Tag Archives: Taurus

Weekly Forecast April 20: Sun Enters Taurus, Mars Trine Pluto

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

This week we get to slow down and smell the roses, and there’s even some levity to compensate for the unrelenting stress we’ve been under.

We’re still in the wake of Saturday’s New Moon when the Sun enters Taurus early Monday morning. Many of us are starting new ventures or entering a new phase in our lives, while still contending with unfinished business from previous cycles. The slower pace this week will help us catch up, and we’ll also have some space to confirm new priorities and formulate a plan for wrapping up old projects. The planning part is important, because it simply isn’t possible to complete the entire “to-do” list, and certainly not in a few days or a few weeks. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast April 28: Solar Eclipse in Taurus, Venus Enters Aries

Hinode satellite image of the annular eclipse in January 2011. Credit: Hinode/XRT

This week’s solar eclipse in Taurus arrives as the cardinal grand cross is past its peak but still potent.

Solar eclipses can occur only at a New Moon. Tuesday’s New Moon (late Monday in Western time zones) is just short of 9 degrees Taurus, placing it at a favorable angle with Jupiter and Pluto, two of the planets in the grand cross. So, while the grand cross dominates the chart for this New Moon, there is a strong connection between the grand cross planets and the Sun/Moon conjunction. I interpret this as a relief valve for the extreme pressure associated with the grand cross formation.

Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast November 11: Neptune Direct, Full Moon in Taurus

Small treasures. © Pat Paquette, 2013.

I don’t recall ever trying to write a forecast while Mercury was exactly stationed. Coaxing out the words is a bear … maybe like a bear coming out of hibernation.

It doesn’t help that I’m exhausted after an emergency situation that called me away from home unexpectedly the week before last. That’s why this forecast is late and there was none at all last week. I was able to post a quick note on Facebook, so readers who are following RealAstrologers on FB at least got notice. If you’re on FB and haven’t yet “liked” RealAstrologers, please take a moment to do so, as I post short notes there from time to time and also occasionally share meaningful posts from my FB connections. I promise not to clog up your feed with bumper-sticker slogans and cat videos.

Delays and obstructions tend to be more persistent for a couple of days on either side of Mercury’s station, so you may need a lot of patience as the week begins. Give yourself extra time to commute, get to the airport, or make connections. If you’re in the United States, there should be less traffic on Monday, since federal offices are closed in observance of Veteran’s Day. The downside is that many cities reduce public transportation services on holidays, so if you do have to work, it could take you longer to get to your shop or office. It’s also a bank holiday, which can cause delays in receiving electronic transfers and payments by check.

Mercury trines Neptune on Monday, with Neptune stationed to return direct on Wednesday. We’re already feeling that shift. I get extremely sleepy around Neptune stations and have a hard time focusing. We’re all exhausted from the relentless stress of the past year and especially the past two weeks. If you can get some extra sleep, do try to make that a priority. Keep your dream journal handy, too, because you might get in touch with some long-buried memories, whether from this incarnation or others. The Moon is in Neptune-ruled Pisces on Monday and Tuesday, amplifying the sleepy, dreamy atmosphere.

Neptune and Pisces are also about escapism. If you need to “get away from it all,” try to do so in a way that doesn’t involve a lot of alcohol or mind-altering substances. “Under the influence” takes on a whole new dimension under the astrological influence of Neptune and Pisces. If you’re a highly sensitive type, you’ll probably want to avoid the stuff altogether.

On Tuesday, the Sun in Scorpio trines Jupiter in Cancer, with the Moon in Pisces making a trine to both. Jupiter went retrograde last week and is moving slowly, too (from our perspective here on Earth). Nevertheless, a Sun-Jupiter trine is just what we need after the hair-raising couple of weeks we’ve just traversed. Think back to mid-July. What was going well in your life? Did you start a new project or come across a new opportunity? If so, you may get some related news on Tuesday or Wednesday.

On Thursday and Friday, Venus squares Uranus and conjoins Pluto. Even in staid Capricorn, Venus is a beneficial influence. Not everyone is feeling the Uranus-Pluto square personally, but if you are, you’re probably going through some kind of a crisis that is forcing change at a fundamental level. It may be so deep within you that you haven’t been able to identify or name it. Venus helps connect the dots. That’s not to say that what comes up will be easy, and indeed it might be intense, but you might find that something suddenly “clicks” or makes sense and that you can confront issues that have been too difficult to acknowledge or deal with.

With the Full Moon approaching, you also might experience events related to the lunar eclipse on October 18 and the solar eclipse on November 3. If you didn’t notice anything unusual around either of those dates, it’s possible that eclipse-related events were stalled, since Mercury was retrograde. Besides that, we often don’t get the full picture that eclipses represent until 30 or 60 days later.

Click on image to enlarge

Venus rules Sunday’s Full Moon in Taurus, which reminds us about our material needs and desires, including the need to feel safe and secure. So many people are in precarious economic circumstances and fear for their survival. The Sun, Saturn, and Mercury are in Scorpio, which, among other things, represents the primal will to survive. Many years ago, when I lived in the redwoods in California, I encountered a scorpion in a wood pile. I’ll tell you, that tiny creature put the fear of God in me. The image is burned in my memory of how it stood its ground, tail curled, ready to strike if I stepped an inch closer. I could have smacked it with a log or shovel, but I backed off and let it be, and I made damn sure after that to wear gloves when I went out for firewood.

