NEW MOON/SOLAR ECLIPSE IN TAURUS
SATURDAY MAY 1 AT 8.28 AM NZT
The Sun, Moon and Uranus are grouped close together in Taurus as the new moon perfects. Venus is the lady of this house, who is exalted in Pisces and supported by a perfecting conjunction with Jupiter. All the action is taking place in Taurus and Pisces, so we have earth and water themes highlighted. The great benefics Jupiter and Venus combine forces to elevate and inspire us during the solar eclipse.
As Venus comes through the conjunction with Neptune and transits into the conjunction with Jupiter we will witness one of the most beautiful transits in the night sky right now, and so we are offered this opportunity to manifest more beauty in our lives.
It will be active from April 27 at least, as the Moon comes through Pisces, bringing the Moon, Venus, Neptune and then Jupiter into alignment, and then resonating throughout eclipse season to the end of the year. Eclipses release their power gradually over months and sometimes years, as if we can see the fork in the road but not where the paths will take us. This is a powerful inception moment, a moment of truth, or enlightenment and awakening.
The Ancient Symbolism of Taurus
Taurus, symbolised by the bull, has ancient origins. It was considered a divine animal throughout antiquity and was a symbol of the moon, fertility, rebirth, and even royal or primal power. The bull was the subject of cult veneration beginning 15,000 years ago in the late Upper Paleolithic era, so we can see how truly ancient this symbol is. We see giant bulls in the earliest depictions in Stone Age cave art, and the importance of this animal in the enigmatic veneration of the bull in ancient Anatolia, history has recorded many examples of religious cow cults flourishing though the ages. The famous bull jumping of Minoan Crete, the worship of Apis the bull-headed god in Egypt and the sacrificial portrayal in Roman Mithraism indicate that the bull was an integral part of many diverse and important religious traditions. Evidence of bull worship has been found in areas as varied as Europe, Africa and India.
Zeus took the form of a bull to seduce and abduct Europa, and Pasiphae was a princess who fell in love with a bull, which led to the birth of a terrible half man-half beast, the Minotaur. The bull was seen as a manifestation of the potency and power of the gods, demanding respect, and the cow as a symbol of the abundance and plenty of the great mother goddesses.
In Greek myth the gods, such as Zeus or Dionysis often took the form of bull, and the sacrifice of a bull to the gods for divine providence goes back to the dawn of time. Hathor, the Egyptian cow goddess has a strong resonance with Taurus, being the goddess of beauty, women, love, fertility, grace, abundance, music and many other qualities that are very similar to qualities embodied by the goddess Venus. I am fairly sure the way we treat our bovine friends today would be most displeasing to Goddess Hathor.
Sun, Moon and Uranus
I bring up the ancient mythology and symbolism of Taurus because the eclipse season is asking us to reconnect with the power and abundance of nature, to connect to the cycles and seasons of the earth and venerate the sacredness of the planet we’re supposed to take care of. I am not saying go out into the countryside and sacrifice a bull, but perhaps consider the metaphorical equivalent, in whatever way appeals to you.
Everywhere around the world we are seeing the terrible and catastrophic results of what happens as we become more and more separated from each other, ourselves, nature, the earth, and it is likely we will see some of these unwelcome events, or we may feel the impact of them during this eclipse season. Taurus is a fixed earth sign to the core, but there will be opportunities to see how grounded we are, how we make a stand for what we truly want.
As the Moon crosses Uranus and the North Node following the lunation on the May 2, then trine to Pluto, and then transiting Mercury in Gemini on the 3rd, tensions may rise and find expression in rebelliousness, a shift of perception, a change of heart, or radical free speech. This could be a chance to meet anger and emotion with love and acceptance, or release buried emotion.
Venus
As Venus perfects her conjunction with Jupiter, within the hour following the lunar eclipse, we may see the opening chapter of a new story. This is the beginning of new cycle between the benefits and increases the power of this seed moment. While Venus and Jupiter together can show up as self indulgent and deluded, or swept away by some grandiose and self-important vision, it can also be the manifestation of our highest and best ideals, humanity at its most compassionate and generous. Elevate your frequency by focusing your intention on love and beauty.
The practical, grounded and resourceful nature of Taurus offers us a space to be our best self, our truest, most authentic self. We may not see these shifts in perception until we have a chance to reflect and see how much we have changed.
Mars
Mars in sextile to the Sun, Moon and applying to Uranus from May 1, stirs us to action. There is a compelling urge to participate, to engage in whatever way we can, to reach out for that dream. A dream of utopia even, and how we can embody that space, to reconnect to our humanity. This could be a gentle awakening, a feeling like waking up and realising you have been asleep for years. But Mars is not very practical or interested in manifesting actual, tangible results while in Pisces. However Mars has the potential to stir up trouble in water themes, for better or worse.
