Thoughts on Taurus

April 20 - May 21,2002

Key Phrases

The word of the personality:
“Let struggle be undismayed”

The word of the soul:
 “I see, and when the Eye is opened, all is Light.”

We come to the sign which is called "the sign of the major life incentive" because Taurus is the symbol of desire in all its phases. Whether the subjective man is impelled by desire, or the disciple is driven forth upon the path of return by the urge of aspiration, or whether the initiate is controlled by the will to cooperate with the Plan, he is, nevertheless, being responsive to the most potent manifestation of a little known and understood aspect of divinity, to which we give the inadequate name of the Will of God.    (Pg. 370/71)

The Taurian influence must now be regarded as being of exceeding potency today, particularly from the angle of the subjective spiritual values; it is Taurus which is the ruler and the guiding influence of that which is occurring everywhere.  (Pg. 375)

This sign is an earth sign and hence the working out of the Plan or the fulfillment of desire must be carried out upon the outer plane of living. This will or desire must express itself in the plane of outer living and in the environment whether it is the environment of an individual man, of a nation or of a group of nations.  (Pg. 378)

The Exoteric Ruler is Venus:  “Venus connotes in our minds, even if we have only a glimmer of occult truth, that which is mental, that which concerns final sublimation, that which deals with sex and that which must work out into symbolic expression upon the physical plane. These are the major concepts which enter our minds when Venus and Taurus are considered in unison.”  (Pg. 383/4)

It is necessary to “ grasp the spiritual side of Venus which emphasizes that the Son of God who is the Son of mind is the instrument of God's love; and to learn, therefore, to transmute knowledge into wisdom.” (Pg. 393/4)

The Esoteric and Hierarchical Ruler is Vulcan:  “Taurus forges the instruments of constructive living or of destruction; it forges the chains which bind or creates the key which unlocks the mystery of life; it is this forging process, with its consequent clamor, which is going on at this time in a most potent manner. Vulcan controls the anvil-like processes of time and strikes the blow which shapes the metal into that which is desired, and this is true today as never before.”  (Pg. 374/5)

“Vulcan, the forger of metals, is the one who works in the densest, most concrete expression of the natural world (from the human angle).  He is the one who goes down into the depths to find the material upon which to expend his innate art and to fashion that which is beautiful and useful. Vulcan is, therefore, that which stands for the soul, the individual, inner, spiritual man; in his activity we find the key to the soul’s task upon the eternal wheel of life.”  (Pg. 385/6)

Interpretation:

It is always difficult to interpret the prevailing energies during the Sun’s passage through the sign of Taurus.  This is because the esoteric and hierarchical ruler, Vulcan, has yet to be discovered. Researchers are of the opinion that Vulcan is traveling so close to the Sun and Mercury that only when conditions are extremely favorable can Vulcan be seen against the Sun from the viewpoint of the Earth. General consensus among astrologers is that Vulcan can always be found within 8 degrees, 30 minutes of the Sun’s natal position. Thus, in a personal horoscope, Vulcan will be in the same sign as the Sun, unless the Sun is in the very early or very late degrees of the sign.

Rather than speculate upon the effects resulting from the positions of Venus and Vulcan, I have chosen to share some comments from Esoteric Astrology containing ideas we could explore during this solar month.

“I would like here to call your attention to the fact that Taurus is a synthetic sign in the sense that it brings expression of an inner urge of some definite nature upon the physical plane. This it does, because its basic quality demonstrates as desire in the mass of men and as will or directed purpose in the disciple or the initiate. It manifests as stubbornness in the average man (and this is literally willful adherence to personality aims) or as intelligently expressed will--actuated by the impulse of love--in the advanced man. This connotes adherence to soul purpose. People who are Taurians naturally and by natal inclination would do well to consider this statement and thus test all their major determining activities by the question: Is my present attitude, my work or intention actuated by personality desire or am I working and planning directly under soul urge and incentive? (Pg. 375/6)

“Under the energy impact of Taurus, profound disruptions and alterations in character, quality and direction take place. It is a dangerous sign because the destructive aspects are so easily over-emphasized and so intelligently applied to circumstance that the career of the Bull can be both destructive within its field of contacts and at the same time self-destroying until such time that self-will or selfish desire is tempered by aspiration. Aspiration eventually gives place to intelligent activity and the acceptance of the will emanating from the spiritual Center of life. This leads to cooperation with the plan in the fullest sense and the end of individual self-centeredness. Temper, which is so characteristic of the Bull, must give place to directed spiritual energy, for temper is but energy run wild in the interests of the personality; blindness (for the Bull is blind for much of its career) must give place to vision and the right focus of the sight and this will finally dispel the self-engendered illusions and glamours of the aspirant; self-pity, which is the effect of a constant concentration on the frustration of desire in the personality life, must be succeeded by compassion for all humanity, and this must be developed into the self-less service of the salvaging initiate. The task of the Taurian is a hard one for he embodies in himself, to a marked degree, outstanding limitations as regards the processes of spiritual evolution; there are, however, no insuperable difficulties and the liberated Taurian is ever a constructive, planning, creative, forward-moving force; such men are greatly needed in these serious days of re-adjustment and strain.

Taurus, as you know, rules the neck and the thyroid gland. This is essentially the region whence must emanate the creative activity of the man who is upon the Path. The throat is a point to which the energy of the sacral center must be lifted so that creation through love and by the will eventually will prove the sublimatory effect of the transference to higher use of the sex energy. The right use of the organs of speech gives the clue to the processes whereby the disciple must bring about certain basic changes. The Taurian upon the way of liberation would do well to employ the method of directed and motivated speech of an outgoing and explanatory nature in order to transform himself from one who goes willfully on his personality way into a wise cooperator with the Plan. By this I mean that, as man translates his ideals into words and acts, he brings about transformation, transmutation and eventually translation upon the mountain top of Initiation”  (Pg. 397)

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The thoughts for pondering are taken from Esoteric Astrology by Alice Bailey, with permission of Lucis Publishing Company. For more about Lucis Trust, see www.lucistrust.org

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