Cancer Monthly Horoscope

MONTHLY OVERVIEW
Call up your 50 closest friends, Cancer. As the energizing Sun moves through Taurus, your eleventh house of group activity, you're ready to kick up your strappy Louboutins and have a little springtime fun. After a practical, career-driven month, the planets turn your mood light and carefree. The Sun is here until May 20, and go-getter Mars until May 31, urging you to join forces with like-minded and interesting people now.

On May 9, a Taurus solar eclipse could herald involvement with a new group or a collaboration that helps you express your highest ideals and visions. Eclipses bring unexpected changes and developments, so a new friendship can turn into a life-changing connection over the next six months. Though your sensitive sign can sometimes shy away from group activity, you may get an invitation too good to pass up near this date. Just go, Cancer! A cadre of kindred spirits awaits your particular brand of genius, and perhaps you can work together on a humanitarian venture. Tap into the collective power of brilliant minds.

And then, it's back into your shell for a brief intermission. On May 20, the Sun moves into Gemini, your twelfth house of rest and endings. Let's face it: Even friendship and soul-lifting inspiration can be exhausting. Once the Sun nestles into your house of rejuvenation, you're ready to relax. Pencil in some unstructured me-time, where you can take a quick jaunt to the water or even just light candles and soak in the tub. Prepare for your coming birthday by acknowledging last year's victories (relationships that worked, rifts that were healed, heartfelt moments with your coworkers) as well as the stumbles (cringe-worthy miscommunications, botched pitch meetings, unconsciously manipulative missives). Once you're clear, get intentional about the direction you're heading in. Before your next spin around the Sun, tie up loose ends and clear the path for an exciting solar restart.

As you're taking exceptional care of yourself, the month closes with a May 25 lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, your sixth house of wellness and organization. This date could bring some health news or a push to take better care of your body. Maybe you've been, say, struggling with your cholesterol, only to learn that your Mediterranean diet has paid off in a surprisingly lasting way. If the news is concerning, you may decide to completely overhaul your approach to your diet, exercise and wellness habits. This change will be part of your larger life philosophy. Your pals might not even recognize you when you sit down to dinner and pass on luscious BBQ pork ribs. For hints as to what is unfolding now, look back to mid-December, when a Sagittarius new moon sparked events that come together now.

LOVE & ROMANCE
As amorous Venus moves through Gemini, your twelfth house of isolation, hidden agendas and the unconscious, your hands are tied, at least when it comes to a certain romantic relationship. Perhaps a slippery character returns from your past, or someone with whom you need to find closure. Sure, you may have thought you were over that dysfunctional relationship with your ex, only to discover there's still a (dangerous?) spark. And this causes you to review some potentially painful moments, e.g., the suspicion you felt when your ex was heading away on a business trip with his sexy female partner and she texted him before dawn to ask what kind of clothes she should pack.

Now you're able to look past seemingly small annoyances or issues and face the root of your insecurity. Forgiveness is the name of the love game, as you heal old wounds and deal with unfinished business. Instead of grabbing a bottle of merlot and going to vent at your BFF's place, stop and ask how you've contributed to this situation. Maybe you've had blinders on with this person. Codependent dynamics could come to the fore now. There's no shame in any of this, Cancer—just clean up your boundaries. The beauty of all relationships is that they are grounded in choice. You chose this situation. You chose your love interest or partner. And you can also choose to leave, stay, not give, keep your opinions to yourself or, heck, even just be happy no matter what.

This internal process is intensified by shadowy Pluto's retrograde (backward) trek through your relationship house from April 12-September 19. If you've been operating unconsciously out of old patterns or limiting beliefs, you'll be more aware of them now. The May 21 Pluto-Uranus square (a tense 90-degree angle) may highlight a need to revamp your long-term goals as a couple, either creating some inspiring new ones or loosening up your rigid agenda. And if you don't get your way on demand, Cancer? Instead of your usual knee-jerk retreat to your crablike shell, be brave and take a good, hard look at what's really causing you turmoil. If your partner or romantic interest is causing you angst, consider that he or she is probably just mirroring some trait of yourself or showing where you need to do inner work around self-acceptance. The painful truth, Cancer, is that we cannot change our partners. We can only change ourselves.

MONEY & CAREER
Get connected! With the Sun in Taurus, your eleventh house of teamwork and technology, there's power in numbers until May 20. A virtual venture could go viral now, and the ideas you come up with could have real mass appeal. Your intensely intuitive sign can often "feel" the motivations and moods of others. Now you may be inspired to marry your more emotional side with your business acumen, to serve humankind in a groundbreaking way. Perhaps you have an idea for an online venture, to share stories of triumph over adversity with a wider audience. (To get your idealism juices flowing, check out Ode, a magazine for "intelligent optimists:" http://odewire.com/.) Or you get a flash of inspiration for an app that can revolutionize the ways in which people give or otherwise express altruism. If you're not singlehandedly spearheading an effort, you may join forces with like-minded people to pull this off.

