Taurus

Above all else, Taurus refers to the value of embodiment. It says that living in form is a good and valuable experience, and that doing so is a worthy choice.

Taurus is the first Venus-ruled sign. It is personal and derived from the spiritual value of life in form. Its most obvious expression is self-worth. At its best, it knows that love is not an action, but a state of being. Its realization is love as the magnetically charged substance of life, particularly human life, and especially my life. It is the form that divine love takes for manifestation on earth.

If Being is signified by the first awakening of self-awareness, and Seeing by the opening of the eyes to light, then the urge to snuggle down into the covers and prolong the pleasure of soft, warm, inactivity signifies the awakening of self-worth. Here, we most clearly experience human, physical, objective life as good--even wonderful! This is the Venus/Love principle at its purest and most spiritual. It is unsocialized love as expressed in Taurus form. It is consciousness experiencing, or focusing on, unconditional, objective, pleasure. This has nothing to do with thinking, it is simply feeling. It is the mastered, unconscious, awareness of the goodness-of-life, functioning automatically, without attention, as a feeling of pleasure.

Without modification by other chart aspects, Taurus will characterize any planet she holds as pleasurable, as inherently good. It is important to realize that this can produce an appearance of mixed or even negative results. EXAMPLE: With Saturn/limits in Taurus there could be a sense of needing to stay within whatever boundaries exist, a kind of inertia. Probably there would be some very good internal reason for inhibiting some movement in the life temporarily. However, these limits might not be socially acceptable, and might inhibit the expression of (socially defined) success.

If planets in Taurus are giving you problems, you probably need to reexamine the definition or concept you have of that part of personality represented by them. Look at that function from a different perspective, or as many different perspectives as necessary to integrate the goodness available within the structure of your life. Remember that Taurus is something of a "baby." The values she appears to hold and those inherent in her being may be different, because babies are expected to absorb the values of those around them. Taurean functions are sometimes very good, well-trained, and well-behaved without bringing the expected rewards. If so, what you believe to be your good is different from what you really need to have or get. For resolution, try examining the assets that you bring to any crisis. What can you do when there is no time to think about whether you should or should-not be doing it? These are your inherent spiritual abilities and they need to be brought to consciousness and practiced intentionally. Learn to love these skills; if they are there for you in crisis, they are valuable indeed.

Structure is a word attached to the Taurus concept. Its roots lie in the basic idea of form. A form--as opposed to space--is a place where micro-particles such as atoms, molecules, quarks, and photons are clustered or bonded. They stick together and are integrated into a structure. Taurus refers, then, to bonding, integration, and to the secondary form that occurs as the result of combining certain building blocks. Taureans are builders.

The process that maintains structure, is called integrity and refers to the principle: Like attracts like. We then extend our concept to include the ideas of attraction and attractiveness, magnetism and beauty. We might refer to the beauty of rationalism, of order, of the way in which things that belong together are attracted to each other. On Earth and its adjuncts we call that magnetism gravity, and we say that like gravitates toward like.

In this aspect, we admire or love the form and structure of life and evaluate it as necessary and good, even as beautiful, awesome, magnificent. As applied to mundane life, it becomes the value of builders and of building. Taurus combines necessity with beauty. The emphasis is comfort and pleasure. It is the sign of practical artistry, designed to please both body and spirit.

Abstractly, Taurus refers to the beauty in good function, in well-executed action, and in good fit as it is derived from proper connection. When this aspect extends to human body, we assign Taurus to the neck as the link between the head and the body. It is the throat that gives shape and form to the voice, which is the transmitter that shapes ideas into sounds. When we enjoy these sounds, when we are pleased by them, we will call them harmonious or musical. Many Taureans are singers, and/or have the gift of charming expression. Taurus actually relates more closely to charm and the art of pleasing than it does with classic beauty.

Like children, Taurus planets and points can charm us even when they are not objectively beautiful. Here beauty is not so much in the appearance, as it is a combination of all the aspects of being and the pleasurable effect that they have on the beholder. Remember that, like children, pets, and plants, they respond well to praise, wanting, above all else, to please. Also, like children, they will let you know when they are happy and pleased--and when they are not!