Astrologers have spent so much time looking at the hot aspects of April 2014 that the question of what’s beyond hasn’t come up much. To be sure, April turned out to be a rather hot month in the skies, with plenty of turbulence down here on Planet Earth. The crisis in the Ukraine—and the possibility of the Cold War chilling us over again—is perhaps the flagship issue of what we call The Cardinal Cross, but there has been plenty of upheavals at every level, including in our personal lives.
And it is in our personal lives that the energy will be felt most obviously as we ride the roller coaster through May of 2014. We may find that we are locked in a few Cold Wars of our own, at work, and in our personal and romantic lives. Venus, the planet we associate with love and relationships, is very active this month as she touches on the same hot spots that were so charged in April. While this energy may be challenging for some of us and is likely to be a little unsettling for all of us at one point or another, it has great creative potential. After all, if you’re going to make things better in your life, something has to change.
Let’s take a closer look at Venus as she moves through May. On the 2nd, she’ll move into Aries, a fiery and outgoing sign that is most closely associated with Mars, the Cosmic Warrior. Images of Sheena (or She-Ra) the Warrior Princess would not be out of place, or we could think of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom who carries a sword. This is feminine energy in its most outer-directed manifestation. In our personal lives, it invokes the strong woman, one who is not afraid to ask for and get what she wants. We’ll see that such an approach is favored throughout May, as Venus is in Aries until the 28th.
Around the middle of May, Venus makes a series of connections with other planets. First, she says “Hi!” to Mars on the 11th. Mars is in Venus’ sign of Libra, so this aspect is like a phone call between guests in each other’s houses. While the energy around this time may be confrontational, it should be possible to find some common ground. At the least, we can probably agree to disagree with a partner or business associate, but if we open up to true dialogue we may be able to come to a real agreement.
One thing that might tie up the phone lines on the 11th is a square between Neptune and the Planetary Messenger, Mercury. It’s not that people (and you’re people, too) are necessarily intentionally dishonest with this aspect, but enthusiasm and imagination can get in the way of what we might otherwise call facts. By all means, see what brilliant ideas and inspirations come your way, but maybe it’s better to wait a bit before signing on the dotted line. Use your intuition to assess communication, as you may not be seeing things all that clearly.
How will this affect the relationship energy between Venus and Mars? We could be reticent to put all our cards on the table, holding a few back ‘for the right time.’ We could also spin grand plans with our partners (or potential partners), only to wake up the next day with a bit of a hangover and judge the plans to be unrealistic or just plain undesirable. As with everything else around 10th through the 12th, talk it out, brainstorm for new ideas, and share your ideas. But wait a bit before committing to a new course of action.
The next stop on Venus’ itinerary has much sharper edges, as the goddess makes a tense square to Neptune on the day of the full moon, May 14th. This full moon is in the sign of Scorpio, as it is each May, and it is a tough one. The moon generally likes to be covered rather than exposed, and so full moons are often a bit tense. Our activity level goes up and people are excitable (think: lunatics and werewolves). Scorpio is also associated with cutting and digging, which the gentle moon does not particularly like. In other words, our feelings, which we generally like to treat tenderly and with care, are opened, exposed, and perhaps dissected. While it’s a great opportunity to clear out emotional residue from the past, the process can be somewhat unpleasant (sort of the way vomiting is cleansing and usually brings relief, but it’s kind of gross).
With our emotions already amplified and exposed, Venus and Pluto square off. Relationships (of all kinds) that have been under stress may reach a breaking point with this energy, although a crisis could also lead to resolution in the other direction, leading to greater intimacy. Power struggles are a possibility, in any of their many forms.
As we move past the full moon energy we get a sense of relief and greater freedom. On the 15th, Mercury helps communication as Venus meets up with Uranus. Venus and Uranus make for a freedom-loving, open, and experimental pair. After the heavy emotional energy of the previous few days, we can welcome the breath of fresh air. Venus and Uranus encourage us to blaze new paths in our relationships. Try something new with your partner, or perhaps try a new partner. An experimental approach works best when these two planets get together. Have fun, keep an open mind, and see what happens, but remember that not all experiments turn out as planned. Then again, the moon will be in the high-flying sign of Sagittarius, so maybe it’s time to throw caution to the wind.
Faith and optimism prevail as Venus squares everyone’s rich uncle, Jupiter, on the 18th. Venus and Jupiter get along well, even when they nudge each other with hard aspects. We’re likely to be a little too… well, a little too everything, with this pair as our celestial host and hostess. Jupiter provides the over and Venus the indulgence as we say yes to one more piece of chocolate, glass of wine, serving of—you get the idea. In our relationships, we’re likely to be feeling optimistic and hopeful. Even if nothing much is going on now, a faith in the future is likely to be part of the picture. It’s a great energy to socialize with friends and to engage in creative projects, as well.
Passions run high on the 18th, as Mars appears to stop in the sky and move forward. From our perspective, the red planet has been moving backwards since early March. Astrologically, we associate Mars retrogrades with challenges in externalizing our energy. Sexuality, motivation for work, exercise programs, and similar areas of life are more intense during the retrograde, but it can be hard to gather energy for a new endeavor. It’s kind of like jamming down on the accelerator with the parking brake on. The 18th represents the point where the brake is finally released, and we are ready to move forward. Right around the station, watch out for excesses of anger and a general irritability in some folks.
The month ends with a new moon on the 28th that is square to foggy, dreamy Neptune. Like a hall of mirrors, we can see how we are enveloped in many illusions and delusions, yet can still have difficulty finding our way. We may question the decisions we’ve made over the past month, but find it hard to determine the best course of action. Let your rational mind take a rest, while you meditate, dream, or just watch a movie. In the meantime, Venus sneaks out the side door of the fun house and into her home sign of Taurus, encouraging us towards a more earthy, grounded approach in June.
