New Moon in Taurus: Time to Begin (Again)

Apologies for the delay. I was finishing up a five-day "retreat" and re-emerging into the world on the 19th, and the re-emergence was much more intense than I had anticipated! I have a free moment to post now, and the vibe is still present. So, Onward!

The Taurus New Moon arrived on the 19th. The energy here is markedly different than the Aries New Moon: where Aries is a jolt of energy perfect for a sprint, Taurus is a time release best suited for a marathon. Projects started with this energy tend to have legs and stability and deliver returns over longer intervals of time. This new moon is a perfect time to begin anew - or begin again.

If we continue the theme of the Passion Project, which we started last month, we zeroed in on a passion project with the new moon and cleared away obstacles around it by the light of the full moon, once the eclipse had passed. Now we commit to implementing our passion project, and consider some of the other Astrology surrounding this moment...

The Sun has moved into Gemini, which sparkles with curiosity. We are encouraged not to jump in to the deep end feet first, but to research, to experiment, to play: how can we best express ourselves in our passion projects? Which is the better foot to put forward to begin the journey?

Action planet Mars has just entered Leo. Here, the image is of the Decorated Warrior, someone recognized for fighting and living to tell the tale. Where Mars in Leo may have good advice, his feathers can get ruffled if he feels that advice is not taken seriously. 

Lingering in the background is Pluto's retrograde journey. Fears and hesitations that might have been missed in our previous investigations might come to the surface, whispering what-ifs at the edge of our awareness. When those whispers become too distracting, leaning into the stability of Taurus and the inquisitiveness of Gemini (Earth and Air signs, respectively) will help calm the fears and return the focus to the present moment. 

Momentum is on our side as well, as we move closer to Litha, the Solstice, in mid-June (the global north's Midsummer Sabbat). If we take a chance to put up our sails, we just might find them filling with the ocean breeze and be sent upon our journey for the (rest of) the year, where the New meets the Now.

An opportunity for the New to meet the Now will be on the first weekend of June, with the Intuitive Oracular Reading for the month! Watch this space for the reveal...

Jupiter in Taurus: All the Good Things

Tomorrow (5/16), Jupiter moves into the sign of Taurus.

Known as the "Greater Benefic," Jupiter serves as the Amplifier in the astrological order of things. Whatever sign it moves though, the traits of that sign become amplified, for better, for worse, and for those truly head-scratching "huh?" moments. Taurus is about material things, creature comforts, and those "bare necessities" that are important on our lives.

When all is flowing, Jupiter brings more of the good stuff into our lives. There is Plenty to Go Around and we have no problems in sharing our bounty. We might even experience an upgrade in the quality of things: getting a much needed and anticipated raise at work, trading in the old clunker for a newer car that actually works, moving from a studio apartment into a cozy two-bedroom townhome, having that organic grocery chain finally open up a store close to we live. In these cases, we can cultivate or refine an Attitude of Gratitude and welcome in the abundance.

On the other hand, when things are stuck and life is more of a challenge, we might feel the forces of Lack and Scarcity more acutely. When the windfall comes, we might be tempted to hold onto it all the tighter, stretch that money out as far as it will go, because we don't think our good fortune will hold out. We might be tempted to feather our own nests and retreat just a bit further into isolation, as the world looks too scary to venture out into right now. 

Jupiter in Taurus can show us where we are the most trusting in our paths of faith and Spirituality and where our faith is wavering. We can give ourselves a little extra TLC in the places that feel the Lack most acutely. We can learn to trust that the flow of abundance is real and true, and though the current will switch down the line (as Jupiter moves through the rest of the Zodiac), the Times of Plenty will return. We can tune in to the ebb and flow of life's rhythms and align ourselves accordingly.

For those of you who are Rabbit people (in the Asian Zodiac), this is your time to shine. Jupiter moves through Taurus once every 12 years, so there is some overlap between these two major astrological systems. Expect your Rabbit fortunes to hit their peak and carry you through the rest of the summer season, and prepare for an especially bountiful Harvest Season. Similar good fortune awaits those who have their Jupiter Return in Taurus as well. :)

PS - Mercury has stationed direct (as of 5/14), so all the flows will start moving in the right direction once more!

FIRST Intuitive Reading: May 2023!

So I managed to record the reading and post it on YouTube - and it posted in three parts. I thought I would be able to post the video of the main reading here directly, but apparently it's too big to upload. Thank you Mercury Retrograde for showing me what I need to work on in the tech department! (LOL)*

So, after a bit of finagling, here is the link to the YT video, which you can watch at your leisure. Hopefully I can get everything straightened out before the start of June. ;)

*I choose to laugh instead of to scream, as laughter is better for the blood pressure, and it will all work out in the end. :)

Merry Month of May: Sparking the Summer

The blessings of Beltane to one and all! :)

This is one of the eight Sabbats of Pagan traditions. It was the start of summer in the Celtic calendar, featuring the kindling of the "Bel Fires" to renew the hearth fire of the home and to purify oneself and one's flocks. With the arrival of stable warm weather, it was an excellent excuse for folks to get out, dance around Maypoles (to invoke fertility for the coming year), jump the fire (for said purification), and pair up and head for the woods to make some whoopie - okay, a lot of whoopie.

In modern practice, most Pagans still treat this day as the start of Summer, and for whoopie-making in many cases. Summer is the season of Fire (as the days in the global north get longer and warmer), Creativity, and Transformation, sometimes of the Radical variety. This is certainly the case as we kick off May with a pair of "sparking" Astro events...

First, Pluto starts its retrograde journey on this very day (May 1st). Unfinished Business is the flavor of this particular retrograde, as Pluto returns to Capricorn for its last big hurrah. Pluto in Capricorn has shown us where our social structures are failing us, and where decay has set in. When it finally stations direct, it will be in the same degree, though not at the exact same point, where it was when the United States was sparked in 1776. Expect the socio-political rhetoric to heat up between now and when it stations direct, roughly mid-October, and to cool slowly through the end of the year. Break out the hip-waders, because we'll need them in a few months!

Second, there's a Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio on May 5th. This is the other end of the Eclipse Sandwich that we were served a few weeks ago. Whereas the focus of the first eclipse was on our Passion Projects, now the focus is on what cutting loose we need to do before our deep dive of Commitment. We articulated our significant desires leading up to this full moon; now we see what we need to Release in order to make room for their fulfillment. As Mercury is still retrograde, this is more of a time of planning and less of a time for action. Come Mercury stationing direct on the 14th, and the Taurus new moon on the 19th, that will be the time to take the first steps in our bold new directions. (More to be revealed around those events as well.)

A final note: my schedule became unexpectedly busy to kick off the week, so the Intuitive Reading for this month will be slightly delayed. It will, however, be up by the Eclipse, so watch this space!