Taurus Sun and New Moon, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus | Planet Waves Astrology by Eric Francis and Friends

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today the Sun entered Taurus at 10:45 am EDT. It did so toward the end of the lunar cycle; the Taurus New Moon is Earth Day — Wednesday, April 22. I’ll come back to that in a moment and develop the story in Daily Planets over the next few days.

The Earth is thrilled about the novel coronavirus. Fewer cars, less noise. This is the Grandmother Land in High Falls, NY, a few hundred feet from the waterfall shown below.

Astrological changes have also indicated developments in our weird global situation.

The momentum of the novel coronavirus has been in “coast” mode since the last New Moon one month ago — the “turning point, tipping point” square the nodes in Aries. So we will be entering new territory with new terrain and different light.

Let’s consider Taurus itself, and the position of the sky at the time of the Taurus ingress. Study astrology for a while and you might decide Taurus is one of the most interesting signs. Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac. Its symbol is a cow or bull, representing both vitality and sufficient wealth to have milk and plow the fields.

It is an earth sign, along with Virgo and Capricorn. And it is a fixed sign, along with Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Every sign has something important in common with five other signs of the zodiac!

Taurus has its reputation for stubbornness and a certain kind of stability. For example, nearly all of the Taurus Sun people I know still live in the same place they did when I met them, even if it was 25 years ago. People with strong Taurus have an unusual relationship to their physical possessions. There is not necessarily a value on abstract wealth, but rather on things like mineral collections, handmade pottery, books, and clothing (and other textiles) that feels good against their skin. Handmade and high-quality are important. For Taurus, it’s good to remember that “all wealth comes from the Earth.”

Blacksmith Shop of the Soul

Yet there is a fire burning inside the sign Taurus; Alice Bailey proposed that it is ruled not by Venus but by Vulcan, the god of fire. She describes Taurus as “the blacksmith shop of the soul.”

Remote forest campsite where countless hundreds of young people sat around the fire during summers between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Photo on the Grandmother Land in High Falls, NY.

This is why Taurus must work out their feelings and anxieties, rather than taking them out on themselves. Often it takes many years to learn the difference; if this is you, figure this out and don’t waste your precious time and energy. Find healthy outlets for frustration and anger. We all have these feelings; it’s what you do with them that matters.

The Venus principle still holds; you will rarely meet a strong Taurus type who is not concerned with presentation, appearance and their reputation. This is not merely decoration, but an outward sign of inner integrity. Venus, by the way, is making an extended pairing with fire goddess Vesta. I have covered this in detail in a special edition of Tantra Studio (and it will be one focus of the forthcoming Taurus Astrology Studio reading).

No doubt the Venus-Vesta conjunction describes more people spending time in their kitchen than usual, as Vesta is the hearth goddess.

Sun square Saturn

Following the Sun entering Taurus earlier today, the first thing it does is make a square to Saturn in Aquarius. This is Saturn at its best: responsible, even-handed and fair-minded, if other factors support it. The square from the Sun to Saturn is about focus, and applying yourself to whatever you do. This square has the feeling of prioritizing. First things first. Take care of what matters, and make sure you save some time for what is the most fun.

For some, discipline means slowing down and taking it easy for a day or two. If that is you, pay attention, and make sure you’re taking care of the needs of your body and soul.

New Moon Conjunct the Chiron Degree

Wednesday is the Taurus New Moon — the annual alignment of the Sun and Moon in Taurus. The unusual thing about this New Moon is that it aligns with the Chiron discovery degree, 3+ Taurus. That is where Chiron was discovered on Nov. 1, 1977.

I have seen from thousands of charts that this degree has the feeling of Chiron, and that November 1977 was a turning point in the lives of many people who were alive at the time.

Waterfall in High Falls, NY. This is not the “high” falls; it’s a much “lower” but no less beautiful one. Today I made a 45-minute recording of the Coxing a little bit upstream, where it’s quieter. Here is a downloadable file, and a playable MP3.

What this suggests is that it’s vital to pay attention to material surrounding our parents. It’s not easy for adults to reckon with the notion of having “mommy or daddy issues,” but that’s the very thing that keeps therapists in business. It’s also the thing that messes with our relationships with peers; for example, why partners turn into parents.

The life-affirming properties of Chiron include curiosity, the willingness to stand apart, devotion to learning and teaching, and dedication to healing. These are all available now. Take the time to teach someone something they don’t know, though remember that learning is usually driven by necessity. It’s a wholesome thing to encourage curiosity, in yourself and others.

One problem many face is identifying with their pain to the extent where that identity takes over.

New Moon Conjunct Uranus

Uranus is three degrees out from the New Moon, at 6+ Taurus. So all week we have the privilege of the Sun approaching Uranus. This will be interesting and potentially a bit of a ride. While Sun-Uranus is not a major event by most standards, the world is particularly fragile at the moment. Markets could be in for a little ride at the end of the week; they have been on a big ride.

On the human side of this, Sun-Uranus in Taurus looks like spring fever for a bunch of people who have spent most of the season locked inside their homes, avoiding random strands of RNA allegedly at large.

If your conscience is troubling you, don’t worry; you won’t harm anyone by going for a walk in a park or nearby woods. The virus does not live there, and if you’re listening, you may notice that the forest only has good news to report from the current global situation.

The air and water have not been this clean since 1950.

With love,