Welcome to May’s planner pages with the biblical focus of the Zodiac constellation Taurus.

Taurus

The Zodiac constellation of Taurus the bull is the ninth constellation, and marks the beginning of the last act on the star studded stage of the night sky. This year the dates for Taurus are April 22-May, 20 2023, which according to the Hebrew calendar is the month of Iyyar. All previous acts of the Zodiac constellations have been fulfilled, and now we turn to the yet to be fulfilled. The humble dim stars of Aries are followed by the bright and brilliant stars of Taurus. In Aries, Christ came as a humble lamb or ram, but in Taurus He comes powerfully as a bull ready to redeem His own and bring justice..

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and
release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV

It is interesting that the constellation Taurus is usually shown with only the front portion of its symbol, a bull suddenly charging into our the starry atmosphere. You might think Taurus doesn’t have much to show for itself, but there are a number of astronomical marvels in the constellation like The Pleiades and Hyades star clusters, and the Crab Nebula.

In Hebrew, the word for Taurus is Shur (Shor) and also known as Rimu (Reem). The root word for Shur means coming and ruling. Rimu in the King James Version of the Bible has been translated as unicorn, but has more commonly been translated as Wild Ox - a beast that was untamable, and is thought to have gone into extinction sometime during or after the Roman Empire.

The wild bull is a symbol of power and rule. Yeshua the Messiah/Jesus the Christ is the Righteous Ruler and Judge who comes to deliver His people and bring justice to the world.

The Stars of Taurus

There are at least 141 stars in the constellation as well as the two star clusters, the Pleiades and Hyades, and there are about 121 stars visible to the unaided eye in constellation of Taurus.

Aldebaran & Hyades star cluster

The bright red star called Aldebaran is shown as the eye of Taurus the bull. The name Aldebaran means leader or governor in Chaldean, and was known as being the Leading Star of stars.

In Arabic, the name Aldebaran means The Follower or the Bright One of the Follower, because Aldebaran may have originally been considered part of the Hyades cluster which marks the head of the bull Taurus.

Aldebaran, in all its brightness stands in opposition to the bright red star, Antares, in the heart of the constellation Scorpio.

The brightest stars in the Hyades and Pleiades clusters are often referred to as sisters, and in biblical astronomy can represent God’s children as daughters and followers of Jesus. They have also been referred to as the seven churches in the book of Revelation. The brightest stars of the Hyades cluster, that do not include Aldebaran, form a V-shape. The Hyades cluster contains 300-400 stars.

*

Joel 2:11-13 AMPC

And the Lord utters His voice before His army,
for His host is very great, and [they are] strong and powerful
who execute [God’s] word.
For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible,
and who can endure it?

Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and
keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting,
with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored].

Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord,
your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and abounding in loving-kindness; and
He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].

*

Pleiades star cluster

“Many a night I saw the Pleiades, rising thro’ the mellow shade,
Glitter like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid.”
- Locksley Hall

Taurus is the home of a bright star cluster called the Pleiades, marking the shoulder or neck of Taurus the Bull. It can be seen in the night sky without binoculars, and the luminous dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster appears larger than the size of a full moon. It is also known as the Seven Sisters because of the seven brightest stars, although in modern times one of them has faded so that only six of the sisters can be seen with the naked eye.* Many more stars in the cluster can be seen through binoculars and even more through a telescope.

Another common comparison found in Hebrew folklore for the Pleiades is a mother hen with her chicks. They are even mentioned with the dust cloud as their Coop that holds them.

The Hebrew word for Pleiades is Chima, which means the heap or accumulation. The Syriac name for Pleiades is Succoth, meaning booths. The Greeks named the cluster Pleiades, from the word pleein, meaning to sail, because its location indicated the time when it was generally safe to travel by sea in the mild weather of the spring season.

In the book of Job, the author says in Job 38:31 KJ21:

“Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

This alludes to the position of Pleiades in spring, coming around each year with hope and the tidings of fairer weather. **

In Job 9, Job talks about the futility of arguing with God:

“El is wise in heart and mighty in power.
Who could oppose him and win?…
He stretches out the heavens by himself
and walks on the waves of the sea.
He made the constellations Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades,
and the clusters of stars in the south.
He does great things that are unsearchable
and miracles that cannot be numbered.”

Job 9:2,8-10 NOG

*

Job 9:7-10 in the Amplified Classic Version puts it this way

Who commands the sun, and it rises not;
Who seals up the stars [from view];
Who alone stretches out the heavens and
treads upon the waves and high places of the sea;
Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion,
and the [loose cluster] Pleiades,
and the [vast starry] spaces of the south;
Who does great things past finding out,
yes, marvelous things without number.

