By Amanda Painter

Tonight, at 11:12 pm EDT (3:12 UTC Friday), the Sun enters Taurus. This happens just two days after Chiron’s noteworthy move into Aries. You might be having an “interesting” week — though having the Sun in Taurus should help you to ease back on the pace and find some solid footing.

Early sumac leaves; photo by Amanda Painter.

Part of the “interesting” factor likely comes from the fact that Mercury is still getting itself sorted out after its station direct in Aries this past Sunday.

While the planet of the mind gradually makes its way in forward apparent motion, things sometimes stay a little bumpy for a while. Often that’s the result of new information leading to reversals of decisions, and new levels of insight.

In the midst of that, I hope you’ve taken a moment to notice some of the week’s news stories, especially those that broke on Tuesday with Chiron’s entrance into Aries. This is one way to gather clues about a planet’s “message” in a new sign; that is, what it’s trying to bring our attention to. When a planet enters Aries (or any of the cardinal signs, which also include Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) political events and news that embodies something of the current zeitgeist — and which is personally relevant for many people — can be very telling.

With Chiron in Aries (a sign ruled by Mars), you might think about events that include someone behaving as a “maverick,” taking initiative, a sense of self, violence and war, sex drive and sex itself, motivation and assertion, how any of these themes intersect with collective and individual identity, and the question of what needs to be healed and learned from it all.

News stories that fit some of these themes include: reports on Tuesday that North and South Korea are set to announce an official end to the “war” between them (the two countries have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce — and not a peace treaty); also on Tuesday, Starbucks announced it would close 8,000 stores on May 29 for a one-day racial bias training, after one of its employees in Philadelphia called the police on two black men there for a business meeting; and although Pres. Trump launched his airstrike on Syria on Friday and not on Tuesday, Chiron was definitely close enough to the Aries Point to be ringing that bell. Since Trump ignored opposition from his own defense secretary, James Mattis, who wanted Trump to first get congressional approval, it’s also a clear image of “maverick” behavior.

You could say that the first two stories illustrate people responding to the need to heal or repair something — something that involves individuals as well as collective identity. The airstrike could be described as a red flag being waved to get our attention on a situation too many have been ignoring — the “awareness-raising” factor being yet another Chiron characteristic.

With the Sun moving into Taurus tonight you might notice yourself re-focusing on your values in some way. This could be in relation to these or other news stories; or it might be related to something more personal and less public. Values and “value” are inherent Taurus traits. Yet, the Sun in the first degree of Taurus puts it in a beneficial (if subtle) aspect to Chiron in the first degree of Aries. This will likely serve to heighten awareness of how what you hold to be of worth, and how you live your values, contribute to your sense of self.

Also of note: on Saturday, the Taurus Sun will make a trine to Pholus in Capricorn (with Vesta nearby). Tangible expression of your values — that is: walking the walk and not just talking the talk, or putting your money where your mouth is — could have a real ripple effect. You show what has genuine worth to you by how you live, and that affects others; both those you’re closest to and people you’ll never meet. Pholus widens the potential reach; Vesta holds space for you to do this as an act of conscious devotion.

At the very least, having the Sun in Taurus resonating with Chiron in Aries could remind you that some time spent outdoors, reacquainting with your senses and letting your body’s awareness of the land reawaken, offers one of the simplest healing balms available. The weather where I live has not been terribly encouraging of this. If that’s been true for you, too, perhaps it’s time to play the maverick and get out there anyway.

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