Taurus New Moon 2018

©2018 ML Monroe

The Taurus New Moon arrives on May 15th followed by metaphysical Uranus, the original change-maker, as it slips into Taurus. Unlike Lady Moon, Uranus will be there for most of the next 8 years (with a retrograde dip into Aries).

Taurus is about embodiment, stability and values. This New Moon is a good time to ground ourselves in our values. Uranus is about breathing into and surrendering to the constancy of change in our lives. Centering our energy on the present moment plants us in peace. Taurus supports our control over our awareness of our feelings, thoughts and actions. Uranus brings change accompanied by creativity.

This dual movement of the New Moon and Uranus into Taurus opens the space for us to align creating goals with our deepest soul values. Prioritizing this as we build new foundations keeps us stable. Not doing so leaves open an opportunity for those foundations to break apart. This is where we need both to ground with the secure consistency of Taurus and to flow with the awakening change of Uranus. Though there are bound to be growing pains, we need to trust the process.

A thought-provoking research item: the last time Uranus moved into Taurus was June 1934, where it remained (with a 6-month retrograde back to Aries) until August 1941. Historically, a time of major shifts in energy. Of course, a multitude of factors were in play during that time and no two transits are ever identical because of those other factors.

In 2018, a different set of factors point to this transit shifting us closer to a full honoring of the Divine Feminine in all of creation. Even if the world seems to descend into chaos, we rest in the Stillpoint of the Divine. Activities we can do to encourage the shift include dancing, walking, hiking, exercising, gardening. Getting outdoors. Being present in our bodies. Working with each and all of our senses to relate to our environment. Staying grounded in whatever manner works best for each of us.

How do you maintain grounding and inner peace? What is your personal relationship with the Divine Feminine? How aware are you of your guiding principle? What do you do when faced with change? How does your creativity express itself in the midst of upheaval? Who can you count on to help you focus?

Taurus Full Moon 2017

©2017 ML Monroe

November's Full Moon in Taurus follows on the heels of the New Moon in Libra calling us to find balance, to take time for ourselves, to open our eyes to the challenges. Jupiter and the Sun aligned to encourage our expansive and extensive wishes and seed-planting.

So here comes the powerhouse of the Full Moon in Taurus in the 11th month. A Numerology aside: 11 is a Master Number, with double digits. Not only that, it's a special Master Number because at its core is the ability to reach spiritual enlightenment as well as the duality of the Divine Masculine number 1 AND the Divine Feminine number 2. Balance.

Enough of that. Dipping a toe into numerology is enough for this particular Moon. The sacred energy of the number 11 coupled with the Taurus Full Moon equates to multiple opportunities for positive advancement in business, relationships and home. In every way, this Full Moon is supportive. Time to work on organizing, breaking free of old patterns, and beginning new chapters in life. In a nutshell, transformation. An action that is a challenge to many of us, yet truly necessary if we are to grow more fully into our beingness. Both the Master Number 11 and the Taurus Full Moon are providing the energy ~ if only we take the first step.

Part of that first step includes accepting and relying on our intuition. The Taurus Full Moon accentuates both its strength and accuracy. It also creates a protective space for meditation, lucid dreaming and other spiritual activities. All our dreams, both sleeping and waking, will be more creative and more vivid.

Draw on the energy of this Full Moon to release any fears holding you back from stepping into the life you are called to live. Break through barriers and move forward with strength. Be grounded and allow space for the grief that comes as we let go of what was and what never could be in order to step fully into what is.

If we rely on facts and science, we know that naming our emotions, recognizing and acknowledging them, stops the amygdala from slipping into that fear ~ or fight-or-flight ~ place. That allows our pre-frontal cortex time to breathe and recognize that we've been through this before.

Let's use the power of this Taurus Full Moon as the unique focal point it is. We continue to be called into the deeper and truer parts of ourselves and to develop ways to express those facets of who we are to the world at large. It's part of the duality of the gifts we are given and the gifts we have to offer to the world.

What do you need to let go of in order to grow? What do you stand for? Where do you find solid ground on which to stand? How do your values support you when your emotions get the best of you? What dream calls itself into reality through you right now? How do you express your trust in your own kindness?

