The new Moon

The Moon is exalted in the sign Taurus, specifically when in the 3rd degree of Taurus. Exaltation indicates a placement where the planet or light is most powerful and dignified. Taurus is a fixed earth sign. Those born when the Sun or Moon is in this sign tend to be down-to-earth, practical and resourceful. You can find more about Taurus and Taureans at CafeAstrology.

At this time the Sun-Moon dyad is sextile Jupiter in Pisces, trine Saturn in Virgo and square Neptune in Aquarius.

Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is currently in Gemini and square Saturn in Virgo and Jupiter-Uranus in Pisces.

The number of contradictory influences at work may make navigating the issues currently at hand difficult. One may long for quieter times, and times when we felt more certain about ourselves and the future. Keep in mind that many of the influences have power simply because we allow them to. It's time to actively start shaping the future that you want. Revolution may be necessary step.

This new Moon occupies the U.S.'s 7th house where natal Vesta resides. Venus is the ruler of the 7th and is transiting the 8th house, where it is conjunct natal Mars.

Concerning the placement of Vesta, a comment by Frances C. McEvoy in his article "Vesta, Guardian of the Inner Life" struck a note:

Vesta does seem to have much in common with the sign Virgo, including the need for meaningful work, and a love of order, detail and perfection. Vesta natives preserve a part of themselves as untouched and private.

Vesta's placement in the 7th ties it with "Foreign affairs; relations with other countries, whether friendly or hostile, political or commercial. National marriage/divorce rate" (www.skyscript.co.uk).

Transiting Pallas Athena is conjunct the U.S.'s ascendant, influencing the "country and its inhabitants as a whole; its general condition of prosperity and health or the reverse" (www.skyscript.co.uk). Author Julie Demboski says of Athena

...In Scorpio she uses her wisdom to sound the depths, to understand secrets and what lies below the surface, to take the old and make it new again (she is, I think, the goddess of re-cycling, when in Scorpio!) and she is representative of the exercise of commerce, business at its most practical (and in Scorp, likely the goddess of hostile takeovers and forensic accounting, the ‘slick deal,’ the business that hides something, such as the noodle shop that launders mob cash), as well as the exercise of our learned and practiced skills–not our talents, necessarily, but those skills we can adeptly and consistently employ (those things we can reliably call on, the abilities we could fill in our Universal Job Application with)

The axis activated at this full Moon is Gemini/Sagittarius. Mercury rules Gemini; Jupiter rules Sagittarius. This axis contrasts gathering information with giving it meaning; daily communications (chatter) with teaching (lecture); small trips (commuting) with long journeys (quests).

Another axis in the chart is an opposition between Vesta in Virgo and Chiron in Pisces. Currently Neptune rules Pisces; Mercury rules Virgo. In the past Jupiter was considered the ruler of Pisces. And a number of astrologers have proposed that one of the asteroids rules Virgo. This Virgo/Pisces axis contrasts attending to the daily necessities of life with attuning to the larger picture; analysis with intuition; work and service with sliding along.

Neptune Cafe describes Vesta in Virgo thus

...loves to work and be helpful. Vesta is strongly placed here, and even hard aspects from other planets may not distract from the goal. However, stressful aspects can lead to a perfectionism or hyper-critical attitude that drives others crazy. Favorably aspected, Vesta here carries a strong sense of duty that never flags.

Chiron in Pisces speaks of empathy and humanitarian aid, perhaps is referring to aiding the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Sun and Moon are separating from squares to Vesta and Chiron, suggesting concentration on work may ease and needs abate.