Mo Olufemi of the Fixed Astrology Podcast joins us again to talk about the upcoming astrology for May 2023, including : the Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio, Mercury stationing Direct, Venus in Cancer, Jupiter in Taurus, Sun in Gemini and the New Moon in Taurus.
Mo is a an astrologer and tarot reader specializing in Hellenistic and Medieval astrology, while also becoming versed in the Vedic astrological tradition. She loves learning about the underrated parts of essential dignity and their applications, and uses the Golden Dawn astrological correspondences to merge tarot with astrology. In her spare time, she is a loving mother of two cats.
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This podcast is produced by Softer Sounds. ✨
Mo Olufemi of the Fixed Astrology Podcast joins us again to talk about the upcoming astrology for May 2023, including : the Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio, Mercury stationing Direct, Venus in Cancer, Jupiter in Taurus, Sun in Gemini and the New Moon in Taurus.
Mo is a an astrologer and tarot reader specializing in Hellenistic and Medieval astrology, while also becoming versed in the Vedic astrological tradition. She loves learning about the underrated parts of essential dignity and their applications, and uses the Golden Dawn astrological correspondences to merge tarot with astrology. In her spare time, she is a loving mother of two cats.
we discuss —
LINKS
More about our guest —
Free Resources —
get your free Houses Cheat Sheet
Stay Connected —
Subscribe to the home—body podcast wherever you get your listens.
This podcast is produced by Softer Sounds. ✨
Music. Welcome to the Homebody Podcast. My name is Mary Grace, and here we explore big questions in embodied ways. These conversations intersect the mystical, the practical, and the artful, bridging a range of topics such as astrology, creative practices, what healing can look like, and cultivating deep love and care for the more-than-human world. We not only want to live better, but live more fully, with more connection, courage, and creativity in our day-to-day lives and work. And this podcast asks, what are the ways we can do that? We hope to enliven you and inspire you towards possible regenerative futures, and we hope to encourage you so together we can become dynamic agents of beauty, fully awake, fully alive to all that life has for us. We want to be here for ourselves and for one another with more grace while making room for curiosity, sensitivity, hope, and joy. If you enjoyed today's episode, please take a few moments to share it with someone else and thank you so much for listening. Music. Hello, hello, and welcome to the podcast. Today we dive into the astrology for the upcoming month of May 2023. And I'm joined today by Mo Olufemi, who is returning to the podcast to help us walk through the month ahead and all the things coming up. Basically, Mo recorded February forecast a few months ago and we were nerding out on some Taurus things and we thought it would be fun to join up again to talk about this very Tauran month of May and so Mo has come back and is joining us again for the second time so I'm really excited about that. We have Venus moving into Cancer this month, Jupiter is entering Taurus and will be there for the next year. Mars will also change signs and move into Leo. We have an eclipse towards the beginning of the month and then of course everyone's favorite Mercury stationing direct. I'm really excited to have Mo along for the ride today to talk about these upcoming transits. And if you don't know, Mo Olufemi is an astrologer and a tarot reader who specializes in Hellenistic and Medieval astrology while also being really well-versed in the Vedic astrological tradition. She loves learning about the underrated parts of essential dignity and their applications and uses the Golden Dawn astrological correspondences to really merge tarot with astrology. In her spare time, she's a loving mother of two cats. And you can learn more about Mo and her work in the bio in the links below in the show notes and you should also check out her shared podcast that she's the co-host of, the Fixed Astrology Podcast. As always, it was really fun to put together this conversation for you all and to really plod through the transits today in a very relaxed and open way that was really delightful for me while recording this and we hope that you also enjoy listening to. It. If you do, we encourage you to take a couple seconds to text the episode to a friend, share it with someone else who would also enjoy it, which helps make the podcast more sustainable and more enjoyable for everyone involved. And with that, let's get into the month of May. Music. Mo, welcome back to the podcast. I'm really happy to have you back. I know you were here in February to talk through that month's Astro. I think by the end I was like, A, I love recording with Mo, and B, we both have a lot of Taurus stuff and Taurus enthusiasm. So it also felt really perfect to have you back in May as we're diving into this month, which has a lot of Tauran things going on. So welcome back. Would you like to take a moment to sort of reintroduce yourself to our listeners and mention anything that's really top of mind for you. Sure. Thanks so much for having me again, Grace. It was a pleasure to record last time, and I think this time will be a lot more fun. I think it's comical that we're recording, I guess, what, 12 hours after an eclipse at the very end of Aries, and now both luminaries are cozy and tourist. So it just feels really timely. You know, I'm a, astral tour everywhere. Very obvious that I'm a tourist sun, so I have to, you know, advertise it. Yeah, just kind of going along with the tourist vibes for this month. So I think that's kind of how I want to introduce myself. Appropriate for the task. and so I'll be introducing. Do you have any sort of big picture thoughts as we're looking towards May, whether some of the astro weather that we've been moving out of and transitioning into or any sort of broad brushstrokes that you'd like to couch this conversation in before we sort of get into the weeds and the more specific things? Yeah, definitely. So I think it was February and March where everything was in fire or air science. So it was a very hot, very mobile, very active sort of six week period. But I feel like May is gonna be a very different vibe for much of the month because a lot of things are just going to be in water and earth science for quite some time. And that's more of a slower, cooler energy. And I think that if you were in the process making a lot of overhaul and big change, which I feel like this eclipse in Aries is going to have that connotation. I feel like May is kind of that recovery month, I feel. I think there's a lot of truth to that. Yeah, it feels the energy just gets a little more grounded, a little more earthy. Feels like the fired air just can have kind of an explosive quality to it for better or for worse. It's like we're getting thrust into places. Yeah. And this is a really different pace, I think. Yeah, so I actually wrote about this in a fury when I put out my blog post on the eclipse season forecast. And I think it's really telling that we pretty much start Taurus season right after this big initiatory eclipse and. Aries. And what's interesting about the eclipses is that the Moon will be in Mars ruled signs while Mars is transiting Cancer. And I think that we do open up the month with that energy because one of our biggest transits is actually that Moon in Scorpio, so that lunar eclipse in Scorpio. I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit because I think there's a… Is there Pluto transit that's happening right before that? BT. Pluto will station retrograde. Yeah, no, that first week of May is pretty heavy. So I feel like