All that you have is your soul.

Tracy Chapman

On the first day of May, the celebration of Beltaine, I woke up to snow falling. It had been falling for 2 days at that point and it continued into the late afternoon, a wet icy snow that coated the budding trees and made them droop, and at times break. I crossed my fingers for my poor apple trees and my tulips, but by the evening, the clouds had pulled out, the air was warmer, and the pastel colored evening seemed to hint at the luscious pleasures of the season. But I didn’t do ritual that day, or any traditional observance of the day. I didn’t have it in me to celebrate Beltaine while snow was falling. I reasoned that if I had a cow, I damn sure wouldn't send her out on a day like that. Washing my face in the dew was impossible in light of the three inches of snow on the grass.

May 1 came and went, and I did not get my Walpurgisnacht on in any way.

The weather warmed up fast, and the days are rebounding into sunny, floral heat. As the Sun and Moon meet in Taurus this New Moon—along with Mercury and Venus in her earthly home-- the warmth and promise of Spring leads us all back to the pleasures of embodiment—the great gift and blessing of incarnation. Ruled by Venus (pleasure and partnership), grounded in Earth, the Fixed sign of Taurus is the perfect emblem of lushness, of luxury and comfort, of sensuality and delight. Beltaine celebrates these qualities explicitly, but all through this season, the pull towards play and enjoyment is undeniable. The warm weather lures us outside when we should be taking care of business.

Taurus moves us from I am to I have. Once the flames of self-inquiry and self-definition mellow from Aries' intensity, we begin to turn our attention outward slightly, and we begin to think about our resources.

We begin with our bodies, our health, our physical abilities and limitations. These are an undeniable baseline shaping our realities. Although we can in so many ways transcend and transform our physical selves, the body in the foundation of all our work. Our resources radiate out from there, encompassing the people we love, the environment we live in, our homes and our labor, our tools and our toys, our skills and knowledge. All of these are the resources that we command every day, and through which we support ourselves, our families, and our communities. With the Sun and Moon embracing in this romantic sign, we see that our resources is comprised of far more than our wealth or possessions.

Taurus is represented by a bull because cattle have long been associated with wealth and abundance. Think about the beautiful Egyptian Goddess Hathor (Hethert), who causes the land to run with milk and honey. But more than just physical abundance, Taurus reminds us of our capacity to receive. If the Universe is truly infinite, if the Earth is truly capable of miraculous fertility, why would we doubt our ability to have 'enough'? Why would we remain stuck in narratives and habits of poverty and dearth? Again, physical limitations are not the whole story here. Few of us are wealthy enough to live as if money is no object, but money is not, and need not be, the only factor determining how wealthy we are. No matter what our bank balance is, why would not expect the Gods and Goddesses that we serve, the Ancestors and land spirits we honor—why wouldn’t we expect them to bless us with love, luck, and prosperity? So often we keep ourselves from receiving the bounty of love, joy, and connection that are readily available all around us. By opening up to that abundance, we can also do our part to dismantle the systems and institutions that manipulate resources and keep structures of exploitation and poverty in place.

This New Moon, ground into wakened Earth, smell the air full of pollen and seeds, feel the sun and the wind on bare flesh, and revel in these sensations. Drink in the beauty around you, wherever you find it. There's treasure everywhere.