Taurus is more concerned about living well. The economy still being in the toilet, many people have had to revise their definition of what it means to live well. Now, that’s not entirely a bad thing, especially in the United States, where consumption has been totally over the top for far too long. It’s possible to live simply and well. Ironically, it’s the folks at the bottom of the financial food chain who are being forced to learn that lesson and not the wealthiest few who are consuming far more than their share of the national wealth. This imbalance is eventually going to have to correct itself, but if history is any indication, a correction of this nature usually involves violence. That scenario is all the more likely during the Uranus-Pluto square, which continues into 2015.

I’ve been too out of the loop for the past week to connect planetary cycles to world events, but many of you are quite adept at mundane astrology and can see the correlations. Hopefully by next week, I’ll be back up to speed.

In the meantime, hang in there, and get some extra sleep this week if you can.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast May 6: New Moon Solar Eclipse in Taurus

This week, we have the second of three eclipses in a row and the only solar eclipse among them, which is about new beginnings and, in some cases, dramatic and final endings.

The eclipse occurs on Thursday, with the Sun and Moon at 19°33′ Taurus. Mercury and Mars also are in Taurus, along with asteroid Pallas, which is conjunct the Sun and Moon by exact degree. Venus, the Bull’s ruling planet, leaves Taurus for Gemini earlier in the day, which means that Venus and Mercury will be in mutual reception. OK, that’s a head full of astro-babble, so let’s break it down.

Taurus is the most materialistic of all the signs. Of the three earth signs (the other two are Virgo and Capricorn), it is the most rock-solid, the most in the here-and-now, the most present on the plane of existence we call “reality.” People with strong Taurus in their charts often are materially successful, precisely because they place so much value on material possessions. While they have a well-deserved reputation for being slow and stubborn, they’re also patient and reliable – the kind of person you want around you in a crisis.

As I explained in the Thursday Q&A, eclipses occur when a New Moon or Full Moon falls near the lunar nodes. This eclipse falls very close to the transiting South Node at about 17 degrees Taurus, with the North Node at 17 degrees Scorpio. The South Node reminds of where we’ve been. Civilization as we know it arose during the Age of Taurus in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). It’s no coincidence that winged bulls were potent symbols during that time and often associated with the king.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence, either, that we’ve managed to bomb Iraq back into the Stone Age. When the United States invaded Iraq, I immediately had the sense that civilization “as we know it” was coming to an end. Not that it was an original thought. Many of us have realized that our societal structures aren’t sustainable, and there’s no amount of fixing, adjusting, or voting out the scoundrels that will save it. No, it’s broken beyond repair, and we’re in uncharted waters, trying to figure out what to do next.

That’s where Scorpio comes in, with its modern ruler, Pluto. Among other attributes, Scorpio breaks down what is rotten and useless. But before that can happen, there needs to be some recognition of the problem. That’s also Scorpio’s territory. With laser vision, Scorpio can see beneath the layers of “reality” to the source of the problem.

I’ve written a lot about the social upheaval manifesting from the Uranus-Pluto square, which is approaching another exact alignment on May 20. I’ve also written about how the mutual reception between Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn is working in synergy with the Uranus-Pluto square to hasten the breakdown phase to clear the way for new, sustainable structures. I haven’t written much, though, about what that new way of living and being is going to look like or how we’re going to get there. Spiritual awakening is all fine and good, and “living spiritually” is a worthy goal, but what does that mean? The fact is, on this plane of existence, we have material bodies that have material needs. Indeed, it’s precisely in meeting these needs over many millennia that we’ve managed to screw up the planet and become, in the words of cultural critic Daniel Quinn “enraged, rebellious, desperate, stressed-out borderline psychotics being torn apart by crime, hatred, and violence.”

I like Quinn’s allegories and metaphors. For example, he writes that if the plane you’re on is in trouble, you won’t save yourself by shooting the pilot. You need to strap on your parachute and jump. “Parachute” isn’t the first image that comes to my mind when I think of Taurus, but there needs to be some place to jump to, and it is the job of Taurus to create new realities. Rather than continuing to complain about how bad the current reality sucks, we need to start doing some serious hands-on building. (I know that many of you already are, and I’d like to hear from you.)

Speaking for myself, I have to say that I long ago got tired of alternative news sites that day after day sound the alarm about corrupt leaders, bailouts for bankers, injustice for whistleblowers, the rise of the police state, etcetera ad nauseam. First off, I was a reporter in Washington, D.C., in the late 80s and early 90s and saw it for myself, so this isn’t news to me. Beyond that, I wonder how much of this stuff we have to read to be “convinced.” When I read these articles, I want to scream, “OK, OK! I get it!” Are we going to just keep sharing links in the social media and clucking our tongues about those horrible awful people leading us down a path of certain destruction, or are we going to start doing something differently?

Click on image to enlarge

Of course, it’s legitimate to talk about it first, and that’s where I see the Mercury-Venus mutual reception coming in. Just keep in mind that Mercury and Mars conjoin on Tuesday, which is a recipe for arguments. Taurus is conflict averse, but unfortunately tends to stonewall to avoid it. Sometimes remaining silent is wise, but eventually real disagreements must be addressed. Venus in Gemini can help with that. Mercury is the planet of communication, and Taurus is, among other things, the builder of new worlds. As ruler of Taurus, Venus is about artful living. Having more, more-expensive toys doesn’t make us happier. How we communicate, how we share with each other, and how we co-create new worlds together is the message this pair brings.

I want to explore this theme more in future posts and very much would like to hear what readers think. I have clients who have left untenable jobs in the past couple of years for situations that paid less but were more gratifying in other ways. Although this has been a nationwide trend for the better part of the past decade, I sense that many of you are moving beyond that into new ways of thinking about the world and your place in it. It seems like we’re all trying to find our tribe.

