New Moon in Taurus | May 19th, 2023 - slow and steady growth, focus on improving your own skill set, focus on creating stable ground in an unstable world, focus on what you already have



On May 19, 2023 at 11:53AM EST the Taurus Moon met the Taurus Sun giving us this month's New Moon - our annual New Moon in Taurus. 


As with all New Moons, the skies are dark. It is the time of beginning. And specifically this is a Taurus New Moon, so collectively about a fresh start with our values, our self-esteem, our finances, our resources, our earned income. 

 

Taurus likes comfort and ease and stopping to smell the roses. This isn't about being lazy. This is about our ability to savor. And to put down roots. The New Moon in Taurus always makes me think about stewardship - the responsible care we take of ourselves, our families, our businesses, our planet.


Before we unpack the chart this month, because nothing happens in a vacuum, we should probably notice this Moon happens within just a couple days of Mercury stationing direct in Taurus, after a retrograde entirely spent in this fixed earth sign, and Jupiter moving into Taurus for the first time in 12 years.  


So, we come to this New Moon in Taurus having been back and forth with something, for many people this something will likely be connected to money, resources or values, and, maybe comforted by what we HAVE or, maybe thinking, we want/need MORE. As in - greater stability, security, money, resources, nurturing, growth. The good news for this 'more' thing is Jupiter has come into town, too, and he is all about 'more'. 


We have also just had TWO New Moons in fiery Aries with Jupiter in Aries. The cardinal Aries energy pushed us to start/get something going. Now, in fixed Taurus, we are tending the seeds that have gone into the ground. THIS IS THE PART WHERE WE ARE SOWING WHAT WE WILL LATER REAP. This is the 'work' part we skip at our detriment later. Remember Mercury is on his THIRD PASS through these early degrees of Taurus, so we might be doing something over again after seeing the flaws in our thinking the problem with those Aries 'fast-moves' and revising/re-doing/rethinking things. 


When we look at the chart for the New Moon we see we have the Moon and Sun meeting at 28 degrees Taurus. This isn't the very end of Taurus, but it's pretty damn close! 


So, the Moon and Sun get almost to the end of the sign before meeting. This is kind of like a relationship that starts at the end. Like when you make a friend on the last week of summer camp. 


It can signify that alot of what this New Moon is about has already happened by the time the Moon meets the Sun. 


The Moon in Taurus has already met up with Jupiter, sextiled Saturn and Venus, met up with Uranus and sextiled Neptune. The only move she has left - and so this move is likely to be a rather important one - is a sextile to Mars, at the very end of Cancer, before she goes void about two hours after the New Moon. 


(of course this isn't REALLY her only move left because we have asteroids and such to factor in AND WE WILL)


Now, let's back up and unpack the chart.


We can see there is quite a bit happening in Taurus. At the time of the New Moon we have - the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, the North Node, Mercury, Vesta and Uranus all in Taurus. 


That's alot of fixed earth!


The Moon and Sun are conjunct at 28 degrees. The Moon sextiles Mars and Neptune. She makes an out-of-sign trine to Pluto. She squares Saturn - a bit wide. She semi-squares Venus. The New Moon/Sun are conjunct Sedna, Phaethon and, of course fixed star Algol. Mercury sextiles Saturn. Venus, ruler of this lunation, is in Cancer and trines Saturn. 


The Taurus New Moon is always an important New Moon because the Moon is exalted in Taurus. AND this year we have Taurus ruler Venus in Cancer answering to the Moon. Venus and the Moon in 'mutual reception' is good news for us. This strengthens both energies since they have a path back to their home signs (this may or may not offset the massive T-Square/Grand Fixed Cross we have going on that I talked about in the weekly, but it certainly HELPS). 


The Moon and Sun are together. Conjunctions are BEGINNINGS. Taurus is fixed Earth. Slow and steady and reliable. This isn't about something sexy/fast. Patience will be required. 


Whatever we are starting now will grow until the Full Moon in Taurus at the end of October. That Moon, the Full Moon in October, is a Lunar Eclipse - the final Taurus Eclipse of the Taurus/Scorpio North and South Node cycle. This will be on October 28th at 5 degrees Taurus which is tightly conjunct where Mercury is now. No doubt, Mercury's recent retrograde and whatever we have been going 'back and forth' over plays an important role with what is starting now and how this all pans out over the next six months. 


The New Moon sextiles Mars and Neptune. Sextiles are opportunistic aspects that require some action. Things don't fall into place like they can with trines, but the energies are lined up in very productive ways IF WE WORK WITH THEM. 


This is about building something. Something real/solid. Neptune pulls in our dreams/intuition/past-life and ancestral inheritance (what is behind us) as well as things like mental health, losses, addiction, art, music, our imagination, spirituality. This sextile is separating/waning/has already happened. 


The sextile to Mars is applying/waxing/growing. Hasn't happened yet. The Moon sextiled Mars a few hours after the New Moon, but the Sun won't get there until Monday and by then the Sun will be in Gemini and Mars in Leo. This tells us new choices/ideas/information will have a role to play in our New Moon fresh start. Things are going to get BUSY. Mars in Leo brings the drama. The Moon makes this sextile in earth and water - making the dream real, creating something solid/growing over time/lasting. The Sun makes this sextile in air and fire. This is hot and explosive and fast and takes off like a wild fire on a windy day. For the Moon and Sun to BOTH get an applying sextile to a planet with such a late degree New Moon, both the Sun and the planet involved - in this case Mars - need to change signs at nearly the same time. What is the chance of this happening? We need and get some air! We need and get some fire!


