It’s our wedding anniversary tomorrow. Twenty-two years ago on a sunny autumn day in Canberra we did the “I do” thing. Twenty-seven years ago this month we started dating.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing- no long-term relationship is. I think sometimes that we’re better together. In any case, it’s our anniversary tomorrow and on Sunday we fly to Bali for some time away together.

Somehow it seems fitting that there’s a New Moon on our anniversary this year. You see today hubby effectively finishes from the company he first joined straight out of school 36 years ago. Yep, you heard me right. Thirty-six years. Let’s just say it hasn’t been stress-free getting to this point.

There’s a lot of other stuff going on in the background too- one of which could lead to us selling our house. Although we’ve talked about down-sizing over the last 12months, we haven’t been ready to make the jump. It seems, though, as if the Universe has other plans and circumstances are bringing this decision closer.

It got me thinking about what I’d need to do in order to down-size… and that made my head hurt. We have way too much stuff- so much more than we need.

First there’s my cookbooks, my reading books, my travel books. Then there’s the china- so much china…so much of it never used. That’s before I get to the porcelain cup/saucer/plate sets in my display cabinet- about 20 of them. Some were given to me by my grandmother, the rest were purchased during an ebay whirlwind. They’re perfect for the afternoon tea parties with cupcakes and scones that I’ll never have.

While it’s lovely, we don’t need most of this. But my husband says:

‘You never know when you’ll need it’

‘It all has sentimental value.’

The thing is, I don’t need to dust these things to remember the feelings that prompted me to buy them or hold on to them. On the contrary, I never look at them, and hubby doesn’t give them a thought until I suggest de-cluttering. Besides, he has Taurus Rising.

So, I’ll be gradually letting of much of it- gently and thoughtfully. And yes, I’m well aware this is a first world problem.

My point? Most of us have too much of something. For a rainy day. In case we run out. In case we don’t have enough… or are enough.

Sometimes it’s the very act of holding onto something, gathering up something, or purchasing something that makes us feel safe, secure, and well-fed.

We can also be attached to feelings, to a hair-style, to the past. We can be attached to the way things are, the way things were, or the way that we think they might be. We can be attached to a dream, a hope, or a vision. We can be attached to a lost love, the idea of love, the fantasy of a love. Some of us can even be attached to feeling sad, negative and fearful.

Not everything that we hang onto is, by definition, good. How many people do you know of in unhealthy relationships for whatever reason? How many people do you know who will listen to good advice and then pop their own roadblocks or excuses up? I’ll be the first to put my own hand up for that one- on a number of different levels.

Getting rid or letting go of what we are attached to can be scary as it removes an excuse for moving forward. Holding onto that clutter or baggage can weigh you down physically or symbolically. It’s there in the friend who insists on closure from her ex before saying yes to the guy standing in front of her.  It’s there when we hold onto a job long past its use by date because the current one, for all its faults, makes us feel safe. It’s there when we hold onto a pair of jeans that are two (or is it three?) sizes too small because throwing them out is almost like abandoning the idea that we’ll ever fit into them again.

At the end of the day, those jeans really are just jeans (no pun or inadvertent advertising intended) and getting rid of them is not an admission of failure. It’s acknowledging that they are taking up valuable room in your wardrobe that can be filled with something fabulous and new when you do drop those two sizes.

It’s the knowing when to let go, when enough is enough, when less is more, that’s the hard bit. Yet, in letting go, there is the peace of just being. At that point we now we are enough, we are self reliant, our satisfaction coming from inside us rather than from the “things” and habits we have gathered around us…and that’s what this Taurus New Moon is all about.

Easier said than done, of course, and more so under a fixed sign Moon…but let go we must.

Somewhere in your chart is Taurus, and where 16 Taurus 41’ falls is where you need to let go of something… In my case, this New Moon falls in my 3rd house…and sextile my ASC, and trine DC. This one for me is about neighbours, change and messages. The intentions I set now will be based on these areas. It’s time for hubby and I to start a new adventure together- I’d like for us to do that with fewer material attachments.

I’m hoping that the state of mind that is Ubud will help us let go of the pressures of the last few months that are clouding our view of what’s next.

Doing it for yourself…

If you’ve been reading along, you should know how to find where the New Moon is happening in your chart. If you’re new to this site (welcome), duck across and check out this post before you go any further.

The position you’re looking for is 16 Taurus 41’…or thereabouts.

Now, let’s set our intentions. Think about the area of life you’re focusing on and set small achievable targets. Make sure that you do at least one thing towards this goal this month. If you’re unsure where to start, check out this post.

• How do the concerns of this house make you feel?
• How would you like to feel about them?
• What positive steps can you take over the next four weeks to minimise the gap between how you feel about this are and how you’d like to feel?

*****Write it down!!!!!!!!!!******

If you don’t have any idea about your birth time, or can’t be faffed working it out, you can follow the solar guide:

• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Taurus, This New Moon will be in your 1st house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Gemini, This New Moon will be in your 12th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Cancer, This New Moon will be in your 11th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Leo, This New Moon will be in your 10th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Virgo, This New Moon will be in your 9th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Libra, This New Moon will be in your 8th house.
• If your Sun of Ascendant is in Scorpio This New Moon will be in your 7th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Sagittarius, This New Moon will be in your 6th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Capricorn, This New Moon will be in your 5th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aquarius, This New Moon will be in your 4th house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Pisces, This New Moon will be in your 3rd house.
• If your Sun or Ascendant is in Aries, This New Moon will be in your 2nd house.

Wherever this falls in your chart is where you need to slow down, let go and appreciate what you have. You might need to de-clutter whatever that part of life signifies for you, or stand back, observe it all and declare your gratitude. For a few ideas, check out this post on New Moon Wishing.