The lunar eclipse of May 2023 is about to shake things up - whether you're ready or not. Lunar eclipses arrive about twice a year and are like extreme Full Moons. Solar eclipses are as frequent and are extreme New Moons. Their gift to us is that of a new perspective, giving us a fresh way to look at things and help us get closer to our goals.
The third and final lunar eclipse in Scorpio falls on the Full Moon in May 2023 and is four days after Pluto retrograde 2023 begins. Don't forget that We’re still in the midst of Mercury retrograde April 2023 when this eclipse hits, so many aspects of our lives already feel as if they’re on shaky foundations, and progress appears stilted. The eclipse can push us forward if we let it. Don’t let retrograde anxiety block you from accepting the eclipse’s blessings.
Last year’s Lunar eclipses were both in Scorpio. If your chart happens to include Scorpio, then Scorpio’s position in your personal chart would be part of your life that experiences the most profound change.
When is the lunar eclipse May 2023?
The lunar eclipse comes with the Scorpio Full Moon May 2023 on May 5, 2023 at 1:34 PM EST.
If you're aware of the cosmic effects of eclipses in astrology, you may be prepping for a lot of stuff to happen. Last year’s eclipses were all in Scorpio and Taurus. This means that, individually for each person, the chart placements that include those signs would have gone through some profound transformations.
This month’s eclipse is in Scorpio, so the effects will center around themes of truth and ambition with a smattering of courage.
What are solar and lunar eclipses?
All eclipses are obstructions of light. When one planet is passing through the shadow of another planet, we have an eclipse.
When there’s a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. The Moon blocks the light of the Sun so that it doesn’t reach Earth, and so we can’t see parts of the Sun from Earth. This would be a solar eclipse. It will always happen during the New Moon.
A Lunar eclipse happens when the moon is itself obscured in the Earth’s shadow. Those can only happen during the Full Moon. When Earth is positioned exactly between Moon and Sun, the Earth’s shadow falls upon the Moon, obscuring it, dimming it, or changing its color.
Eclipses are like Martinis, one ain’t enough and three is too many.
Solar and lunar eclipses always come together, with about two weeks between them. Since the solar one is always on a new moon and the lunar is always on a Full Moon, they straddle the fortnight between the two events.
On 20 April we had a solar eclipse in Aries, and on May 5 2023, we will see an annular lunar eclipse in Scorpio.
When is the lunar Eclipse May 2023?
The first solar eclipse in Aries is on April 20, 2023 - an important date in your astrology 2023 calendar. This eclipse doesn’t arrive on its own – it comes into our lives just a day before the Mercury retrograde in Taurus.
The eclipse happens when the sun and the moon are in Aries and the time of the eclipse is also the time of the New Moon in Aries. Shortly after, the Moon moves into Taurus. Not long after that, the Sun follows it into Taurus.
The following day, Mercury goes retrograde, also in Taurus. If you’re a Taurus and you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all the attention, that’s fair.
What happens in an ECLIPSE DURING MERCURY RETROGRADE?
Mercury retrograde April 2023 kicked off just after the New Moon April 2023 and the solar eclipse April 2023. April’s solar eclipse was a mere hours before the start of the Mercury retrograde in Taurus, and we’re still knee-deep in this retrograde when the lunar eclipse takes place.
There can be an awkward tug-of-war between the two, as the Mercury retrograde loves to shove us off-course, whereas the lunar eclipse does everything in its power to send us back on the right path.
Courtesy of Mercury, communication errors can throw us off. A misjudged letter to the boss, a typo when ordering plane tickets, uneasy moments, retrograde style, will appear. Apologize to the boss on eclipse day, call the airline’s customer services on eclipse eve, and you’ll see how easy it is to right those wrongs.
Lunar eclipse May 2023 horoscope
Read on to discover how the lunar eclipse May 2023 will affect you, depending on your star sign. For the most accurate reading, look at your sun sign moon sign, or rising sign according to your astrology birth chart.
