The Aquarian Angel is one symbol of what we need to get along in the next few years. The two versions shown here are Aquarius, from the zodiac in the temple of Denderah; and the Angel of Temperance from the Waite-Ryder tarot. Both figures hold two vessels: the golden chalice of the Sun in the right hand, and the silver cup of the Moon in the left. The Egyptian water bearer's rite honors the river as source of life by pouring two streams of water into

 the soil, while the Water Angel -- an esoteric Egyptian version of the same symbol -- pours the water of life back and forth between the two chalices. The implications are clear: that the water of life will keep flowing as long as feminine and masculine energies are in balance, and that the continuity of life depends ultimately on the resolution of duality into unity.

   This relates directly to the dynamic of friendship that drives and unites Aquarius. Like the other  air signs, Aquarius is a relationship of two; and just as Gemini represents two siblings and Libra the two spouses united in marriage, Aquarius is the bond of friendship, which in at least one way the purest of the three, as it relies for it strength solely on trust, without the bond of a blood relationship or a marriage contract. George Jean Nathan had romantic links in mind when he wrote that "love demands infinitely less than friendship," but his point is well taken. The challenge of Aquarius, now playing in every energy field on Earth, will be impossible to meet alone, but is a glorious opportunity for those who see friendship as an art of linking bodies and souls in celebrating beauty and opening to love.

    More on this artistry of frequencies in the June Mythic Prelude. For now, here are some astral notes on the month that begins today:

5/1: The Double Black Moon begins. While we use the expression Blue Moon for a month in which there are two Full Moons, we have no equivalent expression for a month in which there are two New Moons. The phrase Double Black Moon can serve our purposes here because it sounds dramatic, and we may as well make its acquaintance now, because we will hear it all month from pimps of doom. There are at least two ways to view two New Moons in the same a month: fear addicts see darkness as the curtain of death; beings of love see it as the womb from which light must come. The actuality is that the identity of the New Moon, as agent and announcer of new beginnings, is doubled in a month when the Moon is new twice.

    At this first New Moon in May, the Sun-Moon conjunction in Taurus is the middle leg of a T-square, between Jupiter in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius. The position is apt, as men and women, individually and in communities, may feel squeezed between aggressive Jupiterian governments and Neptunian religious authorities so subtle and slippery that one may wonder where the line between mysticism and trickery is today. After some years of putting up with this, we may be tempted to ask, "So what else is new?" The new element is that from now, we are no longer passively caught in the middle; rather, we occupy it, like a fulcrum point or the center squares of a chessboard, so that we can consciously alter the relationship of those on either side, turning them from adversaries into lovers. "What is at stake," as Thomas Moore wrote in The Soul of Sex, "is peace in the world, the working out of inequalities and irreconcilable differences among nations, and peace in the neighborhood."

    As the month begins at the New Moon, Mercury is retrograde (4/26 - 5/20) and Chiron has just gone retrograde as well (until September). Astrologer Cheryl Niggle writes, "Chiron, . . . paired with Mercury in this backwards mode, suggests that old aches and pains (mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical) may need to be attended to.  In this process, be compassionate, fair, and understanding (with yourself and others) and everything should work out okay. It will also help if you shift your own mode from linear, aggressive, and masculine expression to one of passive, circular, feminine reasoning, as this is more in keeping with the retrograde energies.  Go more with your intuition than your left brain."

5/12: Jupiter in Leo moves within 3° of opposition to Neptune in Aquarius. This dynamic intensifies until the momentous window of June 3 - 4, when Jupiter and Neptune will be in exact opposition right at the time when Saturn enters Cancer, in which he is said to be "in detriment".  More on this next month. For now, the main idea is that where oppositions of creative tension with slower-moving "outer" planets are concerned, the focus is shifting from Pluto, the planet of power and mass movements, secrecy and propaganda, to Neptune, the planet of mystery and spirituality, delusions and dances of all kinds. Some cues to the coming friction are already in play as of this writing (4/27), as American Christians evangelize with unprecedented aggressiveness, even offering water and medicine to parched and bleeding Iraqis -- on the condition that they convert -- while Shiite Muslims in Iraq work to pull off the Ayatollah Khomeini's dream, and the CIA and U. S. death merchants' nightmare, of a double Shiite theocracy in Iraq and Iran. The plot will thicken into a stone soup by the Full Moon.

