Before we discuss the New Moon, it might be worthwhile to remember why we track the phases of the Moon in the first place. The Moon is intimately connected to our bodies as well as our emotions. Like the Earth, our bodies are made up of 70% water. We respond to the cyclic waxing and waning of the Moon like the ebb and flow of ocean tides in response to its gravitational pull.
Astrologically the Sun represents Spirit while the Earth is obviously matter. The Moon is the heavenly body that reveals the cyclic relationship between Spirit and Matter. At the New Moon, the night sky is dark. We cannot see her because she is subsumed in the brilliant light of the Sun. During the Dark of the Moon, seeds are planted in the depths of our individual and collective consciousness that sprout (1st Quarter Moon), bloom (Full Moon) and turn to compost and seed for the next cycle (3/4 Moon). We can also plant our own seeds by setting intentions for this lunation.
We track these phases to align our consciousness with that of nature. When we live in accordance with the natural world, we are healthier in mind and body, life is easier because we aren’t bucking the flow and we become connected with the spiritual reality that underlies all manifestation.
New Moon in Taurus
This is particularly relevant to the sign of Taurus where the Moon is exalted. Taurus represents all things earthy – our bodies, the splendor of nature, Mother Earth in general. Following the fiery impulses of Aries, Taurus grounds us and reconnects us with our bodies and the pleasure of our senses. It asks us to honor our bodies as the sacred temples that they are. It moves us to seek solitude and stillness, to remember our roots in the soil of our home planet and to allow nature to heal and nurture us. It relishes the sensual, be it the thrill of color, the scent of a flower, the sound of wind in the tree tops or the gurgling whispers of a brook, or the touch of a loved one. Yes, Taurus celebrates lovers and the pleasures of the body.
Venus is the ruler of Taurus, so all things having to do with beauty, harmony, love, peace, sensuality and value are part of the coming month. Venus has been in the Underworld since January 31st when she disappeared from the morning sky. On Saturday May 15th she makes her heliacal rise at sunset in the western sky. Don’t worry if you can’t see her yet. She is visible in the South first and takes some time to appear further north. For one full week, from May 15 to the 22nd, Venus will be in her Rebirth phase. Look for a post next week about the themes of this phase. The name is a hint.
On May 11th, at 11:59 a.m. with the Sun high in the sky, the Moon forms an exact conjunction at 21 Taurus. Just one degree away is Black Moon Lilith which represents our raw, instinctive and primitive origins. This is the untainted, “uncivilized” feminine energy in its wildest expression. Lilith demands her right to live by her own rules. There is no pretense, no polite-society manners, no adherence to convention. This is the pure power of the unbridled feminine, the very energy men attempt to control with their laws. Lilith exists in our depths, men and women alike, as the instinct for freedom, that dangerous desire to throw off all shackles and run with the wolves.
We might all feel a growing need for free expression. In the USA chart, the New Moon occurs in the 5th house of creativity. Whether it’s making babies, disrupting the status quo or loosening the reins on our self-expression, we all will feel the pull to manifest this raw creative force. Maybe it’s time to try our hand at poetry or painting, dance or composing. The most constructive use of this energy is through art. Dare to go wild, to create without self-censure, to do it for the pure fun of it. No judgment involved. It doesn’t have to fit into anyone else’s definition of art. This is permission for you to go wild.
Mercury conjunct the North Node
The day before the New Moon, Mercury caught up and passed the North Node of the Moon at 10 Gemini, simultaneously crossing the Descendant of the USA chart. Mercury is moving fast now through the Seventh House of Relationship, seeking a new perception for the future. Several symbolic messages here.
The North Node of the Moon represents the direction of our unfolding evolution. In Gemini Mercury is pursuing information, weighing pros and cons and seeking a new vision of what is possible for society in the future. Why society? Because the 7th house is about other people. How can we find a way to live together in peace, harmony and mutual support? This is a worthy pursuit. Perhaps something to explore through artistic expression. And do not say “I’m not creative.” You are a living embodiment of Spirit. You are not an exception. Creativity isn’t personal – it’s a thrilling energy that may be locked up inside because back in 5th grade a teacher laughed at your finger painting. Who knows why? But it doesn’t matter. The world needs all of us to tap into this joyous spiritual resource.