after this eclipse in Aries is. Forcing us to sort of reassert our identity in some way or reassert some desire to take initiative in the Aries parts of our lives. The thing that I wrote about is that there's this need to sort of, call these sorts of old stories you tell yourself or these old narratives you've been hanging on to. Too. It's interesting that Pluto also stations retrograde as well because it's actually going to make its way back towards Capricorn, which is really interesting. You know, since we're in the middle of that Pluto transition and then having that Scorpio eclipse after in the sign that's eight away from Aries, you know, that's sort of cleaning out your proverbial closet as you, you know, make space for the new you. I feel like there's like this heaviness And there's this need to really breathe, I feel. I don't know about you, but yeah. Yeah, I think there's a lot of resonance in what you're saying. I was thinking about, for me, I was like, what's been going on for me just as an individual? It's been a lot of like. Remembering that I used to be someone who did fitness. Like it's been a lot of waking up my actual body in a way as someone who used to like, I used to like teach Pilates all the time and I would like go for runs. And like, I just liked, I was always dancing. I like to be moving a lot. And then just realizing by contrast, sort of like how contracted and immobile that I got, for a lot of different reasons, um, through the years of the pandemic. And so for me, I've just been like really sore lately. I'm like, Oh my God, these five pound weights feel so heavy, like, you know, and so it's just a lot of like soreness, but also a desire to sort of like. Go to a kickboxing class and like hit a punching bag, like a lot, like it's been a lot of very physicality and like sweating and like grunting with heavy objects that are probably not heavy for anyone except everyone else is fine. I'm really struggling, which, so there's a lot of that sort of like heroic that very like sympathetic, like bursts of energy is a lot of been sort of a way that I'm relating to it. So there's a newness to it, there's a freshness to it, there's an effort behind it, but it's something about, you know, you said something about recalling old stories or older stories or remembering them. And I was like, oh yeah, I used to be someone who moved like a lot more. Yeah, you know what? That's interesting. So I really love thinking about Aries and the sun's exaltation there as this sort of embodying the Sun's highest principle, which is this sort of ability to embody your true essence by asserting your will and really being forceful with who you are as a person. And it's interesting that you were talking about how you used to be a fitness person. I'm like, I used to be someone who was really involved in lots of community things. I'm like, I used to be president of this and on student board of that. And I was always attending meetings all the time and it was normal. And I I just got off on being super busy, but like you said, I feel like something over the last three years especially has just really gutted my soul a little bit. And just thinking about where that eclipse is falling for me, I guess, this sort of transitioning out of something that I really thought that I wanted for a long time and realizing that this thing was actually really soul crushing and needing to make peace with the idea that if I want to reclaim that self I really enjoyed being, right? And reconnecting with those skill sets that I really enjoy partaking in, I need to just give up on this whole part of my self-concept that revolved around a particular area of my life and that being the sort of thing you have to. You know, mourn. But in another vein, something I think about a lot as well with this particular eclipse coming up, especially since it's happening within that same week of Pluto going retrograde, is that there will be a lot of connotations of power struggle and the things that you have to share with others if you want to, you know, make this sort of newfound view a reality, right? So one thing I wrote about in my post was some people may be exchanging one thing for another or maybe fighting for control over a desired outcome. And you may like the thrill of the chase or competing with people because you're like, okay, I want to be this brand new person and now I have to go step on toes and stuff. But then realizing that these thrills are short-lived and there's this kind of, I like to joke, post-nut clarity, right? After you've had an orgasm, then you're just thinking about your whole life, right? And it's just like, oh, this is people work so hard to get this kind of pleasure, whether it's sexually, whether it's in their job, whether it's, you know, with something else that they want. And. It's like, once the dopamine hit is over, then what? And I think that's pretty much what the beginning of the month is really going to feel like for a lot of people. I think that's a really, memorable analogy that everyone can relate to. And you said the word assert or reassert earlier. And I think too, as you were talking about these blue nations in Mars signs, while Mars is in cancer, just like something about that, asserting that energy, that like mine energy, that like heroic energy, heroic energy, however we want to talk about it, which I think for a lot of people also demands that we engage on some level with a conversation about personal power and how powerful we feel in our lives and in our story. And maybe like renegotiating some of that for ourselves, like how much I let happen to me versus how much I. Act in my life, like the kind of that offense, defense, active, reactive equation might be something that we're negotiating. Yeah, I feel like it's probably going to be more defensive since, you know, it's Mars and a water sign and the strength of Mars actually comes from embodying more of that defensive. I'm protecting myself, the things that are valuable to me, but also maybe vulnerable people. That's very much the principle of water, Mars. And the thing about Mars and Cancer is that while Mars does have its depression there and it's hard because. The Moon is a fickle planet, it's always changing its mind and Mars wants to act, right? It's hard, to act when the circumstances and the reasons for acting are constantly changing, right? Then on top of that, there may be this hypervigilance towards perceived threats, especially if you are particularly sensitive about something. And I do feel like both of. These eclipses have that never again sort of energy. It's like Mars is like putting its foot. Down. I don't ever want to experience this thing again. I don't ever want someone to stop me from. Being this powerful again. And I would say that when Mars is not in its domiciles or exaltation. Especially when it's in its exiles and it's fallen, it can kind of overreact to things. Not necessarily always in a bad way, but sort of the response it has to things isn't always proportional to the thing that happens. So sometimes they underreact to things that they should be really upset about, or they overreact things that maybe don't warrant such an extreme response. And I think that while it's good that we're in this era of wanting to be more heroic, or be a little brave or be more decisive, perhaps we should, I guess it'll be easier with the Scorpio eclipse just because the moon will also have triplicity. I think just slowing down and being a little more deliberate as we're actively cutting things out of our lives that don't work. Yeah, less of like a slasher vibe potentially. Yeah. Well, I feel like we've already kind of dripped into week one, talking a little bit about Pluto will be stationing retrograde on May 1st and then the sun will also be conjoining Mercury who is retrograde. But when I think about Pluto