New Moon in Sagittarius 2016

Today's New Moon in Sagittarius carries an awakening, positive energy. It's moving us in a more outward and upward motion. It begins a cycle of awakening, rebirth and renewal after the rest of 2016 focusing mostly on cleaning up and clearing out.

The Sagittarius New Moon also draws attention to our creative potential for manifesting what we truly desire. It's time to focus on whatever change and newness we want in our lives ~ and plan accordingly. Although we may continue to feel drawn into ourselves, there is a fiery excitement also drawing us out.

There is a strong spiritual aspect to this New Moon, amplifying our intuition, awakening our imagination and focusing Divine energies. In the philosophical realm, we find our vision of core truths and honor expanded. Sagittarius is all about Truth. As the unbalanced patriarchy makes its last stand to gain power, the Divine Feminine continues to rise. From Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote in the U.S. election to the prayers of the women of Standing Rock to the increase of women finding their voices and standing together around the world, the masculine and feminine energies continue to rock our world as they seek to come into the balance of shared, give-and-take power.

An aspect of astrology to which I've recently been introduced is the Sabian Symbol. Dane Rudyher describes his work with them in astrology as "... presenting them as a contemporary American I CHING." The Sabian symbol for the Sun and the Moon at 8° Sagittarius is: Within the depths of the Earth, new elements are being formed. One interpretation of this is that this is a time with unconscious forces at work, helping us to awaken new responses and solutions.

All of this points to rebirths ~ which are good, often painful and definitely messy.

What newness is happening in your life? How are they affecting your relationships? How are you participating in the collective struggles and renewals? Are you finding yourself speaking up more frequently? If so, what is rising in you? How do you handle the swinging pendulum of masculine and feminine power? What images are surfacing in your dreams?

New Moon in Scorpio and Halloween

The season of Halloween, or Samhain, opened with the New Moon in Scorpio. New Moons bring with them a new wave of energy, the turning of the dark time as it heads toward fullness. As New Moons are literal dark times filled with potential, it is perfect for this one to be in Scorpio, the sign of secrets and shadows. This is a time of deep dreaming and intuition, a time for looking inside. A Scorpio New Moon is receptive and quiet ~~ hidden.

Scorpio is considered by many as the most powerful sign with those who are born under this sign being very powerful souls. Scorpio is all about dying and being reborn again, going into the deep slumber within the greater Self, the ultimate Consciousness.

Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and Mars: Pluto exposing the dead and decaying to throw in the transforming cauldron; Mars lasering in on the will, desire and achievement. Together they create the energy for dancing closely with our personal Shadows, to interact with the mysteries hidden within us.

This is the time to let go and shed the old skin as well as plant the seed of power to transform death into new growth. The strong Scorpio archetypes for doing this are The Healer, The Shaman, The Alchemist. This is a time to reclaim lost or hidden power and when the Divine Feminine and Warrior will be empowered to integrate more fully into world.

As the Scorpio New Moon leads into Halloween, it is evident that only those who believe in magic will find it. Halloween ~ All Hallows Eve ~ and the two days following ~ All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day ~ are days when the veils between the concrete, physical world and the ethereal, spiritual world are at their thinnest. Also, the veils between the living and the dead. Many people burn candles or dance for ancestors no longer with us. It is the time we not only acknowledge the passage into darkness and death, we ritualize and celebrate it.

How do you celebrate this time of year? What connection does it suggest to you about your ancestors? Do you light a candle to remember them during this time? How do you experience the thinning of the veils? What do you wish to reclaim during this New Moon? What will be reborn in you?

Strawberry Solstice Full Moon

Today is the Solstice all over the world. In the Southern hemisphere, it is the Winter Solstice. In the Northern hemisphere, where I am, it is the Summer Solstice. The longest day.

The name Solstice come from the Latin solstitium, the sun stands still. It's the time when the sun stops at its northernmost point at the Tropic of Cancer and begins its southward journey again.

For the first time since 1967, the Summer of Love, the Full Moon false on the Solstice. This won't happen again until the June Solstice of 2035. The two falling on the same day deepens and intensifies the day.

