New Moon in Taurus

“. . . Inside the stone like heart of man is a fire which burns up the veil, root and branch; / When the veil is burnt he discovers all the stories of Khidr and the knowledge from us. / Between the soul and the heart appears new and ever new forms from the ancient love . . .”

Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

Taurus is the exaltation of the Moon and the earthy domicile of Venus, zodiacal terrain well suited for generative creativity and nurturing longterm growth. Though typically described as a stable, solid, and steady zodiacal space, Taurus has been under the electrifying and emancipatory influence of Uranus since 2018, and has recently been the host of the liberatory, catalytic, and propulsive union of Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus. Rather than a place of cattle grazing, Taurus has become a place of stampeding bulls, earth shaking movement, and revelatory insight that breaks us free from the past into new horizons of vision. Taurus is a sign of night with strong capacity for internal reflection and reception, attributes that will be emphasized by the New Moon in Taurus on 7 May 2024. The Taurus New Moon will initiate the first lunar cycle that breaks us free from the recent eclipses in April and March, making it an ideal time for inner descent into confronting whatever has been ruptured, stretched, or reshapen by an eclipse season that was further volatilized by Mercury’s retrograde passage in Aries. As the reanimated Moon in Taurus will be applying to a conjunction with Uranus and Jupiter in Taurus, there is immense potential for breakthrough ideas to burst forth from inner darkness like the bright bulbs of Beltane.

Due to the innumerable humanitarian crises continuing to spiral out of control with bloodshed, combined with the economic uncertainty that multitudes of people are facing, there has been increased potential for anxieties and fears to become magnified to monstrous degrees in recent months. Material instability is acutely felt in Taurus, as the sign of the Bull has a powerful drive to cultivate and maintain a stable foundation. Like the cycles of nature and the Moon that wax and wane, expand and contract, generate and dissolve, we need to lay old desires to rest within the dark soil of Taurus and allow for death and change to have their way with us if we wish to truly connect with the vibrant growth that the New Moon in Taurus can offer. The pace of change in the year and years ahead will be accelerating, and so instead of grasping for old sources of security that are in various stages of dissolution, it will be necessary to make contact with inner sources of fortitude that can help you transition into the emerging forms of support that will be taking shape. The Taurus New Moon is an invitation for descent into realms of inner nourishment where you may foster the emergence of the bold visions of Jupiter and Uranus into solid, tangible forms of support and inspiration.

The Moon will not only be in her exaltation of Taurus but will also be enclosed by the benefic planets Jupiter and Venus, separating from a conjunction with Venus in Taurus and applying toward a conjunction with Jupiter in Taurus. Yet it is significant that both Venus and Jupiter are in their invisible phases of combustion in which both are too close to the Sun to be seen with light. Venus and Jupiter are both entering their solar phases of intense purification, decomposition, dissolution, and regenerative death. While their presence with the Taurus New Moon is ultimately auspicious, you may notice their benevolence to be more readily available within hidden realms, inner recesses, and personal relationships. Venus and Jupiter are fertile planets that generate life and new growth. With both of them coming to the end of their cycles, the Taurus New Moon will demand a letting go and being patient about the new creative directions that are starting to develop. Be curious about what needs to be released, even if it has been something that has brought great pleasure and vitality in the past. If the recent eclipses have brought your attention to what needs to be changed on both internal and external levels, the Taurus New Moon will be perfect for setting plans of action into motion.

The Taurus Moon is most immediately separating from a sextile with Saturn in Pisces and applying to a conjunction with Uranus in Taurus. Venus, the lord of the lunation, is also applying to a harmonious sextile with Saturn that will become exact on 13 May and a conjunction with Uranus that will become exact on 18 May. The threads of the Taurus Moon weaving in between Saturn and Uranus will bring realizations regarding larger storylines of change that have been developing over the course of the past few years. There can be a coherence of deeper understanding that can be applied in practical and tangible ways to present circumstances, producing fruitful results. The groundbreaking and highly creative union of Jupiter and Uranus will be repeatedly activated in the forthcoming lunar cycle, making it an optimal time to dig in, take direct action, and persevere in whatever growth processes you are engaging. Though Jupiter and Venus ending their cycles suggests a need for release of something from their past cycles, their additional combination with Uranus indicates that alliances and bonds of fellowship can simultaneously be forged that are focused on developing longterm strategies, structures, and programs of lasting change.

