The Eternal You
If you ask someone how they’re different at 40 than they were at 10, they might point to the obvious external changes that come with age. But that small voice within? It probably sounds exactly the same as it always has. And at 62 years old, when I compare notes with people my age we pretty much agree that we don’t feel that much different, at a core level, than we did as children – even if we try to pretend to the rest of the world that we’ve left that 10 year old, with all our individual quirks, far behind.
Change – real change – is hard; and if it comes at all, it won’t last long if it’s not in accord with the true self. The Sun, as it comes together in a conjunction with Uranus (May 13, 2024, 2:13 am PDT), shines a spotlight on how we’re different from others, but also how we need to change the persona we’ve created to impress the world, in order to honor who we’ve always been inside. I like something that Rupaul recently wrote on his Instagram account: “My phone lock screen is me at 5 yrs old. Reminds me whose emotional heart I’m taking care of.” Take care of your own heart – the heart of the eternal you.
Serenade
A First Quarter Moon furthers the agenda of the New Moon (in this case, last week’s Taurus New Moon) through action. The Leo First Quarter (May 15, 2024, 4:48 am PDT, 25º08’ Leo) pronounces that the right action at this time is to take what Taurus has provided – the platform of security, confidence, and resources – stamp it with an original imprint, and gift it back to the world as a gift. It’s time to perform, to show our stuff to the world.
In this First Quarter Moon chart, the Sun – ruler of Leo – is nestled between Jupiter and Uranus. The big energy of the recent Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on April 20th is now ready to be shared. The Sun is on the Sabian symbol, A Spaniard serenading his Senorita, a symbol of wooing and of expressing heartfelt emotion to somebody that we love. The First Quarter is action time – so now is the time to share your song.
Dialogue with the Physical World
This week, Mercury – symbol of our skills, our wit, and our cognitive prowess – enters Taurus (May 15, 2024, 10:05 am PDT, through June 3). Deliberate, taciturn Taurus may seem like an odd fit for Mercury. But that’s only if we assume that Mercury’s work is confined to speaking, writing, and conversing. Mercury is also the planet of perception and learning, which are by no means confined to language.
Mercury in Taurus symbolizes our dialogue with the physical world. What can our bodies teach us? What knowledge do we gain from being embodied, living on a planet? How do we communicate with the world through touch, fragrance, beauty?
To have a dialogue with the things of the physical world – to let them teach us – means letting go of some of our attachment to the mind. It means slowing down chronological time so that we can focus on the present moment. Mercury in Taurus excels at slowing down. Try not to fight it. We’ll find plenty to occupy Mercury’s curiosity beyond what’s written on a page or spoken with words. There are different ways of knowing.
Speedbump
Freshly in Taurus, Mercury squares Pluto (May 17, 2024, 00:44 am PDT). During Mercury’s extended sojourn and retrograde in feisty Aries since March 9, have you worked to develop patience, maintain your control when provoked, do a better job of listening to others, and fine-tune your communication? All that will get easier as Mercury moves farther along through Taurus, but its square to Pluto is a speedbump that tempts us to let loose with a sting when we’ve been crossed.
But giving others the power to make us lose control is a poor reaction to the Mercury/Pluto challenge. Rather, mastery of the mind, better focus, and powerful command of language are the lesson of this fleeting transit. This is when we will have truly graduated from Mercury in Aries, into the quieter pastures of Taurus.
Cobblers and Kings
The Sun conjoins Jupiter (May 18, 2024, 11:45 am PDT) once a year, and the Sun’s animating force comes together with Jupiter’s forceful presence and ignites the desire for power. The Sun and Jupiter are both kingly planets, and this combination excites an urge to expand one’s kingdom, one’s realm. As they unite in Taurus, it’s specifically the realm of property and riches where we want to expand our power and influence.
But this conjunction at 28º18’ Taurus is on the much more modest Sabian symbol 29 Taurus, Two cobblers working at a table. The Sun and Jupiter are working together at similar tasks, maybe even the same task, with each working on one shoe from the same pair. There’s more than one way to expand one’s influence, and perhaps these two kings decide to merge their kingdoms and make them larger in that way.
How goes it in your kingdom? Is there a fellow cobbler who can help you expand your realm?
Electricity
More than thirty years ago, I met my husband when he came to me for an astrology reading. But I’d first heard his voice several months before, on my answering machine. The minute I did, I felt an intense rush of something I can only call electricity. I’d never experienced anything like that before, nor have I experienced anything remotely like it since.
Which is weird, because when I actually met him in person, he seemed like fun but not romance material. That took a lot longer, after many months of getting to know each other as friends. But something in me knew, from that first phone message, that this person would change my life. And within eighteen months, I’d left my fledgling, pre-internet astrology business, moved to another city, and married him.
As we were reminded by the conjunction of the Sun and Uranus earlier this week, we don’t like to change much, most of us. Oh, there are a few renegades who live for it; but generally, as long as we’re in a fairly comfortable position, we’d prefer to stay put.
But watch. Look at that fellow over there, who’s fallen madly in love. Observe as overnight he quits his job, gives up his apartment, and moves across country to be with the object of his desire. Oh, he can’t change his life fast enough.
Given a chance, love can change us. Watch as Venus, the goddess of desire – powerful, seductive, in her own sign of Taurus – makes a conjunction with Uranus, the god of change (May 19, 2024, 4:40 am PDT). If you’re paying attention, Venus might kiss your cheek. If you’re lucky, there will be lightning – and there’s no telling where you might end up from there.
The Story, and How to Tell It
Sometimes, a good, solid nap is just what you need to refuel your mind, spirit, and creative juices. A lunch break overlooking the ocean or a lake, or in the company of a good book, can do the same. Do it for the right amount of time – not too long! – and you’ll be refreshed and productive for the remainder of the day.
When the Sun in Pisces conjoined Neptune back on March 17, it was time for a deep sleep and reimagining; as it passed through Aries (March 19-April 19), we woke up and got to work. And now, as the Sun in Taurus sextiles Neptune (May 19, 2024, 3:45 pm PDT), new ideas and imaginings are surfacing.
What new dream story are you getting ready to tell? Look to Neptune’s placement in the Pisces house of your chart (don’t know how to find it? this blog post/video might help) to identify the story, and the Taurus part of your chart to see how the Sun will help you tell it. And remember to take some time out for dreaming.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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