May 5, 2019, 22:45 UTC

What is of value to us and what we ‘own’!

A new lunar cycle has began in the sign of Taurus, which is constructive, but also requires work on self, especially on a psychological level. A new intention is set with every New Moon in the realm of life that corresponds to the relevant house of our natal chart and is expressed through the filter of the sign the Moon and Sun conjoin. Taurus is fixed earth, has to do with our values, the material and sensual part of our lives, and all those things that relate to our self-worth and sustain life. It also emphasizes our attitudes towards what we enjoy and love. Taurus is about fertility, the shaping of our tangible world experienced through our senses. We can make a new beginning on how we focus on all those things, and we become aware of what really reflects true value in our lives. This often echoes possessions, and sense of ownership, on an individual and collective level. The New Moon is conjunct fixed star Menkar in the constellation of Cetus, which unlocks an added message of this intention relative to the collective unconscious. Ptolemy observes a Saturnian influence in relation to this star, while B. Brady refers to the symbolism of this star “as these unconscious forces in the human collective” and notes “that it’s placement in a chart can be difficult” but potentially revealing to us. She also notes that “the positive use would manifest as the ability to achieve something for the collective; the negative use… could be that you are the victim of the collective. However, by recognising your sensitivity to the collective, you can work with your dreams…to gain greater understanding of this connection”¹.  It is perhaps an interesting and potent message for those involved in politics, in reference to the upcoming European elections. However, the message may also concern our creative talents, values, skills and the way they are communicated, exploited and assessed.  

Sun in Taurus says, I honour my values, and Moon in Taurus says I feel good when I enjoy with my senses, I respond to what I love and I own. With Uranus in Taurus, we are urged to establish a new connection with what we love and possess, and to make changes in our material worlds that will bring progress. Something has already began, and now we will take a step forward in this direction.

Everything that has to do with our income, our acquisitions, property and intellectual rights, our ‘stuff’, but also what we possess as skills, knowledge and talents, can now become more dynamic, action oriented, as we realize how we share it, if we share it, with whom and in what manner, and how our self-worth is ultimately defined through this process. Venus ruler of Taurus is in the dynamic sign of Aries, and so all this is motivated by a more independent, impulsive and pioneering attitude. It is squaring the Lunar Nodes, and this may concern dilemmas in relationships with important others, while it triggers a process that requires initiative, extroversion, risk and decisions that will bring change in those areas of our lives that Aries/Capricorn/Cancer occupy. It is a time to employ our values ​​and our skills with courage in service for others, to leave the past behind or to clear out the clutter and weight of the past, put heart and passion in what we do, express talents and creations in a new way (Venus in mutual reception with the Sun). By freeing ourselves from limitations, the need of the affirmation of others, or the fear of rejection. We take initiatives in the way we value things, and unite or attract courageously even if it comes with a price. Venus applies to an opening square with Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, and it is indeed the moment of intense and energetic assessment, which resembles  a gestation process and is likely to project something fresh in relation to ourselves and others. This process calls, for a radical attitude towards our self-worth. We can also clarify and ground the way we express affections, memories and emotional patterns that interfere with the way we relate and manage feelings, money, creations and the overall assessment of our attachment to our tangible reality. Taurus asks us to change pace, give things time, ground ourselves, become practical, patient, to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, as we clear up unnecessary burdens, and move towards a caring attitude in substantial emotional bonds. The Luminaries are in an applying trine with Saturn, Pluto and the South Node in Capricorn, and they also make a sextile with Neptune in Pisces. Neptune soothes tensions, forgives, activates empathy, as well as gives inspiration and spiritual or healing energy to what we do. As we clarify issues in the material and practical realms of our lives, we have opportunities to get creative, spiritual and find sensual outlets. It is our perception of the harsh reality and obligations that most times dampen our inner landscape and we may neglect the exchange of emotion, but it is precisely this that we come to realize in this cycle. In the effort to respond to obligations, to achieve things, we may distract and dissociate from feelings, the expression of true love, and the way we define what really matters. Love can be a bumpy ride, but it is certainly an interesting one. It can also be a life time’s work until we master it. Venus’s square with the Lunar Nodes, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn reminds us that our self-worth is the product of personal work and creative expression, and it is not necessarily reflected on our income, or other’s approval. Love and enjoyment of life is not functioning through reward or through obligation. Is it important to observe how we react when we expect or demand love and is denied. Vulnerabilities may come to the fore (Venus contraparallel Neptune) in order to explore the path of freedom, courage and self-respect, and to make a new beginning, in creating something important, through transforming our attachments, dealing with obsessions, co-dependency structures, that do not let our emotions and our values ​​be expressed in a healthy way.

