CORRESPONDENCES: JUPITER IN TAURUS
Back by popular demand, here are some bizarre combinations of correspondences, but this time it's things ruled by Jupiter and by Taurus. In newsletter #1, I talk more about what correspondences (or rulerships) are, so check that out if you want to know more (or ask me if you didn't get #1!).
Briefly, every object, subject, and concept in the universe is "ruled" by a planet or a sign. Based on the idea of "cosmic sympathy," each of these things can be conceived as discontinuous parts of the same body/process/cluster of meanings, on all different scales (from the tiniest bug to the planet itself).
It's funny how much overlap there is between things ruled by Jupiter and Taurus (banks! abscesses! wallets!) probably because they both have a reputation for excess & accumulation. Without further delay:
casino carpets
cattle with valuable fur
honey in a beard
strangling missionaries
an award for the biggest gourd
begging a bankteller for mercy
liver & beans
gargling while riding a horse
ransom for a kidnapped dancer
licking your passport
Tazmanian philanthropists
choking on asparagus
opulent abscesses
putting your tonsils on an altar
whale tuxedos
a cream-yellow courthouse wig
TAURUS & THE STORY OF THE MINOTAUR
King Minos was a mythical ruler of Crete, most notorious for feeding virgins to a bullheaded monster in a labyrinth below his city. The story has some insights into the nature of Taurus, and perhaps Jupiter in Taurus in particular. We can draw allegories for each sign and planet among the myths of different cultures, and this one is pretty clearly Taurean, beyond the Minotaur's literal bull-head.
Minos wanted to prove his right to rule, so he prayed to Poseidon to send him proof of his legitimacy. Poseidon sent him a sacred white bull that emerged from the ocean; the only thing he asked was for Minos to sacrifice the bull to him afterwards. Minos tried to trick the god by sacrificing a different white bull (because tricking the gods always works in Greek mythology, lol). His punishment was that his wife would become obsessed with having sex with a bull and give birth to its monster child. (This kind of misogynist punishment is all over Greek myth, I digress.) So, she asks Daedelus (the one who made the trojan horse!) to build her a super sexy wooden bull to climb inside of so the sacred bull would find her irresistible. It worked, and the Minotaur was born, then locked away below the city in a labyrinth where 14 virgins would be fed to him once every 9 years (which I guess is kind of glutinous, but it's only every 9 years!)
Thinking about archetypes through the lens of astrology, we can all occupy different figures in mythical stories at different moments. The astrologer Liz Greene talks about Taurus’ connection to Minos the king, not just the bullheaded creature: one of the pitfalls that Taurus’ need to avoid is clinging to the material things you already have at the expense of others or of your own development. When a Taurean stagnates, it’s often from the desire to preserve the pleasures they already have in their lives, but in doing so they sacrifice the opportunity to grow and expand those pleasures by accepting change and risking the loss of a familiar comfort. Things may look great on the surface, like Minos’ “thriving” city, but what do we have to lock away in a labyrinth to preserve our control or cling to our material comforts?
Jupiter is the planet, not just of growth and expansion, but excess and insatiability. It’s easy to love Jupiter, but we shouldn’t forget one of the things it rules is banks. If we open up to new forms of pleasure that feel like a risk, or allow ourselves to let go of our grip on what we have and operate out of true abundance & generosity, Jupiter in Taurus can transform our relationship to resources and help us let go of scarcity. But it can also just be the desire for more, more, more. There’s nothing wrong with basking in epicurean pleasures: but remember these things aren’t scarce until they’re captured by capitalism, the system of greed that tells you there isn’t enough, and the only thing you can do to be safe and stable is to take from others, to horde, to keep feeding innocent people to the monster in the labyrinth it created.
SOME UPCOMING TRANSITS // MAY 19, 2023
We’ve already talked about Jupiter ingressing (astro talk for entering) into Taurus, so if you have planets in the earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) this is an exciting time for you! There’s a particularly nice moment on June 3rd when Jupiter is with the north node, so let’s talk and see how you can use that moment when the planet of growth & opportunity connects with a point of fate & amplification.
However, first we need to get past a t-square that happens right after this new moon. A t-square is when 3 planets are all locked in difficult aspects with each other (two squares & an opposition). These often create a sense of gridlock, but that tension also builds energy that drives us to reach beyond our limitations. In this case, the planets involved are Mars in Leo, Pluto in Aquarius, and Jupiter in Taurus. Anyone with planets in the first few degrees of fixed signs will be feeling this more over the next week or so. Expect that there may be challenging events around this when the moon conjuncts Mars on May 24th. After that, more of the benefits of Jupiter in Taurus will be apparent.
Gemini season begins on the 20th, the same day that Mars leaves Cancer and enters Leo. Mercury is now out of retrograde too. This will give us more energy to socialize and play, but also to get things done, particularly projects that involve writing, crafting, or communication.
Saturn stations retrograde on June 17th, just before the next new moon. For those in your Saturn return this could be one of the first major turning points in your 3 year voyage. If you feel the weight of Saturn, the energy of restriction, obligation, collapse of structures, or dissolving of boundaries, there’s a good chance that Saturn is hitting your chart right now.