Sabian Symbols · Taurus · Degree 17 of 30
Taurus 17°
The traditional symbol for this degree, one of the 360 Sabian symbols first recorded in 1925: “A pitched battle between swords and torches.”
THE SYMBOL
“A pitched battle between swords and torches.”
Taurus 17° · Sabian symbols, devised 1925 (Marc Edmund Jones, clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler)
Remember to round up: a planet or point at 9°30′ takes the 10° symbol, not the 9° one.
What this degree describes
Two very different weapons, meeting in the same fight: the blade that cuts and the flame that burns and illuminates at once. This degree is conflict between methods as much as sides, force against force, but a different kind of force each time, steel logic against something closer to fire and revelation. Taurus rarely seeks battle, but this degree shows it can't always be avoided, and that even a peace-loving sign has its version of swords and torches when something essential is actually being contested.
When a planet or point falls here
A planet at this degree often shows real capacity to fight for what matters using a distinct, sometimes unconventional weapon, illumination rather than only force, or force rather than only persuasion. Mars here can indicate a fighter who brings something sharper, or something that reveals, rather than simply outmuscling the other side. It rewards knowing which weapon, sword or torch, the moment actually calls for.
In the battle you're currently in, are you reaching for the sword or the torch, and is it the right one?
Find your own Sabian symbols
Your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, and every planet each sit at their own exact degree. Cast a free natal chart to find yours, or let a full reading trace what they mean together.
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