5/15: Venus enters Taurus, sign of her rulership and power, for a short tour that runs only through June 10. Her splendor will be much needed and appreciate at the Full Moon that comes within the day:

5/15 - 16: Full Moon in Taurus, and lunar eclipse. While the opposition between Moon in Scorpio and Sun in Taurus forms no major aspects with anything else -- apart from a wide conjunction with the Moon's Nodes -- there is plenty of action centered around Neptune, who, as we have already seen, dominates the whole month. Neptune "goes retrograde" at the Full Moon, and will continue this apparent backward motion until late October. In the process of slowing to stasis and then reversing, Neptune spends the entire month within only four minutes of arc, between 13° 7' and 13° 11' Aquarius. This means that anyone born on Feb. 2, when the Sun is at 13° Aquarius, or having other planets on or strongly aspected to that point, will feel the energy of Neptune very strongly this month.

    The feeling will be most intense at the transition point of May 16, because Mars moves into conjunction with Neptune on that day, while Mercury in Taurus forms a square (90° angle) with both planets; and Jupiter in Leo, as we've seen, forms a T-square with the other three planets -- all of this at a Full Moon and lunar eclipse as Venus enters Taurus. You get the complex and beautiful picture, which shows the human soul desire for truth and beauty tangled in ego habits of rationalization, deception and denial. Many liars will be caught in the trap that Alexander Pope had in mind when he wrote that the man who tells a lie must invent ten others to support it. Liars will do their best this month to divert everyone's attention from the trap, or convince us it isn't there, or we should bomb it at once. In times like these it is well to remember that chaos does have the advantage of offering unlimited creative choices.

 5/20: Mercury "goes direct", reversing the trend of his apparent backward motion (since 4/26), and continuing through Taurus until 6/12, when he enters Gemini, the sign he rules. The stasis of Mercury on 5/19 - 20, just before he goes direct, is uncommonly intense, as Mercury will be the middle leg of a T-square between Jupiter in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius. The predictable confusion in Mercury-ruled areas of commerce, communications and transportation will at times have seemed comical enough over the three weeks from late April until now, at least to those who are serene of mind. But expect high farce on May 19, then a dramatic reversal on May 21, as Mercury is direct, and the Sun enters Mercury's home, the sign of Gemini.

 5/31: The second new Moon in May is relatively placid, as befits the marriage season of Gemini month (May 21 - June 20). This New Moon, falling on a Saturday, is favorable for spiritual gatherings, as Neptune has one more dance step left in May: the Sun-Moon con- junction in Gemini forms a trine to Neptune in Aquarius, as it signals a subtle but welcome shift from Neptune as the well of illusions, as he is for much of May, to the clear spring of mystical perception that he is now, at the end of the month. The last day of May is a superb opportunity for awakened beings to align their intentions in the higher frequencies that we have seen above, and prepare for the challenging opportunities coming in early June.

   An annular eclipse of the Sun comes at this New Moon, in the 10th degree of Gemini. It is the policy of this calendar to avoid all reporting and prophecy that may have the effect of stimulating fear, yet it would be irresponsible -- and would perhaps abet the waste of a golden opportunity for exploiting a major window of awakening -- not to cite here Marc Edmund Jones' Sabian symbol for 10° Gemini.

   "GEMINI 10   An airplane falling   This is a symbol of the capacity of man to plunge into experience with a complete disregard of consequences, or to act in full independence of those sustainments which his fellows have accepted as limitation. Implicit in the reversed symbol- ism is an expectation of righting the dive, thus re-establishing control of the flight as suits a conscious purpose. The individual certifies his divine birthright as he remembers that whatever he releases in one aspect he may regrasp in another. The keyword is CRISIS. When positive, the degree is the highly advantageous reorientation of selfhood through every issue, and when negative, defeat through disinclination to lift even a finger in decent self-interest." (The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, p. 218)

    It is better to suggest than to explain how this symbol applies to our current situation. As usual, it is all a matter of one's orientation in relation to the flight. Those who live in fear are dead certain the plane is about to hit the ground. Those who live in love know that when we free others from the sleep of fear and link our intentions, we can and will pull out of the dive. It is time for lovers to grab the joystick in more ways than one. Keep holding that frequency.