Week 18: May 2023, Week 1 - The Week Ahead Horoscope
Mercury conjoins the Heart of the Sun at the beginning of the week. Towards the end, we have our final Eclipse in Scorpio: a Lunar Eclipses ruled by a Fallen Mars. Venus enters Cancer on Sunday.
Weekly Graphic
Hello everyone! Sorry this newsletter is late. The INCREDIBLE Astrologer Cameron Cassidy has visited me in Florida this weekend and we’ve been having INCREDIBLE conversations about astrology. I haven’t had time in between his visit and work to write the newsletter (especially with the void moon) but I present to you Week 18 of 2023.
Just an announcement. I am currently taking clients for June and July 2023 so far. I will have more updated availability since over the summer, I am temporarily not at my day job. My new hours will be from 8 AM ET to 8 PM ET. I have updated the various dates and times I have for clients in this range from Monday to Friday. Spots will be first come first serve. I unfortunately do not have any spots left for May so if you’re looking to get a consultation soon, the wait time is around a month and a half in advanced.
If you have questions or concerns you can email me at astrobymax@gmail.com
Monday, May 1st
[5:08 AM ET] The Moon in Virgo sextile Mars at 19º12’ Cancer
[1:31 PM ET] The Moon in Virgo square Venus at 23º29’ Gemini
[7:27 PM ET] CAZIMI: Mercury Retrograde conjoins the Sun at 11º19’ Taurus
Monday is an interesting day for the Moon in Virgo. The Moon makes a sextile to Mars in Cancer early in the morning, which highlights conflict, irritation, aggravation, and can inflame the mind since the Moon is in Mercury’s sign. Mars creates conflict, enmity, frustrations, and creates more inflammation in the nervous system. There is a sense of harmony, balance, unity, and peace that is being sought today but there will be conflict and challenges with creating harmony since the Moon and Venus will be in a square with each other. This can show challenges with feeling mentally balanced, since the mutability of this configuration and Mercurial component show fluctuations and changes of the mind. This is also interesting because the lord of Venus and the Moon is Mercury, and Mercury has an interesting configuration today.
Mercury is currently Retrograde, which can show miscommunications, misunderstandings, delays, trickery within words and documents. The Mercury Retrograde of the Spring comes to the halfway point as Mercury enters into the Heart of the Sun today, known as a Kasmimi. When a planet is in the Heart of the Sun, it is said to be resetting its Solar phase cycle, is rejuvenated, purified, and restored with life-giving-energy. A planet in the heart of the Sun is said to bring those topics of that planet to the forefront of our mind, there is a sense of sincerity and clarity associated with this transit, however it is not all peaches and sunshine. According to some of the Medieval Islamicate astrologers, like Abu Ma’shar, the Sun is said to be a malefic up close, but benefic at a distant. Its nature of how it expresses itself varies depending on the distance. The bright rays of the Sun are said to span 15º degrees on either side of the Sun, and it can be seen as a debilitating condition where the Sun harms what comes within its path. Mercury has been entering into the Sun’s Beams, but there are statements that Mercury under the beams is not as challenging because it is like a person who is used to enduring the suffering that combustion brings. Combustion can weaken the energy, especially if a planet is an Evening Star, it drains and evaporates the life force outside. Mercury moves deeper into heart of the Sun and there is a sense of clarity, insight, and understanding of miscommunications, trickery, and discrepancies become clearer. These are all internal and hidden feelings right now because Mercury is hidden and obscured by the commanding luminance of the Sun. The Moon will not connect with any other planets after it squares Venus, which brings little progress and action to continue throughout the rest of the day.
Tuesday, May 2nd
[2:08 AM ET] INGRESS: The Moon enters Libra
On Tuesday, the Moon will enter Libra early in the morning, which helps to mellow out the vibe of things as Venus does so well. The Moon enters into a Cardinal sign, which quickens the pace of things since Cardinal signs represent action, dynamism, and activity. Specifically the impulse to form connections, relationships, and initiate harmony. The Moon will not connect with any planets for today and it will be running through a void for a whole 20º degrees. Expect little progress to develop today, more frustrations, and irritations to stir since the Moon will be applying to square Mars today and all of tomorrow. The Moon in Libra brings some brief calm before Mars brings disruptions and conflict. The theme of this Libra Moon is how to find balance, how to create unity, compromise, and peace.
