Your May Horoscope Is Here

Melanie Fiver

April 28, 2020 at 3:30 AM·15 min read

The days have started running together with alarming ease, to the extent that we’re almost happy to announce that three — yes, three — planetary retrogrades are coming our way this month. We may be faced with a new array of challenges due to these transits, but at least they’ll give us something new to think about (and a reason to keep track of the days).

Mid-May will be the epicenter of this retrograde cluster, with Saturn’s retrograde arriving on the 11th, Venus’ on the 13th, and Jupiter’s the following day. We’ll spend the rest of the month reckoning with questions surrounding discipline, love and appearance, and our own worldview. As if that wasn’t enough to keep us busy, Gemini season will begin on the 20th and remind us that, even when everything seems to be progressing at the same dull pace, we have it in us to shake things up on our very own.

ARIES (March 21 – April 19)

The cabin fever will hit you harder than most this month, Aries; all thanks to your ruling planet stirring up your inner currents. Mars imbues you with a sense of restlessness, even unease, on the 13th — you’ll ache to resist the forces that urge you to look inward, to remain at a resting state. Firebrand that you are, you’d much rather engage in the physical, tangible world around you, rather than sit and plumb the depths of your psyche. But what would happen if you were to go against type and actually heed this message of repose? Could you find that same powder keg energy that you exert in the outside world within your imagination? This transit wants to remind you that, for all your brute strength, your mind is just as powerful.

The end of the month sees Gemini season kicking off with a buoyant bang, highlighting your communication sector along the way. Finally, all that mid-May introspection will be counteracted by a little more everyday activity. Chores and chit-chat will keep you busy as May comes to a close. And though nothing groundbreaking will come your way, you can expect a restorative new moon on the 22nd, in which you’ll be reminded of the importance of curiosity.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)

Your birthday season is in full effect until the 20th, Taurus. How can you continue to capitalize on this annual period of celebration? It isn’t just that you’ve been feeling more yourself lately — everyone around you has been more Taurean, too. Coworkers may be more likely to share your views and your friends find you even more charming than usual. You can quietly ride these waves of appreciation, but the option to step up and out of your comfort zone should appear a little more enticing right now. This is not to say you have free reign to trample over anyone who disagrees with you, but you should feel more empowered to speak your mind and, if needed, lock horns (in a well-mannered way).

Your ruling planet, Venus, begins a retrograde on the 13th in your money house (a crucial section of the chart for stability-minded Bulls). Watch your credit report and bank statements extra carefully — Venusian retrogrades highlight (and push you to question) where your money is going. Sure, you love your wine box subscription and your ever-expanding skincare regimen, but all that pleasure-purchasing adds up faster than you think. In the same way that Venus retrogrades ask some to cut ties with toxic lovers, so, too, can it prompt us to stem the flow of reckless spending.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)

For better and for worse, you’re the sign of the hour this month, Gemini. Your ruling planet, chatty Mercury, joins Venus in your sign on the 11th, turning the speed of your already whirring thoughts up to 11 (expect to feel easily distracted and needy for a worthy conversation partner). Two days later, Venus kicks off a retrograde that will rattle your self-esteem and encourage questionable fashion choices. No matter how bored you get, think twice (or maybe three times) before you turn all your tees into crop tops or add an orange streak to your hair. This retrograde can prompt us to make rash changes in our appearance, either out of restlessness or insecurity. Wait until Venus is direct again, on June 25, to make the final call on your daring dye job.

Your hard-earned birthday season begins on May 20, with a new moon in your sign close behind on the 22nd. This is your annual opportunity to celebrate your wins and learn from your losses from the past year. Think of it as your own personal New Years — what will you resolve to do differently (and, on the flip side, keep up) in the next 12 months? The night of the 22nd will bring an immense sense of clarity around your future.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22)

During this time spent on pause, it’s easy to feel crushed under the pressure to put your free time to stunningly productive use. It’s enough to make you withdraw entirely and nap the days away, but the full moon on the 7th will remind you just how deep your capacity for creativity goes, Cancer. Your desire to craft, play, and experiment will be at a peak — and even if you’re cooped up inside during this lunar phase, your homebody sign will jump at this well-timed opportunity to feather your nest (Pinterest is a-calling).

