Spontaneity, impetuousness, be gone. The Sun steadies in Taurus on April 20 and stays until May 20, where slow but sure trumps quick and risky :) In Aries, the Sun is bold, confident, direct, quick-thinking, quick-acting and quick-tempered. In Taurus, the Sun slows down, steps back, makes considerations, and assesses risk vs. gain with the timing involved. There is no rushing Taurean energy. Taurus moves into action when Taurus is good and ready :)

Things may sllloooooowww down even more with Mercury retrograde for part of the Sun's transit in Taurus, especially with two other planets already retrograde -- Saturn and Pluto. This year, in general, has been slow to start with Mars retrograde as we welcomed 2010 and lasting until mid-March. The Sun (March 20 to April 20) and Mercury (March 17 to April 2) moving into Aries as Mars began to move direct again (March 10) gave us a nice period to jump start what may have been stalled or get answers on what we may have been waiting on. Now, Mercury retrogrades in Taurus on April 18 until May 11, giving us another period of slowed energy. If it seems like I'm overusing the word slow, it's intentional. I'm not an impatient person, yet all this "slower" energy has really been trying for me. So, if anyone else out there shares my frustration, prepare yourself, as I also prepare myself, to accept things moving even slower. Let's make use of the energy instead of becoming too annoyed with it or give in to it by being lazy. I digress :)

Looking at the sky from a bigger picture, this slowed period can best be used for review, planning, tying up loose ends or cutting ties. Uranus enters Aries next month and will be at Aries Point through the summer before retrograding and re-entering Pisces mid-August. While at Aries Point, Uranus will join Saturn-Pluto and their lingering square with each other to form a Grand Cross with Jupiter and the Eclipsed Cancer-Moon on June 26, then a Cardinal T-Square late July (which also completes the Saturn-Uranus opposition that began November 2008) and finally, a Cardinal Grand Cross early August. What could all this possibly mean? Well, I'm hoping to write a more lengthy post on the subject, but for now, it pretty much means -- you best know what it is you want, what direction you want to move towards, what actions you want to take, what it is that motivates you to do or want to do these things. The energy this summer is tense, impatient, dynamic and requires action, movement, change. If you are prepared, you will be able to grab the reins, ride your way into the direction you want and get a jump start on things, launch something you've been working on or build upon what you've already got going. If you are unprepared, however, you may get caught by its strength and be forced to take action or make major decisions but with the feeling of being under duress. You end up reacting to situations instead of being in control of the actions/decisions taken.

So, I'm going to be working extra hard shifting my perspective and welcoming this period of reflection and review to create, concretize or revise plans, as necessary. From April 18 to May 11, Mercury joins Saturn (retrograde until May 30) and Pluto (retrograde until September 14) in this introspective state/planning mode. How will you make use of the Sun's transit in Taurus from April 20 to May 20?

While in Taurus, the Sun will align with the following celestial bodies (all dates reflect EST [NYC] time zone; give +/-2 days for life span of influence):

• April 20 ~ Chiron enters Pisces. Another shift in the sky occurs. Chiron, the wounded healer, steps into Pisces for the first time since the sixties. He has been in Aquarius since 2005. This is a major shift of energy in the heavens with subtle but undeniable influence on us earthlings.
• April 25 ~ Sun trine Pluto-rx. Strong ability for concentration. In earth signs, practicality, decisions based on reason, digging for answers/truth by finding proof and going forward with measured steps.
  
• April 28 ~ Sun conjunct Mercury and Full Moon in Scorpio at 8:19 a.m. EST.
  
• May 4 ~ Sun square Mars. Ouch. Watch tempers. Avoid decisions due to frustration or impatience. Be mindful of the ego. Consider collaboration to arrive at results. Be ready to accept it if results are not what's desired.
  
• May 13 ~ New Moon in Taurus at 9:04 p.m. EST.
  
• May 17 and 18 ~ Sun sextile Jupiter and trine Saturn-rx. With Venus also square Jupiter and Saturn on these days, allow the Sun's more agreeable links with Jupiter and Saturn to lighten moods and have enough optimism to make solid decisions or actions.
  

How will the Sun's transit in Taurus influence in your life? Look to the Taurus-ruled house/s in your birth chart. Match the signs with the house cusps on your birth chart. Use the list of zodiac signs below to identify the Taurus zodiac sign on your birth chart then click here for a brief explanation of the Sun transiting those solar and/or natal houses.


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For those without a birth chart, you may use your Sun sign or Rising/Ascendant sign, if you know it. Look for your Sun and/or Rising Sign below then then click here for a brief explanation of the Sun transiting those solar and/or natal houses.

• Aries-Sun or Aries Rising ~ 2nd House
• Taurus-Sun or Taurus Rising ~ 1st House
• Gemini-Sun or Gemini-Rising ~ 12th House
• Cancer-Sun or Cancer-Rising ~ 11th House
• Leo-Sun or Leo-Rising ~ 10th House
• Virgo-Sun or Virgo-Rising ~ 9th House
• Libra-Sun or Libra-Rising ~ 8th House
• Scorpio-Sun or Scorpio-Rising ~ 7th House
• Sagittarius-Sun or Sagittarius-Rising ~ 6th House
• Capricorn-Sun or Capricorn-Rising ~ 5th House
• Aquarius-Sun or Aquarius-Rising ~ 4th House
• Pisces-Sun or Pisces-Rising ~ 3rd House

Alternatively, you may cast your own birth chart for use as reference -- birth date, time, and place required.