The Charistes, or “charities”, were the deities that the Hellenes of Alexandria ascribed to the first ten degrees of Taurus. The Sun will spend the next ten days here, in the decan that Austin Coppock called The Plough — entering on 19 April 2025 at 3:56 pm EDT, and remaining here ten days, six hours, and 20 minutes until 29 April 2025 at 10:19 pm EDT. T. Susan Chang called this decan Sacred Doubt when she explored its relationship to the Five of Pentacles in the Tarot — a card showing two crippled beggars struggling in the snow outside a brilliantly lit church window. For Arthur Edward Waite, the card indicated financial troubles coming — but it may be just as appropriate to use both the card and decan to talk about expenditures now to acquire resources and successes later.

This is reflected in the story of Charis, the eldest of the charities, who was the second wife of Hephaestus. Hephaestus had, famously, married Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty; but she regularly committed adultery with Ares and other gods. Hephaestus sought and was granted a divorce; and for his second wife he chose Charis, Aphrodite’s handmaiden and her attendant for bathing and haircare. Skilled in the arts of glamour and of beauty, she made an excellent complement to the god of artisanry and skilled working of materials.

Except…. Except that the myths also tell us, quite plainly, that there’s no divorce and no separation among the gods; and that Hephaestus is always and forever married to Aphrodite… while he also is the only god who formally has a second wife. Let’s pointedly set aside Zeus’ many infidelities a moment (since they are infidelity), and note that this seems to be true — Hephaestus has two wives, and was granted a divorce… while also being married to only one wife, Aphrodite the goddess of love. Or is it one wife, Charis, the hairdresser and bath attendant to the goddess? Both? Neither?

Is it role-play, with aspects of the love-goddess playing both roles, Aphrodite the cheater and Charis the devoted and loyal wife? Is it a marriage of convenience? Bigamy? A polyamorous throuple with one relatively stable pair and a unicorn? Is it cheating? How are we to interpret this strange story? There may not be a single version of the tale that makes sense — but I think we’re invited to sit with the challenge and the discomfort of gods who experience the acridity of divorce and the joys of a second marriage… and also the complexities of life in an eternally interminable monogamous relationship. We moderns are not the only ones with messy and complicated love lives. There’s value in imagining gods troubled by the same issues..

Similarly, the ancients conceived of this season as a time in which the choices made have long-term effects. The efforts of spring planting in April don’t bear fruit (literally) for months; seeds planted now are effectively food lost in the short term… but which will become food in the long term. There’s a balance to be had between saving seed for future harvests, and turning seed into food to be eaten immediately… but risking starvation in the long term. Every ancient householder had to structure their lives around this mix of peril and prize on a regular basis. How did Charis and her sisters the Graces help with that? Thalia, Aglaia or Charis, and Euphrosyne represent “flourishing” or “flowering” — “gracefulness” or “shining” — and “light-heartedness.” Being dour and woeful and without gracefulness is sure to result in ineffective or inefficient movement toward future success.

The first decan of Taurus is ruled by Mercury, since long-range planning that brings about good results is ruled by the quick wits and communication of the herald-planet. Yet it’s Mercury’s administration under Venus’s rule — suggestive of communication with the goal of producing beauty, good order, and the essential qualities of a happy life. It’s a beautiful pairing — but unfortunately both planets won’t be here together for some time. Mercury will be here 11-16 May 2025, while Venus doesn’t pass through for another month past that, during 8-16 June 2025.

The idea of sacred doubt and the Five of Pentacles in Tarot weave together nicely with the themes of long-range planning embodied in this decan. Jesus in the Gospels, urges his followers to “consider the lilies of the field,” and how G-d observes even the fall of a sparrow; there’s value, he says, in not worrying about tomorrow or planning for the future… Yet human greed and a desire to preserve agency are always present in our plans; the beggars could easily go into the church to be warm, yet it means that access to warmth and light are contingent upon service to a god who indeed expects followers to plan ahead… and to tithe from their abundance to provide future support to those who didn’t plan ahead. That’s a complicated balance.

The dodeks of Taurus I are recapitulations of Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, and Leo. They represent the comfortable person waking up to new possibilities after a period of discomfort. Taurus symbolizes the man in their ease and untroubled life, while Gemini represents the discovery that there is another point of view they had not considered and which create challenges in their life. Cancer then represents the emotional labor of discerning which of the two points of view is correct, while Leo represents the forcefulness of the convert’s commitment to their new position or point of view.

