stay there only a
year, Pluto’s stay is the full 15 years.
There are volumes to be written about this change in signs, and lots of historical evidence
to give us insight to what is likely to occur. Suffice it to say for now that the times will be
revolutionary, just as we need them to be if our planet is to survive as we know it now.
A Heads-Up
If you have a chance, take a look at the western sky at sunset these days. You’ll notice a
bright and beautiful star hanging out there. This is Venus. Whenever we see Venus in this
position, it’s a sign that her retrograde period is coming soon. She will continue to appear in the
west at sunset, ever higher in the sky, until the end of July, when she turns retrograde. Then we
will see her plummet rather quickly (in just three weeks) into the Sun. This is a time of re-evaluating — literally. We get to re-examine what we find valuable — in ourselves, our
possessions, and relationships. It is a magical time, when love can be either especially sweet or
especially painful. We get to re-negotiate our contracts with others, and it happens naturally as a
part of the re-examination process. Venus’s retrograde lasts six weeks and occurs only every 18
months. This will most deeply affect people who have planets in Leo and Virgo.
Looking still further ahead, Mars turns retrograde in November, heading backward
through the zodiac for almost three months. It will traverse in reverse through the first half of
Cancer and the last four degrees of Gemini, so these are the signs that will most notice a shift in
energy.
At the end of August, Saturn goes into Virgo, finally leaving the fixed sign of Leo behind.
This is good news for most of us, except for the Virgos on whose parade this planet may rain.
Saturn will be much better for us in Virgo, though. It will make people, as a group, less selfish
and more willing to do things against their own personal interest, in favor of the interests of the
whole.
It is good to keep these cycles in mind in making plans for later in the year. There’s much
to be excited about, because each of these will signal a shift in consciousness. You may not be
eager to shift your own consciousness, but you can always think with joy and anticipation of all
the people whom you’ve been waiting for to change — they can’t get out of it any more than you
can!
Waves to Ride & the Jupiter-Saturn Trine
There is always a rainbow in the storm, and this month there are many. The planets are
spread out enough that there’s always a trine lurking out there somewhere. We can’t forget the
big trine that’s coloring everything, making it all turn out all right — that between Saturn and
Pluto. For contracts and agreements, we don’t have a lot to hang our hats on. Mercury and Jupiter
are out of sorts with each other, and Venus and Mars just can’t get along. However, there’s still
Moon and Saturn to rely on periodically, and when we’re doing things other than making
agreements, harmonies abound.
Dates which hold harmony for us include the 6th, 8th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, and 31st. On the
6th, we get the second Jupiter-Saturn trine, which will goad our dreams onward toward their
completion. The third trine does not take place until January 21st, so we get a good long time to
see them to fruition. The longer the time, the more we can get from it. This contact is the signal
that we are 1/3 of the way through the 20-year Jupiter-Saturn cycle that started in May 2000.
What did you start in 2000? This is a good time to assess how far you’ve come since then.
This cycle in part rules the real estate cycle. When Jupiter and Saturn come together, real
estate generally does well. However, as they separate the real estate cycle moves into its periodic
downward trend. This means that we’ve been gradually moving toward the trough of the cycle,
but the good news is that while Jupiter and Saturn are in their trine, we get a reprieve. After that,
those that hold onto boom-time real estate strategies will not do well. Those who use the time to
move into a slow-down strategy will make the most of this time. The trine can be illusionary,
because it may create a false sense of security about where the market is heading. Make no
mistake, it is headed down in the overall cycle. However, the manifestation of the pattern will
vary from market to market.
Remember that when you bring happiness into the lives of others, you cannot keep it from
yourself.
Significant Planetary Events
Jupiter and Pluto are retrograde. Mercury and Venus are in mutual reception. Jupiter is in
rulership. Saturn is in detriment.
Wesak Full Moon (Moon
opposes Sun)
|
11°38' Taurus/Scorpio
|
May 2
|
Sun conjoins Mercury
|
12°22' Taurus
|
May 2
|
Mercury squares Chiron
|
15°32' Taurus/Aquarius
|
May 4
|
Mercury sextiles Uranus
|
17°45' Taurus/Pisces
|
May 5
|
Mercury squares Saturn
|
18°24' Taurus/Leo
|
May 5
|
Mercury quincunxes Jupiter
℞
|
18°25' Taurus/Sagittarius
|
May 5
|
Jupiter trines Saturn (2nd of
3)
|
18°24' Sagittarius/Leo
|
May 6
|
Sun squares Chiron
|
15°34' Taurus/Aquarius
|
May 6
|
Venus opposes Pluto ℞
|
28°38' Gemini/Sagittarius
|
May 6
|
Mercury squares Neptune
|
21°57' Taurus/Aquarius
|
May 7
|
Venus enters Cancer
|
0°00' Cancer
|
May 8
|
Sun sextiles Uranus
|
17°52' Taurus/Pisces
|
May 8
|
Mercury sextiles Mars
|
25°01' Taurus/Pisces
|
May 8
|
Sun squares Saturn
|
18°30' Taurus/Leo
|
May 9
|
Jupiter ℞ squares Uranus
|
17°56' Sagittarius/Pisces
|
May 10
|
Mercury enters Gemini
(rulership)
|
0°00' Gemini
|
May 11
|
Sun squares Neptune
|
21°59' Taurus/Aquarius
|
May 12
|
Mars squares Pluto ℞
|
28°31' Pisces/Sagittarius
|
May 13
|
Mars enters Aries
(rulership)
|
0°00' Aries
|
May 15
|
New Moon
|
25°33' Taurus
|
May 16
|
Mercury squares Moon’s
Nodes
|
12°26' Gemini/Pisces-Virgo
|
May 17
|
Venus trines Moon’s North
Node
|
12°20' Cancer/Pisces
|
May 19
|
Mercury trines Chiron
|
15°41' Gemini/Aquarius
|
May 19
|
Mercury opposes Jupiter ℞
|
16°57' Gemini/Sagittarius
|
May 20
|
Chiron begins backward
(retrograde) motion - S℞
|
15°41' Aquarius
|
May 20
|
Mercury squares Uranus
|
18°14' Gemini/Pisces
|
May 20
|
Sun enters Gemini
|
0°00' Gemini
|
May 21
|
Mercury sextiles Saturn
|
19°03' Gemini/Leo
|
May 21
|
Venus quincunxes Chiron ℞
|
15°41' Cancer/Aquarius
|
May 22
|
Mercury trines Neptune (S℞)
|
22°02' Gemini/Aquarius
|
May 23
|
Venus quincunxes Jupiter ℞
|
16°35' Cancer/Sagittarius
|
May 23
|
Neptune begins backward
(retrograde) motion - S℞
|
22°02' Aquarius
|
May 24
|
Venus trines Uranus
|
18°21' Cancer/Pisces
|
May 25
|
Mercury opposes Pluto ℞
|
28°12' Gemini/Sagittarius
|
May 27
|
Venus quincunxes Neptune ℞
|
22°02' Cancer/Pisces
|
May 28
|
Mercury enters Cancer
|
0°00' Cancer
|
May 29
|
Jupiter sextiles Chiron ℞
|
15°38' Sagittarius/Aquarius
|
May 31
|
Full Moon (Moon opposes
Sun) - secular blue moon
|
10°12' Gemini/Sagittarius
|
May 31
|
All dates are based on Pacific Time.
Blue = harmonious/Red or orange = challenging/intense
Green = lunation event
Events in bold are more significant.