Venus Underworld Phase & Pluto Retrograde

May is looking like a big month for integrating lessons learnt from the previous month of showcase transits. The entire month’s tone is dictated by a Pluto Retrograde (2 May) and a Venus Underworld Phase which you can expect to be heavy and tense but powerfully rejuvenating.

One of the big lessons this month is truth. You’re bound to meet it, so don’t run away. And if you do, the truth or its consequences will catch up with you. Week 1 of May drops you straight into confrontations with yourself and others. Truth bombs will show up in the form of personal reflections and your increased sensitivity to inter-relational dynamics. Your growing acuteness could feel like having x ray vision that can reveal the core motivations behind the actions or reactions of others. You may not like what you see when you encounter the unseen sides of people. However, if you dig deeper, you might also recognise these truths within you that you might otherwise like to ignore. 

But this is the gift of the Pluto Stationing Retrograde (2 May) which will set the tone for the month. It signals the entrance into the gates of Hades, symbolising the concepts of mortality, the afterlife, the darkness and the unknown. Sometimes, during the week of a stationing Pluto, you could come across struggles, challenges, confrontations and your deepest anxieties. It’s a week when the demons come out to play, remembering that ‘demon’ stems from the same Latin root as ‘daimon’ – our guiding and protective spirit. So if you find yourself facing your inner demons this week, try to reframe this as a deep, truthful experience with your personal guardian angel that only dispenses the good in your path. Except sometimes, the good is masked in adversity and hardships, illustrating that no diamond was ever made without pressure.

On top of the Pluto transits, the whole month of May is framed within a Venus combustion as she disappeared in the morning skies at the end of April. She’s now heading into the burning flames of the Sun which will, next month, purify and regenerate her. Until then, the deep excavations of truths and confrontations with your inner de(a)mons might focus on your personal relationships, connections, love, value, finances, beauty, indulgences, sexuality, fertility and all Venusian matters. It’s often a time that’s best left for retreat and solo questing, as this will provide an intentional substitute for conflict and rage with your significant others. If you need to have that chat, make it a conscious encounter, rather than an explosion of inner projections and traumas. Similar to the Pluto Retrograde this week, the Venus Underworld phase is all about confronting inner truths that we think are other peoples’ issues. Owning them now will someday reveal your precious diamond.

In my opinion, the Venus phase between Morning Set (28 Apr) and Superior Conjunction (4 Jun) is one of the toughest times for relationship matters. This happens once every 18 months, with the last time being 15 September to 22 October 2022 if you’d like to reference this quality of time. However, the ‘gold’ is in the transmutational quality of this moment which requires deep purging of repressed unconscious matter for the renewal of life. This is depicted in the story of Venus when the rageful Gaia orchestrated the castration of her husband’s Uranus’ testicals, which was thrown into the sea. But from this saw Venus’ emergence into life as she rose from the ocean.

Sun-Venus-Uranus conjunction

The second week of May brings an electric Sun Uranus Conjunction (13 May) in the Venusian sign of Taurus that will likely be felt as a sudden turn in circumstances. As Venus is travelling closer and closer to the Sun, you’ll also experience a Venus Uranus Conjunction (18 May) a week later. It’s hard to say whether things might turn from positive to negative or vice versa without looking at your natal and predictive charts, but it’s a good idea to be flexible and expect the unexpected this week. Venus’ associations here might indicate unpredictability around the social and relational sphere. Whatever hits in Week 2 is likely going to be part of the bigger Pluto-Venus-Underworld theme that’s been going on in the background. Embrace change no matter how disruptive, for it could be the medicine you need for the journey ahead.

The Sun’s annual encounter with Uranus this week could spark some new ideas and insights into future plans, which could be exciting at one level. You might feel a sense of revolution as you consider how you can bring reform and progression into your purpose and goals. Technology and innovations could be the keys you need to reset this week, along with a maverick and rebellious mindset which could help pull yourself out of a quagmire in your Taurus area of your natal chart. The New Moon in Taurus (13 May) matches the sentiments for refresh and reform so if you’re feeling the urge, make the most of this momentum to pave some new ways of living. Why not manifest a positive sudden change for yourself, rather than allowing the cosmos to act on your will. The Venus Saturn sextile (13 May) indicates themes of long term fruits of labour – you may be planning for it this week or perhaps you might be reaping some now. Either way, enjoy the process of becoming and bringing beauty into your daily embodied form.

