Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock in Mel Brooks’ The Producers:
Earth Day this year—also the anniversary of Hitler’s brings with it a juicy New Moon in the most luxurious of Earth signs—Taurus—at 10:26 PM (EDT) on April 22nd, when a new Lunar cycle begins.
Whenever we enter Taurus Season, one extremely specific thought never fails to occur to me. This is the fact that, every year, the first day of Taurus—April 20—marks Adolf Hitler’s birthday, only two days later to be followed only two days late by the collective, love-filled appreciation of God’s Green Earth on April 22.
This is likely because the original version of The Producers—not the recent one, but the one with Gene Wilder (Bloom) and Zero Mostel (Bialystock)—is not only one of the best films ever made, but it highlights the Absurdity of Life that Taurus often tends to miss (or deliberately overlooks).
Their obsession with taking themselves seriously (and demanding that others do the same or be shunned) is in itself a lesson in the Absurd. In other words? Combine “Dictator” with “Flower Child” and out pops a Taurus.
Well as anyone who’s seen The Producers knows: what seems for sure to be the most serious and offensive play they can find—aptly titled Springtime For Hitler— ends up being a hilariously absurd performance, as the Flower Child named Lorenzo St. DuBois aka “LSD” they cast to play Hitler ends up turning the play from “Horrible Atrocity” to “Musical Comedy.”
New Moon in Taurus: Appreciating Absurdity
Taurus is obsessed with money and, to be honest, they’re (not) particularly funny. But the ability to appreciate the absurdity of the everyday? That’s a Taurus specialty—though they may need a kick in the rear during their drearier “serious” days.
Taurus symbolizes the money you earn because money is a symbol of value. This is why Taurus is associated, in turn, with self-esteem and learning the value of being able to express yourself in words.
Because though Taurus may come off cool as a cuke, or even unwavering in their resolve, there’s often a silent undercurrent of self-doubt—especially when they’re low on dough.
What are we worth when money and jobs are taken out of the equation? What (and who) makes us feel good about ourselves? These are the questions brought up by this New Moon in Taurus, encouraging us to explore any ventures that combine “fun” with “self-esteem.” These are the projects—the investments of time and energy—most likely to become “earned income.”
So as we cope with a life without the jobs, physical contact or even the regular outings we’re used to and order up what’s left of the world’s Clorox wipes, the implications of the abrupt transition from Social Distancing to Quarantine are what’s for dinner tonight.
The need to embrace absurdity while taking seriously the limits of our current reality is the quandary that’s crept up on us, as we’re uncomfortably aware of the restrictions on our social and financial autonomy now.
Sun-Moon-Uranus in Taurus: “Worlds Are Turned on such thoughts…”
The Sabian Symbol for the degree of the April 22 New Moon @ 3°24’ of Taurus, to be exact, is illuminating, as it casts a new perspective on what’s come to be a period of Social Quarantine now feels more like never-ending House Arrest. According to the Sabian Symbols planets occupying 3-4° of Taurus are associated with “The rainbow’s pot of gold.”
So while Taurus may make a gorgeous map designed to find the pot of gold, there’s no way to get there without Aquarius. Why? Because Aquarius is the only one “crazy” enough to conjure a Rainbow in the first place, let alone follow one.
So to all the stubborn Taureans out there? Take a break from that highway you’re on and try to taste the rainbow if you want that pot of gold.
This New Moon chart echoes similar themes shown in the April 7th Full Moon and Venus pre-Retrograde charts, as all feature the lingering Venus-Mars trine in Gemini-Aquarius, continuing to stimulate our search for satisfactory social and romantic outlets.
Yet the aspects, house emphasis and the strong combination of Earth and Air elements make this New Moon less emotional in tone, with Uranus jolting us out of our previous period of complacency to one of inventive creativity.
Taurus typically runs for the hills (or at least mentally checks out) at the faintest whisper of the word “adapt,” while Uranus represents sudden changes that shake up the status quo. But the Taurus Moon is supremely practical and rarely shies away from any project labeled “DIY,” inspiring us to find practical ways to capitalize on our newfound “free time.”
So if you’ve been vacillating between self-medicating and self-educating, this New Moon is something of a wake-up call, pushing us out of our Netflix-induced Apocalypse Comas.
Perhaps we’re inspired to think up new ways to connect with customers, partners, or even create a mini, home-grown business of our own.
Because though the limits of our circumstances (Saturn) is still basically a downer, the faster we move away from finding flaws with every new idea we have, the likelier we are to act on them. In taking calculated risks and “putting ourselves out there” (in the form of phone and internet), the freer (and happier) we become.
