Moonsign
and More
by Jenny Yates

May 8 to 22,  2013

What sign is the moon in?  What signs do the planets occupy?  
What is the current lunar cycle about?  

For the aspects currently affecting everyone, click here.  

And for a daily overview, click here.   

Venus is in Gemini

In Gemini, Venus is devoted to
intellectual pleasures.  This can mean
anything from crossword puzzles to
lectures on Medieval candle magic.   

It's especially good for scintillating
conversation.  Everyone is wittier and
more interesting, and everyone is
quicker to respond to your ripostes.
(And they're ready to repost
everything you write, too.)  

And yes, it's a good time for puns.  
Try to control yourself.    

Venus will be in Gemini until July 4.   

Venus entered Gemini
in NYC: Thurs, June 9, 10:23 am
in Vancouver: Thurs, June 9, 7:23 am
in London: Thurs, June 9, 3:23 pm
in Berlin:  Thurs, June 9, 4:23 pm


The Moon


moves into Taurus
in NYC: Weds, May 8, 6:09 am  
in Vancouver: Weds, May 8, 3:09 am  
in London:  Weds, May 8, 11:09 am  
in Singapore:  Weds, May 8, 6:09 pm  
in Sydney: Weds, May 8, 8:09 pm  

moves into Gemini
in NYC:  Fri, May 10, 5:21 pm  
in Vancouver:  Fri, May 10, 2:21 pm  
in London:  Fri, May 10, 10:21 pm  
in Singapore: Sat, May 11, 5:21 am    
in Sydney: Sat, May 11, 7:21 am    

moves into Cancer
in NYC:  Mon, May 13, 5:56 am
in Vancouver: Mon, May 13, 2:56 am
in London: Mon, May 13, 10:56 am
in Singapore: Mon, May 13, 5:56 pm  
in Sydney: Mon, May 13, 7:56 pm

moves into Leo
in NYC:  Weds, May 15, 6:37 pm
in Vancouver:  Weds, May 15, 3:37 pm
in London:  Weds, May 15, 11:37 pm
in Singapore: Thurs, May 16, 6:37 am     
in Sydney: Thurs, May 16, 8:37 am     

moves into Virgo
in NYC: Sat, May 18, 5:33 am  
in Vancouver:  Sat, May 18, 2:33 am  
in London: Sat, May 18, 10:33 am  
in Singapore:  Sat, May 18, 5:33 pm  
in Sydney: Sat, May 18, 7:33 pm  

moves into Libra
in NYC:  Mon, May 20, 1:07 pm
in Vancouver: Mon, May 20, 10:07 am
in London:  Mon, May 20, 6:07 pm
in Singapore:  Tues, May 21, 1:07 am
in Sydney: Tues, May 21, 3:07 am

moves into Scorpio
in NYC: Weds, May 22, 4:55 pm   
in Vancouver: Weds, May 22, 1:55 pm   
in London: Weds, May 22, 9:55 pm     
in Singapore: Thurs, May 23, 4:55 am    
in Sydney: Thurs, May 23, 6:55 am    

moves into Sagittarius
in NYC:  Fri, May 24, 5:49 pm
in Vancouver:  Fri, May 24, 2:49 pm
in London: Fri, May 24, 10:49 pm
in Singapore: Sat, May 25, 5:49 am   
in Sydney: Sat, May 25, 7:49 am   

What does the moon's sign tell
you?

See
Moon Signs and Lunar Transits

Uranus is in Aries


This is the revolutionary planet in the
revolutionary sign, so you know some stuff is
going to happen while it's here - mainly, during the
next seven years.

This is about liberation.  It's about freedom.   It's
about looking at the fixed structures that rule our
lives, figuring out which ones limit us, and
dismantling them.  
There's a fast, reckless rhythm about Uranus in
Aries;  it's not always the wisest approach.  
There's an urge for immediate, spontaneous
action, and so people rush into things without
stopping to think.  Every moment is charged with
creative fire.      

