Lesson and Reflections on our Values

Sarah McSorley
May 5, 2025
5 min read

Updated: May 21, 2025

What Jupiter in Taurus invites us to reflect on.

As Jupiter prepares to complete its 12-month journey through sidereal Taurus, it's the perfect moment to reflect on the themes this transit has activated — both individually and collectively. Known as the planet of expansion, truth, and learning, Jupiter doesn’t just bring luck; it brings clarity. And in the earthy, fixed sign of Taurus, those lessons have been tangible — rooted in our relationship with money, resources, the body, and the planet.

What Does Taurus Represent?

Taurus is an earth sign, ruled by Venus, associated with stability, security, beauty, and the material world. As a fixed sign, its energy is steady, persistent, and often resistant to change — but it is also deeply rooted, providing the grounding we need to build something lasting. It governs the second house in astrology: the domain of resources, possessions, earned income, and self-worth.

But Taurus isn’t just about what we have — it’s about how we value it, and why.

This year has challenged us to look at:

What we have — are our needs being met?
What we receive — do we feel supported, nourished, valued?
What we consume — are we driven by need, habit, or insecurity?

It governs the second house in astrology — the part of the chart that speaks to survival, possessions, value, and self-esteem. It's associated with the basic building blocks of life: food, shelter, clothing, income.

In Maslow’s terms, Taurus aligns with Level One: physiological needs. And when these are shaken, everything else begins to wobble.

Global Reality Check: Survival Costs and Economic Shifts

This year, Jupiter has held a mirror to the global economy. Inflation, interest rate instability, commodity shortages, and housing crises have hit the headlines and our pockets. At a national and global scale, we’ve seen governments scramble to stabilise essential services while families and individuals reassess what they can truly afford.

But it’s not just about economics — it’s about the ethics behind them.

Conscious Consumption: Quantity vs. Quality

Taurus loves beauty, comfort, and indulgence — but this transit has forced us to look deeper. We’ve been invited to ask:

What do we actually value?
What are we funding with our choices?
Are we investing in sustainability, fairness, or just short-term gratification?

Take fast fashion as an example. On the surface, it's about affordable trends — but behind the bargain lies a troubling truth:

Many garments are made from petrochemical-based fibres (like polyester), which contribute to pollution and landfill waste. Add to that the exploitation of garment workers, often paid poverty wages in unsafe conditions, and we begin to see the darker underbelly of consumer convenience. The clothing industry is the second largest polluter on the planet, requiring large volumes of water and increasingly the use of faux imitation fabrics produced by synthetic fibres. Our consumption of clothing is so vast there is a mountain of old and new clothing, visible from space, discarded in the Atacama Desert in Chile, with estimates ranging at 39,000 - 44 million tonnes dumped there annually. These issues are conveniently hidden from consumers, but Jupiter in Taurus asks us to see clearly, and act accordingly.

Brand Identity and Value Disruption: The Case of Tesla

Taurus also rules brand loyalty and the long-term value of what we align with. A striking recent example is Tesla.

Once the crown jewel of the electric vehicle revolution, Tesla was more than a car — it was a status symbol, a nod to innovation and environmental awareness. (Taken with a pinch of salt as the raw materials to make the batteries requires vast amounts of metals such as cobalt to be excavated from the earth in Open Mine pits) But since Elon Musk’s polarising involvement in U.S. politics, his unvetted appointment to the Trump administration and DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), and his drastic job cuts affecting thousands, the brand’s image has shifted sharply.

In just a few months, Tesla has gone from prestige to punchline — with its vehicles even becoming targets of vandalism and memes. It’s a real-time example of how quickly perceived value can erode when public trust is compromised. Jupiter in Taurus exposes these fault lines — urging us to align what we buy with what we believe.

Our Material World Mirrors Our Inner World

Everything we buy, wear, eat, and decorate with is a physical representation of our inner landscape.

Psychologist Shalom Schwartz identified a set of universal human values — from security and achievement, to benevolence, tradition, and self-direction. Your spending habits can reflect where your compass currently points. Look at your bank statement like a journal:

Are you seeking comfort or control?
Are your purchases helping you feel seen, safe, successful?
Are you supporting your future self, or just soothing your present discomfort?

Money Talks: Values, Power, and Influence

Money talks. It may not be an official vote, but it’s the loudest signal we send to political and business leaders outside of the ballot box. What we buy, where we invest, and what we fund — these actions influence boardrooms and manifest in policies, advertising, and economic shifts.

Ultimately, leaders are a reflection of the wider society. Just like brands, politicians rise and fall based on perceived alignment with the public’s emotional values, not always their logical plans.

And that brings us to an important point: Voting is emotional. While manifestos and debates give us information, most people vote for the person or party that feels like it reflects their identity and values — not necessarily the most rational or detailed argument.

Under Jupiter’s expansive influence in Taurus, these themes are amplified. Taurus rules values, Jupiter magnifies. This was most notably visible in the U.S. election, where the values of the USA electorate have been conveyed and proclaimed on the world stage.

Reflection: Small Shifts, Big Ripples

As we prepare to move into Jupiter in Gemini from 15 May, let Taurus leave you with these grounded, honest questions:

What do your spending habits reveal about your values?
If you want to see more local shops on your high street — how often do you buy there?
What’s one small change you could make to support a local business over a global one?
How can you shift from consuming more… to consuming better?