One corner of the sky is quietly filling up. Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are already in Taurus, and by May, there will be seven heavenly bodies together in this one sign, an unusual gathering of all the visible planets.

Don't expect the sky to fall on May 3 or 4, despite shock headlines and pop predictions. Stelliums (groups of three or more planets in a sign) are indeed rare assemblies, but they don't necessarily give rise to instant events. In fact, it's not so different from those meetings of the seven heads of state—lots of fanfare and publicity, but the real action lies elsewhere. And yet so much concentrated energy in such a small section of sky pulses into a very specific area of our lives, bringing extraordinary potential for growth, but also leading to deviations and disruptions when pre-existing structures aren't strong enough to cope.

What Does It Mean?

Taurus is linked to the very ground of our being, the Earth we walk on and the values that guide our lives. Of all the signs, it is most connected to the body and its pleasures, to a celebration of life and nature. A celestial spotlight is about to draw our attention to these very aspects of our lives. With tight squares (stressful 90-degree angles) from outer planets in Aquarius, we are asked to look at what we really value—what holds true for us during a time of major cultural and societal change. Our relationship with money is a key part of the Taurus archetype, and with electronic investment, its place in our lives seems to be changing at warp speed. Events can occur that jolt our thinking and behavior in this area.

Taurus also has to do with ownership and possession, and we are witnessing a major redistribution of wealth all around the globe. New technology makes older standards of value seem irrelevant, and many are rushing to homestead the Internet, the virtual frontier. Territory is a Taurus word. Huge companies get huger, swallowing each other up like the monsters in a children's book, and we know how those stories usually end. Primitive cultures honored the Earth and gave back, only taking what they needed, and this question of giving back, of redistributing wealth, is made urgent by the squares from Aquarius. The Taurus planets come together around outer planet cycles, cycles that are convulsing and speeding up change in our lives. The new wealth demands a new philanthropy, one that reflects our increasing connectedness.

The Aquarius Lineup of 1962

The last time these seven planets came together in one sign was in February, 1962. That conjunction, in Aquarius, with a solar eclipse at its heart, was even more impressive than the one we'll see this spring. Although very little of major significance happened in the world that very day, or even that month, it's easy to see in retrospect that this planetary gathering heralded the immense changes of the sixties. The Beatles had their first hit, and a small pill led to a sexual revolution. A surge of connectedness and idealism pulled young people together into groups of all kinds, fueled by visions of a better world. Neptune in Scorpio  squared the Aquarius stellium, coloring its dreams and ushering in the drug culture.

So much concentration in one sign of the zodiac can call up the opposite sign (Scorpio), often in an unconscious form, and this is perhaps most evident in poorer countries where the wealthy risk being kidnapped on the way to the office, or women and children are sold into prostitution or indentured labor. Dealing with the raw and undifferentiated power of Scorpio, a sign of destruction and annhilation, could be quite frightening collectively.

How Will It Affect Us Individually?

For most of us, the Taurean concentration will activate one particular house, acting like a sort of planetary fertilizer. It may be particularly fruitful to observe whether we sense Jupiter's abundance or Saturn's lack in this area of our lives. We may wish to follow the currents of envy and possession in ourselves, for a desire to have more and more could bind us in some way. Ownership and freedom are not always compatible. We are always looking to balance, and this is even more important in times of dramatic change.

As planets return to the same degree areas that were activated during last summer's eclipse, things that began to slow down or seize up will now find a new way through. Since Taurus puts down deep roots and brings lasting effects, it's worth taking some time to think about what really matters. This spring can be a time of tremendous growth, but the kind of harvest we end up with will depend partly on choices we make now about what is most important in our lives.

Lynn Bell is a consulting astrologer in Paris France, and teaches at the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London; She is the author of three books, and is much sought after as a speaker and teacher of astrology.