Mars In Taurus Is Begging You To Have A Slow Summer

Mars, the Planet of Action, Ambition, and Desire, is leaving its all-time favorite fiery spot in Aries and entering into chill Taurus on July 5, where it'll stay until August 20. In the coming weeks, we'll feel a strong pull to embrace the slowness of life: leisure, relaxing, vacationing — all the good stuff. So, if you haven't already requested to use some PTO, this is your sign.

Energetically, this is a big shift from the planet's previous place in Aries. Taurus is ruled by Venus, meaning that "our actions will be driven more by financial decisions, beauty, values, and we may all be a little more focused on pleasures and love," according to Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com. "We will be more inclined to look for material and physical comforts and attracted to beautiful things of lasting value."

Mars doesn't exactly love hanging out in Taurus, mainly because the sign moves a bit too slowly for the Planet of Action's liking. "Mars loves to go for it full tilt, but in Taurus we are reminded that sometimes the best way to speed up is to slow down," says Madi Murphy, co-founder of the CosmicRx. "Taurus is very hardworking but also knows the best way to do your sacred work is from the place of a full cup. This transit comes to remind us to tend to our inner garden with self-care, downtime, and pleasure as a way to nurture our outer lives."

During this transit, Iva Naskova, astrologer at the Nebula app, says that we might find it harder to accept change — but that isn't necessarily a negative here, since she says this "will inspire every sign to stay focused and keep working on their plans and ideas." This transit is an ideal time to work on our financial goals, she says, as Mars in Taurus often causes us to want to find stability and security. "This is not a time to take risks and leap into anything before you take time to think it through," she says. "Cautious and conscious action can help us get the most out of this transit."

This sounds great and all, but every rose has its thorn. Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com and author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power, says that this particular Mars in Taurus transit will be a bit volatile, due to Mars meeting with Uranus and the Lunar North Node of Destiny during its stint in Taurus. "Both Mars and the North Node will function as triggers and will be activating the influence of Uranus, which is expected to bring all the change we have been experiencing in 2021 and 2022 to a head," she says. "While this triple conjunction of Mars-Uranus-North Node is scheduled to happen on July 31, we will be seeing and feeling its influence during the entire month of July."

A quick heads up from Murphy: The last time Mars entered Taurus was January 6, 2021 (yeah, that January 6). "The day Mars switches signs, we can often see turbulence, anger or even unnecessary violence," she warns. While it's highly unlikely that similar events will unfold (Mars changes signs around every two months), Murphy says that, "Mars in Taurus can definitely bring on stubborn anger that builds from the frustration that brews under headstrong Mars in Aries, so we might want to be on watch for that."

On a personal level, Montúfar says that we will experience an "insatiable need to break free from whichever is currently making us feel stuck or preventing us from expressing ourselves and running wild and free." Be wary of acting on impulses during this time, though. Our actions might not exactly go as planned, so Montúfar advises us to calm ourselves a bit and go with the flow.

Although a bit rocky, there is a positive side to this transit. "Mars in Taurus can mean constant effort focused on a long-term goal," says Montúfar. "So, if we have our eyes set on the price, this planet-sign combination can help us make small but steady steps to achieve something meaningful." Slow and steady wins the race, remember?

And Taurus loves to relax, so take advantage of any downtime you can get your hands on — the universe will reward you. "Right now, you are going to see in a really real way that rest and relaxation are truly equally important as hard work," Murphy says. "Schedule in time on your calendar for self-care, naps, and leisure and protect that space with a bullish intensity.

For the next two-ish months, give yourself grace and the gift of a slow summer. It's hard to continue to fight for what's right when we're exhausted, anyway — so rest up.