Queer Kentucky Horoscopes: StarGazing for May

5/2- Pluto Retrograde in Aquarius

5/8- New Moon in 18° Taurus

5/15- Mercury enters Taurus 

5/20- Sun enters Gemini

5/23 Full Moon in 2° Sagittarius + Venus enters Gemini

5/25- Jupiter enters Gemini

In the wake of the eclipse season, we have been left open, vulnerable, and exposed. There have been some hard endings that have happened over the past few weeks that we are hoping lead to beautiful, more fruitful beginnings. This next month proves to be just as confrontational as last month as we are still feeling the effects of needing to grow through our fears, shame, and shortcomings. But as we cross over from the Sun in Taurus to Gemini, there’s optimism and strength. In this space, we can cultivate kindness towards ourselves. We can recognize and appreciate our duality. Our immaculacy and imperfectness. Our glory and disasterness. The world has the potential to be less bleak when we accept ourselves and our situations holistically. 

On the 2nd, Pluto goes retrograde and an unfolding and unlearning will take place. 

Since it is further away in our solar system, Pluto’s effects are subtle although felt deeply but we may not see the results as fast as say a retrograde in Mercury or Venus. Unless you have prominent placements or aspects to Pluto or Aquarius, this will be a slow burn. Pluto is sneaky like that. A little eerie as it prefers to creep in, its lessons sinking deep into the core of our being. 

Pluto can divulge profound amounts of information about our relationship to power and influence, what drives us or our desires, our darkest fantasies and our greatest fears. Within the sign of Aquarius, this could relate to themes of the future, how we see ourselves fitting into society, what we can do for society, and how we share data or knowledge. As we witness the crumbling of failing institutions and long standing traditions, we can see how this affects us on both a macro and micro level. It all leads back to the work we’ve done individually. How can we balance our ego and what we think we know? How do we handle it when what we know will continue to deteriorate and disintegrate and new revelations continue to emerge. 

Pluto is the shedding worn out skin. Aquarius is the shattering of worn out convention. What we regrow into depends on our willingness to go within. What we rebuild is dependent on our willingness to meet our depths.

On the 8th, the new moon will be in 18° Taurus making us question who or what we would like to covet and why. 

Here is where Taurus’ nitpicky quality comes out to play. Don’t get me wrong, this placement has taste. It craves flavor. Color and textures that feel good, items that please the eyes as well as the soul. What the Moon in Taurus wants to nurture is a pleasant space and sense of being. It is all about the senses. If things make sense and if it is seduced by what it senses. Pleasure is in its playbook. 

Taurus needs things and people to exude a certain level of luxury because it values itself thoroughly. The material matters. What you can grasp and hold onto right in front of you is of the utmost importance. This placement is very present and appreciates what is real and it will give itself laboriously to obtain what it wants. Not only will it finesse with ease, it will do it with allure. The Moon loves to be within Taurus and is exalted. These energies mix gorgeously making a concoction that is both satisfying and stable. An exquisite nectar can form from which we can drink, fulfilling our deep emotional needs. The changeable moods of the moon are at ease here. Beauty and joy are easier to foster.

This lunation wants to bring possession and material to our attention. What we want so badly to capture or reach- will it be worth it and will it satisfy us on every tier? At the same time that many of us may be learning how to value ourselves or what we provide to others, we may also become more aware of any entitlement or delusion of grandeur. Prepared to be humbled if need be. Prepare to take out the trash so that you can fill your heart with shiny new jewels. Prepare to be pressurized and then to shine like the diamond you are. 

Mercury will move into Taurus on the 15th making the brain and the tongue feeling less like goo and more solid. 

Mercury in Taurus is settled. Unhurried. Unafraid of the journey it might have to take but in no rush to get to the destination. It cruises along, savoring the time it spends at any pit stop, able to see something special in everything it encounters. Mercury within Taurus is a calculating Mercury but not cut throat. Why be harsh? Why even use words? The Bull chooses to use the language of the body with crossed arms or furrowed brows. Sighs. Nuzzles and kisses. With simplicity. 