It's pretty exciting.  But it's definitely not a calm
influence.  Everyone will need to stop and take
some deep breaths once in a while.

Uranus will be here until May 2018.

Uranus entered Aries
in NYC:  Fri, Mar 11, 2011, 7:49 pm
in Vancouver: Fri, Mar 11, 2011, 4:49 pm
in London:  Sat, Mar 12,2011, 12:49 am
in Berlin:  Sat, Mar 12, 2011, 1:49 am
in Sydney:  Sat, Mar 12, 2011, 11:49 am

Pluto is in Capricorn


Pluto has to do with the slowest, most relentless
and most inexorable trends.  In spite of being
demoted from planet status, it's still very influential
when it comes to social transformation.  

As soon as Pluto entered this pragmatic,
restrained ascetic sign, the economy took a very
different shape.  Everyone switched from spending
and speculating to worrying and saving.  The
emphasis is on what works, not necessarily what
feels good.
This is a long-term conservative influence, but the
word "conservative" can mean a lot of different
things.  It could mean conserving the land, and
becoming better stewards of the earth.  It could
mean conserving the wisdom of our elders.  It
could mean looking to the people who have spent
their lives developing practical skills and asking,
"Okay, how do we do this?"

Pluto has been in Capricorn since November 2008
and will be here until March 2023.  

The Current Lunar Cycle
(20° Aries)

This is a fast-moving, unstable lunar cycle,
since the sun and moon in Aries are joined by
Mars and Venus. There is more action than
usual, more unexpected events, more
spontaneous impulses which may or may not
work out well.  There is more passion, more
creativity, more drama, but also an exaggerated
number of conflicts and accidents.  

You could call this a lovers’ moon, since Venus
and Mars are conjunct.  But Mars is more at
home in Aries than Venus is, and so there’s a
tendency for romance to become so overheated
that it explodes.  People are more competitive,
more independent, more likely to assert
themselves and to want everything their own
way – and so there’s not much room for the
softer pleasures of love. Connections happen
fast, or they get derailed by the urge to fight.

There will be quite a few radical acts during
this lunar cycle, and there will also be some
definite (and sometimes painful)  backlash.  The
Saturn/Uranus inconjunct is strong, and so
young, fresh progressive movements will have
an epic battle against old entrenched
power structures.     

This lunar cycle lasts until the next new moon on
May 9.  Its climactic moment is the full moon
(with an eclipse) on April 25.   

The new moon occurs
in NYC:  Weds, April 10, 5:35 am
in Vancouver: Weds, April 10, 2:35 am
in London: Weds, April 10, 10:35 am
in Singapore: Weds, April 10, 5:35 pm  
in Sydney: Weds, April 10, 7:35 pm

The sun is in Taurus

Everything becomes more concrete and physical when
the sun enters Taurus.  There’s an emphasis on working
with the stuff of the earth:  the soil, the worms, the
compost, the seeds. People are more definite about
everything, more likely to make up their minds and keep it
made up.  It’s time to take a stance, to pick a little spot of
ground and plant yourself there.  

People also become more aware of the basics:  how much
money they have in the bank, how much insurance they
have, and the general state of their health.  This is a
good time to look at the foundations of your life, and to
strengthen them in any way that they need
strengthening.  

This is also a good time to live in the moment, though.  
This earthy sign is very sensual, and this is a nice month
to just sit in the garden and listen to the birds sing and
watch the flowers grow.  This is a different kind of
maintenance.  You’re recharging your batteries, finding
your center, feeling your connection to the earth’s core.    

The sun will be here until May 20.

