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How to Satisfy a Taurus: Real Life Guidance on How to Get Along and be Friends with the Second Sign of the Zodiac
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How to Satisfy a Taurus: Real Life Guidance on How to Get Along and be Friends with the Second Sign of the Zodiac
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781782791515 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Collective Ink |
| Publication date: | 09/27/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 106 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
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Read an Excerpt
How to Satisfy a Taurus
Real Life Guidance on How to Get Along and Be Friends with the 2nd Sign of the Zodiac
By Mary L. English
John Hunt Publishing Ltd.
Copyright © 2013 Mary L. EnglishAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78279-152-2
CHAPTER 1
The Sign
Taurus is the second sign of the Zodiac and represented by 'the Bull'. The dates that generally relate to Taurus are 21st April to 21st May. I say 'generally' as it does depend where your Taurus was born and also what time of day.
As we divide the sky into 12 equal portions, our celestial divisions don't always line up with the way our calendar is calculated. As you might guess, the way the calendar divides the days doesn't match up totally with our orbit around the Sun, which is why we have leap years.
Astrology is about our orbit in space, and how the Sun looks to us from Earth – not about what might be written in a calendar – so sometimes the signs change quite late at night or early in the morning. All this data is recorded on the website we're going to use in the next chapter.
Each Sun sign of the Zodiac has a planet that looks after it. We call it their 'ruler'. The planet that rules Taurus is Venus and was originally called the Goddess Inanna by the Babylonians.
Goddess Inanna
The Goddess Inanna was an early version of what we in the West now call Venus. She was named after the planet that the Babylonians saw rising and falling in the sky.
Here's what Nick Campion has to say about Venus in his The Dawn of Astrology:
It oscillates between being a bright morning star, rising before the sun, and an equally striking evening star, appearing after dusk ... Whether as morning or evening star, at its maximum distance from the sun, there are moments when Venus will briefly be the only visible star in the sky, dominating the heavens as a brilliant point of light. It is these periods that are separated by 584 days and five 584-day Venus cycles are completed in 8 years to the day, an observation which was recognised from the third millennium onwards in the use of an eight pointed star as Inanna's emblem.
And here Diane Wolkstein (a Scorpio) talks about her origins in Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer.
Inanna's name means 'Queen of Heaven' and she was called both the First Daughter of the Moon and the Morning and Evening Star (the planet Venus). In addition, in Sumerian mythology, she was known as the Queen of Heaven and Earth and was responsible for the growth of plants and animals and fertility in humankind. Then, because of her journey to the underworld, she took on the powers and mysteries of death and rebirth.
As Astrology progressed across the globe, it went via Rome and it was there that the name of the planet changed to Venus, and she's been called Venus ever since.
The Astronomy of Venus the Hot Planet
Venus is bright enough to be seen from the Earth with the naked eye. Like the Moon, it goes through phase changes, appearing as a bright light illuminated by the Sun, to a larger crescent, as it gets nearer to us, with some of it in shadow.
'Its surface is over twice as hot as your kitchen oven at 462 °C day and night. It is the closest planet to the Earth and similar in size.'
Astronomers don't call the Moon a planet; they call it a satellite or celestial body ... sounds rather dull to me, but in Astrology we call all the bits we use 'planets', and sometimes astrologers call the Sun (which is technically a star) and the Moon 'lights' or 'luminaries': natural light-giving bodies.
Like the Earth, Venus is also made of rock but its climate has 'gone out of control'.
It is surrounded by a dense layer of clouds and underneath these clouds the Russian probe 'Venera 7' landed on the surface in 1970 and discovered the extreme heat temperatures on the planet's surface. Other missions and probes sent back further information but it wasn't until 1990 that a US spacecraft called 'Magellan' orbited with cloud-penetrating radars and found out that the surface is totally dry with evidence of volcanic eruptions.
Every now and then Venus' orbit means it crosses over the Sun. Sort of like a mini-eclipse. It can't block out the Sun like the Moon can, as it's further away from us and only makes a black mark as you're looking at the Sun (which I don't recommend as that's dangerous to your eyes; you need to use special lenses).
This last happened in June 2004. The next visit will be in 2117, which is a bit of a long wait and I won't be around to see that!
Venus, the Goddess of Love
Venus salutes him with this fair good-morrow:
'O thou clear god, and patron of all light,
From whom each lamp and shining star doth borrow
The beauteous influence that makes him bright,
There lives a son that suck'd an earthly mother,
May lend thee light, as thou dost lend to other.'
Shakespeare, 'Venus and Adonis'
When Astrology progressed across to Greece, the original Greek names for Venus were 'Herald of the Dawn' or 'Herald of Light' and sometimes 'Star of the Evening' because people saw it as visible early in the day and then as it orbited it became visible early in the evening. They eventually called her Aphrodite.
Then when Astrology made it to Rome they called her Venus, the Goddess of Love. She was the lover of Adonis, best mates with Eros the winged god and, just to complicate things, got caught in bed with Mars, even though she was married to the God Vulcan. Some things never change!