Aries
In life, the only constant is change, and those words are doubly true for you, the first sign of the Zodiac. You love new beginnings, and this Lunar eclipse will make them possible! You marvel in keeping active, and dislike grown-up life which demands that you slow down. The lunar eclipse May 2023 is a great opportunity to start a new exciting hobby, or book a sporty holiday.
Taurus
This eclipse happens during the Taurus Full Moon, and will be massively influential personally for you. Your peaceful nature is often tested because nobody is quite as chilled out as you. So many times you find yourself having to behave in a more active way, to fit in with the rest of the world. As the lunar eclipse May 2023 arrives, your peace sweeps over everyone else, and you feel like you can be yourself all the time.
Gemini
Communication is your gift and your hobby. As a career, Gemini jobs are talkative ones – entertainment, IT, sales, and phone work. And for a hobby you’ll do poetry, acting, podcasting, and murder mysteries. Hobbies have had to take a back seat, and the lunar eclipse May 2023 will bring them back to your everyday schedule. Watch your days fill up with fun communication activities.
Cancer
It’s a lunar eclipse is extra special for you, as you are ruled by the magnificent Moon. At the risk of sounding not very exciting, your interests in life include family, emotions, conversations, and reading alone. Life tends to get in the way, and you don’t have enough solitary time to do your own thing. The eclipse will fix that, and you’ll get to schedule more family moments and intimate evenings with your nearest and dearest.
Leo
Societal expectations are confusing to you. Humility is respected, but so is a can-do attitude. People love you when you have a big personality, but they feel more comfortable when you make yourself small. Those dichotomies make it hard to know how to be your full and true self – and the lunar eclipse May 2023 is here to help you. Taking bold action will feel natural, and you will feel fearless.
Virgo
You are ruled by the planet Mercury, which at the moment is going retrograde, so your neat and organized life is suffering some unexpected complications. Since the lunar eclipse May 2023 pushes you towards your true self, you’ll find that the emotional fortitude needed to help you find balance again, appears in your life, and you manage to get out of your own way and take bold steps towards achieving your goals.
Libra
A calm and friendly life is all you want, and the past few months have been hectic. You couldn’t figure out what exactly you could cut out of your commitments so that you can have some rest time just for you - and this is what the lunar eclipse is bringing. Some changes around work and home life will allow you to factor in some self-care moments soon, which will change the way you approach your routine.
Scorpio
Your goal in life is to achieve powerful connections with people, to live your deepest desires, and to be able to make every decision with passion and verve. The lunar eclipse May 2023 gets you closer to that goal. You’ll sense more acceptance and understanding from others, which will empower you to make choices that benefit you. This eclipse in your own sign doesn’t let you get in your own way.
Sagittarius
Freedom of everything is at the heart of all that you do and all that you are. Freedom of expression, freedom of travel, and freedom from financial constraints. If you get caught up in real-world drama, it’s not for you. A boring life can never satisfy the Sagittarius mind. This eclipse gives you a push in the right direction – a job offer abroad or a creative opportunity, something is coming to remind you who you really are.
Capricorn
You enjoy the ups and downs of corporate life – the intrigue, the exquisite salaries, the shiny buildings and high stakes. But you’ve got your own needs too, and you get caught up in all the work drama and forget yourself. The lunar eclipse May 2023 will bring you to a point where you don’t need to choose, you’ll be able to heal yourself, and at the same time earn well.
Aquarius
You heal through words. Writing, creating, speaking, songwriting and even teaching, are all actions that help you become the best that you can be. You have a deep-seated need to help others, and you feel that by helping the less fortunate, you are also helping yourself, but you must learn to put yourself first. The lunar eclipse May 2023 helps you find your own worth again, and use your language to heal yourself, and then also others.
Pisces
You live life with the goal of having amazing relationships and experiencing extraordinary spiritual growth, and you feel as if you’ve been distracted of late, focusing more on earnings and looks, and other elements which you love but are not your primary reason for existing. The lunar eclipse will help steer you straight again, putting your creativity and spiritual evolution at the front.
