The Taurus New Moon is the best time to get serious about your finances. Set financial goals that make sense, commit to a budget, and/or set earnings and savings goals for the year. There are some people for whom financial success seems effortless, and some who engage in an endless struggle with their finances. Money is not a fixed entity, it is energetic and always in flux; sometimes we have more of it, sometimes we have less.

A healthy relationship to money reflects a sense of rhythm and play. That Taurus, a fixed sign, rules the ever-changing world of monetary matters really comes down to the fact that Taurus’ modest, frugality breeds an even-tempered relationship to money. It is true that Taurus loves to be surrounded by luxury, but there is a great difference between insisting on good quality and indulging excessively in materiality. Think of this New Moon as a time to nurture the boy/girl scout within by cultivating financial preparedness and responsibility.

Since Taurus rules survival issues, this is the New Moon to look at how you meet your daily needs. What does fulfillment mean to you: surrounding yourself with mountains of possessions as a means to self-definition, or spending wisely on the few things that really matter? Are you so busy keeping up with the latest styles, must-haves and trends, that you have forgotten what is important to you? This is the New Moon to seriously reconsider what makes you happy in a realistic way.

Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn are asking each of us to bring our desires in line with an economical consciousness. Try this exercise for the next two weeks. Before you purchase something, think about how you will feel after you own it, and be honest about how much use you will really get out of it. What will you do with it when it has outlived its usefulness? The answers to these questions will tell you if it’s worth buying. You will be surprised at how much prosperity can be generated from a concerted effort to be more conscious about spending.

Taurus is the great procrastinator of the zodiac. It can always find more than enough distractions: shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry, carpooling, errands, paying bills, caring for loved ones, and never-ending yard work. If you are a procrastinator, use this New Moon to make some serious commitments to setting goals for getting your work done…and adhering to them. Since Taurus rules procrastination, work on taming this demon and you will see your success rate soar!

Taurus needs to enjoy its work. So if you make your living doing what you love, you are way ahead of the game. But if you spend your time at a job you despise because you can’t figure out how to get paid to do what you love, this is the New Moon to work on changing that reality. This basically comes down to building self-confidence, believing in the value of your talent and then doing the work. Creativity isn’t about genius; it is really about giving from the heart. Anything, when done well (even sidewalk sweeping) can be satisfying and creative work.

Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius ask us all to look at our wounding around issues of originality and staying ahead of the curve. Here in Silicon Valley business is driven by an obsession with being first and always new and different. Aquarius reminds us that it isn’t just being new or first, but more connecting with the pulse of the communal mind and heart; expressing that which everyone is feeling and thinking but not ready to face openly. Taurus is all about making real things that uplift and benefit real people’s lives. This requires some attention to how one defines success. Look at the cost of what you define as success. And remember, success when measured with the yardstick of ever-increasing productivity is the mania that drives our world and us to desperation, violence and war. What good is all that money if you don’t have time to enjoy it? We all have to learn how to take some time off and relax.