19th May 2023 16:53 BST/11:53 EDT
Preamble:
The new moon can be thought of as a window in time when the Higher-Self initiates specific lessons or personal growth intentions for the coming month, and we can use the lunar cycle as a way of decoding evolutionary forces at a more granular level than the solar cycle or the transits of the slower moving planets.
For the spiritually minded person, the new moon is a time to receive the seed impulses for one’s personal evolution, and specifically those impulses toward bringing something new into conscious awareness. Each moon cycle fits into a larger cycle, which begins at the Aires new moon, and if you seriously want to track the unfolding pattern of higher-self guidance, it is a really good idea to record a log or journal of key messages and impressions received in the few hours before and after the new moon, roughly 4-5 hours on either side. During this window of time, make space to be more meditative and pay attention to your thoughts, inspirations, psychic messages and so on, as these will tend to correspond to the archetype the new moon is birthing in at the time, and correlate to the growth themes we are meant to work with during the month.
At some point in time (after a few months) you can look through your log and begin to see a key pattern unfolding, which can stimulate further insight in terms of life purpose.
All going well, after 2 new moons in Aries (one of which was a solar eclipse), we have received the seed messages for the emerging new cycle of psycho-emotional development that will unfold over the next year and beyond. At each Fire new moon, new creative impulses tend to arise within each of us if we pay attention and ‘listen’ within. To be clear, this isn’t about trying to initiate whatever we want, but rather that we are given new creative impulses from the Higher Self (as symbolised by the Sun/Moon conjunction), and these impulses form part of a wave of energy we can choose to cooperate with.
There is a big difference between what I call true and false desires, which is to say that not all the desires we have are in our best interests, and that it helps a great deal to recognise that some desires we have i.e the things we think we want, are in fact strategies to solve perceived problems; if only we had this or that, then we would feel good enough, or loved enough or safe enough. Desires that we generate in this way are false and often connected to social conditioning. True desire emerges from the Soul via the Higher-Self and is in a natural resonance with our evolution and spiritual growth, and harmonises with the greater good. If this is a new concept to you, consider reflecting more deeply on the nature of desire, because it is plain to see that we simply don’t manifest everything we think we want, and at times we can be blessed with the realisation that some of the things we once wanted we are better off without.
Through Aries there has been energy to successfully rebirth and initiate in new directions, and each of us will have had the opportunity to become aware of this energy within ourselves. These new initiatives can occur on various levels, from the most tangible such as relocating to a new place, or starting new projects, to more internalised changes such as new ideas, new dreams of where we want to go in life, or new approaches to old problems.
This month the new moon shifts to grounding, stabilising Taurus; we get to take the seed impulses and internalise them and let them gestate.
The Taurus New Moon can furnish us with messages and impulses that pertain to manifest life; the things we most need to survive, to enjoy life, and generally get us grounded into the body. We may also feel drawn to slowing down and reflecting more deeply on what we most need. If you managed to apprehend a sense of the new growth directive in your life over the Aries lunation period, then this month may well be a time to lay down some foundations and prepare yourself for changes.
What practical steps do you now need to take? Do you need to pay attention to grounding high frequency energy into your body so that you can make a resonant space for new life adventures, discoveries and so on to occur?
Higher-Self impulses this month could seem very different from the ones last month; the archetype moves from fast moving, uplifting fire energy, to slow and methodical earth energy. It may even seem that very little inspiration arises during the new moon at all. If this happens for you it is because the seeds of change have now gone deep within, and most of the month may have much of the development occurring in areas of the self you may not have much awareness of. Guidance during this time can also move us toward pursuits that don’t make much sense, relative to future forward aspirations, because laying the inner foundations for change can be about developing new resources, which we don’t yet know are needed in the times ahead. The key is in trusting the way as it unfolds and being able to observe the guiding signals and following them even if they don’t yet add up to much.