stationing retrograde, I mean, in general, I think a lot of us tend to conceive of Pluto as something that is more of like a collective felt force and I'm thinking of like. If there were forces or powers that were kind of leaning forward on the chessboard or like leaning towards a checkmate, perhaps in Pluto Station's retrograde, there's a little bit more of like a hanging back on the power plays, potentially more of a like, we'll wait and see what happens or we're going to go back and rethink our moves or our strategy. And I think there will also be, I mean, Pluto Station retrograde, but isn't going to make it back into Capricorn this coming month, but still, I think that contrast between the two signs and what Pluto's interested in those two signs is going to feel really apparent now that we're going to have this return. We're going to be like, oh, so much did change or was thinking about our, conceptions about things, even just with like chat GPT and like AI. It's almost all anyone wants to talk about now. Whereas in Capricorn, it was kind of like virtual reality and now it's just like, how does AI write my next email? It's gotten very practical very fast. You know what? I really feel like we're really going to need to reform our relationship to finances and capital and our relationship to labor. And I do feel like that's what the ping-pong between Pluto and Capricorn and Pluto and Aquarius is going to be about. Since what was funny is that in those last couple of weeks of Pluto and Capricorn, we had all those bank failures, right? And then all of a sudden, Pluto goes into Aquarius and you have all of these central banks trying to announce their digital currencies and things. So I think that there's going to be more questions about how stable is our conceptualization of these global structures around money and power as we move into new technologically advanced things. I also think about geopolitically as well, a lot of us talking about the end of the. US as the sort of global reserve currency. I do think that's clearly coming to an end. BT. Obviously, yeah. CB. However, even though the exact returns are done, Pluto is going to be back in the same sign as the US Pluto. And so, what's interesting is that I feel like we're going to see the sorts of attempts to maintain that order when Pluto is back in Capricorn before it dips back into Aquarius a couple of times before staying there for good. And I do think that there's been this sort of shuffling of the world order, not just in terms of that, but also global supply chains. And something that people don't talk about enough is that part of what allowed China to rise was its ability to take on this role as the world's sort of manufacturing plant. And what was interesting is that in the last few years of Pluto and Capricorn, you actually saw that there were a. Lots of articles or trend reports about manufacturing actually starting to shift out of China and into neighboring countries and the need to diversify supply chains. And I do feel like that was also something that's been in the minds of people, especially with Pluto and Aquarius. And I think of this move towards decentralization and stabilizing and fortifying existing networks because these larger, more complicated networks are not always reliable. So I think of that as well. Yeah. I think there's something also in the nature of air that's more want towards diversification and the earth principle is more like, how do we regulate and codify? And while there is a maintenance and an order that Aquarius wants to do, how do we make this orderly and systemic? I was thinking about, you were talking about the bank failures and all of that. And then also a few weeks later, I was getting notification from a crypto platform and they're like, oh, we're actually not going to trade in the US anymore. So you got to get your currency out of here because just the regulations are all over the place. So we're just actually only going to do international now. And so it was just really interesting as a dynamic to see that. Happening. Oh, that's another good point. Because you know what? I also feel like with this Pluto moving into Aquarius as well. We saw the increase in pay to play with, you know, a lot of the social network giants and even podcasting. Yeah. It's like we're starting to get charged for, the internet and existing on the internet and things that, you know, these companies should be doing, like making sure your accounts don't get hacked and this, that, and the third and providing actual customer service. Guess what? They figured out they can charge you for it. And I do think that while. It's a new way for them to seize more power. I do think that this is going to trigger more of this, again, decentralization of a lot of these social networks. I think that a lot more interesting platforms will be able to thrive. I mean, a lot of these things got their start while either Neptune or Uranus, if not both, were in Aquarius. And so, it's interesting to see Pluto come in years later and kind of wreck that sort of democratization and free market and free-for-all access that a lot of those transits in, you know, the aughts were able to bring us. So I don't know. I feel kind of mixed feelings about it, but... Yeah, I think it is mixed because it's also, it's like, should we like pay to play rather than like having a model that's only set up on like data mongering and addiction? Like maybe, I don't know, you know, it's like, or is there some other, and it's also too, to just see how like a couple of years ago Metta was really like, this is the future and it's us. And I'm like, I don't know if Metta is going to make it through this like moment. No, no, I really don't think that's the case because I'm thinking about Mark Zuckerberg's chart And he is. Yeah. I'm like, dude, you're starting your Pluto square like the rest of Scorpios. And. If my suspicions about his natal chart are correct, I do believe he's an Aquarius rising. That's just my gut feeling. And I feel like some of the timing things, it makes sense, especially when you look at how the Scorpio Taurus eclipses impacted him in meta. I mean, he's been firing people left and right for the past year after overhiring people. So, So, I mean, it's just kind of loud. And that would have been like a 10th house, South Node transit. Yeah, I don't know, but I agree with you. I think that a lot of these major players or giants within the social media realm, probably not going to be there. I mean, we're seeing the downfall of Twitter in real time. I think it's interesting that, you know, the regulation of TikTok is also becoming a central issue because it does feed into a lot of other, you know, sorts of geopolitical tensions just because of the origins of TikTok. You know, there are some valid concerns about, like you were saying, the way that social media is designed as a tool for social control. And I do think that it's interesting that now, these companies, in addition to already, like, selling lots of our data and profiting off of, finding new ways to control and understand people, maybe without their overt knowledge, I think of the way in which, you know, a lot of these regulations did start getting introduced, okay, how can you control data, this, that, and the third with the last decan of Pluto in Capricorn? And now that we're moving to more of this, they need to change the ways in which they are. Getting revenue since now consumers have the ability to take back control over how their data is distributed or not. I think that they're looking for other means to, again, stay profitable, maintain that level of control, etc. Totally. Rethink their empire strategy. Is there anything else? I mean, you already started talking about the lunar eclipse in Scorpio, which is happening on Friday, May 5th. So that will be a full moon eclipse, which