Is making jam your “jam”? Great. Clean out those spare jars you’ve been hoarding and start jamming. Like to do origami? Fabulous. Open yourself a Patreon account, set up an email list and get to folding some cranes on YouTube. Whether it’s a hobby you’ve done for years or an idea you didn’t have time for before—well, now you do.
It’s not that you should attempt to reinvent the wheel now, but we’ve gotta make some changes of our own—as opposed to what many of us have been doing, which reads more like the plotline of Waiting For Godot.
Taurus Moon Square Saturn in Aquarius: “LSD”
With Saturn and Uranus both in major aspect to this New Moon, the contrary energies of Aquarius and Taurus must be reconciled. What happens, you ask, if you combine a Taurus with an Aquarius? In a word: “LSD.”
Aquarius is known as the Peace-Loving Hippie who loves everyone but “can’t stand people” and refuses to compromise when it comes to their precious idea(l)s.
Taurus is the builder, the one who makes it all happen. But oddly enough are similarly characterized for the same contradictory traits: somehow performing the peace-loving Flower Child without even being aware, despite their intensely stubborn, “my way is the highway” approach to, well, basically everything.
The resulting absurdity is perfectly embodied in the film by the character who plays “Hitler,” also known as “L.S.D.,” played brilliantly by Dick Shawn, who dismantles any “seriousness” of his lines with the many improvisational “Groovy, baby”’s he adds to the play.
As L.S.D. would say, at the end of the day, life is absurd. So the “test” of Saturn’s square to the Sun and Moon in Taurus, all equally stubborn in Fixed signs Aquarius and Taurus, really just comes down to the question of how you choose to spend your time.
Invest it in others, or channel it into honing a skill, starting a business. Though Saturn warns us to remain cognizant of practical boundaries and not to bite off more than we can ultimately chew, Uranus beckons us to test our imagination’s limits and see what we can do.
Taurus New Moon: Test of Faith
The keyword for this New Moon is “FAITH.” This makes sense considering Taurus’ innate steadfastness, consistency and obsessiveness, not to mention their sanctimonious loyalty to the need for ROUTINE.
“There’s no place like Home” is the Taurus Moon’s Motto; but its conjunction with Uranus pushes us to explore the New and Untried and to revisit people or projects Left Behind.
Yet Taureans aren’t usually known for their Optimism, only their signature Calm, often having to work hard (or lean on others) when it comes to cultivating the type of faith that gets Bloom to follow Bialy’s every move.
But Taurus is always on the hunt for that Pot of Gold. So though the New Moon’s tense square to Saturn, bringing with it a feeling of “heaviness”—like our ideas that felt inspiring suddenly feel too tiring—Uranus encourages experimentation and boldness of action. And isn’t this just the kind of motivation, inspiration and FAITH it takes to spot, make a detailed map, and then follow a rainbow?
So are you willing to put in the time and effort to think of ways to give others (or even just yourself) some much-needed joy despite the fact that “times are tight”? Or will you let your restless procrastination or internal “I can’t”—really, your fear of failure—get the better of you?
Venus in Gemini Trine Mars: The Dating Albatross
When it comes to dating, the idea may feel impossible or like an all out albatross at this point, much less anything resembling a rainbow or a potential pot of gold. But even though Venus is in its Pre-Retrograde Shadow period, soon to begin full “backward” motion in Gemini on May 13, there is a bright(ish) side to this Quarantine.
Namely, we’re currently occupying such a strange social landscape that there’s really no such thing as “awkward.” This doesn’t mean Venus Retrograde is an “free pass” to say anything to anyone—far from it, in fact.
But a spoonful of patience + a few allowances or reach-outs to others will go a long way when it comes to avoiding frustration and (maybe) even feeling good for a minute. This is especially the case when it comes to any attempts to mend broken bonds, see current relationships more clearly and come out to those we might secretly wish we were holding…you know…“more nearly.”
So to all those out there in need of help? Don’t “Catifsh” anyone for fun or fall for someone online, as that’s doomed to fail once Venus goes fully Retrograde from May 13 - June 25. Instead, if you do indeed want to cultivate some kind of romantic “option” once the Social Distancing Limitations lift, it’d probably be best to resign yourself to the overwhelming commitment (it’s rough, I know) of a phone call or FaceTime if you feel like going fishing.
The primary lesson of this New Moon? Embrace Absurdity. Reach out to people without a self-centered objective in mind but instead initiate contact for the sole purpose of saying “How are you?”
So take a hint from Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy and break out your feather quill & inkwell and get to writing some novel-length Love Letters by candlelight.
Because ”weird” though it might feel initially, it’s the willingness to experiment that’s most likely to bring us the most fruitful rewards—or possibly even a very unexpected, “pot of gold”-like opportunity. And even if you “fail”? You might end up with a Masterpiece in a form you can’t recognize yet. Just ask Bialystock & Bloom…