2026 May Astrology
The stellium in Aries that defined last month (which I shall dub “Aggro April”) may have had us all feeling as if our autonomy was on the line, provoking us to stand up for ourselves. Its energy is carrying over into the start of this month, but we’ll get a nice little breather in between the Full Moons that bookend this May before the winds of change pick up once again. Like the bull that Taurus represents, take full opportunity to ground down & smell the roses this month.
May’s main events are the two fiery full moons that start & end the month, the grounded Taurus New Moon in the middle, & the passing of the baton of all the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, & Mars) in between. There will naturally be some clashing as the planets play musical spheres,* so my advice is to slow down & observe how everything is making you feel. Find your center within the cosmic chaos & nourish it well. Make it your version of beautiful & sustainable.
*Music of the spheres is a concept unrelated to my intended musical chairs analogy, but something that is actually on brand to look into during this Month since Taurus is Venus-ruled (hello, harmony, interconnection, & the arts!) & Gemini loves random trivia!
If you don’t have an inner sanctuary yet, the Scorpio Full Moon is a good opportunity to weed out your garden so that you can plant new seeds come the Taurus new moon on May 16th.
As we move towards the end of May, the question to literally sit with is “what is preventing you from physically pursuing & obtaining a reality that is safe to hold your truth?” The lunations in Scorpio, Taurus, & Sagittarius demand the bottom line of embodied wisdom, & as we transition into Gemini season, it’s time to get curious.
Let’s break things down.
MAY 2026
WEEK 1 (May 1-9)
AGGRO APRIL, CONTINUED!
There’s still a lot of energy carrying over from Aggro April as the cosmos square off with each other. This week presents the collective an opportunity to slow down & reflect on our wounds through the Scorpio Full Moon on the 1st, Mercury’s entrance into Taurus on the 2nd, & Pluto’s 5-month retrograde that starts on the 6th. (You can read about the Scorpio Full Moon that kicks off this month in this post here.) On the 5th, Mercury will square a slowing Pluto, which can trigger a mental pursuit potentially fueled by paranoia. What detail are you obsessing over? Are you reading too much into something or is investigating something worth the damage of the pursuit? May the Force be with you as we wade through the turbulent waters created by the dark forces of our modern-day Sith leaders who are currently in power.
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies & SEE! - “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
WEEK 2 (May 10-16)
A WELCOME BREATHER
With the exception of Mars - God of War - conjoining Chiron - the Wounded Healer - in Aries on May 16th before the Taurus New Moon that same day, the rest of this second week of May looks relatively peaceful with sextiles between the Sun & Mercury in Taurus & Jupiter in its exaltation in Cancer. (Read on more about exaltations through a Taurus & Cancer-approved explanation below!) Make yourself as comfortable as possible during this time, & take special note of any ah-ha moments that come during the Mercury cazimi on May 14th!
For my Taurus New Moon breakdown, click here.
WEEK 3 (May 17-23)
A PLEASANT BREEZE OF CHANGE!
The winds of change are here as Mercury, Mars, Venus, & the Sun all move onto the next sign respectively. We start week 3 of May with Mercury returning to its home sign of Gemini & meeting its higher octave & collective mirror Uranus in a conjunction on May 17th. The next day, Mars enters Taurus & Venus enters Cancer, shifting our desires into embodied comfort & connection with ourselves & others. On May 20th, the Sun officially brings in the Gemini season with its entrance into the sign, meeting up with Uranus on the 22nd. We are awake & unafraid, so try something new that you think would feel good. Stimulate your brain & senses!
Some shocking surprises may hit us in the 3rd week of May just like My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way going from black to bleach blonde hair.
I also found inserting this song reference appropriate for the May 22nd Venus in Cancer square with Neptune in Aries since both Venus & Neptune deal with music & emotionally hardcore music is my comfort.
WEEK 4 (May 24-31)
GRAB ONTO THE REIGNS - WE’RE IN FOR A WILD RIDE.
