Happy New Moon Taurus! This New Moon at approximately 28 ½ degrees of Taurus becomes exact on Friday, May 19 at 11:53 AM New York time (15:53 GMT).
This lunation marks the end of the powerful Eclipse Season we just moved through! But, the energies around this New Moon will be no less intense, as Mercury is exalted, marching slowly back Direct following its three-week Retrograde period. Also, astrological planetary heavyweights Jupiter and Pluto fiercely square one another on this New Moon—with both planets exalted (Jupiter having just entered Taurus—and Pluto still getting up to full Retrograde speed, in the first degree of Aquarius).
If that’s not enough, an exalted Mars, in the final degree of Cancer opposes Pluto and squares Jupiter, creating a volatile and violent T-square with Jupiter squaring Pluto on one side and Mars on the other.
So although this Taurus New Moon represents new beginning following what was an intense (and for many, very trying) Eclipse Season, the next 28 days are marked by this contentious (and potentially dangerous) T-square. So, as we move into Gemini season later this week (more on that later in this article), the collective energies will remain quite unsettled.
Jupiter made its transition into the fixed earth sign of Taurus on Tuesday, marking a new mission for the planet of growth and expansion after nearly a full year in the aggressive and violent sign of Aries that has been highlighted by the Russia-Ukraine War.
Jupiter will be in Taurus for a full year, fashioning a year (hopefully) of good fortune for the world, and for you. However, Jupiter in Taurus is getting off to a stormy start with this violent T-Square that includes Mars—the planet of war—opposing Pluto—the planet of transformation, on this New Moon. The current aggressive astrological configurations are coinciding with Russia launching a fresh wave of missile attacks on Kyiv.
There is reason to be optimistic that the war could finally end during the next year, as Jupiter in Taurus makes diplomacy much more likely than when it was in Aries. Jupiter in Taurus is concerned with economics rather than war. This is especially true with Jupiter currently conjunct the North Node in Taurus.
The Jupiter-Pluto square is also causing a lot of scandals to come to light, as Pluto rules over scandals—especially those with sex involved, and those that involve corruption. There have been several big stories involving scandals in the news during the past week, all affecting the political landscape.
The last times that Jupiter and Pluto squared one another were between November 2016 and August 2017, directly following a presidential election in the United States. Trump and some of his cronies are facing scandals again now, coinciding with this square.
Mars is also exalted in this T-Square, as it is in the last degree of emotional Cancer, getting ready to enter show-off Leo on Saturday, May 20. It is natural to be feeling very emotional at this time, and over the next 28 days. Also, people may have unexpected or unreasonable emotional reactions now, and over the next few weeks.
Mars opposes Pluto, and sextiles the sun and moon, having us ‘wear our emotions on our sleeves’ during this time. This powerful and benevolent Mars configuration also reminds us to get in touch with our inner strength in order to manifest our desires into reality (the desires being represented by the stellium of the sun, moon, and Jupiter in the sign of Taurus.
Mercury stationed Direct on Saturday. It is picking up speed day-by-day as it resumes Direct motion through Taurus. This week we are experiencing extreme Mercury Retrograde-esque manifestations. Electronics are going awry and we are having trouble communicating with people clearly via text message and e-mail. Hang in there for another week; from Wednesday, May 24 and onward, we will barely feel the Mercury Retrograde effects anymore.
On this New Moon, Mercury sextiles Saturn in Pisces, encouraging us to find creative solutions to earthly problems. It is a great time to put a major dent into your to-do list—especially in financial and household matters.
Taurus is a fixed earth sign that is represented by the glyph of a bull’s head. Fixed signs fall in the middle of a season and are immovable, reliable and stubborn. Earth signs rule over nature, material things and money. Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus, which is concerned with romance, aesthetics and all things material. Taurus is the ruler of the 2nd House in astrology, the House of Possessions. This house is concerned with money and all things material.
Taurus is the ruler of the physical world, while its polar opposite Scorpio is the ruler of the spiritual world. This is a great time to get out in nature, to travel, to experience different foods, to go for a massage or any type of bodywork, to meditate, and to really take care of the physical body in every way possible.