With Mars in Cancer right now this speaks of the collective 'opportunity' coming through home, family, mother, nurturing (ourselves and others), actions taken in defense of someone smaller/less powerful - and remember Mars is about to move into Leo and smack into a square with Pluto, which makes me think of situations where one person/group has all the power. Either we are holding alot of cards or we are empty handed. The future opportunity coming through Mars in Cancer brings some natural gentleness to whatever is started now. We'll just want to check ourselves for moodiness and neediness and then we start attracting the wrong things or what we attract can't get as sticky as it could if our emotions were steady. Although Mars is not totally effective in Cancer and he is at the 'hail mary play' 29th degree of the sign, Mars in Cancer is answering to the Moon, exalted in Taurus and in mutual reception with benevolent Venus which is good/stabilizing/comfortable. Again, when we see a problem there is another energy helping to offset it.


Venus is trining Saturn, pulling in smooth situations with authority/our own authority as well as the Pisces stuff we talked about for Neptune. This is a water trine - emotional, smooth. 


The only EXACT aspect today, other than the Moon/Sun conjunction, is Mercury's sextile to Saturn.


More Taurus/Pisces. MORE MAKING THE DREAM REAL. Mercury/Saturn. Words that are stabilizing. Commitments. Conversations with authority. Signing on the dotted line. 


This could also speak of solid things that get worn away over time. While Saturn is in Pisces, authority/the underpinnings of things are weak/wet/sitting in water. Can sag under the weight of it all. Maybe the opportunity comes through what is no longer in our way or holding us down. Maybe the opportunity birthed from this New Moon comes through OUR ROOTS/the past. 


The New Moon is conjunct Algol, Sedna and Phaethon. 


Phaethon speaks of situations where we take hold of reins we are ill-equipped to handle with negative consequences. There's a warning about taking on something we are not ready to do. Sedna's story is very rich and about alot of things, but one thing she is an avatar for is our fear of missing out and the greed that creates. She also speaks of situations where we 'know-but-don't-know". We don't want to look too closely at something that appears really good. There is a narcissistic wounding at play, through father figures, in both their stories. That might mean something now. 


And, I have connected Algol - the fixed star at the eye of Medusa/off with her head energy - to algorithms before, which, of course distort reality and control our attention and have all kinds of unintended - or intended - negative consequences since this 'we impact life through our attention' is actually how energy works. Are we taking in everything the algorithm is feeding us or can we still make smart/solid choices that are best for us in a sea of noise designed to make us feel/see/want what we are missing? The conjunction tells us all these energies are a part of this New Moon. Smashed into whatever we are starting or what is naturally beginning. This isn't meant to stop us. It adds some flavor to the pot and knowing those particular spices are in there will aid us as we move forward. 


This is making me think of the kind of overwhelm that keeps us stuck/standing still. And Taurus is fixed Earth. More to think about. 


If we look carefully at this chart we can see that we have both a Yod/Finger of God and a Mystic Rectangle. The Yod speaks of a fated mission and involves stress and pressure since there is no point of balance here and pushes us to act against our nature in order to resolve things and I would suspect could act as a kind of 'tipping point' to press us to see the thing we 'know, but don't want to know'/deal with what we have been avoiding ie that elephant we have pushed under the carpet and have maybe been stepping over for years or even lifetimes.


The Mystic Rectangle is magical and pulls in the Galactic Center/homing signal energy. Gives us hope for this whole damn thing to be more than what it appears to be. Maybe gives us the ability to pull a rabbit out of our hat. Make something more than mud pies with all this water and earth. 


To bottom line this one, our Taurus house is where we are getting the fresh start.- and if you read my Jupiter into Taurus post and know your rising sign, you should have some idea of the theme of this house, collectively this will be about money, resources, our values, our comfort, our stability. Keep in mind this is most likely the next step with whatever we started last month. This month the step will be physical things. This isn't about 'thinking about' doing something. Mercury has been back and forth through Taurus already and Mars is about to enter Leo. This will be about what we actually HAVE TO DO to make the Aries New Moon stuff REAL. Our Cancer house brings an opportunity to the fresh start energy. This will be different for each of us. Collectively the 'opportunity' comes from home, real estate, home business, family business, mother, mothering, our maternal story/our maternal line, something from our childhood, something connected to our roots. And this is Mars, so the sextile is about ACTION.


And now that I've said all that it is important to keep in mind this whole thing could be overshadowed by the current volatile energies including Mars coming into Leo tomorrow and opposing Pluto and applying to square Jupiter. This can bring intense conflict and power struggles, so we want to have our eyes open right now. Let's not step into any landmines we could have seen coming (Mercury on his/her third pass through Taurus). It will be easy for our pride to be hurt here, so we want to keep our eye on the prize - what we really value - that simpler, more stable, more abundant future we are BUILDING. There are things we can't control and we are just going to have to face that and do the best we can with what we have.


In the end, Taurus is all about what we already HAVE. 


It's not so much the seed that goes into the ground, although it can be that, as it is the rich/dark soil that seed is going into. How are we tending our patch of earth? What do we value? What skills do we have? What resources do we have? How and what can we build on the ground we already OWN?


This is our last New Moon with almost all planets direct. And we have an exalted Moon in mutual reception with Venus and sextiling Mars. AND we have an older/wiser Mercury in sextile with Saturn. This is probably one of the best New Moons of the year despite all the intense squares and oppositions we have going on right now. Keep your head in your game. Keep your face in the light. With Pluto so active and ruling the South Node, the shadows are very seductive. Know your worth and what you value. Focus on the slow and steady growth. Focus on improving your skill set. Focus on making YOUR ground stable in this unstable world. 


I hope something here is helpful.


xo all

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