House Delineations

The First House of self and self-presentation is Virgo, ruled by inconjunct Mercury in Aries, and hosting the South Node. You’ll have to work at creating a deliberately intelligent and thoughtful personality this week; dressing not simply for success but for seriousness and rigor. Expect that you’ll be called on as though in class from an unforgiving and stern professor who will light a fire under you — the questions won’t be easy and it’s impossible to know in advance what will be asked. Moon and Venus lend uncertain support, suggesting that your mind is more focused on pursuing happiness or protecting your children and loved ones than on being the smartest person in the room — but you should still try to be the smartest person in the room by humbly crediting the work of others. Expect that past actions and opinions will come out to haunt you.

The Second House of wealth and resources is Libra, ruled by inconjunct but exalted Venus. You’ll be using your funds on a day-to-day basis to create elegance and joy in your life, and the life of your partner(s), but expect to turn toward a sterner vision how and when to use your wallet and bank account by May 1. Some sticker-shock is likely 22-26 April as Venus conjuncts Saturn — you can’t see the financial stressors now, but they’re coming.

The Third House of neighborhood, neighbors and siblings is Scorpio, ruled by squaring Mars in Leo; triplicity rulers Moon and Venus provide support from the favorable aspects, while the Lunar Apogee hangs out in the middle part of the sign. Professional duties and legal restrictions may prevent you from doing right by important people in your life — but your responsibilities to those folks may require you to put your job at risk. Who are you going to support and stand by, and why? (Protecting your kids, or your partner’s happiness, always requires more than just a paycheck).

The Fourth House of home and family is Sagittarius, ruled by opposing and detrimented Jupiter in Gemini. Professional courtesy and career and reputation all require you to be attuned to the needs of others and to your role as a hired expert — both in your professional life, and to your spouse or significant other or housemates. Be attuned to their needs and help fulfill those… but also be prepared to be their generous leader. Squaring Saturn is the only available triplicity ruler, indicating that some of what you need to do is tell your housemates “No”… but you may have trouble getting them to listen to that boundary. Be prepared to enforce it.

The Fifth House of pleasures and children is Capricorn, ruled by Saturn in Pisces from the sextile; the Moon is present. It’s important to create a nurturing and caring place of safety for both your hobbies and the children you see around you. Yet this environment is not simply your household but your neighborhood and neighbors — an eruv is a wire or cord stretched from telephone pole to telephone pole around a Jewish community, establishing a nominal perimeter around your safe social space. It’s time for you to extend your own perimeter and identify who drinks from the same cup of safety that you do.

The Sixth House of daily routines and health maintenance is Aquarius, ruled by inconjunct Saturn and opposed by triplicity ruler Mars in Leo; Pluto is present. Your daily life is likely to be more expensive than usual, and this may cause argument with a spouse or significant other, who must maintain their health or continue to hold to certain regimens for the sake of their well-being. The temptation is to critique them for these presented difficulties, rather than to figure out why the systems that formerly supported them are now so fragile. Put your anger in the correct place, and avoid the fight with an ally, in favor of uniting with them to push back against common foes.

The Seventh House of partnership is Pisces, ruled by detrimented Jupiter in Gemini from the square, but hosting both Saturn and exalted Venus, as well as the North Node. Your career and reputation may take you away from your partner in the coming days, or take them from you; some limitations and harsh discoveries may result from this. However, your principal goal should be to lift them up and connect well and publicly with them. Expect that there may be some private harshness in your relationship, but focus on making it better and more loving and connected in public.

The Eighth House of responsibility and odious duties is Aries ruled by trining Mars in Leo, and hosting Neptune and Mercury in the first decan. Divide and Conquer is the messaging of the moment, and there are loathsome functions that must be taken up with fierceness as though they were sacred charges. The onus is on us — you and me — to fight for the vision of the world that we would like to see. Yet communicating that vision clearly is far more important than simply being against whatever is happening now. Start thinking about the future you want, instead of the current circumstances you have.

The Ninth House of long-distance travel, tourism, writing, and publication is Taurus, ruled by sextile and exalted Venus in Pisces, and hosting the Sun and Uranus as well as the Lunar Perigee. Traditions and norms of travel are strongly upheld, but the Sun brings light to systems and postures which will need to be changed over the long haul. Uranus demands immediate change of what is unnatural or inappropriate. Trines from the Moon and Mars put a spotlight on complex legal situations in long-distance travel, and highlight the class differences between how the wealthy and the poor are able to make journeys. Fulminations and thunderclaps are likely in academic settings and among those on pilgrimages.

The Tenth House of career, reputation, and profession is Gemini, ruled by Mercury in Aries from the sextile; Jupiter, one of the triplicity lords, is present but in detriment. Your career matters are likely to be hybridized in the next ten days — rocking back and forth between high-level responsibilities in the workplace, and more civic or associative responsibilities to friends and community. None of these roles are likely to be comforting or comfortable. You and your spouse or significant other should have conversations about how much risk you’re willing to take with regard to political dissent and activist rhetoric, both in person and online.

