Saturday, May 4, 2013

Taurus and the Behaviour of Bovines - Re-Post

We currently have a stellium of planets in slow and steady Taurus (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, along with the South Node and Pallas Athene) and are heading to a Taurus New Moon eclipse on May 9 that a lot of people seem to be working themselves into a lather over.

In light of all this hyped-up eclipse fervour, I'd like to offer some very Taurean advice:

Just chill out.

If something shakes out in your life at the time of this eclipse, something needed to shake out in your life at the time of this eclipse. It's as simple as that.  

We experience two or three eclipses every six months, like clockwork. These eclipses are not an anomaly.

In times of yore, people were understandably freaked out about eclipses. It was more than a little unnerving to see the Sun or Moon "go out" without really understanding why. People would stay out of the light of the eclipsed Sun or Moon for fear that it would bring them bad fortune.

So there is a traditional store of fear related to eclipses, not completely unfounded, but (in this astrologer's opinion), over-emphasized and hyped to the nines in post-post-modern day astrology.

It's true that this New Moon eclipse at 19 degrees Taurus falls exactly conjunct female warrior asteroid Pallas Athene and closely conjunct male warrior planet Mars, as well as the karmic, karmic South Node. This can certainly ramp up fighting and aggression around the time of the eclipse, but this isn't all au naturel. War manoeuvres are often purposefully timed according to astrological/astronomical events like eclipses.

Israel timed a major attack against Palestine for the last Scorpio New Moon eclipse November 13/14, 2012. That eclipse was conjunct unfortunate fixed star Unukalhai (Alpha Serpentis). You can read about that here: Israel Opens the Gates of Hell at the Alpha Snake New Moon

Today, as the Moon moves between the Scorpio Full Moon eclipse April 25 (the culmination point of that Scorpio New Moon eclipse) and the Taurus New Moon May 9, the news is telling us that Israel has just launched an air strike attack against Syria, targeting a shipment of missiles said to be intended for Lebanon. (Because, as you may have noticed, only the "good guys" like Israel and the U.S. of A. are allowed to have missiles, nukes, and weapons of mass destruction.)  

All this taken into consideration - if you haven't noticed, this planet has been under a state of financier-backed siege for decades (centuries? millenia?). This is nothing new. It's not right, but it's the state of things. Eclipses are not to blame. Greedy, murderous sociopaths masquerading as our leaders are, as well as those who do their bidding.

To lighten this hyped and charged state of affairs, I'm re-posting an article I wrote last year about Taurus and the behaviour of bovines. From May 19, 2012:

Photos: Willow

I've been a ranch helper for the past few weeks, and you can't really get much more Taurean than that type of work. It's life on the land, on prairie grassland. It's physical work. It's animals and plants and dirt, wind and rain, sweat and sun. The work unfolds according to natural timing, according to the seasons, and it follows a similar course every year. Farmers and ranchers are time keepers in this way. They work according to old, nature-based rhythms and keep those fundamental energetic patterns anchored, just as the animals themselves do. When the Sun goes up, it's time to work. When it goes down, the work day's done. Simple.

It's coming to the end of calving season now, and the babes are running around all over the place. Watching cattle always reminds me of how much you can understand about the sign and energy of Taurus through the behaviour of bovines.



Understanding The Sign of Taurus Through the Characteristics of Cows

1) Taurus is a fixed sign, and cows have a fixed nature. They really don't like to move all that much, especially if they've just had a calf. Cows don't enjoy transition. They like their basic routines, and they're not fans of any upheaval or changes in those routines.

2) Cows are comfort seekers, just like Taurus. Once they're content, they like to stay put, enjoying the sunshine, grazing, and chewing their cuds. The only time they can be convinced to favour a change is if an option opens that brings them even more comfort. This generally involves more or better food - another Taurus favourite.

This is the transition going on right now. Every year, most of the cow-calf pairs along with steers and heifers are rounded up and trucked to a Native-run community pasture for the spring and summer. Once there, they have all the space and grass they could ever desire, but in order to get there, they have to endure the transition. They have to be moved from pasture to pasture at home and then up to the corrals to be worked before being trucked to the new pasture, and this definitely ruffles them a bit. Again, though, if the reward is there, they'll endure - just like Taurus.

To move the cow-calf pairs, my Dad rides horseback, and my mother and I (never horsewomen) each drive a vehicle through the bumpy-ass pastures in a mini round-up. My sweet ride is the 1986 Chevy farm truck. Just as if we were on horseback, we spread out and herd the cattle. Trying to determine how best to get cattle moving in the right direction gives us helpful hints for interacting with people with a lot of Taurus!

3) Cows, like Taurus, don't like to be rushed. They like to do things slowly, gradually, on their own timing. When they do move, they like it to be related to securing basic resources - food, water, shade, shelter from wind, or a comfortable place to lie down.