Mars Rahu Conjunction

One of the more intense aspects of this month is Mars’ conjunction with Rahu / North Node (18 May) in the third week. In the Hindu traditions, this is considered a ‘deadly combination’ as it indicates a warring energy between good and evil. In a way, this conjunction will re-awaken the sentiments of last month’s eclipse, in terms of the ‘ego on steroids’ concept. Again, you’ll need to keep your ego in check if you want to navigate the third week. Watch for impatience, conflict, aggression, greed, power trips and acting without thinking clearly. It’s probably not a great week to be making big decisions, or any decisions for that matter. Rahu tends to corrupt and distort whatever it coincides with. In the case of Mars, you could experience the more sinister side of basing your decisions on greed, control and power.

If cultivated, the Mars Rahu conjunction could show you your capacity for strength and resilience if you’re able to observe the way you move through any potential hardships, challenges and conflicts this week. This conjunction also brings favour to working with machinery, metals and the engineering space. It may be a good idea to exert your excess energy towards projects requiring such things, rather than risk any outburst to those around you.

Jupiter leaving Taurus

The final big news of May is the journey of Jupiter. It has been travelling through Taurus since May 2023 and will be shifting into Gemini this month (26 May). Spending around 12 months in each sign, Jupiter brings the lessons, knowledge and opportunities for growth in each area of life as it travels through your chart. Your Taurus house will be finalising these lessons this month, possibly related to the bigger themes of survival, sustainability, finances, food, values, possessions and more psychologically, finding your voice, given Taurus’ associations with the throat.

Moving into Gemini before month’s end, you’ll be acquainted with the Mercurial space of information, learning, communication, intelligence and discourse. It’s the beginning of a 12-month journey where your ‘medicine’ might be more directed towards your mind, as opposed to your earthly body in Taurus. As such, there’s plenty to learn and discover when Jupiter enters Gemini, but there’s also the risk of cerebral overload and a disconnection to the body and all its sensualities. The next 12 months could potentially see an increase in nervous system issues as a general theme.

Jupiter is a big picture planet, while Gemini being ruled by Mercury is all about the details. This fundamental mis-match is likely to bring about some challenges for Jupiter as it navigates this new territory of Gemini. It’s the old adage of not being able to ‘see the forest for the trees’. The fixation on minor details could sabotage the greater vision and purpose. Yet at the same time, there is a benefit for seeing the important operational steps required to make a big plan happen. It’s a double-edged sword which the dual sign of the Gemini twins will be reinforcing in this area of this chart for the next 12 months.

Being in the sign of detriment, Jupiter in Gemini might produce a sense of alienation creeping into wherever your Gemini house is in your natal chart. There’s a little less unity that could be experienced in this space and you’ll be shown alternative ways or new ideas that will help you feel more integrated with this part of your life over the next 12 months. Adjustments will be necessary, as well as thinking outside the box. There could be less control and resources available to you in this area of life and you’ll need to learn to adapt and embrace this fate. It’s not an easy placement for Jupiter, the natural planet for luck and opportunity. In Gemini, this kind of good fortune could either come at a cost, compromise or ‘strings attached’.

There’ll be more on Jupiter in Gemini over the next 12 months but coming back to this week, the Full Moon in Sagittarius (23 May), the sign of Jupiter, could bring a peak illumination for its last days in Taurus. On the same day, the ruler of Taurus, Venus will also make a conjunction with Jupiter (23 May), giving Jupiter a last kiss and hug before it leaves Venus’ domain. When these two benefic planets meet, it’s always a good thing. Apart from a brief sense of unity and togetherness, it’s a day when positivity and affirmations are powerfully executed. Make the most of this Full Moon as the energies are high and auspicious. A Jupiter sextile Neptune (23 May) is thrown in for good measure, bringing magic, imagination and possibly a good drop to share as a parting gesture.

Takeaways for May 2024

May should be a month for retreat and personal journeys with the aim of connecting to your inner truth no matter how painful or entrenched these emotions may be. It could be a month where potentially deep relationship matters could surface for your attention. Week 1 will drop you directly into this zone.

In Week 2, there’s a level of underlying volatility building up which could bring surprises around your environment and at times, this could also be caused by yourself. You could struggle to stay grounded with this energy so it’s important to retreat and find stability in daily routines and practices. Watch for accidents and mishaps caused by being too hasty and ungrounded.

It’s not a good month for making any decisions, especially in Week 3. Embrace the stalemate and opt for inaction where possible as the Ego Self could be acting out of line. Continually check in with yourself – are you being impatient? greedy? controlling? antagonistic?

By Week 4, shifts are occurring which could be changing the social and geopolitical landscape as well as your personal sphere. Expect to shift gears by the end of the month which could produce some inceptive struggles into this new phase, in the form of feeling a little less unity, less natural flow and a general sense of needing to try harder to validate your presence.

But make the most of the Full Moon in Sagittarius and its surrounding benefic qualities on the 23 or 24 May – a temporary respite that will allow you to drop into a gratitude mindset.

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See you next Sunday for the next installment of planetary news.

Shu xx