Urania's Well: Astrology for Changing Times


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Back To The Garden: New Moon in Taurus

 

b2ap3_thumbnail_bee_on_flower_20170424-212252_1.jpgThe news these days can be depressing and even horrifying — bombs, environmental disasters, corruption, extraordinary cruelty, sheer stupidity, and blind greed. There’s no doubt that we are in the throes of major changes in our civilization, and as a whole, we seem to be having some difficulty handling our most pressing problems. If we’re going to be part of the solution, it’s important to remember and acknowledge our accomplishments and honor the gifts that life offers.

The Taurus New Moon reminds us of how we personally can work towards healing and wholeness in our own lives while contributing to global healing as well. There are two approaches that will work well under this Moon. The first is to simply make a point of spending time in Nature consciously. This will, quite literally, shift your own personal vibration into greater coherence and strength.

Going on a hike, working in your garden, or doing stream cleanup work with a local environmental organization are all great ways of getting out in Nature, but they don’t, by themselves, help you become more conscious of your deep connection to the natural world. That takes a deliberate decision on your part, and you don’t need to put on your hiking boots or waders to do it.

All you need to do to improve your connection with Nature is take a daily walk, or, if you aren’t very mobile, at least spend some time sitting outdoors every day. Then let yourself be aware and observant on all levels. Notice the sky, notice the trees, notice the birds and the animals. Even in the most concretized city there is the sky, and air, and usually a few trees and birds. You will notice them with your everyday thinking mind, but also extend your sensual awareness out to join with the natural world.

“The force that through the green fuse drives the flower“

Let go of your thoughts about what you are seeing — like how the leaves on the poplar tree are about ⅓ again larger than they were the last time you looked, and the fact that you saw two robins and one cardinal. Just let yourself breathe in the spring air, feel it on your face, listen to the breeze through the trees and the song of birds, look at the trees and the birds without classifying or comparing.

Be aware of the feelings and emotions that rise within you as you experience Nature. Let your feelings carry you and help you extend your awareness until you are tuned into the great, pulsing life force of the Earth that connects us with the web of life on this planet. Let yourself bask in that life force, feel how it is present all around and within you. Send loving intentions through this web, and allow yourself to accept energy from the land around you. As you continue to pay attention, you’ll find that your awareness of your connection with Nature grows and becomes a part of your everyday experience, strengthening you, and enriching your life in multiple ways.

Another practice for the month ahead under the Taurus Moon is taking time to consider how we can incorporate more of what is meaningful into our lives, while eliminating more of whatever distracts us and drains our energy. This involves getting clear on our core values — yes, you may have already done this many times, but it’s a good idea to revisit them yearly to make sure they still accurately reflect the person you are becoming.

Time spent journaling will help identify the distractions and clarify what’s important. But even if you don’t journal, set aside some time to think about these things — maybe you can use your commute as your thinking time, or take a walk and combine exercise with inner work.

This month, remember to touch the Earth and connect with physical reality, acknowledging that your soul chose to incarnate in this place and time. Then make that choice really count by getting clear on your values, and understanding what is truly important to you. With that preparation, the important choices you make will come from a place of personal awareness, soul-level intentions, and considered action, not in reaction to external pressures, like friends’ and family’s demands and expectations or our cultural norms.

In addition to all the earthy Taurean energy, Mercury is conjunct Uranus in this New Moon chart, so bright, shiny, pioneering ideas will be pinging around in the fields of consciousness just waiting for someone to catch them. Pay attention — some of them will be for you!

Occupy Your Body

This is the month to celebrate Beltane, so give yourself some time to revel in sensual delights and affirm the joys that make embodied life so worth living. Beltane marks the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. In astrological terms, that’s 15 degrees of Taurus. The traditional date for the celebration is May 1st. The astrological date varies slightly, but is usually right around May 5th, as it is this year, depending on where you are. The exact time is May 5, 3:31 a.m. EDT. Personally, I don’t worry much about exact times, as I think it’s best to celebrate for the whole week — at least!  I wrote more about Beltane and occupying your body in this post from 2014.

Words of Warcraft

For the country in general, words of war will be more likely this month than the actual bombs, missiles, and equipment of war that marked the past month, as Mars moves from make-it-real Taurus into Mercury’s let’s-talk-it-out sign, Gemini. Mercury itself conjuncts the wildly-unpredictable Uranus in Mars’ own sign of Aries (This planetary arrangement is known as mutual reception), and acts of war may well involve information technology rather than bombs this month.

In contrast to the Martian action, Venus and Jupiter, also in mutual reception in Pisces and Libra, are trying very, very hard to find ways for people to get along, but it’s kind of a last chance thing. Venus, in the last degrees of Pisces for the New Moon, will move into Aries a few days later, and relationships in general will be more prone to conflict and confrontation throughout May.

On a personal level, we can use this energy in a healthy way by forthrightly addressing problems in relationships without letting these encounters devolve into finger-pointing and blame. On the national stage, we are more likely to see a lot of unconscious material being flung around. Some of it will stick. Some of it will hit the fan.

Saturn and Uranus, co-ruling the Midheaven of the chart cast for Washington, DC and in a trine aspect, suggest more loose-cannon behavior from the Executive Branch, and there are also indicators of karma coming home to roost for the country as a whole.

Do you know how the current transits are affecting your chart? If you need to change some circumstances in your life, astrology offers guidance and solutions (both magical and mundane) that will shift energy towards positive outcomes, and help mitigate current problems. Contact me, and we’ll set up a consultation.

 

 

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Diotima Mantineia began studying astrology in 1968, taking classes from Zoltan Mason in New York City. For the next 22 years, she practiced astrology only for herself and her friends, continuing her studies while watching an increasingly humanistic, psychologically oriented, modern astrology blossom through the work of leading astrologers such as Noel Tyl, Liz Greene, Rob Hand, Marion March, Stephen Arroyo and Howard Sasportas. In 1986, Diotima began her study of Wicca and started reading Tarot, discovering that she is a gifted intuitive. In 1991, she began practicing both astrology and Tarot professionally. She majored in plant and soil science both in college and grad school, and grows much of her own food and "materia magica" on her land in the mountains of western North Carolina. Diotima’s personal spiritual path is rooted in the Western mystery traditions, the principles of Yoga, and a profound connection with the natural world. Wicca gives structure to her spiritual journey, and she utilizes shamanic practices for healing and to live in harmony with Nature. Over 15 years of studying Chinese martial arts has given her a deep appreciation of Taoist thought which has strongly influenced her magical and personal philosophy. You can find her at www.uraniaswell.com

Comments

  • skylar
    skylar Saturday, 24 March 2018

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