Astrology and Venus
Venus has hardly changed in meaning since the Babylonian times. Nicholas Campion tells us that in the 13th century talismans were made:
A Venusian talisman, which might be made to enhance a love affair or soothe a fever, would have been made out of copper, Venus's metal, on Friday (Venus's day) after dawn (the first house on Friday was ruled by Venus), when Venus was in a sympathetic part of the zodiac, such as Taurus or Libra (the signs it ruled) and making good aspects to other planets. One talisman was made to ensure permanent love according to the following instructions:
'Make two talismans in an ascendant for good luck when the moon and Venus are in Taurus' ... as there are only a few days in the year when both Venus and the moon are both in Taurus, patience was required.
This is a key word for Taurus: patience, but we will come on to that in a minute ...
Colin Evans describes Venus as denoting 'the sense of beauty and the affections, love-life, artistic taste'. These are also Taurus characteristics, especially the sense of beauty and artistic taste.
Other Astrologers' Views of Taurus
So what do other astrologers say about Taurus? How do they describe the characteristics of this sign?
Let's ask a living astrologer first, before we ask a few from the past.
Nina is an astrologer working and living in London in the UK. I asked her a few questions about her sign.
What makes you happy?
'Walks with my partner in the countryside, my allotment, harvesting and cooking, sharing a good meal with friends or family, delicious food, stroking and holding my cat, cuddles, doing needlework, looking at the stars, helping and looking after others, my work as an astrologer and hypnotherapist. These are not in order of importance although I guess the first two make me feel most connected to peace and joy.'
What is your definition of a good meal – price/taste/location – that type of thing?
'Delicious food in a cosy environment; food needs to be lovingly grown so I prefer restaurants which have meat that is free range, otherwise I'm a vegetarian.'
How important to you is your sex life (scale 1–10 with 10 being high and 1 low)?
'8.'
How do you feel when you break something or a possession gets damaged or goes missing? Please give me an example:
'I make really good friends with some items. I still wear clothes that I wore in my teens. I have no problem getting rid of things which are not useful. Items which I use, I'm very attached to. I often name appliances. This year we had to replace our dishwasher. We'd had it for 12 years. I had to say a proper goodbye and thanks for all its good service and had a tear in the corner of my eye. It sounds daft but it looked after me for a long time! Worst was the loss of my laptop. I rely on my laptop for every aspect of my work. Communication, chart calculations, recording readings, editing and recording radio programmes, making hypnotherapy recordings for my clients, etc. To lose it was like losing my office. I haven't managed to get rid of it yet although I've become just as attached to my new one. It's my partner in my work!'
That seems very clear. Let's ask Colin Evans, editor of The New Waites Compendium of Natal Astrology, 1971:
Taurean individuals are practical, sure, plodding, secretive, reserved, fixed in purpose, possessing as a rule more vitality of mind and body than those born under any other sign. Extremely strong-willed, they can be led but never driven. They are the manufacturers, the builders, those who make and mould things. Taureans are averse to change, not very adaptable ...
Let's ask Caroline Casey in her Making the Gods Work for You in 1998:
As the bees buzz through the increasingly fragrant fields, Venus incarnates, making Taurus the most sensually intelligent of all the signs. Taste, texture, color, music – all nourish the Taurean, who knows that one can starve from aesthetic as well as caloric deprivation.
That sounds a bit more balanced.
Let's ask Bil Teirney in his All Around the Zodiac: Exploring Astrology's Twelve Signs. He knows a thing or two about Taurus:
... the Bull's reputation as a slowpoke is exaggerated, especially his 'slowness' is to be deemed undesirable (like a slow day at the office) ... Taurus is a fixed-earth sign, suggesting a double dose of stability ... Matter is appealingly solid and predictable to Taurus, a sign that needs to feel safely enclosed by protective and even permanent boundaries.
Here's what Felix Lyle and Brian Aspland say in their book, The Instant Astrologer: 'Steadfast, patient, stable, methodical, deliberate, stubborn, productive, passive, restrained, affectionate, possessive, sensuous, self-indulgent, generous, grasping.'
Quite a long list of attributes, going from positive to negative.
The saying 'Slow and steady wins the race' could have been coined to describe the Taurean approach to life. Quick and adaptable this sign may not be, but what it lacks in speed, it certainly makes up for in thoroughness, leaving few things to chance.
Here is Rae Orion in her Astrology for Dummies:
Concrete goals makes the most sense to you, and you pursue them with quiet persistence. Because you have an intense need for security, both emotional and financial, you tend to make cautious choices. Money is important to you, but you're also highly creative, and chances are you have talent in art or music.
OK, we're having a bit more of an understanding about this sign. I think we should use the following keywords to describe Taurus accurately: Steady/Steadfast/Patient, Long-lasting/Permanent, Sensuous, Practical, Creative.
