The Treasures of Taurus

We are experiencing the most dramatic event in human history. I don’t mean Covid 19. I mean the evolution of human consciousness, undergoing enlightenment and ultimately transcendence. One by one we are waking up to reality and seeing not only who we are, but how far astray we have wandered.

We are going through a spiritual birth. On the other side of this dark tunnel awaits the light of a new world. The birthing process has begun. Nothing can stop the contractions. We are simultaneously being born and giving birth – laboring to birth the Selves that we are becoming and have always been. Birth is a traumatic experience and some die in the process, others are changed forever. As with any birth, the more we resist, the more difficult and painful the process. The greatest ally in this transition is Surrender. So how do we do that?

As always, the Heavens have a suggestion. Wednesday April 22 is the New Moon in Taurus. In a sense, at the New Moon we are born into a new reality, operating within a different vibration, under the influence of different archetypes. Aries was fiery, impatient, possibly irritable. Mars was at work trying to activate us, but we’ve been on a time-out and so our natural impulses have been thwarted. All the energy that wants to rush out into the world, has been concentrated inward, on the necessities of life, on survival. This is primal and a profound shock for so many. But heavenly help is on the way.

Taurus is ruled by Venus. We move from a masculine energy to the feminine. Taurus is an Earth sign. After the excitement of Aries, it’s time to settle down, get grounded in our bodies, in our daily routines, in the simple process of meeting our needs. Taurus helps us get clear about what we really need to feel safe and secure.

The psychologist, Abraham Maslow, developed a hierarchy of needs that must be met from the bottom up. The goal is self-actualization, achieving our full creative potential; but first we have physiological needs. To simply exist we must have food, water, shelter and rest. Once we have those in place we can begin to firm up our security and safety. We look to the future. How can we be safe in the future?

This is the big question right now. Thousands are out of work, facing bills, panicking about how they are going to feed their children and pay their rent. These people are really suffering right now. Many families are losing members who are essential to their security. We are in the midst of huge unknowns and potential terrors. The only way through this is through it. We can either resist, worry, torture ourselves with nightmare visions or we can go back down one level and shore up those basic physiological needs.

Taurus helps us do that. We need to get good and grounded in our bodies. We need to get enough sleep and eat nourishing food, drink enough water and keep hydrated. We need exercise to keep our energy flowing and our bodies toned. Not a profound task, but one we overlook when we’re busy in our whirring minds anticipating disaster. We overlook it to escape into the virtual worlds of social media or Netflix. We definitely overlook the needs of our bodies when we are rushing to work, rushing home, rushing to the market, rushing to get dinner prepared and the kids to bed, rushing to the sofa to numb out.

If we take the time to focus on our most basic needs, we will strengthen our psyches and respond confidently to what comes next. So this month is all about getting back to basics and one of those is pleasure. Hot tubs, massage, Yoga, meditation, candlelight, aromatherapy, flowers. Steep your senses with pleasure. Taurus calls us to consciously inhabit our homes – our bodies. Time to slow down and enjoy the moment. We can’t control the future, we don’t know where we are going. We are in the Eye of the Storm. Chaos swirls around us. The best thing we can do is accept what is and focus on building inner strength.

The New Moon is at 3+ degrees of Taurus conjunct Uranus at 6+ degrees – close enough to get a jolt of energy from stimulating Uranus, but far enough away not to get electrocuted. Uranus is the first of the unseen planets. Our visible solar system extends to Saturn. For centuries humanity thought that was the boundary of our solar neighborhood. Then in the 18^th century William Herschel discovered Uranus and a few years later the western hemisphere was awakening, liberating itself from the yoke of tyranny. The world transformed.

As Uranus energy awakened in the human psyche, new thoughts of freedom, independence and self-sufficiency emerged. Freedom fired up passions and Democracy was born. Uranus pulls us into the future by shocking us out of our present. Uranus introduces us to the power of the unknown, that creative matrix out of which we mold reality.

The Moon is being seeded right now with this Uranian energy which will bubble up throughout the month stimulating new ideas, new solutions, new attitudes, new directions. Uranus is the Gifter of Insight. To receive these gifts, slow down, listen, find silence and stillness within. It’s a great time to journal. You won’t believe who you will become by the end of this year. You might want to keep a record of your transformation.

Saturn also plays a part, squaring the New Moon from Aquarius. Saturn is our ally who helps us develop the skills we need to navigate physical reality. Life becomes difficult when we make bad choices. Saturn is not the cause of our challenges, he is the wise master who helps us see how we create our reality and how much better reality gets when we take responsibility for our creations.

Saturn is whispering to us from Aquarius telling us to include all humanity in our prayers, to become aware of our global connection, to realize that world-wide problems need to be solved with world-wide cooperation and to find ways to forge alliances to that end.

Saturn is briefly in Aquarius and soon will turn back into Capricorn for a final sweep. This period is like a sneak preview of what will be inaugurated on the Winter Solstice when Saturn and Jupiter join at 0 degrees of Aquarius and launch a new 20-year socio-political cycle, as well as a 200-year cycle of conjunctions in air signs. We’ll talk much more about that in coming posts, but I anticipate a 200-year Renaissance that will be at least as splendidly creative as the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

A new cycle begins today. We are in the Dark of the Moon. It is invisible to us because it is so close to the Sun, gathering new energy, new information, new potentials which it will distribute through our experience over the next 30 days. Take some time to reflect back over the last month. Harvest the wisdom and release all that no longer serves you. Prepare your fertile fields for seeding. The Sun/Moon conjunction is at 7:25 pm PDT. You might want to mark it with some ritual, just to honor the gift of this nourishing month.

Yesterday I heard an astrologer, Gary Caton, speak of the treasures of Taurus: Love and Compassion, Simplicity and Frugality, Humility and Modesty. These are wonderful sources of safety and security. You may be deep in worry right now, but realize that worry doesn’t help. Choices made by worry are fear choices and bring fearful results. Take refuge in your body, give it what it needs, open your heart to love and compassion, relish simplicity, practice frugality, nurture humility and modesty. And I would add, find your gratitude. These qualities of consciousness bring us peace and pull us inward, into our hearts where our ultimate security lies, connected to our Soul. When we are this safe within, we can let go, with ease, and surrender to the flow of Spirit.