The sun entered Taurus
in NYC:  Fri, April 19, 6:03 pm
in Vancouver: Fri, April 19, 3:03 pm
in London: Fri, April 19, 11:03 pm
in Singapore: Sat, April 20, 6:03 am  
in Sydney: Sat, April 20, 8:03 am  

Mercury is in Taurus

Mercury, the planet of thought, speech, writing and
learning, is calmer and more stable in Taurus.  It’s
easier to retain what you learn.  In fact, you want
to chew everything over more thoroughly, to figure
out how it really applies to your life.  You’re not as
excitable as you were a week ago, not as prone to
distraction.  

And so this can be a time when you get a lot
done.  You take your responsibilities seriously,
and deal with whatever mental task you’ve been
given in a thorough, definite way.  People know
they can count on you to be honest, to finish a job
on time, to be where you say you’ll be.  People
who are normally a bit flaky will find themselves
more grounded, less prone to wandering off and
getting into trouble.   

However, if you’re normally mired in routine, you’ll
be more so during Mercury’s passage through
Taurus.  Habit is so pleasantly familiar.  Why fix
what isn’t broken?  Of course, a new direction
might be good, but then again, it could open up a
whole new can of worms.  You can talk yourself out
of anything – outside of food and sleep – during
this period.

Communication impasses can also be lengthier,
because people are less likely to give an inch
while Taurus is in this fixed sign.  If it makes sense,
it makes sense, and that’s all there is to it.  You
may want to ask yourself occasionally whether it’s
time to compromise, at least a little bit.   

Mercury will be in Taurus until May 15.                

Mercury entered Taurus
in NYC:  Weds, May 1, 11:37 am
in Vancouver: Weds, May 1, 8:37 am
in London:  Weds, May 1, 4:37 pm
in Singapore: Weds, May 1, 11:37 pm  
in Sydney: Thurs, May 2, 1:37 am

Mars is in Taurus

This is a very productive time, on a concrete level.  As a
fixed earth sign, Taurus focuses your attention on the
things that need to be done.  It’s great for working in a
garden, or building walls and fences and decks and
sheds, or doing your spring cleaning.  This is the time to
sweep away all the cobwebs of winter, to make everything
fresh and clean and airy.

During this time, everyone is more persistent and
focused.  People who are usually dilettantes will settle
down a bit, and start to notice some particular thing that
holds their attention.  People who are usually fairly stable
may become fixtures.  Couch potatoes could get really,
really comfortable.   

People won’t generally be all that argumentative, since
this is one of the more patient signs.  But when
arguments happen, it will be because nobody wants to
abandon a fixed position.  People feel more strongly
about money, possessions, and sources of security, and
so there can be conflict around these things, as well as
around loyalty and faithfulness.   

Although this is a good period for physical work, it also
lends itself to sensual pleasures:  eating, drinking,
dancing and singing.  There’s also an emphasis on
sports that build strength and endurance, like weight-
lifting and bull-riding.  Cowboys should really enjoy this
Mars sign, and all of us may find our inner cowboy.  It’s
probably not buried too deeply.  

Mars will be here until May 31.

Mars entered Taurus
in NYC:  Sat, April 20, 7:48 am  
in Vancouver: Sat, April 20, 4:48 am  
in London: Sat, April 20, 12:48 pm  
in Singapore: Sat, April 20, 7:48 pm     
in Sydney: Sat, April 20, 9:48 pm  

The sun enters Gemini

The mind is really active when the sun goes through
Gemini.  Ideas proliferate, and beg to be written
down or thoroughly talked over.  Everyone is more
interested in the latest news, gossip, and
information, and these things spread with record-
breaking speed.  

It’s an especially good time for writers, especially
writers of short forms, but it’s good for anyone
whose focus is communication.  Musicians write
catchy tunes, researchers find out new and telling
facts, community organizers find it easier to gather
people together, and students are eager to follow
any interesting trail of knowledge. But if a subject is
boring, students will be doodling, passing notes, or
playing on their cell phones. Everyone is more easily
distracted when the sun is in Gemini.

