Seasonal Star Cycles

Taurus the Bull April 20 - May 21
Spring carries the mysteries of rebirth....
June 2008

Elizabeth Ault MA CPCC
 
Last month we understood that Aries the Ram, is bursting with new ideas and has the power to initiate new cycles of life. Spring carries the mysteries of rebirth. Taurus the Bull is the reliable, steady worker who maintains and builds on the development that has been initiated. He/she is deeply thoughtful and intelligent. The virtue of Taurus is the progress made possible, by moving steadily forward from their balanced center. Thinking can drop into heart motivated actions. Put the Bull behind the plow and he will gladly pull if his heart is into it. The challenge is to find the exact relationship between the oscillations of the mind and the rhythms of the heart. From here, one moves with integrity. Taurus helps create the realm of beauty. Like Mother Nature, the Bull is generous.

The symbol looks most obviously like the horned head of the bull. Taurus rules the neck in our bodies. It also can be seen as a circle, representative of the Sun , with a crescent Moon on it’s crown. This represents the mystical union of the Sun and Moon, that takes place behind the veils of darkness, each new Moon. Every Spring, the crescent Moon is bowl shaped, with it’s tips pointing up, in the sky. In Botticelli’s famous painting “The Queen of Heaven”, she is standing with one foot on this kind of crescent Moon, surrounded around her head with a crown of stars. This scene is also depicted in the Bible, in the book of Revelations.

In the Taurus constellation, there is the fixed star called Aldebaran, located directly at the eye of the bull. Indeed it is the original bull’s eye! It is also known as the birth star, and is one of the four fixed stars the Heavens are mapped out upon. Earthly Taurus calmly ploughs the ground in preparation for the seeds. Earnest labor is fueled by faith in the prosperity that will come to those who patiently cultivate tender beginnings.

Sensuous, social Venus rules the Bull. She passionately honors the arts, beauty, love and motherhood. Venus rules desire , attraction and relationships. Mothers taught their children language, which separated them from lower kingdoms of creatures. The cultivation of personal expression builds the possibility for relatedness, expresses creativity, the arts and morality. The male paradigm was that of the silent hunter, stalker. Taurians are inspired to find and create meaning, thus unfolding the treasures of heaven. Venus represents the soul stream which unites people who love the same things, and develops a heart to accept even those who oppose us. The orbit of Venus around the Earth is nine months, the same as human gestation.

Lovers of beauty, Taurians can amass a fortune of art, beautiful things and wealth because they are such hard workers and have highly developed sensibilities. Slow to change gears and shift points of view, the bull works hard to keep things stable or as he thinks they ought to be. The Bull does not recover quickly from traumas, or divorces. The fallen side of Taurus may appear to be excessively stubborn, lustful, jealous, possessive, overly materialistic and even languid... They can make an activity out of digesting a delicious meal, especially in the lazy boy recliner with a remote TV clicker in hand.

April showers and blizzards here in the Rockies do bring May flowers and Mothers Day. Motherhood the ultimate nurturer of life is celebrated in May when babies of every kind take their first breath. Bumble bees happily journey from flower to flower while birds are busy making nests or ferrying worms and other delicacies to their newborn chirppers. Bouquets arrive at the doors of sweethearts. Romance , strawberries and the songs of celebration abound. The ancient mood of the Druidic Beltane fires celebrating fertility rites of May Day hang in the air... The Bulls are the humble workers whose joy it is to take care of the families well being and prosperity. How do you find joy in those aspects of life that we consider to be maintenance? What are you nurturing along? I am reminded of the attitude Zen which is: “Each breath, new chances...” Blooms are unfolding everywhere. I invite you to ponder what thinking through the heart could mean to you.