Wednesday, May 3rd
[5:10 PM ET] The Moon in Libra square Mars at 20º35’ Cancer
On Wednesday, the Moon will continue to move through Libra and at the end of the day it will make a square to Mars in Cancer. The Moon in Libra shows the desire to create balance and peace between others, but Mars is in an overcoming square to the Moon, dominating over the situation and it possesses the upper hand. Mars in a square aspect specifically brings harm and conflict, since the square carries the nature of Mars. Mars can bring physical injury and harm, specifically from water, like boiling hot water, hot oil, and scalding. Mars can bring sudden outbursts, selfishness that dominates over the need for peace. Mars shows that boundaries, agreements, and commitments are transgressed, pushed past, and disrupt the “peace”. I think disruption of peace due to lack of justice is the issue with this Moon in Libra. Beware of sudden outbursts and the heart being emboldened to fight. Mars can bring a lot of stress to the situation, but the Moon will separate from Mars and apply to its domicile lord (Venus) who is situated in Gemini right now. This aspect will go exact tomorrow, but its influence will be felt tonight (ET) going into the late hours of the night. Venus is the planet of harmony, compromise, and peace so its trine tomorrow will smoothen out the tensions and irritation that Mars can influence.
Thursday, May 4th
[3:54 AM ET] The Moon in Libra trine Venus at 26º23’ Gemini
[5:16 AM ET] The Moon in Libra opposes Jupiter at 27º07’ Aries
[10:32 AM ET] INGRESS: The Moon enters Scorpio
[5:56 PM ET] The Moon conjoins the South Node at 04º03’ Scorpio
[8:53 PM ET] The Moon in Scorpio trine Saturn at 05º41’ Pisces
On Thursday, the Moon will make an exact trine to Venus in Gemini early in the morning, or the wee hours of the night. This is a really supportive configuration that, as I said, helps to smoothen the tensions that Mars can bring. Whereas Mars can show conflict and strife between people, Venus brings unity, harmony, and its the magic that binds and pulls people together. Venus is laughter, Venus is creative and artistic expression, Venus is the instinctual soul, Venus is what we indulge and find pleasure in, and since Venus is in an Air Sign, a lot of the pleasantness we feel comes through ease in communication, sociability, games, entertainment, and leisure. Take some time to invite joy and beauty into your life. The Moon will have a brief benefic enclosure early in the morning as it separates from Venus and applies to an opposition to Jupiter. This can bring challenges with trust, faith, oaths, commitments, and honesty since the Moon is in an opposition, a dueling position, however there can be support, assistance, and removal of restrictions that follows. Jupiter can show the need to push, expand, remove limitations, and restrictions that we have trouble seeking out. The trine to Venus however will give us a useful amount of persuasion and grace to work out compromise and find peace. Things end on a more positive note than when they started with this Libra Moon. An olive branch extends itself as the Moon approaches the benefics.
The Moon will then enter Scorpio where it will move into the sign of its Fall, loosing strength and ability to provide support in matters of protection, nourishment, care, and security. The Moon as the indicator of the physical body encounters a period of depravation and scarcity, depriving the individual of nourishment and support it needs to thrive and grow. Scorpio is a sign associated with death and decay because its season is associated with the middle of Fall, where the leaves fall of the trees. The Moon will conjoin the South Node and make a trine to Saturn which confirms the inactivity, the sluggishness, and depletion of energy. The Moon entering Scorpio is significant because the Moon will officially enter into the sign where it will be Eclipsed. We’ll talk about this more for Friday’s forecast but it is worth noting the condition of the Moon is not supported in this position, and the trine to one of the malefics upon ingress confirms the delay, inactivity, inhibition, and restrictions this Eclipse can cause. The vibe will definitely change throughout the day as the Moon goes from experiencing a benefic enclosure to being debilitated in multiple ways.
Friday, May 5th
(12:02 AM ET) Venus in Gemini sextile Jupiter at 27º19’ Aries
[3:15 AM ET] The Moon in Scorpio opposes Mercury Retrograde at 09º12’ Taurus
[1:34 PM ET] LUNAR ECLIPSE: The Moon opposes the Sun at 14º58’ Scorpio
On Friday, there will be a few aspects taking place today, the first being that Venus makes an exact sextile to Jupiter in Aries. This sextile on the day of this Eclipse is particularly interesting to me because on the previous Eclipse (a Solar Eclipse in Aries) Venus was making a square to Saturn in Pisces, showing restrictions, limitations, and burdens that would afflict matters of relationships, women, diplomacy, fairness, and justice. The contrast today, and surrounding this Eclipse, is that Venus will make a supportive aspect, a sextile to Jupiter, the planet of removing restrictions, freedom, removing limitations, commanding justice and the good, and forbidding that which is unjust or wrong. This Eclipse might feel different than the previous one since it involves the aspect of Jupiter.
