May 2005: Understanding Your Values

The month of May really emphasizes the importance of understanding your values and spending time on activities that support those values. This is a month of adjustments, release, and new beginnings. The adjustments that you need to make focus on how much time you’re spending on activities and organizations that really aren’t that important in your life any more. Releasing means just that: Letting go of activities in your life that interfere with your personal time and family commitments. New beginnings this month really focus on spending more time enjoying your life and less time feeling tension because you’re over committed.

When the new Moon in Taurus occurs on May 6, 2005 you’ll feel the desire to look at the direction of your life and determine if you are actually living it in a manner that supports your values. In addition to reviewing your values, it’s also a good time to look at your personal finances and make certain that you are living within your budget.

The next day, May 7, 2005, Jupiter in Libra forms a quincunx to Uranus in Pisces. This quincunx occurred on October 10, 2004 and will occur again on July 8, 2005. A quincunx represents where you need to make adjustments in your life so that your lifestyle really reflects your spiritual and ethical beliefs.

Jupiter represents your ethics, spiritual beliefs, and long-term plans. In Libra, Jupiter focuses on relationships and commitments that you’ve made to other people. Uranus represents where you want to be unusual and let your individuality shine. It also represents the need to fit into social organizations. With Uranus in Pisces, Uranus indicates that it’s important to consider social reform, where necessary, and show compassion to other people who may be different.

When there’s a quincunx between Jupiter in Libra and Uranus in Pisces, there is a need to re-evaluate your relationships with people in social groups. This is the time to determine if your group involvement is supporting you on a spiritual level. It’s also a time to consider the ethics of the group and whether those ethics are the same as your ethics.

This can be a difficult time for you if you are over committed to social groups and not spending enough time with your family or friends. You may feel that the other groups are too demanding and taking too much of your time. Or, you may even feel that your family doesn’t understand why your involvement with these groups is so important to you. If you feel that the groups no longer support your spiritual goals or ethics, it’s time to leave those groups. If you feel the groups are important in your life and your family doesn’t understand, it’s time to discuss their importance with your family so that an understanding can occur.

This can also be a difficult time for some organizations, as both Jupiter and Uranus deal with leadership and changes in leadership. People within the group may want to see it go in different directions, making it more difficult to find leadership that can address all the concerns of the group. One global example of this is the new leadership in the Catholic Church. Jupiter in Libra creates a desire to maintain the spiritual ethics that all people understand. Meanwhile, Uranus in Pisces wants changes in the spiritual commitments so that more compassion can be given to people who feel the old rules hinder spiritual progress, rather than support this progress.

On a more optimistic note, the quincunx between Jupiter and Uranus could indicate that the changes you are making in your life give you more time to relax and spend time with friends. This could be a period of freeing yourself from too many commitments so that you can learn how to enjoy people again. Within a group structure, these changes could enable a group to actually grow in membership because it becomes more responsive to the needs of the diverse membership in the group.

As Venus enters Gemini on May 10, 2005, you’ll find it easier to discuss matters that are important to you. The adjustments that you needed to make in your life regarding your involvement with social groups make more sense to people in your life. Rather than question your decisions, they are more supportive of them.

This support is emphasized as Mercury enters Taurus on May 12, 2005. Once Mercury enters Taurus, there is a mutual reception formed between Mercury and Venus. A mutual reception indicates that two planets are able to work in harmony with each other. Discussions become easier. If there are disagreements, they are easier to resolve. Solutions are finally found to problems that in the past seemed insurmountable. More respect between diverse opinions occurs.

This is also a good time to talk to other people about your fears. You’ll find, in many instances, that you’re not alone. You’ll also find that other people are willing to help you where they can. If you were going through a difficulty time emotionally during the last few weeks, you’ll find yourself feeling more optimistic about life. It’s as if a new foundation is being built under your feet and life just feels more stable.

When Neptune turns retrograde on May 19 2005, it’s time to internalize some of the changes you made earlier in the month. You no longer need to explain your actions to other people. While they may want to understand why you are no longer part of a specific group, you’ll find it easier to tell them it’s none of their business.

Neptune is also known to dissolve things. This means that while in Aquarius, it’s dissolving various organizations. And, it has a tendency to dissolve your friendships. Many people are feeling less connected with their friends right now. You may be one of them. You may feel that your old friends don’t give you the support you need. Or, you may feel that it’s time to move forward and leave those old friends behind.

This retrograde is not as obvious as retrogrades in other planets because it is in Neptune. Therefore, you may find that you just drift away from people and don’t really notice until they are no longer part of your life. Or, you may find that others aren’t calling you as often. Yet, somehow that’s all right with you. You really don’t notice their pulling back until they’re gone. And, it really doesn’t matter.

As the Sun moves into Gemini on May 20, 2005, you may feel that people don’t understand you now as clearly as they did in the beginning of the month. Actually, just the opposite really happened. People do understand you better. They may just not agree with what you say. Or, they may be more vocal about their disagreements with you. This really is the time to determine if your relationship with them is worth keeping.

The full Moon always represents a time when you evaluate what it important in your life. It’s a time to determine whether you want to maintain certain activities or just stop those activities. With the Moon in Sagittarius, you’re ready to let go of the past. With the Sun in Gemini, it’s easier to find joy in new activities. The only thing you don’t need to do is justify the changes in your life. Often, when the Moon is in Sagittarius, there is a tendency to over justify behaviors or actions. You don’t need to do that to move on with your life. If you just pay attention to your values and ethics, you’ll know that you’re making the right decision.

Another period of adjustment occurs on May 23, 2005 when Saturn in Cancer forms a quincunx to Pluto in Sagittarius. This quincunx occurred last July 31, 2004 and January 19, 2005.

When Saturn is involved, the adjustments you make deal with your personal foundations. With Saturn in Cancer, these personal foundations include your family. Emotionally, situations deal with your need to feel secure in life. With Pluto in Sagittarius involved, adjustments also need to be made in your relationships with authority figures. These authority figures may be parents or they may be your managers. Perhaps you feel that other people are trying to tell you what to do. Perhaps you have defined security in the past by the definitions given to you by your parents. Those definitions may still apply, but it’s important to understand them so that you don’t feel your life is manipulated by the needs of others. If you do feel manipulated, you could undergo increased levels of stress at this time. The important thing is to take control of your life and let go of any resentment you feel towards other people.

As Mercury enters Gemini on May 28, 3005, you will be able to communicate your feelings to others, which will probably be a relief to you. You’ll find more compassion from other people, especially family members. With this compassion, you’ll find people are more accepting and less critical of you. You won’t need to justify who you are. And, you’ll find that the changes that occurred this month just made your life a lot easier and less stressful.