The Eleventh House of friends, associates, and allied organizations is Cancer, ruled by the opposing and detrimented Moon in Capricorn. An exalted Venus in Pisces provides triplicity support from the trine. Private happiness and the welfare of your children will encourage you to stay in a bunker or keep close to home on relatively private and quiet amusements suitable for a wet and windy winter day. Yet the Moon is in the 23rd Mansion, a place not known for bringing peace or ease — you are better off in the company of others and in visible community than in private or in hiding. Be out and about, and always with others, to the best of your ability in coming days.

The Twelfth House of hidden obstacles, self-doubt, and legal and medical troubles is Leo, ruled by the exalted Sun in Aries from the square, and hosting Mars. Separation and division are common tactics in many locales, especially ports of entry and exit, train. stations, and fields. Bad actors in prisons, courthouses, and royal seats of power will be spotlighted and noticeable — efforts to effect enforcement of the law will be aggressive but flawed through their obvious relationships to wealth rather than authority; this will not make the unequal operation of power any less dangerous, however.

Horoscopes by Rising Sign

Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.

I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.

Virgo: You may have a new vision or mindset about how to fulfill your responsibilities in important relationships — to clients, to business partners, to spouses or significant others. Those obligations are rooted in a new (or rediscovered) expression of love, but they’re also accompanied by boundaries and limitations that you might not yet see. Have you talked over these dreams with your important people yet? Or are you holding them in your heart without taking the time to write them out or talk them through? You’re very good about designing plans, of course, but it might be time to show them around and get real feedback before you put unsustainable practices into operation.

Libra: Financial matters are constrained. On a daily basis, you’ll face a need for more belt tightening, even as you approach new solutions to money issues with attention to both beauty and resourcefulness. Make a point of bringing bagged lunches to work, but try to make your food beautiful as well as cheap and nutritious — for example, care about maintaining the color of fresh ingredients and serve it in a pretty dish even if you have to warm it up in a plastic container in the microwave. There’s a risk that you’ll be entangled in a war of words with a partner, or that your partner may use their speech in ways that commit you both to battle. Discuss your plan and strategy and decide what risks you’re willing to take. if you decide to take up the fight, put on the armor of prayer first — and recognize that your ability to travel or to research for the cause may be more valuable than fighting directly.

Scorpio: You have some behaviors learned from siblings or extended family that are likely causing friction in your workplace — your boss may have it in for you, or their economizing may put your family priorities at significant risk. Ongoing conversations with partners (both business and romantic) may require standing against these expectations — but you may find that your rebellious streak has to be curbed once you include others in your planning. Leaders, remember, have to accept a responsibility to protect those who follow. This will require communicating clearly about your vision of what should be, and not just what. you should be against. This may also require putting certain hobbies on the back burner, or being prepared to use your creative gifts to push back against the restraints imposed by others’ beliefs. Emotional conflict may put you into a challenging position vis a vis a sibling or neighbor, but don’t let immediate concerns destroy familial bonds.

Sagittarius: familial and household matters require so much attention right now that it’s going to feel like a job or a career to your spouse or significant other(s). It’s also something you’re likely to become good at, or well-known-for. Travel, and the necessary learning that goes along with your new career discoveries, are likely to bring hardship; be obedient to speed limits and other routine journey-rules. You’ll have to ask for things that bring you delight, and you may have to re-envision what those are… however, there may be some difficult conversations ahead as you plan out what that looks like. In the meantime, your wallet may continue to take hits that you weren’t expecting; carry some extra cash.

Capricorn: Although you’d like to focus on your pastimes and entertainments, your extended family or inner circle of friends may require you to put your diplomacy and tact to work on their problems and issues. This will be destructive of your own plans and scheduling, but it”s likely to bring you a greater degree of contentment and peace than whatever you had planned. It’s not likely to be kind to your bank accounts, though; and you’re within your rights to suggest that cheaper or more affordable options be researched before you shell out for costs. You will have to break with some of your traditional scheduling, too — communicate the changes in your usual norms to others in your household, and accept that changes to your community activities are also going to result in changes in your familial duty routines. It might be as simple as shifting which night you cook and clean, to becoming responsible for all kitchen management… take on what you can!

Aquarius: Daily life is subject to considerable hardship at the moment, as various wealth extraction techniques are applied to you and to your spouse or significant other’s resources on a daily basis. This may manifest as rent increases, higher grocery bills, or cost overruns when you go to your local coffee house. You may come into conflict with a spouse or significant other over this, especially if they’re facing any legal or medical battles at the moment — the troubles they face are likely to require more of your resources, which are already under strain in ways both visible and invisible. Despite this, your goal should be to seek beautiful solutions rather than emergency ones. Daniel Everett, reported through Robin Wall Kimmerer, reminds us that meat stored in our brothers’ bellies is goodwill stored for later; making your own household a place of spiritual renewal through physical feasting may bring greater joy and prosperity than chasing greenbacks.

