Taurus is the principle of Earth’s organic growth, slow and abundant. It is ruled by Venus, who represents the energy of love, the force of attraction that holds matter in its forms. As long as anything is held in love, it can grow safely without fear of losing itself. Although Venus is also in Taurus at the beginning of this Sun/Moon cycle, she moves into Gemini on 10 May, so from the human point of view, this month is about expressing our community with all things.

New Moon conjunct Sedna: This New Moon is within a degree of Sedna, a tiny planet discovered a couple of years ago orbiting the Sun far out beyond Pluto. It seemed natural to name it after a deity from a very cold climate, so astronomers chose Sedna after an Inuit goddess. After rejecting what she was offered, Sedna was finally driven into the sea by her father as he chose to save himself. With her friends, the whales and seals, she became the force of the sea that rises without warning, killing those who treat her without respect. Those who are frightened by this power may see it as taking revenge for past pain. The ocean also heals us (whales suggesting the healing power of sound) and it represents the wisdom of the ages. As the Sun and Moon in Taurus join Sedna on 8th May, perhaps we need to be prepared to receive the practical consequences of some of our past careless actions. Responding rightly could bring healing for old wounds, perhaps healing through speech (Venus in Gemini).

Sedna / New Moon square Neptune: Any square to Neptune can reveal idealism that is impractical. This month could see an emphasis on the crazy thinking that Earth is angry at us for our behaviour, like the goddess Sedna, setting off tsunamis and earthquakes deliberately.

I think the error we make, in linking the forces of Nature with old ‘gods,’ is attributing human emotions to them. To say the Earth is angry when a natural ‘disaster’ occurs is the reaction of a little personality feeling itself at the centre of its world, projecting its own anger that the Earth should treat us this way. It’s easier to see the error when we shift into a greater view, considering our body as the bit of earth we borrowed to be here. When we are suffering from an illness, we do not say that our body is angry with us for treating it badly. If we eat badly and the body falls into disharmony, we recognise that the food may have contributed to that. We know that our body also takes the brunt of our emotional excesses, and a too sedentary lifestyle. The correct response if we want the body to be well is to respect its needs and adjust our behaviour.

Likening the Earth with our little earthy body, we would see that ‘unnatural’ chemical fertilisers might be like the ‘unnatural’ hydrogenated oils in our food, or toxic waste could be like strong detergent on the skin. The Earth, like our body, has many ways of dealing with what we do to it, and, just like the body, would function for us better if we appreciated and encouraged its natural ways. Respect for power does not have to stem from fear of retribution. When we realise that we are spirit, which is the power of life, we respect the power of nature as the life force manifesting different forms.

Geological plates moving is not a sign of ‘illness’ or disharmony in Earth, but rather like the body stretching when it’s been cramped for a while. The movements of earth and water may have heavy consequences for us, but the Earth is fine. It’s not having a go at us, even if it may seem like that sometimes!

This new month we could try remembering that the things that happen, are just what’s going on. If we can adjust our reactions from impotent complaining, to something more positive and useful we would have happier experiences. It is our reactions that are our real experience!

Now if you would like to follow me on this trek a little further, I’d like to unfold some thoughts about communication that are relevant this month from the following aspects:

Mercury on North Node in Aries (trine Pluto and square Saturn): We need to bear in mind that life is not ‘doing it to us’ deliberately (see above paragraphs), because communication this month is likely to be very powerful, and could be destructive. We are likely to find that our first thoughts, true for us in the moment, are not necessarily relevant to the slower working of events. If we hold out for our first desires, we may find that we missed the point, and later regret the results, so let’s not speak too hastily. ‘Words, once spoken, cannot be unsaid.’

Although square to Mercury, Saturn connects well to the Taurus New Moon. So, if we pause long enough to feel for the larger situation, the circumstances we are in will show us the best thing to do. Being outspoken for the sake of helping, uses the quincunx of Saturn to Pluto positively, and all needs will be served, including our own.

Mars through Pisces: Throughout this Sun/Moon cycle, and until 12 June, Mars will be moving through Pisces. Although we may know what we want to say (Mercury in Aries), we may not be so sure about the action, and we may get frustrated with the slowness of the ‘follow-through.’

This month we may find that we feel emotional about things which normally wouldn’t concern us. When we sense how everything is always being affected by everything else, the consequences of any action seem so complicated. We are always influencing, and influenced by, far more than we normally consider, and a certain amount of holding back before we act gives us valuable thinking space. Mars energy powers through the solar plexus where survival is the first motivation. Mars in Pisces is the opportunity to raise the level of our motivations from animal to spiritual. The barriers we put up to protect ourselves from others are brittle, and block life’s natural flow. So, rather than putting up barriers, let us set about discovering the security of our greater identity. The ‘shape’ of who we truly are gives us a natural boundary that others respect.

Last month the meditation was ‘Know thyself!’

Meditation for this New Moon in Taurus:
Relax into being yourSelf, while respecting the shape of others.