Twelve Tips for When the Sun is in Taurus

Twelve Tips for When the Sun is in Taurus
Molly Hall, About.com
Tom Grill

One of my yoga teachers tells us to stretch and make it yummy. Strive to take breaks for delicious release of tension during the day. Taurus rules the neck, throat and cervical spine keeping the head up all day. For those of us sitting in front of computers, Stephanie Gailing of Planetary Apothecary says make sure your monitor is at eye level, to keep the neck in a neutral position. She writes, "Doing gentle neck rolls and giving yourself frequent five-minute massages can help prevent neck cricks and discomfort."

Stretching gives the body a break, and keeps you from becoming stiff and achey. Making it part of your daily routine satisfies the Taurean need for predictability. Be sure to check out Yogastrology's offering this month for the throat and 5th chakra.

Next Indulge the Natural Self

Chris Windsor

.It's a month to merge with nature, and be renewed by earthly pleasures. This might mean outdoor picnics in the park, with in-season fruits, dessert wines and fine chocolates. Lots of napping in places where you can hear the birds and watch butterflies is nice, too. An amble arm-in-arm is divine, especially in a peaceful, fertile place like the countryside.

It's easier to stop and smell the roses, and see the nuances of the natural world. It's ideal for a nature walk to identify healing herbs, or to pick wildflowers.

Enjoy Some Slow Food

Stockbyte


We can all be foodies when the Sun is in Taurus. Starting with gathering up ingredients, it engages us in the colors, textures, and tastes of the season. Getting deeper into a culinary arts opens up new worlds of spices to try, all part of Earth's gifts of sensory experience.

A home-cooked meal enjoyed with people who appreciate it, is one of life's pleasures. While it's a month for comfort foods, and possible over-indulgence, it's also time to sample new flavors. We can seek to refine the palate, and there are an infinite number of combinations to try. I tried goji berries and raw cacao beans recently, for example -- a first!

Satisfy your foodie side with a new apron, cookware, spices, or cookbook. If you're on a budget, you can do like I do and check them out from the library. Saturn in Virgo retrograde, meeting up with Taurus, reminds us to keep it light, and as close to the way nature intended as possible.

Get Your Minerals

Studio Peter Frank

It's a fact that many are not getting vital minerals, like magnesium, that the body needs. This has to do with soil depletion over many decades. Some ways to get your minerals are by eating organic foods, taking supplements, or growing your own veggies in healthy soil.

You can get magnesium through Epsom salts, which has magnesium sulfate. Many use sea salt instead of iodized salt, because it contains so many of the Earth's minerals. You can make your own sea salt if you live near the ocean, by boiling it down to crystals. Salt crystals and epsom salts are also used for detoxing heavy metals, calming the nervous system, and even acne.

It's a great month to go homegrown, and learn ways to replenish the soul. This is a goal of mine, as we take it to the next level with chicken manure as fertilizer. I have a lot to learn about soil depletion, but it seems to me an issue to dig into during the Taurus month.

Find Your Notes

E Dygas

It's a great month to Om alone or with a group, harmonize, join a chorus, attend a kirtan chant, sing out loud while driving with the top down. Taurus rules the voice and vocal chords, so explore your range.

You'll be inspired to pick up that instrument, and start jamming again. Drum circles really get going, and bands find their groove. If you've got the music in you (and we all do), it's the month to sing your song.

Plan for an Abundant Harvest

Stockbyte

Taurus is the sign of fertility, and growing things. Along with gardening for beauty, why not join the gardening revolution underway and get into edibles and medicinals. You might start a medicinal herb garden, or plant some fruit trees. Taurus is the sign of practicality and beauty, and there's nothing more pleasing than blooms that bear fruit (like cucumbers).

It's also a fine time to learn gardening arts that require patience, like seed saving and drying herbs.

Get Crafty

Jamie Grill

Pottery and ceramics are Taurean pursuits, along with any craft that produces something edible, pleasurable or useful. You might get into home brewing beer, making soap, canning or baking artisan breads. It's a great time to frame your artwork, add a heavy sculpture to the garden, or pot some plants. Other Taurus-inspired crafty hobbies are knitting, arranging flowers or being a mixologist at your own dinner party.

If you want to be a crafty overachiever, start making gifts now for the holidays. By starting now, you can go slow and be meditative and methodical with it. The joy is in the doing, and at a pace that's not rushed.

A Beauty Day


When the Sun is in Taurus, you might be tempted to set up a dressing table. Taurus rules all the rituals of beautification -- from perfumes to make-up, scented oils to bath pearls. It's a great time to gather the girlfriends (this can be men in some cases), for a spa party.

You might enjoy clay masks, and using natural beautifiers like sponges and pumice stones. One lovely lost ritual -- unless you're a mommy to little girls -- is the brushing of the hair. Act out a period fantasy and brush each other's hair, or have your man do this for you. Exchange ideas for the best colors to wear and hair styles. Replace your synthetic make-up with the healthier all-natural kind.

Dress for Comfort

Indeed

For those of us on the verge of summer, the best investment you can make is a well-made pair of sandals. This month being comfortable is just as important as being stylish. This means quality, natural fabrics that breathe, and are right for the season. Taurus has us looking for value, and what will last, so you're apt to find treasures at the vintage or thrift store.

Protect Your Valuables


Taurus is security-minded, making it a good time for upgrades to your doorknobs or locks. Taurus rules certain metals like copper, bronze and brass, so taking care of home security, could also be a beautification project.

These upgrades might be related to your finances, like investing in a home safe, converting to precious metals, moving your money, or consolidating any loans. Of course, you may want to wait until May 11 -- after Mercury's Retrograde -- before making any major commitments to do with money management.

Bring Earth into Your Home Decor


It's a great month to check out these feng shui tips for bringing the earth element into your home. Some ideas are hanging landscape art, or using earthenware. It might be as simple as adding a terracotta bowl as a centerpiece on your table. Anything that conveys strength, enduring value, and reminds you of the nourishment from the Earth, is beneficial.

Create a Moveable Feast


It's a very Venusian month, when the senses are off-the-charts. Bring your favorite aphrodisiacs into the bedroom, and heighten the mood with aromas. Silky fabrics, rose petals, erotic massage, musky scents, sensual oils all might be up your alley.

These mood enhancers aid you in letting go of stress, and losing yourself in the moment. But you may find that they're not necessary. That going au natural and feasting on each other is enough to absorb you totally.