Aries Horoscope for May 2017

This month in some respects makes for a bold new beginning for you Aries, and yet it is in other ways a difficult passage. Unexpected events have become your recent norm, and these continue and even multiply. You are impulsive now, complexified by the uncertainty of prominent Mercury in retrograde, and the introspective attitude that this also implies, though at least the first two weeks. You may be sensing altering needs for establishing feelings of security in new and different ways. This affects your idea of where you comfortably stand, and all your relationships. You are very curious now regarding these changes and where they are leading you, especially in terms of what is taking place in the deep inner parts of your psyche. There is no doubt that you are still in major transition, including worldview, and the way that you put yourself out into the world around you.

The following was written by this month's guest columnist and AstroGraph team member Leslie Benson and edited by Henry Seltzer. To learn more about Leslie's work, visit Astrology for Awakening.

By now, you are perhaps growing to expect the unexpected. May’s astrological energies stem from the Taurus New Moon just a few day’s prior to the first of the month, with another extraordinary emphasis on trickster Uranus, so you can imagine more of the same. Mercury is in the depths of its retrograde cycle in your sign, and slowing to station in conjunction with the unpredictable and freedom-loving Uranus on May 3rd. This signals a re-visitation of the themes of the previous lunar cycle when the same aspect was present, except Mercury was still moving direct. So you may wish to look retrospectively upon the last month as you simultaneously set your sights and intentions moving forward into May. What is indicated by this surprising doubled up Mercury/Uranus combination is that whatever is arising for you in terms of your changing identity is begging for ample doses of your awareness and attention. Your sense of self may be unraveling at the seams, as the waves of life toss you, shaking up what you have known to be true in revelation of something novel, raw, and ingenious. If the last New Moon of March was lightning crashing, than this is the following rumble of thunder as you try to work out the deeper meaning. Echoing these same themes, and yet reminding you not to rush off into something that seems more palatable, this month invites you to steep your psyche in the discomfort of change, transition, and the shedding of the layers of your old self. As the month unwinds there is vast potential for you to invoke and embody something totally new in your experience.

There to temper all of this volatile Uranus energy is conservative and boundary oriented Saturn. The dynamic between these two heavy hitters and fully antithetical planets is like a pressure cooker – so much heat and intensity, yet the energy is not expelled outwardly, but rather contained more inwardly. This is asking you to really presence the intensity of your inner world. You benefit if you can meet whatever arises with acceptance, surrender, and deep listening; trying not to fight the inevitability of your own destiny. You may also wish in this process to give yourself the gift of space, compassion, and wiggle room for honest mistakes in the quest for higher learning. Whatever ways you’ve been exploring to presence and assert your sense of self-worth could be tested. You might need to draw your boundAries with extra clarity and precision. Sometimes saying no is the kindest thing you can do.

The Scorpio Full Moon of May 10th reveals to you more of where you have yet to let go of outdated patterns, especially regarding the possessing and sharing of resources, whether in the physical realm or in terms that are less tangible. Issues of intimacy, sexuality, and vulnerability are primed for your attention, and the way this shows up could turn out to be linked, to some degree at least, to the continued transformation you find yourself undergoing. This affects most strongly your career choices, your sense of responsibility, and your contribution to humanity. Your ruling planet, Mars, is aspecting Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, suggesting an interesting amalgamation of spiritual inclination amidst the fury and fire. There could be a way that when you try to bring your prominent issues into the crosshairs of your rational mind, fogs of confusion roll in, or you become overwhelmed with the content and emotions that come with it. As a result, you may feel inclined to opt out through numbing away the pain with wine, streaming video, or whatever might be your favorite mode of “not dealing.” There’s opportunity now to harvest and lean into the gifts of your relational nature, opting for loving kindness to weave its way into the tremendous energy and drive that you possess. You can utilize the energies of this month by being present to both the impulse for freedom and spaciousness, and yet also your need for stability and structure.