Jupiter retrograde, which begins on the 14th, will raise some capital-Q Questions about your approach to romance and relationships more broadly. What do you actually seek in your partnerships? Are you currently connecting with people that will help you reach that end? Where do your strengths as a partner lie? Though it may be tempting to bring your significant other or closest friends along for the ride, this is a journey you must take alone, into your heart and through your deepest, most personal relationship goals. Don’t let the gravity of these reflections overwhelm you — you have until September, when Jupiter corrects course, to come to any conclusions.

LEO (July 23 - August 22)

To know what May holds in store for you, Leo, you need only look at your fellow fixed signs, Scorpio and Aquarius, and the celestial activity they happen to be hosting this month. First, on the 7th, the full moon in Scorpio will light up your home zone, affecting your literal living space and, more figuratively, the more private side of yourself that you only reveal in the comfort of your home and family. Drawing boundaries between work and leisure has become increasingly difficult in the past month, but that’s exactly what this lunar phase will ask you to do.

Second, Saturn will kick off its yearly retrograde in Aquarius on the 11th. Since it moved into the sign of the Water Bearer on March 21, the ringed planet has turned its stern gaze upon your love life. Now that Saturn’s backspin has begun, you can expect that attention to hone directly in on your romantic past. The time has come to reckon with (and, hopefully, attempt to learn from) your previous mistakes and transgressions in love, dear Leo. This isn’t to say you should go on a public apology tour — rather, you’ll need to work within yourself to determine what you were responsible for and how you can do better by your current (or future) partners.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

Last month saw you seeking stability by diving into your career, as Virgos are wont to do in times of uncertainty, and that will carry over into May. However, the sense of steadiness and consistency you so deeply crave from your work may be difficult to maintain by the month’s midpoint. On the 13th, Venus begins retrograde movement in your career sector, potentially stalling your development as the office charmer. If you’ve been building relationships with power players or stunning your coworkers with charismatic pitches, these efforts may need to take a backseat for the time being, as back spinning Venus will make it all too easy to schmooze your way into an awkward foot-in-mouth moment or to make extravagant promises that you don’t have the bandwidth to keep.

Venus’ retrograde will continue to make things awkward around the (virtual) water cooler until June 25, but, as a hardworking earth sign, you know in your heart that there’s only so much room for socializing in your professional life. You’ll have a chance to tap back into your stone-cold work ethic on the 20th, when the all-inspiring, ego-boosting sun sweeps into your work sector for a month-long stay. You’ll regain an even deeper sense of grounding on the 22nd, when the new moon glides past the sun. As much as you may want to rub elbows with the higher ups, this month will teach you that you’re at your best — and most effortless — when you’re simply getting the work done.

LIBRA (September 22 - October 23)

Take a closer look at the life you’re building, Libra, and consider the strength of your foundation; the effort you’re putting in to ensure your longevity, security, and safety. This month will see your normally carefree sign putting preparedness at the top of your priorities. The full moon on the 7th will light up your money house, reminding you of your material needs — you may have to admit that more cash belongs in your savings as opposed to your checking account, or you might realize that you’ve been too quick to loan out and share your money with anyone who asks.

A week after you get your financial affairs in order (or at least start to), the nonmaterial resources in your life — your time, energy, and well-being — take center stage. Consider taking up a challenging home workout schedule or a screen-free bedtime routine. Where these wellness experiments would otherwise feel like bandwagon-hopping, this month they’ll feel like a silver bullet for your health, potentially just the thing to help you feel more energized, livelier, and plain old better when you bounce out of bed in the morning. This is a time when “optimizing” is more than just a buzzword — it’s a sincere goal. Just don’t get so wrapped up in self-improvement that you neglect your other responsibilities (a necessary step in hacking your routine is putting some time aside for mundane chores).

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)

Give yourself a round of applause, Scorpio — or just wait until the 7th and let the cosmos do it for you. The full moon in your sign that day will highlight the work you’ve done on yourself since last October’s new moon, which also took place in Scorpio. Whether you have tangible proof of your growth or feel as though you’ve been spinning your wheels these last few months, take a closer look at your trajectory before drawing your final conclusion. You take an all-or-nothing approach to life that can, indeed, prove extremely motivating, but it can deny you the chance to celebrate your smaller (but still meaningful) wins. Celebrate them now, Scorp, and express gratitude for all your efforts — again, no matter how small you may perceive them to be.

