Welcome to May 2021! It’s Taurus Season, the time in the zodiac when life is in full bloom. We’re focusing on our material lives, creating more comfort and stability, and getting back in touch with the earth beneath our feet.

This May we’re seeing a big change in the story as we step into eclipse season. Yes, it’s time for another round of eclipses, a season that occurs every six months and one that promises to switch things up, change things around, and close as well as open new doors. Eclipses have a reputation for being dramatic, but what I remind people is that we need the energy of eclipses to keep the story of our lives moving along. In particular, if you are a Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Pisces, May is likely to be a pivotal month, one where new stories come in, new people come in, or where we head off in a new direction.

It’s not just the eclipses that are making things interesting. Jupiter changes signs this month after a breezy trip through Aquarius and arrives home to Pisces. If Jupiter is the faith and inspiration to see the world and gain more knowledge, then in Pisces we turn inward. Jupiter rules both Sagittarius and Pisces and it’s in Sagittarius that Jupiter connects us to institutions of faith and education. But in Pisces, we have to find the faith within. Pisces is a very spiritual sign and it gains its knowledge and understanding through intuition, self reflection, and a connection with the divine.

Keep in mind that Jupiter’s time in Pisces is only a preview. It will return back to Aquarius on July 28, where it will remain for the rest of the year. But for the meantime, it’s changing the dynamic of our eclipses in Sagittarius, especially the lunar eclipse on May 26 at 5 degrees of Sagittarius/Gemini. Whereas Jupiter in Aquarius meant that we were very focused on ideology, social causes, and equity, in Pisces we turn our attention to deeper questions of meaning as well as altruism and compassion.

Saturn also turns retrograde on May 23 at 13 degrees Aquarius, marking a milestone in our Saturn in Aquarius journey. We’re in a two year period where we’re working on the social systems and networks that we’re a part of. We’re navigating disconnection versus connection, injustice versus justice. Aquarius is the sign of humanity and the collective, but it’s also the sign of friends and community. And what Saturn wants for us to have right now is a stronger sense of belonging. (It also wants you to keep working to build, master, and solidify a certain part of your life. Not sure where? Read Saturn in Aquarius: Sign by Sign.)

When Saturn turns retrograde, however, it does so in a tense square to Uranus in Taurus, a planet that demands reinvention and transformation. So if Saturn in Aquarius is about building new systems and new connections, we may have to shake things up on May 23 when Saturn changes directions. We may feel like we’re being pulled between different directions, different lives.

Lastly, Mercury turns retrograde on May 30, bringing a dynamic month to a close. When it turns retrograde at 24 degrees Gemini, it does so in a confusing square to Neptune. We may need to have more due diligence with this Mercury Retrograde than others. It’s possible that we’re not getting all the information or all the correct information. Or we’re having to navigate illusions and fantasies. And since Mercury rules the June 10 solar eclipse in Gemini, its retrograde turn is part of an important story around ideas, information, and choices that brings us into June.

Watch the video below for your Sun and rising sign.

DATES TO NOTE: 5/2 Mercury trine Pluto; Venus sextile Neptune; 5/3 Mercury in Gemini, Sun square Saturn, Mercury square Jupiter; 5/6 Venus trine Pluto; 5/8 Venus square Jupiter, Venus in Gemini; 5/10 Mercury conjunct North Node, Mercury sextile Chiron; 5/11 New Moon 21 Taurus, Mars square Chiron; 5/12 Mercury trine Saturn; 5/13 Jupiter in Pisces, Sun sextile Neptune; 5/17 Sun trine Pluto, Venus conjunct North Node; 5/20 Sun in Gemini; 5/21 Sun square Jupiter; 5/22 Mercury square Neptune; 5/23 Saturn Retrograde 13 Aquarius; 5/26 Full Moon 5 Sagittarius (lunar eclipse); 5/27 Venus square Neptune 5/29 Mercury Retrograde 24 Gemini, Mercury conjunct Venus; 5/31 Mars trine Neptune, Sun conjunct North Node.