Hello again, my friends, and welcome to another edition of The Orrery, your fortnightly column dedicated to Astrology and related topics. Technically, this edition should've come out last weekend, but I had to attend an important event and didn't have time to compose a full post. Also, this is a more adequate moment, since we're much closer to the Full Moon in Scorpio on April 26th.

Today, I'm going to continue with the series that I started in the previous entry and talk about the mythology and meaning of Taurus, the second Sign of the modern zodiac, as well as its ruling Planet, Venus.

The Bull and the Goddess of Pleasure

The constellation that's now identified with Taurus (Latin for "Bull") has a long history in human society, as one of the oldest named groups of stars in the northern sky. The most ancient known representation of this Sign is in the drawings in the caves of Lascaux in France, dating back to at last 15,000 years, which show it along the Pleiades star cluster. This constellation had major importance for all great civilizations, as it marked the position of the Sun during the Spring Equinox and was thus crucial for the agricultural calendar.

In Greek Mythology, this Sign is associated with three separate but related myths, all of them unsurprisingly involving Zeus: the first tells the story of how he fell in love with Io, said to be the first priestess of Hera, and turned her into a white heifer (a Cow) to protect her from Hera's wrath. The second is the story of how Zeus, lovestruck by the Phoenician princess Europa, turned into a white bull and carried her away into the sea, thus siring Minos, King of Crete. The third tells the story of the Cretan Bull, one of Herakles' Twelve Labors. Aside from these references, there are also many more in other mythologies across the world.

Taurus and the Second House of the Natal Chart are ruled by Venus, the second planet of the Solar System and also the second of the Personal Planets, namesake of the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, Pleasure, Fertility and Sensuality. It's also the Morning Star, the second brightest object in the night sky aside from the Moon, called "Light-Bringer" in many cultures, and associated in Christianity with Lucifer, the Fallen Angel. Venus also rules Libra and the Seventh House, which encompass Contracts, Partnerships and mutual Recognitions between individuals.

Both Taurus and Venus are the expression of Embodiment, the essence of Material Existence. As such, they represent the Physical Body, Wealth, Biology, Life, Elemental Structure, the Senses, Earth. The Self of Aries takes on a tangible shape, gaining the ability to interact with this world of phenomena, but the Venusian Soul remains connected to the Source and thus, Universal Love.

People with strong Taurus or Venus placements tend to be business-like, pragmatic, leisurely and financially driven. In shadow, this energy may manifest in selfishness, possessiveness, over-indulgence, laziness, poor health, extreme shyness, greed and hoarding. Once integrated, it manifests in great physical endurance, care for life, healing power, wealth and hospitality.

The Moon in the Depths of the Abyss

In this Taurus season, we're being prompted to re-examine our physical condition and our connection with Mother Earth, to recognize pain and open up to pleasure through a profound self-revision of our routines and discipline. Uranus in this Sign is already making us experience the imbalances that we've caused upon our planet, compelling us to make a collective decision to restructure our society along more natural, healthy pathways.

The global emotional impact of this process is impossible to estimate and even hard to imagine, because it affects everyone differently. However, we're receiving a boon with this Full Moon in Scorpio, bringing Light into the deepest shadows, to reveal in great detail the cavernous roads we've been walking this whole time. The Moon will also be in opposition to Venus, Mercury, Uranus and of course the Sun in Taurus, and squaring both Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) in Capricorn and Mars in Cancer, the Moon's natural Sign. None of this sounds very promising, to be frank, because the levels of tension are huge, and there aren't many outlets available for decompression, but remember that this has been the climate of our life for quite a few months, this Full Moon is coming to give us the details, to show us the full picture... of what? Our desires, our urges, our need for intimacy, for proximity, and all of those chasms, those dark rooms of our psyche which have been collecting dust and fears for generations.

I recommend that you approach this event with acceptance, ready for exposure. If you're able, give yourselves some space for deep reflection, as well as bodily care and training. Work specifically on your sexual energy, as it can help you shift the vibration of this darkness you encounter, to turn unwilling chains into willing bonds so that you can find a path to freedom, because we control only by surrendering. Also, be ready to explore the core of your feelings with complete honesty. It won't do to try to conceal or avoid things like envy, jealousy, remorse or lust, dismantle them as best you can and find the essential truth beneath.

These are hard times, and they'll remain that way for a while still. We need all the tools that we can get, and there isn't a more powerful trove of knowledge and instruments than our Scorpio energy, the compound of all our Secrets.

Dive into the Abyss and come out enlightened, my friends!