On that note, I’d like to express my deepest thank you to those of you who responded to my call last week for some show of support. Although in terms of numbers, only a small percentage of readers sent donations, those who did were incredibly generous, not just with donations and report orders but with notes of encouragement. It was gratifying and yet humbling at the same time to read how many of you rely on my weekly forecast to help you make sense of the turbulent times we’re in. It’s not overly dramatic to say that the human species faces life-or-death decisions. Because we are all connected, every decision we make in our individual lives ripples out into the collective and either hastens our demise or builds the equivalent of new “neural pathways.”

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

P.S. For a cool graphic showing the path of Thursday’s eclipse, check out Wikipedia.

Weekly Forecast April 29: Mars Opposite Saturn, Trine Pluto

Then the Awful Fight Began, illustration of Ragnarök by George Wright, 1908.

As we begin this week, we’re well into the destabilized zone between eclipses, with Uranus moving toward an exact square with Pluto in May. Many of us are feeling unsettled, shaken, irritated, and anxious, with that “other shoe about to drop” feeling.

We can’t help but feel unsettled in a rapidly changing world – or, perhaps to be more precise, a rapidly disintegrating world. This is an important part of the rebirth process, and unfortunately, it doesn’t happen fast enough to suit the expectation of instant gratification that’s ingrained in industrialized societies. It takes place over time – many years, in fact – and if we hold our breath waiting for the other shoe, we’ll turn blue and faint. Which, come to think of it, might not be such a bad idea. A little consciousness can be dangerous, as one is tempted to think he knows what’s best for the world.

From where I sit, it looks as though events are unfolding in perfect harmony with planetary movements, which themselves are in perfect harmony with the rhythm of the Universe. We just happen to be in a turbulent, breakdown phase that feels anything but harmonious. Could we just get this over with and get on with rebirth? In a word … no. Just as individuals go through periodic breakdown and rebirth (some more than others), society as a whole goes through these cycles as well. It takes as long as it takes, and that can feel very threatening, especially when our survival is at stake.

In astrology, upheaval is most closely associated with Uranus, while Pluto is the planet of death, transformation, and rebirth. (For more on the approaching Uranus-Pluto square, I highly recommend the latest article by Barbara Hand Clow.) The Full Moon eclipse in Scorpio brought these difficult themes to the fore. Personally, I’ve had to confront serious issues in the past week that could change my course. I’ll share them with you in a moment, but first let’s look at this week’s aspects.

Throughout the week, the Sun and Mars remain in conjunction in Taurus by less than 5 degrees, and both oppose Saturn and trine Pluto. Saturn and Pluto are in sextile and also in a special relationship called mutual reception. Before Saturn entered Scorpio last October, these two hadn’t been in mutual reception since the American Revolution. With Uranus and Pluto also in aspect, the energy for radical change and upheaval is multiplied by orders of magnitude. By the time this is over two years from now, political boundaries likely will have changed, and the world will look different. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Sun and Mars both represent the individual – our personal identities, desires, ego boundaries, and self-expression. The most materialist of all the signs, Taurus tends to be placid and non-confrontational but also has a well-deserved reputation for stubborn resistance. Taurus doesn’t win by outright aggression but by outlasting everyone else in the fight. Long after others throw their hands up in frustration, Taurus is still plodding along, holding out, holed up, and prepared to hang in there until the very end. However, Saturn in Scorpio takes no prisoners and smokes out the resistance, and Saturn and Pluto are working in tandem, so there’s no refuge. If you’re still living for material goals and judge success – your own and others’ – by how much stuff you’ve got, you may be forced to rethink your position. As an example, there seems to be a feeling of entitlement (in this country, at least) to more stuff for less money. For some people, it’s their main goal, which is how we got Wal-Mart – a bargain with the devil, if ever there was one.

But there is a way out, and that’s through Neptune and the collective unconscious. Neptune dissolves ego boundaries. We spend so much time trying to figure out who we are and what makes us special that we tend to forget we’re supposed to be working together. The point of finding your true purpose in life isn’t to make you more competitive and marketable, but to give your special gift to the world and thus make the world a better place for everyone, yourself included. There’s a difference between selfishness and enlightened self-interest. At 12 degrees Pisces, Chiron also is in the mix, reinforcing the idea that healing will come through compassion, empathy, and seeing beyond material reality. Even those who are waking up to the energetic underpinnings of physical reality (my definition of “spiritual”) tend to think of the material world as more important and “real,” and the spiritual world as an afterthought. In fact, the reverse is true.

Mars opposes Saturn and the Sun trines Pluto on Wednesday. On the same day, Mercury enters Taurus, which may slow us down and help us focus on practical matters. Mercury sextiles Neptune on Saturday and opposes Saturn on Sunday, and he’ll trine Pluto next week. So the foregoing themes are going to remain in play right up until the New Moon solar eclipse on May 9.

As for my own eclipse experience, I’m being forced to confront two harsh realities. The first is my own mortality. Shortly after my birthday in February, my older sister died. We were estranged, so I’d already done the bulk of my grieving years before, and I bore her no ill will, not even for her fundamentalist viewpoint that I was practicing witchcraft. A few days before she died, I sent her a heart-felt note wishing her love, deep peace, and serenity. What hit me hardest was that all of my older siblings were gone, and of seven children, I’m now the oldest living. In other words, “I’m next.” Given the ages of mortality of my immediate family, I have another six or seven years – maybe ten, if I clean up my diet and start a sound fitness routine. Then, maybe not. My father’s doctor recommended that he walk more. He had a heart attack on an evening walk to the corner store and was dead before he hit the ground. I’m not afraid to die – provided, of course, that it’s quick and efficient. Dropping dead on my daily walk would be OK, second to going peacefully in my sleep. A protracted illness is quite another matter, especially since I have no health coverage.

