Today the ancient pagan celebration of spring, called Beltane in the Celtic tradition, also known in ancient Rome as Floralia, in Germany as Walpurgisnacht. This holiday celebrates all the best qualities associated with Venus-ruled Taurus: the lush beauty of nature, and all forms of sensual pleasure. Depending on where you are located, the weather may or may not look like spring, but astrologically there’s abundant Taurean energy going on right now. Not only is the Sun is making its annual passage through the fixed earth sign, but Jupiter and Mercury are there, as well as the goddess asteroids Vesta, Ceres and Sedna plus the Dark Moon Lilith.

Full Moon

All of this energy will reach a beautiful climax this weekend as the Sun in Taurus shines her light on the Moon in Scorpio, creating a brilliant Full Moon. This will literally be the biggest full moon of the year since the moon will be at its perigee, or closest approach to the earth.  Many cultures have named the May Moon in ways that honor the sense of blossoming, of nature abundantly feeding all the senses: Blossom Moon (Anishinaabe); Frog Moon (Cree); Strawberry Moon (Potawatomi); Full Flower Moon (Algonquin) and Moon When Leaves Are Green (Dakota Sioux). Take some time this month to revel in springtime’s beauty, perhaps taking a walk in the woods and picking some fresh wild greens for a salad; work among the newly bloomed flowers in your garden; enjoy a romantic picnic with your honey; celebrate Beltane the traditional way by dancing around a maypole or leaping over a bonfire; or toast the full moon with a glass of wine or sparkling cider.

Work

The Sun, Mars and Pluto form a grand trine in earth signs this week into next. This means a good time for practical projects ranging from gardening to starting a new health regime to whatever is on your desk. Pluto means the trine has added oomph for making lasting positive changes while Sun and Mars both lend energy. This planetary configuration goes well with May 1’s more modern holiday meaning, honoring workers and labor. Take some time to think about the hard work you have accomplished thus far in your life, as well as the work your ancestors did which shaped your life before you were even born. If you live in a city where there is an Occupy event taking place, you may want to honor the 99% who keep society functioning by attending and showing your support.

Communication

Most of this month, Taurus’ ruling planet Venus is in Gemini trining retrograde Saturn in Libra. This makes for a wonderful time to broach a diplomatic and mature discussion of relationship issues. This energy for frank yet friendly talks will be particularly strong on Thursday through Friday when Venus also forms a sextile to Mercury in Aries. These Venus aspects will also favor reviving abandoned artistic projects, forming a creative collaborative effort with others; negotiating for better pay or simply enjoying a sparkling social evening with friends, letting them regale you with tales of their latest adventures. Mercury then goes on to form some challenging aspects to both Chiron and Saturn later in the week, so you will want to choose your words with more care then.

Venus retrograde

Later this month, Venus will turn retrograde in Gemini and continue her apparent backward movement in the sky until June 27.  Traditional astrology advice says it is best to postpone any decisions made about new clothes or  new hairstyles, as well as any decorative or artistic purchases until after the retrograde period. Venus retrograde periods also often mean checks you are waiting for arrive slowly. Depending on which house Gemini rules in your natal chart, this time can also mean the re-appearance of old friends or old flames.

If you want to find out what how the Venus retrograde is likely to affect you personally, get in touch with us for an astrology reading.

Weekend Astrology Weather Report

You may feel a sense today of energy building, of some project or discussion coming to fruition or to a turning point. This is because the Sun, related to our sense of awareness, is about to form a trine to Pluto, planet of transformation. Since the Sun is in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn, both earth signs, the shift will probably be related to business or other practical matters. It may come in the form of a challenge—a new assignment that has potential for more earning power down the line, perhaps, but that will require you to put forth your best effort. You are likely to feel this influence most strongly if you have planets in your natal chart around 9 degrees in any of the earth signs.

Tracking the moon

Moon is in Cancer today through Saturday morning then shifts into Leo, making a favorable weekend for parties, dates, an evening of music or theatre and fun in general. I’ve been urging those of you who read my blog on psychic topics (moon dreams) to keep a moon journal tracking your dreams, moods and energy as the moon moves through the twelve zodiac signs each month. If you haven’t started doing this yet, Moon in Leo is a perfect time to kick this off as a creative project—buy a journal with unlined pages and some pastel crayons or colored pencils and draw how you feel when you go out dancing Saturday night.

