May 1: New York: World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Saturn-Pluto) warns that ‘the agency is facing the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory’ as contributions fall sharply (Saturn) across the board. As donor support dries (Saturn) WHO has revised its financial plans and is scaling back (Saturn) its current spending with severe budget cuts (Saturn) looming. In January 2025 the US, formerly the organization’s biggest funder, pulled out. Saturn was square Jupiter and conjunction Neptune in the sky.
Conflict: In Sudan the ‘horror knows no bounds’ with more than 540 people killed in North Darfur in just three weeks as paramilitaries intensify their attritional battle (Mars) for the regional capital of el-Fasher. Progressed Moon was conjunction birth chart Mars in the Aquarian Age chart; and Mars was opposition Pluto in the sky.
May 4: Oil market report: After a period of relative calm, global oil markets were roiled by a barrage of trade tariff announcements in early April. Benchmark crude oil prices plunged (Saturn) to their lowest levels in four years on a sharp escalation in trade tensions (Jupiter) and the prospect of higher supplies from some OPEC+ countries. Brent futures tumbled by more than $15/bbl, to below $60/bbl, but subsequently recovered to around $65/bbl after the implementation of some of the tariffs was postponed. Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky.
May 5: In America Donald Trump issues a directive to impose a 100 percent tariff (Saturn) on foreign films (Neptune), claiming that Hollywood is undergoing a ‘very fast death’ due to overseas competition; but a White House spokesman said no final decisions on tariffs have been made. Jupiter was square Neptune and Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was square Neptune in the Jupiter cycle.
May 6: Conflict: India launches missiles (Mars) at several locations in Pakistan with several explosions heard in the city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Progressed Moon was conjunction birth chart Mars in the Aquarian Age chart; Mars was parallel Uranus in the sky; and progressed Mars was sesquisquare Moon in the Mars cycle.
May 7: War: In Gaza at least 92 people, including women, children and two journalists are killed in air strikes (Mars) as Israel prepares to ramp up its campaign in the strip. Mars was parallel Uranus in the sky; and progressed Mars was sesquisquare Moon in the Mars cycle.
India and Pakistan are on the brink of war: See their charts progressed to May, 7 2025 – both charts have data updates.
News reports indicate that Hollywood’s movie industry (Neptune) is facing huge difficulties and is in big trouble. Saturn is conjunction Neptune in the sky.
May 8: Religion and trade: In Rome the cardinals elect Robert Prevost – Pope Leo XIV (Jupiter) – to lead the Catholic church (Jupiter-house 9; and Donald Trump agrees to slash US tariffs (Saturn) on British cars and steels as part of a ‘historic’ trade deal (Jupiter) between America and the UK. Jupiter was square Saturn and Neptune in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was inconjunct Sun, trine Saturn and square Neptune in the Jupiter cycle.
Hunger: In Gaza dozens of community kitchens (house 6) shut their doors (Saturn) after the US-based World Central Kitchen charity announces that it had been prevented (square aspect) by Israel from bringing in aid (Jupiter) and had run out of the ingredients necessary to provide much-needed free meals for hundreds of thousands of people in a further blow to efforts to combat growing hunger (Saturn) in the enclave. Jupiter was square Saturn in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was trine Saturn and square Neptune in the Jupiter cycle.
May 9: The US has reported more than 1,000 measles cases (Mars-Saturn) across 11 states in 2025, with the vast majority in Texas. The Center for Disease Control says 14 outbreaks (Saturn) have been recorded this year, with 93 per cent of confirmed cases being outbreak-associated. The WHO observes an 11-fold increase in measles cases in the Americas in 2025 compared to the same period last year. Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky.
May 10: Conflict: Pakistan starts retaliatory military operations (Mars) against India targeting multiple locations in response to ‘blatant Indian aggression’; then the two combatants announce an immediate ceasefire (Venus-Jupiter); and then violations of the ceasefire are reported. Progressed Moon was conjunction birth chart Mars in the Aquarian Age chart and Mars was parallel Uranus in the sky. (Pakistan has Mars in house 7 in its Mars cycle chart).