Remember that Scorpio Full Moon that started off this month? Both rulers of Scorpio will be squaring off with each other to start this final week of May around the 25th-26th. If you’re in the western hemisphere, this occurs late May 25th to around midnight the 26th. This also coincides with the national American holiday Memorial Day, so pay attention to what happens in the days leading to & around this aspect as it will likely trigger a desire to move & expand in all the ways. The cosmic energy throughout this week may light up communication & connection around advocacy, autonomy, & revolution. We end this week & month with a Sagittarius Full Moon.
(Stay tuned for my detailed breakdown of the Sagittarius Full Moon closer to date.)
True liberation requires facing one's shadows to see what chains & cords still tether us to the depths, then following through with sustainable grit to actively release them. Only then can you roam as free like the wise & wild centaurs & fire horses of the cosmos.
And that’s a wrap!
Aspects in the expanded calendar below is set to the Houston timezone.
May 1st
Beltane (Northern hemisphere)
May 2nd
May 4th
May 5th
Revenge of the Fifth
May 6th
Revenge of the Sixth
Pluto stations Rx in Aquarius 05°30’ until Oct 15, 2026
May 10th
May 12th
May 14th
May 16th
May 17th
May 18th
May 19th
May 20th
May 22nd
May 24th:
May 25th
Memorial Day (USA)
May 26th
May 28th
May 31st
How Next Level Chef showcases Planetary Dignity by The Cosmic Clairic.
Taurus, Gemini, & Cancer approve of this analogy.
ASTROLOGY 101
In honor of the personal planets shifting into Taurus, Gemini, & Cancer respectively, I’d like to publish how I think of planetary conditions via the cooking competition show, Next Level Chef.
The basic concept around Next Level Chef is that it is a cooking competition show where professional chefs compete to initially be recruited by one of three professional culinary masters who have a team. Once they’ve made it onto a team, the team battles begin with each team being assigned one of three kitchens on three separate floors. There is a moving platform that starts at the top level & moves down to the bottom with ingredients for the chefs to use for each challenge.
The goal is to be at the top level kitchen for as long as possible since top kitchen gets access to “top of the line” tools & appliances, as well as first choice of ingredients. The middle level kitchen is a standard kitchen that has most (if not all) tools the professional chefs are accustomed to, but the team that starts on this floor in each challenge gets second pick. The bottom level kitchen is…well-worn. It’s dark, stuffy, greasy, & many of the appliances & tools are suboptimal, especially in comparison with the other two kitchens. The team that starts the challenge on the bottom floor is typically the team that lost a member to elimination during the previous challenge, & along with the general disadvantage of working on the bottom floor, they also get last pick of ingredients.
Because the platform is timed & every chef is fighting for ingredients to create their personal meal on each level, oftentimes a “premium” ingredient makes its way to the bottom kitchen. I’ve often seen a bottom kitchen chef make winning dishes from embracing a hidden gem, giving themselves an advantage in the next round & elevating their entire team to the “next level” kitchen.
Essentially, Next Level Chef is a sensory stimulating concept that rewards everyone when a chef is able to cocreate something very tangible & satisfying with the universe by using the hand that they were dealt & their own skills & confidence in themselves. The chef last standing wins a year-long mentorship with their team captain, lots of money, & the prestige of publicity.
NOW FOR THE ASTROLOGY PART.
How I tie this into astrology is through comparing the physical competition environment with the planetary dignities of the traditional planets (the 7 luminaries & planets we’re able to observe with our naked eyes: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn).
Top Level Kitchen - Planet/Luminary in its Exaltation
Top Level Kitchen during an Elimination Challenge- Planet/Luminary in its Detriment
Middle Level Kitchen - Planet/Luminary in its Domicile or Home
Bottom Level Kitchen - Planet/Luminary in its Fall
Let me explain.
A planet’s domicile or home sign is the sign in which the planet also rules because the energy is so familiar & comfortable. A planet’s expression here feels natural, with no surprises.
