Sun into Taurus 2011: Dream it, Build It

   When the Sun moves into Taurus on April 20th, the grounded, patient energy that astrology's bull is famous for may be in short supply.  At that time, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will be in high spirits as they continue their lively foray through bold, fiery Aries.  While many like to think of Venus as a gentle, loving energy signifying beauty, art and delicate femininity, it’s a money planet that will enter Aries late on the 20th.  With such an excitable cadre of personal and outer planets in the sign of provocation, the bull’s more tempestuous side is likely to show itself in 2011.  By the end of this solar journey however, Venus, Mercury and Mars will have moved into earthy, fixed Taurus.  Softly aspected there by Neptune and Chiron in healing Pisces, this lineup suggests that the Taurus cycle will ultimately yield the peace, calm and sense of security the bull requires.  

   At this time of the year much is written about the Cardinal sign of Aries, the sign responsible for kicking off the astrological year.  In 2011, that is especially appropriate because at any given time from March 11th through May 11th no fewer than half of the zodiac's planets, 5, will be under its ferocious, instigative influence.  Independent and free-spirited, Aries loves to get us all fired up.  Its motto is "just do it" with an "out with the old and in with the new" added for emphasis.  Did I mention “Now!”? But with tough squares from Pluto in Capricorn and oppositions from Saturn in Libra waiting at every turn, many an Aries impulse will be interrupted or curtailed.  So while the Sun will lead the way into Taurus’s tranquil and abundant pastures on April 20th, it will be well into this Taurus cycle before the other planets stop their squabbling and begin to catch Taurus's easy-going drift. Quirky Uranus and violent Mars are two of the obvious Arian agitators, but Venus in headstrong Aries exerts a force to be reckoned with, or at least one to be recognized and reconciled.

   A living tribute to the saying that it’s always the quiet ones to watch out for, “sweet” Venus represents possessions, resources and income, and she will travel through assertive Aries from April 20th through May 15th.  Also associated with art and exalted forms of beauty, one of Venus's most enduring images is in fact that of Botticelli's voluptuous goddess serenely standing on a shell.  But make no mistake, Venus, the planet, is equally all about luxury, fertility and comfort, a.k.a. money.  Even in Botticelli's loving portrait, the graceful goddess hardly looks famished.  In Aries, Venus will ignite our material desires along with our aggressive tendencies toward attaining wealth and its associated power.  Cautionary tales of the dark side of the lust for gold abound.  They include everything from the deceit, treachery and loss encountered by mythological Jason in his pursuit of the Golden Fleece, to the modern day hubris of Jeffrey Skilling, Jack Abramoff and Bernie Madoff.

    Wielding his trident like an ancient super weapon, Neptune, the enduring god of the Greeks, stands at the ageless sea of consciousness.  Through time itself he warns us of the excesses of such greed.  Corporations, nations and civilizations rise and fall, like the coming and going of the timeless tides over which he prevails.  In 2011 he has taken up residence in his home sign of spiritual Pisces, for a 14-year odyssey.  Pisces promotes integration, assimilation and a holistic approach to life.  In the company of healing asteroid Chiron, one of Neptune's old fraternity buddies, concepts like “capitalism with a conscience” emerge.  In compassionate Pisces, Neptune will work to dissolve the boundaries between "us" and "them" while Chiron devotes its energy to global healing.  So where does that leave our cantankerous, lustful bull this year?

    Taurus's motives are stability, security and physical pleasure.  Those needs can produce the sign's notorious stubbornness and its penchant for hoarding. The antidote of course lies in its opposite sign, destructive and transformative Scorpio, the Pluto-ruled sign that insists on change.  On May 17th the moon will be full in intense, truthful Scorpio. This is an ideal time to reflect on what we value and what we are prepared to release and to birth in order to possess it. The Aries courage, Neptunian insight and bull’s strength and stamina on tap this cycle offer us the power to build it.