Other news about this Eclipse, it will be the final one that takes place in Scorpio. Over the past 18 months, we’ve had every Solar and Lunar Eclipse take place in the sign of Taurus and Scorpio. The Nodes take roughly 18 months to move through each zodiac sign, and they entered into this axis on January 18th, 2022. In a few months, they will enter Aries and Libra on July 18th, 2023. This Eclipse marks the second to last Eclipse in this axis (we still have one more Taurus Eclipse on October 28th, 2023) but this is the last Eclipse in Scorpio.
Check the house that Scorpio rules in your chart for more information about how this Eclipse will impact you. Generally, if Eclipses are in your Birth Chart’s angles, it indicates more overt and dynamic change in the persons life. This Eclipse will be the final one in Scorpio, so think about how the themes of major loss, consumption, decrease, and ending chapters in this part of your life is now coming to a close. There’s a lot about this Eclipse that signifies a final letting go and “cutting off” things in the house Scorpio rules in your chart. These themes will be important as the October Eclipse comes around and Mars, the Sun, and Mercury will all be located in Scorpio. There’s a lot about this Eclipse that brings conflicting news, contentions, trickery, things not making sense, challenges with labor, resources, and security. The Moon is naturally the significator of people and of the masses, and being Fallen, Eclipsed, on a Node, opposite a malefic-ish Mercury, and trine both malefics, it creates a recipe for grave, restraint, and struggles to take action. We may become aware of why certain information doesn’t make sense, culminations and revelations about hidden ideas, thoughts, or information with the Moon opposing Mercury. Mental stress, feeling scattered, lots of debate or even arguments can be expected.
This Eclipse is ruled by Mars in Cancer, which is the theme for Spring 2023’s Eclipses, being ruled by a Fallen planet. In this case, the Moon will be in a mutual reception with Mars in Cancer. It’s important to take a look at the house where Cancer rules in your chart because the activity of Mars through this house will influence the nature and effect of the Eclipses. The Moon and Mars will make a trine to each other after the Eclipse separates, but both planets are fallen and depressed in their position. The switching of their conditions indicates that they are mutually harmed and mutually debilitated by their condition. Mars in Cancer in World Astrology was an omen of spilled blood (Mars in all the water signs). There is an emphasis on mutual harm that comes from an agreement or compromise. Mars and the Moon are in a trine with each other, so we known there is some form of agreement, some form of conflict that is being given the green light, but it mutually harms both parties to engage in agreement. The element of reception does help to mitigate both Mars and the Moon to some degree, but both planets are accepting things they mutually do not want, since Mars is in the sign of its enemy the Moon, and the Moon is in the sign of its enemy, Mars. Themes that arise will be about lack of protection, betrayal, breaches of trust, transgression of safety, conflict, arguments, and fighting that is aroused from the breaches of privacy. Trouble managing anger and conflict could lead to escalations that bring harm towards the body and exacerbate physical stress. Luckily, this will be the final Eclipse in Scorpio, so there is some element of needing to do a final purge, revealing deep secrets, releasing pain, letting go of what was once comfortable. There is a lot about this Eclipse that talks about severance and ending things. The benefics both do not witness the Eclipse, which is interesting, because there isn’t an influence to ameliorate the challenging and strife the malefics cause. Deep grief is associated with this transit. The sting of the Scorpion can be felt on the Eclipse. The effects of the Eclipse will last for around 4 months since the Eclipse will be roughly 4 hours long, and the intensification of its effects will particular come towards the end of the 4-month period, September 2023, or it may manifest hiddenly, behind the scenes. Scorpio Eclipses are very quiet but then they simmer and release in an abruptive release.
Saturday, May 6th
[1:50 AM ET] The Moon in Scorpio trine Mars at 21º53’ Cancer
[4:03 PM ET] INGRESS: The Moon enters Sagittarius
On Saturday, as we explained above, the Moon will make an exact trine to Mars, as the ruler of the Eclipse, confirming the acceptance of grief/pain that mutual party does not want and is suffering from. The effects of Mars that were listed above can also be felt on this Saturday as well, in addition to the reverberation of their effects in the world. The Moon will be void for the rest of the day because it will not connect with any other planets. It will enter Sagittarius and for this brief time the Moon will actually be enclosed between malefic planets. The Moon’s last aspect was to Mars in Cancer, through a trine, and the next aspect to any planet the Moon is making is an applying square to Saturn in Pisces.
The Moon besieged can indicate going from one challenging thing and moving towards another obstacle. The square to Saturn will go exact in the middle of the night ET, but it will be felt through the entire time of the night. Besiegement can indicate a brief period of anxiety, sorrow, the thwarting of one’s efforts and all aspects of rage, frustration, and anger that go alone with it. The separation of Mars can feel inflaming, induce a literal or emotional sting that provokes anger, frustration, violence, and emboldening of the heart that is followed by melancholy, restraint, blockades, and delays in our path. But because the Moon changes signs during this besiegement, it indicates that our heart will feel emboldened but the conditions will shift where Saturn imposes restrictions and limits preventing us to act. It is advised to not drink, to not have sex, and to not go to war (literally and metaphorically) with this Scorpio Moon.
