Waxing Moon in Taurus

After two and a half headlong days in Aries, the Moon breathes deeply and relaxes in Taurus. Void-of-course overnight, the Moon stepped into Taurus' sensuous garden of Earthy delights at 5:04am EST.

The Moon in Taurus is a time to slow down, to connect with the Earth's abundance, the wonders of the physical, and our own bodies. So today, I'm sharing a wonderful link from CJ Wright's blog, Auntie Moon ... Astrological Tai Chi! What could be better as we head toward Sunday's Full Moon in Taurus?

Tai Chi in Hong Kong

Of course, I followed CJ's link back to the original site, Priestesses of the Zodiac, and will be spending time exploring the tai chi exercises and other resources there. I love the idea of body-centered astrology! For those of us with Moons in Earth, it feels completely natural to ground the Moon's energies in this way.

If this concept feels odd to you ... try it anyway! Extending into new experiences helps develop areas that are less strong in our charts and our psyches, balancing us elementally. The waxing Moon supports the idea of reaching out in new ways (check out the Lunar Cycle Tai Chi!), and Taurus is a body-centered sign.

Renaissance philosophers like Marsilio Ficino saw our celestial existence as held within two circles, the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. The Moon, closest body to Earth and ruler of Cancer, was the gateway to incarnation, to manifestation. Through aligning ourselves with Luna's cycles, we learn to synchronize the natural rhythms of the Earth with the celestial realms. This alignment is the goal of tai chi.

Recognizing the Moon as a bridge linking Earth to the cosmos, and cosmos to Earth, acknowledges that the physical realm––including the body––is a place of soul making. The Abrahamic religions tend to see the body as weakness, punishment, something to be controlled and ultimately transcended. The focus on transcendence, and the view of Earth as less-than, a regrettable way-station on the cosmic journey, is reflected in many current philosophies as well.

The Taurus Moon loves Gaia. These next days are times to embrace the physical and experience the spirit in all things. What if we truly felt the world as ensouled? What if we walked an Earth in which we knew Spirit as immanent, rather than transcendant?

The Moon today flows energy in trine with Pluto the transformer (12:32pm EST) and the North Node, pointer to our life path (1:49pm EST). This connection opens the Moon gateway to the deep life changes Pluto and the North Node may ask of us, preparing the way for Sunday's powerful Full Moon. Anchoring these changes in the physical is what the Taurus Moon is all about.