This month, the following planets will be in their domicile & home territories:
Mars in Aries until May 18th
Mercury in Gemini starting May 17th
Moon in Cancer from May 19th-21st
A planet’s exaltation is the sign in which the planet not only feels comfortable, but it’s also working with more options & better tools, just like the top level kitchen. A planet in its exaltation feels indulged & efficient, as if it’s renovated its home for optimization. An exalted planet has the easiest access & ability to thrive.
This month, the following planets will be exalted:
Jupiter in Cancer (all month)
Moon in Taurus from May 15th-17th
Now that we have the comfortable placements out of the way, let’s get to the uncomfortable.
The opposite of a planet’s home sign is its detriment. It’s uncomfortable because it’s having to work outside of what is familiar. Hear me out on the Next Level Chef equivalent, which I consider the elimination round. Yes, it’s held in the top level kitchen, you get a heads up on what kind of dish you’re supposed to make, your focus is on 1 of 2 protein choices (or both if you get to the ingredients platform first), you get some guidance from one of the three culinary masters, & hype from your team. HOWEVER, you’re competing at a literal disadvantage & it’s higher stress because the stakes are higher.
This month, the following planets will be in their detriment:
Mars in Taurus starting evening of May 18th
Moon in Capricorn from May 6th-8th
The opposite of a planet’s exaltation is a planet’s fall, where it’s not only uncomfortable, it feels like it’s being punished & in exile, having to continue on with your mission with a lack of options & tools (or even tools that are purposely faulty). This is the bottom level kitchen. You get the least amount of usable resources & have to split those resources with your own teammates & hope they’re somewhat friendly or that time is on your side. You have to get craftier to make it through. So a planet in its fall is not necessarily negative, but its expression is largely altered by being in extremely foreign surroundings to what it's used to.
This month, the following planets will be in their fall:
Saturn in Aries (all month)
Moon in Scorpio from May 1st-3rd
Hope that makes sense & that it was easy to follow!
If you haven’t given this show a shot yet, perhaps Taurus season is the time to start. :) It’s available for free on Tubi.
And if you like the way I explain things & want me to interpret your chart, you may book a reading with me here &/or catch me at the following events this month:
RENMO MAY 2026
Saturday, May 16th
6pm - 11pm
On May 16th (the Saturday of the Taurus New Moon), you'll find me as the Cosmic Clairic at a local craft brewery + distillery Renmo (Renaissance Emo) night doing my thing, LARPing, & moshing to bardcore & emo music. (Last month, I ended up doing readings back-to-back all night!)
I’ll share more details once I get them, but for now, plan on meeting at 8th Wonder Brewery & Distillery!
NORWAC 2026
Thursday, May 21st - Monday, May 25th
I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be attending my first astrological conference - NORWAC (Northwest Astrological Conference) - in-person as one of this year’s Diversity Scholarship recipients!
If you’ll be there, please say hello! I absolutely LOVE attending conferences & conventions of all kinds & welcome long discussions on topics we’re mutually passionate about! Details here.
Until next time!
Author’s note: One of the things I had to advocate for by the end of Aggro April was an extension to clear out my mom's house at my own pace after all the stress of trying to meet unrealistic expectations made me sick several times. I know my body & despite continuously communicating that throughout the past two months, I still tried to meet others’ expectations. It took me finally having to threaten medical bills & call out the lunacy of making plans without consultation & consideration of the person actually on the ground & doing the requested work because there was literally no benefit & only suffering for me to meet deadlines that my body immediately protested over. I tried. I told myself I could do it, but my body knew otherwise & me agreeing to push through to please others was a betrayal to myself. As a Libra Moon, all the Aries energy lately has been incredibly destabilizing, but there was a lesson waiting for me in leaning into the inflammatory & defensive Aries energies in order to get out of the lower octave Libran trait of people-pleasing & codependency. What did I immediately do afterwards? Continue to clear out my mom’s house, but in a more motivated, grounded manner.