May 12: Trade and tariffs: The US and China agree to a surprise (Uranus) 90-day pause (Saturn) on reciprocal tariffs (Saturn) with the US dropping (Saturn) its tariff on China to 30 per cent and China lowering (Saturn) its rate on US goods to 10 per cent. Mars was parallel Uranus and Jupiter was square Saturn in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was trine Saturn and square Neptune in the Jupiter cycle.
Peace: In Türkiye the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group (Mars-Pluto) announces plans to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative (Jupiter) with Ankara designed to put an end to four decades of violence (Mars). Mars was parallel Uranus in the sky; progressed Jupiter was parallel Pluto in the Jupiter cycle; and progressed Mars was parallel Jupiter and Uranus in the Mars cycle.
May 13: Arms deals: The US and Saudi Arabia announce a $142bn (£107bn) arms deal (Mars-Jupiter), as well as other investments; and Donald Trump pledges (Neptune) to lift (Jupiter) all sanctions (Saturn) against Syria. Jupiter was square Neptune in the sky; progressed Mars was parallel Jupiter in the Mars cycle; and progressed Jupiter was trine Saturn in the Jupiter cycle.
Legal: In Los Angeles Judge Michael Jesic resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez who are serving life in prison for the 1989 murders of their parents giving a new sentence of 50 years to life making them eligible for parole. See Erik’s chart here and see Lyle’s chart here
May 16/17: Destruction by storm: In America at least 23 people have died after tornadoes caused by severe storms (Saturn) swept through the states of Missouri and Kentucky; and in Argentina heavy rains lash the north of Buenos Aires province causing flooding (Saturn) and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. Mars was sesquisquare Saturn in the sky; and progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle.
May 17: Shipping accident, explosion and helicopter collision: In America a tall Mexican Navy training sailboat, the Cuauhtémoc (Jupiter), loses power and crashes (Mars) into New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge killing two people and injuring at least 19 others. Progressed Mars was parallel Jupiter in the Mars cycle. In California a bomb explosion (Mars) outside a California fertility clinic (Uranus) kills one person and injures four others. Progressed Mars was parallel Uranus in the Mars cycle. And in Finland five people are killed when two civilian helicopters (Neptune) collide (Mars) mid-air near Eura Airport. Progressed Mars was sesquisquare Neptune in the Mars cycle.
May 18: Conflict: In Gaza the Israeli military launch Operation Gideon’s Chariot (Mars) an extensive ground operation aimed at dividing up the enclave and pushing the population out of areas in which it operates; and in Ukraine Rusia launches its biggest drone attack (Mars) with 273 drones targeting the central Kyiv region, and Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions in the east. Progress Mars was square Sun, parallel Uranus and sesquisquare Neptune in the Mars cycle.
May 19: Deal making: The United Kingdom and the European Union (Pluto) cut a breakthrough deal that covers fishing (Neptune), trade (Jupiter) and security (Saturn). Jupiter was square Saturn, square Neptune and parallel Pluto in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was parallel Pluto in the Jupiter cycle.
Agreement: At the World Health Assembly (Pluto) members of the World Health Organization vote emphatically in favour of a potentially groundbreaking (Uranus) global treaty (Jupiter) on improving pandemic preparedness (Saturn). One hundred twenty-four countries voted yes with 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran, abstaining. Jupiter was parallel Pluto; Saturn was conjunction Neptune and Uranus was trine Pluto in the sky.
May 20: Trade: In Britain the government suspends (Saturn) new free-trade negotiations (Jupiter) with Israel due to its military conduct (Mars) in the ware in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent days in a new Israeli ground offensive and starvation (Saturn) is widespread. Jupiter was square Saturn in the sky; and progressed Mars parallel Jupiter in the Mars cycle.
May 21-23: Extreme weather: The mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia experiences a Saturn-Neptune moment with non-stop record-breaking rains (courtesy of climate change), widespread flooding, entire towns swept away, thousands of homes flooded, 50,00 people isolated and massive cattle losses. Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky; and progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle.
May 23: In Japan there’s a ‘rice crisis’ as the price (Jupiter) of its favourite staple food (Moon-house 6) has nearly doubled over the past year amid rising inflation (Neptune) and supply shortages (Saturn). Jupiter is opposition Moon and conjunction Neptune in the current January 2023 Jupiter cycle.
