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Earth and Taurus - Rebirth of Feminine Archetypes

by Guru Rattana, Ph.D. - Issue #181, April 24, 2011
Planetary Alignments

At the Taurus New Moon five planets are in Aries (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus), emphasizing the continual need to focus on ourselves and our path. At the Scorpio Full Moon, Venus, Mercury and Mars will have moved into Taurus. The forces of redirection, redefinition, and rebirth are requiring change. Our discussion below highlights themes being awakened in our psyche at this time, which will be major influences for many years to come.

Did Anyone Notice?

Did anyone notice that astrological symbolism is dominated by masculine archetypes? This reflects the patriarchal paradigm, which over time has transformed many goddess archetypes into god/male figures. In this issue we investigate the re-emergence of some of the goddess and feminine archetypes.

To review, there are 12 Zodiac signs, six in each polarity. The three air signs and three fire signs are classified as masculine. The three water signs and three earth signs are designated as feminine. However, the ruling planets do not all correspond to the polarity of the signs. The Libra air/mental sign is ruled by Venus, which along with the Moon is the only planet considered feminine. The Moon rules Cancer - that fits. Libra and Venus represent non-physical love, achieved through the balance and alchemy of the two universal polarities.

The ruling planets of the other two water signs - Scorpio (Pluto) and Pisces (Neptune) - have been inappropriately transfigured into 'he' planets. The same is the case for the Earth sign Capricorn and its ruling planet Saturn, and Earth Goddess Virgo is ruled by Mercury - definitely a misfit (although Virgos do have very good minds). In this issue we discuss Taurus.

Definition of the Two Universal Polarities

The two universal polarities are often designated as male and female, which leads to confusion and misrepresentation of these basic energies. Both exist in both men and women, and must be integrated and expressed to achieve wholeness, inner peace and Love.

To avoid all the misunderstandings that arise, I like to call the male polarity the Stable Polarity. This energy is stable, absolute, unchangeable, neutral, impenetrable and non-judgmental.
The female polarity is the Flowing Polarity. Its energy moves, changes, transmutes, transforms, and is ever-evolving.

Who Rules What?

Before the discovery of Uranus in 1781, Neptune in 1848 and Pluto in 1930, except for the Sun and the Moon, each planet ruled two zodiacal signs:

After their discovery, Uranus was assigned to Aquarius, Neptune to Pisces and Pluto to Scorpio. This leaves Venus and Mercury with dual rulership. Mercury and Gemini are an obvious fit. Idealized Venus (more later) works for Libra. What about the Earth signs Virgo and Taurus?

We need another planet. What about the most obvious entity in our planetary system - Mother Earth!. When I first wrote on this topic in 2001, I proposed that Earth be assigned to Taurus. Ten years later there is no longer any question in my mind - Taurus is ruled by Planet Earth! Everything about Taurus represents the Earth. Taurus personifies the productivity, wealth, fruitfulness and sensuality of the fertility goddess. Who else could the fertility goddess be but our own lush planet Earth? Where else does life grow and flourish like on planet Earth? Certainly not on Venus.

I have tested my hypothesis on my Taurus friends. Their responses range from a relieved and an exited "YES!" to a smug "of course". Every Taurean so far has been in agreement. I originally speculated that Taureans were so aligned with beauty, that they might feel deprived if they thought Venus was no longer their primary goddess. But Taureans are so innately connected to the Earth and nature, that to take away Venus is to deprive them of nothing. Recognition of the Earth goddess supports Taureans in being who they are, and affirms the legitimacy and the importance of their role in promoting sensitivity, sensuality and beauty in our human lives.

Venus and Earth are both Goddess of Love archetypes. However, each represents a very different aspect of Love. Venus represents idealized, non-physical Love. Earth represents the physical manifestation of universal Love. As the first Earth sign and second sign of the Zodiac, Taurus makes it very clear that our soul comes to Planet Earth to experience Love. Our Earth journey is about figuring out how to do so.