The second harsh reality is more immediate (unless, of course, I drop dead on my daily walk this afternoon). As much as I value spiritual concerns, one does need to pay for food, shelter, Internet, eye care, and an occasional visit to the dentist. When I first began RealAstrologers, I had a five-year plan to create something resembling what Christopher Witecki has done with SoulGarden. Going to film school was part of my strategy. In the meantime, I’d hoped to grow the business with my unique “hybrid” reports, plus telephone consultations. I live very simply, and yet I’ve not been able to make it work. A few years back, I tried getting a day job to help support the site, but as many of you know, I suffered a serious back injury that makes it impossible for me to go that route again. And because of my age and the economy, it’s not likely I’d even find some menial office work.

This reality was hit home in a post on Willow’s Web (thanks to the reader who sent me the link) in which she responded to a reader’s comment that her blog wasn’t worth a donation equivalent to $2.50 a month. I’m sorry to have to say this, but most people come to my site for the free content and leave, perhaps to go to other free sites. As Willow wrote, if you continually come here and take what I offer without giving anything back, you are acting as an energy drain. Until now, that has been my choice, but I have a hard decision to make, and it will depend on your response. If you’ve recently ordered a report or sent a donation, please ignore what I’m about to say. For those who have not, I ask you to please use the donation button in the sidebar or click here. If you are blessed with relative plenty right now, please leave a little extra, because there are readers who truly cannot afford to pay (and not because they just remodeled the kitchen).

I know from the e-mails I receive that many of you love what I do and rely on my forecasts to help you make sense of these turbulent, unsettling times. But if there aren’t enough of you – or not enough who are willing and able to help me sustain the site – then I’m going to be forced to stop blogging. Sharing what I know is important to me, not because I have some deep-seated desire for followers or groupies but because it feels like a calling. However, if I see that not that many people value my work enough to pay for it, then I’ll have to face the harsh truth. Better to know now, while I’ve still got a few years left to do something else.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast April 15: Sun, Venus and Mars Enter Taurus

Early signs of spring. © James A. Weythman.

We’re now officially heading into “eclipse season,” with Uranus and Pluto moving closer to an exact square. Breakdowns are occurring more frequently, clearing the way for breakthroughs.

The breakdown energy is manifesting for me personally, so I am totally with you on this and know firsthand how confusing, upsetting, and scary the process can be. Trying to stay grounded is almost impossible and in fact may defeat the purpose. Losing one’s mind is not necessarily a bad thing. Ancient rituals were designed precisely for that purpose. The thing is, they had certain procedures and safeguards – that’s the whole idea of a ritual – whereas we’re flying by the seat of our pants, often alone, without a strong support network of people who have been through it themselves and know how to provide a safety net.

Fortunately, we’ll get some good grounding energy this week when Venus, the Sun, and Mars move into solid-as-a-rock Taurus. Venus rules Taurus, so she’ll be “at home” in her own sign starting on Monday. She has been in her detriment in Aries and closely conjunct Mars – in other words, she has been in his territory, under his control. The tables turn on Saturday, when Mars enters Taurus. Now it’s her turn to set the tone and make the rules. The Sun enters Taurus on Friday. If nothing else the hectic pace should slow down so that we get a little space to breathe and reflect as we undergo a collective metamorphosis. Venus in Taurus likes to take her time, smell the flowers, appreciate art and beauty, and enjoy a gourmet meal with a glass of good wine.

Before all that happens, though, we have a conjunction of the Sun and Mars in late Aries on Wednesday, so for most of this week, we’ll continue to feel the immediate, impulsive, spontaneous energy of Aries. Remember, too, that Uranus in Aries takes his cue from Mars. I have a feeling that all the saber-rattling in North Korea will subside while Mars is in peace-loving Taurus. After that, who knows?

The two bigger trends, as I mentioned, are the upcoming eclipses and the first of two exact squares of Uranus and Pluto in 2013. In a normal year, there are four eclipses, but occasionally there are five or six. In 2013, we have five eclipses, three of which will occur in April and May. The first is the Full Moon lunar eclipse in Scorpio on April 25, followed by the New Moon solar eclipse in Taurus on May 9 and then the Full Moon lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on May 25. Typically, eclipses occur in pairs, and we have a two-week period between them that feels unsettled and chaotic, with the ground shifting beneath our feet. Since we have three eclipses in a row, we’ll get a whole month of that, although I’d say we’re already in it and will feel it until the end of May.

It’s also interesting to note that Wesak 2013 will fall on an eclipse – either on April 25 or May 25/26, depending on whether you use tropical or sidereal astrology. The Eastern countries, where Wesak is celebrated as the Buddha’s birthday (as well as his enlightenment and death), tend to use sidereal astrology. It’s a bit complicated to explain, but essentially Western tropical astrology is a sign ahead, so on April 25, the Full Moon is in Scorpio according to tropical calculations but still in Libra according to sidereal calculations. I say there’s no reason we can’t celebrate Wesak twice.

Last year, Wesak was on May 5 according to both branches of astrology. I did my usual ritual of putting a bowl of water outside and letting it “absorb” the rays of the Full Moon, then drank it later and went into a deep meditation. I was jolted out of it by a shocking past-life memory that burst into my vision so forcefully that I started crying and cried for three days. The information changed my whole outlook on a difficult relationship I’d been in. I’d suspected, given our charts, that there were strong karmic connections, but I didn’t know exactly what they were until that memory surfaced.

