Midlife Transits

Astrology in real life as the inimitable Elsa Elsa would say. Saturn has been opposing Uranus across my natal 6th house/12th house. That’s health and psychological functioning. I’ve been feeling like my  head is going to explode (literally) because my migraines have been flaring up and that makes me anxious.

In my solar chart (the horoscope for my sun sign), Saturn has been opposing Uranus across my 2nd house and 8th house. Those are the financial houses. Taxes bit me in the butt and hence I am over budget and worried about money.

The fact that it’s both is why I use sun sign horoscopes as well as birth time ones.

So what’s going on in your life?

May is birthday month for most of you, and it’s also money month for Taurus, thanks to Venus and then the sun in your solar sector of finances.  Venus would like you to buy a treat for yourself. A treat that helps you learn something would be appropriate because your money sign is Gemini, the sign of learning. A personalized consultation in some area of interest would be a good example. Be sure to do your research before plunking down big bucks, though.

On the downside, things could get a little chaotic in the financial department during the week of the 16th, when Venus makes a series of clashing or potentially confusing angles to other planets. The time to get your financial house in order is before these aspects come into play, because small things can make a difference. And watch out for rip-offs.

By the 20th, Venus will move into caring Cancer. It will become an opportune time to connect with loved ones. If you have aging parents, this could be a good time to find extra help for them and their needs.

As for your year ahead, it’s more than a little unpredictable. Uranus changes signs, going into hiding in your solar chart. So does Jupiter. Furthermore, thanks to clashes between Pluto and planets like Uranus and Saturn, the general atmosphere in the skies during the next 12 months is not exactly filled with empathy, concern for others, or unity.  Fortunately, these overall trends affect your sign less than they do most other signs. You may actually find that you become more powerful and more comfortable in an environment that is full of unrest for others.

May officially welcomes the sign of Aries into unpredictable world. Uranus, Mr. Unpredictable, moves into your sign on May 27. Uranus likes to get rid of the orderly structures in your life because he finds them boring and confining. You may share his feelings as we move through summer. You may even feel this way as early as the start of the month, because Venus and then the sun will be moving through Gemini.

Gemini is a sign that also greatly dislikes being bored or feeling that things are too predictable. When the sign gets bored, it often tries to stir up trouble for its own amusement. In the Aries solar chart, it targets  the little things in your daily life as well as the people you interact with frequently. Therefore, this month can be a good one to be proactive by consciously and deliberately shaking up your routine a little bit so that the parts of your chart that need new stimulation are kept happy and interested and out of trouble. You can almost think of your chart as taking on for awhile the characteristics of a small child that needs to learn, grow, explore, and be kept busy.

The sun and Mercury also spend time in Taurus in May.  Here they briefly light up your financial sector, a part of your chart that doesn’t get too much love this year. Take advantage while you can. The days after the 11th are likely to show more progress than those before.

The inner planets are moving along at a good clip (with the exception of Mercury) as we go through May of this year. Venus will zip through your sign from April 25th to May 19. The sun will enter your sign on the 20th, so you’ll have plenty of personal Gemini energy to work with all month. Venus moving into Cancer on the 19th will also mark a shift in the skies toward a more compassionate and caring attitude than we’ve seen lately. For Gemini, Venus in your own sign and the next represents an opportunity to consciously place value on acts of caring, kindness and empathy all month.

Venus will also oppose Pluto on the 23rd. Pluto in Capricorn is located in a part of your chart where it can represent physical healing and regeneration. When Venus opposes Pluto, you may benefit from a small ‘healing crisis.’  It’s a good time for a physical detox program. The 17th is another good day for healing, albeit healing in more a spiritual or psychological sense.

In other news, Uranus will move from your career sector on the 27th into your solar 11th house. The 11th house represents a lot of things, but one of the main things it represents is sociability. It relates to activities such as getting together with friends, parties, and social occasions of all sorts. The most straightforward interpretation would be simply that you will be doing more of these things in the months ahead and that you will place more emphasis on them or at least that Uranus will want you to. He’s getting tired of thinking about your career and wants to see what’s going on with other people. In general, this is a less stressful place to host Uranus and more fun, so we’ll file this astrological development under the heading ‘good news.’