Pisces: Partnership will be the critical theme of the next ten days: how and where and with whom to connect… and where and how to draw boundaries. You may find that you need more boundaries rather than fewer ones, and higher walls or standards than usual… but you may also find that you need more gates and doors, too. Be zealous about opening doors often and being more invitational than you’re used to. At the same time, be prepared to slam doors shut with zeal and purpose when you feel that you’re not being approached appropriately. Plan to write out a new budget based on key expenses and sources of income; include both yourself and any significant others with whom you share a household or professional connections. You may also want to include extended family in this as you build or plan for common funding for food, shelter, clothing and joint projects.

Aries: How do you work with the resources of others? How are you communicating your vision to others? For some readers, you might be a type-A banker or stockbroker; for others, you might be a retail clerk stacking stuff on shelves for other people to buy. Either way, or somewhere in between, you have a chance to envision a different mode of being in this role as a manager of other people’s stuff… and to communicate that insight to others. It might be that you want to urge people to head for the exits. Like Jesus, you might say, “go and sell all you have, and give it to the poor.” Or you might encourage group purchases of complex equipment. Either way, you’re invited to think about how to divide the spoils, or upend the market stall. BUT — but… you also might want to consider very traditional and normal investments for yourself, somewhere else. You might want to think about leading others into new kinds of conversations and you might want to create new economies for your friends and allies, especially those that are socially or economically less advantaged than you.

Taurus: Expect certain upheavals in travel for yourself in the next ten days, but do your best to remain calm and orderly during your transitions from one place to another. It may be worth playing a bit of a dress-up game: rather than choosing comfort, you may want to dress up a bit to avoid being a target; choosing austere or minimalist garments may also be preferable to loud or ostentatious clothing. It’s not so much about what you look like now, either, as your intention to travel six months from now. Financial support will be available, but it may be a good idea to travel with more cash than you’re used to. Have a plan of action while traveling, but be cautious about communicating it to others online. You may have to establish boundaries with friends or allies or relations that you’re not used to. Get used to saying, “I love you but…” as you hold up a hand, to say this far and no farther. Home life may be under some stress; give your housemates or significant other(s) some permission to live it up a little.

Gemini: It’s an uneasy time to be holding your career and reputation as a professional together. You’re operating on hybrid wavelengths — doing tasks or solving problems that are way above your pay grade, and leading others in ways that are worthy of a higher pay grade. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, et cetera. You might consider looking into whether what you’re doing is something you should be doing as a business; not right away, perhaps, but in the long term. Your life is a few months away from a new upheaval or three, so it’s a good time to plan ahead — if your life is going to be turned upside down, would you prefer that it be YOUR upheaval that makes it happen, or someone else’s? Some of this requires that you face the natural limits of your current role with equanimity and grace… and write yourself a new story with the help of some visionary friends. One of the ways to do that is encourage a sharing circle to write a new plan for everybody, not just yourself.

Cancer: It’s important that you spend time with friends this coming week, but I suggest that you consider upending your traditional routines and games in favor of spending time with your spouse or significant other’s friends. It’s tempting to spend all your time hanging out with your own chosen band, but there’s something to be said for allowing that ground to be fallow for a bit, and cozying up to the people that your chosen partner(s) choose. You might learn a few things (not all of them good) about your closest friend and confidant. At the same time, recognize that this may, for some of you, prove to be an odious or difficult thing — and you may find that these folks are not in your regular friends’ circle for a reason. You don’t have to play the “them or me” card with your partner, but some clear communication about their failures of imagination may be needed. Your own plans may be uncomfortable to advance, but your grasp of the bigger picture is both judicious and well-founded. Long distance travel may be blocked by financial limits or sudden expenses. Play hooky later; for now, buckle down and complete your work.

Leo: A time of solitude lies ahead, or possibly of loneliness; do what you can to keep it from biting you too sharply or getting too worked up. It’s a great time for you to work to pull a spotlight to yourself, and to demonstrate the physical superiority of your efforts; you may also benefit from turning that light from your own accomplishments to the secrets and rule-breaking of your own familial relationships and household enigmas. Your friends are likely to forgive you if you’re generous in how you reveal their confidences — but there’s also a destructive aspect to what you pull out of hiding and into the sunlight. You may want to be particularly cautious about how you reveal the puzzles of past and current lovers. It’s especially important to be loving and caring with your current partners. Some of them are likely to draw boundaries, and you cross those lines at your own risk. THere’s likely greater reward if you ask permission rather than forgiveness — get out ahead of your vision and negotiate for the memories you want to make public.

Colophon

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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.

I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.

I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.