Energy Update: May 2025
May is a "5" Universal Month [5 (May) + 9 (2025) = 14 = 1+4=5] in a "9" Universal Year. 5 is a conflict number, a turning point away from the comfort and security afforded by the number 4. This doesn't have to be a bad thing; it is merely a sign that the times are changing, which is also evident from the ongoing and intense transits we have been experiencing. We cannot live in the world as we did before the start of 2025; some things have fundamentally changed. We learn, and we adapt.
The Set Up
We begin May with the Sun and Uranus in Taurus, Mercury Venus and Neptune in Aries, Mars in Leo, Jupiter in Gemini, Saturn in Pisces, and Pluto in Aquarius. As of the beginning of the month, all planets are in prograde motion. The big news of the month is that slow-moving Saturn moves into Aries, but the Sun also enters Gemini, and Mercury enters Taurus and then Gemini later in the month. Additionally, Pluto will retrograde.
The Details
All eyes are on Saturn this month, which will be the final planet of the year to enter 00° Aries on 5/22. This is pretty big news bears, as Saturn hasn't been in Aries since 1998, twenty-seven years ago. Otherwise, the planets are functioning as normal for our mid-spring season.
Saturn
Saturn takes top billing this month as it enters Aries, the sign of its fall, for the first time in twenty-seven long years. Happy Saturn Return to all of you babies born between 4/6/96 and 6/8/98! (also 3/3/67-4/29/69)
I know the planetary dignities can be pretty confusing at first, but we say that a planet is in its fall when it is in the opposing sign to its exaltation, in this case, Libra. This implies that the natural energy of the planet (Saturn is slow and constrictive) is out of sync with the energy of the sign (Aries is fast and impulsive). Saturn is not at its best in Aries because it prefers a methodical approach, whereas Aries has zero chill. This impedes Saturn's normal processes; to properly harness Saturnian energy, a workaround must be found.
To understand this energy, we must consider that the nature of Aries and Saturn are nearly irrevocably at odds with one another.
Except for a brief sojourn back into Pisces from 8/31 to 2/13 of next year, Saturn will be in Aries until 4/12/28, so we will all need to adapt to this energy in some way. Aries wants to go and never stop; Saturn wants to restrict and refine, which can be (and generally is) an excruciatingly slow process.
In the best-case scenario, this means moving slowly and methodically, putting one foot in front of the other, and always moving towards a well-defined and thought-through goal.
For those who can't slow down and be accountable for their next steps, this likely means being thwarted at every turn.
Saturn rewards those who are accountable for their own lives, a quality that is often out of alignment with our current fast-paced, short-form culture. Saturn demands that what is worth doing is worth doing right.
There is no fuck around with Saturn; it is all finding out.
As I mentioned above, those born in the late 90s are about to undergo their first Saturn return, and those born in the late 60s are about to undergo their second. This is beyond the scope of this report, but if you'd like me to write more about the Saturn return, I can. What I will say is that it is wise to look at Saturn not just by sign (here Aries) but also by the house it resides in your chart and any aspects that it makes to your other planets. If you work planetary magic, remediation is recommended during this time.
This mantra is for you, Saturn return babies, but it also applies somewhat to all of us who have to live through the next three years of Saturn in Aries (especially anyone with a luminary or personal planet in Aries - look for the dates when Saturn will conjunct your planet NOW ahead of time): I do the work to further my own life.
Really, "I do the work to (insert what you need to here)."
Also, because Saturn is an impossibly hard taskmaster, it's okay not to do the work EVERY DAY. You need sweet, soft times, too. If you weren't at your best today, tomorrow is a brand-new day.
For those of us with a strong Aries presence in our charts, this transit may kick your ass at times. Remember, Saturn has a depressive effect on everything it touches.
Sometimes the work is finding the light in the darkness.
Our Luminaries: The Sun and the Moon
As the Sun moves through Taurus, it sextiles the North Node on 5/14 and conjuncts Uranus on 5/17. It sextiles Saturn on 5/20 and then Neptune on 5/22 after it has entered Gemini. We can view all of this as cleaning house; with no personal planet aspects in sight, this isn't personal. We've been in a period of intense change since early 2020, and, as expected, we are now experiencing the consequences of the last five years.
I would remind those reading this that it isn't personal, so please try not to take it personally. However, I also understand that when you are truly in it, you may not always have a choice in what you take personally.
However, I want to reiterate that what is happening astrologically this month is, overall, not a personal matter. Society is at a tipping point, but we don't yet know how all of this will spin out. We can ruminate over it, and we can catastrophize all we want, but until some of this clears up, there aren't any real actions to be taken or decisions to be made.
It's a challenging situation to be in.
Especially for people who crave action, the doers among us.
It's just where we are. Things are too new. There is a lot of intentional obfuscation and misinformation being circulated, and even those among us who have some insight may notice that things are somewhat obscured at the moment. (I'm looking at Neptune in Aries)
There isn't a lot going on, and things may remain unclear until 5/30 when the Sun conjuncts Mercury in prograde motion at 09° Gemini.
It is what it is. The space soup is murky, but we all still need to live in it.
Our 22° Scorpio Full Moon on 5/12 is a 1/6 Full Moon.
8 (Scorpio moon) + 2 (Taurus Sun) = 10 = 1+0 = 1. 1 (Scorpio full moon) + 5 (May 2025) = 6.
