The New Moon in Taurus
Tuesday, May 11
2pm Central Time
21° Taurus
One of the most gorgeous new moons of the year, the new moon in Taurus will grace us with her presence on Tuesday, May 11 at 2pm central time. When Taurus season began, planets through Taurus had to move past unpredictable Uranus. The last full moon (the full moon in Scorpio on April 26 which aspected planet Uranus) likely brought us riveting and unsettling shake-ups or wake-ups, and greater awareness of how we do and do not roll with change and control. We may have chosen to release what we cannot control, or release the things that held power over us. We may have seen repeated cycles come to a pinnacle and are now working to break/release them. Uranus in Taurus certainly changes the whole fixed earth vibe, all-in-all with the intent to elevate and upgrade where we may be more prone to stay stagnant or complacent.
But now the planets (Sun, Mercury, Venus) have passed Uranus, and the Sun approaches the 21st degree of Taurus, which is the degree that the sun and moon will meet to form our beautiful and exalted new moon in Taurus. Typically one of the most fertile & abundant new moons of the year, new moons in Taurus are usually fabulous for our manifestation and moon magick work to help call in our goals and desires. But something that we all need to know first: we are in eclipse territory!
While the New Moon in Taurus is not an eclipse, it is the new moon that leads up to the full moon in Sagittarius on May 26, which is an eclipse (a total lunar eclipse, to be specific). And we’ll have another eclipse on June 10 - this time the new moon in Gemini (eclipses always occur in pairs). Typically when we work with moon cycles, we use the new moon as a clean slate to set our intentions and manifest our goals. As the moon waxes into the full moon, we (ideally) put plans and actions into place to see our intentions/goals come to some level of fruition by the full moon. So with the Taurus new moon’s full moon being an eclipse, we may want to approach these beautiful lunations a little differently!
Eclipses often are markers of change, surprise opportunity, re-direction, and destiny. When we talk about eclipses, we’re talking about the Sun and the Moon aligning with the lunar nodes (AKA North and South Node). Eclipses can activate and illuminate our path and purpose in this life and spark fated change to direct/re-direct us to the path of our highest and best. Sometimes these events are amazing, thrilling, and exciting and sometimes these moments are uncomfortable, intimidating, and challenging. Sometimes we see the significance in them right away, and sometimes it takes time to see their importance. Eclipses are when the universe takes the wheel for a moment - may we give the cosmos a chance to guide us and know when action & inaction is required from us! We’ll talk more about eclipses as we step into Gemini season, but the point of bringing this up is to explain why this week’s New Moon in Taurus is unique.
Let me just say this: you have free will, you can absolutely always work with the moon cycles however it feels best to you. If you choose to manifest or do moon magick with the upcoming lunar cycle(s), go on withyo bad self! I’m just here to offer an alternative approach that may be more ideal. Knowing that eclipses have the potential to bring somewhat of a divine intervention, it’s possible that whatever intentions you set at the new moon - whatever it is that you are specifically manifesting - the universe may have something better in mind. And instead of putting our energy into forcing or imposing our plan this round, it may be more ideal to move through these lunations with awareness, reflection, and observation of how we are feeling and what is going on around us!
So here’s what we can do:
(like we’d really pay no mind to this gorgeous new moon?!?!! psh!).
Taurus is a sign of values: our sense of personal & inherent value, the things we value in life, and the things deemed valuable in our material realm (like money or our house). One of the things that I’ve found very helpful, and share very often, is the value in knowing and living in alignment with our core values. These are 3 or 4 key words that represent “a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life” (definition from Oxford Languages). Knowing this is not only helpful to bring greater awareness into our lives but can also greatly help us navigate our path in times of change. Our core values can act as the foundation or framework for how we respond to and make decisions amongst periods of new opportunity or change (and are also equally as important in the absence of change). Here are my core values to help bring this all together with an example.
Happiness: my overall happiness is my priority and my responsibility.
Integrity: I am honest, trustworthy, and practice what I preach.
Growth: I will always strive to be better and do better.
Empathy: I will always show love, compassion, and understanding to others.
So when the things that are usually constant in my life fluctuate or change, when life brings me challenges, or when new choices or opportunities come my way, these 4 key values help me navigate. As long as I am prioritizing my happiness and growth, and practicing integrity and empathy, I trust that the universe & my spirit team will guide me through the rest. To prioritize being in alignment with my values can help me weather the storm and face any challenge with authenticity and honor.
With this new moon, we can welcome the lunar Taurean energy to help us get clear with and reflect on what is of highest value to us. We can establish and practice standards for ourselves and what we choose to accept. We do this so that we can be ready for what eclipse season may choose to bring into (or remove from) our lives!
More about the new moon energy:
While the sun and moon will be in fixed earth (arguably the most static of all the zodiacal energy) the planetary ruler of this lunation, Venus, will be in mutable, light, and versatile Gemini. The day after the new moon in Taurus, the moon will exit Taurus and enter Gemini to briefly connect with Venus. This is our call to remain flexible and open. This is a reminder to effectively share/communicate what’s in our heart and on our mind. We may connect with others that either share or compliment our values, or show us the duality (opposite) of them - learn from this.
Meanwhile, Mercury in Gemini will align with the North Node, helping us remain open-minded and oriented towards growth, new perspectives, and our future. It may lead us to have conversations or gain understanding that will help us move forward (but may be new, uncomfortable, or unfamiliar).
Also at the time of the new moon, Mars in Cancer will form an exact square to Chiron in Aries, which could create uncomfortable energy where we may act on behalf of wounds from our past, or being very self-protective or defensive as a response to insecurities or feeling hurt. While planetary squares can feel tense, they’re opportunities for growth. We can choose to embody the higher vibration of the squaring planets in order to work together. To best work with the Mars square Chiron, we can choose to move with unconditional love, understanding, and kindness, holding space (Queen of Cups style) for our emotions and also for others. We can focus on healing our wounds instead of defending them. Often times, we can help our wounds heal when we can be honest with ourselves, our pain, and with others; when defenses are disengaged and we remain open to a different approach. To help with this, Mars will be in sextile to Uranus, and the Mercury-North Node conjunction will sextile Chiron. Mars sextile Uranus can give us a boost in energy and a willingness to innovate our actions and responses instead of working on old programming. Mercury/North Node sextile Chiron can help us have healing conversations that allow us to feel seen, heard, and understood (or we could offer that to someone else!).
All in all, the New Moon in Taurus should be a time where we remain open and hopeful for the future, knowing and embodying our unwavering values but remaining flexible in other areas. And with Taurus energy, please take every opportunity to practice top-notch self-care! (Did someone say CBD bubble bath?!).
Xoxo,
Maple Eastwood
Want to know how this new moon is affecting you based on where its activating your natal chart?
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