Welcome to Taurus Season 2021: Here's What You Need to Know

Annually, from approximately April 20 to May 20, the sun makes its regularly-scheduled visit to the second sign of the zodiac, Taurus, the grounded, beauty-loving, reliable, and sensual fixed earth sign.

Throughout the Bull's season, no matter the sign you were born under, Taurean vibes will have you feeling like slowing down, soaking up the beauty of springtime, and steadily plodding your way through realistic goals. In stark contrast to Aries' go-getter nature, Taurus' driving force is to prioritize pleasure and take their sweet time, often to the point of aggravating speedier friends and loved ones with their snail's pace. But they're masters of taking it easy, embracing the present moment, and reveling in everyday luxuries from leisurely hikes to snuggle time on the couch.

For that reason, it follows that this time of year you'll enjoy getting outside as much as possible, being surrounded by all the wonders that nature has to offer, connecting with people we adore, and knowing that we'll get wherever we want to go in due time. It can feel like a major contrast to the nonstop, hurried rush of Aries season, but that's the point. Taurus energy offers an opportunity to see how much you can accomplish when you go all-in and work ahead slowly, steadily, and with an eye toward enjoying yourself — as opposed to leaping without looking and running like mad toward the finish line. Taurus season was made for mindfulness and pragmatic follow-through.

While we can rely on the sun to move through Taurus every year, the moon and planets move at different paces and patterns in our solar system, so every year, we get a unique experience during every sign's season. Here's a glimpse at Taurus season 2021.

Alex Sandoval

Your love life will go from slow-paced and sensual to social and super flirtatious.

From April 14 to May 8, romantic Venus moves through Taurus, which is one of two signs it rules (the other being Libra). Because Venus is at home here, the planet brings balance and bliss to all of the terrain of life it rules: love, beauty, money, and socializing. You could feel like it's easier to kick back and relax (especially with friends and loved ones), to let go of concrete plans or pressure to get projects done, to let creativity come first, and to get swept up in languorous, mind-blowingly deliberate, sensual lovemaking, for which Taurus is known. (See: Why I Taught Myself Mindful Masturbation — and Why You Should, Too)

May 6 should be an especially transformative day, thanks to beauty-loving Venus forming a harmonizing trine to powerful Pluto, amplifying deeply felt emotions and setting the stage for game-changing, meaningful connections with your S.O. or a potential match.

If you like to take your sweet time with everything from foreplay to spa days, you'll want to take advantage of this transit as much as possible, particularly because it's bookended by far more fast-paced — at times erratic — energy. After all, before its trip through Taurus, Venus was in impulsive cardinal fire sign Aries. And from May 8 to June 2, it'll zip through mutable air sign Gemini, bringing a buzzy, mental, mercurial vibe to relationships, dating, our sex lives, and time with friends. Think wanting to switch up your position, try new toys, flirting up a storm via DM, or spilling all the details of a hot date in the group chat, and the next day, learning something about them that's a total turn-off. The planet of love's time in the sign of the Twins can be ridiculously fun, to be sure, but it's far less grounded and predictable than its time in the sign of the Bull for better or worse.

You'll get centered — then want to flit from one thing to the next.

Mercury, the planet of communication, transportation, and technology will have two sign shifts this season. From April 23 to May 3, it'll be in Taurus, bringing a no-nonsense, pragmatic take to the way you connect, express yourself, and gather data. And given Taurus' tendency to dig their heels in and feel uncomfortable diverting from what they know, it might be easiest to stick to well-established plans and ideas.

But it's a whole different ball game after May 3, because the messenger planet will move through a sign it's happily at home in: airy, social Gemini, making interactions and information-gathering far more curious and playful. You might be more inclined to multitask, pack your schedule to the brim, and juggle a wide variety of mentally-stimulating activities — from post-vaccination reconnecting with loved ones to devouring books you've been meaning to read and free writing up a storm. You'll want to make the most of any forward movement you can snag during this time, because on May 29, the second Mercury retrograde of the year begins, resulting in slowdowns and delays until June 22.

