PLANETARY NEWS MAY 2026 from Komilla Sutton

ADHIKA MASA
Extra Lunar Month & Spiritual Realignment

After the stresses of April, May is much better, as planets gain their strength and the mood is upbeat and optimistic. Planets are in full dignity, Sun is in Aries and Taurus, Venus in Taurus and Gemini, Jupiter Vargottama in Gemini and Mars in Aries – a powerful message from the planets helping us calm the turbulence of February, March and April. However, Kala Sarpa yoga is still on, and if we allow it to imbalance us, it can spoil the positivity.

The 3rd of the 5 Kala Sarpa Yogas runs from 11 to 23 May. Transit Kal Sarpa Yoga usually brings unsettled political issues and great imbalances. We should be careful not to imbalance our lives, so it is important to make wise choices.

Adhika Masa in 2026 - 17 May to 15 June

Adhika means extra, and masa is a month. Adhika masa is an additional month that appears in the Hindu lunar calendar due to discrepancies between solar and lunar calendars. A year with an Adhika masa means it has 13 lunar months instead of the usual 12.

In 2026, Adhika Masa, also known as Purushottam Maas, occurs from May 17 to June 15. By the time the Adhika masa occurs, the solar and lunar calendars are out of sync. This is a sacred period for devotion, charity, and spiritual practices dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

During the Adhika masa, festivals can be repeated but not celebrated. Often these months are used for spiritual initiations, but are not good for planning any events or Muhurta.

More on Adhika Masa...

What to watch in May 2026

Adhika Masa, an extra lunar month from 17 May to 15 June, is the key month for spiritual works. Read Above.

Sun in Aries and Taurus o– Sun is in Aries, where it is exalted and strong until 14 May. Excellent for Aries and Leo. But all signs point to this transit being appreciated. The Sun moves into Taurus from 14 May to 15 June.

Venus in Taurus and Gemini – Strong and then in a friend's sign – Venus is in excellent transit through May. It remains in its own sign, Taurus, to 13 May, creating positive energy for Taurus and transit Malavya Yoga for Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, bringing many blessings. From 13 May to 8 June, it moves into Gemini and is with Jupiter, keeping up with its optimistic mood.

Kal Sarpa Yoga - 11 to 23 May, this is the third of the five Kala Sarpa, which continues intermittently to 11 July. Kala Sarpa Yoga has the potential to spoil the otherwise great planetary alignment; we all must be careful to keep our lives stable

Mars in Aries - 11 May to 20 June, powerful – After three months on challenging transits with Rahu and Saturn, Mars comes into his own power, own sign and full dignity. Excellent for Aries and Transit Ruchaka/Mahapurusha yoga for Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, giving them immense energy to sort out their problems and come out ahead.

Jupiter Vargottama in Gemini and Cancer - 14 May to 17 June – Great Transit for Jupiter, it is moving towards its exaltation and will be great for Pisces and Sagittarius. Jupiter is moving from strong to stronger, and all of us will benefit,

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MAY 2026 PANCHANGA

Key dates in APRIL 2026 - compiled by Keiko Shanti. (https://keikoshanti.com)

All times listed are UTC (Coordinated Universal Time.)
All times for festivals are for India.
Mean nodes are used.

As we start the month of MAy...

• No planet is retrograde (until 29 June 2026)
• Jupiter is still in its own Nakshatra Punarvarsu (until 18 June 2026)
• Kal Sarpa Yoga is broken by the Moon outside the Rahu-Ketu axis (until 11 May 2026)
• Venus is in its own sign of Taurus
• The Sun is exalted until mid-month