MONTH OF May
Is your energy coming back more and more each day, Cancer? For the past few weeks, you’ve been in “reboot” mode after a long seven-month period that took your vitality a bit offline. Your revival started on March 25, when energizer Mars blazed into your sign, jolting you out of a sluggish cycle. We’re not saying it’s been calm or easy—in fact, you could feel busier than ever! But since Mars only visits your sign every two years, you might as well take advantage of this full tank.
The red planet is here until May 20, then it moves into Leo and your financial zone, revving up your revenue and adding some hustle to your bustle. Use this motivational period to get proactive about pursuing new income opportunities. Don’t wait for them to follow up!
But don’t rush into anything official too quickly because we have a couple of signal-scrambling retrogrades to work around. Mercury, the planet of communication and technology, is in this backward position until May 14. And on May 1, shadowy Pluto will do its annual U-turn, slowing down until October 10. Make sure to gather all the facts, no matter how excited you are, before you give a firm “yes” to anything.
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That’s just scratching the surface of May’s cosmic action. On May 5, a Scorpio lunar (full moon) eclipse will activate your fifth house of passion and self-expression, which could bring your love life to a dramatic and exciting turning point. And this May 16, lucky Jupiter makes its annual zodiac sign change, departing from Aries and your career house and charging into Taurus. After a busy year of professional growth, you’ll host Jupiter in your eleventh house of teamwork and technology, which could be an exciting time to network, expand your social circle or launch an online business.
Whew! Feeling a bit too far adrift from the comfort of your safe Crab shell? You’ll get a chance to power down starting May 21, when the Sun sinks into Gemini and your restful twelfth house for a month. While Jupiter will start to stoke your social calendar, you may decide to slip off the grid between mingles to recover. The good news? A month from now, the Sun will enter YOUR sign, so you’ll have plenty of time to make up for the events you miss or turn down. Be choosy with your RSVPs and save it up for birthday season, Crab!
It’s Taurus season until May 21
Get back to your people, Cancer! The Sun is soaring through Taurus, heating up your eleventh house of community, social activity and teamwork until May 21. After a month of deadlines and demands, you can finally back away from your workspace and let loose. Use your savviest social skills to stand out at networking events or forge interesting new friendships. (Your supposedly “shy” sign can be masterful at this since you’re high on the emotional intelligence scale.) If you’re launching an online venture or getting more engaged on social media, the stars support you growing your “digital footprint” since the eleventh house also rules technology.
Speaking of messages, they’ve been a bit muddled for the last few weeks, haven’t they? Expressive Mercury has been retrograde since April 21, disrupting communication, technology and travel. Even worse? It’s been backing through Taurus and your tech sector, intensifying the signal-scrambling mayhem that could have impacted your data and devices. Make sure to back up your important electronic files and take extra care with any appliances in the front half of May. Distance yourself from difficult friends and group dynamics. Be discerning about the messages and images you put out to the public.
Pluto turns retrograde in Aquarius on May 1
Are your attachments based in healthy dynamics—or is obsession, avoidance or resentment brewing underneath? We know: Not exactly lighthearted conversation, Cancer. But it’s a topic you might face starting at the beginning of May, when Pluto, ruler of unconscious patterns, starts its annual five-month retrograde.
Calculating Pluto will reverse through Aquarius and your intimate eighth house from May 1 to June 11, then it will back into Capricorn and your committed-partnership zone for the duration of the retrograde (until October 10). During this reflective time, you could get an up-close view of your own “shadow” around charged topics like sex, emotions, money and shared power. Where might you be projecting onto others or contributing to negative patterns in a relationship? If you find yourself pointing fingers or feeling like the alwaysclass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" -done-wrong victim, read up on what the Gottman Institute calls the Four Horsemen: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling.
Pluto retrograde is your opportunity to make peace with any parts of yourself that aren’t getting you what you want in life. If jealousy arises or a person triggers you, try to see them as a mirror or a messenger. How are they reflecting some part of YOUR life that’s out of alignment? The people who get under your skin could be spotlighting areas where you need to make a major change or set firmer boundaries.