This is the second Full Moon in Sagittarius in 2016, occurring at 29° ~ right on the edge, ready to slip over. This makes it a time of completion, a time to look at the broader picture, let go of whatever needs to goand,  begin whatever needs to come into being. It's a Moon filled with awareness, opportunity and possible breakthrough. It's a time to listen to your higher self, follow your moral compass, rely on your internal gyroscope. Trust those strong forces within you.

The cycle of influence from the deep Feminine continues as well. Venus walks with Black Moon Lilith in Scorpio, adding intuitive magic to the mix. It's a time to break away from the story of separation and remyth a new one of inclusion, understanding and compassion.

Where do you want your life to go? How do you envision your relationships with yourself and with others? What can you do to get it there? How can you best hold onto that vision?

New Moon in Gemini and Grand Cross

New Moons are always about letting go, change and transformation. This one in particular, intimately connected with the mutable Grand Cross, is about changing direction, changing perception, changing affection.... releasing anything, any little thing, inhibiting our deeper, truer Selves from showing up.

This New Moon, as it squares Jupiter, Neptune and the Nodes and opposes Saturn, lights our way to discerning the truth in our life and making decisions to release the past so the new can show up for us. We must relish our own self-love in order to express our love for others in the best possible way. We have to learn and experience and practice how to do things differently, to create new pathways in our very being leading toward that creation and creativity. We benefit from remembering our power is in embracing Mystery and Unknowing in order to shift our reality and create change by unlocking the alchemy of surrender. This New Moon also celebrates the facets of the Divine Feminine: instincts of the Moon, physicality of Venus, resistance of Lilith.

Because this New Moon is also activating many planetary energies, there is potent and potential energy in this New Moon, preparing us to consider the seeds we want to plant for the future. This is something we should take seriously ~ or find ourselves stuck in the patterns of the past. All the recent retrograde energy we've been rolling through (see my post on the Full Moon in Sagittarius and Other Wonders) has aided us in stirring up the past in order to release it. Gemini is all about communication and the throat chakra to express our truth and feelings and call forth what we truly want.

As we look for what has been cleared and released from our lives during all the retrograde cycles, the golden opportunity of this New Moon is to notice the cracks and seek clarity on how to proceed. Our actions and energies, current to the next eclipse season starting in September. will shape what is to come. As we clarify and set our intentions, in writing preferably, it would be wise for us to remember that when one door closes, another opens.

What are your intentions for the future? What are you willing to release? What do you wish to call forth? What do you wish to manifest? How will you speak your wishes? How will your intentions affect those around you? To whom will you speak your intentions?

New Moon in Aries

This New Moon in Aries arrives on the 7th of April at 6:39 a.m. PT. It is also a Super Moon, a Perigee New Moon, at its closest orbital point to the Earth. Along with that, there are other energies making this one of the most intense New Moons of the year. It is time to draw deeply on our own individuality and use our personal freedom and creativity.

This New Moon's Sun/Moon alignment is conjunct Revolutionary Uranus and Warrior Eris while opposite Dark Moon Lilith and square to Underworld God Pluto. Very powerful and balanced with Masculine and Feminine energies as well as Light and Dark energies. These lead us to wholeness.

The Balance that comes with this New Moon carries a wisdom for quiet reflection and strength enough to recognize and acknowledge the times when simply we do not yet know. This New Moon is all about acting for LIFE rather than simply for SELF. It's time to clear out expectations and allow life to gift us with its wisdom along the path.

It also brings caution in dealing with change in our lives during this month. Even though it is a time of transition, we need to enter it with strength for making order from chaos both in our personal lives and in the more global perspective.

We also need to keep in perspective and in mind that all of this comes on the heels of a shatteringly powerful eclipse during the past Moon cycle. Be gentle with ourselves. Feel fully and follow our gut instincts. Stay awake and aware!

How are you feeling as this New Moon washes over you? What are you going to give up during this New Moon? What newness are you going to embrace as we move forward toward the next Full Moon? How will the Balance of Masculine and Feminine, Light and Dark show up in your life?

October New Moon in Libra

Wow! It's been a long time since I've written in this blog. September was a wild ride month. Anyone else experience that? Lots of energy buzzing and zapping around with the eclipses, the equinox and Mercury retrograde. It's good to be on the other side of that.