A Proper Place for Planet Earth

I concur with Alice Bailey, who wrote in Esoteric Astrology that modern astrology gives very little importance to planet Earth, even though "the energy which emanates from or radiates from Earth itself is of paramount importance". She writes, "Astrologers have always emphasized the incoming influences and energies as they beat upon and play through our little planet, but they have omitted to take into adequate consideration the emanating qualities and forces which are the contribution of our Earth ... to the larger whole".(1) This can be rectified by assigning Earth to Taurus.

There are many explanations as to why Earth has not been given its proper role in astrology. Our patriarchal, male/mind-dominated, externally-oriented culture, plays a pivotal role in this oversight. The dominator/dominated, victor/victim, exploiter/exploited operating manual of the world's power structure controls our psyche. The domination, egotistical "the Earth is here for us to exploit" attitude does not lend itself to treating Gaia Earth as a living entity with value, that merits deep respect, appreciation and care.

If we view ourselves as separate from the Earth, and at the mercy of planetary energies, we naturally feel disempowered and victimized. If we recognize and experience our inter-connectedness, we value and explore a relationship that promotes a reciprocal and beneficial partnership. Our Earth journey is about cultivating this deep, spiritual, in-the-body experience. Mother Earth is our teacher.

Position of the Earth in Our Natal Chart

The first thing we need to know is the position of planet Earth in our natal chart, which is always 180° from (exactly opposite) our Sun. Thus if your Sun is 2° Aries, your Earth is 2° Libra. The Earth and the Sun can be considered as an additional polarity pair,

Planet Earth is always in the house opposite our Sun, i.e. if your Sun is in the first house, your Earth is in the seventh, etc. Traditional astrology would thus say that the Sun and the Earth oppose each other. However, this polarity relationship is complementary. The integration of the two interdependent archetypes is the foundation for the inner alchemy of love.

The placement of Earth in our natal chart indicates:

The placement, and sign, of our Earth indicate how we experience the creation of our outer reality from our inner reality. Our Earth path exposes the battle between our subconscious programming and our soul, and indicates where we must work to achieve a synthesis of our complex natures into an integrated whole, heart-centered being.

Earth, Saturn and Pluto - Feminine Archetypes

Our Sun sign represents the male/stable polarity of our soul - how our soul shines, and the nature of our basic creative energy.
Our Earth sign represents the female/flowing polarity of our soul:

  1. how our Sun energy can be properly used this lifetime, and
  2. where our personal development and growth make it possible to manifest, and experience, Love in physical reality.

Saturn, Pluto and Earth guide our Earth school experience. While Planet Earth has been ignored and excluded from the planetary family, Saturn and Pluto have been co-opted into masculine archetypes. However, if we understand the male polarity as the stable, absolute, unchangeable universal energy, and the female polarity as the energy that moves, changes, transmutes and transforms, there is no doubt that both the Saturn and Pluto archetypes express the ever-evolving female polarity.

Saturn and Pluto (along with Mars) have traditionally been considered 'malefic'. This is understandable, in a paradigm that excludes or denigrates one of the universal polarities. In isolation, the expression of both polarities gets distorted and destructive. The polarities need each other to function optimally. First we will discuss Saturn and later Pluto.

Earth, Saturn and Our Worldly Path

Saturn represents our karma - a necessary part of our path to dharma. Saturn obliges us to work out our energetic obligations, accrued through the law of cause and effect both in this and in previous incarnations. Earth gives us an opportunity to rise above karma by doing our dharma. Dharma can be understood as:

  1. our way of life, or lifestyle, that is in accordance with universal and natural laws, and aligned with our soul blueprint,
  2. what we have to accomplish this life time, and
  3. how we go about accomplishing it.

The importance of the sign and placement of Planet Earth in our natal chart should not be underestimated:

Discovering Our Earth Path

Current astrology does not examine the role of Planet Earth in natal charts. One unconscious reason for ignoring the important role of Planet Earth, is the uncomfortable fact that, as embodied souls we are exploring unknown and challenging territory. We are here to learn lessons, and to grapple with physical reality, in order to survive. We don't feel comfortable with our Earthly path and the experimentation required to master it, and we certainly don't like the pain component.

