Another zodiacal month begins! The earthy, fixed energy of Sun manifesting in Venus’ first sign, Taurus, is now in force. The ingress chart is most fascinating, with an earthy grand trine among its characteristics. Mercury (commerce), Jupiter (expansion), and Pluto (power) interacting among each other in a harmonious, closed pattern is an opportunity not to be missed this month. The solid earthy grand trine contains possibilities for attaining material stability and increasing wealth, inter alia. If North Node is included in the pattern, the pattern becomes a double earthy grand trine. With North Node included in the grand trine, forming alliances for future benefit becomes an added feature of it. Sun also forms an opposition to Apollon (Transneptunian) in the ingress chart, adding to the appealing ‘material increase’ theme.
Almost half of the planets are retrograde at the beginning of the month, including Mars and his overlord, Pluto, having recently gone retrograde. Jupiter square Saturn (‘controlled expansion’ through implementing effort) rounds out the retrograde list of planets. Jupiter will go direct this month, however, and Mercury will go retrograde. Among other effects, the staid grand earth trine will essentially remain intact all month! Sun and Venus will also connect with the grand trine pattern at various times this month. This year of Sun in Taurus is definitely a time for paying attention to practical matters, becoming grounded and focused, caring for details, finding efficiencies and being productive, and using the fixed endurance of Sun in Taurus, along with the other earthy influences, to achieve what you want or need to. The grand trine suggests that a certain flow or ease will be attached to the earthy theme. Imagine the possible results of industrious, persistent efforts applied during this month of earthy grand trines!
Neptune is the best candidate as an outlet for the earthy grand trines this month. Experiencing the material – a necessary part of our existence – has an outlet in experiencing spirituality. Sun, ruled by Venus, and Jupiter opposite Neptune – as well as the earthy influence implying a strong Saturnian vibe all month – combines several ways to access Neptune’s imagination and bliss. Neptune forms an exact harmonious aspect to Poseidon (Transneptunian), creating a potent theme of ‘spiritual insight’ throughout the month. Planets hitting 11 degrees of their signs this month have additional possibilities, with connections to both Neptune and Poseidon. For example, a key date is Sun at 11 Taurus on April 30, a theme of using creativity to induce intuitive clarity.
Let’s see what else this month might bring, via the heavens.
Finance
The markets are pushing towards record highs again. Jupiter will start operating in his more normal mode, while Mercury will act in extremes, due to each changing their motion. Will the markets shrug off the supernal influences? Talk of negative interest rates, a volatile oil market, Asian economies facing crisis, the usual banter about the Middle East, and other worries seem to be pushing markets up! Excitement seems to be brewing this month (and excitement is not necessarily good for investors who prefer certainty).
Based on more personal concerns, Sun in Taurus is probably the best month out of the year to build wealth. Working overtime, starting a side business, and deciding whether to consolidate or expand based on your judgment regarding finances is generally attuned to Sun in Taurus. Mercury will be retrograde throughout the month, but he is in the Taurus sign. To me that suggests consolidation over expansion. Expansion is certainly still possible and might be a better choice, based on your personal situation. If you sign a contract or purchase a large ticket item (buying a home, land, or other property is definitely Sun in Taurus – a concrete purchase that sets foundations), be absolutely certain of what you’re buying or signing. Due diligence is absolutely called for, and it might help you uncover bargains, or negotiate a better deal. Moon in Taurus this month, joining with the multiple grand trine pattern, feels right for making purchases, even with Mercury retrograde. May 6 is a peak day for many reasons with Moon in Taurus, and generally timing purchases to that day might work well for you. Moon in the earthy signs is also reasonably good this month for purchases; two additional key dates consist of April 27 and May 14.
