Cancer Horoscope May 2008

May 2008 Astrocast

Key Events:

New Moon: 05/05/2008

Full Moon: 05/20/2008

RX Planets: Jupiter 05/09/2008

Mercury 05/26/2008

Neptune 05/26/2008

Saturn until 05/03/08

Pluto until 09/09/2008

There is an ongoing theme that will be in force throughout all of May that will be running in the background, usually just below your conscious awareness, though you're bound to catch a glimpse of them occasionally. Part of this will involve major transformational activity with your relationships. Ordinarily, as a Water Sign, you are largely driven by your emotions, but in this case you're going to be giving a significant amount of thought to how you interact with others and how what the results have been. Pluto is involved, which means it's going to be an ongoing process since he moves v-e-r-y slowly, and also that he's going to be picking this area of your life apart for your scrutiny. Relationships, particularly within your family, are of paramount importance to you Crabs, so this is going to be noticeable. A day won't pass that you don't ponder these effects in one way or another. Doing a post-mortem on any problem areas will occupy much of your time. The motivation of the parties involved, contributing factors such as the emotional climate of a specific event, rules of engagement, and anything else imaginable that affects your relationships will be on your mind like a duck on a June bug.

A companion aspect to this will be the opportunity to change a few things. Your belief system as it pertains to relationships, particularly of the family variety, will be under scrutiny as well. What exactly are your obligations to a family member? What if someone doesn't play by the unspoken rules? Is it possible to be too close to someone? Are you really your brother's keeper? Or do some circumstances eliminate all obligation? These are not easy subjects or thoughts. Nonetheless, you'll be surprised at how many insights you encounter and how you may change as a result.

During the first week of May, you will be the star in this drama. Others involved will look upon you favorably along with your ideas and opinions. A theme of practicality will prevail. While your emotions will undoubtedly be affected by these issues, your ability to look upon them in a practical, down to earth way will be strong. Some of these ideas may be initiated or embellished by your friends or coworkers, depending on whom you discuss them with. You have been more assertive than usual the past few months, though this will diminish on the 9th when Mars moves into Leo. This assertiveness is probably what stirred a lot of this up in the first place. Rather than excusing people or being understanding, you have brought specific actions to others' attention and questioned it, especially if it had a negative effect on your or your family. "That's about enough of this crap" probably came in your mind more than once. This is not to imply that relationships are going end. They will change, but in most cases for the better. With Pluto on duty, some of them may end, but you'll recognize this as a good thing. If someone has been draining too much of your emotional energy, you'll be calling a time-out in no uncertain terms with the intent to fix it.

Your belief system toward group dynamics of all sorts will start to change around the second week of the month. Adjustments to your interactions with others will begin. Since your thinking is going to be different than in the past, you will listen to what others with experience in this area has to say with interest. You'll be using your head more than your heart, which is unusual for you, but you'll find it quite useful and effective. Don't get too caught up in it, however, since delusions are possible as well. What worked for someone else may not work for you. The circumstances are not only different but the individuals are as well. Do not take any actions that are contrary to your instincts.

As your sort through all the facts you will find your attitude toward relationships changing significantly. There will be a practical side as well as emotional side to these shifts. Remember again that these need to be your own decisions, not those of someone else. Don't fall prey to the opinions of others, even if it seems logical, if it doesn't fit your circumstances or your gut feeling. Discovering something about yourself you didn't know before will help motivate some adjustments to your own behavior. While your understanding of others will increase a lot, you'll also discover that everyone's role contributed to the situation. The point is not to blame or assign fault, but to rectify the problem. Remember that there is no better way to change others than to lead the way yourself. As a Cardinal Sign, you have a lot of influence over others and they will tend to follow your lead. Don't be surprised if a crisis come along the latter half of the month, perhaps with an authority figure. If family issues are the venue, you may get an earful from someone who assumes this role, whether or not they deserve it. Even if you don't agree with their thoughts, listen carefully as there will be something useful to you in what they say.

Bear in mind that this month Jupiter goes retrograde (RX) on May 9th and Mercury as well as Neptune go retrograde on May 26. Retrograde planets direct their energy inward. Jupiter RX hails introspections and ruminations on ethics issues, which are likely to be up for review as you ponder whatever else is going on. Mercury RX, which will fortunately only last until June 19, usually messes up communications in general, but it's a good time to reconsider, rethink and re-do anything you've been working on. Neptune RX could stimulate your imagination a little too much and cause some delusions, so run a sanity check on any wild insights or supposed inspiration as it might disappear under the harsh light of scrutiny. This is not to say that it's guaranteed to be bogus, only that you shouldn't take it as face value without reason to do so.

In summary, this month will be replete with psychological action more than anything. When something as important to a Cancer as family and relationships is up for review, it's going to occupy your thoughts and feelings a lot. In order to not get too stressed over all this mental and emotional activity be sure to work at enjoying yourself in any way that you can manage and emphasize the good times you enjoy with those that aren't issues in your life. A problem person you're close to can overwhelm the positive elements in your life and all the good things you enjoy from those who aren't currently giving you any crap. Therefore, keep an eye on those Cancer moods and don't take out your frustrations on those who are on your side. Make sure they understand that you're not upset with them. When all is said and done, which could be several months from now, you will find that your relationships have changed but in a favorable way. The changes will have occurred largely within yourself, however. Be sure to focus on this sufficiently so as not to expect radical changes in others as the easy way out. If you concentrate on the facts and honest communication as opposed to emotional manipulation and/or emotional blackmail, you'll earn new respect from those in your life and learn a lot about yourself, as well.