The Sun will be conjunct to Uranus during this lunar event, so expect some shake-ups and possibly some big reveals. It's not a particularly tight conjunction, so I wouldn't say that it's indicative of disasters, particularly. Instead, the Sun will be closely sextile to the North Node, and the Moon to the South, creating an energy akin to that of an eclipse, albeit outside of eclipse season. This heightens magical opportunities of all kinds, but with a hint of wild card energy that many will not enjoy.
Our 06° Gemini New Moon on 5/26 is a 6/2 new moon.
3 (Gemini moon) + 3 (Gemini Sun) = 6. 6 (Gemini new moon) + 5 (May 2025) = 11 = 1+1 = 2.
Note the double "6" energy of our full moon and our new moon. Six energy naturally follows five and tends to bring a sense of balance after the conflict. These lunations may serve as a reprieve within the conflict of our "5" month energy, offering a bit of relief.
The new moon will be loosely conjunct to Mercury in a sextile to Saturn and Neptune in Aries. It's not an excellent day for magic for these reasons. Geminis' carefree energy does not fare much better under Saturn's control than Aries's does.
Altogether, this month looks like a bit of a breather, but still like we may struggle to catch our breath, especially around 5/24-5/25 when Saturn enters Aries and Mercury enters Gemini. If you're looking to do magic this month, I would consider a supportive variety. While we sit in the time in between, we need nourishment and something to calm our nerves more than we need to rush ahead into the unresolved and the unknown.
Mercury
Now that Mercury has exited its post-retrograde shadow, they are moving fast to catch up with the Sun (which they will do on 5/30). In this way, we may all feel like we are playing a game of catch-up this month. And it's not just Mercury, either. Mars was retrograde from December to February, and Venus retrograded through March and April. This is the first month we've had all three personal planets in prograde motion all year long.
Things have been halted for so long that it may take a moment to regain our momentum.
On 5/5, Mercury in Aries sextiles Jupiter in Gemini, which is an opportunity. I'm not sure it's an opportunity I would take, but in all fairness, I am not the gambling type. These are our two planets of luck, but Jupiter is ill-placed in Gemini.
A pattern is starting to form here, one I will discuss over the next couple of months: we are witnessing a buildup of outer planets in the early degrees of the signs. Already, we see Neptune sitting at the beginning of Aries and Uranus at the beginning of Aquarius (roughly sextile to one another). As the moving planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars) change signs, they will begin to interact with this pileup of outerplanetary energy.
When Mercury enters Taurus on 5/10, they form a square to Pluto in Aquarius (and also a wide square to Mars in Leo, technically creating a wide fixed T-square). The Sun does this when it enters Gemini on 5/20, and Mercury will repeat this when it also enters Gemini on 5/25. This is a repeated connection point between the personal and the transpersonal. When repeated elements appear in our skies, we should all start paying attention. I will discuss this further as the year progresses.
Mercury in Taurus squares Mars in Leo on 5/18, which is probably the rough point, from a relational perspective, of the month. NBD most likely, but it smells of mild domestic troubles. Misunderstandings and miscommunications galore lead to fights. Being the person big enough to back down and bend rather than break is always the big flex when there's a fixed square in the skies.
Mercury conjuncts Uranus at 27° Taurus on Saturday, 5/24. Those of you who work with Mercury or have either planet prominently featured in your birth chart may wish to pay attention during this time. If Mercury is the thinking mind, we can see Uranus as the higher octave of Mercury; this is the genius mind—the mind of pure inspiration, the mind of connection to the beyond. I believe that Mercury is the only way that Uranus can be known to us mortals who walk this Earth. It is only through Mercury that Uranus can be understood, and then, only barely.
This is a powerful day to channel, to dream, to connect, and to divine - whatever that means to you.
Venus
Venus will be in Aries all month, sitting by herself in the sign of her exile. This isn't going to make life easier, but it is business as usual as Venus makes her way through every sign every year. Venus rules over Libra, the sign of relationships, and she is petulant and domineering in Libra's Sun Sign Opposite, Aries.
I'd tell you to try to be kind, but I don't think Venus in Aries has any kind left in her.
Again, this isn't particularly personal, even though she is a personal planet. We are all, collectively, out of spoons. Some people are reacting to this by engaging in alarming behavior, and the media is showcasing it on full display.
It is disheartening.
Disheartening might be Venus in Aries' middle name.
One of the deep mysteries of astrology is the cycle. And the expected result. Everything needs its time, and everything comes back around again. The horsocope holds within it all of the good and bad about humanity because it was created by us, for us.
Venus used to be a battle planet, and Aries is a battle sign. Pick your battles wisely, but remember to fight for what you believe in.
Mars
Mars, now in Leo, is way off ahead of the crowd and un-aspected for the entire month other than its one square to Mercury in Taurus, which passes quickly. We need to be cautious about being overly egotistical and thinking that our story is more important than others', but otherwise, we don't need to worry about this planet this month.
Pluto
Pluto retrogrades this month, but, as our outermost dwarf planet, it is so far beyond the scope of humanity that this won't be much of a deal for most people. Those with personal planets or luminaries in the first degrees of Aquarius may notice some intensity as this transit happens, but it will pass quickly.
Looking Ahead
June appears to be a bit more intense, astrologically. We've got some significant planetary movement as all of our personal planets change signs: Mercury into Cancer, Venus into Taurus, and Mars into Virgo. Additionally, Jupiter finally moves into Cancer, significantly lightening the load. But, in doing so, it meets up in a cardinal square with Saturn in Aries, yet another hit on this ongoing story in early Aries. Stay tuned!