Now there's a New Moon in Libra ~ which is all about relationships ~ and that will be greatly assisted by being past the wild and wacky energy of the past month!

Now is the time for balance. Settling in just enough to make me recognize my own need for self-care in all areas: mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It's also the time to honor communications as the leading edge for growth. Listen with an open mind. Speak from the heart's truth. Remember to express gratitude.

Continuing on the path of change, making big plans and keeping track of the details finds support at this time too. It's about Choice: tension or release? movement or stagnation? healing or rage? being awake or staying asleep? owning what needs to be healed or projecting it on others?

Personally, I'm being challenged to be more centered and reflect what is being mirrored to me by the world. I continue to learn to use ~ as well as to rest ~ my voice, speaking clearly from my own truth and expressing my feelings. If I believe in my purpose and myself, I can stand in relationship with those around me without causing harm to either myself or the other. I am also working through and with balancing the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine. For me, this balance has been going on for years. It's a dance I enjoy having.

I recall something one of my former teachers said: "Each time you let go, each time you learn a lesson, it will come back to you in the old way again. Only the next time, you will go deeper to release it. And so it will go until you are done." Learning the lessons, evolving to the next level, continues in a spiral, looping back over and over again so the mastery can get deeper and deeper.

What lesson are you learning? What is the truth that is seeking you? What change is poking itself into your life? How do your relationships support you? How do you balance it all?

New Moon in Libra

http://darkstarastrology.com/new-moon-september-2014/

The New Moon that's so clearly and recently arrived barely rests in Libra and is conjunct the asteroid Lilith. Much of the power flowing through it carries the rebellious feminist energy of the Dark Goddess Lilith accompanied by the Divine Feminine energy of Athena. With both of these Goddesses active, the clearest theme is your relationship with yourself. Be comfortable with yourself. Allow every aspect of your inner goddess to shine forth.

Be ready to start something new, something that calls to your deep inner desire and brings you into a healthier relationship with yourself. That may be walking, dancing, eating healthy....anything along the usual path of 'healthy.' Or it may be reading a book, going for a massage, or taking a class. Whatever brings you peace and a stronger sense of well-being. Move forward from this New Moon with confidence, grace and ease. Feel the subtle strength of the Goddess empower you. See yourself as a Conqueror!

What does the title Conqueror conjure in your mind? What do you do to mark the passage of the moons? Which goddess speaks most clearly to you? Why and How?

New Moon in Cancer

Early Friday morning, the New Moon slid into Cancer, Her home sign. In it She expresses fully as the Great Mother, the Nurturer. Cancer is the sign of deep emotions and connections and family. Both Sun and Moon in Cancer means a double dose of Mama Love!

New Moons are about letting go, shedding, renewal. This New Moon opposes Pluto in Capricorn; the God/dess of the Underworld intimating that what's arriving renewed cannot fit in the constraints of what has gone before. It's about completing projects and moving on. Whatever I cling to, thinking I'm safe and secure, is instead limiting my opportunity to grow and step into a fuller expression of my power. Pluto is all about moving through and transforming feelings of insecurity in order to assure the deeper, truer experience of inner security. Pluto is also about Power. With the New Moon in Cancer, I need to be sure I own my power in all its aspects, including the Shadow side. Which means I need to be aware of all those aspects myself.                                                        

The Cancer New Moon is part of the final ripples of the Grand Cardinal Cross ~ it is a Dark Moon in Cancer, a Cardinal Sign. My focus continues to be the Divine Feminine, observing how the feminine principal is empowered in the world. With so much masculine huffing and puffing going on in the world, from Kim Jong-un's retaliation threat if Seth Rogen's film is released to Bashar al-Assad's willingness to wipe out huge groups of his own people to Iraq's loss of control in many key areas to John Boehner suing President Obama, the Divine Mother needs to be invited in to help settle the testosterone battles. If enough of us call on the Divine Feminine, perhaps things can change direction.

How do you honor a New Moon? Have you been feeling deeper emotional connection and conflict the past few days? What do you do in response? How do you honor the Divine Feminine?