5:22 pm  AHST  05/07/2024
    8:22 pm    PDT  05/07/2024
   11:22  pm    EDT  05/07/2024
   3:22 am   GMT   05/08/2024

This New Moon in Taurus (Sun and Moon conjunct) has a lot of company to reinforce the Taurean vibe this month. Venus is in Taurus less than 8 degrees away, while the all-important Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Taurus is 3-5 degrees away from this New Moon. This makes this New Moon cycle a signature for the coming changes that the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction is initiating.

Like all major conjunctions of this type (this one takes place every 14 years) the effects begin here and will go on for quite a few years. Though the nature of Uranus’s energy is its unpredictability, we can safely say that new ideas, and new beliefs that emerge suddenly are on the table for everyone, for humanity in general, particularly with where the evolution of human society is at right now. Despite the horror of our daily news, we can take heart that change in new directions is on the way. Taurus rules the Earth and its sweet, pleasurable fecundity is the very stuff of our bodies, it’s the essence of our physical Life Force. But like any animal or plant, if we don’t treat it with respect and kindness, it will turn on us, wither and no longer sustain us. Jupiter/Uranus brings us deep awareness of what right action means, in terms of our own bodies and the Earth body as well.

We can see from the chart that the cluster of most all of the planets in our solar system are within 60˚ of each other (both in Aries and Taurus) which is the First House and Second House emphasis. This is a strong forceful statement by the cosmos that we are dealing with two areas of life, concerning 1) our identity (who are we? is this what we call humanity?) and 2) our values, (will we let money, power and greed rule our bodies, our lives, the very health of the biosphere?). Again, it’s a billboard sign question the Universe is throwing at us, to see if we’ll listen and act.

Just a few days ago, Pluto began its yearly retrograde turnaround, when it will go from futuristic Aquarius, back into that big, bad, old Capricorn emphasis for a few months. This is a finishing up of the cycle which began in 2008, of exposing (Pluto) the graft and corruption worldwide in how we run our governments (Capricorn). This is the final flourish of Pluto’s retrograde in Capricorn, to conclude old business. It will turn direct, interestingly, on Labor Day in the US (are we paying attention to the symbolism?) and then travel over the remaining final degrees of its Capricorn passage—which includes US Election Day—before finally leaving that sign for the remainder of the lifetimes of everyone now alive. With Pluto in Aquarius, the focus turns away from top-down structures of authority, and toward values which benefit the people. That passage will last almost 20 years.

With all these planets now in Taurus, and no challenging angles in this chart, we are encouraged to take time this Moon cycle to rejuvenate the worn-out, tired, needing repair and sustenance parts of our lives, Taurus holding symbolically the essence of physical comfort and grace. Venus in Taurus, too, asks us to connect with the music that heals us, the art, movement, creative interests that are less driven by need to produce and accomplish, and are more about experiencing the peaceful inner silence of being totally, joyfully, quietly in the moment—that inner quiet that is simple and balancing.

Being at the crux of a global paradigm shift is not an easy time to be alive, and whether we pay attention to world events or not, it creates additional strain on all human beings—intimately and energetically connected as we are—that necessitates we take very good care of our physical and emotional bodies, as well as find within us meaningful ways of seeing the challenges of this era as evidence of the kinds of deep sea changes that don’t happen without a great deal of chaos.

This New Moon also forms a tight sextile (harmonious 60˚ angle) to Saturn in Pisces, encouraging us to really take the time to do self-care this month, to schedule it if need be, so that we make it happen. Saturn rules the structures of our lives, and in Pisces, it’s asking us to have a macro view of how to organize and make time for what’s important for us to maintain our sanity in a world of constant and profound changes. The events in the world now are the blatant evidence we need to let go of old beliefs in fear, hatred and separation from each other, landmarks of the old paradigm. There will be grief, the grief that’s necessary for moving onward. Allow it to flow through you, to move with it when it comes. Take care to rest during this Moon cycle, and fortify and renew your connection to the Earth’s beauty and magnificence.