This week, Mars leaves fast-moving Aries for the more leisurely pastures of Taurus. Venus enters nurturing Cancer and makes a romantic sextile to Mars. The Sun enters the curious sign of Gemini and is awakened by a conjunction with Uranus, and creativity are highlighted as the Sun sextiles Neptune. We are encouraged to loosen our grip on perfectionism at the Virgo First Quarter Moon. Plus: "A guy," a cat arguing with a mouse, and the love of a hot mess! (And this is another busy week, so we'll have to wait until next week to answer a listener question.)

Have a question you’d like answered on the show? Email April or leave it here!

Subscribe to April’s mailing list and get a free lunar workbook at each New Moon!

Love the show? Make a donation!

Timestamps

[1:35] Mars enters Taurus (May 18, 3:25 pm PDT until June 28, 2026), where slow and steady wins the race. Great for tackling projects that need patience and stamina to bring them to completion.

[4:29] Venus enters Cancer (May 18, 6:05 pm PDT until June 13, 2026). Buy items for your home, and focus on the people who matter most: show them love, and look for ways to bring them comfort and joy.

[7:02] Venus sextiles Mars (May 18, 10:37 pm PDT) at 0°13’ Cancer-Taurus. You may be willing to go after the things you want without apology or hesitation. The desire for more money motivates you to work harder.

[9:16] The Sun enters Gemini (May 20, 5:37 pm PDT until June 21, 2026). This is the season of the butterfly, where we're curious and interested in everything, but not necessarily for very long. Great time for short road trips and summer reading.

[11:59] Venus squares Neptune (May 21, 11:32 pm PDT) at 3°51’ Cancer and Aries. Venus is on the Sabian symbol 4 Cancer, A cat arguing with a mouse, and Neptune is on 4 Aries, Two lovers strolling through a secluded walk. Relationships and finances can struggle due to unrealistic expectations.

[14:28] The Sun conjoins Uranus (May 22, 7:26 am PDT) at 1°30’ Gemini. The Sabian symbol for this conjunction is 2 Gemini, Santa Claus filling stockings furtively. Unexpected blessings and prosperity might come your way. Be open to new things and new ways of being.

[16:21] Moon Report! The Virgo First Quarter Moon (May 23, 4:11 am PDT) at 2°20’ Virgo and Gemini. This is the first action point in the Taurus New Moon (May 16, 25°57’ Taurus) cycle. Release Virgo's tendency for hyper-perfection and overt criticism. Find something to fix, a job to do, or a problem to solve.

[18:46] Lunar Phase Family Cycle (LPFC). This is the First Quarter Moon (first action point) for the LPFC that began with Aug. 22, 2025 New Moon at 0°23’ Virgo. The Full Moon (awareness point) in this LPFC is on Feb. 20, 2027, at 2°5’ Virgo, and the Last Quarter (last action point) is on Nov. 20, 2027 at 28°27’ Leo.

[20:49] Void-of-Course (VOC) Moon periods. The Moon in Gemini sextiles Saturn in Aries (May 17, 12:35 pm PDT). It's VOC for 1 day, 6 hours, and 11 minutes, then enters Cancer (May 18, 6:46 pm PDT). Focus on using setting firm boundaries to prevent overwhelm.

[22:13] The Moon in Cancer conjoins Jupiter (May 20, 6:27 am PDT), is VOC for 13 hours, 21 minutes, then enters Leo (7:48 pm PDT). Use this VOC Moon period to establish the habit of learning about creature comforts from other cultures.

[23:35] The Moon in Leo trines Saturn in Aries (May 21, 3:05 pm PDT). It's VOC for 1 day, 8 hours, 52 minutes, then enters Virgo (May 22, 11:57 pm PDT). Use this VOC Moon period to bring structure and timelines to your creative projects.

[24:41] The Moon in Virgo sextiles Jupiter in Cancer (May 24, 5:54 pm PDT). It's VOC for 13 hours, 40 minutes, then enters Libra (May 25, 7:34 am PDT). Use this VOC Moon to practice leaving people and places better than you found them.

[26:04] The Sun sextiles Neptune (May 24, 7:22 pm PDT) at 3°55’ Gemini-Aries. Pay attention to your intuition and create without overthinking. This transit supports turning inspiration into something meaningful and heartfelt.

[27:57] No listener question this week, but please keep questions coming in for future episodes. Leave a message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or email april (at) bigskyastrology (dot) com; put “Podcast Question” in the subject line. Free ways to support the podcast: subscribe, like, review and share with a friend!

[28:54] A tribute to this week’s donors! If you would like to support the show and receive access to April’s special donors-only videos, go to BigSkyAstropod.com and contribute $10 or more. You can make a one-time donation in any amount or become an ongoing monthly contributor.