This month’s new moon is electrified by the coinciding ingress of Uranus into the same sign. While the Sun and Moon meet in the later degrees of the sign, Uranus sits at 0 degrees, occupying the threshold between the fire sign of Aries and the earth sign Taurus. The archetypal disrupter, Uranus has spent the last eight years in Aries, challenging how we defend our personal boundaries and define our inner masculine. Now moving into Taurus, there is a radical shift in focus to the inner feminine and our essential resources.
The sign of Taurus is ruled by Venus. As an archetype, Venus is one of the figures with the greatest consistency across world mythologies. Known to the Greeks as Aphrodite and to the Hindus as Lakshmi, this energy is indisputably one of beauty and grace. More than receptive, this energy is attractive, with the ability to form bonds. Through the earth element of Taurus, the Venusian energy is channeled through the richness of the material realm, and the many ways its raw components are bonded into physical form. We can learn much about the Venus-Taurus connection by observing the invocation of springtime--the emerging seedlings embody the strength and determination of Taurus, while their Venusian blossoms allure the senses. This benevolent magnetism is exemplified by the flowers, which draw sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil together to create unique forms of beauty that beckon one’s awareness and stimulate the senses.
Glyph for Taurus
Taurus is symbolized by the Bull. In Taurus, there exists a beautiful balance between the delicate nature of Venus and the indomitable power of the Bull. The Bull is a significant symbol for the raw resources of the earth. These themes come into optimal focus in the spring. The Bull turns the fields, and fertilizes them too. In simpler times, the Bull was a highly valued material asset directly tied to one’s livelihood. Like Venus, the Bull itself is a symbol of a wealth that can be expressed in a variety of ways. However, the Bull is obstinate and/or destructive when not properly handled. The rulership of Venus teaches us that successful manifestation is a matter of heart, not mind. It is predicated on a goodness of disposition in the face of obstacles and the gentle handling of one’s intention in the light of other’s expectations.
Glyph for Venus
The glyph of Taurus echoes the themes of the Bull, evoking the silhouette of the animal as seen face on. It is the circle crowned by the crescent, whose points rise like horns on either side of the circle representing the bull’s head. Analyzed by its components, this glyph has more knowledge to yield. In the Northern hemisphere, the season of Taurus is one in which we till the soil, penetrating and impregnating the land in preparation for the fall’s harvest--such cultivation of food is the cornerstone on which civilization itself exists. As such, the glyph of Venus is essentially the Ankh, an ancient symbol for life itself--the circle of spirit descending into the cross of matter. With the Taurus glyph showing the circle of spirit with the crescent of soul above it, we see a nod to its receptive quality--the crescent acting like a bowl to gather, or antenna to detect, our celestial resources. In this glyph is embedded a lesson in how the spirit enshrined in matter is guided in its development by the Moon. Indeed, the Moon is of the utmost importance in mediating the light of the Sun, creating the rhythms that govern the natural cycles. Though spirit is primary, without the regulating rhythms of the Moon, we would have no life on Earth. It is the diversity of phase that guides the plant from seed, to sprout, and onward to blossom and fruit. It is the transmutation of the unity of Spirit into the diversity of Soul.
With its emphasis on manifestation, Taurus is home to our values. How we define our values emerges organically from our prioritization of resources, whether those resources are physical (like food and fuel), or energetic (such as intellectual support and emotional belonging). The themes of Taurus have immediacy in our lives, yet Uranus is an outer, or transpersonal, planet. Its slow-moving orbit means its influence is generational in influence, with its transits having global ramifications. As Uranus moves through this sector of the sky, there may be upheavals that revolutionize economic currencies and commodities, as well as the social traditions that define cultural values. Indeed, it is our shared values that create the bonds that connect individuals into community. This new moon is a potent time for setting the tone of how these Uranian effects will ripple through our personal lives.
Being of the Earth element, Taurus imparts the importance of grounding. The intoxicating charms of Venus may tempt us to indulgence, or they may teach us the power of intuition. By engaging our sensual awareness, we learn to more fully embody our physical beings, tapping into the intuitive awareness that binds our consciousness with the plants, animals, and celestial bodies around us. Uranus stimulates the nervous system, and transiting Taurus, may rattle our sense of security. Use your five senses to continually refresh your consciousness, giving a channel to ground the erratic psycho-emotional energies Uranus may stimulate within you. Consciousness is but an interface existing between the animating essence of spirit and the regulating rhythms of soul.
As the new moon approaches, consider the last eight years. What situations served to alter your perception of self, and illuminate where the boundaries lie between you and other? As Uranus moves from Aries into Taurus, these boundaries will help you to understand what values have been ingrained through social conditioning, and which ones genuinely resonate with the rhythm of your heart. In Aries, Uranus asked that we take a radical approach to reforming our identity to find the clearest path from seed to blossom, but our highest character --our greatest expression of self-worth within the world--only flowers when we nurture the growth of our individual identities with the values we share. As Uranus moves in to upset the previous value structure, intentions may go awry. The motto of Taurus is I want. Uranus in Taurus reveals the key to manifestation--ask yourself what it is you truly want. Listen to your heart. Mis-manifestation results from unclear intentions, which are often confused by the influence of others’ expectations and/or a feeling of low self-worth, a false sense of undeservingness that sabotages our ability to receive the Venusian blessings of wealth and pleasure. Uranus teaches that only when we are utterly honest and humble with what needs remain unmet in our heart will we be able to attract the abundance we desire.