Potentially a lot of things going on in May for Cancer, although some of them are subtle. Uranus will move into Aries at the end of the month, signaling a shift in energy this summer toward eventual changes in your career or reputation. Venus enters your sign on the 19th, offering you a nice soothing dose of helpful energy. And Jupiter moves quickly toward the end of Pisces before it joins Uranus in Aries next month.

May therefore represents a last good chance for several months to make beneficial use of your faith, religion, and belief systems to improve your life or even your health. In other words, for the moment anyway, faith heals. There are also some nice healing aspects from Venus in Gemini before the 19th to Neptune in your solar sector of healing. Psychological soothing is on tap every which way you look at things.

If talk of psychological healing sounds too abstract, simply concentrate on nurturing yourself and others in May. Your chart is gearing up toward a big, potentially exciting and/or potentially stressful run at success this summer, and it wants to take the time now to get refreshed, restored, and in a happy place before taking the big leap.

A couple of other notes. Mars is close to finishing its long tour through your solar 2nd house of finances–earn money or spend it as you see fit. And have a little fun while you’re at it. Saturn in Virgo is back in the part of your chart that governs writing tasks–polish your prose!

The inner planets present a range of topics in May. The sun and Mercury are more interested in your career and outer life than your family these days, and if you let them, they’ll encourage you to forgo caring for yourself while you baby along your professional status or reputation in the community. This emphasis on career over family may not go over too well on Mother’s Day, so see if you can strike a balance.

Venus spends the first part of the month encouraging you to seek support from others and then on the 19th tries to slip into invisibility, as it slides into Cancer and the part of your solar chart where planets snooze. Of course, planets in the invisibility zone do have their advantages, and one of them is that they allow a temporary escape into pleasant fantasy. Feel free to take advantage of it by indulging in a mental vacation whenever you get a chance.

Meanwhile, Mars is still trucking energetically along in your sign, encouraging you to nix a gentle approach and just go for things with both barrels loaded. Finally, Uranus moves into your solar sector of beliefs and religion at the end of the month. He’ll be there through most of the summer.  You may not feel anything from Uranus at first, but eventually some with this placement will feel that they have suddenly and unexpectedly been awakened to the role of God in their lives. Exciting stuff!

A bit of everything in May from the inner planets.  A bit of career energy. A bit of socializing energy, including the possibility of socializing with or as a result of your children’s activities. Another possibility is socializing at home, perhaps by hosting a party (including a children’s party).

There’s also a bit of energy toward staying out of sight and trying to blend into the background. You may even get a positive sense of joy from being alone for awhile. Going off by yourself to engage in some arty activities, for example, could be just the tonic your sign needs. Meanwhile, Jupiter is zooming through the last degrees of your house of partnerships and committed relationships, hopefully bringing a certain sense of happiness there.

Quite a mixed bag, one with contradictory elements.

I’ll put the elements in a Virgo-like list of priority order, although you can feel free to rearrange. Priority #1: nurturing your psychological well-being. Priority #2: Nurturing your career success. Priority #3: Nurturing your partnerships, family, and social relationships. Priority #4: Getting some time to yourself.

There’s also a long-term trend that starts in very late May. Pluto in Capricorn thinks it is very important for you to master self-expression and to put yourself out there, as for example, by doing public speaking, or indulging your hidden desire to do a little acting. On the 27th, Uranus will move into Aries and a more hidden part of your chart, to stir up both you and Pluto. There’s scheduled to be a real tug of war, off and on, between your chart’s desire to keep a certain amount of psychological upheaval in your life private and an even stronger desire to channel that angst into some sort of a powerful statement. Your job will be to figure out how the heck to balance those factors, and it should keep you busy for quite a while.