is what a lunar eclipse is. And it's happening in the second decan of Scorpio around 15 degrees. And generally we think of lunar eclipse, full moon things as sort of like hitting a culmination point or a peak of some kind um or even an ending. Yeah I mean last note on that I do think it's interesting that King Charles is finally getting coronated and I think about the fact that he's just like the oldest person ever to be crowned right it's like you've been waiting your whole life for this and I just remember what I was saying earlier about you finally you know get to have that sort of peak experience that you share with a lot of people and then you realize that once the peak wears off, it's just kind of like, is that it? But I will say that this is a nice transition into Venus moving into cancer a couple of days later. Because it's like, I feel like a lot of that mutual reception energy that the eclipse is going to trigger with Mars and cancer may be very overwhelming to the senses as well. And I think having Venus come into cancer and kind of. Try to tail Mars will be really soothing. I think soothing is a nice word. Yeah. Some of like the images that are like associated or related to that second decadent Scorpio are not like the most like nurturing vibes at all. So it's a lot of like snakes and scorpions and spooky things and it's a very like liminal underworldy deck in. And so I think you're totally right about having that Venus moving into Cancer with more of like an intimate. Perhaps qualities that we would think of as more like motherly or like caring, really trying to like pull the hens close might be something that feels really good. It's like, okay, I'm done trying to, you know, like conquer this part or like aggressively defend rather this part of my life. Now let's like take off the armor and go, you know, in a trusted space with people I know, love and care about and cultivate some sort of joy. I do also feel like if you did spend a lot of the last weeks of April, the first week of May, doing all of this heavy emotional processing, because that's what a lot of it is going to feel like. I feel like this with Venus moving into a cardinal sign as well as one is you know nurturing and just juicy as cancer it's like. Now that I don't have this thing in my life, or now that there appears to be a gaping hole in my life, now that I've cut out whatever self-limiting beliefs, et cetera, that have been blocking me in my path, what are some things that I can use to fill myself up? And I think that this period, or this about month-long period of Venus and Cancer will be really nice for that. I think so. I think it's also just the space that like Venus and Gemini, it's just very busy, right? Like it's just very busy and it doesn't even necessarily ping anything personal for me at all, but it just feels like it has like a whirlwind around it. A lot of like talking and chatting and moving and like, oops, I overbooked. That's a conflict. How did I do both? Can I take a zoom in my car? You know, whatever. And there also being that gap of like moving from that into like, and now we're just going to stay home and we're going to make food and we're going to talk and then, you know, also like maybe feeling a gap from some of that, that whirlwind as well, and just maybe getting some time to regulate and like catch up with oneself. Yeah. So something that I think about a lot is the anticia between cancer and Gemini. So for those who don't know, anticia is just this idea that planets that are, you know, the same, that, are occupying signs that are the same distance from, you know, the equinox points or the solstice points have a special relationship to one another. So Antitia specifically operates kind of like a shadow conjunction because they act as if they have the same, they're acting with this hidden joint purpose because they share the same dark light proportions. So it's like, oh, I'm like you, but in shadow. We're kind of working towards a purpose without realizing we're working towards the same purpose, right? Or we're trying to do the same things. And I think of, you know, the cancer Gemini and Tisha as one of trying to create the sense of familiarity, right? Gemini creates familiarity by trying to explore the things around it. And that's probably why, you know, I mean, at least for me, like, whenever you're saying, yeah, I want to take a zoom in my car. I'm like, why is that literally me? Like, I don't have a car. But, you know, just thinking about the fact that Venus does rule my third house, I've just been in meetings all the time, needing to readjust my schedule, like all of this, like, I haven't even, even though I haven't left the house as much as I would like to, I've just been so busy with everybody and trying to keep up with everybody and trying to keep tabs on what everyone's doing. But you know, when we get to cancer, it's like, okay, we've already established, like, here are the possibilities that are in my orbit. Let's just dive deep into one and see where that, goes, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah, it feels more protective, more intimate, more like moody, more comforting, more close, I think. And it's interesting because like Venus will be in cancer starting on May 7th and then on the 13th, at least in my location time zone, it could it'll be the sleep of the 13th. Venus will make that trine to Saturn and I feel like, you know, we've had a couple like things with Venus and Saturn with Saturn being in Pisces now and I just feel like it keeps That's why I'm on the EBS Guide, about these new Saturn vibes. And also just because Venus is exalted in Pisces, I think I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. It's interesting because it sort of default gives Venus a little bit of a leg up or a I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. Little more swinging power with a Saturn because of her exaltation and the sign where Saturn I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. Is. So she's like smiling at them from across the way. She's less under fire. Whereas in I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. The past like five-ish years, it's like having a Venus Saturn dynamic is just like rock and I'm on the EBS Guide. I'm on the EBS Guide. Hard plays, getting skull, it's just been felt very like, oh, Venus doesn't stand a chance. And now it's like, oh, it's a different dynamic. It feels very different. And I think this very, we had the square with Venus and Gemini square, Saturn and Pisces, we have them both being watery and Venus kind of smiling across the way to the sign of her exaltation. And I feel like, it's a very different Venus-Saturn dynamic. Yeah, the sensation is very different. BT Yeah. I mean, the only times I would say that Venus-Saturn aspects felt remotely constructive was when Venus was in Libra, exalting Saturn in the overcoming position, whether it was squaring Saturn in Capricorn or trining Saturn in Aquarius. But now that Saturn isn't overpowered, the Saturn has to answer to somebody else. As one of my good friends likes to say, Saturn and Jupiter to a lesser extent, do a lot better when they have a boss and not when they're trying to enact their own agenda, right? Because, you know, they're the two visible planets that are that are the furthest from us and they have larger agendas that are not necessarily. You know, in line with our day-to-day objectives. And I do feel like, you know, Saturn being in a sign that exalts Venus whenever it's having these nice aspects to Venus. Like you were saying, there's just this sort of deference that Saturn and Pisces will have to have to Venus. And I think that, you know, when Venus comes back to her exaltation and when Venus goes back to Taurus, I think that those are two times where even though Saturn is in the superior position