Jupiter
So much depends on what we believe. Jupiter in Pisces is asking us to become conscious of how our beliefs shape our reality. Reality doesn’t shape you, it’s the other way around, it’s from the inside out. It is your beliefs that shape your reality.
Where is Jupiter in your chart? The house, the aspects and the sign will tell you about your beliefs, the way they subconsciously or consciously run your life and how you can line up with them in more authentic, abundant or beneficial ways.
In the final degrees of Pisces, the anoretic degree, from 5 May, Jupiter also has the potential to blow things out of proportion or inflate the manifestation of water in unwelcome ways. Jupiter will leave Pisces and enter Aries on 12 May and then there won’t be time for reflection or spiritual improvement. You will be too busy lighting fires, or putting them out.
The Nodes
The lunar nodes are currently sitting on a Venus/Mars fixed sign axis with the North Node in Taurus (Venus’ sign) and the South Node in Scorpio (Mars’ sign). The North nodes increases, the South Node decreases and generally the duality of the nodes asks us to be mindful of balance; in our desires and passions, our dark side and our light side, where we are and where we want to be.
Let go of fear (Mars) and remember Love (Venus). This is a primal duality and one we are now required to master. If you want Love, be love. Embrace the enduring simplicity of beauty and truth (Taurus). With all your heart. How healing is that? To turn your back on fear and aggression is powerful act, one that has great significance now.
The South Node in Scorpio brings out the dark side of this sign, its seductive, obsessive and addictive qualities. Do you secretly relish the fear, drama and resentment in your life? Do you enjoy obsessing over ancient resentments? The fear, aggression and mistrust of Scorpio’s dark shadow can however, be transformed if we have the courage and honesty to face it.
Mars the ruler of Scorpio sextiles the new moon/eclipse. Mars is very much a part of the lunar drama, influencing the choices and decisions you make. You may have to stand by them for some time because the fixed nature of these signs — Scorpio, Taurus and Aquarius coupled with the karmic nature of the eclipses, signifies longevity.
The lighter side of Scorpio is a deep emotional intelligence, fearlessness and loyalty. With its keen perception you can excavate what has been buried, reveal secrets and expose the the truth to the light of day. This takes courage. Over the next few months we may see the emergence of a key whistleblower who may change how we see things, or we may see the vindication of those who have made a stand for truth.
Saturn
I wrote about Saturn’s square to the nodes in my last blog, but it is important to remember, before we charge off into the Aries arena on Jupiter’s big horse, that Saturn has left us with some valuable lessons during its transit through Capricorn and Aquarius.
Aquarius has much to offer in terms of the philosophy and ideological systems that create policy and legislation, and inform mandates, for the greater good of course, but let’s hope that we have the fair, just and kindhearted leadership to know what that means. Saturn’s transit of Aquarius since 2020 has defined our sense of who we are and how we fit into the social fabric, of what the greater good means to us.
As Saturn separates from this square we can at least expect to enjoy more freedom, freedom of thought and freedom of speech as well as mobility. And perhaps we will judge each other less harshly for their choices and decisions.
Mercury
The themes of choices, communication, beliefs and perspectives may show up more strongly as Mercury moves into Gemini on the 30 April, just hours before the new moon perfects. This is Mercury’s domicile, however in about 10 days Mercury will retrograde and gradually move back into Taurus. Looking at the space represented by communications, speech, writing, mobility, technology, financial markets and so on, what can we expect to see?
Fluctuations and reversals in finance possibly, media and communications faltering or facilitating false information, crypto currencies rise and fall, but perhaps now with unforeseen consequences. Markets and their associated transactions may come to a standstill as a result of tech issues for example financial Apps, ATM’s, fraud, scammers, cyber security, currency issues, or travel issues.
Mistakes, lies, propaganda, misinformation and truth in speech and writing, the digital as well as the printed word, especially when Mercury crosses the last degrees of Taurus and trines retrograde Pluto on May 26 and June 11, are able to trip us up if we make assumptions and take things at face value. If you have any paperwork on the table, for example contracts, if you can wait do so or at least ask for more information and busy some time, if something doesn’t look right.
Other Things to Look Forward To
- Venus sextile Pluto and ingress into Aries, 3 May. Venus in Aries, the warrior-princess, Xena, Athena (feared by Generals) or Artemis the Hunter.
- Sun conjunct Uranus 5 May. Uranus Cazimi. A rebellious and surprising day. Not what you were expecting. Be prepared.
- Jupiter ingress into Aries, just as the Moon transits Virgo 12 May and Mercury stations retrograde in Gemini. Into the realms of fire and air.
- Sun conjunct North Node 13 May.
- Full Moon and total lunar eclipse with Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio 16 May, see my next blog.
- Mars conjunct Neptune 17 May. Take care around water.
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