As you examine your Earth sign, check out the following for yourself:

As you explore your own Earth path, examine these issues:

  1. In what ways have you resisted this aspect of your life?
  2. In what ways have you embraced it?
  3. How have your life experiences forced you to grow in this area of your life?
  4. How might your life be easier, and more fulfilling, if you were a success in this area of your life?
  5. Is this a missing piece, that could create a major breakthrough in the achievement of your life goals?
  6. How could you change your attitude toward your Earth path?
  7. Note how a shift on any, or all, of the above creates more peace, and an inner experience of Love in your life.
The Patriarchy and Higher Expressions

Human exploitation of the Earth, and the depreciation of the status and role of women, our emotions, feelings and the feminine, are a natural result of a paradigm that (1) indulges in mental activity and values mental attributes and pursuits, above and at the expense of feelings and sensitivity, and (2) directs our spiritual quest outside ourselves, towards an external God and savior. The disturbing result is that we have distanced ourselves from the gifts of the Earth, our body and our soul.

The highest expressions of masculine energy are:

Although humans give lip service to both free will and individuality, very few commit to master these aspects of being, which can only be achieved when we are able to access and operate from our neutral mind. As a result of our conflicted consciousness, individual will has been degraded to control and manipulation to get our own way, and to aggressively go after what we want. These immature versions of right use of will, and individual power, are products of our dualistic mind.

We must cultivate the higher faculties of our mind, and the male polarity of our soul, to be able to embrace and express the elevated qualities of its female polarity. Without a stable, neutral inner foundation, we are incapable of relaxing into the flowing energy of our emotional and physical bodies. Without the sensitivity of our feeling, flowing nature, we don't even notice the subtleties of our emotions and our bodies, let alone the Earth.

Relation of Earth to the Rest of the Universe

What is the nature of the Earth in relationship to the rest of the Universe? Over five hundred years ago astronomers determined that Earth and the other planets revolved around the Sun, instead of the Sun revolving around the Earth. This fact inadvertently contributed to depreciating the value of the Earth.

The Earth is, however, the center of astrological inquiries. The main concern of astrology is to discover how the laws of the Universe, and the archetypal energies of the other planets, affect life on planet Earth, and how can we make practical use of these laws and energies. Astrology asks how do the Sun, Moon and the planets influence life on Earth. Although this question is of critical importance, the geocentric point of view of astrology has contributed to ignoring the influence of planet Earth itself. We are fish who have forgotten that we swim in water, and that our existence emanates from and is determined by the water (Earth!) itself.

Our Evolving Relationship with Planet Earth

Humans, animals and plants are all dependent upon the soil of the Earth for their sustenance and well-being, yet we pollute the air that we breathe and the water that we drink. We plunder natural resources, pave the ground that connects us to the Earth's vibration, and destroy natural habitats to serve our selfish greed. Because we have severed our energetic relationship with Mother Earth, we have no understanding of how to relate to her, how to respect her, and how to both enjoy and be nurtured by her gifts.

Our lack of direct relationship with Mother Earth has led us to view her as unpredictable. We watch as she peacefully absorbs our abuse, and then we are distraught when she reacts with floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters. We try to predict what she will do, without attempting to understand, or accept, our responsibility in the cause and effect relationship between our Mother and her children.

Basically, we have lost touch with the Earth, with our bodies and with our emotions. We have severed our connection with the flow of the feminine. The result is that we live in fear, feel insecure and perceive lack. This mindset leads us to hoard and squander resources, and to seek to control and manipulate to meet our excessive and insatiable needs. We are unable to experience true empathy, and we suffer from unrefined and shut down sensitivity.

We are, however, at a major turning point. The reintroduction of feminine archetypes into our individual and collective psyche can change our human fate, and curtain the abuses of the old paradigm. Reestablishing our connection with the flow of life, and the Earth, through refined sensitivity, opens us up to new possibilities. We can experience that there are enough resources for all of us for our basic needs to be met, and enough opportunities for everyone to share their gifts.