or, you know, sharing space with Venus. There's this sort of, it's like here, I'm trying to do this thing for you, right? Saturn is also a planet that does have a lot of connotations of service and obligation and duty to other people. And so I feel like with this trine that's happening between them, there may be this sort of acceptance of this sort of duty or responsibility that you have towards people and things that are represented by the Saturn and the Venus in your life. And it's this ability to sort of smooth over any tension that you had during the Venus, Saturn square and Gemini. Because I find that when Venus and Saturn make contact, there's this. I think of decorum a lot. Like if we're going to have a relationship or be in community or whatever. These are the standards by which we're going to engage and it's one about trying to to foster maybe respect or try to. Give sort of concrete form to these norms or expectations around how you want to be treated and how you want to feel when you're interacting with people. And I think that, this will feel a lot nicer as Venus is starting to explore sorts of new things that she wants to fill this void in her life with. Yeah. An image that was coming to mind as you were saying that is that sort of Saturn, like there's a lot like Venus is sort of like the queen a little bit, right? Like everyone's sort in her court. It's like Saturn is in her exaltation, Saturn is answering to Jupiter, Jupiter is about to move into Taurus, answering to Venus. And so, Venus is sort of like. Pulling a little bit more weight. It's sort of like she's the queen and you have to kiss her hands a little bit more. Whereas it definitely feels like the past several years has been a lot of flailing and that has not necessarily been the case. So, even just the concern with how it might feel or the concern or the question of how it might be when we're together is even like a very Venusian concern and perhaps something that in recent years wasn't really in question because Saturn in Aquarius, Capricorn doesn't really care how it feels. So that's a very different vibe for sure. Yeah. One thing I want to say before we end the Venus-Saturn note is that I feel that Saturn in Pisces is really moving us away from this principle of austerity that we've just had to deal with, quite frankly, the last, you know, six years, like, oh, things. Suck and you have to deal with that. I think that everybody's tired of being sick and tired and, you know, people want to feel like they're cared for. They want to feel like they are supported and they want to maybe be more deliberate about creating larger systems that can create more care and support. There is this sacrificing of self-motivated interests, but people want to be a part of something larger. And I think that something about the Saturn-Venus will maybe show a, beneficial manifestation of trying to do that. Yeah. And the following day on May 14th, Mercury will station direct, which is usually everyone's favorite news. People love a Mercury retrograde, love a Mercury direct moment, but Mercury will be stationed directed about five degrees Taurus. I know that we have to talk about it super much, but if you have anything you want to say about it. So one thing I do want to say about this Mercury retrograde is that it is special because if you think about Jupiter's retrograde which will come later in the year, literally Jupiter. Is going to go retrograde in the same degrees that Mercury was retrograde in. And what's fun for me is that Mercury is a planet that likes to plan, right? It's like, okay, if we experiment with every possible outcome of what could happen, let's just see where things go. It's not necessarily committing to a narrative like Jupiter would want to, but it just wants to play around. And so, I think that something about this Mercury retrograde and Taurus is trying to get you to maybe examine some themes of that part of your life, maybe make some plans, maybe experiment a little bit. And then that way when Jupiter comes in and will occupy those same degrees for the rest of the year, you may find that. You're able to reap the benefits of these sorts of plans that you've laid out or you're actually getting to try them on or you're like committing to a particular storyline and following it through to its natural conclusion. So yeah. Yeah. That's a little bounciness to a sign that is lovely, but bouncy isn't really a connotation I would associate with Taurus and Mercury is just kind of likes to be bop around a little bit. So I think it adds a little, it adds some buoyancy, I think where there's often a lot more like bulk or weight. Yeah. And one thing about Mercury and Earth signs is that it loves a good plan. It just loves a good plan. And so, I mean, tourists out of all of the earth signs, you know all those stereotypes that get associated with the earth signs? Grounded and impractical and this, that, I'm like, this makes me comfortable. Like, this wants to just hang out and have it be looks. Yeah, like, I'm like, why are you ascribing all of these Virgo and Capricorn-like significations to, you know? And then even with Capricorn, Capricorn is not necessarily, Capricorn, sure, wants to plan, right? Word being plan, not execute plan. Plan. The execution part, that's all Virgo. They want to get their hands dirty. They want to like take things apart. They want to put it back together. They want to like build- Sand it till there are no indentations left. Yeah. So much sanding. No shade to Capricorn, but the planning, not the executing, right? So- Hard and hard. I think that, you know, it's a good time to plan. I mean, for example, I don't know about you, but because we're both tourist third house people, but something that I've been thinking about, you know, for my career development is just. Okay, what courses do I need to take? What courses do I want to take? Like, you know, all of these things. But I think, you know, once Jupiter moves into Taurus, I think it'll be clear, which paths I need to take, especially because, you know, Jupiter ruling the 10th as well. Like, what's going to be the most relevant for the career path I'm actually on? Like, let's start there. And that being one way that that's showing up in my life. I think that makes a lot of sense. Speaking of Jupiter and Taurus, May 16th, that's going to happen. So, we have this channel of expansion and yes, and blessing, and I would say even like wisdom or faith or like believing in things as well entering the sign of Taurus, which I think feels very different than being in Aries. I think it feels very practical, perhaps less inclined towards challenge and challenging ideas and more oriented towards some of these things that you were talking about earlier like towards that which is comfortable, that which is material, that which is steady. So I think we'll have a very like steadfast Jupiter for sure just to throw a couple of words in there. But yeah, Jupiter's going to be here for like a year. And so it's a vibe that we can get kind of cozy with. Listen, this is the beginning of fixed sign reparations. Okay. So just, wow, like I feel like for, I would say if I had to pick a rising sign, I would want to be, it's a great year to be a Leo rising or a Scorpio rising because you're going to have so much beneficence just hanging out in your tent. So if you've wanted to make a career change for a really long time, or you've always had this idea of who you want to be, how you want to be, which I feel like Jupiter in Aries was really good about. It's like, okay, we're starting fresh. What is this narrative or this journey I want to go on? Who is that person? What main character arc do I find myself wanting to be on? And just kind of ideating, maybe trying on what that feels like. And then when Jupiter goes into Taurus, getting to actually put that idea to