Of all the New Moon's throughout the
year, this one is always the one I look forward to. In my neck of the
woods, it means it is time to put out the vegetable garden and plant
new flowers. My favorite spot in the season for this is when the Sun
is in Taurus and the Moon is in Cancer. Usually it is at the New
Moon, that I make my cherished trip to the nursery to select my
plants. If you are a gardener too, putting out your seedlings as the
Moon slides into Cancer (May 8), Mercury has entered Taurus (May 5)
and as Venus waxes in trine to Jupiter (May 9) is a great time. The
Sun in Taurus is in a sextile to Neptune at that time as well which
likely creates plenty of water for your plants as they adjust to
their new plots.
This year, the New Moon in Taurus falls
as both Sun and Moon move toward the 15th degree of
Taurus. That Sabian reads: A man muffled up with a rakish silk hat.
This symbol talks about being “muffled” which in a way can
indicate a softening or muting of one's voice. The silk hat deals
with the concept of personal choice and leaning into what it is that
suits us best. The man, here, is dressed in a way that projects his
personal style and he has used that particular style of dressing to
assist him in both softening the sounds from the street and thus
softening outward speech to a degree.
It is however the Lonsdale/Chandra
degree that I seem to be gravitating toward most at this juncture. It
reads “His best friend sings a song at his funeral.” This symbol
speaks of love, pure and simple. And in a moment of pure grief when
one is honoring their best friend for the last time through
song...love could not be more pure. It's heart wrenching to think of
but all those bittersweet and feelings this scenario may catalyze
forth for us, they are birthed of the concept of love. The write up
for this symbol states (From Inside Degrees, by Ellias Lonsdale),
“Love penetrates all barriers. It arises the greatest wherever it
is most profoundly needed. And it is perpetually astonishing in its
fullness, it's rich sustaining power. Love is also held in a grieving
and a mourning for what was and is no longer and sometimes love
becomes enrapt in a twilight mood, and can no longer see through the
sentiments and the attachments to touch the limitless source of
love—staying attuned to that place. Love can be a rocky ride. It
pulls in great lessons. It feels too much. And, love is wedded to
death, which sometimes wishes to divorce itself from. Love is a
limitless doorway and discovers ho to navigate all the realms it is
called into fluently, willingly and gladly stripping away all the
ideas about what it should look like and how everything needs to be
to gratify and appease and make secure when love needs none of these
things to endure.”
There are several words in that description that ring louder to me than others. Fullness. Attachments. Grieving. Gratify and appease. But, mostly? The phrase “stripping away all ideas about what it SHOULD look like” with the last few words bringing it right down to “Love needs none of these things to endure.”
I get questions about love...A LOT.
When I first launched my astrology business, I went into it with the
awareness that Money/Work and Relationships/Family were the key areas
for which folks most often seek direction. My number one query thus
far “When will I find love?” And this question has crossed a wide
swath of age groups from 25 to 80. Don't you think that's odd? Of all
the potential questions in all the world...especially this world
where we are shown live violence, anger and vile in any given
moment...the thing folks are the most concerned about is not money,
not fame, not revenge but love.
I've worked with folks in a lot of
different ways in attempts to help them uncover what it is that may
be blocking them from that type of connection. Once we begin working,
the energy seems to respond by first, putting folks in
situations/interactions that begin “stripping away all ideas about
what it SHOULD look like.” I think that is a big thing about love
itself. It's something very hard to define but perhaps whittling away
what it is not reveals to us the truth of what it actually is. I'm
not sure. But, I do know that once you open your heart willingly and
ask for love to enter, the energetic echo is one that works to
“prepare the vessel” first. Though, I'd like to tell you this is
a fun and easy process, I can't. I don't want to scare anyone away
from seeking it out. But, sometimes there are matters within us in
need of healing or refinement that the process of seeking love leads
us to recognize. Sometimes, absolving these matters takes quite a bit
of time and definitely plenty of emotional energy.