The reason nature it is called nature in the English language is because it is your nature. Get it? Nature is your nature. So when you connect with nature, you reconnect with yourself. Even if you don't live near the woods or the beach, there are always options to connect. You could build a garden in your yard or even create an indoor jungle of houseplants. Even in the densest cities like New York or London or Tokyo there are ample parks to be embraced.
A wonderful meditation that you can do when you visit the woods or the beach is to imagine opening your Heart fully to nature. Imagine the energy of nature in its naked state filling your Heart with your own innate essence. Just as your iPhone needs to be charged every few hours, your soul needs to be recharged often by plugging into nature.
Another fantastic meditation you can do is to go on a walk in nature, or even around your neighborhood or city, and turn your phone off or to Airplane Mode. Set your intention to be very aware of what is going on around you. Tune in to the sounds of the birds chirping; notice the shapes of the clouds; take note of the small animals you see; tune into the smells. Try to notice everything. This is a powerful meditation that serves to pull you out of your inner landscape and plug you totally into reality.
The present moment is the entrance to true, actual reality. The rest is just mental noise.
Nourishing and honoring the needs of your physical body helps your nervous system to relax, which allows you to better stay grounded and present in this reality. I discussed this topic at length, as well as giving valuable advice on healing your relationship with money and material things, in my recent Aries Solar Eclipse/Sun Enters Taurus article.
NEW MOON TRINES PLUTO: HARNESSING INNER POWER
We clearly see examples of abuse of power in the public sphere around this time, made clear in the Rudy Giuliani lawsuit. However, on the other side of the coin, with the sun and moon forming a benevolent trine to Pluto, we also are experiencing an auspicious opportunity to harness inner strength, courage and power in order to step into a more evolved (and powerful) version of self!
This is your time to step up, especially with the tumult of Eclipse Season having passed. Those new codes that were downloaded to us during Eclipse Season are now being integrated, and it is the time to step boldly into a new, more evolved version of self! Will you make that commitment with me?
MINOR GRAND TRINE: CREATIVITY, INTUITION AND CHARM
We have a fun Minor Grand Trine in this New Moon chart, with the sun/moon sextiling Mars and Neptune on either side, and Mars trining Neptune in its home sign of Pisces. With this relatively uncommon benevolent aspect, we are feeling very creative. With an exalted Mars in Cancer being a part of this aspect, we are feeling a desire to channel our emotions into creative outlets. What a perfect time to create art of any kind!
With an exalted Neptune at home in Pisces being a part of this aspect, we are feeling very intuitive at this time. It’s a time to trust your intuition.
Mars’s influence also gives us the opportunity to bring out our inner charm—and when Mars crosses over into Leo, it will feel even more natural to be charming and alluring!
SUN ENTERS GEMINI
The sun enters Gemini on Sunday, May 21, initiating the final third of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication. It rules the 3rd House--the House of Communication. It is a mutable air sign—as it marks the transition period between spring and summer. It really is the airiest of air signs! Gemini is the ruler of the mind, the intellect, and of communication. It is represented by The Twins.
According to Wikipedia, “In Greek mythology, Gemini is associated with the myth of Castor and Pollux. Pollux was the son of Zeus, who seduced Leda, while Castor was the son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta and Leda's husband. When Castor died, because he was a mortal, Pollux begged his father Zeus to give Castor immortality, which was done through uniting them together in the heavens.”
Gemini is also the busy social bee of the Zodiac. Being the most adaptable sign in the Zodiac, when we are under its influence people tend to be more open and receptive to meeting and connecting with new people. It is a lucky time to network and form new friendships and business partnerships.
With Mars entering Leo, people will especially be wanting to have fun and party during this Gemini Season. It’s a great time to bring out your charisma, and the most fun aspects of your personality!
One of the ‘shadow aspects’ of Gemini, though, can be losing focus. The Gemini energies make us want to be everywhere at once, doing everything at once. It’s even more important than usual during Gemini Season to try and force yourself to stay on task with things and not get overly distracted.
I’ll have much more on the Gemini energies in my New Moon in Gemini article next month, so stay tuned for that!
Wishing you a Happy New Moon in Taurus and a Happy Gemini Season!
With Love,
Matthew John
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