Grounded Strength : The New Moon in Taurus
Within and around the earth,
within and around the hills,
within and around the mountains,
your authority returns to you.
- Alfonso Ortiz -
The youthful energy of the Aries New Moon has matured into the grounded sturdiness of Taurus. The New Moon in Taurus is a good time to get your dream garden growing - both of a physical and esoteric variety. All Moons during Taurus are an excellent time to ground energy to be eventually use for healings, life projects, and magickal goals.
Since Taurus is a fixed earth sign it is one of the most body-centered (and centering) signs of the zodiac. When the New Moon is in the sign of Taurus we are reminded of the sacredness of our physical form. In fact, we are encouraged to revel in our physicalness and the pleasure of what we can experience with our sense of touch. If the sign of Aries can be described as headstrong, Taurus can be described as bodystrong.
Astrologer Judith Hill describes the energy of Taurus as that of a greenhouse - the sign is excellent at absorbing and storing energy for a slow and steady release. With that in mind, consider what energy you want to fill yourself with at the Taurus in New Moon. Maybe you’re studying a new healing modality or trying a new self-care practice and are seeking to infuse these new endeavors with the energy you need to see them through. At the Taurus New Moon you have an opportunity to draw in energy for whatever project you have ahead of you. More importantly, it’s an auspicious time to identify the source of where you are drawing your energy from. Are you drawing energy from a place of authenticity and self-worth or are you driven by FOMO and a bad case of comparing yourself to others? The New Moon in Taurus is about getting back to your garden of magickal pleasures and stop peeking over the fence at everyone else's. However you choose to ground in the energy of the New Moon, remember to care for and celebrate the physical vessel (aka your body) that you’re storing it in. If that feels hard and challenging - that’s alright - remember that magick is transformative and powerful because it requires us to expand beyond what we have previously thought possible. Work your body-positive, I'm-a-sacred-space-in-movement magick under the Taurus New Moon - it’ll be well worth the effort.
Rose (Rosa spp.)
New Moon in Taurus Plant Ally
As an herb of Venus, Rose harmonizes wherever it is given. The flower asks us the very grounding and Taurean question, “What are you experiencing?”
Rose is an ancient plant - fossils of the flower have been found across Europe, North America, and Asia dating back from as early as the Miocene period (7 - 26 million years ago). There are a vast variety of Roses in the world, but the three traditional medicinal varieties Rosa gallica (also known as as Provins or Apothecaries rose), Rosa damascena (or Rosa x damascena to denote its hybridity, also known as damask rose), and Rosa centifolia (also known as Provence Rose). Two other varieties, Rosa canina and Rosa rugosa, are also commonly used in western herbalism. The flower has been used medicinally for thousand of years, with Dioscorides recording Rose as a cooling and contracting medicine. Herbalist, mystic, composer, and badass Hildegard von Bingen recommends in her Physica placing Rose petals on the eyes in the morning to refresh them and draw out any imbalance in the bodily humors. Additionally, she recommends that someone who is “inclined to wrath” should use a snuff of powdered rose and sage. The sage “eases the wrath and the rose cheers.”
18th century herbalist, J. Quincy, (as quoted in The Western Herbal Tradition: 2000 Years of Medicinal Plant Knowledge) wrote that Rose “raises the spirits and gives sudden strength and cheerfulness” and categorized Rose as primarily a herb of the heart and the head. The herb assists with memory and promotes clarity of mind, heart, and spirit by connecting all three. Rose nourishes the body and is sweet medicine which calms the nervous system. Within Ayurveda, Rose is considered a rasayana (rejuvenative tonic) and medhya (brain tonic and nervine) for all of the doshas or constitutions.
The benefits of Rose for the skin are manifold as anti-inflammatory, astringent, vitamin and mineral rich herb and can be used in oils, scrubs, and baths for skin health and beauty. As a humectant, Rose water adds and maintains water to the skin. You can also keep Rose water in a spray bottle to use as a mild antiseptic for first aid needs.
Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon in Taurus: Aspen (Populus tremula), Gentian (Gentiana amarella), Willow (Salix vitellina), Wild Rose (Rosa canina), Hazel (Corylus avellana), Peacock Ore, Lapis Lazuli.
Essential Oils for Taurus: Rose (Rosa spp.), Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata), Sandalwood (Santalum album), Violet (Viola tricolor).
Inner Sacred Space Grounding
Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). The following technique is slightly more advanced than a typical grounding and centering meditation but it is a rewarding challenge. It's partially adapted from a meditative technique by Starhawk. The best thing about the Inner Sacred Space Grounding is that it continues to do the work of keeping you grounded and energized even when you’re not actively practicing it.
Find a comfortable position to be in - I prefer to sit cross-legged on a cushion with my hands gently holding my belly. Begin by taking four centering breaths in the following fashion:
- Breathe in to the count of four (I measure my count with my heartbeat).
- Hold your breath for four counts.
- Breathe out for four counts.
- Pause for four counts before taking another breath.
- Repeat.
This breathing technique helps to quiet the mind and center your focus. I find it immeasurably valuable to quickly ground in my body whether beginning a meditation or for when I'm feeling a spike of stress and anxiety.
Continuing to breathe gently into the softness of your belly, you are going to begin to visualize yourself within yourself. Visualize yourself pulling back from the edges of your body. Draw your consciousness inwards so that you feel yourself inside of your body as if it were a sacred space that you can draw back into. Feel yourself growing smaller in the powerful space of your body, drifting down into the sacred cavern of your belly. From here, the place where you can store energy for healing and magick, it’s time to perform a tree of life grounding and centering.
Remaining within yourself, visualize a root extending from inner-you down deep into the earth. Breath into this root as it extends downwards to the crystalline center of the earth. With every out-breath your root extends and with every in-breath you pull up green energy through your roots back into inner-you. The green energy stretches up into all parts of inner-you until you are completely filled with it from your toes to fingertips to the very top of your head. The energy extends out of the crown of your head skywards in the form of branches. With every out-breath your branches extend upwards and with every in-breath your branches pull celestial, lunar, and solar energy into inner-you. Let the currents of green and celestial energy mingle throughout your body.
When you feel sufficiently charged-up, begin to pull back your roots and branches until they have formed a small but powerful sphere of centered energy in the belly of inner-you. This is a continuous conductor of energy that you can connect to and direct towards healing and magickal projects. You can go within yourself, the sacred space of your body, to access it at any time, including repeating this simple ritual to continue to revitalize your inner energy. Inner Grounding is also excellent to do when you're caught up in a cycle of FOMO and the comparison game as it will help to draw you back to what you really want and need.
When you’re ready, expand your consciousness to fill up the entirety of your physical form. Come fully back to your body by giving yourself a self-massage or squeezing your feet, head, and belly. Blessed be!
Oracle
With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journalling.
What am I currently experiencing in my body as a healer?
Additional queries to consider:
- What am I not saying?
- Where am I least grounded as a healer?
Tarot Cards of Taurus
Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Taurus magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Pisces).
- The Sign of Taurus: The Hierophant
- Mercury in Taurus: Five of Pentacles
- Moon in Taurus: Six of Pentacles
- Saturn in Taurus: Seven of Pentacles
- The Earth Signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn: Ace of Pentacles
Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.
Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Taurus by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. For those of you ready to learn how to work your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.
Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!
