Astrology for Creators

(Western Tropical Astrology. Time Zone EST/EDT)

Deanna Musgrave

We begin May 2023 still influenced by the Aries Solar Eclipse that happened April 19-20th, 2023 which likely brought forward some intensity and conflict. We are also heading straight for the Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio on May 5-6th, 2023, which might reveal secrets. It is important to take note on what happened for you during this eclipse season as this Aries part of your chart will become important in the coming months given the North Node (what I consider to be the collective focus) will be moving to point to Aries in the middle of July. Aries is symbolised by a fiery ram bringing an increase in energy of entrepreneurial drive and creativity however, there will also likely be serious conflict in the world. As creators we can only control ourselves and I invite you to choose to lean into what makes Aries positive by using this fire energy to spark new ideas, innovation and to take on being more of an entrepreneur in your artistic business for the next two years.

It is also worth noting that at the beginning of the month of May 2023 we will be well into a Mercury Retrograde. As I have written in the October 2022 column, Retrogrades tend to make the energy of a planet more inward, express differently or become more intense. A Mercury Retrograde is more well known as causing disruptions in all things having to do with communication, which will be present for many until this planet goes direct on May 14th, 2023 (although there may be some echoes after during its two-week shadow period).

I am more interested in how the Pluto Retrograde starting on May 1-2nd, 2023, is going to play out given that we are in a preview of its journey into Aquarius that started on March 23, 2023. This 2023 preview ends when it Retrogrades back into Capricorn on June 11th, 2023. It will return to Aquarius on January 20, 2024, for 20 years which makes this generational shift a big deal. The qualities of how Pluto manifests in our lives is going to be gradual but, huge for the next two decades so, take note on what happens around May 1st2nd in the Aquarius area of your chart that may have a Plutonian flavour of death, rebirth, and transformation. If you don’t know where Aquarius is in your chart, just pay attention and notice what in your life seems to be pushing you towards transformation that suddenly takes on a different flavour on and after May 1st-2nd, 2023. These pieces that you are noticing will come back with intensity when Pluto returns in a direct motion in Aquarius on January 20, 2024. For the collective, we will likely see something interesting around humanitarian causes, technology, astrology, or visionary ideas. I advise artists to notice what in the creative sector is being impacted around these dates. Is it some form of technology or themes in art? It might be worthwhile to invest into these things for the coming two decades as, Pluto represents where the power will be placed and transformed.

It’s also important to keep in mind that as Pluto moves in and out from Capricorn to Aquarius, we will be finishing up lessons having to do with the 15-year Pluto in Capricorn journey that started in 2008. For the collective, much of this has to do with The Great Recession of 2007-2009 which started the Pluto in Capricorn transit so, expect an intense echo of that as the energy builds up to Pluto finally leaving Capricorn for Aquarius on January 20, 2024. You will also have personal lessons with Pluto depending on where Capricorn is in your chart which my January 2022 column touched on.

I also find myself drawn to the aspects of Venus and Neptune in the month of May 2023, which are both planets traditionally associated with the arts. Venus tends towards physical beauty, such as a sculpture, whereas Neptune can be more spiritual or illusionary, such as film however, these aspects can merge. For example, a sculpture (Venus) expressing a dreamy, spiritual, or illusionary concept (Neptune) has both energies. Likewise, a film (Neptune) can be focusing on the beauty of the reality of a garden (Venus). On May 3rd-4th Venus in Gemini will square Neptune in Pisces. Squares are more challenging aspects that yield a positive result if overcome. As a real-world example, I could see some tension coming up between AI Art, which might be associated with Neptune for its illusionary qualities, and human-made artwork. This tension between Venus and Neptune could manifest in different ways such as playing out in your own artistic practice.

This tension may resolve as Venus moves into the sign of Cancer on May 7th, 2023, and then makes a positive trine aspect to Saturn in Pisces on May 12th-13th. Whatever the issue that Venus in Gemini and Neptune in Pisces had on May 3rd-4th could be resolved by Venus moving into understanding Cancer and then working with Saturn, the builder of structure, in Pisces to construct a path that will resolve the issue. To go back to my example of AI Art versus Analog/Human-made Art, Saturn could be working with Venus to put some structures in place within the illusionary world of Pisces and Neptune. This could look like a court case taking place that forces AI companies to abide by the same copyright rules humans do.

Another significant astrological movement to pay attention to this month is Jupiter moving into Taurus on May 16th, for the rest of the 2023 year, while also making a challenging aspect of a square to Pluto in Aquarius. Right after that, there will be a New Moon in Taurus on May 19th, 2023, happening in sequence with Mercury making a positive sextile aspect to Saturn in Pisces. What this translates into for me is a lot of ups and downs in Taurus areas which could have to do with banking systems, money, stocks, food, land, the environment, security, and some areas of the arts. While Jupiter’s ingress into Taurus might expand the positives, it could also grow the negative issues. One example could be Jupiter expanding the instability of the financial systems. Jupiter in Taurus is also making that difficult square aspect to Pluto in Aquarius which could look like financial issues becoming so big that they need to evolve and change with something that is more Aquarius, such as within a new area of technology. Right after this, is a New Moon in that Taurus area which will have the benefit of Mercury (communications) making a positive sextile to Saturn (Karmic Teacher/Structure) in Pisces. An example of how this could play out is communication (Mercury) about financial systems (Taurus) that brings the need for structure (Saturn) for new positive changes (Sextile) that involves new technology (Aquarius). While money and banking are significant to pay attention to for creators, it is also worth noting that Taurus can be associated with the arts due to its rulership by Venus. In the artworld, this could also be a similar turbulence and resolution between that which is reality-based art versus that which is the new technological art forms coming forward with Pluto in Aquarius.

We finish off the month with two astrological motions that will lighten the mood. First Mars will move into Leo on May 20th, 2023 which will bring out our passion for self-expression. The day after, the Sun moves into Gemini to start the summer season which should bring in a warm glow of colourful energy and happy conversation. So, the month of May 2023 generally feels to be coming “in like a lion” starting with the eclipses however, I expect to see the second half of the month feeling more joyful with astrological weather like a “lamb” from that Mars in Leo and Gemini season energy. While the general overview of the month mostly fits with the proverb of “in like a lion, out like a lamb” the overall extremes of energy this month has me calling it “Manticore May.”

Deanna Musgrave is an artist, energy worker, channel, and hypnotherapist.

You can contact her through her websites at: www.deannamusgrave.com www.artisthehealer.com