TAURUS (April 20 - May 20):

January begins with the love and creative planet, Venus retrograding in Capricorn until February 3, 2006, during which time the lessons of Venus will need to be confronted.  Capricorn is a compatible sign for you. After Venus goes direct Feb. 3^rd it continues in the sign of Capricorn through March 5^th, 2006, a continuing period of adjusting or resolving your Venus challenges. 

Venus in Retrograde is a period that occurs about every 18 months when the shadow side or the irrational part of Venus tends to take over at the most inappropriate times.  Venus represents all that is feminine, artistic, romantic and peaceful. When retrograde, the immature or uncomfortable side of these issues will come up for you. Relationships are often tested during this cycle. The good ones will last and the weak ones won’t. But just as often old loves and friendships can reappear from your past.

Venus in Capricorn will be transiting your 9^th house sector, that is the domain of travel, education, foreign affairs, media, promotion and also legal matters. Venus is a loving and benefic energy often bringing joy through others.  Some of the benefits could be a vacation abroad to creative work that gets marketed, promoted and distributed.  You might be going to school to study art or you may just love the feeling of being in school.  When retrograde the matters of Venus might be on hold or readjusting. Traveling with no expectations would be better than having a lot of plans that keep changing on you.  Traveling with a friend or lover during the retrograde cycle could test your relationship, but it will only strengthen a good relationship or let you know more quickly if you are wasting your time.

The major influence of 2006 will be the planet Saturn in opposition to Neptune with Jupiter at the center point that can be the solution to the opposition or it will expand the problems until you do something about it. The silver lining, so to speak, is that our lives will be forced into changing and if you avoid or fear the process you will be the one making it more difficult. With awareness and foresight the Jupiter influence can indicate the area where you will find protection and positive growth.

Saturn was very close to an exact opposition to Neptune before turning retrograde November 23, 2005.  This was also when Mars was retrograde, which was part of the ‘grand cross’ configuration from October 25, 2005 through February 17, 2006 and what happens during this period is a hint of things to come during most of 2006, both in personal lives and the life of the nation. The next Saturn Neptune opposition will be exact August 31, 2006.

Neptune in Aquarius opposing Saturn in Leo is a time when both planetary energies are trying to take control in your life until it comes to a compromise by balancing the needs of both or a stalemate.  Saturn is transiting Leo moving into your 4^th house sector of home, real estate and family issues until September 2, 2007. You might start getting more serious about owning a home, or finally taking responsibility for all the repairs or remodeling you were always going to do. Many of you will be changing residence but the main lesson is to find your home base and plant deeper roots.  This could be the time of finding your permanent home.  Neptune in Aquarius has been affecting your 10^th house sector of your career and professional standing since 1998.  Many of you have been uncertain or insecure about the direction of your business or overall life with the Neptune transit.  The opposition indicates the time to make decisions in your personal life that will clear up the confusion of your professional direction.  To avoid the lesson will only make it more difficult later on.  Perhaps you have been holding back in one area that was affecting the other; such as not making a commitment about your living situation because you weren’t sure where your professional life was taking you.

Saturn transiting Leo is in your 4^th house sector of home, family, roots and foundations. Many will be re-structuring in this area for the next few years, and this may include physically moving, renovating and so on, but more importantly the call is to take responsibility for your own emotional stability. This is a time to be strong and supportive with family members who may be maturing and moving out into the world. Leaving home is the key here and for some this may be literal, and for others it is an emotional maturity, which is required. It is time to mature and let go of parent child patterns, whether it refers to your past or with your current personal and family relationships.

Saturn, in myth, is the father of the gods and represents authority and the laws and regulations of the land.  Here is when we confront our limitations and our sense of duties and responsibilities.  Often the Saturn transit feels like a burden but that is usually a perspective coming from not wanting to take responsibility for that which is in your own best interest. This is a maturing transit and it’s only the immature who will resist it and make it worse than it needs to be experienced.

Neptune, in myth, represents the collective unconscious because of its designation as the god of the seas.  The seas are symbolic of the embryonic fluids we all come from and in Jungian terms this is called our shadow.  The best way to navigate through the waters of our shadows is to have faith and trust that all will work out to keep from feeling disoriented or lost. Often the issues associated with Neptune’s cycle are that of transition and the uncertainty of the changes.

Neptune has been transiting your 10^th house sector of your career and professional status from 1998 through 2012 and not again for 168 years.  During this cycle you are being reinvented through your career or professional standing. Neptune will stimulate the career dreams but those goals that are still unrealistic will disappear in a puff of smoke and leave you disappointed.  But you will also be able to refocus on that part of your career aspirations that are more realistic for attainment.  Psychologically it’s a cycle of leaving the illusions behind for you to see more clearly how to proceed in the future. This is more compatible with Neptunian careers; such as, medicine, religion, music, and film, dancing or even for psychics. At a certain point during this cycle many of you will find yourself lost but when you regroup again you will be feel more settled and better able to proceed with your career dreams.  The Saturn Neptune challenge is about grounding yourself with a home base or becoming committed to family, which will enable you to manifest your outer world dreams into something more real and tangible.

One of the clues for resolution of the Saturn Neptune challenge is the transit of Jupiter moving through the sign of Scorpio through 2006.  Jupiter represents expansion, optimism and protection. When Jupiter activates your chart it expands the opportunities or the problems until you resolve the issues.  Jupiter’s transit is an indicator of where some of the answers to your Saturn Neptune questions are located.

Jupiter is transiting Scorpio in your 7th house sector of the public and relationships until November 23, 2006. One key to your challenges will come through the generosity of others. Getting married will give you a home base from which you can now make your professional goals more attainable.  Accepting a business offer can allow you to feel more grounded and secure, which enables you to concentrate more on making your goals successful.

Jupiter is transiting your 7^th house sector of relationships and will bring you generosity and support from others and the public. This is often when lovers get married, which could be the life-changing shift that is promised for your sign.  In business, a partnership will be supportive or a beneficial contract will be offered to you.  Certainly this is the time you will be moving more out into the public arena and ready for your new life goals.

And finally, Mercury in Retrograde is when everything seems to go crazy and lasts about 3 weeks. Those who know about the effects of the retrograde often cringe when they hear that Mercury is at it again.  What is going on is that everything that is related to Mercury, the messenger god, seems to go awry.  This is the time not to sign legal documents or make promises and travel plans are often interrupted. But what is really happening is that retrograde periods stimulate our unconscious patterns more than usual. Since Mercury represents our decision-making facilities the retrograde period is a time to make sure that your rational mind hasn’t been too overly influenced by your unconscious desires.

The dates of Mercury in Retrograde 2006

March 2^nd   - 25^th

July 4^th - 28^th

October 28^th - November 17^th

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