Pablo Picasso “Mère et Enfant”

The lunar cycle ends and begins again tomorrow at 21 Taurus, where the Sun, Moon and Black Moon Lilith will be yoked together for the night in secret and sacred ritual marriage. In Taurus, our Moon is exalted and enthroned; but she is also a dark Moon, secluded and enshrouded. Reunited with her shadow self, she is both High Priestess and fallen angel. Ruled by Venus in Gemini, our Queen of the Night sits, sphinx-like, between the twin pillars of the Earth, bridging opposites, mediating the middle way. 

The Moon in Taurus is hungry, and if well fed and properly satiated with pleasures and creature comforts, she will luxuriate in her surroundings and be a benevolent provider. But situated as she is, in the Saturn-ruled decan of the feminine earth sign, lacking in visibility, and under Lilith’s influence, she carries a maternal, mournful and macabre quality. Her story, for some, may be one of starvation, or deprivation, and this lunation may constellate memories of lack, separation or loss that live in the shadows of the family tree. In this case, the inner archetype of Mother wants to rest, in peace, and the inner child is wanting succor and safety.

Taurus, and its polarity, Scorpio, teach us about the complexity underlying all simple things and the simplicity underlying all of life’s complexity. With all the weight on the Taurus end of the seesaw this New Moon, we are being asked to lean into the simple things, the core truths; to feed our appetites and pause from our labors; to try and find the stillness in our center and feel the ground under our feet; to keep ourselves steady so that we may hear the voice of intuition. Inside the innermost temples of our hearts and minds there is both mystery and deep knowing. There is immanent power and nourishment to be found in that inner sanctum, but only if we can listen and receive. Under this New Moon, the divine feminine is calling, but she echoes in the sound of silence.