If It Feels Like You Need to Engage, That's Your Cue to LET GO: Pluto Retrograde & Mercury Cazimi, May 1st, 2023.

Mark May 1st on your calendar - it's likely to be an insightful day.

Why?  Because by evening (Mountain Time), we have Mercury retrograde in Taurus cazimi, or making an inferior conjunction to the sun, marking the heart of its retrograde review and bringing the big "aha" moment, and then just two hours later, Pluto officially stationing retrograde until October 10th.

To make things even more intense, this all occurs just days before the 5/5 Scorpio full moon eclipse - an energetic climax that closes the eclipse portal that opened 4/19.  Eclipses always bring lasting change to our lives, and this one especially signifies closing chapters of our lives and letting go.  Pluto being the modern ruler of Scorpio only adds more gravity to the situation at hand.

I've referred to the theme of Mercury retrograde in Taurus as "innovating the good life."  Here's why.  (Read more about Mercury retrograde in Taurus 4/21 to 5/14 here.)

Mercury retrograde is always a review of thinking and communication.  Taurus is the Venus-ruled earth sign of how we feel secure and enjoy life through material resources and possessions.  Mercury doesn't just rule the mind, it rules every day errands, connections, and transactions - money.  ​

Looking at the bigger picture, Uranus moved into Taurus in 2018 and will finish that transit in 2025.  Uranus brings change through sudden upheaval, and wants us to innovate and break free from the status quo.  The climax of Uranus in Taurus was brought about with the pandemic over the past few years - an event that forced large scale changes, and created the need to innovate our relationship with resources of all kinds, how we enjoy life's creature comforts, and how we feel materially secure in our lives.  

The north node of increase, appetite, future, and destiny moved into Taurus mid-January 2022, bringing a collective desire to move past the restrictions of the pandemic and find new ways to enjoy the abundance of life again.  However, Saturn in Aquarius (Saturn entering Aquarius in March 2020 was the beginning of the pandemic for most of us), was still finishing up its series of squares (an energetic impasse that restricts and forces growth) to Uranus in Taurus, on February 2021 til October 2022, so although we felt the desire to break through and break free and align with the call of the north node and Uranus in Taurus, we were frustratingly held back.

But now it's a completely different ball game.  

Saturn's now moved into Pisces - this puts it in a supportive position to Uranus in Taurus rather than a challenging one.  By July, the north node will leave Taurus and move on into Aries, starting a new 18 month cycle, which means it is wrapping up it's time in Taurus, bringing this transit that began in January of 2022 to culmination.

Mercury retrograde in Taurus now just before Jupiter lands there to bring gifts for an entire year starting May 16th, is here to help us mentally review in the Taurean realms before we move forward.

If you've had budget or financial issues up for review, then perfect.  Now's the time to get that sorted, and Mercury retrograde is pointing you in the right direction.

On a deeper level, consider this:  the total solar eclipse was 4/19 (or 4/20 depending on what part of the world you live in), and it featured the new moon eclipse in square to Pluto - more specifically, sun square Pluto.  Then, Mercury stationed retrograde on 4/21.  

As Pluto stations retrograde on 5/1, Mercury makes its inferior conjunction with the sun in Taurus, known as "cazimi."  The inferior conjunction only happens when Mercury is retrograde, and Mercury disappears beneath the sun's rays.  This is when Mercury, on its quest for missed information, is said to "sit in the throne room with the king."  This is when sun, light of consciousness, imparts its wisdom to Mercury, ruler of the mind and the messenger.  It's an "aha moment."

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What came up for you around power dynamics & control around 4/19 to 4/21?  How is that situation unfolding now?

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Mercury retrograde in either sign of Venus (Taurus or Libra) can lead to people coming back in from the past and the official ending of relationships.  It's always a review and a mental one, so things come back in to spark whatever we need to rework our perception of to refine thinking and expression.

Remember this:  we tend to think of Venus simplistically as "love and money," but at the heart in either case, this is about our values and ultimately our value of ourselves.  If you have a deficit in either area, there's a self-value issue at the heart of the matter.

Pluto is about power. 

Pluto retrograde is specifically a review of our relationship to power, and our clue to that lies in what issues around power and control are surfacing in our lives.

The key here is this:  your power lies in your ability to control yourself, and nowhere else.  

Pluto teaches us about letting go - the power of elimination.

If whatever is coming up for you now has even a whiff of power dynamics (whether it's you feeling the need to power trip, coerce, manipulate, or control, or it's someone else displaying these behaviors towards you) it's a clear sign to LET GO.  

And this letting go is NOT an ultimatum, or threat, or done with the intention of any sort of manipulation.  The key here lies in your motives for this "elimination," so make sure you are above board on all counts with this.  

Eclipses finalize things, and Pluto will be retrograde til October 10th, so if there are lessons to be learned here or fall out/repercussions, you can bet they will be coming front and center for you between now and October.

This Pluto retrograde is more potent, as Pluto is in the midst of a major transition - from Capricorn where its been since 2008, to Aquarius where it will be until 2044, after January when it returns.

Pluto begins this retrograde on 5/1 at 0° Aquarius, and will station direct 10/10 at 27° Capricorn.  Collectively we may very well see recession, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and in general the results of any greed and power plays by the "powers that be" since 2008.  Pluto in transit always strips and exposes what's rotten so it can be destroyed and something new may be created, and Pluto in Capricorn kicked off with the Global Financial Crisis.

On a more personal note, Pluto retrograde will have to do for you with whatever house (area of life) Capricorn rules in your life, and your relationship to power in that area of life.  Think of it as a "clean-up round," wrapping up the major themes and lessons since 2008 and how that has transformed you, before moving on to what's next.

Don't ignore whatever is coming up for you now.

The theme of our relationship to personal power and LETTING GO is the major underlying theme of the astrology of 2023, with Pluto being in square to the nodes of future and past, destiny and karma, from early March til early December.

2023 is what I'm referring to as a "transition year" for all of us, and it largely has to do with this particular energetic dynamic, coinciding with Pluto's shift into Aquarius, which kicks off a series of outer planet sign changes that will have us in a totally new place by 2025/early 2026. 

If you're facing down power dynamics, realize that you are being guided to fully release any attachments or limiting beliefs that no longer serve you, specifically by coming into right relationship with power and especially your personal power.

If it feels like your security has been wobbled, or you are feeling disempowered or not of value, be willing to take a closer look at what has been triggered deep within your subconscious and psyche and be honest about your true motives for any action you feel driven to take.

This isn't the time for relying on power dynamics or false sense of control to try and find your sense of security.  It's time to disengage and release those "lose-lose" situations, while maintaining the highest ethics, morals, and respect for both yourself and others.  Take the high road and focus on not needing to control or get a specific outcome to be okay.  

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Hi, I'm Kasey, astrologist, coach, guide, and mentor, and I am on a mission to help women reclaim their SOVEREIGNTY - reclaim the thrones of their hearts & self-value, reclaim their inner authority & creative power, & start creating lives full of love & abundance in every way.

If this sounds like something you would like support and guidance with, let's chat.

Just click the button below to email me and we'll set up a time to chat via Zoom to wrap some clarity around what your needs are and find some solutions!

The present is turning into the future with every moment, every breath - let's get you out of the old patterns and loops, back on your throne and creating your best life.  ~Kasey

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