This is the day of the New Moon in Taurus, which arrives in a few hours at 6:45 pm EDT.
All New Moons are beginnings. This one has a freshness and depth and potential that brings a special power and resonance.
The astrological year begins when the Sun reaches 0 Aries, the Spring Equinox. The New Moon in Aries is also a yearly sort of beginning, initiating the round of New Moon seed times until we reach Pisces once again. These are annual cycles, each bringing us to a familiar place in the circle of seasons.
Today’s New Moon in Taurus feels pregnant with beginnings of her own. This feeling is true and right and reflects some deeper, longer term cycles.
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This is the first New Moon in Taurus since Uranus entered Taurus last year. It’s the first New Moon in Taurus with Uranus in the same sign in 80 years. Since New Moons initiate things, the waxing cycle to come will offer clues about how Uranus might bring change into our lives.
This will be a lunar cycle to pay attention to, noting and if possible recording new, unexpected happenings, however small. These can be harbingers of things to come.
It’s interesting to note that Uranus itself is unaspected in the New Moon Chart. This chart is full of aspects, planets and points talking to each other in a variety of ways, but not Uranus. He’s on his own.
Sometimes, unaspected planets can seem hidden in a chart, difficult to integrate or express. On the other hand, unaspected planets can become wild cards, unruly, unrestrained, and unpredictable. This seems far more likely for Uranus.
We’re in a wild time. This New Moon happens at Beltaine. The Sun and Moon are at 14 degrees of Taurus. Astrologically, Beltaine happens when the Sun reaches 15 Taurus, which occurs tomorrow, Sunday, May 5, at 3:00 pm EDT.
Beltaine opens the light half of the year in the ancient Celtic calendar. It is one of the hinges of the year when the veils between the worlds are thinnest. This is the time of Faerie, of magical encounters, of fertility rituals that link the land and its bounties to the hidden realms that feed and support it.
Truly, at this time of the year, the land and the people are one. It is fitting, therefore, that the New Moon is trining Saturn, the South Node, and Pluto, while Neptune sextiles both groups.
Beltaine rituals invoke the magic of the unseen to create good outcomes in the natural world. These include fertility rites, for example, in which support for growth and protection against misfortune are invoked.
When Neptune and Saturn are in positive aspect to each other, they can bridge the gap between the unseen and the seen, the hidden and the manifest, the real and the mystical.
The presence of Pluto adds great depth to this connection. The South Node reminds us these practices have long histories, appearing in many cultures and times in a variety of guises.
And nothing is more fertile than a New Moon in Taurus.
Venus in Aries squares Saturn and both Nodes, as well as ruling the New Moon. She adds Fire to the mix. She pushes us ahead. She will light the Beltaine fires on the hilltops, illuminating the darkness of the New Moon night.
Mercury in Aries squares Pluto. Mercury, who is Hermes, is the one god who was not in awe of Pluto/ Hades. Hermes is the psychopomp, the one who safely travels from beneath to above and back again.
He will know the magic words, the words of power. And he will say them, daring greatly. Jupiter and Mercury trine each other at the New Moon, so Mercury will lack neither optimism nor cheek.
Mars is in the mix, too, opposing Jupiter and sextiling Mercury. Mars in Gemini and Mercury in Aries are in mutual reception. They are visiting each other’s homes, and therefore sharing power. Actions taken at this New Moon are likely to be deft, clever, quick, and surprising.
This combination of speed and agility with the slow, steady carefulness of Taurus might feel irritating. Depending on how we relate to Taurus in general, we could feel held back when we want to run ahead. We might decide to leap over barriers and charge into something new.
For some, that might work, again, depending on your chart and how Taurus and Saturn and Pluto show up for you.
I’d like to suggest another approach, though; one in keeping with this time of Beltaine.
The patterns at this New Moon might leave us chafing at restrictions, giving in, like Macbeth to “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself.” Things did not turn out well for Macbeth.
Instead, we can use sparks of magic to light a carefully banked fire that will fuel our goals for many months to come. This capturing of a vital flame and nurturing it over time is the heart of Beltaine magic.
Wildness is in the air and we might be carried away by it. Even then, though, we can channel that wild magic into something sustainable. We need to remain grounded. We need to respect the forces at play, recognizing what is beyond our control. We need to honor those powers greater than ourselves.
At each New Moon, we set intentions. We plant seeds for the future. In partnership with the cosmos, we make wishes.
At this New Moon, I am thinking about a revised version of the Serenity Prayer. You remember the oft-quoted phrase asking for the wisdom to tell the difference between the things we can change and those we cannot. The prayer asks for courage to change what we can and serenity to accept what we can’t change.
Serenity is a value Taurus loves. Calmly celebrating the beauties of nature. Calmly accepting its challenges and disasters. Certainly, acceptance is also a value Taurus holds dear.
But what about the wild magic? Accepting its power to change everything calls for a kind of courage all its own.
Perhaps this New Moon will ask us to stay calm and carry on. Or we might be invited to ride with the Faerie host across the skies, landing who knows where. We might be dragged along, whether we will or no, gasping for breath and wondering what on earth happens next.
So, at this New Moon, I am asking for the insight to recognize wild magic when it shows up at my door and the courage to invite it in.
I ask for serenity, too, the kind that allows me to hold the flame of inspiration and creativity in my hands and save it, savor it, and feed it into my deepest goals.
The true magic of this New Moon will not be seen overnight. Instead, look for slow and steady growth, a kind of growth that is touched by wildness and yet remains with us, sustaining, supportive, and serene.