Passion and dramaclass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" at the May 5 Scorpio full moon and lunar eclipse
Hearts on fire! The May 5 Scorpio lunar (full moon) eclipse brings a peak romantic moment, flooding your amorous and playful fifth house with passion. Feeling the spring fever? Hold court in your most stylish garb and flirt with utter abandon. The fifth house also rules fertility, so Crabs looking to add a new member to their clan could get some lunar-powered babymaking energy from these moonbeams.
Your creativity could be off the charts, so make room for the muse at the eclipse. You might get an unexpected burst of public attention or fame. Use it to your advantage and promote a passion project—or give your adoring fans a performance they won’t forget!
Warning: The full moon in this expressive (and sometimes highly reactive) part of your chart can intensify your emotions, unleashing them with force and drama. Be responsible for how you communicate your feelings instead of just spewing an unfiltered outpouring at the nearest party.
This is the final Scorpio eclipse in a series that’s rippled across the Taurus/Scorpio axis since November 2021, revolutionizing your approach to love, friendship, collaboration and creativity. You may have toggled between stepping into the solo spotlight and sharing the stage with others. Over the next six months, you’ll continue to see important growth in your relationships and figuring out the mark you want to make on the world.
Mercury retrograde is finally over May 14
Call up your crew! Today, Mercury powers forward after a challenging retrograde that began on April 21, foiling technology, communication and travel for everyone. Now as Mercury corrects course in Taurus and your social eleventh house of friends, teams and technology, it’s safe to plug back into all your networks and communities.
If a frenemy surfaced or you had to wade through difficlass="body-el-link standard-body-el-link" cult group dynamics over the past couple weeks, these tensions should start to self-correct. But tread lightly just the same. Mercury’s “retroshade”shadow phase will linger until June 1, and it could take until then for things to fully work themselves out.
Big day! Jupiter enters Taurus for a year on May 16
Headline news this month comes from Jupiter, which will wrap up an expansive 12-month visit to Aries and your professional tenth house on May 16. Since May 10, 2022, Jupiter has been propelling you into fast-paced and adventurous new terrain. Many Cancers made huge success strides, and with risk-taker Jupiter here, you may have branched into a whole new field or arena. Maybe you stepped into the role of leader, manager or expert, or you hung your shingle as an independent business owner. If work has never been busier, abundant Jupite was playing out its hand.
Jupiter only visits this part of your chart every 12 years, so make the most of its last two weeks in your career zone and take a bold chance. The tenth house also rules men and fathers, and your relationship with a significant guy may have gone through an important evolution this year. Overall, you’ve learned how to balance structure (ruled by the tenth house) and freedom (the gift of Jupiter)—especially good for your serious sign, which can be a little TOO linear at times.
Back to Jupiter: Its next move will bring some well-deserved fun and levity to your life. From May 16, 2023, to May 25, 2024, the red-spotted giant will spin through Taurus and your eleventh house of friendships, group activity and technology. It’s a lighthearted and future-focused cycle that expands your social circle and connects you to cutting-edge collaborators. Instead of chaining yourself to your desk, get out and network—for the next 12 months, luck really DOES come from “who you know.” A digital venture could take off, so cast a wide virtual net. Overall, you’ll become more outspoken and authentic, which will improve your current friendships and attract some fascinating new ones! You’ll be drawn to unconventional people who live on their own terms now. Get out of that Crab shell and circulate!
The Taurus new moon is on May 19
You may have the opportunity to play superconnector on May 19, when the year’s only Taurus new moon beams into your eleventh house of teamwork and groups. A friendship or meeting of the minds could spark, or you might begin exploring a fruitful collaboration. Events that occur today will unfold in the coming two weeks, continuing to gain momentum until the October 28 Taurus full moon—a powerful lunar eclipse.
The eleventh house also rules technology, so look for ways you can raise your digital profile, from sprucing up your online profiles to downloading helpful apps to crowdsourcing talent for your big ideas. Looking for that missing link to pull off a grand vision? Put it out into the pixel-sphere—and ask your friends to ask THEIR friends. The Taurus new moon is a great day to gather with your crew, especially now that Mercury retrograde is no longer stirring up drama and friction. Host a party or meetup and adopt a “more the merrier” open-door policy.
The May 20 Mars-Pluto opposition gets fierce
The tension is lifting—or is it? Since March 25, you’ve hosted intense Mars in your sign, Cancer, which has made life exciting and demanding in equal measure. On May 20, Mars will depart your sign and move into Leo, revving up your finance sector until July 10.
