On May 18th, two of the planets we’re most personally influenced by changed signs on the same day, and together they are painting one of the most nourishing cosmic pictures we have had in a long time.
Mars moved into Taurus (where he’ll stay until June 28th) & Venus moved into Cancer (where she’ll stay until June 13th). Today, May 19th, they form a sextile at 0° of both signs. This is a gentle, harmonious conversation between the planet of desire & the planet of love, right at the first breath of their new signs. It is a beautiful opening note for the planetary conversation that The Lovers want to have with us in the coming weeks.
The universe is asking you to slow down, come home & let yourself receive.
Mars in Taurus: Slow, Steady & Unstoppable
Mars is the planet of drive, desire, action & courage. He’s fast, he’s fired up, & he wants results now. Taurus, ruled by Venus, is calm, patient, sensual & devoted. Taurus lights the candles, cooks a really delicious meal, and slips into something beautiful before to make sure her energy is right before she does the damn thing.
When Mars moves into Taurus, the energy shifts from a sprint to a long, steady walk. What you harness your passion to in this energy feels sustainable, pleasurable, and deeply valuable.
Slow is not weak. Slow is what builds empires.
Mars in Taurus asks: what are you genuinely committed to? What is worth your sustained, devoted effort? This is not the energy of impulsive action or quick wins. This is the energy of the bull who puts his head down & does the work, day after day, because he knows the harvest is coming. The desires that surface under this transit are real ones. The goals that call to you now are the ones worth building your life around.
Mars in Taurus is also deeply sensual & embodied. Your body is asking for more pleasure, more nourishment, more beauty. Honor that. Move in ways that feel good. Eat food that truly makes your senses come alive. Take your time. The divine is in the details of the physical world right now.
One note worth marking in your calendar for: Mars will square Pluto retrograde on May 25th at 5° Taurus/Aquarius. This is a moment of real intensity around power, desire & authenticity. Anything that isn’t genuinely aligned with your values may feel suddenly, unmistakably out of place. Let that clarity be a gift.
This is not the season for half-hearted. Give yourself permission to want what you actually want & go after it, slow & steady.
Venus in Cancer: Come Home to Love
Venus is at home in Cancer, where she feels tender, devoted, protective & deeply, beautifully feeling. She doesn’t want surface sparkle right now. She wants genuine warmth, safety, and the kind of love that feels like a deep exhale & homecoming.
For the next four weeks, we are likely to fall in love with our chosen family & our blood family, toward the spaces where we feel truly held, toward the relationships where we can be fully ourselves. Cancer love is loyal, nourishing & real. It goes soul deep.
Cancer also governs the body, the home & the feeling of being safe in the world. Which means Venus moving into Cancer is not just about the love we give & receive from others. It is a profound invitation into self-love. Are you treating your own body as the sacred home it is? Do you feel safe within yourself? Do you tend to your own needs with the same warmth & devotion you offer the people you love?
This is the season to answer those questions with a resounding yes. Nourish your body with food that feels like a gift. Rest without guilt. Treat your own life, your own space, your own skin with the reverence of someone who knows they are worth caring for.
Say it with me: I am a good person. I am worthy of love. My body is my temple. All of my gifts, wisdom, and talents come from within. The more I take good care of my body, the more these gifts are revealed. I love myself beyond measure. I am worthy of my own love. I receive. I receive. I receive. I love me! (And give yourself a big hug & a kiss on the shoulder).
Venus in Cancer also brings a gorgeous amplification from Jupiter, who is currently exalted in Cancer. These two meet in an exact conjunction on June 9th at 25° Cancer, one of the most genuinely abundant Venus-Jupiter meetings in over a decade. Mark your calendar. The expansive beauty of this combination is extraordinary. Between now & June 13th, your capacity for giving & receiving love, abundance, nourishment & emotional generosity is at a genuine peak. Open your heart wider than usual. Let yourself receive what is being offered.
What does this shift mean for you personally? Check the house based on your Risign Sign to see. If you don’t know your Rising Sign, you can go to astro.com and get your chart for free.