At the same time, and truly very often
missed, as the “vessel” of one's heart is prepared to accommodate
the glory of love folks are also often shown where love is already
present. They fail to recognize/acknowledge it because it does not
look like what they thought it would. Sometimes it is found in the
kindness of a stranger. Very often I recognize it in gestures from
the person looking for it and I'm inclined to ask, “How is that you
do not have love when I see you so freely sharing it with others
rather effortlessly?” Invariably I'll receive a response of “But,
I want someone to exchange it with.” Which...is not really what
they are putting out there, right?
Venus, of course, holds rulership over
this lunation. We do find her in Aries just passed a conjunction with
Vesta. Yet, during the phase of this lunar cycle, she does come home
to Taurus on May 15 finding Uranus by conjunction just a few hours
before our Full Moon in Scorpio on May 18. Mars also shifts signs on
the 15th entering the sign of Cancer. For the entire
period of the Libra Moon leading up to our Full Moon in
Scorpio...Venus will hold rulership over the Sun, the Moon, Uranus
and Mercury while in her domicile. Plus, as Mars answers to the Moon
from the sign of Cancer, Venus' reach extends to him too. It is
sincerely a very sweet, very soft, very feminine mix of energies.
This is going to be a time period, on the whole, that we are going to
want to linger in and savor. It's very lush fields we pass through
before we re-encounter Mercury entering his retrograde shadow at the
end of June and the scattered ecliptic energy in July. With Venus
dominating the sky, folks will be inclined toward seeking her out in
all her various forms. The energy is so very ripe for manifestation
as this Moon is within orb of amicable aspect to both Saturn and
Neptune aside from the fact that Taurus is where we bring things to
tangible form which is what manifestation is all about.
That thought brings me back to where it
is we find Venus right now at this Moon. As I said, she is still in
Aries and just barely passed a conjunction with Vesta. I had a client
not to long ago refer to Vesta's energy as “Devotion.” I
instantly fell in love with it. What does that mean to you? I could
pick apart the word and all that but to me it instantly rings with
loving tones. Something that can withstand human error with the
perception of the Divine.
For some reason, Vesta, was the first
body I saw when I looked at the chart for this New Moon. Chiron
lingers behind her as she holds hands with Mars gazing toward Jupiter
(opposition May 6 at 6 PM EDT). The Sun and Moon snuggle between the
Goddess holding vigil at the Gates of Vitality and the Warrior who is
rallying through the land of ideas. Just as the Warrior stands to go
to battle with what he can only perceive of as the fiery torches of
encroaching danger...the Goddess tenderly perceives the beauty of a
flaming with oranges and reds sunset. “My brave friend,” she
whispers. “This is not war. It is the fire of Divine Creation.”
At this Moon, I encourage you to devote yourself toward your personal
quest to find Venus in whatever form it is you desire from her. Take
note of the ways in which you do find her and, then, take a moment to
pay gratitude toward that as you recognize it. Do know that the most
uncomfortable periods of this lunar cycle (and your search for Venus)
will come as Venus squares the nodal axis and Saturn on from the
night of May 6 to the 7th. That will be a time in which
folks may feel starved of the bliss the Goddess has to offer. But, it
is in those times in which we will be given the priviledge of
discovering what resides in our current modes of operation that strip
us from the truth of her. We will continue to uncover past patterns
of relating to others that are not effective in building sustainable
partnerships. And, then, as Mercury passes over Uranus on May 8th
with the Moon holding them both in gentle sextile from the sign of
Cancer, the way we think about Venus, love, money, possessions,
attachment and our personal values will evolve from wherever it is we
currently find ourselves.
The evolution of Venus does not stop
there. It persists as Venus begins a new cycle with Uranus, herself
as I've mentioned, immediately prior to our Full Moon in Scorpio.