Within the waxing half of the forthcoming lunar cycle, Venus and Jupiter will get closer and closer to one another, forming an exact conjunction on the same day as the upcoming Full Moon in Sagittarius on 23 May. Although Jupiter and Venus will both be in their invisible phases when they unite, their conjunction will take place at 29°23’ Taurus close to the Pleiades, a star cluster that is all about the relationship between external and internal sight, as well as an area of sky associated with ancestors and guiding spirits by a multiplicity of cultures from around the world. Before Jupiter and Venus unite, there will be a build up of potent conjunctions in Taurus: a conjunction between the Sun and Uranus on 13 May, between Venus and Uranus on 18 May, and between the Sun and Jupiter on 18 May. It will be an opportune time for practices of inner sight and reflection, whether that involves meditation, movement, or relationship with ancestral or spiritual guides. It can also be a potent period for active work in the world and making effort to reshape life structures and routines in ways that can allow for more spaciousness and waves of creativity to flow through you. With Venus and Jupiter both being burned up and purified by the Sun, the more you can burn off and eliminate distractions and focus upon developing your core priorities, the better you will be able to align with the best that the triple combination of Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus have to offer: dynamic growth that is simultaneously innovative and solid.

“What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?”

Allen Ginsberg, from HOWL

At the same time that Venus and Jupiter are in their invisible phases, Mercury and Mars will be heralding the rising of the Sun at dawn as morning stars. Mars is at home in his fiery domicile of Aries and is approaching a conjunction with the North Node of the Moon that will take place on 18 May. Mars in Aries applying to the North Node will be increasing strife in world events, as we have already witnessed an upsurge in warfare and conflicts since Mars entered Aries on 30 April. Rage and anger over collective conflicts and personal difficulties will need to find outlets with Mars in Aries so that we can take advantage of the red planet’s scorching force rather than be victimized by it. With the star of Ares available to help us fight for and protect our values and creative visions, let the fiery heat of Mars in Aries burn away distractions and fears. The lunar cycle ahead will not be a time to dissipate energy through needless disputes and meaningless conflicts, but to gather and direct the force of Mars into the targeted goals that mean the most to you.

The New Moon in Taurus also marks a critical phase of Mercury’s cycle, as the star of Hermes will reach maximum elongation as a morning star on May 9, the stage at which point it begins moving fast than the Sun. This phase shift of Mercury is an additional factor making the Taurus New Moon opportune for coalescing growth out of whatever disruptions and difficulties occurred in April. In particular, pay attention to whatever areas of your life you realized you needed to make changes within during the Mercury retrograde period from 1 April to 25 April, as Mercury picking up speed will also be accelerating our capacity for integrating the many inner changes that took shape during the retrograde. Gary Caton described this solar phase of Mercury as being similar to the rubedo phase within alchemy in his book Hermetica Tryptycha. As we work to integrate the insights and changes in perspective realized during Mercury’s retrograde journey, Caton noted that we should expect to endure a phase of chaotic volatility as we make a commitment to embody a new presence of being.

A few days after Mercury reaches maximum elongation as a morning star on 13 May, Mercury will pass through 27°13’ Aries where it stationed retrograde on 1 April. This will mark the end of what is popularly called “the shadow zone of Mercury retrograde,” and so you may notice some significant processes coming full circle that go back to the beginning of April when Mercury stationed retrograde. Mercury will then enter Taurus on 15 May, a placement for Mercury that will be helpful in constructing longterm visions of change in correspondence with Venus and the Sun moving through conjunctions with Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus. With Venus also present in Taurus and moving through conjunctions with Jupiter and Uranus, Mercury will be in position to help us apply the revelatory insights we receive in pragmatic ways in our daily life and creative work.

Taurus 2 Decan

The New Moon is in the second decan of Taurus associated with the Six of Pentacles arcanum illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. In the image we witness a mercantile figure carrying scales of balance in his left hand, while dispensing gold coins with his right hand to figures kneeling on the ground with tattered blankets begging for money. The Six of Pentacles card is typically associated with giving and receiving on the material plane. Like in the prayer of Saint Francis, there is receiving found in the giving and giving found in the receiving, with the image of the scales further signifying a sense of internal balance and authenticity found in the process. Through inner harmony transmitted within collaborative exchanges with others, great success and productivity can be achieved in the material realm. As the second decan of Taurus is the face of the Moon, the Moon’s reanimation here will give the meaning of the second decan of Taurus a more intensified presence.