Career
The feeling of being able to accomplish a fair amount of work independently characterizes the transits until Venus enters Taurus on April 29. You might find that Moon in the earth signs this month is particularly productive, and in fact all month seems reasonably productive. Persistence is the key for this month. I really like the idea of steady, hard work, even if the gains aren’t immediate or seem grandiose, due to the tight Jupiter-Saturn square. The “controlled expansion” theme works well with Sun in Taurus, due to the idea of working on foundations and applying steady effort move closer to goals – even slightly closer. Vesta (asteroid lady) is part of the grand trine patterns for most of the month. Also of interest, she changes signs several days before Sun enters Gemini. Making the effort to find dependable people to work with can help push goals farther, which is usually true but especially true this month. If someone tells you that they admire your dedication this month, you’re definitely latching onto the Vesta vibe! Focusing on producing tangible results is front and center this month.
Mercury indeed is retrograde for most of the month, but his role in the earthy grand trines is an opportunity not to pass up. He makes an odd angle to Zeus (Transneptunian) from about May 11 to May 14, which strikes me as a window of time that is “super-productive” and has possibilities for being able to quickly adjust and apply creativity in order to meet goals. May 6 and 7 are something to the same effect with Sun making the same aspect to Zeus on those days. The Saturn-Jupiter-Neptune mutable t-square also suggests some adaptability, and that authority will be less influential. That may actually be more difficult than it sounds, as structure is often useful. It counters the Sun in Taurus and earthy influences somewhat, in that direction may not be so clear with Neptune in his home sign in tension with Saturn retrograde, in Jupiter’s sign. Mars will drift away from a conjunction with Saturn as the month progresses, but they will be conjunct by sign all month. I have the impression that combining discipline with activity, in order to achieve lofty objectives, is very hit and miss this month! Therefore having a plan that helps you hit on all cylinders can be useful. Calibrating efforts is important (Mars-Saturn both retrograde and conjunct), in addition to having so many earthy influences that are more generically suggesting just a lot of ‘effort’.
I also like April 26 and 27, and May 6 and 7 for showing leadership, producing high-quality work, and dealing with superiors. That May 6 date repeats, making it a very key date this month for work and career, and overall I believe the mutable t-square is saying that if you can be flexible in meeting challenges, a decent amount of productivity, and hopefully the commensurate rewards, are in store for this month.
Spirituality
This month reminds me of devotional objects (statues, relics and icons, paintings, and other tangible items) in terms of spirituality. Neptune as the outlet of the earthy grand trines, approximately, is a large part of this impression. Poseidon is also active this month. He symbolizes enlightenment, as the slowest moving of the hypothetical Transneptunians. (He is the last step on the evolutionary scale created by the planets and eight Transneptunians.) Poseidon’s influence pertaining to Neptune is most interesting, as Poseidon can help to lift Neptune’s fog. Thus “true understanding” regarding spiritual concepts is a strong theme this month. As I mentioned in the opening, one way to pursue spiritual clarity this month is to find ways to become grounded. The charts are literally saying this. The duality of the material and the spiritual, alluded to in the opening comments, is an amazing reflection of Pluto’s slow trek through the Capricorn sign. Pluto, perhaps surprisingly, might be an intriguing way to reach Neptune this month. Pluto orbits beyond Neptune – but during a brief time in his orbit, he is closer to the Sun than Neptune. Finding tangible ways to evolve can lead to Neptune’s bliss, if the symbolism of Pluto holds. Can Neptune and Pluto work together, creating a theme of “spiritual evolution” this month? Pluto is a bit outside of orb to a sextile with Neptune this month, but perhaps the symbolism can hold. How might you transform and change, through attention to the details of your life, and thinking about your experience as a material being, as a way to access Neptune’s spirituality this month?
Moon in Pisces, based on the previous comments, might be stronger than usual this month. May 2 is the strongest, because Moon will act as an outlet for the earthy grand trines for several hours, while she is conjunct Neptune. I have natal Moon in Pisces. Moon in Pisces symbolizes the unconscious need to connect with the source. She is watery/emotional and mutable/adaptable in the last sign of the zodiac. Endings, transcendence, idealism, and imagination all act as an outlet for the strong earthy energies this month with Moon in Pisces. It gives the image of a beautiful sculpture, painting, a musical score, or some other tangible part of experiencing art. Wrapping up a cycle in your life or work, large or small, can be well timed around May 1 and 2. May 1 falls on a Sunday, but whether or not you practice a traditional religion that is a powerful time this month for spiritual experiences.