That’s great news, BUT…Mars will immediately oppose Pluto in Aquarius and your controlling eighth house, causing a tense face-off between two of the most hotheaded planets in your financial houses. Has your work or lifestyle become a bit too intense to keep up with? Today could push you to a turning (or breaking) point.
With stressful Mars in your money zone opposing deep-diving Pluto in your intimate and spiritual eighth house, your day-to-day demands could cut into quality time for inner exploration or a search for a soulmate connection. If you’ve gotten way too absorbed in a relationship or obsessed with an agenda, this cosmic clash could snap you out of that space. Earth to Cancer! You might actually welcome this so-called reality check, even if it feels jarring.
Gemini season starts May 21
After hosting go-getter Mars in your sign for the past two months, you might be feeling a bit worn out! The next four weeks give you the chance to recharge your batteries. On May 21, the Sun enters Gemini and your twelfth house of rest, closure and creativity. Slip off the grid until Cancer season starts on June 21. Rather than take on too many new things, reserve some energy to clear the decks of any unfinished business you don’t want to bring into your next year of life. When you blow out those birthday candles, you want to do it with a clear conscience and a clean slate. How about treating yourself to an infrared sauna session or a sound bath to move any stuck emotions through your system?
With frisky Mars in your sign this month (March 25 to May 20), you’ll be bringing sexy back in a big, bold way! For the first three weeks of May, you’re exuding charisma and magnetism and will draw attention without even trying. And this only gets stronger starting May 7, when the other love planet, vixen Venus, also enters Cancer. Talk about a galactic glow-up!
If you’re single, you’ll probably be eager to explore all the scorching energy that arises between you and a special someone. You don’t have to play second fiddle in this orchestra, Cancer. Mars prods you to be flirtatious, assertive and open about your desires.
A momentous turning point for love arrives on May 5, beating Venus to the punch by a couple days. The Scorpio lunar eclipse—the last one we’ll see for eight years—will host a Cinco de Mayo scorcher in your fifth house of passion, pleasure and romance. You could fall hard for someone out of the blue or feel your mojo return with a blazing vengeance!
Caution: These dramatic eclipse flames come with a burn warning. Make sure the person pursuing you is actually available (or vice versa, if you’re the one, er, playing with fire while still attached). Tempers and emotions can run high today, so dodge the divas and keep your own reactive ego in check.
Delegate and collaborate! With the Sun in Taurus and your eleventh house of group activity until May 21, teamwork is the premium fuel that makes everything go. Outsource a task you’ve been putting off forever. Hire someone to build bookshelves for your home office or help you with quarterly taxes—and free up some psychic space already. Short on funds? Work the barter system. Surely someone in your network needs your savvy skills in exchange for one of their offerings.
The eleventh house rules technology, so work your social feeds or zhush up your profiles, especially at the May 19 Taurus new moon. This is an excellent day for networking or linking up with like-minded people who can take your cutting-edge ideas to new heights. Might as well get used to this, too! On May 16, lucky Jupiter will enter Taurus for a year, making collaborations a prosperous path until May 25, 2024.
You’ll get fired up about your solo projects too now. Go-getter Mars visiting Cancer until May 20 (it’s been here since March 25)—a once-every-two-years transit that could send a passion project skyrocketing. Assertive Mars in your sign helps you sell yourself confidently. Just make sure you’re not promising more than you can deliver! Mercury, the planet of communication, is retrograde until May 14, which could lead to crossed wires and scrambled signals. Hold off on any big launches or splashy announcements until after this cycle ends.
Love Days: 5, 9
Money Days: 16, 25
Luck Days: 22, 14
Off Days: 20, 7, 11
Identical twin sisters Ophira and Tali Edut (a.k.a. The AstroTwins) are ELLE.com’s resident astrologers. They have written several astrology books, including Momstrology and Supercouple, and star as the astrological matchmakers for Prime Video’s Cosmic Love. The Eduts have read charts for celebrities the likes of Beyoncé, Karlie Kloss, and Emma Roberts. For their spot-on predictions, books, and online courses, check out our horoscopes coverage or visit astrostyle.com.
