The last New Moon in Aries beckoned us to venture into the unknown, as Danielle Beinstein put it. An astrologer, meditation guide and spiritual advisor, she is talented when it comes to explaining what we should take from these special moons. This time, with a New Moon in Taurus—and a whopping five planets in retrograde—Danielle calls on us to assess the people we have become. We think about spring as a time of rebirth, but it’s also important to be introspective and notice how we’re treating our bodies and minds. Danielle—who leads women’s circles and cofounded New Moon Circle—poses some interesting questions, which I hope you take the time to think deeply about. Enjoy! XXJKE
Danielle Beinstein: Taurus is the gardener, the farm-to-table cook, the builder honing his craft over time. Sensual and earthy, it’s interested in what can be seen, felt and touched. This New Moon offers us a moment to reassess our current reality, especially with five planets in retrograde, including Mercury conjunct. It’s also part of a grand trine in earth, making soft aspects to transformative Pluto in Capricorn and beneficial Jupiter in Virgo (both retrograde as well), urging us to pause and integrate our values before moving forward.
Retrogrades are not bad, despite the cultural insistence otherwise. They’re simply an opportunity to reevaluate, rethink and revise. With this much of the sky appearing in reverse (Mars and Saturn are also retrograde in Sagittarius), we’re being asked to take another look at our relationship to the physical world.
Have you ever had the experience of revisiting a painting or landscape (or person) years after your first encounter only to find the effect has changed? It’s not the thing (or person) itself, but our perspective. What we see is different, because we’re different.
Or sometimes, the opposite occurs. Upon reacquaintance, we realize we’ve lost something along the way. Experience changes and wisens us, yes, but it can also pull us farther from our essential selves.
This New Moon asks that we take the time to notice the people we’ve become.
Where have we forgone pleasure and delight, ignoring simple needs and desires in favor of more pressing and immediate demands? How are we relating to our worldly possessions or lack thereof? Are we enjoying what we do have, grateful or are we consumed with what’s yet to manifest, running ragged on a proverbial treadmill? And how are we relating to our bodies? What are they revealing to us about our inner state? Are we loving them, or enslaving them in an effort to adhere to some external standard? And finally, are we taking in our own beauty, rooting ourselves in self-care practices that heal, nourish and sustain?
This is the time to rework or revisit what’s already been established, what’s already in existence, experiencing it with fresh eyes, hearts and hands. Set intentions, ground in the everyday and see what unfolds from there. After all, everything begins with us.
For more on Danielle’s work, visit: www.daniellebeinstein.com
Art by Savannah Lauren King: www.shopthirdeye.com