That Sun-Pluto trine becomes exact early Sunday morning. It is possible that you will feel this in terms of an important inner realization—maybe deciding to apply for a promotion or to make a positive change that affects your health. With the Moon in Leo until Monday late afternoon/early evening (depending on your time zone), you’ll feel the confidence necessary to undertake this transition. Then when the Moon moves into Virgo later in the day on Monday, you can begin to tackle the details.

Positive change

Which area of your life is affected by the Sun-Pluto trine, as well as how directly you feel it, depends on which houses Capricorn and Taurus rule in your natal chart, as well as how closely your natal planets relate to 9 degrees in earth signs. It’s a great idea to get regular astrology readings so you have a better idea of how the astrology weather affects you. Without knowing this, you may sometimes feel like you’re watching the national weather report without knowing your personal location.

Here’s the 411 on where the faster moving heavenly bodies are currently located and how they may affect you this week. Paying attention to the shifts of the planets in the sky enables you to walk the web of astrological energies like a spider, rather than being caught in the web like a fly.

Sun

The Sun is in Taurus, putting energy and focus on gardening and other earthy pursuits. The Sun’s favorable aspect to Mars in another earth sign this week means you can get things done, but it is likely at Taurus’ slow and steady pace, supported by Virgo’s methodical approach.

Moon

The Moon is in Gemini today, following the weekend’s New Moon in Taurus. The Moon’s movement through this sign often makes people more talkative and more interested in doing work with their hands like crafts or home improvement projects. The Moon will move into Cancer on Thursday, which may shift the focus from words to emotions, from questioning to nurturing. Periods like this week, when the moon is waxing immediately after a new moon, are the best time to trim your hair if you want it to grow longer. Waxing moon phases are also a good time to plant anything that grows above the ground and to transplant any houseplants to your outdoor garden.

Mercury

The planet of communication and ideas remains in pioneering Aries until May 9, making this a good time to initiate new projects. However, this is not a great time to discuss relationship issues as most people will be more interested in expressing their own viewpoint rather than building bridges.

Venus

If you aspire to write, or to become a comic artist, this astrological period offers great energy to support you with Venus in communicative, humorous Gemini until August 7. Romantic relationships initiated during a Venus in Gemini period are likely to be built on witty banter and playfulness rather than long, deep talks about the soul.

Mars

With the planet of action in health-oriented Virgo, this is also a good time to start eating better or begin a new exercise program. Mars in Virgo also lends support to detail-oriented projects. Since this sign relates to small domestic animals, this is also a good time to train a new puppy.

Jupiter

Jupiter is in the latter half of Taurus, enlarging our awareness of financial matters and other practical matters.

Saturn

The planet of discipline and restriction continues to plow backward in Libra, sign of relationships and beauty. You may find yourself re-structuring the boundaries of a relationship, or revising some past creative project.

Outer Planets

The outer planets exert an influence on us, but since they are so slow-moving, their effects are often felt in terms of larger external events. You will feel their impact most strongly if your natal chart shows personal planets placed so as to come into relationship with Uranus, Neptune or Pluto soon. Get astrological readings to learn about upcoming planetary movements affecting you on a personal level.

Revolutionary Uranus moved into warrior spirit Aries in March of 2011, giving astrological impetus to the Arab Spring as well as Occupy Wall Street. Uranus will remain in this sign until 2018. If Uranus or Aries is prominent in your chart, you may have either felt a strong connection to these movements or perhaps felt the urge to revolutionize some aspect of your own life.

Nebulous Neptune has been in its home sign of Pisces since early this year. See our article here (Neptune in Pisces) com on how the 14-year period of its transition through this sign may be felt both in terms of larger events and on a personal level.

Pluto has been in hierarchical Capricorn since 2008. It will remain in this sign until 2023. Pluto’s last movement through this sign coincided with the American and French Revolutions. What foundations will the planet of transformation shake this time around—both on the world stage and in your personal life?

Mishaps and mistakes remain likely due to the ongoing awkward relationships between Mercury and Uranus, both in Aries, and Mars in Virgo. However, the Sun has just moved into Taurus, which may give us access to a feeling of calm and a slower attitude which can prevent accidents. The Moon is making her way through Aries and will rendezvous with the Sun in Taurus on Saturday for the new moon.

