NEW MOON / SOLAR ECLIPSE IN TAURUS 9/10 MAY 2013

 Friday 10 May @ 1.28am BST, Thursday 9 May @ 8.28pm EDT!

This New Moon also involves a Solar Eclipse which doubles the intensity and manifesting quality of this Moon. Added to which it is occurring in Taurus, the earthiest of the earth signs, which makes this an ideal time for actually manifesting something tangible. New Moons are a time in the month to look deep within and consciously break down old patterns to that we can plant the seeds for new growth. They represent the beginning of a new emotional cycle and are more objective than Full Moons. Solar Eclipses create big shifts and changes in direction, and can help us manifest that very thing that we have been yearning for or dreaming about. Eclipses don't just effect the month ahead like an ordinary New Moon; they set a proverbial ball in motion that will have an impact on our lives for months to come. As such there is much more weight to this particular moon as well as somewhat of a fateful, karmic element. The Scorpio Full Moon involved a massive purge and cleanse where we were forced in no uncertain terms to be emotionally honest about what we really want and who we really are. A lot came up over the past couple of weeks for us to process and some of it wasn't easy to face! The Taurus New Moon urges us to move on with that truth and plant the seeds for what we really and truly want to manifest for ourselves.

Taurus is a fixed earth sign, ruled by Venus, the planet of love, beauty and harmony. She is Mother Earth herself, and this moon makes me think of some lovely, fresh, rich soil packed full of nutrients for us to plants the seeds of our intentions in. Taurus gives us a really firm and solid foundation to spring from, so we must make sure that whatever intentions we set for ourselves at this time really come from our heart. Taurus asks us to clarify our core values and think about what really and truly matters to us. She also urges us to think about what we need to do in order to develop a healthy sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It is very important that whatever we do and whoever we are with make us feel good about ourselves, so that is something to think about during this Moon. Taurus rules the senses, so now is a really good time to literally slow down and smell the roses, enjoying life and all it has to offer. Like the bull in the field chewing the cud, we must stand still and simply allow ourselves to be, rather than racing around trying to do. As Taurus is ruled by Venus, femininity, receptivity, sensual pleasure, fertility and harmony are all themes of this Moon. Now is the time for us to start blossoming, so it is very important to have a clear sense of what kind of flower we want to be!

The Sun, Moon, Mercury and Mars are all joined together during this Moon and are sitting right on top of the Taurus South Node, which represents our past; old, familiar emotional patterns that no longer serve us and the path that we once walked down that is no longer relevant to who we are now. It is quite possible that we will have to dip into some past patterns of behaviour in order to recognise once and for all that they no longer work for us. Old values that no longer serve us must be left behind in the dark of the Moon as we let go of the old, familiar and outworn ways of being and surrender fully to who we are becoming. Things that used to be important to us simply aren't any more, and this Moon may make that glaringly obvious. We let go of a lot during the Scorpio Full Moon and were forced to be brutally honest with ourselves on an emotional level, and now we are moving onto the next phase of the process. Having shed a lot of skin during that Moon we are now being asked to throw yet more waste into the basket, in the form of old values and behavioural patterns. Things are moving along very fast at the moment and the changes are coming thick and fast, and what was true for us yesterday simply no longer resonates. There is something very fateful and karmic about this time, as all three of these eclipses involve the Nodes of the Moon which represent where we are coming from and where we need to go in order to grow on a soul level.

Venus, the ruler of this Moon, will move from Taurus into Gemini literally hours before the Moon is exact. This is no coincidence I am sure, as Gemini is a very flexible, adaptable, curious, changeable and versatile sign for the planet of love and relating to be in. She reminds us to relax and go with the flow while we and those around us change at a rapid pace. Gemini likes variety, so Venus here also reminds us that there are many different paths that we could take in order to get to where we are going in our lives, and we are not only limited to one route. It is important to be open to new people, situations and ideas and to be willing to adapt to any new circumstances that we may find ourselves in. Everything is moving at such a fast pace at the moment that we must allow ourselves to be flexible and bend a little rather than being too rigid and stubbornly resisting the changes. Change is happening no matter what, so some versatility and adaptability will definitely go in our favour, that's for sure!

The backdrop of these three eclipses is the third of seven Pluto/Uranus squares, which has been building in intensity for the past month or so and will be exact on May 20^th. Pluto and Uranus have been asking us to make some pretty deep rooted changes to the structure of our lives in recent times so that we can move forward with integrity, in keeping with the truth of who we are and living up to our true potential and power. Pluto in Capricorn has been digging deep into our lives and psyches and exposing whatever is rotten and no longer serves us, while Uranus in Aries has been blasting way any stagnant energy that stops us from being who we really, truly are. The tension between the two planets has certainly been showing itself globally over the past year or so, with corruption and abuse of power within governments and corporations being brought out into the light of our awareness as well as people all over the world stirring and questioning, and rising up to demand their rights and personal freedom. The patriarchy (Capricorn) is crumbling (Pluto) because it is very obvious that it doesn't work any more. Feminine energy is beginning to rise after centuries of subjugation. This New Moon is in Taurus, Mother Earth, and could help with the shift towards a world based on a healthy balance between masculine and feminine values. As Pluto breaks things down, Uranus the Awakener brings the potential for some major breakthroughs, so these are exciting times indeed! The energy of this square may mean that things are torn apart somewhat, but what ever is built in their place will allow us to move forward with integrity.

This New Moon is very interesting because on the one hand it is all about new beginnings while on the other hand it is sitting right on top of the South Node which represents the past and where we have already been. My sense is that we are going to have to revisit some old, familiar patterns, values and ways of being in order for us to fully realise that they simply don't work for us any more. We shed our skins on that Scorpio Full Moon and now it is time to truly cut our ties with what we left behind, as uncomfortable as that might feel. It just isn't who we are any more, so there is no point being nostalgic or trying to turn around and go back! This Moon may involve an examination of our core values and self worth, and whoever and whatever doesn't make us feel good about ourselves must be let go of now. This is an ideal Moon for setting some concrete intentions for ourselves, and whatever we ask for must truly come from our hearts. The universe is happy to oblige, but only when it knows the request is sincere. The Solar Eclipse adds some extra vibrancy and power to the seeds that we plant now and Taurus adds a good solid foundation and some fertile soil for them to spring forth from and blossom. What we ask for now, consciously or unconsciously, will play out over the next 6 months until the next set of eclipses in November. In the meantime we have one eclipse left in this set; the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius on May 25^th. Lets keep this ball rolling and see where it takes us! I am not sure we have much choice in the matter anyway!

Much love

Amy

xoxo

Artwork - Mother Earth Rising by Amy Bird