Taurus New Moon

May 2, 2011: Taurus New Moon (exact at 11:51pm PDT)

The Taurus New Moon yields a great opportunity to look within and see what it is that brings you comfort and a greater sense of security. Taking the time today to examine what activities and earthly delights yield pleasure can help you discover a sense of rootedness that can serve you well in the coming year. As part of this exercise, think about your habits: Do they actually serve your personal needs for health and happiness or is the pleasure they provide mostly linked to their familiarity? Do they assist you in productively structuring your life or are they on some level limiting as they don’t let you move readily outside of a narrowly defined comfort zone? Reflecting upon your routines and rituals can be a great fount of awareness during the Taurus New Moon.

As Taurus is a very sensual sign, it’s a good time to listen to music, buy yourself some fragrant flowers, work for hours in the garden, or engage in other experiences that give you pleasure. Your kinesthetic senses may be especially heightened today and can serve as an additional tool to tune into how you feel about certain situations and people. For example, if you’re wondering whether you should pursue a certain project, let the idea of it sit within you and tune into how your body feels. Do you feel relaxed and comforted or jumpy and agitated? Your body may be able to help you filter truths that your mind is unable to clearly perceive.

A New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are conjunct. Given that today’s New Moon conjunction is the last aspect that the Moon makes before it moves into Gemini, the energies of it may be especially palpable. The Moon does not move into Gemini until Wednesday, May 4 at 10:09 am. Therefore, this New Moon’s effects and pronouncements will likely infuse the energy through then.

This month’s New Moon falls at 13 degrees of Taurus (Sun and Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of the New Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Taurus or the other fixed signs—Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius—it may impact you more intensely.

New Moon Apothecary Suggestions

Taurus rules the neck, throat, inner ears, and thyroid gland. Pay extra attention to these parts of the body around the time of this New Moon.

Chestnut bud flower essence: Sometimes habits can be supportive and necessary to create productive structure in our lives. Other times they can hold us back or keep us in an unsupportive loop of behavior. In the latter case, we may derive great comfort from doing the same thing again and again, even if we know that it’s not necessarily something that is in our highest interest. If you find yourself stuck in a “been there, done that, but I’ll do that again” rut and would like assistance releasing it, consider Chestnut Bud flower essence. It’s a great natural remedy to use when we need a little assistance breaking out of well-tread but unsupportive routines. (Flower essences are made from flower-infused water and work energetically to restore emotional and mental balance. You can find them in natural food stores or holistic pharmacies.)

Honey and lemon tea: Enjoy a soothing cup of honey and lemon tea. Its warmth is nurturing while the honey and lemon serve as wonderful balms for the throat. If possible, use raw honey (unless you’re pregnant or immunocompromised), which has more antioxidants, and juice from a fresh lemon rather than a bottle. For more throat support, add a tea bag of slippery elm or marshmallow root, two herbs known for their palliative qualities.