Mars in Gemini in opposition to Jupiter in Sagittarius, Out of Bounds, and conjunct fixed star Capella, speaks boldly, of passion for exploration, “freedom, and the need to operate autonomously and progressively exploring uncharted waters”². Here, perhaps, our paths with another can separate for ideological reasons, or significant collaborations, ventures and transactions with a particularly innovative character can be negotiated. The lack of measure is perhaps something that we must pay particular attention to in the way we claim or promote interests, truths and beliefs. Activities related to publishing, knowledge, travel and legal issues are emphasised, as well as advances in science. Conflicts of ideology or justice can arise. Pioneering contracts with foreign countries or promoting sponsorship through travel and communication are also highlighted.  The tendency to take risks, to disagree on ideology, to take a stance to clarify opinions, or to provoke another’s sense faith, as well as finding the courage to communicate our beliefs, can lead us to some controversy and need to find middle ground. It also brings things to light, and reveals aspects that we may not have been aware of, and with which we have to “work”, make adjustments or change attitude (Mars quincunx Pluto).

It is a cycle that gives us courage to take a step forward in a pioneering or autonomous direction, focusing on what we love. At the same time, we work with ourselves and our levels of security, in order to harmonize and create space to clarify critical issues in relationships, goals, or the material parts of our lives. We heal our perceptions, ideologies and faith, as we will also see that through difficulties and tension we can find some positive outlets and assistance, through initiatives and extroversion. After the tension and the action of the hard aspects, some sort of gain or generosity is reflected in the harmonious trine aspect  between Venus with Jupiter. This is auspicious and enthusiastically or passionately expressed, and brings benefits and  prospects to our relationships, plans and visions.

The harmonious sextile that ties the Luminaries to Neptune, and the harmonious alignment of the planet of faith with the Lunar Nodes, will assist in coordinating with others through our ideals and creations or to find inspiration, understanding and companions in larger social causes and collective pursuits.

Our relationships and personal or collective history can be defined or dependent on experiences, memories, affiliations of the past, but perhaps this lunar cycle may pose dilemmas about our course and goals and help us be bolder in shaping a more fruitful life. It may be useful to observe what we are keen to protect, what determines our security levels, and what we may fear of losing as we evolve with courage according to our essential needs, values ​​and skills. The South Node, along with Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, continue to remind us that our reality consists of  acquired ‘status’ symbols,  that maybe now obsolete, waste energy, or need to be restructured and purged cause they dissociate us from the emotional aspect of receptivity and renewal of life, that forms meaningful connections with others. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, and as the ruler of the North Node in Cancer, suggests that the path for emotional fulfilment and satisfaction will come through the activation of cultivating and nurturing of what we truly value and love.

I wish everyone a fertile lunar month!

This Lunar Cycle may have a more personal feel for you:

If you are a Taurus Sun born between May 3-7, a Scorpio Sun born November 5-9, Leo Sun born August 5-9, an Aquarius Sun born February 2-6, or if you have personal planets, Ascendant or angular house cusps at 14 degrees (+/- 2) of fixed signs. It may also affect you if you have planets or points at 22 and 23 degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius, 17-23 degrees of Aries, Capricorn, Cancer, Libra, and 18-19 degrees of mutable signs (Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, Sagittarius).

© Eleni Kostika 2019

References

1 & 2.  Brady, B. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars, Samuel Weiser, Inc., Maine, 1998, p.107, p.71