New Moon in 10° Taurus

 

A new moon occurs when the Sun and Moon form a perfect conjunction. As you can see from the chart above, both the Sun and Moon occupy 10° Taurus making this a New Moon. Whereas a full moon brings completion and endings a New Moon brings something new such as a new opportunity, a new relationship, a new project, or a new thought or idea.

How to Work with Moon in Taurus Energy

• Ascertain the natal house influenced by the New Moon in Taurus
• Check for aspects between the New Taurus Moon and planets in your Natal Chart.
• Draw up a budget for yourself that you can stick to. Figure out what you can do without or don't need anymore.
• Open a savings account or a 401K. If you already have either of these, review your contribution amount to see if you can increase how much you save or invest. Ask you company about matching contributions.
• Purchase homeowners or renter's insurance.
• Exercise more patience
• Make a list of those personal values (loyalty, honesty, etc. )  that are important to you and strive to nurture and emulate those qualities in yourself.
• Make an inventory of your personal valuables and put this list in a safe place.
• Rather than buy new things to make you feel better or to keep up with the Joneses, learn to appreciate what you have.
• As far as possible, without creating a financial hardship for yourself, pay off a debt.
• If you have debt. call your lender and see if you can re-negotiate your interest rate.

New Moon in Taurus (General)

With the New Moon transiting the area of our charts that rules money, material possessions, self-esteem, and personal values we expect to receive more opportunities to make or spend money. The second house is associated with Venus, so we have to be wary of spending money on pretty or expensive things just to make ourselves feel better. Having money and things of value gives us a greater sense of security, so having more money will translate to a sense of greater security.

The house that Taurus occupies in your Natal Chart is the Area of life where you can expect to new opportunities to have something.

• If your rising sign is Aries, Taurus is your 2nd House.
• If your rising sign is Taurus, Taurus is your 1st House.
• If your rising sign is Gemini, Taurus is your 12th House.
• If your rising sign is Cancer, Taurus is your 11th House.
• If your rising sign is Leo, Taurus is your 10th House.
• If your rising sign is Virgo, Taurus is your 9th House.
• If your rising sign is Libra, Taurus is your 8th House.
• If your rising sign is Scorpio, Taurus is your 7th House.
• If your rising sign is Sagittarius, Taurus is your 6th House.
• If your rising sign is Capricorn, Taurus is your 5th House.
• If your rising sign is Aquarius, Taurus is your 4th House.
• If your rising sign is Pisces, Taurus is your 3rd House.

Example

New Moon in Taurus and the 7th House

The Moon (I feel) in Taurus (I Have) in the 7th House of marriage, agreements, and partnerships can bring new thoughts and feelings about relationships of all kinds. You may feel confident about your ability to attract a new relationship (business or personal), though you are not likely to go out on a limb to make it happen for yourself.

Aspects

Let us suppose that you have Mars at 9° Taurus, that would mean that the new Moon is applying a conjunction your Natal Mars

Under this aspect you feel rasher and more impulsive. You are bored with your usual routine now and want more adventure and excitement in your life. Unfortunately, this could make you more likely to fall prey to accidents. Close relationships with women can become more agitated.

Where does 10° Taurus fall in your natal chart and how will the New Moon in Taurus manifest for you?

- Carolina Dean

Mercury in 00° Gemini

 

Mercury in Gemini (General)

Mercury in Gemini can translate to I think open-minded thoughts because I am curious about many things and because I have access to so much information my position on different topics is changeable.  Mercury rules Gemini so our minds are in overdrive and cannot seem to slow down. You may jump quickly from one thought or subject to another without finishing your original thought.

How Mercury in Gemini Affect You

When Mercury is in Gemini your thoughts are fast, quick, and changeable and where Gemini falls in your chart is what your thoughts will center on.