*

Elohim made the constellations Pleiades and Orion.
He turns deep darkness into dawn. He turns day into night.
He calls for water from the sea to pour it over the face of the earth
His name is Yahweh.

Amos 5:8 NOG

*

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away
and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.
All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time,
and in the present, and beyond all time!
Amen.

Jude 24-25 NLT
*

Hope found in Taurus

Taurus declares the prophetic promise of the return of the Messiah to bring justice and rule with a righteous reign. Yeshua assures us:

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.
If this were not so, would I have told you that
I am going to prepare a place for you?
When everything is ready, I will come and get you,
so that you will always be with me where I am.
And you know the way to where I am going.”

John 14:1-4 NLT

*

Taurus Planner journal pages

Page details

Gratitude pages

Workflow pages

Ending weekly-daily calendar pages

Taurus download available!

There is a digital download available of the Taurus constellation from a biblical perspective that I used in the planner journal pages. https://www.valeriesjodin.com/shop

click here to go to the shop

If you are looking for planner set-up inspiration, you will find numerous Planner blog posts and Word of the year tutorials from previous years in the blog menu.

Digital downloads used

Monthly moons digital download: https://www.valeriesjodin.com/shop/monthly-moon-banners-journal-kit-download

Taurus constellation collage sheets digital download:
https://www.valeriesjodin.com/shop/taurus-constellation-collage-sheets-digital-download

Thank you for joining me on this night sky discovery
sparking with light, mystery, and hope in the midst of darkness.

The invitation is still waiting for the response to all who see it,
even written in the stars.

Be blessed with abundance of hope!
Valerie

Bibliography

God’s Voice in the Stars, Zodiac Signs and Bible Truth by Ken Fleming https://amzn.to/3SYRbX3

Looking Up by Troy A Brewer https://amzn.to/3R3nIJP & https://shop.troybrewer.com/looking-up/

The Witness of the Stars by E.W. Bullinger https://amzn.to/3PEUu2P &
FREE ebook: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49018

Star Names, Their Lore and Meaning by Richard Hinckley Allen https://amzn.to/3cbw4QI

The Stars, a new way to see them by H.A. Rey https://amzn.to/3c7Ap7l

* https://science.nasa.gov/pleiades-seven-sisters-star-cluster
** https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/macmillan/pleiades.htm

Materials & Supplies

Digital Art Downloads used in the pages are available in my shop

Monthly moons digital download: https://www.valeriesjodin.com/shop/monthly-moon-banners-journal-kit-download

Taurus constellation collage sheets digital download:
https://www.valeriesjodin.com/shop/taurus-constellation-collage-sheets-digital-download

STENCILS

Stars stencil with stars mask edge 9x12”
https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Stars-Stencil-Stars-Mask-Edge-V-Sjodin-p/l843.htm

To see all stencils I’ve designed visit:
https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-valerie-sjodin-s/2044.htm

Watercolor paint is applied over stencils with a damp cosmetic sponge. You can watch how to stencil in a journal like this on my blog in the ‘2021 Plan with me‘ posts listed in the main blog menu.

SUPPLIES

160 gsm dotted notebook
Pentel P205BP2-K6 Sharp Mechanical/Automatic Pencil, 0.5mm, Black, 2 Count: https://amzn.to/3m3lPgX Kneaded eraser: https://amzn.to/3m0wDwp
Staedtler permanent pen set: https://amzn.to/3yQ2Ixy or
Micron pen set: https://amzn.to/3jpWOup or other waterproof pen set
White Posca paint pen/s: https://amzn.to/3hhmV75
Sakura 57387 3-Piece Gelly Roll Blister Card Metallic Gel Ink Pen Set, Gold, Copper, Silver https://amzn.to/3AbUJMT
Cosmetic wedges: https://amzn.to/2IVno1J
Extreme Elmers glue stick: https://amzn.to/3IZTynk
Misc. Washi tape
Coliro M600 Artist Mica Watercolor Paint Set – Metallic Watercolor Paints (6-Color Set, 30mm)
Watercolors: Indigo (Qor brand used)
Ruler
Craft knife
Spray bottle for water
Small Scissors - https://amzn.to/2U7BgeS (comes in set of 5)
TAPE RUNNER Premium Double Sided Adhesive Tape Runners. Acid Free, PAT Approved, 5 cartridges: https://amzn.to/3CltwtP

I only recommend and link to products I've used and am happy with. The above links are affiliate links, meaning if you click from here and order, I get a small commission. It costs you nothing. Win/Win! Thank you!