The Month the Sky Remembers How to Smile

May 2026 Astrology Newsletter

Vasanta Dāsa 

Dear friends,

If the first months of this year felt heavy, you were not imagining it. February, March, and April brought a sustained compression: Saturn and Mars traveling together, Kala Sarpa Yoga forming and reforming, planets in difficult positions asking difficult questions. Many of you wrote to me during those months. Many of you were tired. Many of you were wondering when the weather would change.

It changes now.

May arrives like the first warm morning after a long winter. The planets are shifting into their places of strength, one by one, like musicians tuning their instruments before a concert. And at the heart of this month, something rare and sacred opens: Purushottama Masa, the month that belongs to the Lord Himself.

Let me walk you through what is coming.

And before we begin — at the end of this letter, there is a small gift waiting for you: a calendar you can import into your computer in a few simple steps, carrying the key moments of May and a gentle note for each one on how to meet the day.

 

The Pressure Lifts: Mars Leaves Saturn Behind 

For much of April, Mars and Saturn were traveling together in Pisces. If you felt as though you were pushing a heavy door that would not open, this is why. Mars is the impulse to move, to act, to accomplish. Saturn is the weight that says: not yet, not this way, slow down. Together they create a frustrating rhythm of effort meeting resistance, desire meeting delay.

Their conjunction was exact around April 19th, and since then the pressure has been gradually releasing. By mid-May, when Mars crosses into Aries on May 11th, the relief will be unmistakable. Mars in Aries is fire in its own hearth. Confident, direct, alive with purpose. After three months of being held back, the energy to act returns, and it returns with force.

If there are projects you have been waiting to begin, decisions you have been postponing, or conversations you have been avoiding, the window from May 11th forward is when the current begins to carry you again. Mars in Ashwini nakshatra (May 11th through the end of the month) adds a quality of swiftness and healing. Ashwini is the star of the divine physicians, the Ashwini Kumaras, and it carries the capacity to restore vitality quickly. This is an excellent period for anything involving the body: yoga, walking, bodywork, physical renewal. The energy is fresh, the direction is forward, and the pace is quick.

A word of balance: Mars in Aries can also bring impatience. The desire to move fast after a period of compression is natural, but it can tip into impulsiveness if you are not watchful. Move with clarity, yes. Rush without thinking, no.

 

The Flower Moon: May 1st 

The month opens with a full Moon in Libra, in Swati nakshatra, on May 1st. Swati is the nakshatra of the wind, of independence, of the seed that is carried to new ground by a breeze it did not plan. There is something appropriate about beginning this brighter month under Swati’s influence: let yourself be carried. After months of effort, this full Moon invites a moment of release. Trust the direction the wind is blowing.

Venus Comes Home, Then Visits a Friend 

Venus begins May in Taurus, her own sign, where she is radiant, grounded, and generous. If you are a Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius rising, this transit forms Malavya Yoga for you, one of the five great planetary yogas, bringing blessings of beauty, comfort, and relational warmth into your life.

On May 13th, Venus moves into Gemini, joining Jupiter. This is a lovely combination: the planet of love and the planet of wisdom sharing the same sky. Conversations deepen. Relationships become more thoughtful. There is a quality of intelligent affection in the air, the kind of love that is both tender and curious.

The Sun: From Exaltation to Steadiness 

The Sun remains exalted in Aries through mid-May, carrying the fire of leadership, clarity, and purpose that has been one of April’s few bright notes. On May 15th, the Sun moves into Taurus, where the energy shifts from blazing initiative to patient building. If Aries says “begin,” Taurus says “sustain.” The second half of the month favors steady, grounded effort over dramatic leaps.

Jupiter Vargottama, and the Approach to Cancer 

From May 14th, Jupiter enters a Vargottama position, occupying the same sign in both the birth chart and the Navamsa. This gives Jupiter unusual clarity and strength, as though his teaching arrives in a voice that is both louder and more precise. For Sagittarius and Pisces risings especially, this is a period where wisdom becomes actionable, where understanding converts into real change.

And then, on June 1st, while Purushottama Masa is still underway, Jupiter enters Cancer, the sign of his exaltation. This is one of the most auspicious transits of the year. Jupiter exalted brings expansion of wisdom, genuine protection, and an increase of dharmic fortune for everyone. His full exaltation will unfold through the summer, but the seed is planted in June, inside the sacred month. Remember this. What begins in Purushottama Masa is said to be imperishable.