• If your rising sign is Aries, Gemini is your 3rd House.
• If your rising sign is Taurus, Gemini is your 2nd House.
• If your rising sign is Gemini, Gemini is your 1st House.
• If your rising sign is Cancer, Gemini is your 12th House.
• If your rising sign is Leo, Gemini is your 11th House.
• If your rising sign is Virgo, Gemini is your 10th House.
• If your rising sign is Libra, Gemini is your 9th House.
• If your rising sign is Scorpio, Gemini is your 8th House.
• If your rising sign is Sagittarius, Gemini is your 7th House.
• If your rising sign is Capricorn, Gemini is your 6th House.
• If your rising sign is Aquarius, Gemini is your 5th House.
• If your rising sign is Pisces, Gemini is your 4th House.

Example

Mercury in Gemini and the 8th House

With Mercury in Gemini, the urge to think and communicate expresses itself as indecisive, talkative, open-minded, and inquisitive and this generally manifests in the area of transformation, change, rebirth, sex, and death. You are more talkative now and love to have conversations. With Mercury transiting the Scorpio ruled 8th house, these conversations may start out light and trivial but can take a deeper, more meaningful turn. You really dive in to any subject which sparks your interests, investigating it thoroughly in order to get to the bottom of the matter.

Carolina Dean

Pluto Retrograde 28° Capricorn

 

So named after the God of the Underworld in mythology, Pluto is associated with transformation and renewal. Such change is not always pleasant or even peaceful.  Transits of Pluto are often marked by periods of destruction followed by some form of renewal and regeneration. In this respect, I see Pluto as being very similar to The Death card in the Tarot. Death is all about transformation and renewal. Examples of this kind of action in nature include intentional forest fires which cause the trees to grow back stronger, or cutting dead leaves off a plant so that it can thrive.  Another example of transformation through violence can be seen in the Stonewall Riots that sparked the Gay Liberation Movement, or the American Revolution that gave birth to the United States.

When Pluto is moving forward, it can bring secrets to light and hidden truths are revealed. Often such truths are shocking or hard to accept and we are left to deal with the aftermath of the destruction that they bring. We are left to pick up the pieces and make sense of it all. However, when these things happen, they are often for the greater good and are designed to help us grow, to thrive, to become stronger and to be better than we were before. So, perhaps it is a necessary evil.

When Pluto stations retrograde, our attention turns inward, and we are moved to reflect on our darker, more secretive natures. We are challenged to rid ourselves of that which does not serve us, to release that which holds us back, to let go of our secret shame.  If we ignore our shadow selves, we may be confronted by them in the form of qualities we see in others that we do not like. Internal conflict with the self can lead to external disputes with others. Our thoughts may turn to our sense of personal power. We may ask ourselves what makes me feel powerful? What makes me feel powerless? We may take steps to obtain more power over ourselves and in our lives in general.

Where Capricorn falls in your birth chart is the area of life that is most affected. For example, Capricorn represents the 3rd house in my birth chart (I use the whole house system). The third house naturally aligns with Gemini in the natural chart and is ruled by Mercury. The third house is all about the capacity of our minds, how we exchange and process information, our self-expression, and short journeys.

From past experience, I know that Pluto Retrograde in my 3rd house gives me the opportunity to meditate upon and improve my communication skills.  The third house covers many aspects of life and so this does not mean that the same thing will happen again (especially if I have not learned my lesson) but it could very well be that I will be presented with the opportunity to show that I have learned from history and the mistakes of the past.

Major Aspects

Pluto RX in the 10th House Sextile Jupiter in the 12th House - This aspect represents a tremendous opportunity for positive growth. However, since Pluto is retrograde, this may be a case of a lot of people taking a few steps backwards before they can move forwards. We may see many people who go through a period of disillusionment with the trajectory of their career or who have difficulty with their bosses, mentors, or superiors. They may feel that they have outgrown their jobs and the people who have mentored them. We can expect a great deal of soul-searching to refine our ideals and take on new roles that allow us to implement those ideals.

Personal Aspects

Pluto is a very slow-moving planet, so any aspects that it forms to your Natal Planets should already be in place. For instance, Transit Pluto at 28° Capricorn is forming a conjunction to my natal Jupiter at 02° Aquarius. This aspect can bring a renewed optimism; however, this new perspective may be at odds with the status quo.