the test and apply it in reality and actually getting to feel the full weight of how it feels. Great. Yeah, feel the full weight, I think is a really good. Rays, because we think Jupiter in and of itself is just something that is like hefty, right? And then we have Taurus, which is like that fixed earth qualities of things having to really go through things that are heavy and embodied and grounded. Whereas in Aries, it's more like we're burning through things. I love reparations for the fixed signs. A couple of years ago, it was like, oops, sorry, fixed signs. This is kind of a hard moment for like saying that for two and a half years. But so it feels nice to have something, a different vibe moving through there. I feel like some of the pros could be that it is like stabilizing and luxurious and sensory and material and comfortable, just interested in just finding those like beneficent resources. I think a con could be that it could be very like overly indulgent or prone towards access. Feels like that might be a thing. Yeah. So the thing is, I love what you said about the material, because I find that it's really telling that Jupiter has its hardest time in two of the Earth signs because Jupiter is more of that abstract. What do I believe in? What are the journeys I want to go on? What are these higher-minded collective ideals? Whereas Earth as an element is not necessarily collective focused, and then it's not abstract at all. And so I find that. Sometimes it can be hard to experience suspension of disbelief because a lot of what you will focus. On is, okay, how successful I am or the amount of faith I have in something is heavily tied to to maybe how much material prosperity I'm experiencing. So say, with Jupiter's last stint in Aries, you decided to take a gamble and initiate this part of your life, right? Whether it's a project or a new job or a new relationship. And then Jupiter and Taurus is bringing the material consequences of it. And I think there will be some test in terms of, okay, how much am I benefiting from this? Is it reflective of this story that I want to tell myself? Is it reflective of this journey I want to be on? And for some people, it might be really hard because I find it telling that within 24 hours of Jupiter's ingress, it's squaring Pluto, right? And- BT. Speaking of money. CN. You know, something that I talked about, I think I talked about it in one of the forecasts I did for the Fixed Astrology podcast of which I am a co-host. And one thing I thought about a lot was the idea that we have these classes of people who just hoard wealth, right? And it's like, what do these people actually do for society? Not that it's ethical to hoard that much wealth, but. Thinking back to the Gilded Age, for example, there was this unspoken social contract that these people were supposed to provide tangible public utilities. People used to build schools and parks and museums and things that would educate people. Very Jupiterian, right? Now we don't have those overt metrics of how these people contribute to society. There's nothing tangible. It's all abstract. It's all abstract. And I feel like, especially with Pluto being an Aquarius, thinking about all of the innovation we're trying to do with tech, I'm also thinking about a lot of the consequences this is going to have for our material world. Because unfortunately, a lot of technological advance and yes, clean energy technology requires mining and stripping the earth of resources and things. And it's like, okay, we're going to extract things from the earth for the purpose of technological advancement. What are we putting back into it? If we're going to create these new structures of organizing people and how they're relating to each other, which is very Pluto and Aquarius, I think Jupiter and Taurus is really going to demand what is the tangible reward that is going to support us co-signing this? And I think that's going to be. A pressure point. Yeah, I think that's true. I think also just the wrestling with currency and the kind of what is valuable and how we're measuring value is a story that'll be present. And also just thinking about the signs that Jupiter rules are signs that like to move a lot. They aren't super grounded in actual reality or the material very much at all, like you said, and they are prone to a lot of movement and shape-shifting and changing and mutability, sort of like that idea of the spirit of the age, so to speak. And in here, I think it will be like you said, it's like, yeah, that's a cool little spirit of the age thing that you have, but like how much money is in your bank account? Because if it's not there, then the story ain't working. And so I think it'll be a really different vibe or voice in that sense. Yeah, I also do think of the regulatory nature of earth signs because you know, they do want, to consolidate like at the end of the day, that's what earth wants to do as a concept. It's like we want to put things in distinct categories and consolidate them as best as we can. That's the nature of earth as an element. And I do think that maybe there will be collective pushback against some of these, you know, technological power grabs and power plays because it's like, what are you doing? This is having horrible effects on people's bottom line and their ability to consolidate personal wealth or consolidate some kind of maybe material sense of achievement or stability. And I think that there may be some pushback. BT I think so. I think it's also worth noting as we're kind of trickling out of talking about Jupiter and Taurus is that Uranus is also in Taurus and while they will not conjoin this year, they will conjoin in 2024, but they will also be sharing the same house, so to speak. And I think that's worth noting. North Node is also still in Taurus for the time being sort of making its way out. And so I think we are going to see any sort of excessive energy or excessive tendencies in that direction. Those will be apparent pretty quickly. And then as Jupiter makes its way closer and closer to Uranus, potentially any insurgences around potentially any of the things that you've talked about or disruptions in those systems, those beliefs, those bank accounts, those indulgences? I think of crypto a lot because I remember crypto did pretty well when Jupiter was in Aquarius. I'm wondering if there's going to be some, you know, innovation around. Currency and the ways in which we assign these abstract forms of value to things. Oh, you know what else I'm thinking of? So I'm thinking of, speaking of the valuation of currency and things, I think that maybe there's going to be more evaluation of special earth materials, whether it's gold, silver, or just literally minerals that you can use to to make a lot of these technologies we enjoy. And I think that that's going to be sort of a surprise boon of wealth for some people. And that may be encouraging more investment and more innovation in those areas. Another thing that I think of as well is I do believe a lot of the stuff around like healthcare innovation. So like the vaccines or just scientific advancement as well also come about with like this sort of build up to the conjunction between the two. That makes sense. I mean, we get a lot more Taurus vibes. I'm looking down our like list and our outline, it's like, and then we have the new moon in Taurus. At the end of the day. I mean, that's cute. I mean, the only thing is it's with algal, you know. So it's kind of less cute, potentially. I mean, I'm partial to her, so it'll be cute for me. I don't know about for other people, but I do think that something about this particular eclipse. I keep saying eclipse, not eclipses. Just because the North Node is still in Taurus at this point, it's so far. But anyway, this, lunation, what's nice about it is I think it's the first new moon in