Relationships
Cupido (Transneptunian – marriage, togetherness, community) is retrograde all month, and starts the month just inside of the 26th degree of Sagittarius. Cupido’s conjunction to the Galactic Center fades as the month progresses, but is still something to be enjoyed. The Cupido-Galactic Center conjunction is a theme of ‘larger purpose’ and feeling connected to individuals, as well as larger groups, and even to all of humanity! Harmony and the enjoyment of the company of anyone with a common link (at the same company, from the same city) gives a more big picture type of flow to Cupido’s manifestation this month. Certainly marriage and family benefits from Cupido’s place in late Sagittarius this month. Juno (asteroid lady) is also retrograde throughout the month, and she draws closer to the beginning of Scorpio by the month’s end. She aspects Hades (Transneptunian) from about May 5 to 14. Examining the details of close relationships, or re-examining them, might be necessary this month, especially during those dates. While it can be unpleasant, doing so might finally resolve lingering issues. May 5-14 is in the thick of Mercury retrograde, which can create a few land mines if past muck arises. Thus it’s important to make sure that what is communicated in close relationships, in particular during May 5-14, is not misunderstood. Pallas (asteroid lady – creative intelligence) helps to form a watery grand trine with Hades and Juno starting on May 11. This brief window of about three days is an opportunity to see the entirety of an issue, in addition to the details, and apply new ideas to understanding a difficult situation, and using intuition (water/Pisces) in order to solve problems. On the brighter side, Hades’ symbolism involves past lives and an alchemy type theme. Hades-Juno, and later Pallas, can give insight into close relationships, and how both people can evolve, or perhaps how two individuals combine to create a ‘unit’ as a couple that is completely new. I would say the potential for learning outweighs the more unpleasant side of the pattern.
Venus is conjunct Uranus at the beginning of the month. Relationships in general, therefore, can feel a bit disruptive or unpredictable, and a bit more individualistic. On the other hand, spontaneity and new ideas help move relationships along, until Venus enters Taurus on April 29. Venus in Taurus is aesthetic, practical, and gives a sense of “increasing returns” regarding collaboration (e.g., one person can produce two units in an hour, but two people working together can produce eight units in an hour). This obviously suggests opportunities for productivity through cooperation, for either personal or professional benefit. Venus does not start to conjunct Mercury until about May 5. The temptation is to characterize Mercury conjunct Venus this month as “communication problems in relationships”, but I think much more can be said about the conjunction, and it doesn’t even automatically suggest communication problems. Venus is stronger by sign. Thinking and communicating in depth with other people is characteristic of Mercury retrograde conjunct Venus in Taurus. Collaborative intellectual problem solving can also be effective, if a patient, step-by-step method is implemented. While you might have to backtrack (Mercury retrograde), carefully working through missteps can give a level of quality that might be higher than without the Mercury retrograde influence. A more deliberative pace fits both Taurus and Mercury retrograde; and Mercury retrograde in Taurus, considered in that light, can be of benefit in effectively dealing with various relationships.
May 10 shows Venus forming an exact trine to Jupiter. Sun and Mercury join in the earthy grand trine pattern on that day. This is perhaps the strongest day of the month for relationships. One way to approach May 10 would be to simply enjoy the company of other people. Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac, reminds us that steady, hard work is necessary, after the initial excitement of initiating a new project or relationship happens, which is symbolic of the Aries energy. Taurus is also ruled by Venus, a reminder that we can enjoy the company of other people, appreciate nature, and partake in the material rewards of labor. Venus is also about balance. Finding fulfillment and meaning through work, as well as enjoying the niceties in life, seems to be a worthwhile philosophy to consider. In that sense, I hope that you find both enjoyment and fulfillment this month, through your work, relationships, and other areas of life.
Happy solar return to friends with natal Sun in Taurus, and see you next month. Mike
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