Analog collage by Jodi Rhoden

On Wednesday, April 22nd, at 10:26 pm Eastern, the moon is new at 3 degrees of fertile, sensual, and pleasure-loving Taurus, the first Earth sign of the astrological year.

When the moon is new, she is in the same degree in the same zodiac sign as the sun (a position known in astrology as conjunction). Picture it: it takes the moon one month to revolve all the way around the earth. When she is positioned directly between the earth and the sun, we can only see the side of the moon that is NOT illuminated, the dark side. From our perspective here on Earth, the old moon has gone dark, and the new moon will soon appear, reminding us that we, too, can begin anew, start fresh.

Traditionally, the new moon is a time to let go of the past, and plant seeds of intention. In two weeks, when the moon is full again, in six months, when the moon is full in the same zodiac sign, and in one year, when the sun and moon meet up again in that sign- these moments are times to check back with our intentions from this new moon and reap the harvests of the seeds we planted, or to re-dedicate and course-correct if we find we’ve gotten off track.

Developing a magical practice of using the moon cycles to map and steer our life’s course is a wonderful way to step into our sovereignty and purpose, in alignment with the movement of the seasons, the planets, and the stars.

Taurus, the bull, whose horns echo the shape of the crescent moon, is a symbol of the goddess in the ancient world. Taurus is grounded, humble, and rooted in the rich soil of the good earth. Taurus, who loves good food, good sex, and good naps, is ruled by Venus, goddess of beauty and love. Taurus’ domain is the second house, the body, the realm of all that we love, what we own, what we value, our money, our resources, our self esteem and self-possession. Taurus is the ground on which we stand.

Major Arcana 5: The Guild from Slow Holler Tarot

The Tarot card associated with Taurus is The Hierophant, imagined here as “The Guild” by the Slow Holler Tarot Collective. The Guild speaks to our place in an ecosystem, a sense of belonging, worth, and value in the larger family of life.

Our relationship to our house and home – our physical space and the home of our bodies – is highlighted by the stay-at-home orders of life in this time of global pandemic, and is the theme of this new moon. At a time when many of us feel lost, it is more important than ever that we find our footing, our ground within ourselves, our knowledge of our own worth, loving ourselves exactly as we are.

As COVID-19 ravages our communities, we see the precarious and ephemeral nature of life. We can despair, and that would be natural. We can also take this opportunity to begin a new cycle of loving, cherishing, nourishing and nurturing our bodies, the physical ground and home from which all life springs. Anything can be a ritual if we do it with intention: a cup of tea, a sourdough starter, a plant start, a new budget spreadsheet, an orgasm, a cake.

On this new moon in Taurus, I invite you to perform a small, meaningful, intentional act of honor, reverence, and devotion to your body, your home in this world.

Perhaps, then, a recipe? I have been obsessively baking this one-bowl cornmeal poundcake from the New York Times. We now call it “quarantine cake” because it has been ubiquitous in our household since stay-at-home orders began- it’s so simple and quick, and so delicious, it’s our go-to sweet for the pandemic. It’s also very conducive to gluten-free baking, as the cornmeal cuts gooeyness of gluten-free flour (I’m using the King Arthur cup-for-cup blend).

Here’s my version:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk these ingredients together, one at a time, in this order: 1 cup of sugar, zest of one lemon, 2 eggs, (room temp), 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, dash vanilla extract, dash almond extract, dash nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 1/4 cup flour.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Much love and happy baking! And please remember that I am available for Vision + Vocation tarot sessions, with some sliding scale and equity rates available. Go here for more information.