May is mother’s day month. In astrological terms, the holiday comes a bit early because Venus (appreciation) doesn’t enter Cancer (mothers) until the 19th, but the energy is there. For Libra one of the things this Cancer/mothering energy means is mentoring and being mentored. This is your month to both give and receive mentoring in a creative spirit. This is part of a general trend in which things on the job are supposed to be happier for awhile and more successful. In some cases, though, the Cancer energy will relate more to being happy and proud of one’s children’s successes.

A second thing to note is that the time of Mars in Leo is coming to an end early next month. This is your last full month to partake of Mar’s unadulterated joy in going out and not being at home. Now admittedly, the Libra solar chart always takes joy in being out and socializing, but your chart has a little extra oomph in that area right now.

That’s significant because Pluto has embarked on a long project of hammering home the importance of family and family obligations for all Libras, so you need to scoot out the door and get some party time in whenever you get the chance these days.

Last but not least, at the end of the month Uranus moves into Aries and your solar partnership sector. At some point, this will have the effect of shaking things up in your life in profound ways. If you were born on the first day of your sign, you’ll feel it right away. For others, the strongest effects will come later.

Hmmm, the joy of cooking or the joy of career success? Your chart wants both in May and sometimes that creates a bit of a conflict. I say go for both. In fact, go for it is a key concept of the month. Mars is near to finishing up his tour of your solar 10th house, which means he is not going to bring as much energy to your chart in June. Translation: the time to act is now.

Now I don’t mean that you need to act thoughtlessly or without consideration. There will be squares from Mars to planets in Taurus and other fixed signs that will mean that you’ll need to think things through. But as long as you do that, then your route to happiness does lie through action.

Speaking of action, Uranus is moving into your solar job sector at the very end of the month. This is a very action oriented placement so you can expect job activity to perk up during the summer months of this year. Sooner or later there will be drama in this area of your life, or perhaps just melodrama. Uranus is the planet that likes to ignore humdrum things like cause and effect in favor of exciting things like surprise and stuff that happens for no apparent reason. He’ll probably try to amp up the emotion level in your workplace, too, possibly in bewildering ways. Why is Uranus doing this? Quite simply, because he wants you to have more fun on the job. You may not approve of his methods, but do try to get on board with the intention.

Yes, you’ve got some job energy in May, and yes there’s some energy in the part of your chart that governs marriage and relationships. But what your chart really wants you to do is express yourself. Mars is still in Leo until early next month, busy trying to help you express yourself in the astrological sector that relates to writing and  publishing. And  at the end of the month, mighty Uranus moves into your solar 5th house of self-expression to really amp up the energy. If you’ve got something to say–say it!

This is part of a long-term process designed to fuel your creativity. Uranus is the awakener of new ideas and concepts, a planet bursting with insight and revelations, and he’s going to spend a lot of time in good angle to your natal Sagittarian sun. Part of his intent will be to incite your originality. This does not mean you have to run  out and get a job in a creative field like advertising. Simply adding touches of creativity and fun to your daily life will get you into the astrological spirit.

There is one little thing to watch out for with all this fire energy. Uranus in Aries is wonderfully enthusiastic but not always as right as he thinks he is. You might want to be a little cautious about going all the way off the deep end, especially in June, as your ruler Jupiter joins Uranus for what will amount to a super-blast of energy.

May is supposed to be your play-time month, so take a little time to enjoy yourself for no good reason. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Plop yourself down on the couch and pop in a good DVD and kick back. Go on a date or get in a little intimate time in with a significant other. Go to the theater or catch a movie. Other outlets for the Leo and Taurus energy in your chart this month could include physical exercise or making an extravagant purchase (if you can afford it of course). Taurus favors getting out in nature, so a trip to a state park might be in order.

On the work front, things will supposedly be rather relaxed, with Venus in Gemini during the first 3 weeks of the month. You may be doing a lot of reading or there may be a lot of gossip swirling around. It is possible, with Mars being in Leo and your sector of hidden stuff, that the gossip will get rather melodramatic at times.