This is a playful sign, great for solving puzzles and
meeting mental challenges.  People are friendlier,
lighter and funnier, more inclined to wordplay and to
retelling the latest jokes.  People meet
spontaneously, getting into the spirit of the moment.  
Everyone wants to keep their options open, to have
lots of free time and an abundance of choices.  
People are busy, but not because they’re working
themselves to death.  They’re more likely to be busy
having fun.       

The sun will be in Gemini until June 21.   

The sun enters Gemini
in NYC: Mon, May 20, 5:09 pm  
in Vancouver:  Mon, May 20, 2:09 pm  
in London: Mon, May 20, 10:09 pm  
in Singapore: Tues, May 21, 5:09 am     
in Sydney: Tues, May 21, 7:09 am     

Venus is in Taurus

When Venus, the planet of love, goes through
Taurus, lovers are more reliable, more faithful, more
loyal than usual.  There’s a tendency to stick with a
good thing, rather than trying to change it.  It’s a time
when you really notice all the pleasures and delights
of your current life, and counting your blessings feels
natural and easy.  

During this time, particular pleasure comes from
anything physical.  It’s nice for gardening, for walking
in the woods, for hugging trees, for being outside in
general. This is an excellent time to go camping, to
soak in the sounds and smells and tastes of nature.  
It’s good for potting, weaving, painting, sculpting,
creating in any kind of tactile media.  And, of course,
it’s good for the pleasures of the flesh:  eating,
drinking, making slow love.

When it comes to relationships, people are more
forthright and honest when Venus is here.  You
present yourself as you are, with no hidden agendas,
and you prefer that others be that way as well.  
People who usually lead complicated, dramatic lives
may discover the joys of simplicity while Venus is
here.   

Venus will be here until May 9.

Venus enters Taurus
in NYC: Mon, April 15, 3:24 am   
in Vancouver:  Mon, April 15, 12:24 am   
in London:  Mon, April 15, 8:24 am   
in Singapore: Mon, April 15, 3:24 pm   
in Sydney: Mon, April 15, 5:24 pm   

Mercury enters Gemini

In this air sign, Mercury – the planet of the mind – is
right at home.  Mental processing is faster, more
skillful, more imaginative.  Everybody is quicker to
connect the dots, to find the links between various
pieces of information.  People are not as interested
in going deep, and seeing the underlying causes,
but rather want to cover a lot of territory.  They are
drawn to diversity, variety, multiple possibilities.

This is an excellent Mercury sign for writers and idea
people.  People don’t mind being quirky, in the
interest of keeping everything moving.  Cleverness
has a lot of cachet, and so lots of great aphorisms
can be written, and lots of witty sayings passed
around.  Sometimes nothing gets done, because
people are so taken with their own cleverness.  

This is a great time for brainstorming and
networking.  However, it’s very easy for everything
to stay up there on the cloud level, and never come
down to earth.  It’s all so interesting when it’s
theoretical.  You can go in all sorts of directions;  
there are no limits.  And so if you actually want
something to get done, you may need to put some
sort of limit on meetings, mailings or phone
conversations.    

Mercury will be in Gemini until May 31.               

Mercury enters Gemini
in NYC:  Weds, May 15, 4:41 pm
in Vancouver:  Weds, May 15, 1:41 pm
in London:  Weds, May 15, 9:41 pm
in Singapore: Thurs, May 16, 4:41 am  
in Sydney: Thurs, May 16, 6:41 am  

Jupiter is in Gemini

You could call this the beginning of a new year.  
Jupiter’s passage into a new sign is a yearly event, and it
shows the areas that are most ripe for expansion.

For the coming year, that area is communication.  This is
a great time to write, to network, to have meetings, to
discuss plans, to make lists, to read (or skim) a mountain
of books and magazines, to talk to everyone you know
and lots of people you don’t, to gather and disseminate
information, to conduct polls and interviews, and to find
new and ingenious ways to connect. People will find
themselves with lots more friends and acquaintances
when this year is over.  And if you’re the head an
organization, you can really expand your membership.