Earth and the Quest to Experience Love

The recognition of Earth as a planet in our Zodiac, and its pivotal role in defining our human journey, will facilitate our soul's quest to experience Love. The perceived burden of being human, and having a human body, can be reassessed. Taurus and Earth are here to embellish our journey with riches, pleasures, and gifts available nowhere else in the Universe.

Humans come to Planet Earth to experience Love in the human form. We activate our body and awaken our consciousness, so that we can enjoy this ecstatic feeling. Our past failures to achieve this goal in no way negate the Divine intention, for humans to experience Love while on Planet Earth. We are being aided in attaining this goal by the higher vibrations of Love that are infusing the Planet. The Earth's vibration is being upgraded to the frequency of the heart center, which provides the energetic environment for us to open our hearts. The more our hearts open, the more we will be able to honor the sacredness of our Mother Earth, recognize Her as a planet of Love, and embrace Her and our own physical embodiment of Love.

A friend of mine told me this story. He was meditating in the mountains in Spain, and the soul of his sister-in-law, who had died during the Spanish civil war, came to him. He asked her what she was doing. She replied, "The Earth is the most beautiful place in the whole universe. After we leave our bodies, we like to come back every chance that we get".

The Gift of Earth and Our Human Body

It is a gift to get a body and come for a visit to Mother Earth, where we can actually feel physical pleasures, touch different textures, taste so many foods, and absorb the nurturing energy of the Earth and the Sun. Planet Earth is a treasure house of goodies, from gemstones to flowers, plants and trees, to thousands of species of wildlife, to a myriad of landscapes and bodies of water. Taurus teaches us that Earth is a very special place, and that we should enjoy our short, sacred journey.

It is time to embrace the obvious, and to give Gaia Earth the due She deserves. As we truly recognize and honor our Mother, and care for and protected her, humans will receive gifts that were previously unavailable. Turning our attention back to our own earthly source will empower us in ways that have eluded us for millennia. We will:

Pluto and Scorpio

Sounds good - experiencing Love in a human body on Planet Earth. However, our Earth path is not a heady spiritual ideal. Attaining and integrating higher expressions of the feminine into our psyche is the most challenging part of our spiritual path. Enter Scorpio, the polarity of Taurus and Pluto and the ruler of Scorpio. Pluto and Scorpio are feminine archetypes that express the deep flowing powers of Kali and the Kundalini.

Scorpio and Pluto represent what we don't see, the unknown, the unconscious and the subconscious. They represent our quest to discover and empower our core, our essence, and the primal flow of life. They represent the process that we must go through to access our purity, so that we can express our soul blueprint. They represent the purification process required to tap into the flow and rhythm of our soul.

Their path is defined in terms of:

When our spiritual goals are defined exclusively by the esteemed faculties of the upper chakras, and by the stable, male polarity paradigm, the ever-changing, transforming, in-the-body requirements, of the lower chakras and flowing female polarity can be:

The role of the Scorpio and Pluto archetypes is not to derail our spiritual goals, but to make it possible for us to attain them! If our distorted subconscious programming and self-effacing belief system run our lives, we won't be able to find inner peace or Love. They expose our dysfunctions and oblige us to correct them. Their goal is to upgrade the expression of our emotional, flowing energy, so that it nurtures and sustains us, instead of sabotaging our intentions and destroying our hard work.

Pluto and Scorpio Uncover the Mysteries and Gifts of Life

The challenge of Earth and Taurus is to break down and unblock forms and structures that do not transmit Light and Love. Scorpio and Pluto help by revealing the inner truth of the spiritual reality hidden within all life and material forms.

The Pluto and Scorpio archetypes uncover the mysteries of life. These feminine energies penetrate deep into places where the truth hides, until we are able to bring it into the light of consciousness. The truth includes both our wounded conditioning and the Light and Love of our Soul.

As Pluto and Scorpio reconnect us to our Earthly source and to Her generous gifts:

As we return to the arms of our Mother, we experience a peaceful sense of well-being. We receive pleasure from every breath. Our stress and depression give way to vitality and enthusiasm. Our bodies give us pleasure instead of pain. Our emotions feed our soul. Our sensitivities are enhanced. We realize that we are living in an exquisite garden.