Steady/Steadfast/Patient
My dictionary defines 'steadfast' as: 'constant, firm and unwavering', and it is in these attributes that a Taurus excels. While a Gemini might change to learn more, or a Virgo might want to consider more than one option before they decide on something, a Taurus will tackle life in that firm and unwavering way. On the one hand it might seem boring or stuck-in-the-mud to other fast-paced signs, but on the other hand, without this ability to be steady the world would erupt in chaos. There has to be someone who is centred and 'earthed'.
Taurus Stevie Wonder wrote a song called 'Edge of Eternity' and there is a key line in it where he says that when the woman he loves is ready, 'holding strong and steady', he'll be there in her life, which describes very well a Taurean's commitment to wanting things to be steady.
Taureans also have an amazing capacity to wait for things. Truly wait. I have levels of patience rated at about minus 100, so I can't really understand the whole patience thing, but it is something that Taureans live by.
They will slowly and steadily work their way to the top of their profession or at least to a place where they feel comfortable. I even know Taureans who will baulk at promotion if they think things will change too much and they feel best where they are. Part of that steadiness is a fear of change.
Here's the Taurus actress Michelle Pfeiffer taking about her fears:
'I was kind of surprised to learn how controlling I am. I never thought of myself in that way. I think the root of the control issues is usually fear, because you want to know what's going to be happening at any given moment. So learning to accept and get comfortable with the unknown – I've got much better at that. I think children teach you that, too. Because you just can't control them – the more you try, the more you make matters worse. Having children has changed me more than anything.'
Nina tells us more about the slower side of life:
'I don't like the way that Taurus is often portrayed as stuck, materialistic and dull. This is a very creative sign. We take our pleasures from the slower side of life and value nurturing and the Earth. We could use more of these values in society, but I'm sure you already know that.'
Long-lasting/Permanent
To be happy, in a Taurus world, involves those things that don't change too much. Taureans can change, but they don't really like it, unless they've got planets in Gemini, Sagittarius or Virgo. They prefer things to stay. And that's not 'stay the same', just 'stay'.
So what does 'stay' mean?
Well, it's the opposite of 'go', surely?
My dictionary defines it as: 'remain in the same place'.
Now if you were an Air sign, or a Fire sign, the above description would have you running for the door. 'The same?' Argh!! An Aquarius would have departed years ago. However, to 'be the same' is to do what we're all rather bad at, which is just to 'be'.
We then get the definition: 'exist, take place, occupy a position in space, attend, consist of'.
There is not much to that, is there? Just to 'be'. I liked the phrase 'occupy a position in space', which is what astrologers have contemplated since the Babylonians ... but which bit of space are you occupying? Where are you 'being'? How do you feel 'being' there? These aren't things that we as a species think about a lot (unless we're studying philosophy) but to 'be' is to act like a Taurus.
They don't question, like a Gemini might, what being is all about; they just 'are'.
And for something to last and not change it must just 'be'.
For more thoughts on this read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I always think it's fitting that an Aquarius should challenge the whole thought-process (which is what he does in the book) especially as he has Moon in Taurus ... he wants to 'be' but has to question it ...
For a Taurus, that ability to stay generally involves living at the same address, working in the same job, liking the same food or hobby.
Marla is a flower therapist, mother and medicine woman living and working in London, England. Healing isn't something she thought of as a career. It just happened naturally. She was introduced to Homeopathy and Flower Essences when she began Yoga to help with the birth of her first child. She found it worked really well. As a child, conventional medicine always disagreed with her. Her healing ability opened up after her first son was born. She met an Essence maker, who introduced her to her own gift.
She tells us how long she has lived at her present address:
'24 years, since I was in my late 20s.'
Famous Taurus psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud lived at the same address in Vienna Austria for 47 years and only moved out when the Nazis detained and interrogated his daughter Anna. He came to live in Hampstead, London, UK and (interestingly enough) Freud's Vienna consulting room was recreated in faithful detail.
So not only did he manage to move house (change location) but all his important possessions came too and were laid out in exactly the same way as they'd been in Vienna. When I read that, I had a little chuckle!
Sensuous
There is no denying that the Earth-centred Taurus is in touch with their body and their sexuality. Ruled by Venus the Goddess of Love, their sensuousness is reflected in their need to experience love through their body, not because of it.
Here's Taurus Janet Jackson discussing what it's like to be sensuous:
'Someone said to me, "Oh my God, you seem so quiet, and when I listen to your album it's so sensual," and I'm, like, "Well, am I supposed to be walking around with my butt hanging out and my boobs up to my ears, with voluptuous lips and high heels all the time?" That person still lives within me, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's there every single moment of the day.'
(Continues...)
Excerpted from How to Satisfy a Taurus by Mary L. English. Copyright © 2013 Mary L. English. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
1 The Sign 6
2 How to Make a Chart 24
3 The Ascendant 27
4 The Moon 35
5 The Houses 45
6 The Difficulties 52
7 The Solutions 58
8 Satisfying Tactics 68
Astrological Chart Information and Birth Data 91
Further Information 94
References 95