Taurus New Moon:
Save and Prosper!
by Simone Butler

In our credit-driven society, saving has become passé. Whether it's putting aside 10 per cent of your income for retirement, or saving for a specific goal such as a trip, many of us don't plan ahead. Perhaps we're afraid that if we save for a rainy day, it might rain! Yet having money in the bank is a crucial way to feel prosperous.

As a child, I felt powerful depositing a dollar each week into my bank account and watching the amount grow. To recapture that feeling of abundance and autonomy, I recently spent a Saturday afternoon with San Diego art therapist Michele Lyons at her Prosperous Piggy Bank workshop. Lyons buys piggy banks and collages them with images of what she's saving for. She feeds the piggy on a regular basis, then cracks him open like a piñata when he's full. Using this method, Lyons has traveled to Europe and other exotic locales using money she previously thought she didn't have.

It was fun collaging my piggy with images of an island vacation as I focused on my goal. And, I learned the importance of nurturing my relationship with money. Here are a few of Lyons' suggestions:

• Commit to a daily practice of saving money.
• Stay out of stores as much as possible.
• Challenge yourself: How many days can I go without spending money?
• Write down every penny you spend; be conscious of where your money goes.
• If someone unexpectedly pays for your lunch, put the money you would have spent in your piggy bank.

The April 21 Taurus New Moon (12:20 a.m. PDT) is a superb time for financial renewal. The Sun and Moon in grounded Taurus make an elegant trine to newly-direct Mars in Virgo, freeing us to move forward with whatever we've been working on or struggling with since mid-January. And, the New Moon sextiles Neptune in Pisces, as it opposes Mars. By using our powers of visualization, we can take concrete steps to heal old patterns around spending and debt, and plant new seeds for abundance. It's a matter of balancing precise Virgo with intuitive Pisces. Trust that all is well in this moment, that you are whole. Then, take action on what you're called to do.

Money is an extension of the natural world (in the days before coin and cash, people traded for food, livestock and tools). And, your relationship to your body (an extension of the natural world) is equivalent to your relationship with money. If you cultivate physical relaxation, have faith and allow your creative juices to flow, you'll be rewarded. But if you're tight and fearful, your financial resources will either dry up or destroy your health. Caring for our bodies not only enhances our relationship with money, but also connects us to Mother Earth and reminds us to take care of our planet.

Spend some time with your feet on the Mother during this sensuous Taurus cycle. To stabilize and ground yourself, walk in the surf, squish your toes in the mud, or soak your feet in Epsom salts. Slow your pace and enjoy life more. Collage a piggy bank to save for something delicious, or commit to depositing a percentage of your income into a special account. Even if you think you can't afford it, you're apt to find that you can.

I recently helped Aubrey Kelly, a San Diego healer who works with water therapy, amp up her abundance. Since Aubrey's feng shui wealth sector is her bathroom, we added lush purple towels and created a lavish wealth altar.  Watch my new mini-video to see what we did. And, contact me if you'd like help doing the same – $50 through the end of April! Also, here's a wealth-enhancing ritual from my book, Astro Feng Shui: Making Magic in Your Home and Life, to get your prosperous juices flowing.

© 2012 Simone Butler
All rights reserved