Just before the New Moon is when our growth and building (anabolic) processes are at a low ebb. The body tends to let go, detoxify, and clear out the old.
Once the New Moon kicks in, a new growth cycle begins.
The Taurus New Moon highlights the neck, throat, and thyroid gland. Taurus is the fixed earth sign. Fixed signs represent the most stubborn, longstanding, and difficult-to-move issues. Taurus also belongs to the earth element, which is the most “fixed” of them all. Stagnation may be an issue. In the body, an abundance of fixed energy may slow down or even block up important processes like digestion, elimination, and circulation.
Venus, the planetary ruler of Taurus, is under some stress at the time of the New Moon, holding difficult connections to both Saturn and Chiron in the sky. This can bring painful and complicated situations to the surface during this Lunar cycle, maybe something that you have been struggling to let go of for a long time. Maybe a long-standing habit that you’re ready to let go of.
Here are a couple of points to keep in mind during the Taurus Lunar cycle:
Digestion
The Taurus Lunar cycle makes us a little more prone to sluggish digestion and its associated symptoms– constipation, gas and bloating, mood issues, and aches and pains throughout the body (due to fecal toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream, also called endotoxicity). If your pattern tends toward stagnation, constipation, or poor circulation, you may have to work a little harder to keep your system moving. (A lymphatic drainage massage might help. Or any massage, for that matter!)
Metabolism
Venus retrograde is over, and Venus will spend much of this Lunar cycle retracing her steps through the sign Aries, one of her weakest signs. This could enhance the inflammatory (Aries) impact of sugar (Venus) in your diet, and its impact on the thyroid. You need glucose in your body, but it must be the right kind, the slower-burning kind that you get from fruits and vegetables. Skipping meals in an attempt to lose weight is not advised at any time, but it’s likely to be especially problematic while Venus is under stress. This is because hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) may cause the thyroid to downregulate your metabolic rate, making weight loss and fat burning even more frustrating and difficult in the long run.
Venus in Aries, hypoglycemia, and weight loss: We are “in our heads” a lot when Venus and Mercury are both in Aries. It’s easy to forget to eat. Skipping meals is not a good weight loss strategy, and it’s likely to be especially problematic now, while Venus (thyroid) is in Aries (weak). This is because hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) gives your thyroid a reason to downregulate your metabolic rate by making less thyroid hormone. Attempting to get you through a time of famine, your body sends the signal out to your fat cells to store as much energy as possible. It makes weight loss and fat burning more difficult in the long run. That’s why I think skipping meals is especially damaging now and through the month of May, as the thyroid planet is under stress.
Molly Gauthier is an astrologer and certified nutrition therapist.