4) You can't pressure them too much. Cows will take some gentle guidance, but press too much, at the wrong place, or too quickly, and they won't do what you want them to do. If they feel excessively pressured, they'll rebel or freak out. They can be remarkably stubborn once they've been riled and will even jump a fence to get away. If an entire herd has been spooked in this way, they'll run through a barbed-wire fence. Suffice it to say, it's best to take it nice and easy on both bovines and Taureans, givng them lots of time and adequate space to make their moves.

5) Cows, like Taurus, enjoy working with a boundary. The easiest way to move cattle is by gently pushing them along a fence line to an open gate. Taking them through the middle of the open prairie is more likely to create confusion and panic. Boundaries and limitations can help them feel safe.

6) It takes them a while to get going, but once they have some momentum gathered, they follow a steady course. And once they have a steady course, they move along fairly quickly - no fuss, no muss.


7) Cows pretty much do what the rest of the pack is doing. This is the traditional aspect of Taurus. Once in a while, there will be a renegade cow who busts out on her own, but usually, they like to do what the other cows are doing, as long as it makes good, practical cow sense.

8) They seem very docile and gentle, and generally are, but cows can become very pissed off - and dangerous - if they feel threatened in any way. Like most animals, cows are very protective of their babies.

9) Just like Taurus, after a transition or upheaval, they need time on their own to settle down and get back to a state of calm contentment. Once the pressure is removed, it doesn't take them long to get back to a settled state.

Use these helpful insights into the ways of the bovine to keep the Taureans in your life (and the Taurus in your own chart) sweet, calm, contented, and moving in the right direction!

12 comments:

Lea said...

Awesome, down to earth, level-headed post. Putting eclipses in perspective, thank you. I have a Taurean son-in-law, whom I really respect and love, and this description of the Taurean disposition is quite apt. I have had other Taureans in my life who were not quite as lovely as the bovines you got to know, and the one who married my daughter. Those others had somewhat skewed my ideas of this sign. I know there is a lot of other points involved in a persons personality, but he seems to be the best of what a Taurean can be and I appreciate reading such a positive post, as I always appreciate ALL your posts.

Willow said...

Glad you have a quality Taurus in your family, Lea! I appreciate you, too. Thanks for your comment.

Anonymous said...

Willow, I'm such a loyal fan of your bitch-slaps! Great new article, great resurrected article, and I adore the cow and calf photos (moooo)...

Cloudia said...

Thanks for the good info you share so accessibly.

Aloha

Willow said...

Mooooo!

And bitch slap!

:-)

Anonymous said...

Loved the post re Taurus/bovines. I grew up around cattle, & you've described their essential nature perfectly.
I now live in a tiny community whose incorporation chart has a Taurus sun conjunct Saturn - trying to change ANYTHING here is much harder than herding cattle!
In my chart, Taurus is intercepted in my empty 11th house.Finding a way to connect with it isn't easy.
Bette

Joe said...

Thank you for calling out that little apartheid state. It amazes me how it gets away with so much deception and lying. Makes me wonder if it has Neptune prominently placed in its natal chart.

my word verif today is chief oxcleir. The ox is clearly chief in this Taurus season! :)

Willow said...

Bette, I hear that! This area is the same as far as change. Lots of old farmers here...and their traditionally-oriented offspring. I also have a tricky relationship with Taurus and the Taurus in my chart.

Joe, isn't it madness? It goes to show you the brainwashing power of the mainstream media. Logic and critical thought go right out the window.

Lisa in Boston said...

I'm not sure how many people could cover (let alone so brilliantly) eclipses, the naked emperor that is Israel, and understanding Taurus better through the observation of cows all in one post, Willow, but this is why I love your blog!

And it just dawned on me that tomorrow's eclipse is conjunct my natal MC; hmm, interesting.

Eclipses aside, I really got a kick out of seeing how extraordinarily those 9 Taurus characteristics explain me to a T, even though, beside the MC, I have only one natal planet in Taurus. :-) Oh, wait, that planet is Mars....

Willow said...

Thanks, Lisa in Boston. Now you see why I didn't fit in in the mainstream media. They just didn't appreciate my mad style! heehee

This eclipse should be a gooder for you. I hope it kicks up lots of good Taurean things - good food, good company, and MONEY!

TKD Chica said...

Well done! I am a Taurus, and I resemble much of your article (better and worse). I absolutely love your posts... I hope to subscribe later this year, as you are clearly worth the investment. Thank you for sharing your words and wisdom!

Anonymous said...

My Venus in Taurus is sitting here smiling. Well, I'm smiling at the cow column. Just sitting' here ... reading the post ... checkin' to see if my granola bars are in reach ... yep, they are ... think I'll get up ... nah, to tired to move ... k, going to take a nap now ...