(Note: Based on listener engagement and feedback, I’m returning to a Monday release for Cycles of Time Podcast instead of Sundays.)
Hey friends,
Welcome to Taurus season!
I’m writing to you from Bocas del Toro, Panama, an island archipelago in the turquoise Carribean sea. It resembles what one might think of as an island paradise, home to dolphins, sloths, red frogs, blue crabs, starfish, monkeys, and so many other beings, living harmoniously amongst the indigenous Ngobe people who grow cacao and plantains and fish for snapper in wooden dugout canoes.
This place is immense in it’s beauty and it’s wildness, and also heartbreaking in how it shows the limits of sustainable human development. On one hand, I have seen the most pristine and vibrant living coral ecosystems that I’ve ever experienced, and on another, the most garbage and pollution I’ve ever seen in the water. There is a backpacker party tour here every week that carries drunken American and European 20-somethings on boats across the islands, living the spring break party wild lifestyle and bumping heavy bass notes across the cerulean waters- it’s called Filthy Fridays, which seems too appropriate.
As tourism and immigration increase in this delicate environment, it’s impossible to not see how the infrastructure of a small island chain cannot sustain the desire for partying in paradise with blinders on. Everything here is off-grid- the water for drinking and bathing is collected in rain catchment barrels, the electricity is solar generated, and the sewage… well, all I know is that there are some issues and ‘they’re working on it’. The water will occasionally run out in town because some people (usually a fancy hotel or resort) uses too much.
Being in a place like this, you can see on the surface how interconnected all of life is - the web of animals and plants and lands and waters, and also the delicate web of resources that we all need to survive - fresh water, clean air and soil- and how the greed of a few can negatively affect the lives of so, so many. This is not unique to this place, of course, and seeing it play out in such an obvious way makes me so much more aware of how this same dynamic is operating at larger scales across the globe.
I’ve learned that Bocas is a radically diverse mix of people: European and American tourists and people looking for “the next key west” or “the next costa rica”, indigenous folks who live in small villages without electricity, all the shop owners are descendants of Chinese folks who came to work on the Panama canal, the administrators and government are Spanish descendents, and there are a lot of folks who came here from other parts of the Carribean, like Barbados and Jamaica, to work at the Chiquita banana plantations over the past 100 years and speak not Spanish but a Creole-Patois blend. I was sitting at a little hole in the wall Fonda last night eating a coconut fried snapper, hearing a mix of so many languages, so many peoples surviving together on this little island.
Being in Bocas is proving to be an in-depth, up close and personal contemplation on the Human Design Gate of this week: The Gate of Caring. Caring, at it’s essence, is all about recognizing that we are not in this alone, recognizing that how we treat the larger community and the collective deeply influences the quality of life for everyone.
Later his week, the New moon in Taurus falls in the last hours of the gate of Caring. This first full gate of Taurus season sets the stage for the nature of the month ahead, so I’m thinking about the archetype of the bull not as a lone animal forced to fight the matador or stand proud on Wall Street, but instead as a herd animal, one who nurturing and caring for the rest of their community.
Cows and bulls show herd mentality, which means they tend to move and act as a group. This behavior is motivated by the need to stay together for safety from predators and to maintain social bonds. Cows will often lie near a stressed herdmate, and they also engage in allogrooming, which is a behavior that reinforces social relationships and appears to be mutualistic, meaning cows tend to groom those that have previously groomed them.
This communal mentality and social structure are crucial for the well-being and productivity of cattle herds, dolphin pods, and other communal animals - especially humans. It’s time to take a note from Taurus, a sign who is deeply immersed in the senses of their environment, which is composed of not only the land and water, but also the other members of the herd.
This week’s Cosmic Overview:
As we enter Taurus season and the Gate of Caring, we also have a tense T-Square between Mars-Pluto and the Sun, Saturn is conjunct Venus and the North Node in Pisces, and a New Moon in Taurus on Sunday (which also activates the Mars-Pluto T-Square). Let the portal of transformation continue…..
This week in the Wheel of the Year:
MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: East
WUXING Element: Wood
PAGAN Season: Ostara > Beltane
ZODIAC Season: Taurus
MOON Phase: New Moon in Taurus (Sunday, April 27)
I’CHING Hexagram/HUMAN DESIGN Gate: 3 (April 16-21) » 27 (April 22-27)
Monday: 3 = Water over Thunder (Zhun: “Sprouting” aka “Difficulty at the Beginning”) or The Gate of ORDERING
Tuesday- Sunday: 27 = Mountain over Thunder (Yi, “Giving Nourishment”) or The Gate of CARING
PLANETARY Transits:
T-Square between Mars in Leo, Pluto in Aquarius, and the Sun in Taurus
Saturn conjunct Venus and the North Node in Pisces
Rooted in Care: Notes from Taurus Season in Panama
As I mentioned before , I spent the past week in Panama with my extended family (parents, sibling, in-law, children… oh my!) Most of the travelers went home a few days ago, and I’m now here reflecting on the experience with my partner and daughter, a small little unit. Traveling with multiple generations of family was intense.. navigating the beautiful chaos of meeting basic needs and trying to have fun- transportation, health, food, closeness, and daily adjustments. Traveling with people you love is always an invitation to stretch - to soften expectations, to practice patience, and to meet each other in the moment. It’s been a sweet but real reminder that care is not always comfortable. It's not always aesthetic. Sometimes it's cooking breakfast when you're exhausted. Sometimes it's choosing to stay quiet. Sometimes it's showing up when you'd rather pull away.
