May: Stage 5 of the MARI Mandala. Change is in the air

Welcome to May, the fifth month of the year, and to Stage 5 of the Great Round in the MARI Mandala.

I have been sitting with this stage and noticing how different it feels from Stage 4. If Stage 4 is about emerging, Stage 5 feels like assertion. Not loud, necessarily. Not forceful for the sake of force. But a clearer sense of self. A growing awareness of what needs protecting, preserving, and tending.

When I think of Stage 5, I think of that moment when something in us begins to know itself as distinct. There is a deep instinct here around self preservation, self protection, and self defense. It is the beginning of recognizing, in a more conscious way, what is mine, what matters to me, what belongs with me, and what does not.

In the MARI, Stage 5 is called The Target, and I find that name so evocative. It holds both focus and vulnerability. There are times in this stage when I can feel more centered and clear, more aware of patterns, rhythms, and rules. I can sense what is for me and what is not. But I also know this stage can bring an awareness of exposure. Sometimes it feels like being seen. Sometimes it feels like being under pressure. Sometimes both.

This is one of the reasons I find Stage 5 so human.

As adults, this stage can show up in subtle but powerful ways. I may want more alone time. I may feel drawn to a ritual or routine that helps me feel steady. I may become more protective of my energy, my time, or the things I am nurturing in my life. There is often a desire here to create a container, something that helps hold what is still forming.

Stage 5 is also associated with the Explorer, and I love that pairing because this stage is not only about defense. It is also about movement. Freedom. Curiosity. Expansion. Adaptability. There is something in us that wants to reach outward and discover, while another part is learning what creates safety and integrity. That tension feels very real to me. The wish to explore, and the need to protect. The impulse to expand, and the necessity of boundaries.

Like every stage in the MARI, this one has both light and shadow. Since the MARI draws from Jungian thought, I always come back to the understanding that the shadow is not something bad. It is simply what has been pushed away, ignored, or hidden. It lives in the dark, but it does not disappear. It waits. It asks for attention.

I think that is part of what makes Stage 5 so profound. It asks us to become more discerning, but also more honest. What am I defending. What am I avoiding. What am I protecting because it is precious. What am I protecting because I am afraid.

To me, this stage often feels like a search for center.

There is a movement here away from the paradise of the unconscious and toward autonomy. Toward separateness. Toward being in relationship with what is outside of us, with the other, with the world. That is no small thing. It is part of development, but it can also feel tender and disorienting. There is a loss in it, and there is also growth.

I think that is why this stage can express itself in so many different ways. Some people may feel more defended here, more disciplined, more drawn to order, precision, or control. Some may feel the pressure of expectations, their own or others’, and long simply to be. Some may become more ritualistic, more attached to what is familiar, and more overwhelmed by change. I can understand all of these responses as intelligent efforts to stay connected to oneself while something important is shifting.

The mythological associations of Stage 5 are the Witch and the Magician, and I find that deeply resonant. There is something ritualistic, transformative, and even alchemical about this stage. I often think of the alchemist’s vessel, sealed tightly, where pressure builds in service of transformation. That image helps me. It reminds me that pressure is not always a sign that something is wrong. Sometimes pressure is part of becoming.

Growth can feel beautiful, but it can also feel vulnerable.

In Stage 5, something has broken ground. Something in us has come out into form. It is no longer hidden in the same way. And because it is more visible, it may need protection. That feels important to me. We are not defending ourselves here simply out of fear. We may be protecting what is still tender, what is still taking shape, what is not yet ready to be handled carelessly.

In this stage, we protect what we are becoming.

I also appreciate that the fifth month carries numerological meaning. In numerology, 5 is associated with the explorer, with freedom, curiosity, transition, and movement. That mirrors Stage 5 so beautifully. There can also be escapism here, or restlessness, which reminds me that every gift has its shadow. The invitation is not to judge that, but to notice it with compassion.

For me, May and Stage 5 ask this gentle but powerful question. What is asking for my protection right now.

Not everything needs to be pushed. Not everything needs to be shared too soon. Some things need time. Some things need boundaries. Some things need ritual, patience, and care.

And maybe that is part of the wisdom of this stage. To become more aware of what is mine to tend. More honest about what I am ready for. More willing to create the conditions that support real transformation.

May asks me to honor what is emerging by protecting it with love.

With warmth,

About the author

Mari Grande is a licensed Creative Arts Therapist, coach, and founder of Creative Healing Integration, Inc.
Through The Mandala Corner and her coaching programs, she helps people reconnect with creativity, clarity, and healing in everyday life.