On May 9, a potent Taurus solar eclipse can bring a glittering opportunity to collaborate with a new group or association or just to become aligned with a new circle of friends. These movers and shakers whom you meet socially could conceivably further your professional interests. Or, it may happen through osmosis of sorts, since finding your tribe will only boost your confidence in who you really are and what you have to offer the world. (Cancers always feel safer in a tight-knit crew!) This is an incredibly important day for networking, so don't miss any chances to get out and charm the heck out of new (or even old) acquaintances, at a cocktail party or industry event. If you've been working on an online venture, this is an excellent day to launch. You may receive an exciting opportunity to appear on TV, speak on the radio or work with an influential and visionary thinker. Since the eleventh house rules high ideals and big dreams, when this chance of a lifetime comes along, you very well may be thinking, "Pinch me, already!" And no, you're not dreaming.

The inspired change keeps on coming, especially around May 25, when a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius lights up your sixth house of efficiency, systems and the environment. Eclipses bring surprises, so expect the unexpected today! At this turbo-powered full moon, you may receive a new work opportunity or find a chance to get involved with a service-based project, perhaps even one that has a "green" angle. Since most self-respecting Cancers love food, you might appreciate the work of Carolyn Steel, who had an epiphany about the environmental costs of feeding entire cities: http://www.hungrycitybook.co.uk/ Whatever the development in your work life, you're ready to feel more streamlined, organized and efficient. On this change-making eclipse, you might totally revamp your systems, perhaps implementing a new storage method or figuring out a "smarter" way to work, e.g., scheduling regular brainstorming meetings with your assistant while power-walking. No more 3 pm lattes with chocolate chip double fudge brownies for pick-me-ups. It's all about chia seeds and a few laps around the track now!

Since lunar eclipses can also bring endings, a helpful person could be "eclipsed" out of your life—perhaps a longtime assistant, babysitter or service provider gives notice. While this might be somewhat unexpected, the universe is nudging you to upgrade your standards, as opposed to keeping someone around out of sympathy or habit. Instead of clinging to the old way of doing things, realize that the time has come to begin anew. The fresh start inspired by this change will have a nice ripple effect of improving other parts of your life, even if you have to spend some hours training the new person.

HEALTH: MIND, BODY & SOUL
The more, the merrier! With the essential Sun in Taurus, your eleventh house of group activity, your disciplined side, at least when it comes to keeping fit, is best served by gathering your pals to break a sweat. Round up the troops and hit the local volleyball courts. Sign up to train for a charity walk or marathon, so you can have moral support while pushing your limits, Rocky-style, and making a difference for an important cause.

When the Sun moves into Gemini, your twelfth house of spirituality and rest, relaxation is your main priority. Contemplating your divine essence or all that you've been hoping to "wrap up," especially before your birthday, isn't the kind of thing you can just pencil in, e.g., From 3 pm to 4 pm on Wednesday night, I will get right with my place in the cosmos. Um, no. While you do need to carve out some unstructured time, you also need to honor the larger process of unfolding. You also need to just chill out, perhaps by a soothing body of water, and let the mystical vibe drive this ship. Meditate, do yoga and set your sights on closure. Keep your energy focused and don't scatter yourself in too many directions. While you may find it hard to say no to a loved one in need of your sympathetic shoulder, you simply don't have the resources.

The month ends with a May 25 lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, your sixth house of health and fitness. This event marks the end of a three-year series of eclipses on your wellness and healing axis. Chances are, you've come a long way when it comes to owning your choices—to the point where you know playing a victim takes a toll on your physical health—and just taking overall better care of yourself. You could be in a completely new place around the way you treat your body, as well as how you feel about it, too. Perhaps you made working out part of your regular routine. Or if you had been overdoing it, you brought some more moderation into your workouts, letting go of an obsessive need to do, say, type-A Bikram yoga seven nights a week. Perhaps you opened yourself up to alternative healing modalities, including some Eastern and energy medicines. This month's eclipse gives you a final push forward or helps you kick a bad habit. Whether you want to stop smoking, overeating, drinking too much or just plain stressing, this day offers you a real dose of motivation to take control of your habits. Contrary to what you've been telling yourself, that Snickers bar is not calling your name. Neither is the bottle of gin, nor the fatty pork sandwich. Not only can you pass up your vice, but you may be surprised to feel completely at ease with your new wellness choices, acting from a self-sanctioned place. Now, that's a philosophy you're ready to adopt.