Taurus that's not eclipsed, which will feel really nice. So it will feel like a regular moon and junk alcohol. I would just say, treat it like a regular day, just, you know, as you're trying to partake in the things you like to indulge in, try not to, the phrase, lose your head a little bit, and try to think about how you're going to maintain all those things. Because, you know, the symbolism of that last decade of Taurus can get very hung up on, okay, like, I need to prepare for worst case scenario type of stuff, disaster prep. Yeah, so that's all I have to say about that, Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. I think too, I was thinking about the card that's associated with the minor arcana card, the seven of pentacles associated with that Deccan and Taurus as well, because it's already a card that I've been playing with a little bit lately and thinking a lot about and this idea of a failure really, which is really in a sense like bumping up against our constraints, bumping up against our limits and what happens when we decide to be our own limit instead of waiting for the world to limit us and how, depending on how we approach that conversation, it can be one that feels more empowering, more mature, more adult, more God-like potentially. No, I love that. And then on top of that, I do think about how just talking about, you know, the preparatory nature of earth signs, I mean, less so in Taurus than the other two. Something that I love about an exalted moon having an illumination there is that I like to joke, oh, it's like getting to cash out on something bad happened, but hey, I was prepared for the rainy day. I need to cash out on my insurance policy. Right. Yeah. That's just kind of how it feels. BT. For sure. Yeah. There's something to be said for our capacity or our ability to be able to digest those kinds of things because from the beginning, we're not in denial that they could happen. CB. Exactly. No, that's great. BT. I think that's super real. From there, we get into Mars changing signs, Mars entering Leo and will, of course, oppose Pluto and Aquarius and will square Jupiter exactly a few days after that on the 23rd. Mars and Leo always feels very like Achilles vibes to me. That's sort of like the archetype that hangs out with me the most when I think about Mars and Leo. Yeah. Do you have any things that you want to share, think out loud about with that? I mean, for one, I will be so excited to begin my Mars return era. I love a Mars and Leo. I'm very partial to it. I feel that this is like another time of year or time where the Marshall principle unites with the solar principle, but instead of it being the Sun trying to assert its will, it's Mars trying to engage in actions that support that sort of internal will and that internal standard. And I feel like this is going to be a nice way to sort of wake up from the not necessarily sleepiness, but to have more of that sort of goal-directed action of Mars. Instead of having that, I'm responding to threats real and perceived at all times, Mars. Perhaps inaccurately. Yeah, it'll feel a lot nicer. I mean, the only thing that's challenging is that Mars does lose its triplicity status. So there's not that same level of maybe empathy or support for. Outbursts. So there has to be this need to be poised and contained and controlled. Glamorous. Yes. Glamorous, if not regal. Exactly. It's like if you're going to mess it up, you might as well make it very glamorous. Yeah. Right. and confidently. That's the hope. CBT Yes, you have to be really bold. So I think that this will be a time for maybe more bold, more decisive action. Unlike Aries, Mars, you're actually going to follow through, because your reputation is on the line. Very Mars and Leo. You're putting your money where your mouth is because your reputation is at stake. So- Yeah, that feels true. And then that square to Jupiter, I think it's like, you know, we have Jupiter enter Taurus and we have the moon come in and sort of like tell us a little bit about what that's about. And then we have Mars come into Leo and give us a little bit more information about what that's about. And potentially where there's some conflict of interest going about there as well, thinking a little bit more about just sort of that brash, confident, excited action sort of against that sort of slow, steady, maybe potentially that lean back energy of Taurus, one that wants to like pull ahead and shine and go and glimmer and be confident and let's get some things moving and burning brightly. And then that pull in Taurus to be more like down and back. It feels a little bit like my dog who I've decided is a Taurus because it just feels very true. She's just like, there's no way you're pulling her anywhere. She's going to go when she wants to and you might as well just wait. Right. I think it's also interesting that it's, know, Jupiter which in the Hellenistic astrological tradition represents the highest good of the. Daytime sect whereas Mars is like the bad guy of the daytime sect having that sort of square off with each other. You know, Mars is brave. Jupiter does like bravery. It does reward brave action, but I find that Jupiter compared to Mars is not as... Self-absorbed, right? It's not as self-focused, right? And it's more about wanting to bring as many people and things in alignment with each other to create like a cohesive thing. Mars is not about cohesion at all. Not at all. And you may find that there's this sort of grandiosity of action that comes about with this particular square between the two. Mm-hmm. A puffing of chest, so to speak. Yeah. And it's like, I feel like, you know, there may be this doubling down. And I feel like with Jupiter being in Taurus, where everybody is kind of empowered to have a sort of consolidation of the things that they enjoy and having their personal ability to tap into that on reserve. You know, you've got Mars being like, -"But I want more than that." --Mm-hmm. I want more than that. Like, okay, it's great that everybody gets to have to have luxury, but why can't we have more, right? BT. What are we in charge of though? Yeah, that makes sense. On May 21st, the day after, we'll have the Sun entering Gemini, so we're back to some more sort of fire, air, energy. And then the Sun will square Saturn on the 28th. Something that I think about with the Sun and Gemini is sort of thinking like if we think about the solar principle is on some level this way that that we like organize identity in some way, thinking like identity is knowledge or I am what I know or I am the conversations that I partake in, which is a very different energy than I am that I am, for instance, by contrast. So we have a little bit more like bustling coming up. Yes. And I find that the air signs compared to the fire signs, even though they're both signs that are hot, fire is hotter than air, obviously. and fire just has more of that self-focus, right? It's more about embodying that sort of inner divinity and projecting it outward in some way. Whereas I find that air signs, especially the two where the sun does not do very well, are focused on discovering that through some sort of orientation to other people. Whether it's realizing that we're all kind of similar in that we're all unique, whether that's Aquarius versus part of your self-concept does involve needing to be likable to other people, Libra. And Gemini just being like, let's figure it out. I can be a lot of things in different contexts. I can be who you want me to be, so to speak. I think that with Mars answering to the sun who's now in Gemini trying to figure out new ways of being maybe through observing other people, introducing new chaotic situations for other people to interact with, or through mimicking other people and mirroring them. This kind of, I. Don't want to say distorts that sort of self-oriented