The earthiest of all Earth signs, Taurus is one of my favorite places in the zodiac because it is such a glorious time of year when the Sun passes through Taurus, around April 20-May 20. The northern hemisphere is in the throes of warm Spring weather, and everything feels alive with hope and promise.
Earth laughs in flowers.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Taurus is considered a feminine sign where Venus is domiciled, and the Moon is exalted. The cardinal burst of Aries settles into the fixed mode of Taurus. Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro wrote about Taurus in their foundational text, On the Heavenly Spheres: A Treatise on Traditional Astrology:
“Characterizes a calm, pondered behavior with a tendency toward inertia and laziness. The attitude is pragmatic and centered on comfort and satisfaction.”
It sounds lovely, and Johfra Bosschart’s painting captures the peaceful, slower, pastoral vibe. His work features a mature young woman in a gossamer gown sitting astride a plodding white bull whose neck is adorned with flowers. The soldier who was wild and furious in the Aries painting now naps in the shade while chubby infants play with his helmet.
On December 29th, I think about Taurus season longingly.
In tarot decks, the symbolism of Taurus shifts from seasonal agrarian to social and religious structures. Major arcana card 5, The Hierophant, is associated with Taurus. The central figure in the Thoth and Rider-Waite decks is a keyholding man dressed in formal religious garb like the Catholic Pope. Standard interpretative meanings center around learning or complying with the rules of a structured hierarchical institution, where wisdom and power are channeled through a gatekeeper. Rules and knowledge are handed down.
Bureaucratic organizations are notoriously difficult to change, so this picks up on the Taurus themes of stability and slowness. It can also signify divine teachers who connect Heaven and Earth or God and Man. Nature is surely one of these.
I’m thankful for the work of T. Susan Chang and M.M. Meleen for helping me rethink possible interpretations of the minor cards representing the three decans (10 degrees) of Taurus. If you want a dense reference source, I highly recommend their text, Tarot Deciphered: Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot.
Decan 1 is ruled by Mercury and represented by the 5 of Disks. Labeled Worry, this card signifies poverty, hardship, or material struggles. Whether actual or potential, shortages cause people to feel insecure, fearful, and anxious. Chang and Meleen suggest considering this card as “what might go wrong?”
The Moon rules Decan II, represented by the 6 of Disks, with a more upbeat label of Success. This decan is the heart of Taurus season, depicting its bounty. It means material wealth and acts of charity. I was struck by Chang & Meleen’s association of “salvation by works.”
The third decan is Saturn-ruled 7 of Disks, labeled Failure. Saturn restricts, denies, and forces you to labor. This card symbolizes loss or lower-than-expected gains. Chang and Meleen suggest that it’s a time of re-evaluation when you assess what went wrong and then correct it or plan for the future.
As a gardener, the 5, 6, and 7 of Disks make a lot of sense to me. Gardening is a work of trial and error, experiment after experiment. My ex-husband used to tease me when some of my plants died or did poorly. But failure is a necessary part of gardening. You learn by doing, figuring out what doesn’t work, and then trying something else. Maybe the basil needs more direct sunlight and better drainage, or it doesn’t like being next to dill. You try again next time.
Some gardening wisdom can be passed down through a gatekeeper. You can take classes, train with experts, and buy books, which helps a bit. But you learn that your own garden is a specific micro-environment with eccentricities you only uncover through experimentation.
“We gardeners are healthy, joyous, natural creatures. We are practical, patient, and optimistic. We declare our optimism every year, every season, with every act of planting.”
― Carol Deppe
Thank you for indulging me with Taurus reflections today. It inspired me to begin thinking about my spring garden. Maybe it will inspire you, too!
Tomorrow, Gemini.
XOXO,
Denise