With Gemini, the focus is on short forms rather than long
ones.  So it’s a better time to write letters, notes,
aphorisms, jokes, blogs, articles and witty comments
than it is for books and theses.  Everyone will need more
variety, more distraction, more variable intellectual
stimulation. People who are naturally restless will be
even more so, and those of us who are calm will feel an
inexplicable urge to pace.  

The main danger during Jupiter’s sojourn in Gemini is
that we can all become inundated with trivial information.  
It will take a concerted effort of concentration to separate
useful ideas from mere chatter, because there will be so
much chatter.  It’s not a particularly methodical influence,
and everyone and everything may go in a lot of
directions at once.  On the one hand, this encourages
diversity of experience, and on the other hand, it can
mean that nothing really gets done.   

It’s a time when everyone is more curious, and most of
us are curious about each other.  If we let our curiosity
open doors to new ideas and new ways of life, this can
be a very productive time.

Jupiter will be in Gemini until June 25, 2013.                   

Jupiter entered Gemini
in NYC: Mon, June 11, 2012, 1:22 pm
in Vancouver: Mon, June 11, 2012, 10:22 am
in London:  Mon, June 11, 2012, 6:22 pm
in Berlin:  Mon, June 11, 2012,  7:22 pm
in Sydney: Tues, June 12, 2012, 3:22 am

Venus enters Gemini

This is a friendly place for the planet of love and
pleasure.  It lends itself to easy-going
conversations, low-key discussions, and
pleasurable mental diversions.  People are friendly,
witty and engaging, and they laugh a lot under this
influence.  Nothing seems quite as serious as
usual.  

The emphasis is on popular culture -  TV shows,
romance novels, thrillers, pop music, action films.  
Everyone wants to be entertained, without having
to work too hard to figure out what’s going on.  
However, there’s a lot of curiosity to Gemini, and so
even rather abstruse works of art can find an
audience.  There will always be someone ready to
explain it to everyone else.

The main thing now is communication.  There are
lots of bridges being built – between people and
people, between people and ideas, between ideas
and ideas.  Everyone is engaged in making
connections.  The world is a small place, but it’s a
place of constantly milling people.  Everybody
wants to experience the whole range of activities,
to glide smoothly from one place to the next, never
stopping or getting too serious.

When it comes to relationships, this lends itself to
casual friendships and to speed-dating more than
to deeper levels of intimacy.  It’s a good time to get
to know someone, to hang out with them in lots of
different circumstances.  By the time Venus leaves
Gemini, you’ll have developed an easy and
comfortable connection, and you can see whether
you’d like to take it further.          

Venus will be in Gemini until June 2.     

Venus enters Gemini
in NYC:  Thurs, May 9, 11:03 am
in Vancouver:  Thurs, May 9, 8:03 am
in London: Thurs, May 9, 4:03 pm
in Singapore: Thurs, May 9, 11:03 pm  
in Sydney: Fri, May 10, 1:03 am

Neptune is in Pisces

This could be a time of beautiful spiritual flowering, a
time when large numbers of people open up their
hearts and connect with each other. The idealism of
Neptune becomes deeply intuitive, emotional and
sympathetic when this planet goes through Pisces.

The matter of faith is likely to be paramount as
Neptune goes through this sign.  Who and what do
we trust?  People will have a stronger need to believe
in something (or someone), and this can mean that
some folks will be preyed upon by unscrupulous con
men. A gullible populace can also do a really bad job
of picking leaders, so it will be important to talk as
clearly and fully as possible about all the issues of
the day. Open communication is important and
protective during this period.      

Neptune is the planet of the strange, so things may
take odd turns.  Everyone will be a little more
susceptible to illusions, confusion, fascinations, and
poetic deliriums.  New drugs could make an
appearance – both medicinal and recreational -  and
new healing techniques be developed.  Creativity is
enhanced by Neptune in this sign, especially when it
comes to rhythmic forms like music and poetry, and to
the arts of illusion such as theatre and film. We could
see the flowering of some amazing new art-forms.  