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Sun into Taurus - Let Love(scopes) Rule

The 2009 Taurus season dawns on Sunday afternoon at 3:44 P.M. with Mars and Venus set to enter Aries during the week. Love is indeed in the air. So is “” Lovescopes ”, Mark’s new book, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Author John Gray wrote the famous “Men are from Mars and women are from Venus” book series which offers some great insights into relationships between the sexes. In astrological terms we think of Mars as the ruler of our masculine aspects and Venus as the ruler of our feminine. How much sweeter can our love lives be when the two of them travel the Cosmos closely aligned? We’re about to find out over the next several weeks as the planets of desire and love move through instigating Aries side by side. This infatuating combination presents us with the opportunity to start new new relationships and to liven up the love lives we already have. The only day posing a challenge to the bliss-fest these two can conjure up is May 2nd when Venus squares Pluto, asking us to be totally honest about our relationships. The trouble with the truth is that it’s often a very subjective call. Fortunately Mercury will be in Venus-ruled Taurus at that time, to temper our thoughts, and more importantly our tongues. See what I mean about Love ruling?

Speaking of Mercury, 2009’s 2nd Mercury retrograde begins on May 6th and lasts through the 30th. With the Sun also in Taurus, this retrograde presents us with the chance for some “do-overs” in our finances and beauty and physical fitness. If that New Year’s resolution to exercise regularly has fallen by the wayside or that vow to have your taxes organized for next year has already gone by the boards, this Mercury retrograde is your best new friend. You can harness the grounded, determined energies of this patient and loving earth sign to make a new start, one that will give you long lasting results. Venus will guide us to act from a place of self-love, instead of the dreaded "should" space, which will help make reaching those goals a pleasure.

Taurus time is also when many of us plant our Spring gardens. Nature’s regenerative gifts abound in every shade imaginable. And the sheer volume of flowering wonders is a constant reminder of the Abundance and beauty of the Universe. So be good to your Soul by spending some time outdoors, in a garden if at all possible. The full moon during Taurus is also a time of planting, on energetic planes. It will be in Scorpio, bringing depth and intensity to the mix, so mark the 8th on your calendar for any meditations and rituals involving increase and long term objectives.

Adding to the collective Spring forward will be Saturn turning direct on the 16th. This is the one I’ve been talking about for months, at least since December 31st when it went retrograde. The most difficult aspects of the hard times brought by this Saturnian journey through the discerning and discriminating earth sign of service, Virgo, are over at last. On the 16th Saturn stations and prepares for its late October exit from Virgo. News stories have already begun surfacing about slight improvements in the economy and hopeful signs, and some political leaders, including President Obama, have begun expressing cautious optimism that the worst may well be behind us. With this aspect, more encouraging news is very likely to continue trickling into the headlines over the next several months. That doesn’t mean that our challenges go away overnight. Some of these messes were years in the making. Still, we should see and feel a lift. And that will play very favorably into the incredible alignment we’re heading into on May 20th.

On the 20th, the Sun enters Gemini, and Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune begin a 21 day placement at 26 degrees of Aquarius. I’ll be writing much more about this in next month’s column. Suffice it to say that this is a Cosmic glimpse into Nirvana. We get to connect compassionately with the collective consciousness. That’s huge. So get ready to feel some genuine awe and to marvel at the positive actions a few individuals are willing to take to benefit others. It’s going to be inspiring to see how this manifests on the world stage.

In our 12Family community the 20th is the official launch day for “Lovescopes.” On that day we will be running an all-day sale, and everyone who buys the book on the 20th will get some free minutes. Mark will post a special email address on the front page of the site where you can send your proof of purchase. We’re hoping to get “Lovescopes” on the Amazon charts that day. So come join us for the fun and be part of the party.

In the meantime, remember that the 22nd of this month is Earth Day, Friday the 24th is the new moon, and Mark is presenting the first “Lovescopes” seminar on Sunday, May 3rd in San Diego as part of the prestigious Hay House “I Can Do It” event. Several of us from 12Angel and 12Listen will be in attendance, so come out and meet us in person if you’re in town. With so much love and Spring abuzz, a great time will be had by all. Come celebrate with us.

With love,
Elizabeth