But when it does decide to speak, its tone titillates. It speaks sanguine, even when threatened with sourness. Even while threatening. It chooses to remain a charming and irresistible melody that could coax even the most stubborn and immovable. Wherever it decides to go, whatever pace it sets, people will gladly follow. 

Out of the clutches of the retrograde, Mercury moving into Taurus will help us to think and feel things with more clarity. If you were feeling particularly beaten and bogged down by the previous energy, this transit should allow for some relief. The cloudiness or restraint we may have been going through a few weeks ago will subside and we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Our communication becomes more deliberate and more lovely. We can handle ourselves, our disagreements, or mental setbacks with grace. We may not tackle issues quickly but we will be honest. Taurus’ energy can play the long game very well. We realize that taking our time can lead to better decision making that will hold up in the long term. 

We are not stunned or intimidated by limitations and are only inspired to keep pushing towards our goals, one step at a time. It’s time to zone in.

The fairy of the zodiac has arrived on the 20th as the Sun shifts into the sign of Gemini. 

The negative rep that Gemini receives is not totally justified. Are there “bad” Gemini’s out there? Sure, but to be honest the “two faced” and moraless Gemini trope is played out. Have you ever met a Gemini? Chosen to ask them questions or go down the rabbit hole with them? If you see past the regurgitation of what’s been said and seen from outdated and divisive horoscopes and astrology columns, you might see that Gemini is actually…okay. Pretty fucking cool actually. 

There’s more depth, strength, and integrity within than what is assumed of them. More than just a good time, Gemini is an energy that can show us that we don’t need to look or travel far to see something marvelous. That our very own backyard has wonders and that our minds are capable of fantastical feats that lead to fantastical manifestations. That curiosity can be the spark of something that you carry for the rest of your days. A precious memento all because you were brave enough to be free. 

Where there is a Gemini that is manipulating and a liar, is a Gemini that embodies benevolence and truth. You may think that you’ve “found them out” but you’ve just found yourself. That is part of Gemini’s magic. They reflect. They mirror. They may show you your flaws but it is not by design. Or maybe it is but truly, they admire your flaws. They like a little fight and controversy. They don’t mind ugly. 

They get it.

Gemini wants to help you see how your integration is a reflection of how golden you are. They have been able to mine the gold within themselves, choosing to see the light despite their darkness. Wearing a smile and sharing laughter even as the world laughs at them and not yet with them. And if and when they lose their light or their way, they hope that you can be a mirror to them too. A true friend who can guide them and piece them back together should they ever break apart. A kintsugi to be proud of.

At this time, our imaginations will roam. The ability to be open to possibility increases and we spread our own fairy magic across our neighborhoods and with our closest friends. This is a reminder of fun and play. Of study. We morph into both the bookworm as well as the life of the party. We are inspired by the small and intricate, write about the sky, and sing with the birds. We decode the messages unfurling in front of us and dream again. 

Then on the 23rd, we will have the full moon in 2° Sagittarius becoming more in tune with its tenuous but ultimately powerful current. 

On the surface, what appears to be pale or soft with nothing to prove ends up having the answers that we may have been looking for. Sagittarius in the lunar position is a pirate. Swashbuckling and rebellious. A bringer of satiny chaos. We learn how to set to sea. We stick up for what it is that we believe in and go the distance- for better or worse. What is just or right is dependent on our moral compass. One man’s trash is another’s treasure after all. 

This moon asks the big questions. It wants to venture out and explore what’s out there searching far and wide. When it is focused in, its scope is vast. We are encouraged to extend past what we think we know. To consider the details but not to let them deter us. Sagittarius is cunning. It can be very savvy with information, prodding and dissecting until it decides what is worth caring about or getting worked up over. Once it decides, it can move strategically, all the while appearing cheery and naive, wearing life loosely. A breeze kissing the sea casting a wave. 