Where does Capricorn fall in your natal chart and how will Pluto retrograde likely to affect you? Carolina Dean

 

Mercury Retrograde 26° Taurus (Preshadow)

 

Mercury in Taurus General

When Mercury is in Taurus, our thoughts and speech slow down. We speak and communication more deliberately, determined to get our point across.  Our thinking processes, such as how we process and exchange information, becomes slower as well and we are less inclined to change our minds about any subject or matter (Taurus is a fixed sign).  Our thoughts may turn to money and material matters. We may become fonder of what makes us comfortable in terms of the senses such as food, art, music etc...

With this being the Pre-Shadow period of Mercury Retrograde we may begin to rethink our personal values. This is not a time to radically change our values but to consider what is important to us and what is not. Especially in terms to money and things of value.

How Mercury in Taurus Affects You

The house that Taurus occupies in your Natal Chart is the area of life where you will have slow, deliberate thoughts.

• If your rising sign is Aries, Taurus is your 2nd House.
• If your rising sign is Taurus, Taurus is your 1st House.
• If your rising sign is Gemini, Taurus is your 12th House.
• If your rising sign is Cancer, Taurus is your 11th House.
• If your rising sign is Leo, Taurus is your 10th House.
• If your rising sign is Virgo, Taurus is your 9th House.
• If your rising sign is Libra, Taurus is your 8th House.
• If your rising sign is Scorpio, Taurus is your 7th House.
• If your rising sign is Sagittarius, Taurus is your 6th House.
• If your rising sign is Capricorn, Taurus is your 5th House.
• If your rising sign is Aquarius, Taurus is your 4th House.
• If your rising sign is Pisces, Taurus is your 3rd House.

Example

Mercury in Taurus in the 7th House

Mercury in this placement can bring slow, deliberate thoughts about our relationships of all kinds. This might be a period in which we consider our relationships and if we are truly happy and satisfied with them. Mercury in the 7th house can indicate a period of (re) negotiation (mercury rules contracts) in our relationships to fix what may be broken or not working as it should be. We may communicate more with the people in our lives who represent our partners, this can be in business or in romantic relationships. You may find that you communicate better one-on-one with other people rather than with groups of individuals.

Aspects

MIPC: Cutting the Cards

 

Note: MIPC stands for Magic in Popular Culture and this is a series of posts in which I take a magical belief or practice from a work of fiction such as movies, books, comic books, or tv shows and analyze them against real-world magical beliefs and practices. 

James Bond Meets Solitaire 

In this scene above secret agent 007 James Bond recognizes Solitaire as the High Priestess of the tarot and ask if he is in the deck as well. She spreads out the cards on the table and instructs him to pick a card and turn it over. Upon doing so, it is revealed that James has chosen the Fool and Solitaire points out "you have found yourself." 

While this is played off as something of a inside joke for movie-goers and or an in-universe insult to Bond it is actually quite accurate in that moment. The Fool represents beginnings and he is often depicted in artwork as about to blindly step off a cliff. This scene appears fairly early in the film shortly after Bond was given his assignment with very little notice or information to go on. In addition, he has blindly walked into a trap set by Mr. Big, the films villain. 

Commentary

In the art and practice of cartomancy, or divination by cards, the cards are often cut as part of the ritual of reading them. First they are shuffled, then the are divided into two or more packs and put back together again. Originally, the practice of cutting the cards was done by card players and it  was an exercise in trust - that is, it was done to decrease the likelihood of someone gaining an unfair advantage by manipulating the order of the cards. The practice carried over when folks used the cards for the purpose of divination. In the practice of cartomancy, cards are often cut in order to get a quick answer to a question-  usually some small, trivial matter. 

As part of the reading ritual a calling-card, or signifier, is often chosen beforehand. This calling-card is used to represent the person who is asking the question. There are many different methods which have been used to determine a person's signifier, or calling card, the most traditional of which concerns itself with matching the individual's age and temperament to the pip, or face, cards in a tarot deck. For example, adult males are Kings, adult females are Queens, whereas young adults and teenagers are Knights and children are pages.