Scorpio and its modern ruler, Pluto, are associated with the ability to see into other dimensions of reality, what some call “past lives” but which I prefer to call “other lives” in recognition that the human concept of time is an illusion. Pluto went retrograde last week, and suddenly we’re tapping into those other lifetimes again, especially in terms of karmic relationships. I think we’re going to experience more of this in the next six weeks, and there’s a good chance that difficult karmic connections finally will get “resolved,” to the extent possible. Major breakthroughs could occur as we get closer to the Uranus-Pluto square, which is exact on May 20, right before the eclipse on May 25. Incidentally, that eclipse is the last in a series in Gemini and Sagittarius (according to tropical astrology), which began on the solstice on December 21, 2010. As such, it represents the closing of a chapter and final resolution.

Uranus adds an element of unpredictability into the picture, and while it’s nearly impossible to foresee events when Uranus is involved in an aspect, we might get some hints this Saturday and Sunday when Mercury squares Uranus and Pluto. Mercury is the Messenger and often “brings” advance news. Moreover, with Mercury square Pluto, we can get deep insight into situations that normally wouldn’t be available to us.

The only other aspect this week is an easy sextile between Venus and Neptune. Venus in Taurus and Neptune in Pisces are a beautiful combination of physical, sensual pleasure and higher love. This is soul mate material. Normally I wouldn’t give it much significance on its own, but given other aspects, it could provide an additional piece of information if you think you’ve found The One.

Before I go, I’d like to announce that I’m bringing back the Q&A. I’m aiming to launch it on Thursday, depending on my schedule. If you have a quick question, please send it using this form. I won’t be able to answer all questions and will select which ones to answer based on whether other readers would be interested. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to answer questions like, “My whole sucks, what do I do?”

Second, the StarGuide Spring forecast is now on sale for 25 percent off, and there’s still plenty of spring left – including three eclipses!

Wishing you all infinite love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast May 7: Mercury in Taurus, Sun Conjunct Jupiter

Our friendly neighborhood Taurus. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

As of this week, we’ve entered a tense, highly charged period that includes two eclipses, Venus retrograde, a rare transit of Venus across the Sun, and the first exact square of Uranus and Pluto.

In the long-anticipated year of 2012, May and June are the two most volatile months. Indeed, it’s hard to predict much of anything, least of all what we want and need. You may think you want one thing or that you should go in a certain direction, only to change your mind ten minutes later. People with major fixed sign signatures (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) could have a particularly tough time, as we don’t adapt as easily as others to the constantly changing landscape. Regardless of your sign, clarity and stability are going to be rare commodities between now and the end of June.

I’m not telling you this to add to your stress level, but to help you prepare to the extent possible and to know that if you feel more than the usual amount of stress in your life over the next seven to eight weeks, you’re not alone.

We begin the week in the wake of Saturday’s Scorpio Full Moon. Joe left a comment on my previous post that perfectly expresses that Full Moon’s heavy energy, well articulated by a Scorpio. My own experience was hair-raising, too. Within an hour of the peak of the Full Moon, I had a horrendous “past life” vision, yet another reminder that higher consciousness falls into that “careful what you wish for” category, along with karmic connections. Obviously, to heal from this kind of trauma, we have to start with an awareness of the circumstances or events that caused it. While lying in bed last night with the light of the Full Moon streaming through my window, I thought yet again about the practical necessity for the brain to put up barriers to accessing other dimensions and the disruption of a planetary wide awakening.

On Tuesday (late Monday on the West Coast of the United States), Mars forms an edgy quincunx to Uranus. This is the third and final inconjunct between Mars and Uranus in this cycle. The first was in mid-November. The second occurred on March 31, while Mars was retrograde. I’m definitely ready to be done with this one. The external hard drive with all of my footage for film school has been performing badly since late March, and last Thursday it was so slow I wanted to tear my hair out. Fortunately, I got it in to the computer emergency room to save what’s recoverable before it crashed. But my work is stopped until I get a new one, which has to be special-ordered. As it is, I’m almost three weeks behind in major deadlines. Being an astrologer doesn’t give you any special immunity.

Mercury enters Taurus on Wednesday, which means that instead of mutual reception with Mars, he’ll be in this special relationship with Venus, who’s slowing down to turn retrograde early next week. I swear, this year has been like one long Mercury retrograde. Do I have to tell everyone to back up their computer data? I’d also suggest taking special precautions with valuables such as watches and jewelry. Mercury sextiles Neptune on Thursday, which is one of the sweeter aspects of the week. Our heads may be too muddled for good judgment, but our dreams are in sharp focus.

Pluto sextiles Chiron on Saturday, which continues themes of healing brought up by the Scorpio Full Moon. The reason healing takes so much courage – and why everyone doesn’t just dive right in – is that it can be tremendously painful. If you’re really having a tough time, I recommend seeing a qualified medical astrologer or an alternative practitioner who is skilled with healing very old wounds, including trauma from other incarnations. Be brave, and know that you’ll not only survive but come out of it transformed.

Optimism and good cheer return for a short while on Sunday, with the conjunction of the Sun and Jupiter in Taurus. This is a lovely aspect for Mother’s Day with family, friends, good food and good spirits, and lots of gratitude.

To learn more about May’s planetary movements, I highly recommend the monthly forecast by Rick Levine and Jeff Jawer. They make a convivial evening presentation in Redmond on the first Wednesday of every month. I finally got a chance to go check it out – it was brilliant. Fortunately, they film the entire talk, so you can access it at your convenience, without getting out of your chair.

Wishing you all much love and courage to all,
Pat

Venus, Vulcan, and The Inner Journey of Taurus, Part II

Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas, by Francois Boucher, 1757.

