When the Sun moves into sturdy, dependable Taurus at 9:12 A.M. PST on April 19th, it initiates a cycle abundant in earth sign resources, and one that includes a full Scorpio moon and the beginning of a Venus retrograde in thinking, communicative Gemini. This cycle is also preparing us for a set of powerful eclipses on May 20th and June 4th, the Venus occultation of June 5-6th and the Uranus Pluto square of June 24th. As more systemic change approaches planet Earth, the patient, powerful Bull arrives to share its enduring wisdom. Its ruler Venus is traveling close by and urging us to make love our guiding principle, a choice that will make all the difference.
Astrology’s earth signs are associated with nature, finances, health and the physical realms of reality, and Taurus is renowned for its capacity for construction. Whether a personal chart is heavily aspected by planets in earth signs or not, the cycle ahead is loaded with ample opportunity to turn thoughts into things. First and foremost, the new Taurus moon of April 21st. with Its trines to Mars and Pluto in fellow earth signs Virgo and Capricorn, sextiles with Neptune and Chiron in Pisces and conjunction with expansive Jupiter, now also in Taurus, offers a sound and inspiring foundation for building. The Sun follows suit and bolsters our enterprises with a Neptune sextile on the 22nd, Mars and Pluto trines on the 23rd and 29th and a Jupiter conjunction on May 13th. Those harmonious angles to indelible Neptune and healing Chiron in holistic (water sign) Pisces are important. Taurus’s easy going style agrees with Piscean gentleness, and this combination helps us access our creativity and intuition. On May 8th, our minds also acquiesce to the Bull’s calm assurance when Mercury enters centered Taurus. From there it sextiles Neptune on the 10th and trines Mars the 13th and Pluto on the 14th. On May 16th Mars and Pluto trine, and on May 18th the Moon returns to Taurus. The earth sign stamina, solidity and stability available throughout this cycle provide especially fertile ground for seeding our immediate and long-range goals. They can also instill a sense of security that will prove useful as 2012’s larger events (the 99% Spring, earthquakes and changes at the Fed?) unfold.
To counteract an unhealthy emphasis on the material side of life, every Taurus cycle includes a full Scorpio moon. Destructive and transformation, Scorpio demands honesty and necessary change. This year the annual battle between the tangible and impermanent takes place on May 5th, the same day Mercury, still in independent Aries at the time, will oppose unyielding Saturn in arbitrating Libra. Our Taurus quest for sensual pleasure and gratification is accountable to no less than the truth, and individual desire must be reconciled with communal concerns. Part of a larger global trend, these aspects remind us that the exploitation of resources via our economic and environmental practices must be brought into line with our values and balanced with our impact on others.
In case anyone misses the memo from the full Scorpio moon, pleasure-seeking Venus turns retrograde on May 15th. Transiting Gemini, this retrograde will ask us to reflect upon what we value and to speak and act from a loving place. Lasting through June 27th, this extremely significant retrograde includes the solar and lunar eclipses and occultation. Long before Cherubic depictions of romantic love and Victorian notions of femininity, Venus was a Roman Goddess associated with sex, fertility and military victory, along with her familiar roles in love and beauty. Similarly, the full scope, power and meaning of the planet Venus has been understated over time. However, giving us time to review our resources and priorities through empowering Venus is only part of the 2012 mission.
Occurring roughly six months prior to the culmination of the Mayan calendar, this Venus retrograde is a proverbial return to love, with self-love as its starting point. If we enter this retrograde with a willingness to shine the Light of unconditional love onto our shadows first, completely forgiving and embracing all of our being, the healing begins. Call it Bull medicine. Call it the Power of Love. Call it evolution. The cosmic message is clear; love is the alchemical solution to all that ails us and our planet. Aligned with its transformative truth, we and the world will shift. If we do the internal work during this retrograde, by the time Venus goes direct in late June, we will emerge lighter and brighter, with a much greater capacity to give and receive love. In the meantime, the celestial Bull is here to ground and nourish our dreams. Happy Birthday Taurus!