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TAURUS NEW MOON - 19 May 2023

5/17/2023

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TAURUS NEW MOON - Friday 19 May, exact at 4.53pm UK time (BST)
 
This is a potent New Moon, as it certainly does have some powerful planetary energy surrounding it! We are now on the other end of Eclipse season, and Mercury Retrograde is also finished, as Mercury has now turned direct. However, Pluto continues to square the Nodes and Mars, the warrior planet, is also joining in the party as it is sitting opposite Pluto for this New Moon. Mars and Pluto aspects can bring up strong emotions such as anger and even rage, but they can also help us to find the courage and motivation to face some difficult material and to overcome any fears and limitations that might be preventing soul growth. When I contemplate Mars in connection with Pluto, “superhuman force” comes to mind!
 
We are coming to the end of Taurus season now, as the Sun is getting ready to move into curious and communicative Gemini on 21 May. Before it does, we have a New Moon in loyal, stable, practical, self-sufficient and sensual Taurus, the sign that represents self-worth, survival, money, values, mother nature and the economy. As such, this is an ideal time to set some practical intentions, planting seeds in fertile ground so that they can blossom and grow over the coming weeks. A good thing to focus on during this Moon is abundance, in every sense of the word. It may be good to remind ourselves of the ways we are already abundant, whether it be financially, emotionally and/or spiritually. Taurus represents the Law of Attraction, helping us to ask for what we need and reminding us that we are always held and supported, even when things may feel a bit wobbly.
 
Taurus represents our relationship with ourselves, helping us to nurture feelings of self-reliance, self-empowerment, self-confidence, self-sufficiency and a healthy sense of self-worth. It helps us to take care of our own needs so that we don’t have an unhealthy reliance on others. It reminds us that if we truly learn to value and love ourselves then we will attract goodness into our lives, whether that be in the form of people, money, resources or situations. Like attracts like! If we don’t feel like we deserve it, then it probably won’t come! If we focus on what is lacking in our lives, we invite more of the same. This is a very good Moon foster a feeling of gratitude for what we already have so that we can bring in more of the same.  
 
With the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus and the North Node all in Taurus for this New Moon, the focus is most definitely on all things Tuarus, which includes Mother Nature and the economy! Jupiter has just moved into Taurus, on 16 May, and is now sitting on top of the North Node, exact on 2 June, which is a beneficial energy to have around, as it is expansive, optimistic, forward thinking and growth oriented. Any time a planet sits on the North Node it tends to pull us forward towards growth. Possibly Jupiter could call for us to reassess our beliefs around money and survival, shifting our mindset and helping us to strengthen our faith in abundance. The Taurus North Node has been calling us to strip back, simplify our lives and decide what is truly of value in recent times. It has also been calling us to find ways to be more self-sufficient and pare back our debts as much as we can, so that we are less reliant on the power structures.
 
Jupiter could help us on this quest and can also remind us of how much we have to be grateful for. Abundance comes in many forms. It can also help us to keep that faith that we are safe, we are held and we are supported. However, as it is the biggest planet and tends to have a “magnifying” or “exaggerating” effect, it could bring things like inflation and rising costs, or could mean that either collectively or personally we somehow overextend ourselves financially. However, with bountiful and beneficial Jupiter sitting on the North Node, this does feel quite hopeful, helping us to look forward and see the bigger picture, stepping out of the comfort zone and embracing growth. It will be interesting to see whether the big, booming, expansive energy of Jupiter will help or hinder the economic and ecological situation in the coming year, as it travels through Taurus. We could have a bumper crop this year!
 
For this New Moon we also have the Mars/Pluto opposition forming a tense T-square with Jupiter and the Nodes. We could find that something comes out into the open that was hitherto hidden, which could potentially bring up some strong emotions, both on a personal and collective level. It does feel like the economy is the focus of this T-square, so it will be interesting to see what comes up in the next few days. With Pluto, the planet of power and transformation, coming up against Mars, the planet of drive, motivation, anger and aggression, there certainly is the potential for powerful emotions to surge up and for people to act out their shadows. There is the potential for a lot of passion, but with Jupiter involved in the mix it could get a bit out of control!
 
The T-square between Pluto, Mars and Jupiter will peak on 20 May, when Mars pops into Leo. Those of us with personal planets or angles in the very first degree of a sign, especially the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, will feel the powerful energy of the T-square most acutely. It certainly brings the potential for extremist behaviour with these three powerful planets being involved, and even rage, anger and brute force are possible. We may also find that some of our more deeply held beliefs about ourselves and life are challenged, not to mention people being rather forceful about their beliefs and opinions. However, this does bring the potential for getting some uncomfortable material out into the open and could force us to face our fears and take a big step forward and grow. Soul growth isn’t necessarily easy, and this does feel like one of those moments when we might need to face the music!
 
The good news for this particular Moon is that Pluto, Neptune and Mars are all supporting the Sun and Moon. There is a beautiful connection between the Sun, Moon, Mars and Neptune which brings the potential for some inspired, compassionate action and could temper the strong urges that the Pluto Mars opposition could bring. Neptune is a sensitive, compassionate energy that helps us to connect to the divine, and when it is supporting Mars, the warrior, it can help us to act and react from a place of love and connectedness. Indeed, Neptune can help us to know when it is the right time to act, as if we are somehow guided, following the flow rather than forcing things. It is good that Neptune is involved in this Moon, because it certainly brings an element of kindness, gentleness and empathy to the picture.
 
The Sabian symbol for this Moon, at 29° Taurus, is: “Two cobblers working at a table”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The two-fold character of man’s mature understanding. In symbolism the feet are the symbol of understanding. Understanding differs from mere knowledge because it implies at least some degree of identification in depth with what is being understood. Moreover it is impossible fully to understand anything except when its opposite is taken into consideration. The mental process of understanding – and therefore of appreciation – implies confrontation between two points of view. Thus the mind gains a sense of perspective. The way to dispel a shadow is to have the object illumined (on its own two-dimensional level) by two sources of light. True understanding dissipates any intellectual shadow. The “two cobblers” symbolise two contrasting ways of approaching the understanding of an experience – especially a new experience – and they provide concrete forms which may clothe and protect the understanding. This symbol reveals symbolically the way in which a mature individual mind works in an attempt to gain PERSPECTIVE; a true perspective becomes the foundation upon which to build a new approach to life.”
 
It is so easy to see our differences and fight over which perspective is the right one, and the T-square certainly brings the potential for conflict. However, this symbol invites us to make the differences and contrasting perspectives work for us and allow them to complement each other instead of competing. There is no doubt that this Moon has the potential for bringing out the worst in us, but it doesn’t have to. We can use it to help us confront anything we have been avoiding, and we can also harness the sensitive, unifying, compassionate energy of Neptune to make sure that we don’t act and react from a place of ego. This certainly is a powerful Moon for planting seeds and intentions and watching them grow! As always, it is important to be mindful of what we ask for, because the universe tends to take things very literally, and a Taurus New Moon is an especially fertile one! This certainly is an ideal time to cultivate an attitude of gratitude!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Painting: Abundance Mindset – Cedar Lee
 
 
 


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SCORPIO FULL MOON / LUNAR ECLIPSE - 5 May 2023

5/2/2023

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Exact at 8.34pm UK time (BST)
 
This is the second of two eclipses, which could bring to a head whatever has been percolating since the New Moon/Solar Eclipse on 20 April. Whatever came up during that time could now find full expression, with the light of this penetrating Scorpio Moon making it quite hard to avoid looking at our stuff! There could also be a link between this Eclipse and the last Lunar Eclipse on 8 November last year. Possibly this is the next phase of whatever was occurring then. Certainly, Eclipse season has the capacity to bring up a lot for us to work through, and with a Scorpio Full Moon on the horizon it may not all be pleasant! Scorpio can force us to peer under the proverbial carpet to look at whatever we might have swept under there because we would rather not deal with it.
 
Scorpio calls for us to strip away the layers of self-deceit and take a good look in the ugly mirror! This Full Moon places the focus on the Scorpio South Node and, combined with Mercury Retrograde, we could find ourselves somehow looking back in order to move forward. Sometimes we take the easy route and sweep uncomfortable material under the carpet rather than confronting it at the time, but this is the kind of Moon that could force us bring it out into the open, as it might be impossible to avoid it anymore. Issues, concerns and resentments that are buried or suppressed can fester and become insidiously destructive, bubbling away beneath the surface, whereas if we bring them out into the open and face them then they lose their power. It’s hard and scary to bring up difficult subjects, and it is hard to face shadow material and hold up the ugly mirror, but the alternative is often worse. We could feel quite exposed and a bit vulnerable during this Moon, but better that than smoothing things over and keeping the peace at the expense of the truth.
 
This Full Moon/Eclipse highlights the polarity between Taurus and Scorpio and asks us to find some balance between the energy of the two signs. Too much Taurus means that we can get stuck in situations that are no longer good for us because we fear the disruption that change could bring. Scorpio helps us to shed, purge and walk across a burning bridge, facing our demons and going through the necessary transformation that is essential for soul growth. Too much Scorpio can mean that we get addicted to drama and intensity, finding it hard to trust that the rug isn’t about to be pulled out from underneath us. We may give our power away or we may manipulate in order to maintain a feeling of power. Taurus teaches us how to be self-sufficient and grounded, getting to a place whereby we can’t be toppled over if someone or something lets us down. We learn to rely on ourselves, first and foremost, developing a healthy sense of self-worth, self-confidence and the ability to sustain ourselves and meet our own needs.
 
We are approaching the end of the Nodes stay in Scorpio and Taurus, as they will be switching signs in July. With the North Node having been in Taurus for the past 18 months, there certainly has been a considerable amount of emphasis on the economy, with many of us cultivating the Taurean art of self-sufficiency, as we strip back and do what we can to simplify our lives. It is interesting that the Nodes moved into Taurus and Scorpio at a point in history when we had recently experienced a massive amount of emotional intensity on a collective level, and so this Taurus North Node has helped us to recalibrate and find a sense of stability once more, rather than living in expectation of the next wave of emotional intensity to come along and knock us off kilter. We have been “rebuilding” since then, in every sense of the word, although we have also been dealing with the financial repercussions of that time.
 
Pluto, the ruler of this Scorpio Moon, is an incredibly potent force right now, as the planet of power, death/rebirth, soul and transformation turns retrograde on 2 May. When a planet is stationary, getting ready to shift direction, we feel its energy more acutely. Pluto is also squaring the Nodes right now, so it is a strong force during this Moon, and as such we could find that secrets are brought out into the light and some darkness is somehow exposed, both on a personal and collective level. Possibly some revealing information comes to light around the financial power structures, or possibly we are forced to confront our personal shadows in some way or show our tender underbelly so that we feel a bit vulnerable and exposed.
 
Pluto brings up issues around mortality, power and trust, and prompts us to evolve on a soul level. And soul growth isn’t necessarily easy! It sometimes feels easier to just let things roll on as they are, even if they are uncomfortable, rather than facing the discomfort of bringing difficult material out into the open and facing the consequences. When Pluto squares the Nodes we can feel the pull of our soul, urging us to take a step out of our comfort zone towards growth, but the resistance can sometimes feel greater. However, we can either wait for something to come along and force the matter, or we can consciously and willingly step up and face the music. Either way, growth is inevitable. This Full Moon could be a moment of rebirth.
 
Anyone with personal planets or angles around 0° of a sign, especially the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, will be feeling the transforming power of Pluto at the moment, calling for us to face ourselves and to be truly honest, and possibly going through some kind of metamorphosis. Pluto can bring an enormous amount of psychological insight and force us to peer into the darker side of existence, which may not be very comfortable! Pluto is now getting ready to move back into Capricorn, so those of us with personal planets or angles around 29° of a sign, especially the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, could also be feeling the influence of Pluto starting to build again, having had a dose of it late 2022 and early 2023, when Pluto was at the end of Capricorn.
 
Uranus, the planet of sudden change, revolution and liberation, is playing a big part in this Moon, as it is sitting right next to the Taurus Sun, opposing the Scorpio Moon. This energy can bring sudden shocks, jolting us into a greater sense of awareness and shaking us out of any stagnant ruts so that we can get back on track. This is the planet of wake-up calls, that reminds us that things can change in the blink of an eye! “To thine own self be true” is Uranus’ motto, and so we could be called to be more authentic, which isn’t always easy. Indeed, this Moon could call for us to be very real indeed and could also bring a great deal of insight and a higher level of awareness. The Sun and Uranus will be exactly conjunct on 9 May, at 18° Taurus, but the energy will be very strong during this Moon.
 
With Uranus sitting in the sign of money and survival, we could experience a shake-up in the realm of the economy and the financial sector, although this is an ongoing process! Uranus is the planet of innovation, progression and technology, and so the digitisation of currency does seem more and more inevitable as Uranus moves further and further through Taurus. We are certainly in need of an overhaul of the current system, that is for sure, and Uranus does offer alternative solutions and calls for us to think outside of the box when it comes to money, values and finance. We may need to undo some very ingrained conditioning and come up with a very different approach to survival and money in the coming few years. The old order is crumbling!
 
Chiron is also in on the act during this Moon, forming a nagging inconjunct to the Moon. This brings the potential for some deep healing as we are forced to be honest and bring some gnarly material out into the open. It is far better to bring it out, rather than allowing it to fester, erode and poison. There is also a dynamic, challenging square occurring between Pluto and Jupiter, which will be exact on 18 May, just after Jupiter moves into Taurus. This could also have an impact on the financial system and might bring out some very strong and even extreme beliefs and convictions in people, with the desire to convince and convert others to their version of the truth. This certainly could bring out a lot of preachers in the pulpit over the next few weeks!
 
The Sabian Symbol for this Moon, at 15° Scorpio, is: “Children playing around five mounds of sand”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “Early steps in the development of a mind seeking to be attuned to the higher level of human evolution. Man’s essential destiny is to develop as a five-fold being, a “Pentagram” or five-pointed star. Number 5 symbolises mind in its most creative and penetrating aspect, while number 4 refers to the life processes operating at present within the earth’s biosphere. Our Western civilisation has realised only the lower level of this vibration 5; i.e. mind contaminated by compulsive instincts and emotional involvement. Some individuals, however, are born with a special potential for development of the higher; creative mind, and in social circumstances favouring this development. In most cases, they are still “playing around” with their unusual capacity. They are in the kindergarten stage of this higher mind development. What is seen here is FUTURE-ORIENTED GROWTH.”
 
With Uranus so much involved in this Eclipse, and Pluto in Uranus’s sign, we certainly do have the potential for some kind of shift forward in growth at this time.  Uranus is calling for us to progress and shift out of the old familiar way of doing things. It will be interesting to see what happens as Jupiter moves into Taurus on 16 May, just at the same time as Mercury turns direct, also in Taurus. The economy is certainly centre stage at the moment!
 
In the meantime, this Full Moon / Eclipse seems to be calling for us to face up to anything that we may have been sweeping under the carpet. It is time to face the music, to air our resentments, to look at our shadows, to be honest about whatever has been simmering beneath the surface, to really face ourselves, to stare into the ugly mirror, to expose our tender underbelly, to tell people how we really feel, to recognise any unhealthy power dynamics, to purge, to do the inner work and to take a trip into the underworld so that maybe we can come back with some buried treasure. If we continue to avoid, suppress and deny, then it will just fester away and turn into poison. As much as we may feel deep resistance to whatever it is that represents our greatest growth, we also know, deep down inside, what needs to be done. Scorpio can an uncanny ability to bring out the truth of the matter, even if it isn’t pretty!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo

Picture – Sweep it Under the Carpet – Banksy

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    Amy Bird

    I love writing about the Moon and the effect it has on us all, both collectively and personally. We all look at the same Moon and feel her energy, albeit in different ways. It reminds us that we are not alone and there is something very comforting about that!

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