T. Susan Chang in 36 Secrets described the second face of Taurus as involving “Mysteries at the Threshold,” in part due to the major arcana of the High Priestess (Moon) and Hierophant (Taurus) having symbolic association with the second face of Taurus. Chang noted that the Six of Pentacles card involves both “an act of benevolence that visually echoes the Hierophant card,” while the High Priestess is also involved in the image of the Six of Pentacles as “the spirit that moves one to generosity.” Chang further wrote that the Six of Pentacles reveals the importance of taking the opportunity that arises within a window in time, “a moment in weaving when the warp threads have separated just enough for the shuttle to fly through.” Chang advised that drawing the Six of Pentacles can indicate finding “harmony between your inner and outer selves,” accepting and creating “material opportunities, for yourself and others,” as well as finding “the sweet, cross-quarter magic of the present moment.” With the disruptive and shocking influence of Uranus a major factor in the lunar cycle ahead, focusing on the mutual support available within our relationships will be a key to navigating unexpected challenges.

In Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s The Celestial World, translated by Eric Purdue, the image for the first face of Taurus further supports the unlocking of mysteries that combine immaterial illumination with material generation: “In the second face of taurus rises a nude man, holding a key in his hand.” Though Agrippa described the virtue of this decan as bringing “power, nobility, and authority over people,” we can also imagine how the figure stripped bare of external garments of status has been rendered in his essential nobleness. Like an initiate into the mysteries who has stripped themselves of external trappings of success as part of traversing a death and rebirth, the figure has earned the key that will unlock the mystery of their own becoming. In this way the key holder can signify the claiming of one’s own authority and nobleness of spirit more so than it being about acts of lording power over others in oppressive ways.

Austin Coppock in 36 Faces ascribed the image of “A Linga-Yoni” to the second face of Taurus, bridging images of “procreative unions” and “wanton fertilization” with the practice of virtuous action. Coppock described an alchemical process for the second face of Taurus, advising that the matters generated in this face “must be attended to carefully and consistently,” as “dedication must join fecundity and passions to complete the picture this face provides . . . Passion is necessary for continuing fructification, but those raw powers must be tempered by means of an ordered effort.” The disciplined ordering and structure necessary to bring works of inspiration to completion in the second decan of Taurus fits well with Venus and the Moon in Taurus both applying to harmonious aspects with Saturn in Pisces. Although Saturn is under the dissolving influence of Neptune in Pisces and so may feel more like being on a topsy turvy sea voyage more so than on solid ground, there is extraordinary creative potential available to access in the lunar cycle ahead that will require the boundary setting and disciplined practices of Saturn to bring to fruition.

The Hellenistic text 36 Airs ascribed the Horai to the second decan of Taurus, a trinity of goddesses who personify the seasons. Daimons of natural cycles who represent cosmic order, the Horai are fittingly said to be the daughters of Zeus, divine ruler of the Greek pantheon who brings good fortune, and Themis, goddess of divine law and order who is linked with the prophetic voice of the earth at oracles. Eunomia (“law abiding”), Dike (“justice”), and Eirene (“peace”) are named after important virtues and associated with the cyclic renewal of the seasons, the virtue and wisdom of knowing the right time for action performed in the right way. In their Orphic Hymn, the Horai are described as accompanying “holy Persephone” in playful, circling dances along with the Fates and the Graces, pleasing both Zeus and “their mother, giver of fruits.” The image of dancing with the Graces, Fates, and Seasons evokes the importance of flexibly moving within the cosmic ordering of the cosmic song, with the freedom to bring your own unique sense of artistry and rhythm within your personal movements. With both Jupiter and Uranus ending and renewing their annual cycles with the Sun during the waxing phases of the forthcoming lunar cycle, the usual monthly renewal of the Moon will be more creatively liberating than usual. Within the tumult and renewal of the season, may your creativity come alive in your dance.

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Agrippa, Heinrich Cornelius. (2021). Three Occult Books of Philosophy. Translated by Eric Purdue. Inner Traditions.

Caton, Gary. (2017). Hermetica Triptycha: The Mercury Elemental Year. Rubedo Press.

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Chang, T. Susan. (2021). 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. Anima Mundi Press.

Ginsberg, Allen. (1956). Howl and Other Poems. Number Four. City Light Books.

The Orphic hymns : text, translation, and notes. (2013). Translation, Introduction, and Notes by Apostolos N. Athanassakis and Benjamin M. Willow. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Rūmī, Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad. (1979). Mystical Poems of Rūmī 2. Second Selection, Poems 201 – 400. Translated by A.J. Arberry. The University of Chicago Press.