New Moon in Taurus: Earth Beauty

Today we welcome the New Moon in the fixed earth sign of Taurus, the Bull. Sensual, stubborn, headstrong. Committed, earthy, material. These are just a smattering of words that have been used to describe the nature of the Venus-ruled springtime babes.

As we birth the merry month of May, we are drawn into celebrating the earth element: our bodies, our sensuality, our abundance and prosperity. We are also coaxed to remember Mother Earth in new ways. Honoring Her. How is she supporting you? How has she continued to never let you down? How are you practicing gratitude for clean water, necessary shelter, nutritious food in your belly, and warmth in your heart?

Taken By the Sky: Taos, New Mexico

Taken by
Taken by the sky

Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind

~ “Rhiannon,” Stevie Nicks

As I write this, I’m having one of the best sensations a writerly woman can have: tears flowing down my cheeks, blowing my nose, heart exploding with Love. Inspired to write and humbled at the same time. The appreciation I have for the beauty I am experiencing is flattening me. Hardly able to know how to express myself, simultaneously knowing I must share even in the impossibility of conveying exactly what is happening within and without. That very feeling is Beauty and Truth.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been floored by a place. I’ve been a traveler, a gypsy wanderer all of my life. India, of course, is one of my Soul’s main homes. It was often difficult to write there, because my heart was flooded with emotion, with bhakti. Caught up in a Neptunian undertow of Love, it’s hard to put experiences into words.

And now, here, where I sit, atop a mesa just a few minutes’ walk from the rim of the Rio Grande, outside of Taos, New Mexico – I’ve got that same emotion. Can’t stop crying. A knowing that this is one of my Soul’s “places and spaces.” That there is a budding relationship with this land. In this life. Surely in past lives. I swoon. I can barely talk at times. Looking out at the azure skies. Watching a jackalope scamper across the road. Coyotes howling to welcome me home at night. Nothing but the high desert sounds. No roads, no sirens, no nuthin’. Just me, and the desert of Northern New Mexico.

Yes, I say. Yes, to Georgia O’Keeffe. To D.H. Lawrence. Yes, Natalie Goldberg. Aldous Huxley. And of course, Julia Cameron. No coincidence I’m blown open while teaching an Artist’s Way course online this spring. The very author of The Artist’s Way made Taos her home for a long time, now settling in Santa Fe.

Yes, to so many creatives, free spirits, guided souls, earth ship builders, natural mystics. The Taoseños.

Yes, to the painters, photographers, writers, artists. To the actors, like Dennis Hoffman, Dean Stockwell, and others, who have been drenched in the dust, mesmerized by the mesas here. Yes, I say.

This is Taurus. To be so moved by a place that you feel the roots rise up from deep within Her, to take hold of your Soul and let you know: You are Home.

And so I ask You at this time: can you allow beauty to affect you so deeply that you can’t speak? Can you let Mother Earth to flatten you with Her wisdom, power, truth? 

Can you give your Self the gift of visiting a wide-open space and place that humbles you, brings you to your knees? Perhaps this spring, summer. Perhaps it’s a secret wish to visit a national park, a heritage site, a monument, an exotic land. Perhaps it’s a People. Perhaps it’s a forest, a canyon, a desert, a natural spring.

Whatever is calling you, let the whisper turn into a solid “Yes.” Now go.

On the Rio Grande

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.

Footnote: "Her Name is Rio"

Yesterday, I went for a trail run along the rim of the Rio Grande. I could not resist playing Duran Duran's "Rio." My inner 12-year old was giddy with glee. Never would I have thought I'd be running in this place, having such a fantastic life, hearing this song, 35+ years into the future.

Thank you, Goddess. Fairy tales ARE true.

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land
And when she shines she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande

Taos Mesa Vista Sunrise, Photo by Jackie Sajewski