Published in the Scribe
Ok, classes are pretty much done and you only have to make it through finals week. Plus, Mercury has entered Gemini and Venus is soon to follow, which means you can finally exhale because there aren’t any other major school or planetary events happening until Fall. Right? Wrong!
Astrology doesn’t adhere to school schedules. Planetary shifts happen and they never stop happening. This is especially true for May 2021. The month is loaded with lunations, crammed with retrogrades, and stuffed with a seasonal shift and an eclipse.
Needless to say, the semester’s end is action-packed. And what better way to brace yourself for the action than with a spiffy list of the five major transits happening May 2021? There isn’t one, so here it goes…
1. Taurus New Moon
New Moons occur when the Sun and Moon align in the same sign and degree at the same time. They are excellent days to set intentions, as they signify new beginnings in the lunar cycle. On May 11th 2021, the new moon in Taurus is the last lunation where it’s safe to set an intention, since eclipse season is just around the corner (see #5 below).
Calm and contentment abound during the Taurus New Moon. This is especially true on May 11th, since Neptune in Pisces is making a harmonious sextile aspect to the New Moon.
Neptune sextile Moon increases our emotional sensitivity and imagination. We’re more empathetic, more creative, and more intuitive. This is an ideal state to be in when setting New Moon intentions, because the more in touch you are with your feelings, the more you know what you truly want.
The 2021 Taurus New Moon helps you assess your values and make certain that what you’re working towards is actually worth the effort, and also if it aligns with your ideals. If you’re not setting intentions on the 2021 Taurus New Moon, you can do as the Taureans do: sit back, relax, and enjoy your life.
2. Jupiter in Pisces
Jupiter is the planet of luck, abundance, and opportunity. The gas giant has been transiting progressive air sign Aquarius since December, but on may 13th, Jupiter enters dreamy water sign Pisces. This shift from Aquarius to Pisces will be a noticeable one.
Jupiter is also the planet of our higher aspirations. During Jupiter in Aquarius, we were all about progress, innovation, and social ideals. Well, Jupiter in Pisces gently initiates a change in our goals and aspirations so that they are in better alignment with our spiritual ideals.
Creative inspiration, emotional empathy, and soft optimism are just some of the benefits of 2021 Jupiter in Pisces. The others? A desire for freedom and travel (specifically sea travel, because Pisces rules the oceans), a spike in intuition and spiritual practices, and a yearning for the sublime.
That means you’ll be drawn towards creative, artistic, and mystical endeavors– painting, music, astrology, yoga –anything that offers an escape from reality and gets you in touch with your intuitive selves. You’ll also be interested in healing ourselves and the wounds of the world, while connecting with loved ones on an emotional level.
This transit is most beneficial for water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.
3. Gemini Season
About every 30 days, the Sun shifts into a new sign of the zodiac, bringing with it a new astrological season. On May 20th, the Sun shifts out of Taurus and into Gemini, the premier sign of change, connection, and communication.
During Gemini season, we are curious and have an itch to explore new terrain, meet new people, and socialize. So, maybe you learn a new hobby, read a new book, or watch the new Loki series and then tell all your friends about it. Or maybe you go bar-hopping with your best buds (wearing your masks, of course). Either way, as long as you’re doing something different and there’s people around to chat and snap selfies with, you’re making Gemini season proud.
Since Gemini is an air sign, we also want to get out and breathe fresh air during Gemini season. The mountains will be packed with people, so if you want to just chill on your balcony or go for walks around your block, that works too.
Air signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius will love 2021 Gemini season, but fire signs (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius) will appreciate the friendliness and endless activities that come with the solar transit.
4. Saturn & Mercury Retrograde
Saturn is the planet of structure, challenge, karma, and limitation. Beginning May 23rd, Saturn stations retrograde in future-focused air sign Aquarius until– *gasp* — October 6th. Saturn has been in Aquarius since December 2020, bringing all sorts of challenging social, political, and technological changes.
Aquarius rules electricity, technology, social media, and the internet, as well as activism and social justice. So, it’s safe to say 2021 Saturn retrograde will manifest more protests or more internet privacy laws.
However, Saturn isn’t the only planet going retro this summer. From May 29th through June 22nd, Mercury is retrograde in Gemini. Mercury retrograde is an inconvenient transit, because the planet rules all forms of communication, from texts and emails to chit-chats and Zoom meetings.
When retrograde, Mercury musses up our communication. We send texts or emails to the wrong people. We say one thing when we really mean another, and past loves return like locusts. So, don’t be surprised if come June, that one dude you went on two dates with last August slides into your DMs with an oh-so smooth text: “Hey, it’s been a minute. What’s up?”
Whatever you do, don’t respond. Nothing good has ever come from a Mercury Retrograde reunion…
5. Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse
The dreaded eclipse season is almost here! On May 26th, we have our first Lunar Eclipse of the 2021 spring/summer season. This one takes place in fiery Sagittarius.
Emotions will run high before, during, and after the Sagittarius lunar eclipse because the fire sign tends to exaggerate everything it touches and take things to the extreme. Since Sagittarius is also the sign of exploration and the Moon is the celestial body of our emotions and imaginations, it’s a good idea to explore our feelings and aspirations pre- and post-Lunar Eclipse. You don’t want to do it the day of because eclipse energy is notoriously unstable.
During a lunar eclipse, the Moon moves into the earth’s shadow, which symbolically puts us into a shadow state as well, so we can’t make rational decisions. (This is why setting intentions/manifesting is a big no-no during eclipse seasons.) Lunar eclipses can also initiate permanent endings or breaks, so a chapter in your life may close for good around May 26th.
The 2021 Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse will be most intense for Gemini and Sagittarius. However, they shouldn’t get too bummed by the intense lunation, because it’s leading both zodiac signs to something better.
So there you have it, the five major transits happening May 2021. Of course, there are plenty of transits happening in June and July and August and– well, better not look that far into the future. Let’s just take these transits one at a time.
Want more astro-logic from Cosmic? Follow me on Instagram (@cosmiccannibalcamille) and Twitter (@cosmicCamille), and be sure to check out my weekly astrology podcast Cosmic Chronicles: Astrology with Cosmic Cannibal and to get yourself a copy of my book The Zodiac Abstract.
