This New Moon culminates on May 16th at 1 pm pacific time in the sign of Taurus and the lunar house of Krittika. Taurus is a Venusian earth sign connected to wealth, food, comfort, stability, and the things we sustain over time. Yet Taurus can also get fixed- It can cling to what feels safe, familiar, or materially reassuring.
Krittika nakshatra brings a very different force. Ruled by Agni, the fire deity, Krittika has the power to cut, digest, and refine. Its wisdom is not as much destructive as it is purifying. What has become excessive, stagnant, and needs to be digested? What must be burned away so that life can move forward?
The energy of a New Moon is quieter and more internalized than a Full Moon. It gives us a pause to not follow outward motion but rather to rest, while observing what feels incomplete, unresolved, or in need of attention. The days following this New Moon are excellent for rebuilding slowly and intentionally after this process of clearing. The New Moon is also an ideal night for reverence to our ancestors. In the US we would observe this on the sunset of Friday May 15th, as the New Moon window will begin at 4:41 pm pacific.
This same New Moon also marks Shani Jayanti, the birthday of Saturn, which is observed on Saturday May 16th. Though Saturn is often feared in astrology, Saturn is ultimately a teacher of patience, humility, perseverance, discipline, and karmic responsibility. Saturn slows us down so we cannot bypass what must be learned. Saturn’s lessons rarely feel glamorous in the moment, yet over time they create depth, endurance, and inner strength. As many of us discover with age, Saturn becomes easier to work with when we stop resisting reality and begin cooperating with it. Shani Jayanti is traditionally a day for fasting, prayer, service, and Saturn mantras and remedies. Saturn favors conscious acts of restraint and discipline that strengthen the mind and spirit over time.
Currently Saturn is moving through Pisces and about to enter Revati nakshatra, the final nakshatra of the zodiac. Revati carries a gentler and more surrender-oriented energy — less about harsh confrontation and more about peaceful release and guidance toward the next stage of life. Saturn will retrograde later this year, moving back and forth between Revati and Uttara Bhadrapada before finally leaving Pisces in 2027.
This current cycle offers an opportunity to work with Saturn in a quieter and more contemplative way- acceptance, simplification, discipline, spiritual maturity, and letting go.
Love and Blessings,
Mrin
