Taurus the Bull – Joan Porte

The Good and Bad of Taurus Presidents

This week saw the birthday of a President most historians repeatedly rank on the bottom of the list of most effective leaders. James Buchanan (April 23, 1791), 15^th President of the United States and the man who preceded Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, was a rather doddering old man who might have been a serviceable leader in peaceful times when he could play entertainer in chief. He was incapable of holding a splitting country together and his relief was over the top when he was able to hand over the reins to Lincoln.

Buchanan was born under a Taurus Sun and his refusal to embrace change and try to fix what was a rapidly disintegrating country are some examples of shadow Taurus traits. Taurus, depicted by the Bull, is solid, sturdy, and unmovable. Buchanan wanted to enjoy the beauty of the White House and play the diplomat. He did not want to face the grim reality facing his country.

However, two other Taurus Presidents were steadfast warriors who, when committed to a goal, saw it through to the end despite the odds. A hero of the soon to explode Civil War, Ulysses S Grant (April 27, 1822), came to the White House thanks to his war exploits. He knew that he had to take the idea of “total war” to the enemy and executed his plans with ruthless but remarkable Taurus stubbornness. He kept one goal in mind – victory – and no one could dissuade him from it.

Another Taurus President who followed his Taurus instincts for stubbornly pursuing a goal and never looking back was Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884). (What is it with these Taurus’ and the use of S as a middle name?) He had some horrific decisions to make when from the moment he became President, made them, and never looked back. That is Taurus in action!

We Need Spring!

We need the spring season. We haven’t seen much of spring but it will arrive – eventually. While those who know me know that I am a cool weather gal we have to honor the beauty and necessity of spring.

Spring begins when the Sun moves into the constellation of Aries on the equinox. Aries is the typical sign of upward and outward movement – or masculine energy looking to change paths and lead a new way. How perfect! This is the time to clean away the old growth, sow the fields and make plans for the rebirth of late spring and early summer.

In Five Element Acupuncture, spring is the time of wood – also a planning time – when Yang energy begins to awaken from a long Yin winter.

Pastina and Pesto a spring dish from “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook.”

The sign that follows Aries is Taurus, the most tactile sign, that which loves to feel and engage with the Earth. Taurus is considered the sign of the Ecology Movement. As the first flowers appear and the Earth is reborn we feel very close to Taurean energy.

I beg of my clients one thing – if you do nothing else with Astrology use it to be in cycle with nature. So use the Aries energy to clean away the cobwebs of winter – physically and emotionally – and then be like Taurus the Bull and run through the new grass and smell the new roses.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Obama

I know I have done a riff on her chart before but several people asked me to review Michelle Obama’s chart for her fiftieth birthday.

While she is a “late” Capricorn Sun person, you know how boring I find Sun energy astrology so let’s look at her rising sign. Ah! Another it is another earth sign! Mrs. Obama’s rising sign (also called ascendant) is in Taurus. Symbolized by the Bull, Taurus is steady, stubborn with a kiss elegance of Venus. Because Venus rules her ascendant, it is the ruling planet of her chart.

Venus appears up in her 11^th house – the house of social and group activities – and is zero degrees Pisces and right on her Pisces Moon. Now, I wonder what artistic ability the first lady might be hiding from us. Venus in Pisces is a classic sign of someone with some kind of musical, artistic, etc. talent. Perhaps hers expresses in her fashion sense and her elegance but who knows – we might be seeing some other kind of artistry coming from her someday. (She has two retrogrades in her 5^thhouse – the house of creativity so it may take a while but it is there!)

Venus on the Moon in the deeply caring sign of Pisces expresses when we see her hugging people and meaning it. She does not give political hugs or handshakes! Her concern and her love of people comes innately. I look for her to continue to work with groups of people long after she is out of the White House.

May 16 – Time For…..

action? Possibly. On May 16th, Mars moves to 19 degrees Taurus which was the exact spot of the recent solar eclipse. For those of us in the D.C. area Mars will be in the 8th house – the house of personal power and transformation.With the power of the eclipse, the tenacity of Taurus and the amazing power of the 8th house this is a perfect time to initiate a project that you want to undertake or make some personal change. Areas of creativity and money are the best places to work in when Taurus is at her best.

So mark it on your calendar and get ready to go – no excuses now!

The Mother of Mother’s Day

The woman responsible for making Mother’s Day and institution never had her own children but started the day as a memorial to her own mother. Anna Jarvis was not only a crusader to recognize the day she later became angry that it became too commercialized. She was reportedly upset with people who gave mom a printed card and candy that they would then share. She thought the gift should be something written from the heart just for your mom. (Boy would she be freaked out now!)

We don’t have Anna’s birth time but know that she was born May 1, 1864 in Webster, West Virginia. Even without the time we know a few things. One her south node, where she was coming from karmicaly was in Taurus so she had the karmic identity of being someone who wanted to around beautiful things and had a creative sense. (No wonder she wanted everyone to write a personal note to mom.) She also had Sun in Taurus.

With her Moon in Pisces, she was compassionate, emotional and carried a bit of a martyr complex. Now I might get in trouble here but with her Chiron, the deep wound, next to her Moon I think she was overcompensating for her own feelings of not being a “perfect daughter.” I could never live up to you mom – never do enough for you mom so I will make my life’s work to show everyone that I really, really did love you.

