Wizard Weekly by Daniel Giamario | May 3, 2026 |
There is much to be aware of and unpack over the next 4-5 days. Themes are diverse and even contradictory. What kind of synthesis can we envision? Though it has passed by now, surely, we must begin with the Scorpio Full Moon, because there is plenty to it that spills over far past the exact Full Moon.
Scorpio Full Moon on May Day, May 1, at 11Scorpio20.
Venus aligns with Aldebaran at 10Gemini07 in the Heart Chakra portal.
May Day, Beltaine, Wesak and Mayday
May Day
A large portion of the world celebrates May 1 as International Workers Day, originating in the 1880s in the United States to celebrate workers rights and the inauguration of a 40hour work week. In the burgeoning rise of socialism and communism in Europe, it also caught on there. Socialist leaning countries with revolutionary pasts hold May 1 in high regard.
Interesting is to note who doesn’t celebrate International Workers Day: the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, New Zealand, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Virtually all other countries do. May Day can inspire activists, but often now, it mainly is a day of rest and leisure. So why are the United States opting out? Should you desire to go down that rabbit hole, here is a video.
Beltaine
The ancient Celtic and pre-Celtic spring rites known as Beltaine are most often celebrated on May 1 on the secular calendar. But many astrologers, including TOTAMS, use the actual mid-point between the Aries Equinox and the Cancer Solstice. This year, that is May 4.
As a pre-Christian tradition with pagan implications, after the arrival of Roman Catholicism, Beltaine became controversial. Originally it celebrated the fecundity of plants and the new growth cycle. It emphasized revelry and embrace of sexuality. Fire celebrations were common to honor the renewal of the Earth. It was a good time for all and a celebration of Life. During the past 50 years, there has been quite a resurgence of interest in this festival. We at TOTAMS offered our Earth Branch free seminar on May 2.
However, it must be noted that “the powers that shouldn’t be” love to invert all that is positive and good, using Beltaine and later Samhain as their favorite times of the year for blood sacrifice rituals. Yes, these folks know astrology well, and keep using it in grossly inverted ways.
Wesak
Adding even more depth and complexity to this Scorpio Full Moon and May Day, is Wesak, often just known as “ The Buddha’s Birthday.” In Buddhist countries, it is celebrated on the Full Moon of May. Here is Wiki’s concise description of Wesak:
Wesak, also known as Vesak, Buddha Purnima, or Buddha Day, is the most sacred festival in Buddhism, commemorating the birth, enlightenment (Nirvana), and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha. Celebrated on the full moon in May, it is a time for reflection on peace, compassion, and kindness, often marked by visiting temples, meditation, charity, and acts of kindness.
Mayday
Meanwhile, there is yet another ingredient in this unpacking of May 1. Apparently it has no relation to the other three mentioned. It is the emergency and distress call of “mayday”, originating from the French m’aider (“help me”).
More To The Mix
This Full Moon weekend has so many ingredients! Themes of activism, celebration and spiritual enlightenment, as well as a warning of great danger and distress. All of these themes come coupled with a Full Moon in Scorpio, the closest Full Moon to the Cross-quarter, uniting Solar and Lunar strengths. From a night sky perspective, the Moon is now poised to enter the balance beam of the Scales constellation, to be weighed to discern whether the Heart is as light as a feather!
Extreme OOB Moon
Yet another extreme OOB Moon occurs May 3-7. This is the last Southern extreme exceeding 28degrees declination in the now concluding Lunar Standstill Season. Expect events, inner and outer, beyond the ordinary meanings of Sagittarius and Capricorn!
Moon Occults Antares
Monday May 4 at 10Sagittarius07
On Monday morning, from the Americas, the currently unfolding pattern of the Moon occulting Antares can be observed. Antares, the Heart of the Scorpion constellation, the so-called “Guardian of the Golden Gate”, helps determine the fate of a soul passing this way: Is it Ascension or is it composting? Considering what has preceded since May 1, this could be really important. In the Hawaiian Moon Calendar traditions, this is also the “Spirit-Walker” Moon.
Beltaine Cross-Quarter
Monday May 4, Sun at 15Taurus
The Moon will be at the Galactic Center, 27Sagittarius13, and cross over it.
Mars Square Jupiter
Monday, May 4, 19Aries30/19Cancer30
The final and larger wave of Jupiter in Cancer is now activated by Mars. Remember that the United States is in its 20th Jupiter Return. What will she do? The old shadow Cancer, or a commitment to a greater, and less imperialistic intention?
Pluto Stationary Retrograde
Wednesday, May 6, at 5Aquarius30Rx
This concludes a long time frame of All Planets Direct. Tuesday through Thursday are strongly impacted by the intensification of Plutonian energies, all related to the overall themes of the “Shadow of Aquarius”, namely AI, Technocracy, the false god of global surveillance, and collectivism without personal sovereignty.
My Thoughts, Concerns and Prayers
I am writing this just as the Full Moon is peaking. Which version or combination of May Day, or Beltaine, or Buddhist wisdom will prevail? Could it be a planetary mayday distress call? Much more may stand revealed over this next week.
In the attempt to discern the meaning and intent of the unfolding inner and outer events using our Three Worlds Approach, the recent ingress of Uranus into Gemini, reminds me of something: One extreme of Gemini is to regard the Truth to be an excuse for a lack of imagination. One can revel in the seemingly infinite versions of Truth. Full Moons can remind us to include the resonant polarity. Gemini needs Sagittarius and its commitment to Truth, Meaning and Purpose. These upcoming Out of Bounds extreme days at the Galactic Center can help inspire a willingness to go beyond the bounds of conventional binary thinking. Uranus demands that of Gemini. The next Full Moon, a second one in May, will be on the Sagittarius-Gemini resonant polarity.
One additional note. In my interest to discern Middle World and geo-politics events, I have recently been discovering and enjoying the Substack The Margins by Richard Revelstoke.
“Skepticism is a Virtue, but risks becoming cynicism … cynicism is a vice.
Faith is a Virtue, but risks becoming belief, this is a weakness.
May we hold skepticism close, may Faith hold us closer,
But let us not belittle the beliefs of others, for although beliefs are legion,
they may lead us to Faith.”
AND FAITH IS ONE, R. Fripp, 2009
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