Once Venus makes that conjunction, we will be primed and ready to
release all the old scripts and definitions that may serve as
resistance to our discovery of the true offerings of Venus. This is a
VERY soft field and fertile field of energy that we are stepping into
here though. And, it's going to be quite important to remember that.
It doesn't mean folks will not try to be forceful, violent, rude or
what have you...but in the season we are in? That type of approach is
going to be very ineffective. Even though it goes against the grain
of nearly everything that we've been indoctrinated with in the course
of our lifetime in regard to Venus...such as begrudgingly grinding
your fingers to a nub in effort to earn a paycheck at a job you
loathe, severe self-discipline and harsh rules, coldness and
disregard over our softer bodies and in dealings with others,
“whipping” things into submission and, of course, spending,
wasting and hoarding resource as consumerism catalyzes...is going to
grow obviously ineffective and be found dissatisfying and
unfulfilling. When I tell folks that the answer is to soften and not
fight for something or against something, they look at me like I have
3 heads or something. They are skeptical to attempt it and, for the
most part, choosing to take a softer and more indirect approach with
a gentle hand instead of a forceful one doesn't feel natural. Over
and above that, it can also be scary. But, this is the season we are
in.
Our guide for intention setting at this
New Moon is the Magician. On the Rider-Waite version of this card,
the Magician is shown standing behind a table full of his assembled
tools. A pentacle. A cup. A sword. And of course, he holds his wand
in the air pointed at the sky in his right hand with his left hand
pointed to ground. The background is filled with lush flowers and
above the Magician's head we can see the infinity symbol. In most
simplest form, the Magician connects “As above, so below.” He
gathers in balance all the elements and while in connection with and
surrounded by the bounty and energy of the atmosphere at hand, the
Magician employs these forces to manifest upon the Earth in tangible
form that which he desires to conjure. The infinity symbol above his
head speaks of the continuity and connection of all things. The
Magician is greatly aware of and guided by this concept. His timing
is perfection. His eyes are clear and keenly set on precisely what he
is trying to do and there is not a single blip of a question in
regard to how that will go because he has also been given the gift of
knowing and of trust/faith within that circle of infinite connection
to both what is “beyond or above” him and the ground he stands
upon.
The Magician guides us to gather our
current resources, all our knowing and foster a sense of connection
to “all that is” and to then, set forth clearly what it is we
desire to manifest. This launches into this New Moon cycle on a
journey in which the vessel for our manifestation is prepared for its
containment. As we journey forth under that energy taking time to pay
gratitude for the simplest blessings and exertions of gentleness and
kindness that we perceive, we will discover that what we elements we
consistently pay our attention and energy to seem to compound and
multiply for better or worse. We will discover what is blocking us
from obtaining our hearts desire and be given opportunity to reform
or release those elements. We will discover what is and what is not.
What works and what does not. And, yes, the seeds we plant here will
grow in this rich and fertile ground. But, in effort to help those
plants bear the fruits we intend, we must align our thinking and
actions in that direction. This lunation will show us where our
efforts fall short and our way of thinking about Venus needs to be
evolved. It will all test and draw upon our faith and at those
challenge points, that's exactly what we are encouraged to lean into
rather than declaring some type of war in response. I'm not saying we
won't WANT to declare war over it. I'm just saying, that this well
known Yang mode of operations will be largely ineffective. It is the
softer and more feminine Yin energies..which folks are lesser
familiar with employing...that are going to prevail under these
skies. Which, sounds great! But, folks are in no way accustomed to
it. I certainly encourage you to balance these energies within
yourself and if you find one or the other to be lacking, work to
uncover ways in which you can bring them into a more harmonious inner
balance. Know that allowing yourself to believe that the gentler
energies are powerful in their own ways and learning how to employ
them is more difficult than it sounds merely because in the history
people on the Earth currently know...it's not really been perceived
as effective let alone desirable. Yin energies, in fact, have greatly
atrophied. And, as nature strives for balance herself, the season has
dawned to for us to lean into strengthening them.
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