NorthPoint Astrology Journal: Your guide to planetary energies for May 25 to 31, 2015 By Pam Younghans

Photo: Fallout from the recent eruption of Chile's Calbuco Volcano
creates a colorful sunset over Rio de Janiero, Brazil
(credit: Helio C. Vital, posted on SpaceWeather.com)

NorthPoint Astrology Journal

Your guide to planetary energies for May 25 to 31, 2015 By Pam Younghans Highlighted Aspects this Week:MON: Sun semisquare Uranus, Venus square Uranus, Mars square Neptune; WED: Mercury conjunct Mars, Sun semisquare Venus, Chiron trine Venus; FRI: Mercury square Neptune; SAT: Mercury trine Ceres, Mercury semisquare Venus, Sun conjunct Mercury, Sun trine Ceres; SUN: Venus sesquisquare Neptune, Sun square Neptune THE PLANETS seem to be toying with us on this last week of May. Our best navigational tool may be simply to remember that "all is not as it seems," especially with retrograde Mercury playing its role of Trickster. Throughout the week, we will benefit most by being flexible and by letting go of our need to have things make logical -- or logistical -- sense. Uranus, the bringer of the Unexpected, starts off the week with challenging aspects to the Sun and Venus on Monday. Restlessness is always heightened with Uranus squares, and we can more easily feel irritable or frustrated when things don't go exactly our way. The Uranus-Venus square, in particular, challenges our expectations within relationships. Venus in Cancer believes that people should always treat each other with great sensitivity and caring, but Uranus in Aries has more of a "me first" perspective on reality. We'll need to be careful to allow each person their rights as individuals, but also understand that beneath the bravado may actually beat a very vulnerable heart. MARS AND NEPTUNE are also square each other on Monday, added to the complexity of our experience as we begin the week. Neptune in Pisces tends to make life a bit foggy or surreal, while Mars in Gemini likes everything to make sense so that a clear plan of action is possible. There's always a lesson of faith involved with a Neptune aspect -- so if things don't go according to plan, our best response may be to accept and allow rather than to try to chart out a new course right away. We'll probably want to follow that advice for the rest of the week as well, since aspects with similar themes continue to occur: Mars aligns with retrograde Mercury on Wednesday, Mercury squares Neptune on Friday, the Sun is conjunct retrograde Mercury on Saturday, and then the Sun squares Neptune on Sunday. ALL IN ALL, this appears to be a good week for making sure we follow the Mercury-retrograde prescription of reviewing and reassessing rather than trying to make clear decisions or changes of direction. The Neptune squares to Mars, Mercury, and the Sun (all in Gemini) may help us be more imaginative than usual, but we're not likely to see facts as clearly as we might like. In other words, this may be a good time to be sketching your ideal house plan, but not such a good time to hire the architect or contractor to do the job according to your specifications. IF WE FIGHT against the fogginess and our seeming inability to progress outwardly this week, we're likely to be frustrated -- but, thanks to helpful aspects involving the dwarf planet Ceres, if we shift our focus, we have some great opportunities to make advances in our personal growth. One of the themes represented by Ceres is that of self-acceptance. With Ceres is currently in Aquarius, our self-worth is enhanced when we fully appreciate our individuality and give ourselves permission to follow our unique path. As we travel somewhat aimlessly down circuitous roads this week, we actually have the opportunity to get in better touch with where we ultimately want our own journey to lead. And, as Ceres trines retrograde Mercury on Saturday, and then trines the Sun on Sunday, we can more easily accept and empathize with others in spite of our differences. If we also extend that same non-judgmental nurturing to ourselves, this week can end up being productive in ways that we never expected.