action that Mars is trying to achieve. I just think that it's going to become more diffuse and less, you know, directed. It also feels a little bit like, I think of Gemini 2 and that Mercury moment of like this environment of playfulness and like trickster-y-ness and the sun sort of engaging in some of that trickster vibe. Whereas like Mars is really trying to like take something really seriously, which is themselves and what they're doing. And the sun is more like who is in charge of Mars at this point. Just adding a moment of like, ooh, but what if we did this for fun? And ooh, what if we tried this? And ooh, what if we did that? They're like, I'm really trying to be the hero in this moment. And someone's just being like, ooh, but what if we like threw dice in this way? And also the sun will be like, of course, traversing this. Zone where Mars spent a significant amount of time recently. Yeah. So. And then to add insult to injury to the Mars piece, you know, answering to the sun, the sun is squaring Saturn and sun Saturn aspects in general can just be really challenging, especially the hard aspects because you've got that, you know, the self other, you know, leader authority versus the people on the outskirts, whether it's the opposition or the people who are subjected to those whims. Whenever there's hard aspects between those things, there's tension. And I mean, unfortunately, the Sun is in the inferior position. It's later in the Zodiac. Saturn has the upper hand. Neither of them has dignity. So they're. Both kind of on, I want to say, more equal footing than, you know, in previous situations where Saturn was overpowered and the concerns of, you know, these limitations or the concerns of collectives, or even just the concerns of, an opposition to the things that the Sun is trying to embody had valid criticism and valid means through which they could stop the solar principle from enacting its agenda. Now you don't have that. They're both on equal footing right now. And Saturn, just by location. Gets the upper hand. Not because Saturn is empowered to actually make any real change, is just by circumstance and location, Saturn happens to be able to block whatever the sun's doing. And so I find that especially when the sun is under the thumb of Saturn, so to speak, it can be hard to figure out or suss out or even just fully embody that sort of, desire to project something outward and to really embody what it means to be yourself or to really express what you feel needs to be expressed. Yeah, I think it'll also just have a big shift in energy because they're also just both immutable signs. So maybe like sort of entering the room or the confrontation with like a lot of thoughts, ideas and opinions, but then sort of being like, oop, the wind blew and now we're this way and the shells rolled down the beach and now we're oriented like this. Like it has like now they're both like capable of changing their minds and changing their shape as opposed to some of that more fixed tension where it's like no one's backing down. It feels more like it won't even be a back down. It'll be like, and a wave came over and now the sand looks like this. And so it's a very, has a different flavor. Yeah, and that being a bit stressful for Mars who does want to have more of that direct, it's like Mars wants a mandate. Mars is like, I've decided I want to do this. This is what we're doing. It'd be great if everybody, you know, could get on the same page. But like you said, with the mutability, most people are on the same page, like in some respects, there are some little things that still need tweaking that can affect the overall mission, which I think is an interesting backdrop because technically, Mars is in this T-square configuration with Pluto and Jupiter. So, what? I think not too long after this configuration between the Sun and Saturn, you know, I think Mars opposes Pluto. It should. Or is that in June? It might be in June. I'll look it up. I mean, regardless, Mars is applying. Yeah, they're close. Jesus, that's a lot. Yeah, for sure. So we'll have- Mercury is definitely about to go retrograde. It's like- I know, we're like, what day is it? Oh, it happened already. Yeah, I was like, I think it's already there because Pluto is at zero Aquarius and then Mars is entered. So I think that's like it's sort of simultaneous. Like a distress. Yeah. I'm like, did I not put that in my notes? I guess I didn't. Sorry. No, it's okay. But regardless, we basically end May with this stressful fixed T-square where one of the planets is answering. Actually, two of the planets are answering to mutables. So Pluto answering to Saturn and Pisces and Mars is answering to the Sun and Gemini. And so, it's interesting how even the planets that are ruling them are having this sort of square off with one another quite literally. And Mars-Pluto aspects are really tense as someone who owns a square. Between them and a fixed sign. It's really stressful. There can be a lot of connotations of of power struggle and sometimes there can be this, I mean, Mars can already be really obsessive once it really decides to take a course of action, but when you throw Pluto there, there's just a level of obsession and obstinacy that is just out of this world, right? For sure. So I wonder if like the opposition could be that, okay, thinking about a lot of the things we said about Pluto and Aquarius and a lot of these innovations or power grabs that we may be making when it comes to making technological advancement, changing how we relate to people, shifts in like political structure. I mean, shifts in. You know, a lot of the stuff with currency and then you have people wanting to assert their own independent will and then those two things just being diametrically opposed. For sure. Well, that's a fun note to think about the end of May on a fun, let's see, it's dynamic to say the least. Very dynamic. Is there anything else that you want to say about the month as a whole before we wrap up? And if so, or if not, can you also share with our listeners where they can stay in touch with you if you have anything coming up where people can find you or people can get obsessed with your work and stay in touch. Awesome. I mean, the one thing I will say about May is for much of the month, you're just clearing out old wounds, filling them with, you know, a healing balm, and then getting ready to enter your next dynamic phase, which, you know, will carry you through much of June. As for my work, I'm AustralTour literally everywhere, Twitter, Instagram, Substack. I've been writing a lot more on Substack and I'm really loving it. So if you want to keep up with me there and you don't want to watch the demise of Twitter in real time, find me on Substack. I think that's good. Is there anything you have coming up that you want people to be aware of or do you feel like just having them be in touch is good? I am attending DORWAC next month. So for those of you who are going, I'll see you there. Other than that, just keep up with me on Substack and it's been a pleasure coming back to your pod. Thank you so much for being here and walking us through all of this, all this ground shifting and all of this, I feel like Taurus rising moment as well. Yes. So, earth rising, so thank you. Thank you for participating in this conversation with us. If you enjoyed the episode, please take a few moments to subscribe to the show, leave us a review, and share the episode. These tiny tasks help our independent podcast so much. Be sure to also check out the links below to learn more about any free resources, guests, or things we talked about today. Our intro and outro music was created by artists Aaron Palovic and Jared Kelly, our podcast logo was created by Elaine Stevenson, and this show is produced by Softer Sound Studio. Thank you for being here. Be well. Peace. Music.