New Moon in Taurus: Stamina

LeRoy Neiman, Classic Marathon Finish (1983)

Today, we have a New Moon in the fixed earth sign of Taurus, the tenacious and strong Bull. With the Moon forming a grand trine with Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter in Virgo, this lunation emanates a grounded, deliberate energy that can be effective with a “steady as she goes” approach.

No quick thrusts and sprints, no burnout or “take no prisoners!” approaches. At this time, we thrive with gentleness, steadiness, and self-care. We open our hearts and rest our nervous systems, trusting that all will get done in due time. Once Taurus energy gets the ball rolling, it acquires a great deal of inertia and the result is unstoppable.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ~ Confucius 

Having my own natal Saturn – planet of discipline, effectivity, and hard work–  in the sign of Taurus, I have come to realize that I can achieve long-term goals that require momentum and tenacity, taking it slow but consistently showing up. About 15 years ago, I trained for and completed the Chicago Marathon – all 26.2 miles of it. I wasn’t a strong runner when I began the training program; in fact, running was a particularly difficult sport for me, which is why I opted to learn how to do it, the long way.

I had attempted to go for the London Marathon the year prior, but sustained a debilitating bout of runner’s knee mixed with severe sciatica and an inflamed IT band, and had to drop out of the training program. I had been running too many miles too fast, irritating my entire musculoskeletal system to the point where not only could I not run, I couldn’t walk without pain for months.

It took a long time – and a large investment in acupuncture and chiropractic – to recover. Therefore, when I began training for Chicago (‘my kind of town’) I pledged to go slow, train properly, and to listen carefully to my coaches’ words…

Rest on the Uphill

In prepping for long-distance runs over several months, our coaches taught us to “Rest on the Uphill.” I was training in the hilly city of San Francisco, and our workouts regularly included steep inclines. Instead of keeping a swift clip on the climb, we would save our legs, our heart rates, and our sanity by slowing down. I learned to trundle – clomp, clomp, clomp – up those SF streets, thus avoiding injury.

This is analogous to life: when we have a long way to go, a steep mountain to climb before we reach our goal, we can take it easy. This is paradoxical, isn’t it? Take it easy? you say. On the toughest parts? Well, yes. You can speed up when you’re back on the downhill slope, back in the flow and over the hump. Remember, you’re in Life for the long haul. Rest on the uphill.

Start out Slow, then Slow Down

When running any long-distance race, especially anything over 20 miles, we are taught to “start out slow, then slow down.” If we're not disciplined, we get so excited when we exit the chute, that we bolt. Our adrenaline rushes, and off we go! Sprinting for the first five, ten miles. Then – uh, oh – we hit the proverbial wall. We’re tired. We’re tuckered. The reserves are depleted. We crash.

Therefore, my marathon coaches taught me, a wise distance runner disciplines herself to go slower than she is naturally inclined to do at the beginning of the race. We temper ourselves. It may feel like holding ourselves back, and we may chomp at the bit. But we remind ourselves it’s a long, long way, and we’ll need that juice later on. Slow and steady wins the race, just like the tortoise beat the hare. Easy does it.

The ironic part? Strong distance runners end up completing the second half of the race faster than the first. And believe me, after three or four hours on the course, you want to get those last miles ticked off. Like other big feats, the project has long lost its novel appeal, and you want to move rapidly across the finish line. You’ll be happy your body and mind have plenty left to push you through of their own accord. That’s momentum. That’s stamina. That’s the power of Taurus.

So, at this New Moon time in Taurus, when we're readying to start new ventures, remember the tortoise.  Rest on the uphill, trust that it’s okay to slow down. You’ll get there – not broken and wasted, but smiling and intact, with enough energy to spare for celebration, knowing you could even do it again if you needed to.

You did it! Right-sized, right-paced. And right for you.

“In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina.” ~ B.C. Forbes

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.