On May 16, 2023, Jupiter enters Taurus for a nice, leisurely stay, until it enters Gemini on May 25, 2024. Settle yourself down on a nice, comfy cushion, grab a tasty snack, and take a moment to contemplate what this feast for the senses will mean for you in the year ahead.
Understanding Transits
First of all, a planet transiting through a sign exercises its essential character through that sign. Jupiter urges us to grow, expand, and seek meaning. In Taurus, Jupiter seeks ways to increase prosperity, security, and pleasure. He looks for meaning in nature, in the enjoyment of the world’s bounty, and in the senses. He favors gradual, steady growth over sudden, dramatic growth spurts.
For thousands of years, cultures have revered the cow or bull as a symbol of wealth and of earth’s bounty. The blessings of both Jupiter and Taurus are many: a sense that anything is possible, that security is within reach, and that pleasures are abundant. But the combination of Jupiter’s respect for doctrine and Taurus’ conservatism has a potential downside: the unwillingness to confront needed change. The idiom ‘sacred cows’ (based on the reverential treatment of cows by Hindus and in other cultures) refers to something that is held to be immune from question or criticism. While Jupiter is in Taurus, we’re unlikely to see critical examinations of entrenched attitudes or policies, however inconvenient, outmoded, or even harmful they may be.
Jupiter in Aspect
A transiting planet is also colored by its aspects to other transiting planets. Jupiter begins its Taurus journey with a square to Pluto (May 17), a relatively quick transit which nevertheless sets a tone for the unfolding of this transit. Pluto is often overlooked as a planet of wealth, but the God of the Underworld is also the planet of big money (it’s where we get the term Plutocrat). His natural house, the 8th, is a house of shared resources, insurance, legacy, and investments. Jupiter (another planet of prosperity) connecting with Pluto points out tensions around wealth. But if Jupiter and Pluto connect positively with your birth chart (say, in good aspect to Venus, Jupiter, and/or Pluto), you may see a bump in your own bottom line. Jupiter’s other important transit in this sign is a conjunction with unpredictable Uranus in April 2024, which is sure to bring surprising events in both global economics and your own pocketbook.
Transits and your chart
Finally, there’s the house of your birth chart that contains Taurus, through which Jupiter is now moving, and its aspects to your natal planets. Each time it moves through Taurus, Jupiter touches these same areas of your chart in the same way. So you will probably find connections between previous Jupiter in Taurus years (such as 1988/89, 1999/2000, 2011/2012) and this one.
Pay attention, too, to the houses that oppose and square your Taurus house, especially if they have planets in them. These areas of your chart will also feel some Jupiterian pressure to grow. In my chart, Jupiter in Taurus falls in my sixth house and aspects planets in my 12th, 2nd, and 9th houses. In late Taurus, Jupiter will form a beneficial grand trine with my natal Saturn (2nd house) and Mars (10th house). Not surprisingly, Jupiter in Taurus years have brought improvement in my finances (2nd house), career advancement (10th house), travel, education, and publishing (9th house). I also tend to start taking a bit better care of my health (6th house).
Taurus has a reputation for being easy-going, but when Jupiter in this sign bumps up against planets in your chart in Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, expect to feel a surge of motivation and an urge for adventure – to feel rather like a charging bull who’s just been released from a holding pen at the rodeo.
Getting the Most from Jupiter in Taurus
Count your blessings! If each New Moon finds you writing down a list of intentions and “wishes” for the coming month, consider prefacing that list with an equal number of things for which you are grateful. Watch Jupiter in Taurus’ steady, encouraging hand as he touches your birth chart, bringing a wealth of vision and optimism where you previously felt none. Commit to Jupiterian endeavors, such as education or writing, that require Taurus’ patience and stamina. Invest in knowledge. Grow a garden. Spend time in nature. Hug a cow.
Recent Jupiter in Taurus years:
- June 4, 2011-June 11, 2012
- June 28 – Oct. 22, 1999; Feb. 14 – June 30, 2000
- March 8 – July 21, 1988; Nov. 30, 1988 – March 10, 1989
Writing and images © 2011-23 by April Elliott Kent
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