To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves. Mohandas K. Gandhi
Let life be a garden, prepare and cultivate the soil, and clear away the deadwood this week as the Moon wanes. Next Thursday evening brings an earthy Taurus New Moon-solar eclipse (visible on the other side of the world) and the following week is the most fertile time all year to plant, whether we plant seeds of love, work or petunias.
Gardening is not all buds and flowers, and neither is our life these days. Predatory flora and fauna needs a firm hand. Sometimes our favorite crop fails. Compost happens. But life-force burgeons, and if we can work with our garden towards the health of the whole ecosystem and not just the health of one plant, we will be rewarded. Run with that metaphor this week with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars in fertile, primal Taurus.
As the weekend begins, the mood is strong and stubborn, earthy, hungry, thoughtful, a little possessive, friendly but not flexible. No one wants to be rushed, but momentum can carry us along. We’ll tend to take things seriously as mental Mercury opposes somber Saturn, whether the weight is work pressure or a looming deadline, tough news, or awe at birdsong or blooming lilac.
This week the news may still read like an action-movie script as energized, active Mars continues to run close to the Sun, (from early April through end of May, peaking two weeks ago). These two together in earthy Taurus won’t faze us much under ordinary circumstances, but add energy and endurance when we tap into our passions. They heighten our entrepreneurial qualities, our athleticism, and our defenses. Together they also leave a pool of psychic and literal fuel lying around, so when an event starts to spark, it intensifies quickly.
Sun and Mars conjunct in Taurus does make us stubborn. Kids and politicians can go along in a nice, steady, productive way until something hits them wrong, and then will dig in their heels. Once the heels are in and the back is up, no amount of pushing or prodding with move that mule. So avoid direct power struggles and redirect or distract them instead. But this stubbornness does have its uses; it can also give us the durability gravitas to handle a major challenge if one comes along.
Over the weekend the mood is sensitive and easily triggered under a Pisces Moon, we may find ourselves both imaginative as Mercury sextiles Neptune, and concerned, as Mercury opposes Saturn; let’s just not worry over something we imagine. Early next week the mood is willful, rebellious and competent, if we can just not push our weight around unproductively as the Moon enters forthright Aries.
Clear the ground and prepare the fields, both literally and metaphorically, before Thursday’s New Moon-Solar Eclipse in fertile, fecund Taurus (it will be too late for us to see, but we will feel it). This eclipse may create a sudden shift in the ground beneath us, how we see our family heritage, or how we handle the materials we work with. What is said and done this week and next will have long term consequences.
All week long, take that gardening metaphor seriously; don’t let bad habits grow roots, and do nurture desired crops. Tend boundaries, because even wonderful people and wonderful habits can grow where we do not want them; people can feel invasive and overwhelming, vine-like, even in love and kindness. To carry the metaphor further, we can handle that problem with restraint, and retrain them to grow on the fence, not over the budding petunias.
Friday, May 3: An aimless, serious morning; we need connections and respond well to outreach, but work may just not coalesce. This afternoon we grow more sensitive and imaginative, feelings can be raw and we can get lost in daydreams, fears or wishful thinking as the Moon enters Pisces, conjuncts Neptune and sextiles Mercury. Keep a toehold in the here-and-now. Tonight, our sensitivities need to be celebrated or protected; people get edgy when those sensitivities are sand-papered. Instead, go to an art opening or gathering in the moonlight, touch the soul and find magic.
Saturday, May 4: Make it safe to be sensitive; the morning mood is delicate with durable undertones. We feel it all and have the strength anyway. It’s great for working in the garden or visiting the zoo, though people may want familiarity rather than adventure. Avoid processing recent arguments; feelings are tender and defenses feisty. Let people catch up with themselves and heal, meander, talk over what is worrying them, and contemplate long term plans. Tonight, accept one another without having to agree with opinions as the Moon squares Jupiter.
Sunday, May 5: Let’s stay cool, pace ourselves, and keep the focus on solutions. A thoughtful Mercury-Saturn opposition can set off the hamster wheels of worry of we don’t give it something to healthy to chew upon. Detailed work on some creative project furthers, obsessing on problems does not. Do not give up; there are lessons and gifts in trials we now face. We can work out the details, think through possibilities, or we can head the other direction and blame one another for our problems or restrict in the name of security. Relationships need kind diplomacy and time-sharing so everyone’s needs are considered. Tonight, patience thins as willful enthusiasm increases when the Moon enters forthright Aries.
Monday, May 6: We want to bolt out of the block but can easily get jammed up if we rush; be steady and inspired instead. A willful day full of life-force; put these horses to good use and tackle a worthy challenge. Watch out for people who just want to sling their weight around and affect the world just so they know they’re alive. It is easier to move decisively, just make sure the decision comes from wisdom and not reaction. It is tempting to spend the day fixing other people’s problems, but they will not appreciated it (unless they ask for the help, and even then, it will be important to empower then as we act), and distracts us from the real, more complicated work in our own lives.
Tuesday, May 7: Rebel constructively. The mood is direct, assertive, honest, and willful as all get out; don’t stifle initiative, do attempt loosely collaborative teamwork. Everyone has an opinion under this Aries Moon, a desire to persuade and resistance to being persuaded. Relationships roll with primal undertones: jealousy, territoriality, or manipulations justified as “for their own good”. Notice dramatic, decisive comments, and choose carefully; it will be hard to go back on anything said as Mercury conjuncts Mars and trines Pluto, so make healthy statements.
Wednesday, May 8: Keep it slow and steady; cultivate love, life, and investments and feed the senses. Work around an unusually self-indulgent, even greedy edge, but do take care of the physical world. Seek closure over the next few days for projects or emotional events whose time has come; weed unwanted crops or thoughts to make more space for fresh planting. Avoid directly oppositional moves and reassure people’s deep soul need for security.
Thursday, May 9: Old resentments can sharpen tongues or cause accidents of distraction this morning as the Moon conjuncts Mars. Avoid correcting people about their entrenched habits; trust they have their reasons. Midday a story unfolds that clears up a chapter of the past and precipitates understanding as Mercury aspects the Moon’s nodes; feel the karmic payback, for better or worse, and make careful choices. The mood lightens, conversation widens and grows a funny, flirtatious edge as Venus enters Gemini. Clear the ground, transplant, prepare to plant tomorrow.
Starcodes 
thank you :)
Thank you! And happy New Moon :)