Some readers determine the suit to use for a person's signifier by using the element associated with the person's Sun Sign. Using this methods Wands represent the fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Cups represent water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), Swords represent air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) and Pentacles represent earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). Using this method, I would be represented by the King of Pentacles.

Some readers determine the suit by considering the person's temperament. Wands are driven, over achievers, Cups are emotional and empathetic, Swords are the intellectual types, and Pentacles are earthy and creative. Using this methods, I would be represented by the King of Cups.

Finally, some readers take into account the individual's coloring. For example, Wands represent blonds, Cups represent dark blonde to light brown, Swords represent Red heads, and Pentacles represent dark brown to black hair. Again, using this methods I would be represented by the King of Pentacles.

The simplest method of determining a person's signifier which I know utilizes the Magician for a Man, the High Priestess for a woman, or the Fool for anyone. In other instances, you may wish to take a more literal approach and use the Empress for a pregnant woman, the Emperor for a male authority figure, The Hierophant for a Priest or member of clergy, the Chariot for a race car driver, The Moon for a psychic, the Sun for a person with a "sunny disposition", The Death Card for a mortician, etc... Using this method, which I prefer, I am represented by the Hanged Man (someone gifted with the powers of foresight and perception and who has an unconventional view of life)

However, keep in mind that you are not limited to the Major Arcana when choosing signifiers. The same creative vision can be applied to the Minor Arcana for this purpose. For example, the Six of Swords can represent a sailor, or ferry worker. The Nine of Pentacles can represent someone with a green thumb and a love for animals. In addition, depending on the deck you have, there may be cards that are not in a traditional deck.

Finally, another practice which I adopted in recent years is to simply have the querent cut the cards and put them back together again. I then remove the top card from the deck and this card is used as the individual's calling card. Using this method of determining a person's calling card can also give you insight into the person's questions as well as their current mood, thoughts, and feelings about whatever issue it is that they want to address in the reading. 

- Carolina Dean

Astrological Weather April 24th to April 30th

 All Times Pacific

Sunday

4/24/22 6:50 Am Mercury Square Saturn-    This aspect acts like a mini-Mercury Retrograde. The square of Mercury to Saturn creates breakdowns in communication, delays, and misunderstandings. You may have more of a pessimistic attitude now. This is a good time to go back and review any work that you have done of a mental nature and work on improvements.

Monday

04/25/22 1:09 PM Moon Sextile Sun-     You are in an emotionally good place now and can both recognize and take advantage of opportunities around you. This is a good day to improve your relationship or to further your career. Alternately, you can use this day to practice a little self-care

Tuesday

04/26/22  9:50 PM Moon Conjunct Venus -   Under this aspect you feel more sexy, attractive, and charming (because you are). You may draw closer to your friends and lovers now and share a new level of closeness and intimacy. You may also feel more self-indulgent and have a tendency to over indulge in food, drink, or spending money.

Wednesday

04/27/22 4:07 AM Moon Conjunct Jupiter -   Under this transit you feel like you want to make some major changes in your life. A common desire is to quit your job or break up with someone. If things aren't going well this transit can give you the motivation to make needed changes. However, it can also create unnecessary disruption in your life if things are going well (this transit just exacerbate small annoyances making them seem more severe than they are)

Thursday

04/28/22 5:05 AM Mercury Trine Pluto-    You tend to think more now before you act. You may have a strong impact on the way others think. You are not satisfied with trite explanations and want to get all the information to understand something fully. You simply want people to get to the point.

Friday

04/29/22 2:38 PM Moon Square Pluto-     Under this aspect you may feel like making some major changes in your life such as leaving a job or relationship. If these aspects of your life are not working out the way you like, this could give you the motivation to make that change. However, if you're generally happy there's not need to make any drastic change, or this could lead to unnecessary disruption in your life.

Saturday

04/30/22  1:28 PM Moon Conjunct Sun-   When the Sun and Moon are conjunct, this is a new moon. This is a good time for beginning something new. Look to the Natal House the planets occupy to give you an idea of the area of life affected by this aspect.