New Moon, New World, New Opportunities.
Earth Day is here, the Venus retrograde looms, a loose stellium is rolling through Aries and Taurus, there is ongoing pressure from the outer planets, and the global pandemic still rages. Combined, these give you an opportunity to create a whole new understanding of yourself and new relationships with others.
Are you ready for that?
Not sure?
I can help.
It starts with your dreams and visions
and then you chart a course from there.
Here are some helpful insights...
The Spirit of Taurus
Welcome to the Taurus new moon—and, thanks to COVID-19, a brave new world that is evolving at a predictably unpredictable rate. Of course, all new moons represent opportunities for fresh starts and new beginnings, the key is knowing which opportunity take. And making peace with it. Sometimes you have more options and opportunities than others; usually you have more than you realize. Let’s take a look at what this particularly relational new moon has to offer.
The overarching theme of the last new moon (in Aries) was exploring and expanding your understanding of yourself as a soul. The overarching theme of the Taurus moon is exploring and understanding yourself in relationship to other. And others. Granted, figuring out where the proverbial “I” leaves off and the proverbial “you” begins is part of what defines the human condition. While we all struggle with that from time to time, we are ALL struggling with it now. So give your particular version of the debate the time and attention it deserves.
Not sure where to start? Here’s an idea. Chronologically speaking, Taurus is the first of the earth signs, today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and the earth is currently undergoing both an ecological crisis and a global pandemic. So clearly our individual relationships to and with Mother Earth—Gaia, Pachamama—must change. Now is the perfect time to reexamine your relationship to her, to look at the ways you can level up, while we are we are all staying home and the earth has a rare moment to recover. In your prayers and meditations, ask for guidance on actions you can take to reduce your impact on the planet even further. What good and services should your switch to or from? What ways of being should you adopt or abandon? These are very personal choices, and now is a good time to make them.
Each sign governs a vast realm. Ruled by Venus, the realm of Taurus is that of the divine feminine: beautiful, sensual and sensuous, and stubbornly fixated on creating harmony and balance in ways that serve the highest good of all involved. On a good day, Taurus rules the selfless heroism of the doctors, nurses, hospital and grocery store workers, the teachers, and other essential service providers who are risking their lives for untold numbers of people they do not know.
As the second sign of the zodiac, Taurus rules the developmental-age range of two to four years old. So on a bad day, Taurus is like a small child in the middle of her terrible twos, who has just learned the word No.
The lower octaves of Taurus look like our self-serving politicians: those who have lost sight of their sacred trust, who are indifferent to the plights of their constituents, and who would rather watch their constituents die and risk their lives than listen to or work with anyone from another party.
Let’s make it a good day.
Not a Taurus? No worries. Everyone has Taurus somewhere in their natal chart. If you don't already know where yours is, now is a good time to find out. And here's why: where Taurus lives in your natal chart is where you are the most capable of being grounded and calm, serene and emotionally steady, reliable, dependable, and extraordinarily graceful and gracious with the most awkward of people and in the most uncomfortable situations. So give yourself a lot of time and space this month to rediscover that aspect of your psyche and your soul, and then find a way to give her more freedom of expression in your daily life and relationships. Not in a megalomaniacal, narcissistic way; but in a way that demonstrates a healthy grasp of the delicate interplay between self and other.
As you do, remember that Taurus rules love, and it loves fiercely. It is absolutely hell bent on carrying your karma forward, healing your deepest wounds, and expressing your greatest gifts. Especially your karma around love and relationships. Right now, Taurus has us all searching for relationships of greater depth and meaning. Most of us are just waking up to the fact that we don’t need 7,000 Facebook friends and followers. We need a small handful that are right as rain, who are there with us through thick and thin, and with whom we can love and be loved unconditionally as our authentic selves, free—or freer—from masks and projections.
The challenge of the Aries new moon was to determine which lane was yours to drive in. The dilemma of the Taurus new moon is determining how to stay in your lane. Adding to the complexity is that Venus, the planet that rules Taurus, retrogrades on May 12th through June 24th, and Venus goes direct during a Mercury retrograde. We are well into the prelude period for the Venus retrograde now. This will be a massive opportunity to clean up relational karma within yourself and with others. Easier said than done, I know. But it is why you are here. Remember, the answers lie in your faith, your relationship to spirit, not in your intellect or your physical strength. So don’t skimp on your prayers and meditations, gratitude exercises and spiritual best practices. Listen, lean in, and rise to the occasion—or at least find some way to start listing in that general direction. And if you get stuck, call me. We’ll figure it out.
Calendar
Following are some dates to be mindful of and some generic wisdom about them.
April 19 – Sun enters Taurus; Orthodox Easter
April 22 – New Moon in Taurus; Earth Day (50th Anniversary)
April 23 – Ramadan begins
April 25 – Pluto retrogrades in Capricorn
April 27 – Mercury moves into Taurus
May 1 – May Day; Beltane
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 7 – Full Moon in Scorpio, also known as the Flower Moon, the Milk Moon, the Dyad
Moon, and the Corn Planting Moon
May 10 – Mother’s Day
May 11 – Saturn Retrogrades in Aquarius; Mercury moves into Gemini
May 13 – Mars moves into Pisces; Venus retrogrades in Gemini
May 14 – Jupiter Retrogrades in Capricorn
May 20 – Sun moves into Gemini
May 22 – New Moon in Gemini; Ramadan ends at sunset
May 25 – Memorial Day
May 28 – Mercury moves into Cancer; Shavuot begins at Sunset
Everybody’s natal (birth) chart is different. These differences reflect our individual souls: their journeys and evolution, their triumphs and their tragic flaws. As such, the specific impact of each of the following dates will hit each person differently. But there are some general themes.
Holy days, holidays, and astrological transits are opportunities for us to experience grace. But remember how grace happens: sometimes it comes through discomfort. The gifts aren’t always immediately apparent. All of the days on this list ask you to be more compassionate with yourself and others, to try and be more awake, and to be more open to synchronicity and messages from Spirit. On days when more than one astrological event, holiday or holy day occurs, know that the power of that day will be even more profound. The more events in a day, the more powerful that day is, and the more intentional you should be.
Again, in general, Full Moons are a good time for ending things, wrapping things up, conclusions and closure. New Moons are opportune times for new beginnings: starting a new chapter of some aspect of your life, tackling a new project, or launching something new. Retrogrades are always about slowing down and paying more attention to aspects of your creative, spiritual, and social lives. The eclipses always reveal: sometimes it is something others have hidden from you, sometimes it is things you have hidden from yourself, usually it is a little bit of both. To go a level deeper, look to the planetary signs, the houses they fall in, and, of course, to your natal chart. Or give me a call. I can help you with that.
Retreats, rituals, services, ceremonies and journeys: As always, choosing the best day or days is a very personal thing. You have to feel your way into it. But there are some generic rules that can help you in your decision-making process. Full moons and new moons are considered the best. Holidays and holy days are as well. Full moons and new moons that occur during or over a period of holidays and holy days are extraordinarily powerful.
Factor in a retrograde or two and you pretty much cannot avoid leveling up and becoming a much more masterful magician. Especially around anything that has to do with your faith, your trust in it, your ability to serve your faith and serve with it. Seriously.
With that in mind, in the next month, the best days for deep, transformational experiences are these: April 22 - 25, May 1, May 7, May 11 - 14, May 20 - 22, and June 5.