Key themes for this month are:
Continued disruptions to our societal systems generating confusion, more disillusionment and the impetus to seek higher-meaning
Significant breakthroughs in terms of moving into more alignment with natural law principles
Expanding awareness of personal values and needs as the basis for moving forward toward greater abundance and stability
Heightened emotions and insecurity, as we grapple with the changing evolutionary directive toward greater freedom, through liberation processes and personal revelations that change the frame of our reality
Let’s go deeper for a more nuanced sense of the Taurus new moon energy potential:
The chart cast for the new moon on 19th May 2023 16:53 BST/11:53 EDT
For a guide to the astrological symbols click here
Astro-Technicals:
(skip ahead if you want, as this is not essential)
The New Moon conjunct Sedna and Mors-Somnus in Taurus
Jupiter conjunct the lunar north node
Haumea conjunct the lunar south node
Saturn and Gonggong conjunct in Pisces (ongoing)
An ongoing Grand Square with Pluto now in Aquarius, the lunar nodes, Jupiter, Mars, Varuna and Haumea
2 Yods:
Varda sextile Haumea with the New Moon/Sedna/Mors Somnus conjunction at the apex
The New Moon conjunction sextile Mars with Varda at the apex
A Grand Kite:
Featuring the new moon, Sedna, Aruwn, Pluto, Mors-Somnus, Ceres, Neptune and Manwë
And the ongoing Orcus/Nessus opposition
Working with patterns of abuse, victimisation and trauma to heal mind, body and soul
This New Moon activates both Sedna and Mors-Somnus, bringing their archetypal themes to the fore (these two were already activated by the recent lunar eclipse wave), and the New Moon also features in a Grand Trine as well as 2 Yod aspect-patterns making this a complex synergy of energy to decode.
On a personal level, a core theme this month will be the activation of the unresolved parts of ourselves that link to patterns of victimisation and the subjugation of the feminine within all of us. It will also activate and thus bring more potential awareness to ways in which we are shut down, numb, distracted or unconscious. A good question to ask yourself is: “to what degree have I been following my heart-knowing and living the life I was meant to live?”. If this is a difficult question to answer, then the chances are that this lunation can offer you an opportunity to reflect more deeply and come to a new level of awareness. Another useful related question to ask is: “to what extent have I let societal norms and expectations compromise my heart-knowing?” With Sedna more activate than usual, with the Pluto trine, the recent lunar eclipse and this current lunation, we may find ourselves upgrading our heart-knowing and recognising when and how we let the world around us dictate what we should do and who we should be.
With Mars in sextile to the New Moon, there is more opportunity to have a visceral emotional experience in connection to how the current masculine-dominant-capitalist-consumerist paradigm is both painful and causes suffering. For some us the old stories of the past may resurface now for recapitulation and healing. Varda at the apex of a Yod will act as an illuminating and awakening force, encouraging shifts in awareness toward a greater understanding of reality.
In turn a second Yod with Varda sextile Haumea conjunct the lunar south node, with the New Moon at the apex, channels powerful healing energy for renewal if we choose to liberate from the past. Even more healing energy is available from Mother Nature and from the Devic realms providing a potent healing opportunity both individually and collectively throughout this lunation.
Vesta in balsamic conjunction with Uranus in Taurus will add a supportive energy to awakening and liberation this month, especially for those working with abuse patterns and trauma. We are endowed with an inner spiritual light with which to illuminate powerful inner adversarial aspects, through which we can lovingly heal and integrate. With Dark Moon Lilith in Leo square to the New Moon, we may at times feel challenged to bring love where it is most needed; most often to bring love to the self first as a foundation for healthy relationships.
