Welcome to the Taurus New Moon! It’s the time in the zodiac calendar when we turn our attention to the material world, to enjoy the fruits of life, to seek pleasure, and to cultivate abundance and resources. Taurus is also nature in full bloom after the dark of winter. The new moon is exact on May 19, 2023 at 11:53 am ET, 28 degrees Taurus. That’s 8:53 am Los Angeles, 4:53 pm London, 5:53 pm Johannesburg, 1:53 am Sydney on May 20, and 3:53 am Auckland.
New moons are new beginnings, a time of renewal and reset. Over the coming four weeks, the duration of the lunar month, we live life through the archetype of the zodiac sign that the new moon falls in. The new moon also gives us an opportunity to plant seeds and to focus intentions for the coming month.
While this new moon isn’t an eclipse, it picks up on the Scorpio Full Moon lunar eclipse of May 5, 2023 as well as a series of eclipses between Taurus and Scorpio that have left an imprint since the first eclipse in the series, a Taurus Full Moon, on November 19, 2021. We’re beginning to phase out of a chapter of time that has its roots in 2021. And yet the events to come in the following days and weeks are very much part of an active story.
That said, a Taurus New Moon invites us to come back to life, to enjoy creature comforts, to slow down, and to spend time in nature. We may be cooking and eating more, indulging our sweet tooth. As one of the money signs, it’s also a time to focus on our bank accounts. For some, the coming days may be filled with spending and investments. For others, it’s a need to put this area of our lives in order or to take inventory of resources.
One of the things I’ve noticed about Tauruses and Taurus energy is that they are driven to create material stability and are generally cautious about shaking up anything that would jeopardize that sense of security. They have a shrewd knack for investing and thinking long term, but can also hang onto or even hoard resources long past necessity.
We may not be a Taurus, but we all have basic needs … food, money, and shelter. And so it’s a “get back to basics” kind of new moon, especially with Venus in Cancer, creating a mutual synergy between the Taurus Moon, the sign of its exaltation in traditional astrology.
Focus on your home. Create beauty and comfort. Cook nostalgic recipes. Entertain. Get back to the things that feel supportive after a potentially rough and tumble eclipse season. Jupiter is now in Taurus. We have the faith and the optimism that things may work out in the end.
In the chart of the Taurus New Moon, the Sun and Moon are still within range of Uranus in Taurus. As much as Taurus wants to preserve the status quo, Uranus in Taurus is here to upend it … and it has been doing so since 2018, 2019. There could be a few shake ups in the coming days and weeks, especially since often we don’t see the energy of an eclipse manifest until a month after.
We can’t ignore the fact that as comforting as this new moon is, it does have within it a powerful opposition between Mars and Pluto, which means that we may have to confront something in a relationship over the coming lunar month. Jupiter also joins the mix, forming a dynamic t-square to Mars and Pluto.
In short, the tectonic plates of our lives may be shifting and moving this month. We have to transform our connection to money and income, value and worth. But this is also an opportunity to do things very differently.