This timing feels incredibly aligned with Taurus season and the Human Design Gate of Caring, where the Sun is currently transiting, and where Sunday’s New Moon will land. As the natural world roots deeper into spring, and the cosmic wheel slows us down to feel what truly matters, we’re asked to re-attune to what care actually looks like in practice.
Here are some reflections for the week ahead, woven through the lenses of astrology, Human Design, the I Ching, and the lived reality of what it means to nourish ourselves and others in real time.
Taurus Season: Embodiment, Voice, and the Need to Feel Safe
Taurus season is a slow season. It's not here for the rush or the high-speed growth. It's here for embodiment — for the tender wisdom of consistency and presence. In the body, Taurus rules the throat, neck, and jaw, reminding us that expression and truth begin in the places where tension gathers. What are you not saying? What are you holding in your body that needs to be sung, or released, or simply acknowledged?
Taurus also correlates with toddlerhood in the human life cycle — a phase of life where everything is sensual, physical, and direct. We learn through the body. We learn through pleasure and repetition. Taurus carries the energy of security, of needing to feel safe and held. Without that safety, expression is stifled. But with it, we blossom.
Astrological Weather: A Fixed T-Square and the Test of Integrity
This week brings a potent and pressurized alignment in the form of a Fixed T-square, with Mars in Leo opposing Pluto in Aquarius, both squaring the Sun in Taurus. This configuration brings intensity and friction, but also the potential for real transformation if we’re willing to stay present with it.
Mars in Leo charges in with boldness, ego, and the desire to be seen and celebrated. It’s the fire of self-expression, creativity, and leadership — but when provoked, it can turn into defensiveness or the urge to dominate. Pluto in Aquarius, meanwhile, pulls us deep into the collective undercurrents — the power dynamics embedded in systems, communities, and ideologies. It represents transformation through exposure, the death of old structures, and the emergence of deeper truths.
The Sun in Taurus, positioned at the apex of the square, becomes the focal point for all this tension. Taurus is the sign of embodiment, values, stability, and resource. It doesn’t want to move quickly — it wants to hold, tend, and trust. But under the pressure of this square, even Taurus is being challenged to examine what it’s holding onto and why. This is a cosmic moment of reckoning. Are the structures you're relying on still in alignment with your deepest values? Or are they just familiar?
The energetic signature of a fixed T-square is stubborn intensity. It’s not easily moved — which is why breakthroughs under this configuration often come after a building sense of frustration or internal crisis. You may feel caught between competing desires: the urge to act, the need to transform, and the instinct to stay grounded. You might experience this in your relationships, work, or personal growth as power struggles, emotional eruptions, or an inner battle between pride and humility.
But if you can breathe through the tension, this is a chance to act from a place of integrity rather than reactivity. The question becomes: Can I hold my ground while still evolving? Can I move forward without abandoning my center?
Amid this backdrop, Venus, Saturn, and the North Node in Pisces provide a different rhythm. Pisces energy doesn’t compete or control — it softens, dissolves, and reminds us that surrender is also a form of strength. Venus in Pisces elevates love to its most unconditional form. Saturn in Pisces asks us to build spiritual discipline, to take responsibility for our dreams and emotions without collapsing into fantasy or avoidance. The North Node here points to our evolutionary path: toward empathy, sensitivity, and interconnectedness.
Together, these Pisces placements offer a countercurrent of grace. They remind us that power is not always loud. That not all battles must be fought with swords. That sometimes, the deepest transformation comes when we stop resisting what life is showing us — and simply feel it, hold it, and let it move us.
This week is not about easy answers. It’s about staying in the fire long enough to let something meaningful be forged. Let the tension show you what matters. Let the discomfort realign you. And remember: the strongest trees are the ones that bend, not the ones that refuse to move.
Human Design: Gate 27 and the Sacred Act of Caring
In Human Design, the Sun is now in Gate 27, the Gate of Caring. In the I Ching, this is Hexagram 27, Providing Nourishment — symbolized by the mouth, a reminder that nourishment is not just physical but energetic. What we consume, what we give, what we withhold — all of it shapes the systems we live within. In the Gene Keys, Gate 27 follows the arc from the Shadow of Selfishness, through the Gift of Altruism, to the Siddhi of Selflessness.
This gate asks us to examine our relationship with giving and receiving — not just whether we give, but why we give. Selfishness, in this lens, is not about taking too much; it’s about becoming imporous — closed off from the living field of the collective. When we act from selfishness, we isolate ourselves from the natural mathematics of life, a rhythm that operates like a mycelial network or a dolphin pod — always attuning, always responding, always sharing.
