New Moon in Taurus: The Earth Gives Forth Her Bounty

Tulips Beginning to Blossom                             Catherine Al-Meten Meyers

The New Moon in  6 degrees of Taurus on April 27 is conjunct the Asteroid, Demeter. This New Moon in Taurus can be interpreted using two Sabian Symbols that rule 5-7 degrees of the Moon. The first archetypal image is that of 5-6 degrees, the Cantilever Bridge spanning the gap of a deep gorge.
With this New Moon in Taurus, we arrive at a time when we in some way are crossing over a deep abyss. All that is between us and the dangers that lie below, is the safety of the narrow bridge that spans the deep gorge. For those who are afraid of heights, this would be a perilous journey. For anyone, it would be a journey that allows for safe passage across uncertainties, hidden dangers, and perils.

We find the New Moon in Taurus conjunct Demeter bringing the energy and grounding of Taurus in alignment with the rebirth of Light, of the flowering of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and the return of Light to the Underworld in the Southern Hemisphere. The Constellation of Taurus includes three major stars: Mirach, Mira, and Hamal. Mirach is the guide star in the Andromeda constellation. It points toward three other galaxies (a crossroads of sorts). Time for making choices. Mirach lies at the left hip in the Andromeda Princess. The Princess is depicted as a woman chained yet the chains are connected to nothing. A symbol of how we are chained to our destiny; a destiny we choose with the choices we make.

The second Sabian symbol is 6-7 degrees of Taurus, the Woman of Samaria at the Ancestral Well. One of my favorite biblical stories, the woman at the well symbolizes the crossing over limitations and extending boundaries set by cultural and historical traditions and habits. Christ Jesus went out of his way to cross over to the well, and crossed into enemy territory. As if that weren't enough, he crossed cultural boundaries by asking a Samaritan woman who had come to the well to get water, for a drink to quench his thirst. Jesus, a Jew, and the woman, a Samaritan, would have been forbidden to have contact with one another for many reasons. Jews and Samaritans were enemies. Jesus was a man who was asking a woman for help. This moment was indeed one that was out of the ordinary, and even dangerous.

The location of the New Moon at 6 degrees of Taurus comes after its passage through the first few degrees of the sign; traditionally symbolic of sexual indiscretion, infidelity, or some other form of behavior that is outside our acceptable norms. Whether this is truly an indiscretion or daring to risk behavior outside our usual routine, we may feel a little off center and out of sorts--wondering what is going on as we are not our typical selves. This is a sure sign that on some level, there are changes brewing within. What brews within is often repressed and seen in something outside ourselves...a behavior that challenges us, or an offer or opportunity that surprises us. We may be shocked at how we feel right now. The Moon in Taurus also comes into conjunction with the fixed star Hamal. This often indicates the energy of strong, protective leaders. Those who appear to be the head of the family may hide within them the egomania, lust for power, and need for control, at any cost, beneath the thin mask of normalcy. Such people can suffer loss, disgrace, and fall from power due to their own weaknesses. Note the area of your life where you can be just a bit too dictatorial. How can we reign in our weaker elements, and address the areas of our lives where we step over the mark on occasion? We all have the potential to try to control or abuse our power. Notice how you might be inclined to let your lesser self take the lead.


New moons are always times that signal the start of a new phase. This New Moon in the first decan of Taurus is one that alerts us of changes that will bridge the gap between what we might have feared most and what is possible when addressing those fears and moving into a new relationship with the way we are living life. There is a certain kind of safety and comfort we get accustomed to when we are feeling familiar, safe, and secure in our beliefs, traditions, customs, and habits. When we bridge the gap to extend ourselves beyond the limitations of our own perspectives, we can see real growth. When we break out of our habitual patterns and allow the truth to set us free, we find a new pathway forward. One that is not necessarily predictable and easy, but one that is nevertheless a path that is full of possibilities and unfamiliar riches.

Despite the unusual feelings, temptations, or offers, the Taurus New Moon and the energy of the Taurean Sun remind us of our obligations and duties. We find our passions and desires for material pleasures, distractions, and pursuits stimulated. At the same time we need to channel our energy into what is going to help sustain ourselves and help us guard, preserve, and protect our homes and  our way of life. By using our talents, energy, and resources to fix up our homes, strengthen our family ties, and protect our long term goals, we can use this powerful energy to set ourselves on a path that leads us across the divide between the past and the future equipped with resources and talents, and focused on what will sustain us in the long run.

Taurus loves the finer things of life. We are now drawn to that which enriches and enhances how we live and where we live and work. Taurus is not about wishing and hoping  for the best; it's about making the best happen. Putting into practice and creating the lovely, beautiful home we desire. Enjoying food, drink, and the pleasures of life. Not only the consumption of delicious meals, but also the preparation. Seeing our wealth as it represents the ways we have come to appreciate, treasure, and  maybe even covet a bit. Notice how you allow yourself to enjoy life during the New Moon in Taurus, or how you keep yourself from enjoying the life you have created. Taurus is about grounding yourself in the material expressions of your spiritual gifts. How do you celebrate the fullness of life right where you are?

This is a time to slow down and take time to enjoy life. Spend some time enjoying the beauty of the Earth and your own environment. Let the natural world awaken you to what you truly value. Taurus rules the 2nd house of self worth and values. Use the energy of this time to consider how your values have been shaped, and how you might want to break out of some of the stubborn or rigid patterns that are keeping your from fully developing and growing.  How have you been your own worst enemy? Whose influence has stopped or stagnated your own growth and well being? What needs to be discarded so that you can be more fully yourself? What gifts, talents, desires, and longings are calling your to develop and cross that bridge to the new path before you? What within you is holding your back? What steps could you take to move forward?

Other aspects that coincide with this month's New Moon include:

Mercury conjunct Uranus in Aries.  We are more attuned to those flashes of insight, intuitive hits, and sensations that awaken us to our own and others' hidden motivations, suppressed desires, or unhealed psyches. It's a time we can most become aware of what is stirring within us, and we can feel more motivated to face our fears. While facing our fears, we can learn more about what we need to alter so that we can be in greater harmony and balance.  Establishing what it is we need for health and well being is vital at this time. It is also going to become self evident and clearer than it has been for quite some time.

Mercury trine Saturn. At the same time, Mercury in Aries trines Saturn retrograde in Sagittarius provides the disciplined thinking, concentration, and focus to pay attention to detail. At the same time  we find tangible ways to put abstract ideas into concrete form and reality. What we've only held as a possibility or ideal, can now be brought into form and shape. The intuitive spark of Uranus lights up the thought processes and awakens the inner senses to put into practice with regards to business deals and practical plans.

And finally Saturn trine Uranus marks a key transition point. This transition point however will be more peaceful and calm than transitions of the past few years. A positive attitude, open and receptive perspective, and willingness to make the changes and do the work necessary for good changes, mark this point in time. The crossing of the bridge onto a new path is bright with promise, and is a reward for the many sacrifices made and the hard work of coping with reality that you have gone through earlier. It's a time when the Earth is blossoming with hope and possibility, and when opportunities are waiting for you to take them.  A bounty awaits.