New Moon in Taurus 2025
The Moon and Sun conjoin in the 8th degree of Taurus on the Sun’s day, 27 April in the hour of Venus, Eastern Daylight Time. The Moon is exalted in Taurus under Venus’ rule, while Taurus’ ruler, Venus, will be exalted in the 29th degree of Pisces, still in the shadow of her retrograde, parting ways with Saturn.
The high dignity of the Moon and Venus in this chart affords the promise of creativity, sensuality, receptivity, fertility and abundance. This lunation begs the question, what do we truly value, and what concrete steps and plans can we make to get what we truly want and need in the material world? What beliefs do we hold that can help unlock things of value, and what beliefs limit our achieving comfort and high quality things that truly hold meaning and give joy? How can we negotiate our lives to facilitate this?
Exalted Moon in Taurus focuses on nourishment, sheltered growth, sensual pleasure and careful calculation: this decan is ruled by Venus by triplicity and Mercury according to the descending Chaldean order.
The story of this earthy agricultural decan is about planning, surveying and the division of land for planting and grazing. Mercury’s most basic archetypal focus is on understanding and harnessing the magical nature of the Goddess: he ultimately pursues the Goddess to master the arts and sciences that increase yields, which he can capitalize on in time. Focused attention and consistent, loving cultivation is provided by Venus.
The Minor Arcana of the Tarot for this decan, the 5 of pentacles, gives us an image warning of the dire consequences in a frigid future, a result of failure to plan and execute this vital Mercurial and Venusian function. While cold, technical calculation is clearly necessary here, the Goddess also demands that our heart be invested in the soil, every bit as much as our mind.
This lunation creates a T-square with Mars in the 5th degree of Leo opposing Pluto in the 4th degree of Aquarius. Mars is received by the Sun in Leo, while Pluto has a special affinity for Saturn’s territories. This particular opposition brings to light the contrasting archetypal functions of Mars and Pluto in the Sacred Year.
Mars in Leo shows us a particular version of the Sun King. The 1st decan of Leo, ruled by the Sun and Saturn, tells a story of contested performance (as in theater, music, sports or battle), with the Sun providing a spotlight and Saturn providing the critical eye and consequence for failure. Mars will likely respond to this competitive environment with the hunger and desire of a champion and with over-the-top bravado. Mars’ basic archetypal nature is based on the emergence from darkness- individuation- which gives Mars and the Sun a natural archetypal affinity, but even the nourishing and sustaining Solar territory will not tame Mars’ ferocity. It may make it worse.
Leo is the sign of Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere. Mars’ excess heat is generally not welcomed by those who are close. The lunation chart finds Mars in the 12th, dealing with confinement, solitude, mental anguish or disturbance and hidden enemies. Not a great place for fiery bombast.
Mars is still in the shadow of his retrograde, slowly clawing his way to emerge.
In opposition to Mars in Leo is Pluto, a distinct mythological character with extreme importance and gravity, but our cultural memory has occluded this archetypal chthonic god. The cosmological function of chthonic deities has been lost, demonized and buried in the Western mind, where they were once understood to be a central part of the Universe. They had potential for darkness and evil, but that was not all they were. They had everything to do with the fertility of soil.
The chthonic gods hold the Life Force under the surface as long as needed when the upper world is too cold. When a late spring frost comes and the blossoms have already emerges… there is nothing the chthonic gods can do.
The myth of Persephone reveals Pluto’s archetypal overlap with Mars. Pluto was famously struck with a profound desire and hunger for the nubile and innocent Persephone, who represents the Life Force itself (as does her Son, Zagreus, as does Dionysus); Pluto made a bargain with Zeus who tacitly approved the Earth Titan’s abduction of the mortal girl to the Underworld. Pluto’s primal desire was Martial, and his eruption from the earth was a Martial act.
However, this is where Mars and Pluto’s archetypal overlap ends. Mars always continues to move things upward from the Earth, he does not seek to hold things in the Underworld, unless he is captured by or aligned to Saturn.
Saturn, however, eats his children, he emasculates and pulls things downward to his Mother, Gaia, for whom he is a proxy and perhaps an Oedipal lover. Saturn hoards things out of a fear: his is a fear of change and of loss of power. The planet Saturn hoards at least 274 moons in its orbit, far more than any other planet. Saturn rules Aquarius.
Pluto sought to consume Persephone in the Underworld. He was forced to negotiate Persephone’s annual release to the upper world, another Saturnian overlap. Saturn was forced to regurgitate the Olympian children he had consumed.
Pluto in Aquarius is quite at home with the Saturnian territory. This is the place where collective social contracts are formed and negotiated: it is no mistake that American presidents take office when the Sun enters Aquarius, 1/20. The first decan of Aquarius is ruled by Saturn (triplicity) and Venus (Chaldean order).
Mars and Pluto both have affinity for their territories at the lunation; both are unique archetypes of the earth-bound masculine archetype, and the opposition leaves them no choice but to negotiate. Negotiation brings out many things: we may hold our cards close to our chest, we may bluster, we may bluff, we may lie or misdirect to advance our position at the table, but we also must take a realistic look at our opponent to see their strengths and weaknesses, as we must also assess our own true capabilities, position and status.
Venus is in Pisces in the 7th house in this chart departing a conjunction with Saturn and Rahu, about to exit Pisces and enter Aries, where her dignity will drop from exaltation to detriment, an irony similar to Persephone’s return to the Upper World from the Underworld. In the Upper World, reborn, childlike Persephone returns to the arms of her Mother, leaving the royal company of Hades, with whom she is Queen.
The sweetness of the Sun and Moon’s embrace should not be overshadowed by the negotiations, it should be savored. The lunation in Eastern Time is in the 9th house of philosophical query, higher learning, long distance travel and deeply held beliefs. The 9th is the Sun’s Joy according to Hellenistic tradition, where the Sun is most comfortable and can lead by example.
The lunation has Virgo rising at 19 degrees, reinforcing the Mercurial and agricultural aspects of the chart. Mercury rules the ascendant from the 8th house, Aries. Virgo is the end of the fertile season in the Sacred Year where the fruits of labors from Taurus season become ripe, dependent upon us, and upon the Will of the Gods, and our relationship to them.