Speaking of all or nothing, Saturn’s annual retrograde will begin on the 11th in your sector of home and hearth. Past issues with family members and other intimates could rise to the surface now, and you may be tempted to adopt a stark black-and-white worldview in order to determine who was right and who was wrong. But don’t re-litigate old arguments for the sake of temporary vindication. Instead, observe which old conflicts, which long-cold frustrations, come back to you now. These are not random memories rising up to simply hurt you. They’re coming to the forefront in order to teach you something — something vital.

VIDEO: The Spending Habits of 5 Zodiac Signs

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)

Your ruling planet, philosophical Jupiter, begins a retrograde period on the 14th and urges you to turn a reflective eye toward your wallet. Where other planetary retrogrades simply penalize you for past decisions, Jupiter’s gives you a chance to correct course before you get in over your head. In your case, dear Archer, this means addressing financial road bumps before they evolve into major blockades. You may have overlooked an investment opportunity or an error in your monthly budget that you can now revisit and address. Think of this retrograde as an all-in-one pause and rewind button for your earnings.

Matters of the heart will overtake the second half of the month, when the sun moves into witty Gemini and your relationships zone. Playing the field is Sagittarian second nature, but Gemini season often finds you more eager to connect with one or two special people than you are to sow any wild oats. Your usually independent temperament could even take a turn for the needy during the new moon on the 22nd. Reach out to those you miss most, but don’t take it too personally if they postpone or cancel. Alone time during this period is a stunning opportunity to befriend yourself.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)

When Jupiter moved into your sign in early December 2019, you got the chance to adopt a new, more optimistic perspective, Capricorn. Since then, the red giant has been coaxing you out of the cold, objective corner from which you observe the world, revealing where things might be better than they seem or how you might, just might, stand a chance at kicking back and relaxing. This is, overall, a restorative period for you — and that isn’t necessarily going to change when Jupiter begins its retrograde in your sign on the 14th.

The shift you’ll notice will be in your pace: Your newfound sense of hope will remain, but instead of propelling you forward, it will help you draw inward, to access the neglected parts of yourself that actually harbor so much potential. There is, undoubtedly, potential for discomfort here, impatient Goat, but if you commit to nurturing your innermost dreams and gifts in the same way you’d commit to your regular to-do list, you’ll emerge from this period more confident and capable. Mercury moving into your partnerships zone on the 28th will remind you it isn’t all about you. It’s also about your significant other and dearest friends — and, namely, how you speak to them. Begin to mull that over as May draws to a close. It will be top-of-mind come June.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)

Taskmaster Saturn has been camped out in your sign since March, and if it wasn’t already enough to live under the ringed planet’s watchful eye, it will begin its annual retrograde on May 11. Under normal circumstances, Saturn already demands a fine-toothed-comb-level of meticulousness from us. But, when it’s retrograde, it doesn’t just want us to be careful with our future plans — it will actually pause our forward progress so that we may apply that very same comb to our past, in the name of long-term success.

For you, that means poring over how you’ve been treating and presenting yourself, then determining how you can be more proactive about and responsible for your health, development, and confidence. Identify times when you leaned on others and see where it might be possible to find that same sort of support and encouragement within yourself. This is an undeniably challenging retrograde to deal with, Water Bearer, so give yourself time (this backspin will last until September 29, after all) and find an outlet when the sun enters Gemini on the 20th, igniting your sense of creativity amid Saturn’s drudgery.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20)

Just like the rest of us, even the kindest, softest-spoken Pisces has a mental list of grievances that lengthens and shrinks with time. It’s just that members of this sensitive water sign are usually quite reluctant to air anything on that list — unless they’re provoked. Consider this your warning ahead of the 13th, when Mars, the planet of action and conflict, moves into your sign and stokes the coals of your usually placid temper. Your reactions may surprise you during this period, and though there is the undeniable risk of speaking out of turn, there’s also the possibility that you’ll speak your mind for the first time in an achingly long while. And, when you think about that, dear Pisces, doesn’t that sound like it’ll feel great?

Later this month, that willingness to step way outside of your shell will be counteracted by a beckoning home, when the sun moves into Gemini and your domestic sphere. In time when it’s easy to feel restless or tired of your living space, you’ll recall everything you love about the safety and security of your home — not only will you discover a newfound appreciation for it, but you’ll also wish to improve upon it. Break out that neglected candle-making kit and order some peel-and-stick wallpaper. It’s time to feather your nest and end May with a cozier abode.

Here, take a look back to see if your April horoscope was on point.

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Your May Horoscope Is Here