Religious institutions get new life from Neptune’s
passage through Pisces, but only if they offer a true
connection with the wisdom of the inner self.  It’s not a
time for dogma, but for breaking down all artificial
divisions and merging with the infinite.  

Neptune will be here until March 2025.  

Neptune entered Pisces
in NYC:  Fri, Feb 3, 2012, 2:03 pm
in Vancouver: Fri, Feb 3, 2012, 11:03 am
in London:  Fri, Feb 3,2012, 7:03 pm
in Berlin: Fri, Feb 3, 2012, 8:03 pm
in Sydney: Sat, Feb 4, 2012, 6:03 am

The Next Lunar Cycle
(19° Taurus)

This is a powerful new moon, with a solar eclipse.  
Eclipses often give a wholly new perspective, clarifying
something which confused or stymied you, ushering in the
next phase in your spiritual evolution.  

This lunar cycle can bring some deep and hard-fought
changes.  It focuses on issues around self-worth,
priorities, materialism, economics, and the physical realm.  
You may be asking yourself what really matters to you,
and what you’re willing to do to achieve your goals.  
Gradually, it becomes clear why you’ve formed the
structures that hold you, and what you’re attached to, and
you may wonder if it’s time to give something up.   

The underlying revolutionary energy of this eclipse is
more dramatic because there’s also some definite
resistance to change.  Underlying cracks may show up in
the structures that you thought were eternal.  Hidden
knowledge may come to light.  Power is redistributed,
sometimes abruptly and tumultuously.  People hold on to
the things that they know to be true, but sometimes these
basic truths will not support them.    

This lunar cycle lasts until the next new moon on June 8.  
Its climactic moment is the full moon (and lunar eclipse) on
May 25.   

The new moon occurs
in NYC:  Thurs, May 9, 8:28 pm
in Vancouver: Thurs, May 9, 5:28 pm
in London: Fri, May 10, 1:28 am
in Singapore:  Fri, May 10, 8:28 am
in Sydney: Fri, May 10, 10:28 am


Saturn is in Scorpio

Saturn is the planet of structure, duty and responsibility,
and Scorpio is the sign of transformation.  Saturn is about
setting up new systems, and Scorpio has a tendency to
go to extremes.  And so this is not necessarily an easy
combination.  But there is a lot of power unleashed while
Saturn is in Scorpio, and it can go towards deep,
meaningful change.

This is a time when people will be drawn towards things
that are usually taboo.  There’s a fascination with
whatever is mysterious, unconventional, or raw.  So
people will deal with sex, death, money, power, and other
topics that they usually avoid or fear.  Underlying
emotional responses will be more visible:  resentment,
hunger, suspicion, paranoia.  When you deal directly with
these things, you release a lot of old, stuck energy, and
so these intense feelings are gateways to transformation.

Everyone gets in touch with their inner devils, to some
extent or another, and everyone is also required to work
out a deeper moral code. What is good and bad, what is
right and wrong, when you’re truly being honest with
yourself, recognizing what lies inside your own heart?

During the next two years, some things that are quite
risqué now may become accepted and even respectable,
while some things that are commonplace now may be
widely rejected.  People who look wild and crazy may be
totally conventional or even straight-laced.   And people,
more aware of their own contradictions, may become a
little less quick to judge others by appearances.  

Saturn will be in Scorpio until December 23, 2014.  

Saturn entered Scorpio
in NYC:  Fri, Oct 5, 2012, 4:34 pm
in Vancouver:  Fri, Oct 5, 2012, 1:34 pm
in London: Fri, Oct 5, 2012, 9:34 pm  
in Singapore:  Sat, Oct 6, 2012, 4:34 am  
in Sydney: Sat, Oct 6, 2012, 6:34 am