You'll take a mood-informed, self-reflective approach to hitting your goals.

Bold Mars spends about two months in a sign, and from March 3 to April 23, the planet of action moved through flexible but scattered Gemini, bringing a more excited, curious, and animated energy to goal-getting. But not long after Taurus season kicks off, it'll move into sentimental cardinal water sign Cancer from April 23 to June 11, bringing a sensitive tone to how you take action, get after your desires and dreams, experience energy, and assert yourself.

Because Cancer swims in the depths of emotion as a rule — like all of the water signs, TBH — Mars in the sign of the Crab can cause you to use feelings as fuel. While channeling your heartache, stress, or even passion into your goals can be super-effective, it could also make for choppy sailing. The takeaway: This can be a beneficial time to tune into your heart and intuition and pay even more attention to how it colors your energy and action.

In a similar way, transformative Pluto's retrograde, which begins on April 27 and lasts until October 6, will encourage similar self-reflection. The planet oversees death and rebirth (think: the phoenix rising from the ashes), so during this period, you'll be nudged to face any skeletons in the closet and skewed power dynamics that could potentially be holding you back.

Imaginative and romantic goals will get a major boost.

It's not every season that you see a big shift from expansive Jupiter, which changes signs roughly every 12-13 month — but heads up, it's happening. The planet of luck, fortune, and abundance has been in future-minded, humanitarian fixed air sign Aquarius since December 19, magnifying the focus on — and the benefits of — platonic connections, community, collective action, and doing what's best for the greater good versus the individual. And from May 13 to July 28, the biggest planet in our solar system will slip into mutable water sign Pisces, basically giving us a preview of what to expect while it spends a year there for most of 2022.

To gauge how you might experience bountiful Jupiter's trip through the sign of the Fish, you might want to think back to 2010 (the last time Jupiter was in Pisces) and any areas of life that felt extra energized and front and center. Maybe you were dating a ton, because it was moving through your fifth house of romance. Or you had your pick of moneymaking opps, because it was in your second house of income. Or you moved into a bigger apartment with high ceilings and big windows — a sign that it was expanding your domestic world by being in your fourth house of home life. Whatever effect it had on your life, you can expect the follow-up act to happen this spring and early summer.

And in general, fortunate Jupiter's time in Pisces should turn up the volume on our appetite for creative expression and art, empathy, getting lost in daydreams, being swept up in cinematic romance, and tending to emotional wounds through psychological and spiritual healing.

It'll be a powerful time to face your fears and then commit to your heart's desire.

While Taurus tends to get pigeonholed as the most stubborn of the 12 zodiac signs, it's actually one of the four fixed signs: Aquarius, Leo, and Taurus' opposite Scorpio, which is intensely resolute and a pro of razor focus. That said, around April 26, when the full moon falls in Scorpio, you could see how refusing to bend can lead to a break. Perhaps it's actually a breakthrough, because the moon will oppose electrifying, game-changer Uranus in Taurus. But serious Saturn forms a tense square to it as well, so it might be time to do the work you've been obstinately brushing under the rug — all for the sake of being transformed.

Then, on May 11, you'll get a chance to turn up the intensity of your imagination in order to set a powerful intention, thanks to the harmonious new moon in Taurus. The monthly opp to vision board and set goals is supported by the moon's friendly sextile to spiritual Neptune and a sweet trine to rebirth-bringing Pluto. The planets will be aligned in a way that supports not only trusting your intuition but also navigating your path to a practical, Taurus-charged game plan that can result in well-deserved, concrete change.

Maressa Brown is a writer and astrologer with more than 15 years of experience. In addition to being Shape's resident astrologer, she contributes to InStyle, Parents, Astrology.com, and more. Follow her Instagram and Twitter at @MaressaSylvie.