Aquarius, May 2016
Illustration by Shawna X

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aquarius

Aquarius, May 2016

A lot is happening this month in both your private and public life, Aquarius, but you'll figure out a way to make the best of it.

Because the name of your sign has aqua in it, people often confuse you for a Water sign; in fact, you are an Air sign. That said, like a Water sign, you're very intuitive. However, this skill is most apparent in how you interact with your environment: You are the sign of invention and innovation, and you just know how to make things work better! Because of your genius, Aquarius, I know you'll find a way to work well with the slew of retrogrades this month:

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Power planet Pluto is retrograde in Capricorn, fucking with your sleep schedule, getting you deeper in touch with your psychic abilities, and encouraging you to explore your subconscious. Pluto is going to be in Capricorn for a very long time (until 2023), so getting into the habit of keeping a dream journal is a great way to work with this energy.

Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion, is retrograde in Virgo (until May 9), highlighting another very sensitive and intimate part of your chart and encouraging you to work on issues that can be hard to look at: sex, debts and taxes, and death and rebirth.

Your traditional ruling planet, Saturn, is retrograde in fun Fire sign Sagittarius, bringing up themes around friendship, the groups and communities you belong to, and your long-term goals. Saturn is all about hard work, and as the sign of friendship, Aquarius, you know how much effort socializing and networking can be.

The two retrogrades that will stick out this month are Mercury retrograde and Mars retrograde.

The two retrogrades that will stick out this month are Mercury retrograde in luxurious Earth sign Taurus, and Mars retrograde, which begins in Sagittarius and will reenter Scorpio on May 27. You can read more about what all these retrogrades generally mean here, but let's examine how Mars and Mercury will affect you, Aquarius.

Mars is currently retrograde in Sagittarius, stirring up anger and drama in your social life. You and your crew are in a bitchy mood. Mars is the planet of war, and when it's retrograde, it's unruly, impatient, and explosive—or it's totally flaccid and weak, limping along, being a sad sack. In any case, this amounts to frustration in your social life. Then, on May 27, Mars will reenter Scorpio and trigger a totally different area of your chart: the sector that rules fame and fortune. Issues around career and popularity that you were working with back in late February and early March will come back up.

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Mercury is retrograde in Taurus (which will last until May 22), and it will be activating the part of your chart that rules the home. Watch out for miscommunications with roomies, landlords, or family members. Mercury retrograde is famous for miscommunications and delays, so expect some to come up around domestic issues.

Because Mercury is retrograde in the sign that rules stuff and valuable belonging (Taurus), now's definitely not a great time to buy anything fancy for your home. Watch out for sticky fingers if you host a soiree at your place—Mercury rules thieves! Also, be careful not to lose any important documents relating to your home or family.

One feature of Mercury retrograde that can be fun (or horrifying) is running into people from your past.

One feature of Mercury retrograde that can be fun (or horrifying) is running into people from your past. Because this Mercury retrograde falls in such a family-oriented sector of your chart, it's very likely that family members you haven't seen in a long time will resurface. If you're open to it, take time to talk to them: Mercury retrograde will be speaking to you though these people. People from your early childhood could pop up, too.

While Mercury retrograde is famous for confusion and chaos, it does offer us a time to rest, reflect, and slow down. Have you been enjoying your home enough? What do home and family even mean to you? Now is a great time to reflect on these themes. The new moon on May 6 in Taurus is a perfect time to energetically cleanse your home and do some spring cleaning. This is also an amazing time to work on your boundaries, Aquarius, since Taurus occupies such a sensitive and private area of your chart.

On May 20, the Sun enters fellow Air sign Gemini, lighting up the part of your chart that rules creativity, parties, and romance! Yay! You're often accused of being a cold bitch, Aquarius, and yeah, you totally can be when you want to, but anyone who knows you well knows that you can be warm and affectionate as well.

Balancing these two sides of yourself will be a theme of the full moon in Sagittarius, which will fall on May 21. Full moons are all about illumination and culmination, so expect a climax to come in one of your social or romantic relationships, as well as in your artistic endeavors or within your social circle.

One of the biggest days of the month for you will be May 26, which is when Jupiter in Virgo will square (a very tense astrological aspect), your ruling planet, Saturn, which is in Sagittarius. This combination will call you to be mature and responsible in the face of some stressful, intense, and possibly public situations. This is not a time to slack off! If you're feeling frustrated, think back to August 3, 2015 and March 23 of this year: These are the last times Saturn and Jupiter connected this way, and using the lessons you learned then now will be very helpful.

A lot is happening this month in both your private and public life, Aquarius, but you'll figure out a way to make the best of it. Be a mean ice queen when you need to, or reveal your inner softie— both sides of yourself will be highlighted this month. See you in June!