We celebrate another turning of the Wheel of the Year on May 1st. The Celts called this fire festival Beltane, one of four fire festivals that come midway between the solstices and equinoxes. Beltane, anchored at the power gate of Taurus, provides a gateway between our own Earth and the magical Earth of Faerie. The true inner powers of the Earth reveal themselves on these cross-quarter holidays, and the veils between the worlds are especially thin during Beltane and its opposite gateway, Samhain or Halloween.
Beltane calls us to awaken to our bodies and inhale life through our senses. A night of sensuality as well as erotic love, our ancestors celebrated Beltane by dancing round the Maypole, a symbolic weaving of feminine and masculine energies, and by making love in the fields with anyone who stirred up your passion, to ensure fertility for the new growing season.
Beltane is a time to break free from the rules of possession and ownership in regards to love and sexuality, giving free reign to our "human' bodily nature without guilt and repression. Beltane is a feast of the senses, a time to share pleasure and joy, courtesy and sensuality. If the ancients were right, this type of "sympathetic' magic will allow for more fertility and creativity in your year, whether in the gardens you grow or the creative work that you do. As Starhawk says, Beltane is the time when "sweet desire weds wild delight." So take time on Saturday night, April 30 (the Celts start their day the evening before) and Sunday May 1, to enjoy your body, awaken your senses and do something wild. "All rites of love and pleasure are Mine!" says the Goddess. Beltane is the Goddess' delicious gift to us!
Tra la! It's
May!
The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev'ryone throws
Self-control away.
It's time to do
A wretched thing or two,
And try to make each precious day
One you'll always rue!
It's May! It's May!
The month of "yes you may,"
The time for ev'ry frivolous whim,
Proper or "im."
A blot in ev'ry way.
The birds and bees with all of their vast
Amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast,
The lusty month of May.
Lerner&Loewe
Taurus New Moon and Venus, the planet of Love
The Taurus New Moon occurs on May3rd at 6:51am Greenwich Time, 2:51am Eastern Time and on May 2nd at 11:51pm Pacific Time. Watch your dreams that night!
The Taurus New Moon trines Pluto in Capricorn, adding depth and power to what we plan to build, making sure that whatever it is will be part of a new paradigm for our civilization. The New Moon inconjuncts (forms a 150* angle) Saturn in Libra, frustrating our attempts to make sure all our new plans are perfect. They aren't. This aspect teaches us to (1) stop judging ourselves and others too harshly, because we won't find perfection yet and (2) stop being afraid to show others who you are and what you want -- remember, you can't please everybody all the time. This is a call to stay true to yourself and treat others fairly -- don't do unto others what you would not have them do to you, even when you are criticized. Remember, when we all come out of our collective closets, we will shine our unique lights into our cultural darkness. Not everyone will be happy. But we will create peace within ourselves, where it counts.
When deciphering the meaning of any astrological configuration, we look at multiple factors. One is to look at the ruling planet of a sign or a new/full Moon. Venus, the planet that symbolizes Sacred Love, Beauty, Connection, Sensuality and Sexuality, rules the sign of Taurus and so is the focal point of this New Moon in Taurus. Venus is in Aries, very close to Mercury, opposite Saturn in Libra. Venus connects and harmonizes while Saturn isolates and restricts. Mercury gives Venus, the great connector, the ability to unite these opposite forces in an alchemical bath of transformation.
When Saturn tyrannizes and limits us, we sink into depression, fear and frustration. When Saturn enhances us, we gain self-discipline and self-respect. With this new Moon's ruler in Aries, Venus wants to begin anew; Love wants to follow a new road, a new possibility; we want to make new connections, create new art, stand up for what we love. Mercury, having just retrograded back in Aries to eventually meet up with her on May 9th, helps Venus get her message across to Saturn in Libra, who might want to keep those new possibilities under wraps. But if our communications are clear, Saturn supports Venus with the discipline and focus to make those new connections strong and vital.
Venus opposes Saturn on the evening of April 30th (Beltane) and Jupiter and Mars join together as well that night. Jupiter in Aries gives us the optimism and belief in a new vision to forge ahead (Mars in Aries), while Saturn and Venus hold the balance on fairness to others as well as ourselves. What's the best way to create a WIN/WIN situation? Take everyone's welfare into consideration and then make the best decision for yourself.
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