Another potential, as Mars wraps up its tour of Leo, is that you will be actively involved in some sort of fundraising efforts. Saturn sliding back through Virgo in the sector of your solar chart that governs your religion and belief systems could also have you getting serious (again?) about your religious practice or church activities. It would not be a bad use of your skills to combine some of the energies in your chart by getting involved in organizing a church fundraiser to benefit those less fortunate.

Play time comes a bit early to the Aquarius chart in 2010. Venus in Gemini kicks off your early summer season of frivolity in the beginning of the month and then sun in Gemini picks it up during the last 10 days.

Play, of course, can mean many things. It can mean games, including video games. It can mean things like going out and attending concerts. It can mean getting outside and enjoying your yard. It can mean hanging with your kids. It can mean taking an art class, learning an instrument, exploring your community, reading a book, going to a party. Bad movies and hokey community theater qualify too. The idea is simply to have fun. The sun and Mercury in Taurus will want you to have fun at home, but really it’s your call.

Mars meanwhile is very close to finishing up its long tour of your solar 7th house. Mars has theoretically been bringing drama to your close relationships, adding emotion and perhaps causing unexpected conflicts. If so, you will probably be glad to see him go early next month. For some of you, however, Mars simply adds life and playfulness to your activities with others. If that’s the case for you–take advantage in May while you’ve still got the energy.

At the end of the month, Uranus moves into Aries for the first time in your life.  Here it takes pressure off your finances and brings a certain amount of creativity to the part of your chart that is supposed to be in charge of logical analysis. If you write, it may add a touch of unexpected verve to compositions that would normally be more cut and dried.

Mixed bag in May for Pisces folks. On the good side, Venus moves into Cancer on the 19th, which activates your solar sector of entertainment and fun. Cancer is an emotional sign and it finds emotions both entertaining and cathartic. Venus in Cancer provides a good opportunity for a tear-jerker movie festival, a DVD-a-thon of your favorite prime time soap operas, an extended date with the TiVo. Cancer is a homebody sign, but you can go out, too, and  take in some quality entertainment with a partner of your favorite sex.

A little entertainment could be a good escape from some interpersonal conflict that could arise at work. Mars in your work sector is annoyed with Taurus planets this month and sometimes that translates into individuals being annoyed too.

Meanwhile, Saturn is back in Virgo and your sector of committed relationships. And Saturn does mean committed. He is bringing his usual mania for precision and definition back to the table when it comes to your spousal and spousal-like relationships and he wants some definite statements of intention or direction by mid-July.

At the end of the month, Uranus leaves your sign for the first time in for-freaking-ever (since 2004) and darts into Aries and your solar financial sector. Uranus’s initial foray into Aries only lasts a couple of months, but ultimately Uranus will spend 7 years studying the role of money and its value in your life. This means that you will likely be thinking a lot about it too, and learning a great deal.

So one day a client undergoing a transit from Pluto to her natal sun emailed me a few songs that seemed to fit the transit. Little did we know it would become the beginning of an addictive game. Others got involved and for days we were emailing each other song titles at all hours of the day and night. The game broadened far beyond a specific transit to songs for each of the planets and so on.

Today’s edition honors the planet that started it all: Pluto. We honor his impressive reputation as the lord of the underworld, ruler of Scorpio, power player in the planetary pantheon, detoxifier, keeper of the most cosmic perspective, symbol of death, destruction and rebirth after encounters with either, and general bad ass among the planetary symbols.

Play along by submitting your own Pluto songs below. You don’t even have to know any astrology. Just list a song or two or more that you feel reflect those themes or other aspects of Pluto.

Without further ado, my top 10 astro songs for Pluto:

1) Bad by Michael Jackson

2) Dust in the Wind by Kansas

3) Hellhound on My Trail by Robert Johnson

4) I Got the Power by Puff Daddy

5) I’ve Got Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks

6) Mr. Self Destruct by Nine Inch Nails

7) Survivor by Beyonce

8 Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley

9) Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones

10) Toxic by Britney Spears

Surely you can come up with more–maybe even better ones.

Have fun!