May 19th ~ 26th
“2 of Pentacles” by Milo Losenko
Every man must have something he follows-- something that serves him as a lodestar. He who follows with conviction the beautiful and the good may feel himself strengthened by this saying. -The I Ching
This year the New Moon in Taurus coincides with a very powerful Grand Cross in the fixed signs: Pluto retrograde in Aquarius square Jupiter/North Node in Taurus, square Mars entering Leo on Saturday, square the South Node in Scorpio. Powerful because Jupiter and Pluto perfected their exact square on May 17th, just days before the New Moon. And all the more powerful, because they are all tangled up with the Nodes of the Moon. Karma unfolds.
At the crux of the Cross is the Jupiter/Pluto square. Jupiter/Pluto transits are about doing the right thing. It shows us the virtues and rewards of acting from a moral and ethical basis. Some may think the opposite. That they can get away with unlawful actions, that they can reap rewards and success at the expense of others. That they are some how superior and entitled. But then the great lord Karma comes to call. If we learn nothing else from the Jupiter/Pluto square, it’s that there are consequences for our actions and decisions. And there is no avoiding it. The chickens come home to roost.
Likewise, decisions, choices and actions being made now will have their own far-reaching consequences. And so we are compelled to ask ourselves this month: What is the Right and Ethical thing to do? What is the legal thing to do? We are compelled to do the right thing, even if it’s hard. Even if it feels like we are having to make certain sacrifices, and even if it’s going to cost us financially or otherwise.
Jupiter/Pluto can bring success in the long term if we consider the greater good of everyone concerned. When you are backed into a corner, and stretched to your limits and needing to make major decisions, what principles do you see yourself standing for. What are the things you are willing to cut out, in order to better focus on what matters? What are your most important priorities?
In 2011, the last time that Jupiter was in Taurus, we had a debt ceiling crisis. It was semi-resolved, but not without some ominous financial (Taurus) fallout. Backed into a corner, some regrettable concessions were made in order to avoid a total financial crisis. Like an imprint recurring, 12 years later Jupiter is in Taurus and it is happening again. Except this time Jupiter is tied up in this powerful grand cross interwoven with all of these karmic consequences and ramifications.
The planet Mars acts as a catalyst for energy that’s simmering on the back burner. It motivates and compels people to act. But interwoven in this tapestry, is all of this ideology, stubbornly resisting to see alternative points of view. All in fixed signs, this could feel like a standoff. Ideologies are coming head to head, in politics, in elections, in debt ceiling crises. Things are volatile any way as we are poised to enter the Pluto in Aquarius era. New sets of values, different sorts of ideology are emerging, even as older entrenched values are still trying to hold on. This is the transition between the old and the new, symbolized by Pluto square (at the bending of) the Nodes.
But what Jupiter approaching a conjunction to the North Node in Taurus over the next 4 weeks, could feel a bit like divine intervention. And then there’s the New Moon. New Moons are times of opportunity. To begin anew. And the New Moon at 28º Taurus 25’, which falls on Friday, May 19th, at 11:54 AM in New York City (8:54 Pacific Time, and 4:54 pm Greenwich Time), is strategically placed to negotiate a way out of any stalemate. Like an escape valve, the New Moon is insinuating itself between the Mars/Pluto opposition with a sextile to Mars and a trine to powerful Pluto.
In our own lives, many seem to be feeling like they are being drawn and quartered between the various departments of their lives. Over-extended, overdrawn, overtired, over-committed. We feel stretched beyond our means. The New Moon in Taurus is our opportunity to make the right sorts of decisions based on our true priorities. To ground ourselves, to give greater ballast and security. New life. New growth. New seeds of potential. Sextile mystical Neptune, yet also sextile Mars and trine transformative Pluto, this is a compellingly effective Moon for seeding new intentions and promoting new initiatives. Do not underestimate this Moon that gracefully ushers us out of eclipse season, while giving us the tools to navigate the our way through the perilous fixed Grand Cross.
The Sabian Symbol for this degree of Taurus is “Two Cobblers working at a table.” Feet are a symbol of understanding. Working side by side, the two cobblers may have opposing views, but they manage to come to an agreement as to the best way to clothe and protect the “understanding". This New Moon is showing us the way to resolve conflicts, to achieve greater balance, and make the right choices. It brings us the understanding of what we must do. Neptune encourages us to listen to Spirit and Conscience, allowing us to take a higher perspective, and through this arrive at a clearer understanding of our true purpose.
So may we all plant these Taurean seeds of intention with the New Moon in Taurus, visualizing a future that you would like to see fulfilled. Some questions we can ask ourselves with the New Moon in Taurus might be:
Are there things that I need to release or let go of in order to have greater peace and stability?
Where am I doing too much? In what ways can I better simplify my life?
What are my true priorities? Who are those people, experiences or things I most value?
What are my greatest strengths and talents, and how can I use these most effectively?
In what ways, and where do I want to channel my precious time, resources and energy?
When it comes to making choices, what is the most right thing to do?
I am the one whose praise echoes on high. I adorn all the earth. I am the breeze that nurtures all things green. I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits. I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams. I am the rain coming from the dew that causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life. I am the yearning for good. ~ Hildegard of Bingen
For the New Moon in Taurus for your sign or natal house, click below: