Well, considering that Taurus is such a peaceful, grounded sign that likes the simple life, this New Moon has some powerful planetary energy swirling around it! Pluto and Mars are very much involved in the picture, which isn’t exactly a recipe for peace and tranquillity! The Taurus New Moon invites us to plant seeds and set intentions, contemplating what we truly need to feel safe and secure. It reminds us of what we value in life, what truly holds meaning for us when it comes down to it. This earthy, loyal, stable sign also calls for us to value ourselves and to work on building a solid sense of self-worth, self-reliance, self-confidence and self-sufficiency. Taurus is the part of us that likes to feel safe, secure and supported, and this New Moon can help us to contemplate what we need to feel solid, rooted and stable.
Venus, the ruling planet of Taurus, is a very big player in the week building up to this New Moon. Venus is coming to the end of its stay in Pisces, getting ready to move into Aries on Wednesday 30 April. However, before she does so, she joins Saturn and the North Node in Pisces. When Venus meets sober, realistic and responsible Saturn, we are called to see our relationships and financial situation as they really are, rather than how we would like them to be. This could be a tough pill to swallow, however! There is the potential for fear and anxiety to come up around relationships and survival. This could be a time of reckoning for our relationships, and while some could become stronger and more solid, some may not pass the test. Saturn can teach us some hard lessons, and while the medicine might ultimately be good for us, it doesn’t mean it tastes good!
Saturn helps us to let go of any illusions, ideals, fantasies and projections that might be preventing us from seeing our relationships clearly. It can also help us to put in the work necessary to create something solid, tangible, real and enduring – something that can withstand the test of time. It may not be a fairytale, but all successful relationships require work on both sides, as well as a sense of personal responsibility, accountability, commitment and the willingness to turn up and “lean in” when the going gets tough. Saturn won’t let us bury our head in the sand – it calls for us to face whatever comes up and be willing to work through it with maturity and integrity.
During this time, we could be called to look at our relationships through a realistic lens, piercing through the veil of illusion, and decide how best to move forward. Saturn helps us to lay down solid foundations and create something that might actually work in the long term. Those of us with personal planets and angles around 27° of a sign will feel the sobering energy of this conjunction the most acutely, especially the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.
It is interesting that Saturn and Venus are also sitting on top of the Pisces North Node, as this brings a sense of fate and destiny to the picture. The North Node shows where our personal and collective soul growth lies, and at the moment it is in Pisces, calling for us to listen to our heart, follow our inner guidance and go where we are led, even if it doesn’t make much logical sense. Pisces calls for us to let go, surrender and go with the flow, and while Saturn can bring up fear and a desire to control outcomes, the North Node reminds us that ultimately, we are not in control. We are invited to let go of whatever needs to pass away, recognising the signs and omens, following the whisper of our heart, and allowing space for whatever is meant to come next.
As I mentioned before, Mars and Pluto are a very big part of this week, as they are opposing each other and squaring the Sun and Moon! Pluto is the planet of soul, transformation, power and our subconscious desires, while Mars is the planet of our conscious desires, our capacity for anger, our drive, our motivation and energy levels. When Mars and Pluto oppose each other, we could find ourselves acting compulsively, from a subconscious place, so it is important to be mindful and self-aware this week. We could find that we are more easily triggered and so it is important to be aware when we are acting or reacting from a place of injured or fragile ego. Anger could come up from a place deep within us, and it is our choice whether we allow it to be destructive or constructive.
With the Taurus Sun and Moon also being activated by this opposition, and Saturn sitting next to Venus, we could experience fear coming up around survival. Taurus is the part of us that likes to feel safe, and likes material security, while Pluto in Aquarius is all about transformation, change, evolution and tearing down the old world to build a new one. This can be very unsettling and scary for the Taurus part of us that prefers things to stay the same, even if we know they are no longer healthy or good for us. We could feel considerable tension between our human need for comfort and stability and our soul’s need to grow and evolve. We may be forced to confront ourselves any recognise and attachments that are no longer healthy for us.
Pluto forces us to confront what we might usually prefer to ignore and deny, so this could be a rather uncomfortable week! We could feel more exposed, threatened and easily triggered, especially those of us with personal planets or angles around 3° of a sign. The fixed signs will probably feel it more acutely, while the air and fire signs could feel quite energised, courageous and better able to overcome obstacles and fears. This certainly is a good time to confront ourselves and move past our limitations! We could gain a considerable amount of psychological insight into ourselves and others this week, as a lot could come up to look at and process. The Pluto Mars opposition is exact the same day as the New Moon, and is building all week.
The Sabian symbol for this Moon, at 8° Taurus, is an interesting one: “* A sleigh on land uncovered by snow”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The value of anticipating and preparing for expectable conditions. Here we have a combination of two factors: “the sleigh,” which is a product of traditional skill, and the ability man has to foresee and thus to prepare for a future situation. Man should be ready to use past knowledge and skill to meet the demands of a stage yet to come. This symbol helps us to realise the value of FUTURE-ORIENTED IMAGINATION, but also of relying upon the natural order of unfoldment of all life processes.”
It is interesting how this Moon seems to be both bringing up fear and a need to face reality, while also giving us the courage, drive and motivation to confront whatever comes up and move past our fears and limitations! It doesn’t feel like a particularly comfortable mix of planetary energy, but it could be extremely valuable, as it has the capacity to prod us in the direction of soul growth and evolution. We may need to really look at things as they really are in order to know what needs to change. Sometimes we need a bit of a cosmic kick up the bum to move out of stasis and make the necessary change! Sometimes we need to be challenged and prodded to look in the mirror and see that which we might deny or hide from.
Ultimately this Taurus Moon is calling for us to develop a sense of inner security and trust in self that means that whatever happens on the external level, we still feel safe, stable, held and supported, and have everything that we need. Ultimately this is an inside job. The Pisces North Node is on our side here, helping us to develop true acceptance of self and faith and trust in the way things are unfolding, even when the way ahead is not clear. Saturn calls for us to take responsibility for ourselves and our choices, while also trusting that we are being guided in the right direction. We are not helpless victims of circumstance, we are mature adults developing a more tangible relationship with universal energy and allowing it to guide us to exactly where we need to be, even if we have no idea where that is, and even if it makes no sense! Faith and Trust!
Much Love
Amy
xoxo
Picture: Crescent Rising by Mark Duffin