She also had Mars and Pallas Athena in Pisces – these are the warrior god and goddess – so her cause – her battle is going to be to make everyone back to Mom (whether they want to or not.) She just had a ton of Pisces – that need to sacrifice and wear the emotionalism on her sleeve.

So as you shop for mom, make those florists and restaurants rich, all this Pisces/Taurus wanted was for you write her a note!

What Would the Moon Say?

courtesy of Arlenew

I played a little game with my class at the Institute for Spiritual Development in Washington D.C. which I unofficially entitled “What would the Moon say?” I posed the scenario, what if a someone with a very strong Sagittarian influenced walked up each sign of the zodiac as it embodied the Moon and said something totally Sag. like, “Wow that dress makes you look like Orca!” You know how Sag. is about telling the truth – or I should say their truth. How would these Moons – our emotional barometers respond?

Aries wouldn’t mince words. An Aries Moon would just deck Sag. with one well placed blow to the side of the mouth. Now if this Aries Moon were in a daintier body then the words would flow and flow and flow until Sag. was duly chopped up and humbled.

Taurus on the other hand would pull herself up to full height; straighten her dress (which is a bit snug over the bull’s hips) and say. “I don’t think you are right Sag. This dress is made from the finest of silkworms. I flew to China to oversee the spinning myself.” She would then huff off comforting herself with a box of the finest of Swiss chocolates.

“This dress? This dress is too tight? Really? How can that be I researched the purchase of this dress for three weeks? I tried on 18 different dresses. I went to 7 stores and then….” As Gemini was still babbling on Sag. runs away in self defense.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” Yes, that was Moon Child running off in tears. She will stay in her crab shell for weeks pouting and weeping.

Leo the Lions’ reaction is a wee bit different. “HOW DARE YOU! I have more knowledge about dressing in my little paw then you have in your entire quiver Sag. Begone!” Sag darts out dodging mirrors from Leo’s vast collection being tossed out at her.

Virgo doesn’t respond just immediately becomes anorexic.

“Really? Really? I asked twelve people and weighed their responses very carefully. Then I asked twelve more – it took me twenty weeks to weigh everyone’s opinion of what I should do. How could it be wrong? Libra’s scales were wobbling back and forth with such a flurry Sag. thought a wind storm was in the offing.

Scorpio whipped off her dark glasses in a furor and starred silently into Sag’s soul with such unbridled fierceness that Sag. was terrified for a week.

“Yeah well your hair looks like a home for drug addicted weasels.”

“And your perfume smells like ‘Ode De Goat.'”

“Your shoes are left-overs from the Von Trapp Family AFTER the clomped over the Alps.”

Oh my – Sag. Vs. Sag. is an ugly sight.

Capricorn never looked up from her historical tome. Who cares about such nonsense as fashion? Sag. is so frivolous.

“Wow baby so you don’t like my duds. That is cool. Hey we are all brothers and sisters under the skin where it counts. Coverings are like so superficial. It is all good.” Insulting Aquarius was such a drag.

Pisces suddenly looked even sadder if that was indeed possible! “Oh I knew it would be terrible. I just can’t pick out clothes.” Pisces was so pathetic that for a minute Sag. said he would never insult another person again…or until another ugly dress came into view and the truth just had to be told.

Me and My Shadow – Taurus

You got me JF! I was showing the shadow of my Gemini South Node — jumping around too much. Your comment was correct – I SHOULD go to the opposite of the Scorpio North Node now – not jump to another nodal axis. Ah ha – I tossed in another word – Nodal Access. You know one thing I hate about astrology is when people try to make it totally confusing and inaccessible. The zodiac is a circle – go look at a chart – it is round – right? So, if you have a North Node on one side of the circle – the South Node has to be on the opposite site – that whole north and south thing. Therefore, that is a Nodal Axis. See? Easy.

So the opposite of Scorpio is Taurus. The last post dealt with a Scorpio South Node…so now we will like at Taurus. Taurus is the Bull, to me the ultimate Earth sign – content to laze in the pasture – feeling the wonderful Earth beneath it. They can stay in the pasture all day and look at the pretty colors of the fields. How wonderful. Well, to an extent.

If you have a Taurus South Node, some of the traits you may become too reliant on are stubbornness, materiality and just be stuck in stuff. Come on, you know someone like this – they hoard materials either actually like having a hoarding illness, or they are people stuck on collecting possessions. “See my toys – I have all of these possessions so I must be good – see what I just bought. You must think me valuable now because I have all of these valuables.”

Taureans also have a hard time turning away from the table. People who eat and eat despite having to reinforce the bed, the car and the house frame – are stuck in a gluttonous past. As are people who can’t change their situations no matter how miserable they feel.

Think of the bull, eating in the pasture all day, enjoying all that surrounds him -never moving – taken to extreme that is a person stuck in a Taurus past.

Remember, our South Node is comfortable to us – no matter how detrimental it is to our soul development in this lifetime. We have lived in that existence for so long that we subconsciously crave to go back there. However, the longer we reside there the more shadow aspects develop as the soul development stalls.

So all you Taurus South Node people – get out of your pasture – and into the drama of the world… embrace your Scorpio North Node passion!