Mars Transit Through Taurus

Mars begins its transit through Taurus this Friday.

Aggressive, action-oriented Mars is not completely comfortable in sensual and sometimes plodding Taurus.

Taurus is ruled by Venus, so while here, Mars pays special attention to Venusian interests. Mars here (or in your second house) can give more of an urge to acquire objects of beauty or other possessions. Mars in Taurus is a also a good placement for hard work and for "passive aggression". The negative qualities of Mars in Taurus can be obstinacy and vindictiveness. As Grant Lewi notes in his book, people with Mars in Taurus don't make a big fuss about it but they get what they want. Their motto is "I don't want to fight; let's just do it my way."

Mars will be dallying through Taurus for much longer than usual this time. Typically Mars zips through each sign in about five weeks. But once every two years, Mars goes retrograde (it appears to move backwards from our perspective on earth) and during this time it is delayed in whatever zodiac sign it finds itself in.

This Mars transit in Taurus will last almost seven months!

Mars will be in Taurus from late July 2005 to mid February 2006. For people with planets in Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus or Leo, this transit will mean Mars may be in challenging aspect to their planets for an unusually long time.

Because of its retrograde motion over this time, Mars will be spending an inordinate amount of time fixating on 17-23 degrees of Taurus as well as 8-11 degrees of Taurus. If you have personal planets in Aquarius at these degree points, you will feel it strongly. Check the Swiss Ephemeris at Astrodienst to find out exactly when Mars will transit the various degrees in Taurus.

All Aquarians will experience transiting Mars squaring their Sun at some point over the next seven months. Here is Grant Lewi's optimistic view of the Mars lower square to Sun transit:
"Domestic matters are important. Frequently times a move from one house (or location) to another; or some important decision in the private life. New starts work out if well considered and unmotivated by temperament. Social activity increased; lots of friends around you. A good time to begin new ventures for quick completion, which have a bearing on your longer-range plans. Good time for housewives to houseclean, redecorate, etc. The home is likely to be upset, and it's wise to make the upsetting literal and to some good purpose, instead of figurative and quarrelsome."

Robert Hand's bookalso sees this as a transit that will produce a very energetic time when one can get a lot accomplished but also warns that disputes and disagreements may occur more often than usual.

If Mars alone was squaring your personal planets in Aquarius that would be one matter, but things really come to a head in late November through early January when Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up in a big t-square in the sky, around the 10 degree point of the fixed signs of Taurus, Scorpio, and Leo. This could be an interesting 'grand cross in fixed signs' zinger for anyone with Aquarian planets at around 10 degrees.


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The above image is "Venus and Mars, Victory and Cupid" by Paris Bordone