Leading up to this New Moon we’ve had a profoundly useful influence from the transiting Moon and Sun, as each (the Sun days ago, of course, the Moon during the Dark of the Moon time preceding the Lunar event) has quincunxed the Black Moon Lilith point, offering to bring various ignored or denied facets of the past to the surface. They’ve also semi-squared Neptune, making us uncomfortable with real-life play-acting, with those who ask us to agree to their deceptions. Now, the past (South Node) is excavated courtesy of a quincunx to Pluto and Neptune, which are sextile each other, making a Finger of God that can’t help but show us that the destruction of the unreal and nebulous in our lives is necessary to escape the past, and this is supported at the time of the New Moon by a semi-square of both Luna and Sol to Saturn, suggesting that as rough as it might be, we’d be wise to prefer reality to fantasy.

So, having modified our figurative Plutonic house with a much-needed cleansing, and released deception in favor of living our ideals in at least one area, we meet the energy of the New Moon in Taurus, forming at 25 Taurus 57 at 1 PM PDT of the 16th, a crisp and sensory-packed influence that speaks to us and will continue to communicate eloquently as both Sun and Moon proceed in the sky to perfect their conjunctions to Mercury, sitting just ahead of them in the zodiac as they meet. A New Moon in Taurus focuses us on how we feel about the atmosphere (in the broadest sense) that surrounds us, and the way it satisfies and comforts, supports and nourishes, fulfills the artisanal impulse and the appetites–or fails to. Are we secure in our present position? becomes the question, and how much that situation does or does not nurture our material, physical, and sensory needs is measured over the coming two weeks, until the ‘answer’ we receive at the next Full Moon.

The New Moon itself has only a smattering of contacts, keeping the energy homed in on the Taurean vibe and our own feelings. Above all, communication is what’s happening: through our surroundings, through creature comforts, through the sense of stability–and if we find those missing, we need to know that the Moon means to draw our attention to what we really need in those departments. It’s notable that the New Moon is conjoined Mercury, and that Mercury is conjoined Uranus, brand-new in Gemini, though the New Moon is not in contact. That suggests a spontaneity and uncertainty in the communication picture that may tempt us to see the info we receive as transitory, or not as meaningful as we would otherwise–but that’s an illusion, urging us to not take seriously what is unusual or unexpected–and that would be a mistake, as what’s presented may be inspiring, and an instrumental part of what grows from this Moon.

The New Moon is also widely sextile Jupiter in Cancer, amplifying the feeling perceptions and showing us what we genuinely care about, while the NM is also semi-square Saturn in Aries, suggesting that what we see within the reality picture may be a little tough to take, or seem too restrictive or limiting, but that clarity of vision positions us perfectly to do something about what we feel, see, and know. As the components of the New Moon move forward they will each briefly be caught at the midpoint of a Venus in Gemini sextile to an exact (at this time) conjunction of Mars and Chiron in Aries, but at the time of the NM both will be within generous orb of this midpoint. That’s a portrait of the individual Will, powered by hurt or by a desire to heal, attempting to achieve, in some way, what we think Love is–and the NM offers us a specific instance in which to manifest this (or at least begin to, probably through matters of the House in the natal chart where the New Moon falls).

In fact, the exact Mars-Chiron conjunction doesn’t give us a choice: we can’t help but embody our wounds or our Chirotic gifts in our ‘I Am’, in the way we choose and act at this time. This is a dynamically assertive combination, especially in this sign; know that you are reaching out, announcing who you are, what you are, and that this drives all you do–there’s no hiding motives, or the hurts and gifts that shape your efforts, so an embrace of openness and honesty will be the least stressful, and most productive, stance you can take.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is, ‘A Spanish Gallant Serenades His Beloved’. Singing is so Taurean–and the beloved we are ‘courting’ at this time is, I think, the truest form of ourselves we can bring forward. We’re seeking our own authenticity, by being open to what’s communicated, from within and without, and through an assessment of what surrounds us, and how thoroughly it meets our needs. The only way it matters, though, is if we’re willing to adjust our lives according to what we discover–so that’s the goal, this New Moon: adjust, adjust, adjust.

HOT SPOT: If you have natal placements at 26-29.5 Libra, that body or point will be apex to a Finger of God with base of Venus and Mars-Chiron. Your idea of Love and/ or relationships as they manifest in your live, interacting with that ‘I Am’ statement driven by wounds or gifts, will combine to deliver a version of that natal energy at the apex. In this case, being totally honest about who you are, what and whom you love, and what you want, may (quite literally) save you.