Kala Sarpa: The Compression Returns Briefly 

The third cycle of Kala Sarpa Yoga forms between May 11th and May 23rd, when the Moon passes inside the Rahu-Ketu axis and all planets are held between the nodes. By now, you may recognize this rhythm: a period of inner intensity, a feeling of compression, events pulling in one direction with unusual force.

This cycle is shorter than the previous ones, and the surrounding planetary weather is far more supportive. Mars is in his own sign. Venus is strong. Jupiter is approaching exaltation. So while you may feel the familiar narrowing of the corridor, the ground beneath you is steadier now, and the light at the end is closer. Observe the compression without being consumed by it. Let it focus your attention rather than scatter it. By May 25th, when the Moon opens the window again, the pressure releases.

The Heart of May: Purushottama Masa – May 17th to June 15th 

Now we arrive at the centerpiece of this month, and perhaps of the entire year.

What Is Purushottama Masa? 

Every three years or so, the Vedic lunar calendar requires a correction. A lunar month is approximately 29.5 days, which gives a lunar year of about 354 days. The solar year, the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun, is approximately 365.25 days. This creates a difference of about eleven days each year. Over time, the gap grows. When it accumulates beyond one full lunar month (approximately 29.5 days), the calendar inserts an additional month to bring the two systems back into alignment. This extra month is called Adhika Masa, “the additional month.”

In 2026, the Adhika Masa falls from May 17th to June 15th. Astronomically, it is the month in which no Sankranti (the Sun’s transition from one zodiac sign to another) occurs. The Sun stays in the same sign throughout, which is why the month is considered “extra,” it does not correspond to a solar transition.

Seven of these months occur in every cycle of nineteen years. It is the calendar’s way of breathing, of making space for the lunar and solar rhythms to find each other again.

The Month Nobody Wanted 

The traditional lore tells a beautiful story. Each of the twelve months of the year has a presiding deity, a planetary lord, a festival, a purpose. The Adhika Masa, being “extra,” had none of these. The other months looked at him as the unwanted child, the month with no festival, no deity, no rituals. In some traditions he was even called Mala Masa, the “impure month,” a time when no auspicious ceremonies could be performed.

The Adhika Masa, heartbroken and rejected, went to Lord Vishnu for refuge. And the Lord, moved by the sincerity of this lonely month, did something extraordinary. He took the month as His own. He named him after Himself: Purushottama, “the Supreme Person.” And He declared that any devotion performed in this month would be dearer to Him than devotion performed in any other month of the year.

From that moment, the month that had been rejected became the most blessed. The month that had no deity received the Supreme Lord Himself. The month that was considered impure became the most purifying.

There is a teaching in this for all of us. What feels like the extra, the unwanted, the part of our lives that does not fit neatly into the structure, may be exactly where the Lord is waiting to meet us.

The Pandavas and Purushottama Vrata 

The Padma Purana tells us that when the Pandavas lost their kingdom in the gambling match, when Draupadi was insulted before the whole court, when they were exiled to the forest with nothing, Lord Sri Krishna told Maharaja Yudhishthira about the power of Purushottama Masa. He instructed them to worship Him during this sacred month with sincerity and devotion.

The Pandavas followed His instructions. And from the merit they accumulated through observing Purushottama vrata, they regained their lost kingdom, and after living a full and righteous life, they returned to the spiritual world by the grace of Sri Krishna.

This story carries a practical message. When life has taken something from you, when you feel that what was yours has been lost, the sacred month offers a doorway. The devotion you offer here does not merely accumulate merit. It restores what was taken. It heals what was broken. It returns to you what belongs to your soul.

The Gaudiya Vaishnava Understanding

For Gaudiya Vaishnavas, followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Purushottama Masa holds a special intimacy. While some traditions treat the Adhika Masa as inauspicious for worldly ceremonies, the Gaudiya understanding transforms this entirely. Our teachers have explained that the word Mala (impurity) refers to the month’s power to purify. Devotional activities performed in Purushottama Masa quickly and effectively cleanse the heart of contamination caused by sins, ignorance, and offenses.

The presiding deities of this month are Sri Sri Radha-Krishna Yugala, the Divine Couple. This is significant. During other months, various forms and aspects of the Lord preside. During Purushottama Masa, it is the intimate, conjugal form of the Lord, Radha and Krishna together, who receive and bless whatever is offered.

Krishna Himself declared in the Padma Purana that Purushottama month carries all His power to bless his observer, and that his value surpasses all other austerities and religious activities mentioned in the Vedas. Durvasa Muni stated that the glory of all other months combined is not equal to one-sixteenth of the glory of Purushottama Masa.