This week, I’ve been staying in Dolphin Bay, off the coast of Bocas del Toro, Panama, where around 50 to 100 bottlenose dolphins live year-round. They feed on the abundant jellyfish that gather in these warm Caribbean waters. Every day I’ve watched them glide in groups, surfacing in unison, resting together in near silence. It’s an ecosystem of unspoken communication. According to the Gene Keys, Gate 27 is connected to what Richard Rudd calls the “pod mind” — the invisible psychic web that unites creatures like dolphins, elephants, wolves, and, ideally, humans. If one dolphin in the pod is in danger, the others respond immediately. True caring is instinctual, intelligent, and self-sustaining.
But we don’t always live from that place. The shadow expression of Gate 27 can show up as self-centered giving, with an agenda or unspoken expectation. On the surface, it may look generous, but underneath, it’s mental, not heart-led — what Rudd calls political giving. When that expected return doesn’t arrive, resentment flares. On the flip side, we might over-give to avoid guilt or in an attempt to earn love. This self-sacrificing style of care erodes the self and leads to burnout, as care becomes a transaction rooted in fear rather than connection.
The turning point, according to this gate, is clarity — the kind of inner integrity that arises when we know what we have to give and give it without depletion. Altruism is not about martyrdom. It is a form of intelligence — a deep biological and energetic sensitivity to what is needed and when. It does not feed victim consciousness. It knows where its energy belongs. It is not moral. It simply is, like a mother feeding her baby or a dolphin returning for its wounded podmate. It gives because that is the way life flows.
As I’ve moved through this week with family, these teachings have landed in very simple ways. Care looks like preparing breakfast when no one asked. Like stepping back when I’m too tired to be helpful. Like asking “What do you need?” instead of guessing. There’s a rhythm to it, a dance of attunement that is more felt than thought.
The Gene Keys speak of a seven-year cycle of nurturing — how, in early childhood, consistent presence from attuned adults forms the foundation for resilience and inner strength. The pod mind begins here. When a child is truly cared for in those early years, they remain connected to this field for life. In Taurus season, which rules the phase of toddlerhood in the human life cycle, we are reminded that care is developmental. It builds the bones of the future.
In a world where more people are nourished and supported than at any time in history, we are standing on the edge of a quantum leap in human evolution — one that hinges on the transcendence of selfishness. Not through self-erasure, but through wholeness. Through choosing to remain porous. Through letting love flow without needing to hold on.
There is a quiet kind of power in real care. It nourishes both the giver and the receiver. It creates coherence. And it reminds us that we are not alone — that we are each a part of a living, breathing whole.
The Taurus New Moon: Nourishment leads to Innovation
On Sunday, April 27, the moon meets the sun in Taurus in the Gate of Caring, Gate 27.
This is a deeply fertile lunation, not just for manifesting beauty or abundance, but for realigning your life with your values. What are you nourishing? What are you giving energy to? Does it truly sustain you?
New Moons are seed points, and this one is rooted in the earth. It does not ask for speed. It asks for commitment, clarity, and consistency. If you’ve been overgiving or undernourishing yourself, this is a moment to reset. If you’ve been scattered, this is a time to focus. Let the soil of your life be rich and real, not just pretty on the surface.
Later in the day , the sun and moon both transit into the next gate of Taurus season: Gate 24, the Gate of Rationalization. This is known as “The Return” in the I’Ching, and I like to call it the Gate of transmuting Addiction to Innovation.
This gate is associated with the mental process of returning to ideas or thoughts, seeking understanding and meaning. It represents a cycle of contemplation, where the mind revisits concepts to gain clarity or insight.
In the context of the New Moon, this transit may encourage introspection and the re-evaluation of beliefs or patterns. It's a time that supports mental clarity and the potential for breakthroughs in understanding. The energy of Gate 24 invites a balance between rational thought and intuitive knowing, fostering a deeper connection to one's inner truth.
This alignment offers an opportunity to reflect on personal narratives and consider new perspectives that align with one's evolving sense of self.
This Taurus New Moon is particularly notable because along with the sun, it forms a T-Square with Mars and Pluto. This can create tension between self-expression and the needs of the collective, but also push us to take necessary actions for positive change. This configuration can be challenging but can also provide the momentum needed to make the shifts we've been contemplating.
Questions to Reflect On:
What does care mean to me right now?
Where am I overextending, and where am I withholding?
What am I feeding in my life, and is it truly nourishing?
Where in my body do I hold unspoken truths, and how can I begin to release them?
How can I create more space for slowness, simplicity, and presence?
Taurus teaches us that the most lasting growth begins in stillness. That the voice we long to express must be rooted in the body to hold power. That care is not a performance — it is a practice. May this week bring you closer to the ground beneath your feet, and to the truth that lives in your own mouth, waiting to be spoken.
Let it be simple. Let it be real. Let it be enough.
Stay in touch!
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Thanks for listening!