Taurus and Earth Qualities

Taurus and Earth are associated with the second house of the natal chart. Taurus inaugurates spring. It is a time of new life, great activity, awakenings, births and creations. Taurus is cautious, practical and supportive of our human ambitions, need for material security and desire for physical pleasure.

Associating Earth with Taurus validates the earthly qualities of Taurus. These include:

  1. her need to create and sustain a self-contained environment. where she can get her needs met, monitor events and energies that impact her life, and process at her own slow methodical pace, and
  2. her desire for predictability and certainty, so she can have the time and space to be productive and creative.

The qualities embodied by Taurus reflect the qualities embodied by Earth. Taurus moves at a slow, comfortable pace. Taurus is motivated by her need for physical pleasure and economic well-being. She is interested in the acquisition and protection of material assets, and the accumulation of land and wealth. She likes to be productive, and develops the personal skills and talents which she can use to attain emotional and financial security. Taurus has a natural affinity with nature, and desires to live in a natural environments. She loves to give and receive love.

The regenerative Earth goddess played a leading role in the civilizations dependent upon agricultural cycles for their subsistence. It is her relationship with the Earth that allows her to be self-sufficient, resourceful, productive, practical and the bestower of wealth. Arts dependent upon the Earth and her resources are associated with Taurus - gemology, architecture, music, sculpture, pottery and painting. The celebration of life through dancing, music, singing, acting and lovemaking is also associated with Taurus. Taurus loves all the refinements of life.

The Victorious Feminine: Peaceful and Fiery

Taurus and the Earth are associated with the proud, victorious aspects of the feminine principle, and personal power. Both express prosperity, personal strength, fertility, productivity, autonomy and the capacity for self-love. Through her magnetism, Taurus attracts love and wealth to herself and unabashedly enjoys it. She is self-sufficient and independent. She can support herself and meet her own emotional needs. Her capacity for self-acceptance opens her to the delightful possibility of enjoying the pleasures of life, without being attached to the form or person delivering the goods.

Taurus also embodies the fierce, and even belligerent, qualities of the Earth and the early fertility goddesses, who are very patient until pushed beyond their limits. When provoked beyond reason, the Bull will attack. When abused to excess, the Earth will erupt. Her stubborn and persevering qualities make Taurus a financial success, and the Earth the endless cornucopia of visual and edible delights. The Bull's trump card is that she is at one with her Earth Mother, who surrounds her child with the bounty of life. The grateful Bull knows she is here on a very short visit, and she makes the best of this opportunity to be held in the arms of Her Mother.

Fear and Empowerment

Although the Bull is a symbol of male potency, and a source of empowerment of the fertility goddesses, it is also a representation of the power of the self-sufficient goddess, for she embodies a perfect blend of masculine and feminine power. Taurus gets her sense of autonomy from her ability to embody both masculine and feminine qualities.

Taurus embodies beauty, which has a different flavor than the delicate, serene perfection of Libra. Taurean beauty is earthy, indulgent and luxurious. The love, beauty and sensuality of the classical Venus, who is the embodiment of soft (and submissive) feminine attributes, has been denuded of masculine powers. It is not necessarily bad to have one planet represent the more refined feminine qualities. The problem is, that over time male-dominated cultures have stripped the feminine archetype of her strength and independence, and have made her into an object of pleasure and exploitation.

Classical Venus is a safe archetype to use by those who wish to manipulate and dominate women. Earth is NOT a safe archetype with which to play this game. The Earth is too real. The Earth is ever-present in our bodies, our emotions and our psyche. The Earth is capable of vengeance if she is not loved and respected. The Earth can fight back and does.

Fear of feminine power partly explains why Gaia Earth has not been recognized as one of the primary Zodiac signs, and the ruler of Taurus. Denial of Earth as a vital and pivotal player in the astrological world fits into the patriarchal paradigm, that has been unable and unwilling to recognize the role and power of women, and avoids the existence of emotions and feelings in both men and women.