For this moment, what we care about is being carried away. Swept up by our passions and letting this current lead us to where we are meant to be. Through this voyage, we say goodbye to uncertainty and unnecessary attachments. We want to make room for new adventures and alliances, and we brave the world to take on what we perceive to be our destiny. 

+ Venus in Gemini is a strange fantasy. A holy tease. A Piscasso-like energy, it is enigmatic. Bewildering and draws you in nonetheless. 

Its captivation is within its motion, eternal and lyrical. It’s in the way it smirks like a cherub. The way that it laughs at the world as if it’s in on some sort of universal joke or secret. It’s tangy, a little bitter, and sweet. A morsel that celebrates it all in hopes of reaching umami. It can metamorphose into anything. 

There seems to be not much that intimidates this Venusian energy. There’s an airy fierceness. Bite. A breath of fresh air as they dip and glide into life, adding to and absorbing something different from each space it chooses to occupy. They are a lover of variety and versatility. A lover of questions. A lover of the dissimilar, and divergent- it can’t help but notice differences and hold on to them. It can’t help but communicate this even if subconsciously. Sometimes it holds on so long to these differences that it forgets the similarities. How being a part of the group can be just as empowering. 

It’s a lonely-looking Venus but it’s just alone. It spends so much time alone it sometimes believes that it’s better off this way. It’s easy for this energy to escape inside its creations and dreamscapes. It will find friends amongst a pencil or paintbrush. It needs to express its dexterity and verbose thoughts and movements clearly without judgment. It’s sensitive but in the way of choice and fairness. Intimacy is a delicate delicacy to Gemini. They can distance themselves from it when needed or preferred. They’ll dive right in if the water is fine. 

Just thinking about ideas is sexy enough. Acting things out can get tricky but worth the experimentation. We want to share our worlds with others who can keep up. A lover or friends that are willing to figure it out along the way with us. We learn voraciously and will gladly reconfigure any issues that surface. Tinkering energies come to the forefront and we become more curious on our journeys as ever-changing beings. We are encouraged to lean into all the different pieces of our personalities and connect them to create an intriguing, greater whole.  

Jupiter will share its abundance and expansiveness with Gemini as it transitions into the sign on the 25th. Agape and wobbly, it is the shifting to a new philosophy. 

Jupiter in Gemini creates pathways and proposes new ways of thought and virtue. There is an influx of information and downloads. It is argumentative. A Jupiter that you can’t guess or predict. It’s not a Jupiter that you will automatically agree with, especially if you’re not partial to changing with the wind. 

This placement reveals your bias. It tells you how wrong you are and it doesn’t even hope to change your mind. It only wants to do whatever it wants to do. That’s because Gemini trusts that it is right. Its clairvoyance is unmatched because it perceives its environment thoroughly and with ease. It processes like a machine. Deducts and concludes as if it was born with all the answers. During this time, we’ll wonder how we didn’t come to the answers sooner. Perhaps we could have if we had trusted our instincts. Maybe we were working with the information we had at the time but Jupiter in Gemini leaves us feeling like we better catch up quickly or else we’ll get left behind. 

This transit will usher in new dogmas and ideas, leaving us in spectacle and haze. Only after all the dirt that has been kicked up subsides do we realize it wasn’t just an outburst or a childish distraction. It’s a wake-up call. 

The trumpets before the charge. 

Each small disturbance leads to solving something bigger. Gemini is seemingly illusive but can lead to an effective chain reaction. This transit will bring out our wit and an understanding of life’s absurd ways. The comedy behind the tragedy, we can use humor to heal ourselves and our beaten-down beliefs. 

While Jupiter in Gemini can be troublesome its mayhem and chaos has its purpose. It could feel weird to change our minds about long-standing truths or get out of our comfort zone but we are encouraged to give things a shot. See things from a different perspective. Become a pupil of life or embrace becoming a student again. 

We have the opportunity to expand past our current sphere, challenge ourselves to make new connections, and to have difficult but necessary conversations around what we see the future to be. These are the conversations and revelations that we will ponder over for the next several years or even lifetimes after.