A final note on Mercury crossing into the 7th house. The horoscope is divided by into two halves by the Ascendant/Descendant axis. Everything below this axis refers to our personal lives – our identity, our values, how we learn and communicate, our home, our creativity and our daily life. When planets cross the descendant they come above the horizon. Their function becomes visible and relates to others and our place in the world. With Mercury we can expect more clarity in these areas. Collectively, with Uranus at work, we could be in for some surprises that will change our way of looking at things. Keep an open mind.
Neptune in Pisces
This is where Neptune comes in and the wondrous energy of Pisces. The New Moon and Black Moon Lilith are sextile Neptune. At its highest expression, Pisces is about our connectedness to each other, to Spirit and All That Is. In fact that is the true definition of spirituality – the state of our connectedness which begins with reconnecting with our Angelic nature.
A few days ago I ran across a message from an unknown author. She prays every morning and before sleep every night to believe in her own goodness. That struck me as a profound yet simple way to call forth our true nature, the innocent, pure and loving beings we have always been and will always be, but somehow got overwhelmed by the illusion of physical reality.
The qualities of Pisces energy include sensitivity, psychic ability, intuitive spiritual awareness, deep compassion, limitless space and a profound longing for the Divine. Neptune is one of the co-rulers of Pisces where its power is most enhanced. On Thursday May 13th, Jupiter, the other ruler, enters Pisces. Jupiter always brings an ebullient energy into play. It expands and intensifies our faith, it sparks our optimism and heats up imagination, it brings hope and joy and boundless energy.
Jupiter’s ingress into Pisces will be a foretaste of what’s to come in 2022. If we are open to possibilities, now is the time to receive them. New dimensions of self may open. Awareness of our personal growth and evolution will become apparent.
Look not to the evening news which is embroiled in political conflict. Look to the future – what is the most extraordinary dream you have for yourself, for all of humanity and our beautiful planet? Begin to live “as if.” Embody your dream by being the person you hope to become, living in the world of your heartfelt vision. Right now, this minute, this month, this year, we are making the choices that will determine our collective future. It’s not as dramatic as conflict or pandemic, but it is the way we meet the challenges of our time and what part of ourselves we bring to bear. The energy we broadcast is the womb of the New Earth.
Over the weekend I watched a YouTube video and the minute it ended another one started. This was a channeled being called Kryon. Perhaps familiar to some of you. He was speaking about the five different types of light workers on Earth right now. The 5th included all the people who approach others with compassion and hold this frequency. These people aren’t famous teachers or speakers. They go unrecognized except by their loved ones, yet they are the most important because they are context creators. They do the work of the Goddess, often without knowing it. They create the future by living from their hearts.
For the next two months we will have the support of the supreme heavenly god Jupiter to open our hearts and fill them with compassion, to open our intuition as we feel our way into the future of our dreams, and to surrender our illusory control on life. Watch for signs. The more we look for them, the more we find. The world around us speaks to us all the time. Signs will appear and the path will open up.
Saturn square Uranus
I thought I’d close with the reminder that this is the year of the closing Saturn square Uranus signature. It sets the theme which is the dissolution of conformity, of constrictive social institutions, of the very basis of the way our society works and the inspiration of the future that can be. It plays out in a silly squabble between Republicans and Democrats, but that drama is temporary. It’s the desperate throes of a domination culture making its last stand. We cannot let ourselves be captured by its negative energy.
Saturn in Aquarius is about manifesting a society that works for everyone. We’re taking steps in the right direction and that’s encouraging, but we have to slough off the weight of the past. Mercury connecting with the North Node can carry our imagination into flights of futuristic fantasy. Let go and let fly.
May is a month of opportunities and change. We began the retrograde season with Pluto on April 27th. Saturn in Aquarius is next on May 23 and Mercury in its natural home of Gemini on May 29th. In addition we kick off eclipse season on May 26th with a Total Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius. All of these events dovetail into the themes of this new moon.
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