The Sun continues to move away from the vernal equinox, and now the fast onset of springtime - the dramatic burst of life out of the monochrome dullness of winter - is beginning to stabilize. The quickening of life in the world at the spring equinox has been achieved, and now that new life of springtime starts to settle in and take root.

Astrologically, this is reflected by a changing of the guard happens in the heavens as the Sun moves into a new zodiac sign. Aries season, hosted by the God of war, is giving way to Taurus season, hosted by the Goddess of love. Aries, the sign of new life piercing the darkness and conquering the forces of winter is taken up by a sign of stable, nurture and growth. Having achieved victory, the kingdom will now be cultivated with gentleness and grace. This transition will occur on April 19th at 9:59 am eastern time as the Sun enters into Taurus.

After a fierce stormcloud dissipates, exhausting all its force and power to irrigate the world with nourishing water, it leaves behind calm, stillness, and the moistened, fecund soil for the slow, steady build-up of new life on the earth. In just this way, the Sun transforms the volatility of a storm into a peaceful aftermath as it moves from the turbulent-yet-lifegiving season of Aries into the new, peaceful kingdom of beauty and abundance that is Taurus.

On an agricultural and communal level, the movement of the Sun from Aries into Taurus indicates that food and abundance are starting to return to the world in droves after the long season of darkness and wintertime. The time of scarcity is here - now at long last the time of plenty has returned. Cold and dark have almost completely dissipated - there is only life and light, and more of it every day.

During Taurus season, the length of night far exceeds the length of the day and is only increasing - the light dominates the darkness, and the light is ascendant, getting stronger by the day. In very embodied terms, the fight for food and survival is over - it’s really over. The cold, long nights are a thing of the past, now the energy and magic of the natural world have returned, and are getting stronger and stronger by the day.

Taurus occupies a special time of the year when winter is far behind and the days won’t start decreasing in light anytime soon - there’s no room for darkness, and no need to even consider it. A very unique kind of considerate, carefree, contented attitude can flourish during this period in a way it can’t anywhere else.

For this reason, Taurus carries strong associations with fertility, abundance, growth, and material good fortune. It signifies material prosperity and having one’s needs met. Taurus cultivates a kind of generosity, compassion, and openness that flourishes when there is warmth, light, and abundance all around.

The transition from Aries to Venus is a transition from rulership by Mars, the God of war, to rulership by Venus, the Goddess of love and beauty. In Aries season, Mars established the fast, sudden influx of life into the world. The God of war conquered winter and made way for spring. Now that the conquest is over, Venus can nourish these new shoots of life into full-fledged blossoms and abundant life.

Taurus is the yin, earth-sign home of Venus. In Taurus, we see Venus’ face as the earth goddess, the bestower of material blessings and bounty. Taurus is strongly associated with physical good and pleasures - good food and drink, beautiful artwork, pristine gardens, lovemaking and procreation, and earthy opulence of all kinds. In a word, Taurus is Venus’ Epicurean garden.

When the Sun enters Taurus, we have the potential to receive more of the earthy, embodied blessings that Venus has to offer. Venus’ material blessings range from opulence and fine things to good health and the flourishing of the physical body. All the blessings and beauty of the material world become more readily available.

On a civic level, more stability begins to emerge. Historically, some of the more fruitful periods of economic growth have occurred when either Jupiter or Saturn made their stints through Taurus. You tend to see a similar pattern occurring at a smaller scale with the Sun here. The status quo is maintained, and nothing rocks the boat unless another major ingress comes along.

On a material level, Taurus season is a good season to do whatever you can to turn your circumstances into your own Epicurean garden and create your own piece of heaven on earth. After doing your spring cleaning in Aries season, Taurus season permits you to create and cultivate more beauty in the space you’ve cleared out. This is a good time for beautifying and harmonizing your material surroundings.

Plant some flowers. Eat nourishing foods. Implement new habits around genuine self-care. Treat yourself to a spa day. Be inspired by how much joy and pleasure the material world can bring. This Earth can be the Garden of Eden if you know how to properly live here.

On an internal level, Taurus season teaches us to how to truly appreciate and enjoy the goods and blessings materiality has to offer. Venus will teach you how to enjoy the material world more fully. She will also show you how to relax more and allow yourself to receive the material nourishment you need without fighting for it. Allow Venus to work through Taurus to take away stress and heal tension that keeps you from surrendering into the joy of the material world. Use this Taurus season to surrender into the flow of nourishment that the universe is always trying to provide you.

This is also an excellent time to cultivate self-love. Hosted by Venus, the goddess of love and compassion, this is a safe space to welcome and reconcile all aspects of yourself without any shame. They all have a place in your life and will function more healthily once they have become integrated.

During his journey through Taurus, the Sun forms no hard aspects (squares or oppositions) to other planets. We are blessed to have Jupiter forming a conjunction with the Sun during this period. Jupiter is a benefic planet associated with spiritual wisdom and teachers, as well as financial abundance, and it will be very easy to receive the gifts Jupiter offers during this Taurus season.

The Jupiter conjunction creates more opportunities to receive grace, wisdom, and teaching from above. Teachers, guides, and mentors will be more likely to come into your life. Your work during this time will be more supported and productive. Business ventures will be greatly strengthened. If you have prominent Taurus placements in your chart, I would expect a lot of new insight and clarity to come your way.

Saturn also forms a sextile during this period. Aspects from malefics are always a little challenging, but the sextile makes these aspects much more surmountable. You won’t be free from trials and issues during this period that try and steal your Epicurean peace, but you can learn quite a bit from them and grow as a result. Treat them as tests to your resolve as you try and integrate the stillness and quietude that Venus wishes to give you.

Rhodochrosite is a specific gemstone for self-love. For people with challenging Saturn aspects in their chart, or who have a debilitated Venus placement, this gemstone is a good fit.

Damiana helps people to enjoy embodiment. She brings more pleasure to the body and makes the experience of embodiment more enjoyable. This plant is a good option for people who are trying to enjoy physicality, or even permit themselves to enjoy physicality.

Be gentle and still. Luxuriate in your embodiment. See what you can do to turn your world into a little heaven on earth, and consider how you can be a compassionate angel for other people too.