By Angel Lopez:
I am ecstatic to introduce you to our newest writer for Flapper Press. His name is Angel Lopez, and he is a rock star astrologer! I had the good fortune to sit for a personal reading with Angel about a month ago, and not only did he peg exactly who I was as he studied my personal astrological chart, his observations really challenged me to the many possibilities I had not really considered or taken seriously. It was sort of mind blowing, and I'm still processing all the information!
Long story short . . . Angel has agreed to write a monthly astrology post for Flapper Press!
Angel is a film producer, writer, astrologer, and co-host of the podcast, THE SPIRITUAL GAYZ alongside his husband, our Spiritual Guru Brandon Alter. Angel has been studying and working with both tarot and astrology for twenty years. He hosted the astrology web-series, ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL, and writes the blog ASTROLOGY REALNESS. He has also had pieces published on Upworthy.com and The Huffington Post.
On the film side, Angel produced the Sundance Film Festival award winning film DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, as well as the features THE DINNER and STATE LIKE SLEEP. He also wrote and directed his own short film, I CAN’T WITH YOU, which had its premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival, and he recently finished producing filmmaker Justin Simien’s second feature, BAD HAIR.
Here is Angel's first post for the site!
Taurus New Moon
The Taurus new moon occurs on Saturday, May 4th, and it’s the centerpiece to this current Taurus season. It’s also a springboard for all of the important opportunities for personal growth that are available this month. But what lessons exactly does it have to teach you?
A new moon is a time of beginnings, and Taurus is all about sowing those seeds and bringing things into tangible fruition. It’s a time for all of us to consider what we want to see grow in the garden of our lives. Start by asking yourself:
- What do I value right now?
- What contributes to my self-worth and my sense of purpose?
In general, everyone is concerned with achieving some activation and/or motivation around their higher calling.
- What am I here to do?
This new moon, and the remaining month, can offer you some clues.
Consider your relationship with your intuitive self. How well are you cultivating your connection to spirit? I know, spirit can seem like a vague and even annoying word because we can’t define it as one thing. But the goal here is to define it for yourself. It’s personal.
Sometimes we push hard to create lives that ultimately keep us from the quiet space where we have to face our inner fears and demons. But if you can utilize this month to build the relationship with your inner voice, then it will challenge you to push outside of your comfort zone so that you can move more toward your ambitions and goals.
Now is not the time to contemplate playing it safe. You may not have all the answers, or even get them by month’s end, but if you can allow yourself to get inspired in your thinking and confident in your approach, you will see the results begin to spring forth.
This new moon and the rest of May offer moments of revelation. They may come harshly or are born out of someone’s harsh words, but they now have the chance to translate into action. You may allow yourself to backtrack on a project or relationship and clean up some of the mess (that you probably made yourself). Or you may be going over outdated mental or emotional belief patterns in ways that allow you to see, once and for all, how they are manifesting negatively in your life. You can change your ways—even the most stubborn of you—but you must be willing to see yourself clearly and with honesty. When it comes to this process, treat yourself with some tough love but leave out the nasty words. You gain nothing by picking on yourself, so if that’s been your old habit, reverse it now.
This month is also going to lead us into more communication and partnership, whether we like it or not. If you have problems standing up for yourself, start to wade into these waters by reaching out to those you trust and feel comfortable opening up to. You want to get cozy speaking your mind or else someone could come along and put some words in your mouth. You at least want to be able to walk through the doors of conversation and connection so they don’t catch you off guard when they become a necessity in some area of your life, whether it be at home, in relationships, or with your work life. Power struggles can be at play so don’t become overwhelmed by unleashing them on yourself. If you’re unprepared, the ego always wins, and it’s usually not cute. Avoid the pitfalls that come with the fear of speaking up for your ideas and beliefs. Some could easily just fall into isolation, and there’s too much energy out there for advancement through communication to let it slide.
First and foremost, be gentle with yourself. There is only one of you, and you’re the most precious resource that you have to share. And we out here in the world want your gifts. So believe in them. Grow them. And tell us all about them.