Sunday, May 7th
[2:12 AM ET] The Moon in Sagittarius square Saturn at 05º49’ Pisces
[10:24 AM ET] INGRESS: Venus enters Cancer
On Sunday, the Moon in Sagittarius will perfect its square to Saturn. The Moon in a double-bodied sign shows inconsistencies in action, lots of fluctuations, and adaptability in the air. The Fire component of the Moon shows an energizing and active principle, in Jupiter’s sign, to spread vision, light, to illuminate, share knowledge, expand the mind, learn about philosophy, religion, law, the sciences, and education. There can be an optimistic feel for the Moon in Jupiter’s sign, however Saturn depresses the mood, brings heaviness to the room, creates inactivity as opposed to zeal, and Saturn makes us aware of the restraints, and limitations placed around freedom. We may feel grief, we will be serious, restrained and holding back emotions. Since Sagittarius is the sign, things can shift between sudden anger (mutable fire) and sudden melancholy quickly. Wherever the wind takes us.
Another important transit that offers some relief to the bumpy astro-weather is that today, Venus enters Cancer! Venus entering Cancer will be nice because Venus will enter into a Water Sign, and in all of the water signs she has dignity through the elemental Triplicity. Venus during the day time is the primary triplicity lord, and usually a planet in triplicity indicates being able to access resources to do what the planet wants to accomplish through friends, allies, and external support. Domicile and Exaltation have connotations of being self-sufficient and self-sustaining, whereas Triplicity shows the fortunes of others and their willingness to help you, as well as their sympathy with you. Venus regains more moisture as she enters a Water Sign, and the wetness of Venus can help to add more fluidity, moisture, and adaptability whereas we might excessively feel the rigidity of Saturn today. It is worth noting that Venus has now entered the same sign as Mars, Cancer. They can now witness and see each other by being co-present in the same sign, the equivalent of people being in the same room together. Mars has created a lot of disruption in this sign (in your chart, the house of Cancer) since March 25th, and there hasn’t been a whole lot of support to balance things out. Venus does have more dignity and strength to bring balance, peace, and harmony to what Mars tears apart, incites violence, and chaos where it traverses. Venus is a benefic who is making a bodily conjunction to Mars, which indicates coolness being brought to an inflamed planet. Venus has the power to soothe Mars’ anger and incite love and compassion in the hearts of others. Venus will be “cleaning up Mars’ mess” so to speak by going over the degrees Mars has previously traveled. Venus entering Cancer is an omen of things starting to be brought to balance and repair following the destruction of Mars. However, their interaction and conjunction will not be in Cancer, but in Leo when they both ingress and shift signs. This is important because its almost like Mars is running away from Venus. Venus steps into the same sign as Mars and on May 20th, Mars is like “Fuck this I’m out” and changes signs, entering Leo. Venus will join Mars on June 5th and also ingress into Leo, and by July 10th, right when they’re both in the last Decan (20-30º) of Leo, Mars changes signs, entering Virgo, and Venus stations Retrograde never actually making the conjunction to Mars since they will both mutually move away from each other. We shall extrapolate more on this configuration in the June and July monthly forecasts, but know that this ingress into Cancer is the initiation of a major part of the astrology that occurs in the summer this year now that Venus and Mars can witness each other. The moment Venus stations Retrograde at 28º Leo (July 22nd), the aspect will be known as a Refranation, or the planet is revoking its aspect, in which a planet retrogrades away from the planet it was moving towards before the configuration can go exact. This can signify momentum that was building not falling through, agreements turn to disagreements, and the planet who is stationing Retrograde either has a change of heart, has changed their mind about the situation, encounters delays, and prevents the situation (configuration) from manifesting. Know that the matters that Venus and Mars govern in your life will continue to build moving forward, but do not be surprised if there will be a change of plans in July. However, for Sunday, Venus entering into the Water sign is a good omen of the challenges of the Sagittarius Moon smoothening out and more desire to restore protection, restore safety, and bring justice are sought out.
I was thinking about individual impact of this Lunar eclipse and I instantly remembered that SZA's last Solar Return (November 2022) happened hours before the Lunar Eclipse in Taurus. She's in a Mars ruled year (10th House profection), Mars was Rx in Gemini in her last Solar Return and now this Lunar Eclipse will take place on her 4th house–10th house axis. I'm guessing it probably has to do with her career, for example, even a rupture/breakup with her label (RCA)? Or because it's a Lunar Eclipse and Taurus occupies her natal and her Solar Return 4th house, maybe it has to do with family?