Denial is a powerful force, but it loses hands down to reality. Mother Earth is the source of all life. Both men and women have emotions and bodies. Women are over half the human population. Women give birth to both sons and daughters. Women are the source of creation on planet Earth. The power of women, the Earth and the feminine are being re-born.

Our Earth and Taurus Teachers

Earth and Taurus teach us through direct life experience about values, needs, necessity and self-sufficiency - we must take care of our bodies and honor our physical and emotional needs. Mother Earth demonstrates that there are plenty of resources to do so. She teaches us how to identify our comfort zones, so that we can relax, feel comfortable and secure, and enjoy our humanness.

Earth and Taurus teach us that our body is an instrument of our soul, and an exquisitely designed tool for achieving soul consciousness. Earth and Taurus activate the emotional and physical component of our sensory system, by making us aware of the sensual, sexual and emotional pleasures that can be experienced in our human body. They teach us how to unleash our power, by tapping into our primal energies, and by connecting with the natural forces of Gaia Earth.

Earth teaches us that we can find inner peace if we:

  1. interpret all our experiences in relationship to our quest for Love,
  2. treat everything as sacred, and
  3. interact with everyone as Her children.

Earth teaches us that our most primal relationships are with our body, our emotions, and with Gaia Earth herself. As we develop these relationships, which are instinctual, sensual and non-verbal, we discover the endless gifts that Mother Earth and our body bestow upon us.

The Destiny of Women is the Destiny of the World by Guru Rattana, Ph.D.

 
The Destiny of Women is the Destiny of the World by Guru Rattana, Ph.D., is a unique and invaluable handbook that can uplift every woman on the planet. Within its 314 information-packed pages it offers each woman a way to elevate her consciousness, to unleash her creativity, to live her dream and to celebrate her womanhood.

It is for EVERY WOMAN who wants to unlock her inner strength, dignity, radiance and grace, and for EVERY MAN who wants to understand and connect with the feminine essence.

The Destiny of Women speaks to the soul. With passion, clarity, caring and wisdom.

Kundalini Yoga - Nurturing Your Body and Feeling Sensitivities

Standing postures are great to connect with Mother Earth energies. After performing the standing postures, remain standing, slightly bend your knees, and breath with the Earth. The kriya 'Self-Adjustment of the Spine', on pages 68-69 in Relax and Renew 2nd Edition, is composed of 4 powerful standing exercises. The first balance posture gets easier with a few days practice.

After postures like cobra, bow and locust, remain lying on your stomach, and breathe through your navel to connect with the breath of the Earth.

If you experience resistance to doing Kundalini Yoga, pick a few exercises that you like to do and practice them, or you can make your favorite exercises into your warm up routine.

Do each exercise in a way that feels nurturing and supportive of your body. Our body loves to be activated. It doesn't like to be forced or strained. After all exercises, take time to enjoy the aliveness in your body. Give thanks to your body, and love it as it carries your soul through the day.

Meditate on Maaaaaa

To connect with the Mother, place your hands on your heart and chant long MAAAAAAs.

The sound of MA is very soothing. Allow yourself to be nurtured by the sound.

I recommend this meditation to all women in my book The Destiny of Women is the Destiny of the World.

Taurus Classes - Guru Rattana Online

There are some great Taurus classes on Guru Rattana Online. Under the Earth lessons you will find 'Prosperity, Creation and Magnetism', Feeling of Satisfaction', and 'Enjoying Your Body and Valuing Your Earth Experience, and more!

If you haven't already subscribed, you will need to do so to watch these classes. For a low monthly rate you can enjoy unlimited access to all my videos.

References and Footnotes

"Taurus New Moon, Scorpio Full Moon", Austin, Stephanie, The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #156, April/May 201l, pp.105-6.

"Alan Oken's Complete Astrology", Oken ,Alan, Bantam Books, New York, 1980. (Oken Astro)

"Soul-Centered Astrology", Oken ,Alan, The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, 1990, pp.192-199.

"Venus: The Evolution of the Goddess and Her Planet", Dreyer, Ronnie Gale, Harper Collins, London, 1994.

1. Dreyer, p. 130

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