Desire is the force of the form in nature; will is the energy of the soul expressing itself as direction, progress, and conformity to the [Divine] Plan.
~ The Tibetan¹

In Patanjali’s description of the five energy bodies² we can see that the bliss body is the closest to our ultimate spiritual goal of “universal mind” and so is considered a very powerful (and dangerous) path to enlightenment. Tantric practice is based on the transformation of blissful energy into the path. But this path is fraught with danger, in the form of being “seduced” from our path and getting lost in the realm of sensory pleasures. It is for this very reason that sense pleasures are considered sinful in so many spiritual traditions (the origin of the word sin means “to miss the mark”³). Without cast-iron will and discipline, forged in the furnaces of Vulcan (and under the guidance of a qualified spiritual teacher), they are more likely to cause us to miss the mark, miss our spiritual purpose, and miss the point of our life altogether. If we don’t have such will, we are better to steer well clear of this path.

When correctly focused and disciplined the path of bliss can lead to the higher octave of Taurus which brings spiritual illumination and the knowledge that bliss arises from within. It is not “caused” by external objects but is part of our very own inner nature. Once Taurus has mastered the lower desire nature through meditation, patient effort and discipline, she is open to receive the transformative energies of Vulcan. Whereas Venus brings the energy of desire and sensuality, Vulcan is more aligned with will – divine will in particular.

Once Venus has done her job of opening our senses to the presence of blissful energy within our physical form, it is Vulcan’s job to guide us in the correct use of that energy. The dangers of addiction and being “lost” in the bliss would arrest our spiritual development and bring our journey to a premature end. The path is one of transcending all five energy bodies to arrive at our true nature and Universal Mind.⁴ The energy of Vulcan brings the gift of steadfast willpower that allows us to continue our spiritual path blow by blow, like Vulcan’s hammer, forging the personality into something that is useful for our soul’s purpose and driving us forward on the spiritual path, although there is always the danger that we could go either way. While the ruling planets may provide the conditions, how we react or respond to them is up to us.

The path of Taurus involves strong will and strong choices, for desire has the habit of leading our attention outward toward worldly concerns. It is part of the soul’s journey through Taurus to learn to focus this energy inward toward the spiritual path.

One reaction produces the onward rush of the materialistic systems of life, thought and desire, dashing blindly forward in the force of their own momentum and producing a stage of powerful expression and active movement; the other demonstrates in a far vision of possibility and a steady movement forward in spite of the immediate dangers and difficulties…The question is: Will the Bull of desire or the Bull of illumined expression succeed?” ~ The Tibetan⁵

Vulcan is known as the blacksmith of the gods. His job is to shape and fashion substance, to forge physical matter from light in the heat of his furnace. Once the illumination in Taurus has been realized, it is also Vulcan’s job to then shape that energy into some tangible, practical shape in physical form to fulfil divine will, or spiritual purpose.

One thing that happens to metal, once it is melted down in the blacksmith’s forge, is that it can also be purified. In a liquid state anything that is not gold, for example, can be removed so that pure gold can be poured out and fashioned into shape. This alchemical function of Vulcan gives a clue to one of the deepest mysteries of Taurus: the opening of the third eye. There are many references in esoteric writing to the Eye of Light and the Eye of the Bull. Even the consciousness of Buddha has been referred to as the “Diamond Eye.” ⁶In nature, natural diamonds form in conditions of high pressure and high temperature, deep within the earth. So we have the energy of Vulcan at work, transforming ordinary rock through fire and pressure into something pure, clear, and revealing that illuminates by showing us the nature of light.⁷ These higher octave properties of illumination and revelation are hinted at in the esoteric keynote for Taurus:

I see and when the Eye is opened, all is light. ~ The Tibetan⁸

Venus brings us the power of love and the potential for higher love, but if the love of Venus is not to be degraded into worldly desire, we also need to pass through the fiery forges of Vulcan. This purification process transforms primordial love and desire, through divine will and revelation, into higher love, compassion and illumination.

As we discipline ourselves to eliminate the undesirable aspects of our lower ego-personality, we become aware of and aligned with our soul. The soul begins to take shape and becomes the true vehicle for the fulfillment of our spiritual purpose. We begin to realize, and know ourselves to be, a soul, to recognize that our physical body is only one part of our soul and that all physical forms are manifestations of One Great Spirit.

Ruth

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Footnotes:

Footnotes:
1. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled by Alice Bailey.
2. See the bliss body and Patanjali’s “five bodies” in my previous article, “Mars, Mercury and the Inner Journey of Aries.”
3. The English word “sin” is a translation of the Greek word hamartia, which literally means to “miss the mark.” This phrase in itself is interesting in terms of the path of Taurus, because in archery, to miss the mark means to miss the bulls eye or the Eye of the Bull.
4. Five, seven or twelve energy bodies, depending upon your school, tradition, and/or level of study. The anatomy of the human energy field has been described through many different schools, too numerous to mention here. In the Tibetan tradition, five major chakras are commonly identified, and in the Vedic tradition, there are seven. The differences in emphasis are due to different spiritual paths and taking account of our varying levels of understanding and awareness. For example to a 5-year old, you might describe your hand as having a palm, four fingers and a thumb; but to a medical student you would probably include skin, bone, muscle, ligaments, fascia, plus hormonal, endocrine, lymphatic, immune, nervous and circulatory systems, and then you would explain how they all relate to one another to create a functional whole.
5. See Footnote 1.
6. Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, The wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey.
7. A diamond can show us the nature of light by revealing its many rainbow colors.
8. See Footnote 1.

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Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Venus, Vulcan, and the Inner Journey of Taurus, Part I

Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas, by Francois Boucher, 1757.

Taurus season is upon us once again, bringing with it the energy of desire as it works through form.