ARIES RISING Mars is lighting up your 2nd house of money & self-worth, calling you to take slow, devoted action toward financial goals that actually matter to you. Venus in your 4th house is wrapping your home & family life in the softest, most nourishing energy. This is a gorgeous time to invest in your space, deepen family bonds & let yourself be held.
TAURUS RISING Mars is in your 1st house, filling you with a steady, embodied surge of energy, confidence & physical vitality. This is your season to move intentionally toward everything you want. Venus in your 3rd house is softening your communication & warming your closest connections. Let your words be an act of self-love right now: speak to yourself the way you would speak to someone you adore.
GEMINI RISING Mars in your 12th house is asking you to direct your energy inward. Rest, spiritual practice & deep inner work are where your power is right now. Venus in your 2nd house is a tender invitation to pour some genuine love into your finances & your sense of self-worth. Treating your money with care & intention is an act of self-love, and it will do wonders for your confidence.
CANCER RISING Mars is moving through your 11th house, energizing your community, friendships & future visions with steady, purposeful momentum. And Venus has just entered your sign, blessing your 1st house with her full love & beauty. This is your Venus return, Cancer Rising, and it is asking you to fall in love with yourself all over again. You are magnetic right now. Let yourself be seen & received.
LEO RISING Mars in your 10th house is calling you to work steadily & devotedly toward your most meaningful professional goals. The slow build is the right one right now. Venus in your 12th house is quietly nourishing your inner world, your dreams & your spiritual life. The self-love practice available to you right now lives in the stillness: in rest, in solitude, in letting yourself simply be without producing.
VIRGO RISING Mars is in your 9th house, fueling a sustained desire to expand your mind, deepen your beliefs & explore. Follow that pull with patience & devotion. Venus in your 11th house is warming your friendships & community with genuine emotional depth. The connections that feel like family right now? They are.
LIBRA RISING Mars in your 8th house is calling you to do the steady, devoted inner work around transformation, shared resources & deep intimacy. What you tend with consistency here will be life-changing. Venus in your 10th house is bringing warmth, grace & genuine care to your career & public presence. You are being seen & it is beautiful.
SCORPIO RISING Mars is in your 7th house, bringing steady, committed energy to your partnerships & one-on-one connections. The relationships worth fighting for are asking for patient, devoted attention right now. Venus in your 9th house is inviting you to fall in love with a new belief, a new philosophy, a new possibility for what your life could look like. Self-love, for you right now, looks like expanding your own sense of what you deserve.
SAGITTARIUS RISING Mars in your 6th house is asking you to build nourishing, sustainable daily habits with real devotion. Small consistent actions are creating big results right now. Venus in your 8th house is bringing warmth & genuine tenderness to your relationship with your own transformation. The most loving thing you can do for yourself right now is to stop rushing your own becoming.
CAPRICORN RISING Mars is in your 5th house, filling your creative life, joy & self-expression with sustained, devoted energy. This is a powerful season to create something real. Venus in your 7th house is one of the most nourishing partnership transits you can experience. Love is asking to go deeper & feel more like home.
AQUARIUS RISING Mars in your 4th house is energizing your relationship with home, family & your innermost foundations. This is a powerful time to create a home environment that truly holds & reflects you. Venus in your 6th house is an exquisite self-love invitation: tend to your body, your routines & your daily rhythms as though they are sacred, because they are. The way you care for yourself every day is the foundation everything else is built on.
PISCES RISING Mars in your 3rd house is filling your mind, your voice & your communication with steady, purposeful energy. Say what you mean. Write what you feel. The words you offer with devotion right now carry real power. Venus in your 5th house is one of the sweetest transits you can experience: love, creativity, joy & romance are all bathed in her warmth. Let yourself play. Let yourself enjoy being alive in this body, right now.
If you’re curious to learn more about how the Astrological energies influence you personally, I have 1:1 Readings available here.
With endless devotion to your eternal empowerment,
Rakai’el
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