Photo by Krystle Merrow
This past April had some of the toughest astrology I’ve noticed in awhile, with the major themes being around both conflict and confusion. We saw a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus, conjunctions in Pisces between both Saturn and Neptune with Mars, and of course a Mercury retrograde and that little old eclipse. This is astrology that speaks to sudden change, obfuscation of truth, confusing conflict, being told no, and attention where we might not want it. It doesn’t take an astrologer to tell you that.
May eases up quite a bit. We have a brief Neptune-Jupiter sextile between Pisces and Taurus, two signs that love creativity and romance, and both Mars and Venus in their home fields of Aries and Taurus respectively.
But as this month got started I noticed that many people close to me are reeling from April, and that many people are going through major life changes.
So while we head into more easeful astrology, it’s important to think about how this might be more a time of recovery than opportunity. Flowing astrology can be hard to notice, and I have to quote my astrology teacher once again who reminded me recently that the things we want are almost always stressful when they happen—a fact I regularly share with my clients who are applying to jobs and school when I see stressful transits in their future.
With Pluto still moving around the early edges of Aquarius, we are on the precipice of tremendous global change—again, it does not take an astrologer to tell you that. Change is usually really stressful, even if it’s not personally affecting you. However the most recent astrology had the distinction of being both globally stressful and interpersonally irritating. Minor irritations hit worse when it feels like everything is falling apart, and with the kind of intense situations I am watching many of my loved ones go through, they can be hardly bearable.
I do feel like much of this is stuff I repeat all the time, about how change is hard and the world is going through it and everyone’s annoyed. In general, as an astrologer I focus more on the past and the individual’s natal chart than I do on the future, so my horoscopes are always written from this perspective… and the not-so-recent past has largely been about change and people going through it.
So, with some astrology of relative calm, take a breather. It makes a lot of sense for the rest of Taurus season anyway.
Free Palestine,
Amelia
Find your horoscope after the jump!
Horoscopes are written using whole house calculations and are meant as inspiration and affirmation. Specific calculations are made for the rising signs, but if you don’t know your rising sign you can read for your sun. You can access your birth chart at astro.com or many other apps and websites using your birth date, time, and location. If you’re interested in getting a reading, you can book one with Amelia here.
Aries rising
This month Aries folks have a brief treat with your ruling planet Mars in your first house. As Aries rising this is your chart ruler, a position I often call the bus driver of your whole chart, and right now he is getting the attention he needs while making sure you get it too.
This is a volatile time too, though, where your existing anger is likely to spark up. April was an intense month for your mental health, that likely saw you feeling like a victim of circumstances, under scrutiny from authority figures, or both, and on top of that it had a difficult transit for you around money.
The rest of May is a great time for physical activity and personal development, so recover from April with whatever version of this works for you.
Taurus rising
You get a sweet treat this month with your ruling planet of Venus in your first house this month, Taurus rising. Venus is the ruling planet of Taurus which makes her your chart ruler and what I call the bus driver of your chart. While she’s not a fast or aggressive driver (you are not Sandra Bullock and this bus has no bomb), she is steadfast and creative, meaning this is a great month to nurture your self identity.
April was a difficult month for your identity and social relationships, where you’ve likely been dealing with confusing conflict and authority figures getting angry. Especially for the rest of Taurus season, this is a good time for you to recharge and put that stuff behind you.
Those April conflicts were likely just one-hit issues that won’t recur, so you can put on stretchy pants and relax knowing that’s as hard as you need to work right now.
Gemini rising
April’s tough astrology was particularly hard on Gemini folks. You likely dealt with anger and frustration, and possibly also have had an ongoing issue with feeling confused and fatigued OR dealing with difficult consequences or authority figures, all of which was likely rooted in your work.
The tough news is that this not necessarily a brief issue, but the good news is that kind of tension is highly productive. While it’s challenging, stress of this sort often indicates something really major is happening. May has excellent astrology for you to be extremely introspective and go deep inside yourself.
This is a great time to journal, pay attention to your dreams, and sit in contemplation. When Taurus season ends you can get back out there in the world to enjoy all the gossip and socializing you might desire, but renewed after a necessary pause.
Cancer rising
Everyone went through it this April, and while you’re no exception, you had the bonus work of taking care of everyone while you’ve also been going through it. It’s in your nature to do so, but it often leaves you feeling deeply overwhelmed (especially for those of you with important mutable placements).
The remaining days of Taurus season are important days for you to focus on yourself and your own needs so that when Gemini season hits you’ll be ready to emerge again – you’ll likely feel really happy to be socializing for the rest of the month.
