Hello, magical babes! I’m so excited to bring you another edition of New Moon Magic. Remember to connect with your fellow enchantresses on the #radicalselflovecoven hashtag!

New Moons are about starting fresh and beginning projects, while Full Moons mark the completion of a cycle. If you’re ready to get cracking on something different, we’re launching into a New Moon this Sunday (if you’re in L.A.) and Monday (everywhere else). As always, Mystic Medusa gives an astrological overview below, and I’ve got suggestions to help you make the most of what’s going on in the sky!

NEW MOON IN TAURUS: MAY 17/18

L.A. – Sunday at 9.14pm
NEW YORK – Monday at 12.14am
LONDON – Monday at 5.14am
DUBAI – Monday at 8.14am
HONG KONG – Monday at 12.14pm
SYDNEY – Monday at 2.13pm

IN THE SKY… (Mystic Medusa)

This New Moon is classically sensual, grounded and hardcore physical. It is perfectly timed this year as it comes right before Mercury Retrograde in sparkling Gemini AND with the beginning of some mysterious Venusian weirding. Venus in aspect to the Nodes and Neptune is fate, strong attraction and magic at play. But the Retro cycle of first Mercury and then Venus herself makes many a love story unlikely to “resolve” until September.

Thus this New Moon says score strength and grounding via rebooting your physical practice – yoga/pilates, nutrition and baseline good rules like hydration, sleep and not letting fuqwit muggles destabilise your awesome functioning. If in doubt, go to the gym, get some good food into you, up your sleep hygiene and/or walk barefoot on grass. A New Moon in Taurus is a Moon exalted. Honour your bod and all else plays out over time.

ON THE GROUND… (Gala Darling)

It seems like everyone I talk to right now is going through some kind of major transition. Whether it’s their career, home situation, relationship, or massive existential upheaval, it feels like no one has been left untouched by the winds of change.

When you’re going through something big, one of the best things you can do is get back to basics. This is all about self-care. If you amp up your radical self love practice, you’ll find it so much easier to get through everything else. I pinky-swear!

Here are some ways to maximise your radical self love practice, and harness the Taurus Moon to do it!

SEE SLEEP AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Good quality sleep can be one of the first things to disappear when we’re stressed out, but if you get more sleep, you’ll be happier, healthier, and smarter. Between 50-70 million adults in the USA have sleep difficulties, and if you sleep less than 7-9 hours a night, you’re not firing on all cylinders. You’ll find it harder to concentrate and remember things, and you’re at a higher risk for diabetes, depression, obesity, and cancer. (Source.)

My advice? Transform sleep into a spiritual practice. Take it seriously! Allow yourself a midday nap when you want one, and try to get as many hours between the sheets as possible. There are a lot of ways to increase the satisfaction of your sleep, too: here are my tips on how to get the best sleep ever.

HONOUR YOUR BODY

Taurus is all about physicality. If you’ve been feeling gross in your body, know this: a few stretches can change everything! Try this wake up morning stretch or this feel-good stretching routine when you wake up, and I promise it will transform your day!

I’ve been doing a lot of really deep stretching in Pilates, as well as at home, and it makes my body feel happy and awake. A simple side-stretch or hip-opener might be just what you need!

Don’t forget to give your body the simple things that it needs: sunshine, movement, and delicious (and nutritious) food. If you can swing it, this is an excellent time to get a massage, sit in a steam room, or indulge in some reflexology. It will help you to feel really present and in tune with the world around you.

DO AS THE TAUREANS DO!

Make yourself feel good — and attuned to the moment — by embracing all things Taurus. Here are a few ideas…

Use your voice! Taurus rules the throat, so this is the right time to say something that you’ve been dying to get off your chest. This might be scary, but the price is living a half-life. Be honest with yourself and others!

Seek out comfort and peace. Taureans excel at making themselves comfortable, so take a leaf out of their book! Snap up a luxurious new blanket for your bed or buy yourself something sumptuous for the bathtub. Then, relax…

I hate to say it, but Taurus is all about practicality… And that extends to your finances. (I know, I know!) So, take a deep breath and then take a peek at your bank accounts. Maybe it’s time to implement a system so that doing your taxes is easier next time, or perhaps you need to start saving more aggressively. Whatever you decide, the Taurus energy will help you do it!

…Yes, I just suggested sorting out your financial situation as part of a New Moon ritual. But you know what? Magic happens all the time, everywhere. You don’t need to be chanting around a piece of Palo Santo to be drastically improving your life!

I’m excited to do some of these “boring”, practical things to celebrate the New Moon in Taurus. Sometimes it feels really good to go back to basics! If you give any of these suggestions a try, I’d love to see what you get up to! Just post your photos to Instagram with the hashtag #radicalselflovecoven!

With love,

Images by Shae Detar, and Emma Summerton.