How to Observe 

You do not need to be a monk or a scholar to observe this month. The practices are gentle, and even a small sincere effort carries immense fruit.

Daily practice: Rise early, ideally during Brahma-muhurta (approximately 1.5 hours before sunrise). Chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. If you have a regular chanting practice, consider increasing it modestly during this month. Even a few extra rounds, offered with attention, carry great weight.

Worship: Offer a ghee lamp to an image or murti of Radha-Krishna, morning and evening if possible, while chanting the Jagannathastakam or any prayer dear to your heart. If ghee is unavailable, sesame oil serves the same purpose.

Hearing and reading: Read from the Srimad Bhagavatam, especially the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan (Tenth Canto). The teachers specifically recommend Chapter 14, the Brahma Stuti, as a daily reading during this month. Listen to harikatha from senior Vaishnavas whenever the opportunity arises.

Charity and kindness: Give what you can, to those who need it. The tradition especially honors the offering of food to devotees and those in need. Even small acts of generosity during Purushottama Masa carry fruit that does not decay.

Truthfulness: Take a vow to remain truthful throughout the month. Be careful not to criticize others, especially those on a spiritual path.

Simplicity: Reduce unnecessary consumption and distraction. This is a month to simplify, to turn inward, to let the heart become quiet enough to hear what it has been trying to tell you.

The essential principle, as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura taught, is this: in Purushottama Masa, the goal of all austerity is to please Krishna. What is not related to the pleasure of Krishna is not real Dharma.

What Makes This Year’s Purushottama Masa Especially Significant 

Jupiter enters Cancer, the sign of his exaltation, on June 1st, while Purushottama Masa is still in full effect. This means that the most auspicious planetary transit of the year begins inside the most sacred month of the year. Whatever spiritual seeds you plant during this window will be watered by Jupiter’s exalted grace for months to come. The combination is rare and beautiful.

The 12-day Pushkar period that falls within the month adds another layer of potency, as Pushkar times are traditionally considered windows of amplified merit for charity, prayer, and pilgrimage.

Navigating May: A Simple Guide 

May 1st: Full Moon in Libra, Swati. Let go. Let the wind carry what needs to move.

May 6th: Mars enters gandanta in Pisces. A brief passage of intensity as Mars crosses from water to fire. Be patient with yourself.

May 10th-11th: Moon joins Rahu, Kala Sarpa begins. Mars enters Aries the same day. The compression arrives alongside the release: hold both with awareness.

May 13th-14th: Venus enters Gemini, joining Jupiter. Jupiter becomes Vargottama. The sky brightens.

May 15th: Sun and Mercury move to Taurus. Steady, grounded energy for the second half of the month.

May 17th: Purushottama Masa begins. Saturn shifts to Revati nakshatra. The sacred month opens its door.

May 25th: Moon opens the window from Kala Sarpa. Relief.

May 29th: Mercury joins Jupiter and Venus in Gemini. Three benefics together, a rare and luminous gathering.

June 1st: Jupiter enters Cancer, his exaltation sign, within Purushottama Masa.

June 15th: Purushottama Masa closes.

A New Offering – The Vedic Sky Calendar 

This month I am trying something new. Along with this newsletter, you will find a a small calendar file you can import into your phone or computer with one click. It will place the key transits and sacred dates of May directly into your daily calendar, each one with a gentle note about what the day carries and how to meet it.

During Purushottama Masa, the sacred month that runs from May 17th through June 15th, the calendar will greet you each morning with a quiet reminder: what day of the sacred month it is, and a small practice or reflection to carry with you. Think of it as a companion walking beside you through the month, whispering softly on the days that matter.

To use it, on your computer, simply download the attached file (here) and open it. Your calendar app (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or any other) will offer to import the events. One click, and the sky is in your pocket. I hope it serves you. Let me know what you think.

Closing 

Dear friends, after the weight of the first four months, May arrives as medicine. The planets are finding their strength. The pressure is lifting. And at the center of it all, the sacred month opens like a lotus, offering you a place to rest, to renew, and to plant the seeds of whatever your soul most deeply needs.

You do not have to do everything at once. You do not have to be perfect. Just begin. Light a lamp. Chant a prayer. Give something small with sincerity. The Lord who took the rejected month and made it His own is the same Lord who takes the parts of us we consider unworthy and holds them with infinite tenderness.

This is the month where nothing offered in love is ever lost.

With warmth,
the servant of the Lord of the Spring,
Vasanta Das