Leo rising
There’s a good chance that April brought up some difficult stress for you, Leo, either around money, deep relationships, or a combination of the two. This was possibly coupled with a big change or difficult situation in your career.
That’s a lot for one little simba. The rest of April is a great time for you to deal with those changes creatively (a skill of yours anyway) and to consider how they helped you grow. That creative energy has the capacity to turn into making positive changes at work.
Virgo rising
As a mutable sign, all of the heavy action in your opposing sign of Pisces very likely made for some challenges in the month of April. Your closest one on one relationships were put to the test last month and you need to now move forward from the possible anger and confusion that happened – these are the kind of fights where after awhile you’re not sure what you’re fighting about anymore. This was coupled with sudden change in your personal development (stalled travel plans, a spiritual transformation, deciding to go back to school).
For a sign that gets stressed around change, this is a lot of change. The rest of April is a good time to integrate these changes into your life creatively and calmly, considering how they help you develop and expand.
Libra rising
This month likely brought frustration and challenges to your day to day life, with stresses potentially taking a toll on your health. Stress and conflict are hard on the body, and I’m glad for you that the May astrology is comparatively calm so that you have time to take care of yourself.
May is also a great month for intimacy, so if you’re sexually active this could be a sensual month. If you’re partnered, the two of you may be experiencing some spicyness, which can be tricky but very sexy.
No matter your situation, you can expect some care and calm in your intimate life, and energy around your closest relationships.
Scorpio rising
April’s astrology hit you hard in your closest one on one relationships, with a possible sudden change taking place in this part of your life. The remaining astrology of May is great energy for dealing with the fallout of this, so take it easy and rely on the close relationships you have that have stood the test of time.
Your day-to-day life this month has the potential to be really energetic, which is great for working out but possibly bad for going took hard and facing the consequences.
Don’t run through the pain this month, Scorpio!
Sagittarius rising
The astrology of April had the potential to bring challenges to two areas of your life—your home/family and your day-to-day routine. These aspects of life are inextricably liked—perhaps a change in your daily routine created conflict at home, or confusion about your family made you stressed out and feel unwell.
All the mutable signs were hit hard by April, and you are no exception. The good news is that the astrology for the rest of May is pretty chill.
Moving into Gemini season you’ll have attention on you and stimulation in your one-on-one relationships, so take this time to enjoy the kind of zippy conversations your sign is known for.
Capricorn rising
April’s astrology was interesting for your bunch. The big changes that the month’s astrology bring your way are in areas of life that are harder to pinpoint—while other rising signs experienced this in their work, their relationships, their friend groups, the major astrology for you happened around communication and creativity. The part of your chart dealing with speech and thought was activated by conflict, confusion, and boundaries, where the part dealing with fun and creative expression by change and expansion.
How might I describe this as an astrologer trying to write horoscopes for many people? Perhaps a substantial change in your creative self that helps you see how to communicate through conflict differently. Or a fight that made you need to go out and party.
Whatever it is, the astrology for the rest of May is substantially more calm giving you a chance to integrate this and consider what it may mean. Gemini season will activate your day to day life, so the briefest pause before it hits will help you prepare for it.
Aquarius rising
The difficult astrology in April was hard on very practical parts of your chart. You may have dealt with confusion, conflict, and a hard “no” around resources and finances, while your home and family life was sparky with the potential for big changes. These things can go so hand in hand—a burst pipe at home? Suddenly needing to move? A family situation that left you energetically drained?
These archetypes were playing around in very top-of-mind areas, so take the relatively calm astrology of the rest of May to ride it out.
Come Gemini season you’ll experience a creative burst and thirst for fun, so it’s a good time to rest for a brief moment.
Pisces rising
Nothing comes easy, Pisces, especially when it has to do with your own self image. This month saw confusion, challenges, and conflict in this part of your chart, likely making it hard to express yourself—and at that, you may have experienced a big change and overwhelm when it comes to getting things off your chest.
You’ve been dealing with these self image challenges for awhile now, exacerbated in the last year and a half, and fired up in April. Thankfully the astrology for the rest of May is relatively calm, and gives you a good change to integrate everything about the last month.
My advice to you is to write down your feelings, and if you are so inclined, do so in poetry (it’s under the purview of Pisces, anyway).
OMG Stars is our astrology column written by queer astrologer Amelia Ehrhardt (@amelia.np.e). At the beginning of each new astrological season, Amelia interprets the upcoming astrology with a focus on how to navigate current events (astrological and global).
Free your mind, Amelia. Keep politics to yourself.