A pervading sense of chaos serves to challenge obsolete personal patterns as we cultivate more faith in positive global outcomes
Gonggong in a new phase conjunction with Saturn in Pisces highlights the role of the rising darkness and chaos as a catalyst for a systems purge. In the main I am seeing this at the personal level, where we may find that the constant context of uncertainty and the impact of negative disruptive events (such as war, political unrest or economic hardship) can catalyse immense shifts in our way of seeing the world, challenging false assumptions about life and what is really going on, and ultimately leading to the rapid dissolution of personal patterns, and opening up the way for new structures to emerge. Some of us may have to undergo a time of disillusionment and hopelessness, with a tendency to want to escape. The key here is in reaching for a suitable transcendent system of belief in order to make sense of reality. For those mired in a nihilistic paradigm, this recent period of time may at times seem terrifying, and the return to some form of spiritual alignment difficult to achieve. Nevertheless this conjunction influencing us for the next 12 months or so, can generate an awakening of a spiritual life, as many seek answers through a transcendental lens. Saturn will continue thereafter through the sign of Pisces until 2025, carrying some of these themes until its ingress into Aires.
Evolutionary tension stimulates a move toward more stability through a general awakening to natural law principles
The Grand Square, which was already active last month, continues to exert pressure and tension as we feel energy building toward more radical changes in the world, and are tasked with balancing the evolutionary need to let go of old ways of doing things (in order to empower and renew), with the need for stability, more life simplicity and solid heart centred values. In this short window of time (just a few months) Varuna is stimulating a call to greater self-realisation, self-mastery, leadership and creativity aligned with natural law. This aspect represents just another push within the collective awakening process, no doubt inducing small shifts in many people.
For those more enmeshed in the collective dreamspell trance (False Matrix) and suffering in abusive life situations, the New Moon/Dark Moon Lilith square represents a core challenge to get behind the drivers seat of their own lives and recognise their own worth. The trine with Varda and Dark Moon Lilith indicates significant higher-help coming in for those willing to reach for more coherence and wholeness.
The same thing applies to those of us already initiated on a spiritual path; the ongoing Orcus/Nessus opposition challenges us to elevate the feminine principle in our own lives through recognising and processing personal levels of suffering. This New Moon offers us a chance to heal through direct connection with the Fae-world or ancestral spirits, as we bring more light and awareness to the parts of ourselves that we neglect to love. Dark Moon Lilith guides us to cultivate self-esteem and self-realisation as we move forward.
The balance between intuition and linear data processing is something to reach for
Jupiter and Mercury on either side of the North Node represents the leading edge of growth this month, indicating that if we can slow down enough to activate both hemispheres of the brain, we may gain a new level of insight to personal challenges. The emphasis here is to engage thinking for oneself, rather than lazily following the persuasive ideas of others. This might sound simple enough to achieve, but many people struggle to think for themselves and are more often inundated with the thoughts of others through social media and mainstream media. The Pluto-Jupiter square highlights a crisis in action; are we going to take practical steps based on our intuition or not? Are we going to be bold enough to express new ideas and new emergent beliefs, or even long standing beliefs we have kept hidden until now? We may find ourselves having to say something that will alter the way we are seen in the world, and will seed changes in the way we operate in the world. A good example in my own life, is watching those who previously took the Covid jab, who having reconsidered the pros and cons, are now not just declining any further jabs, but are acting on their new beliefs and telling others of their change of mind. This simple change within the consensus community stimulates a potential change in the group-think, which may lead to others also re-evaluating their position.
A helping hand
Finally the Grand Kite with Aruwn conjunct Pluto, Mors-Somnus, Sedna & the New Moon, Neptune & Manwë, and Ceres offers us a beneficial and amplified harmony of energies, which can act as a moderating counter balance to the more challenging elements of this month’s energy gestalt. This is a really good time for medicine circles, fire ceremonies, and other healing rituals that are undertaken for the benefit of humankind and collective awakening. Ceres in Virgo invites us to celebrate the power of the Earth Mother through sacred practices that call on the benevolent nature spirits and ancestral spirits to assist in helping the masses awaken from the dreamspell trance. If you feel called to do this, know that there will be a lot of energy available for this work, especially in the days close to the new moon.
This aspect also offers optimal energy for personal contact with spirit guides, spiritual experiences, and new downloads of information coming from numerous dimensions at once. For those comfortable with these types of experience, I expect the signal to be stronger and clearer than at other times. If contact with spirit beings does happen, more than likely some form of energy initiation will happen.
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