On May 6th there is a New Moon in Taurus. New Moons are times to plant the seeds of intention and in Taurus we are dealing with what is most important for our survival and ultimate thrival. Taurus is the sign of our essential needs. The ruling planet of Taurus is Venus the planet of love and relationship. In Taurus the relationship to self is paramount. What do we need to live the kind of life that will both satisfy our basic needs and reflect our growing understanding of self?

What makes this particular New Moon so potent is that it is part of a grand earth trine, as the the Sun/Moon at 17 degrees of Taurus make flowing trines to both Jupiter in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn. Grand trines are relatively rare and highly creative, yet they can be easily ignored as they tend to work in the background. Imagine you live in a house and behind the house is a great rushing river. If you live there long enough the sound of the river fades into the background and you forget there is a great source of power just beyond your back door. Only if you go back and put you toe in the water do you remember the river is there and are impressed by it’s power.

Another significant factor in this New Moon is the fact that 5 of the 10 planets are in retrograde motion. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are all retrograde. Retrogration requires us to look within for answers. With Mercury retrograde we review our ideas especially around issues of self-reliance, resources, and what is truly important to us. Mars retrograde requires us to review our actions, especially those based on what we believe to be true. Jupiter retrograde is an opportunity to review our beliefs around health and well being and how best to make our lives work better for us. Saturn retrograde in Sagittarius points to reviewing the structure of our lives, based on our beliefs. And Pluto retrograde is a review of those desires that seem to come from the core of our being. The desire to be an authority in our own lives, to transform the structure of our lives and the structure of our world to feel a sense of power. For some it is power over others yet for most it is a yearning to feel empowered from within.

Besides the Grand Earth Trine there is also another powerful configuration in the heavens. Yet unlike the ‘background’ nature of the trine this aspect pattern is very active. A mutable t-square with Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune stimulates our minds as we experience a spiritual crisis. We are faced with the results of our past beliefs with an awareness of what needs to change in order to bring more peace and compassion into our lives and into our world. Part of this configuration is a last quarter square between Jupiter and Saturn. These two planets come together back in 2000 in the sign of Taurus. Now 16 years into this 20 year cycle we are at a crisis point that requires us to transform our thinking. This issue is power and how to break free from the conditionings of society that no longer work for our growth. What ideas, ideals, and thought patterns need to change to bring a different kind of future for us. This is the start of the process of individuation as we move from climbing the ladder of ‘success’ and start redefining what success means. 

The degree of this New Moon is also quite significant as it is very close to the middle degree (15 degrees) of the fixed sign Taurus. Fifteen degrees of the fixed signs correspond to the cross quarter days of the ancient wheel of the year. The pagan holiday of Beltane is celebrated at this time. A time of fertility rights and planting, Beltane is the coming together, both figuratively and actually, of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine in order to bring abundance to the crops. Yet most of the growth that occurs at this time is underground as the seeds germinate and the roots begin to take hold. This New Moon is a time of growth, slow and steady and mostly unseen. What you plant now will grow strong roots so choose your seeds very carefully and don’t loose faith. Even if things don’t seem like they are growing, rest assured they are. Taurus is slow and steady and reliable. The crops will grow with some tender loving care and a healthy dose of patience.