After the initial pulse of life in Aries, desire in Taurus becomes the driving force in shaping what form life will take. Will we forge ahead driven by our egoic desires and wishes? Or will we align with divine will and shape our primordial life-force energy into spiritual path and purpose?

Taurus, the sign of the bull, is associated with steadfastness, material possessions, beauty (especially in physical forms), art, stubbornness, security and even enlightenment. It is said that the Buddha himself had six planets and Chiron in Taurus and that the Buddha was born, passed and entered parinirvana all during the time of this auspicious sign.¹ Esoterically, Taurus is associated with illumination and the opening of the third eye.

It is under the sign of Taurus that humanity is learning the deeper spiritual lessons of desire and the transformation of the energy of desire. It is through desire that we take a physical incarnation, and it is desire that also keeps us trapped in Samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. Taurus teaches us about the nature of desire and what needs to happen so we can release our personal attachments and transform the energy of desire into spiritual realizations.

Humanity … is beginning to come under the influence of Taurus.
The great question is – Will this influence … produce the floodlight of illumination of which Taurus is the custodian, or will it simply foment desire, increase selfishness and bring humanity to the ‘fiery heights of self-interest’ instead of to the mountain of vision and initiation? ~ The Tibetan²

Taurus has two planetary rulers: Venus and Vulcan.³ Venus is the personality ruler, and Vulcan is both the soul ruler and the hierarchical ruler. According to Esoteric Astrology, both Venus and Vulcan are sacred planets, while Vulcan is a “hidden” planet. ⁴ Esoteric Astrology tells us that there are hidden planets that we are unaware of because we do not yet have the consciousness to perceive them or to be receptive to their energy. Once we have expanded our consciousness to the degree that we are more receptive and aware of these subtler energies, we will become aware of these planets. The fact that both ruling planets are sacred (and one is hidden) hints that the inner journey of Taurus is deeply hidden, mysterious, highly significant, and sacred.

The Soul is our individual link to the essential substance of the Creative Source … Astrology is a system that seeks to interpret the nature of the Universal Life Force as It moves, shapes, and creates human life and all events. The planets, signs, and houses, are not the causal elements of manifestation. They are, rather, the reflections of a transcendental synchronicity manifesting through the rhythms and timing of a cosmic clock. ~ Alan Oken⁵

When considering planetary influences from a Soul Astrology perspective, it is more appropriate to think of the planets as lenses or focalizers of divine energy rather than as causative agents. In Esoteric Astrology, the basic energies of creation are referred to in terms of Seven Rays. I will say more about these in future articles, but for our purposes here it is enough to know that there are Seven Great Rays, within which our universe aligns with just one, and then within our universe, there are seven sub-rays. Just as the sunlight contributes to the optimum conditions for life on earth to thrive, so divine energy, in the form of these Seven Rays working through planetary lenses, is contributing to the optimum conditions for the flowering of human consciousness.

Venus is the goddess of love, the powerful energy of desire, which translates as romantic love, when filtered through a human mind! She rules both Libra and Taurus. In Libra, she endows her subjects with a harmonizing aspect that manifests through the mind, in terms of conceptualizing or idealizing ideas of ethics, beauty, attractiveness and justice. Her work in Libra is more closely linked to harmony in the mental body.⁶ In Taurus the loving energy of Venus has a more sensuous, earthy, influence. She works initially through the physical senses to eventually bring awareness of the bliss body.⁷

As Venus works through desire in Taurus, she seeks to awaken the senses. She awakens our sense perception through the physical senses of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. This has the potential to open us to an experience of bliss and awareness of the bliss body.⁸ Herein lies the danger of the Taurean path. If the individual is still centered in the ego-personality, the tendency can be towards grasping at more external objects to feed the bliss experience: clinging to possessions of beauty, beautiful people, music, a beautiful body, and losing sight of the spiritual journey. This is a symptom of the lower mind externalizing the bliss experience and projecting it onto outer worldly objects.

The ego-mind uses logic in the extreme. If one chocolate made me feel good, then ten chocolates will make me feel ten times as good, right? Yet we all know this is not so. Too much of a good thing leads to lethargy, dullness, weight gain and that uncomfortable (even painful) feeling of being over-full. Then we have the addiction effect; we begin to believe we need something outside of ourselves – the chocolate, new shoes or whatever our craved substance, possession, or person may be – to feel good. We begin clamouring for more of the object that we believe will lead to more pleasure (bliss). This leads us to pursue “worldly concerns” (objects outside of ourselves), and the sad part is that while doing so we are neglecting our inner spiritual path, which is the true path to inner peace, bliss, and beyond.

Next: How Vulcan takes over from Venus in guiding Taurus along the true path.

Ruth

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Footnotes:

1. Buddhist Astrology, by Jhampa Shaneman.
2. Esoteric Astrology, the wisdom of The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled by Alice Bailey.
3. The term “rulership” is not intended in the commonly held sense of exerting force or power over another. In this context, the meaning is closer to nurturing-custodianship, in the sense of providing those conditioning factors necessary for divine seeds to ripen, grow and flourish.
4. See Footnote 2.
5. Soul Centered Astrology: A Key To Your Expanding Self, by Alan Oken.
6. Ibid.
7. See the bliss body and Patanjali’s “five bodies” in my previous article, “Mars, Mercury and the Inner Journey of Aries.”
8. Ibid.

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Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Weekly Forecast May 16: Full Moon in Scorpio, Sun Enters Gemini

This week is the festival of Wesak, honoring the birth, death, and enlightenment of the Buddha. A portal is opening.

