We closed out April with the Scorpio Full Moon and she may have brought strong emotions to the surface. Scorpio is an intense sign and, when in balance, it's about empowerment and
transformation on the deepest level. You may have had something closing or manifesting in your life related to joint resources and other people's money, relationships, research/digging beneath the surface for meaning, deep subjects and emotions, death, and taxes. Ya know, the lighter topics. ;)
I am in the process of moving, so big changes have been part of the Scorpio Full Moon picture for me. Even though it is an exciting time for me, it hasn't been an easy process. Moving requires you to go through all "your stuff," take stock, and decide what to keep and what to let go of. When in a pattern of sameness, stuff sits and collects dust and
you don't necessarily remember it is there, but that doesn't mean it isn't affecting you. When it's time to move, you have to "look" at your stuff and the dust flies everywhere. In my case, in my nose (ha ha) and I became sick with a cold. I have always been extremely sensitive to my environment and to change, so it's no surprise that I got sick. Transitions, whether they are the shift of seasons or moving to a new home, are necessary yet most people avoid them
as much as possible. I picked a card from my Zen Tarot card deck the other day and it depicted a circle of movement: the card was titled "Change" and it said (to paraphrase) if you cling to the outer edge of the circle you will get dizzy, but if you move to the center of it you will be in the flow of change. How do we move to the center? Another zen card I chose instructed me to do one thing at a time and to do it thoroughly and with full attention, rather than scattering my energy. This
resonated with me as I have been trying to do so many things at once and have the feeling that I'm not accomplishing much of anything. With the Sun in earthy and practical Taurus, we want to feel grounded and stable now. One way to accomplish this is by slowing down the pace and being present in the small tasks we perform each day.
That brings us to the New Moon on May 15th, at 7:58 am EST, in Taurus. This is the time of the month when the moon and sun meet up for a rendezvous, and there can be a feeling of wholeness and renewal now. The month of May is
well aspected for new projects and endeavors, especially up until May 11th(ish). From March 8th until mid December 2018, there are a line up of planetary retrogrades, making this year better suited for backtracking and reassessing. However, this month is free from personal planet retrogrades and so it may be a good time to move forward with new plans if there is anything on your docket. We have just come out of the Mercury retrograde shadow period, and on May 11th
the Mars retrograde shadow will begin. As we move deeper into the Mars retro shadow (it won't officially go retrograde until June 26th), you may wonder what happened to your momentum and drive. If this is the case, do not fret; there is a reason for it and that reason is that you are meant to take a break from effort for this period (it ends on Aug. 26th). The crux of the yoga practice is creating the balance of effort and ease, and for most of us the "ease" bit is
actually the more challenging one. The Taurus sun & Moon are nourished by good food, long walks in nature and anything that pleases the senses, so take the time to enjoy life.
A side note about Mars retrograde: if, like me, you were born with Mars retrograde, you may actually feel more motivated and hit your stride during this time. If you are
not familiar with your natal chart, and whether or not you have retrograde planets, and would like to do a Natal Chart reading, please click here to sign up.
Circling back to the New Moon in Taurus for a moment: this New Moon is Trine (a harmonious angle) to Mars in Capricorn, meaning there is
potential for new career paths and sources of income, business pursuits, and acquiring things (to name a few ways it can manifest). Taurus is also about your voice, so self expression could be part of the picture. This seems to be a small window for new beginnings within this season of retrogrades planets that are asking us to go 'inside,' to do inventory and see where we can scale back on excess-- that may be physical possessions or luxuries we don't need, or
energy we are putting into some part of our life that is not giving us a 'good' return.