Sunday, May 8, 2005
1:45am PDT
17º 52'
Mother's Day (How appropriate!)

Taurus rules our commitment to providing for our families, our communities and our Mother Earth. With Sun, Moon, and Venus in Taurus our sense of personal responsibility should be quite high. Couple this with an exact Sun/Moon square to Neptune in Aquarius (utopian alternatives) and a Mars/Uranus conjunction in Pisces (interconnectivity of all things) and we have a power-packed opportunity to look at the impact our greed and selfish desires have upon the mounting degradation of our environment. I have said before that Neptune rules oil, and it's time through Aquarius is calling upon humanity to find alternative energy sources that are safe, cheap and abundant. Coal isn't it, nuclear isn't it and hydrogen might be it, but it won't be cheap. When Saturn moves into Leo in July, we have three years to get serious about harnessing the power of our Sun, the engine of our local solar system. It is time for all of us to start fighting for a big redirect of engineering and financial resources to develop this technology before we have no oil left. Taurus is all about making real what is in our minds. What can you do? Connect your self-worth with your role as caretaker of Mother Earth and your fellow animal and human beings. Taurus walks the path of beauty and gives away its time and talent for many causes. Don't just gripe about the environment: get out there and pick up trash in your local park or on a beach. Don't just gripe about the price of gas: go buy a more fuel-efficient or hybrid vehicle, or walk/bike to work. Don't whine about homelessness: get yourself to a shelter, food bank or aid program and volunteer your time. Don't scream about the trashing of education funding: get to a school and offer your services to the kids and get on the anti-war protest lines to demand your tax dollars go to education not bombs. Enlist your brain, brawn, talent and time in shattering the illusion of separation.

Okay Moms everywhere: listen up. This is your day to reconsider what is appropriate sacrifice for the ones you love. If you waste yourself in caretaking, especially if perfectionistic expectations come from a deep sense of never being a "good enough" Mom, you are not helping anyone including yourself. So families everywhere, this is the day to honor the Mom in your life. Let her know how good she is, how brave she is and most of all how much she is loved. Give her a real day off.

Taurus represents caretaking, security issues, personal values and morals, self-worth, and one's attachment to possessions, land and money. This is the New Moon for revisioning our ideas about abundance. There are some people for whom financial success seems effortless, and some who engage in an endless struggle with their finances. Money is not a fixed entity, it is energetic and always in flux; sometimes we have more of it, sometimes we have less. A healthy relationship to money reflects a sense of rhythm and play. That Taurus, a fixed sign, rules the ever-changing world of monetary matters really comes down to the fact that its modest, frugality breeds an even-tempered relationship to money. It is true that Taurus loves to be surrounded by luxury, but there is a great difference between insisting on good quality and indulging excessively in materiality. Think of this New Moon as a time to nurture the boy/girl scout within by cultivating financial preparedness and responsibility. A retrograde Jupiter in Libra should help each of us look within and develop a financial plan that combines generosity with responsibility.

Since Taurus rules survival issues, this is the New Moon to look at how you meet your daily needs. What does fulfillment mean to you: surrounding yourself with mountains of possessions as a means to self-definition, or spending wisely on the few things that really matter? Are you so busy keeping up with the latest styles, must-haves and trends, that you have forgotten what is important to you? This is the New Moon to seriously reconsider what makes you happy deep down in your heart. This should be fairly easy with Venus (finances) in Taurus (personal responsibility) and retrograde Jupiter (abundance) in Libra (relating to others) focusing our thoughts about finances inward. Try this exercise for the next two weeks. Before you purchase something, think about how you will feel after you own it, and be honest about how much use you will really get out of it. What will you do with it when it has outlived its usefulness? The answers to these questions will tell you if it's worth buying. The Taurus New Moon is the best time to get serious about your finances. Set financial goals that make sense, commit to a budget, and/or set earnings and savings goals for the year. You will be surprised at how much prosperity can be generated from a concerted effort to be more conscious about spending.

Taurus is the great procrastinator of the zodiac. It can always find more than enough distractions: shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry, carpooling, errands, paying bills, caring for loved ones, and never-ending yard work. If you are a procrastinator, use this New Moon to make some serious commitments to setting goals for getting your work done…and adhering to them. Since Taurus rules procrastination, work on taming this demon and you will see your success rate soar!

Taurus needs to enjoy its work. So if you make your living doing what you love, you are way ahead of the game. But if you spend your time at a job you despise because you can't figure out how to get paid to do what you love, this is the New Moon to work on changing that reality. This basically comes down to building self-confidence, believing in the value of your talent and then doing the work. Creativity isn't about genius; it is really about giving from the heart. Anything, when done well (even sidewalk sweeping) can be satisfying and creative work. Chiron has gone into Aquarius forcing us all to look at our wounding around issues of originality and staying ahead of the curve. Here in Silicon Valley business is driven by an obsession with being first and always new and different. Aquarius reminds us that it isn't just being new or first, but more connecting with the pulse of the communal mind and heart; expressing that which everyone is feeling and thinking but not ready to face openly. Taurus is all about making real things that uplift and benefit real people's lives. This requires some attention to how one defines success. Look at the cost of what you define as success. And remember, success when measured with the yardstick of ever-increasing productivity is the mania that drives our world and us to desperation, violence and war. What good is all that money if you don't have time to enjoy it? We all have to learn how to take some time off and relax.

I continue to ponder the necessity of economic downturn and layoffs. There is no system in nature that exists in a constant state of expansion. Contraction is an integral part of a balanced life. Taurus embodies the challenge of knowing how to save in the good times, so we can savor and enjoy the downtimes. Saving requires maturity, responsibility and moderation: the defining lessons of Taurus. The childish impetuousness of Aries naturally grows into Taurean direction and focus. Aries' ever-shifting desires evolve into Taurus' deep and passionate relationship with mastery and patience.

In the Tarot, Taurus is associated with the Magician card-garnering personal will to gain the necessary tools and knowledge for future success. If you own your own business, this is the New Moon cycle to establish new strategies, launch new products, create new employee training programs, or invest in new research and development projects. For the self-employed, this is the time to work on developing new client relationships, expand your skill-set, invest in equipment upgrades, and set new earnings targets.

Taurus is all about the push/pull of responsibility to others and the desire to follow one's own will. This is a constant theme in all our lives. Some feel like free agents; others feel constantly at the beck and call of family, friends and business associates, never able to enjoy a private moment. Most of us have lives filled with the constant weighing our own needs against the needs of others. This is the New Moon to consider how this juggling act plays out in your life. How easily do you devote time to your own pleasure? How much responsibility do you take on for others? Are you choosing to martyr yourself, while thinking others demand it from you?

Since Taurus rules real estate, spend the next two weeks beautifying your home and garden, or get involved in a local beautification project or conservation program. If you are looking to buy, sell or rent property, this is the New Moon to focus your attention on getting exactly what you want. Taurus demands beauty and comfort at a reasonable price: and so should you. If you can visualize it, you can make it a reality!

Of course we cannot forget Taurus, the passionate, sensual, lover! So after you do "the hard work" of this goal-setting ritual, relax into a hot bubble bath or treat yourself to a delicious meal and then get a good night's rest. Of course if you are lucky enough to share your life with a partner, it becomes an invitation for lovemaking and sharing of sensual pleasure. Either way, you will awaken ready to face the new day with renewed vigor and joy! Enjoy this beautiful and fruitful New Moon!