May 25: Conflict and war: In Ukraine 12 people are killed in an attack (Mars) that saw Russia fire 367 drones and missiles (Mars) – the highest number of in a single night since Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Mars was sesquisquare Neptune in the sky; and progressed Mars was parallel Sun and inconjunct Saturn in the Mars cycle.
May 26: Conflict and war: Following Russia’s drone attack on Ukraine on May 25 Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin ‘has gone absolutely crazy’ (he got that right) ‘needlessly killing a lot of people.’ And Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, says that Trump’s comments were ‘connected to an emotional overload of everyone involved’ so there’s no calm reasoned thought going on. Progressed Mars was parallel Sun and sesquisquare Mars in the Mars cycle.
May 27: Hunger and disease: In Gaza thousands of Palestinians – desperate to get food to feed their families (Saturn) – storm (Mars) a controversial US-Israeli aid distribution centre with nearby Israeli troops (Mars) firing warning shots; and in war-torn Sudan 172 people have died due to a cholera outbreak (Saturn) in the past week. Progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle.
Assisted dying: In France lower house lawmakers approve a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for France to become the latest European nation to allow terminally ill people to end their lives. Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky.
Donald Trump’s frustration (square aspect) with Vladimir Putin (Sun-house 7) boils over (Mars) with no Ukraine peace deal (house 7) in sight. In his chart progressed Sun is semisquare birth chart Saturn – the cusp ruler of house 7; progressed ascendant is square progressed Saturn; and progressed Mercury is conjunction birth chart Mars.
May 28: Trade and tariffs: In America the Court of International Trade (house 9-Jupiter) blocks Donald Trump’s tariffs (Jupiter) from going into effect in a sweeping ruling that found the president overstepped his authority (Sun) by imposing across-the-board duties on imports (house 9) from US trading partners. The judges said the US Constitution (house 9) gives Congress (house 11) exclusive authority to regulate commerce (Jupiter) with other countries and ordered the Trump administration to issue new orders reflecting the permanent injunction within 10 days. Jupiter was square Saturn and Neptune and parallel Pluto in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was inconjunct Pluto in the Jupiter cycle.
Fire: Manitoba, in Canada, declares a state of emergency (Mars) and urges thousands of people in northern and eastern parts of the province to evacuate (Saturn) as wildfires (Mars) spread in Central and Western Canada. Progressed Mars was trine Mercury in the Mars cycle; and progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle.
Debt crisis: The Sydney-based Lowy Institute reports that 75 of the world’s poorest countries are grappling with a tidal wave of debt repayments and interest costs to China. They’re due to make record debt repayments of $22bn in 2025 on loans extended in 2013 when Beijing lent billions of dollars to build ports, highways and railroads to connect Asia, Africa and the Americas. In 2025, debt repayments owed to China by developing countries will amount to $35bn. Saturn is conjunction Neptune in the sky.
Elon Musk announces that he is leaving Donald Trump’s administration. Progressed Sun in his chart was square birth chart and progressed Jupiter.
May 28-29: Avalanche and flooding: In the most dramatic alpine disaster in recent years, Blatten in Switzerland, is buried in rock and mud (Saturn), when an avalanche (Saturn) destroys the entire village: and in Nigeria’s northcentral Niger State torrential rains and heavy flooding (Saturn) submerge the market town of Mokwa destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 115 people. It’s an ongoing disaster with the death total expected to rise. Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky; and progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle.
May 30: Trade and tariffs: Donald Trump announces the US will double its current tariff rate (Jupiter) on steel and aluminium imports from 25% to 50%, starting Jume 4. Jupiter was square Saturn and Neptune and parallel Pluto in the sky; and progressed Jupiter was inconjunct Pluto in the Jupiter cycle.
May 31: Hunger: The United Nation’s (Pluto) warns that Gaza is the ‘hungriest place on Earth’ and its entire population is at risk of famine (Saturn) as desperate Palestinians are shot at (Mars), starved (Saturn), and forced (Pluto) from their homes by the Israeli forces (Mars). Progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle; and progressed Sun was opposition progressed Saturn in the UN chart.
Extreme weather: In India’s northeast relentless monsoon rains (Saturn) cause floods (Saturn) and landslides killing at least 30 people. Saturn was conjunction Neptune in the sky; and progressed Saturn was parallel Mars in the Saturn cycle.
Astrology for Aquarius – sharing our knowledge