New Moon Weekend

New moons are a wonderful time for seeding new projects, but remember this is like planting a real seed—the time for fruition often requires patience. Don’t expect your New Moon intentions to bloom into fullness right away. Instead, take the time, as you would with a garden, to clear out any weeds, water your seeds and nurture them. Remember the saying, attributed to Seneca, that “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

The New Moon will be positively situated in relationship to Pluto in business-oriented Capricorn, which means the week or two following it may bring positive financial developments for some. The weekend itself offers abundant positive energy, especially for people with planets in Pisces and Taurus. After joining the Sun for New Moon on Saturday, the Moon moves forward in Taurus to greet Jupiter. Neptune in Pisces will be sending friendly glances toward this lunar progress so music, poetry and romance are all favored over the period of April 21-22.

Lightning striking?

Mercury and Uranus will also come into exact conjunction over the weekend. This influence can speed communications and for some may create the right conditions for a lightning bolt of inspiration. However, these two planets share something of a trickster nature, increasing the potential for accidents, particularly as they are located in impulsive Aries.

Monday

The work week following the New Moon weekend should go well as Mars, currently in Virgo, will sit at a perfect angle to the Sun in Taurus. Relationships between planets are always enhanced when they are in signs of the same element and since these action-oriented planets are in earth signs, you may experience some very concrete and tangible positive signs.

Keeping checking back for my astrology updates to keep up-to-date with the movements of the planets and how they will affect you.

Astrology allows us not only to use our natal chart to more wisely develop our talents, it also gives us clues to the energy of the present.  Knowing the astrological weather is just as important as knowing the other kind.  These updates are my way of cluing you in to what’s going on with the planets, giving you the equivalent of knowing whether to carry an umbrella or remember your sunglasses.

With Mercury, planet of communication, moving into Aries today, the pace of communication will probably speed up a bit. Aries is ruled by Mars, which just went back to forward motion last week, so on one level, all systems are “go.” Countering this energy, however, is the fact that Mars is currently opposite Neptune, planet of (among other things) confusion.

As a result of this Mars-Neptune quandary, you may sense a bit of resistance to your efforts to move forward aggressively. Depending on your personal chart, this may take the form of inner hesitancy, or of circumstances not cooperating with your desire to charge ahead. On the other hand, those of you with strong Neptune ties (Sun in Pisces perhaps) may find yourself resisting another individual’s desire for impulsive action.

Tomorrow the Moon, related to emotions and the past, joins Mercury, as well as outer planet Uranus in Aries, which will increase the drive toward action. With three planets aligned in the early degrees of a sign related to aggression, some people may feel frustrated by Neptune’s influence and attempt to forge ahead, only to see muddled results. Remember, when Mars is in Virgo, it is important to heed the details. Accidents become more possible now, so don’t let the Aries urge toward action push you into recklessness.  Those of you in the US completing your taxes as the midnight deadline approaches, don’t forget to double-check your numbers before mailing your return.

If you want to understand how the astrology weather forecast applies more particularly to you, contact me for a reading.  You may wish to receive one of my Transit Guides or an Extended Reading.

Depending on how much attention you pay astrology, you may not know this has been a week of changing planetary directions. Mars, planet of action, will end the retrograde period it began back in January either Friday night or Saturday morning, depending on where you are situated on the globe.  You may notice projects which seemed stuck in neutral finally beginning to move again in the next couple of weeks.  Since Mars is now in Virgo, details will continue to be important—try to avoid any tendency to see a forest but not individual trees.

Pluto, planet of the underworld and transformation, just began to move backward in Capricorn earlier this week.  Since Pluto, as an outer planet, moves slowly its effects may not be felt immediately.  Saturn, which began moving backward in Libra in February, continues its retrograde movement until late June.  With the planet of boundaries plowing slowly back through the sign of relationships, some issues may still need ironing out.  Then there’s the planet of love and beauty, Venus which will turn retrograde in Gemini in mid-May.  A retrograde Venus sometimes brings a return of old friends or even old loves.

How does this affect you?

You may want to check where in your chart these planetary changes are happening—if Virgo is in your fourth house, for example, Mars retrograde may have meant difficult negotiations with a contractor about a project for improving your home.  The pace of that project may speed up now.  If you have Libra in your sixth house, you may be in the process of re-negotiating payment or duties with your boss or with an employee.

If you are unsure of the meaning of the houses in astrology, read my recent article on this topic (premiumastrology.org/norah-astrologer-explains-houses/).  If you’d like more specific information about what the planetary movements, both backward and forward, mean for you, contact me for a transit reading.