Wesak takes place at the Scorpio Full Moon, with the Sun in Taurus. There is some confusion about this, as Eastern religions use sidereal astrology, which means that Wesak sometimes is in June, by which time the Sun in our Western tropical zodiac has advanced to Gemini. This year, they happen to coincide; in our tropical system, the Full Moon occurs at 26°13 Scorpio, while in sidereal astrology, it falls at 2°12 Scorpio.

To help understand the connection between Taurus, Buddha, and Wesak, I suggest Ruth’s excellent article, from the perspective of soul astrology. “The highest vibration of Taurus is about revelation, illumination and enlightenment,” she writes. “It is a very mysterious sign, associated with the opening of the third eye.”

The third eye, located between the eyebrows, is our center of higher consciousness, the ability to “see” into the energetic realms. When it gets activated, we’re said to be enlightened.

Ruth also notes the connection between Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, and the third eye. One of the four Royal Stars of Persia, Aldebaran is known as the “eye of the bull.” In ancient mystery schools, it was known as the “Eye of Illumination.”

Death, rebirth and transformation are Scorpio keywords. Substitute “enlightenment” for transformation, and you understand the theme of this Full Moon. Humanity is evolving toward higher consciousness and enlightenment. More and more of us are aware of our soul’s purpose, and we’re trying to find a way to align ourselves with it.

At Wesak, a portal opens for light to enter the world. The more of us who are aware of it and who actively call upon the forces of enlightenment, the more the world will get – and not a moment too soon.

The Full Moon at 26 degrees Scorpio ironically falls with the Sun conjunct Algol, considered the most malefic star in the sky. Algol is associated with Medusa, the snake-headed woman in Greek mythology who turned men to stone if they looked at her. The symbolism and psychology of this myth is complex and speaks a lot to the cosmic split between divine masculine and feminine energies. In ancient times, snakes were a sign of wisdom, a direct connection with the unseen energies of the universe, and they were associated with women until patriarchal religions took over. Since then, the energy on the planet has been completely unbalanced.

The snake symbolizes our connection to source energy – what some might call the Mind of God. Have you ever noticed that some Scorpios seem to have unlimited energy? It’s as though they’re plugged directly into a cosmic battery. And most of them don’t even realize it, because the connection is deeply integrated. They operate on “instinct” and often don’t even have to think about what they’re going to do next. This power can be scary, and it’s one of the reasons Scorpio is feared and reviled.

Could the Full Moon conjunct Algol signal a rebirth of the ancient, wise goddess? Will her vibration be part of the light stream that enters the world?

The Moon reaches peak fullness on Tuesday at 7:09 a.m. EDT on the East Coast of the United States. If you’re on the West Coast and don’t want to get up at 4:09 a.m. to participate in the Wesak invocation, you can set a bowl of water outside and drink it in the morning. Just be sure to cover it. As far as I know, ingesting bugs and bird poop is not a path to enlightenment.

In the Full Moon chart, the Sun and Moon are in a wide, out-of-sign square with Neptune at 0 degrees Pisces. The Sun and Jupiter are in a tight semi-sextile, which means the Moon and Jupiter are inconjunct. We’ll need to make sure we’re not too busy or too preoccupied with acquiring material possessions to stop for an hour or so, quiet our minds, and tune into the stream of light. So many people don’t know what they really want anymore, especially in a world with a glut of consumer goods and a dearth of information about how to be truly happy.

After the Full Moon, we begin the countdown to the eclipses. There will be three eclipses in June and July – two solar and one lunar. It’s also interesting to note that next year’s Wesak festival will fall on June 4, which coincides with an eclipse and the 2012 Venus transit.

Speaking of Venus, she rules this Full Moon. All of the planets except Neptune now deposit to her, whereas for the past several weeks, they’ve deposited to Mars. With Jupiter and Uranus in Mars-ruled Aries, there still will be some tension and conflict, but for the next few weeks at least, peaceful solutions may be found.

Here’s how the rest of the week shakes out:

Last week started out with a conjunction of Mercury and Venus in Aries. The two have been tracking very close to one another, and on Monday this week they conjoin again, but in Taurus. Then they both sextile Neptune in gentle Pisces. It’s a whole different atmosphere now. Word are kinder and softer, and we should be able to find some time to dream. Do watch your cash, though. If you make a large purchase, a few days from now you may wonder what you were thinking.

From Wednesday to Friday, Mars, Mercury and Venus form a sextile to Chiron in Pisces. Healing can happen on many levels. How many of us beat ourselves over the head for what essentially are wounds? Would you blame a child for falling and breaking his nose? Even if he did something stupid, you’d at least use the occasion to provide some gentle instruction about the consequences of bad judgment. Be just as kind with yourself and others as you’d be with that child.

Also on Friday, Mercury conjoins Mars, and the two trine Pluto. Rather than getting angry and giving someone a piece of your mind, you can use this influence to understand the source of the conflict. Venus trines Pluto on the following day. If you and a loved one had a “discussion,” now you can make up in a way that should leave you feeling much closer than ever. The loving feelings will continue to build as Venus and Mars move closer to conjunction on May 23.

The Sun leaves Taurus on Saturday and enters fast-paced Gemini. However, Gemini’s ruler, Mercury, is in Taurus, and so placid Venus continues to be the dominant influence. I am a bit concerned that peace may be confused with repression of emotions. In mundane terms, this could mean squelching valid complaints in order to reach an agreement. Repressing feelings and failing to address underlying causes of problems never works, as all of that negative energy eventually surfaces. And when it does, it’s usually with a vengeance.

The last major aspect of the week is a Sun-Neptune square. For some, this could manifest as the combined urge to accomplish many small tasks and the lack of energy and motivation. My advice is to rest while you can, because June and July may bring fast and furious change.

Wishing you all love and enlightenment,
Pat