About an hour after Venus begins her visit in Taurus, Mercury follows suit. He leaves fiery Aries for earthy Taurus.

Mercury governs all manners of thinking, communicating, transportation and commerce. In Aries, Mercury is quick-thinking, impulsive, creative, can be rash when making decisions and pushy to get their way. In Taurus, Mercury is practical, thorough, considerate, slower to decide, can be stubborn if change is necessary and lazy if things aren't progressing as they desire.

At best, Mercury in Taurus is reliable, determined, persistent, patient, purposeful with a clear, and exhaustive mind. At worst, unyielding, frustrated, unmotivated, possessive, and greedy.

While Mercury is in Taurus, we are encouraged to take our raw ideas and develop a plan to implement them, think beyond the now, and secure future goals. Make some commitments or do right by existing commitments. There is no reason to rush when Taurean energy is at the helm. What matters, however, is that each step taken is measured and decisions made are well thought out. In our interactions, Mercury in Taurus will require tangible proof -- some or all of the five senses will need to be satisfied before something can be declared fact or real.

Don't get too pushy while Mercury is in Taurus. Things need to marinate. There's a level of comfort required before Taurean energy can make concessions. Patience. Recognize the benefits of thinking things through and respect the process necessary to accomplish goals with determined actions.

On the day Mercury and Venus (relationships/finances) enter Taurus, both immediately form a harmonious, opportunistic alignment with Neptune (compassion/insight). This energy might be reminiscent of the previous week, when Mercury and Venus were inches from each other and both were also commingling with Jupiter (ideals/opportunities) in Aries.

Mercury enters Taurus on May 15 at 4:18 p.m. PDT / 7:18 p.m. EDT and will stay through June 2. While in Taurus, Mercury will align with the following celestial bodies (all dates reflect North America Pacific time zone; allow +/-2 days for life span of influence):

• May 16 ~ Mercury conjunct Venus and both sextile Neptune. covered above
• May 19 to 22 ~ Mercury conjunct Mars, both sextile Chiron and trine Pluto-rx, while Mercury also quincunx Saturn-rx. Let heart, mind and soul reflect our thoughts, words, actions within our relationships and in our interactions. Be aware of where our thoughts and actions are rooted from. We can heal the self, help others heal, or get stuck in reliving painful experiences/memories or be the cause of someone else's sorrow. Mental blockages or communication breakdown may be additional challenges due to Saturn's influence. Also on May 21st, Sun enters Gemini.

How might Mercury transit in Taurus manifest in your world? Look to the Taurus-ruled house/s in your birth chart. Match the sign with the house cusp/s on your birth chart. Use the list of zodiac sign below to identify the Taurus zodiac sign on your birth chart then click here for an explanation of Mercury 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 click here for an explanation of Mercury 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 at alabe.com for use as reference -- birth date, time, and place required.

Are you celebrating a birthday? Schedule a session for a Solar Return (birthdays) or 3-Chart Package Reading (detailed natal & overall outlook for the next 12 months). Or you might consider giving a loved one the gift of insight.

Have a question or need a quote for a more customized reading, ask me here.

What significance do planets, signs, and houses have in astrology? Planets have the function, the job to do. The style/manner they will use get that job done is defined by the zodiac sign they occupy. Where in our life the job gets done is determined by the house the planet occupies/transits. So, when Mars (aggression) is in Aries (bold), he is more assertive than when he is in Cancer (sensitive). When traveling through the 10th house (professional life), he may bring his confidence and motivation in matters relating to our career. While in the 11th house (friendships), we may be more inclined to having our social calendar packed with activities. Having the foresight for what may be coming up or receiving confirmation on what may be happening now are ways astrology can be beneficial ... as above, so below.

Related articles:

• Transiting Mercury in Natal Houses
• Current Planetary Transits
• Solar Returns Explained ~ your personal year
• Sun in Taurus ~ April 20 to May 21, 2011
• New Moon in Taurus ~ May 2/3, 2011
• Mars in Taurus ~ May 11 June 20, 2011
• Venus in Taurus ~ May 15 to June 9, 2011

Bull. Original image source unknown.