Astrology Articles

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness -
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.~ Omar Khayyám, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Abundance sends its lofty scent on the breeze and entices us with promises of riches and plenty. It tastes like freshly baked bread with a dollop of homemade jam. It feels like soft fur warming us against the harsh cold, or supple suede protecting our skin from injury. Its sound is like delicate wind chimes or rustling leaves that brings a presence on the breeze; or haunting harmonies that enrich our sacred chanting. It conjures visions of a cornucopia of succulent treasures.

Now, before you think "So much for this article, I'm not a Taurus" – think again! We all have a Taurus side to our nature. Taurus is somewhere in everyone's birthchart, and everyone has its ruling planet Venus in their chart, and everyone has a 2nd House (calculated from your time and place of birth). All these areas of the birthchart contain Taurus energy.

Fixed Earth

The world of Taurus incorporates money, finances, possessions and all things of the material world. This includes our physical bodies, the five senses and sensual pleasures, like taste sensations, sweet fragrance, luxurious touch, visual splendour and delightful sound. To someone with a strong Taurus nature, sensory experiences are among the very essence of the Good Life, and a way to their heart can often be found through sensual pleasures like beautiful music, good food, a relaxing bath or massage, or soothing colours.

Every sign is associated with a unique combination of an element (Fire, Earth, Air or Water) and a modality (Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable), and Taurus is the Fixed Earth sign. As an Earth sign, Taurus brings us into the realm of physical reality and factual realism. Taurus-type people are typically down-to-earth and grounded, taking things one practical step at a time. Their aim is usually to live a simple life filled with the luxuries and conveniences that create a pleasurable, tranquil existence.

Taurus is also a Fixed sign, meaning that its energy operates similar to the principle of "inertia." (Remember your high school physics? Neither do I.) When Fixed energy is in motion it tends to stay in motion, and when it is at rest it wants to stay at rest. Taurus-type people typically prefer to get into a routine where they can go on automatic pilot and coast along in a relaxed rhythm. They usually prefer to live in predictable, ordered surroundings (like all Earth signs), which can give them the ability to be reliable, steadfast people. On the other hand, once they are firmly rooted in a state of rest they often find it hard to get moving again, and their love of luxury, tranquility and ease can make them a bit lazy.

Tending The Garden

So what does Taurus have to teach us about abundance? For starters, its Earth nature tells us we must be prepared to work in down-to-earth, concrete reality. Like a good Taurus gardener, if we want to grow something, we have to be willing get down on the ground and get our hands dirty...and maybe even shovel some manure in the process.

Yet, for all of Taurus' physical pragmatism, there is a certain meta-physical element that is also a necessary ingredient for success. We can till the soil, plant our seeds, and water and fertilise their growth until the zodiacal cows come home, but without the blessings of the Gods our seeds may only be providing food for worms. In order to maximize our chance of success, we need not only to provide the best ingredients and the right actions, but also a certain resonance with the object of our desire and sufficient patience to cultivate our goals into fruition.

Taurus also teaches that although the end result may be important, getting there is equally valuable. If you're not finding pleasure in the journey to your destination, then you've lost an essential point of the exercise. Taurus and Venus are the custodians of the rose garden that we are encouraged to stop and enjoy on our way through life.

Although Taurus is associated particularly with money, it also governs general resources. Cold hard cash may be the most convenient and universal resource to meet our needs, but it is often possible to meet specific needs in a variety of equivalent ways. What we lack the cash to buy might be accessible through barter or other means. Taurus' fixed persistence works best when applied toward the essential benefits we wish to gain, rather than expectations of how those benefits will manifest.

Taurus' pattern of inertia teaches us that it helps to get into an on-going routine. Taurus is in it for the long haul, and seeks to build a perpetual-motion machine that will increasingly bring whatever we magnetise to us. Like the initial tree which seeds the forest that springs up around it, once we get some of what we want, it becomes easier to bring more of it into our lives. The seed must be planted before we can harvest the crop, and Taurus knows that it takes money to make money—we need that initial investment in our goal, in order to seed the growth process. Add some elbow grease and a methodical game plan, and that Taurus quality of positive inertia can become the compounding interest that keeps you moving toward your goal.

The Shadows of the Garden

As much as Taurus represents our material substance, it also embodies the substance of who we are—what is real about us at our most basic level. It holds the fundamental structure of our ego identity, which is essential to sustain and contain our fiery spirit that is housed by the physical body. As such, Taurus also reflects our sense of self-worth and self-value, as well as our material values. What is worth paying the price, literally and figuratively? How much are we willing to invest to attain peace, pleasure, stability and security? We may have to give up some excitement, freedom or potential in order to effectively manifest the actuality of prosperity. Our values will steer the choices and sacrifices we're prepared to make in order to get the desired results.

Striving for material abundance brings us into a very personal encounter with the physical world. Our experience of the physical is powerful indeed, and how we feel about it can significantly affect what we encounter within it. Physical and sensory experiences imprint themselves on our psyche in deeply subjective and compelling ways. As infants we cannot survive without human touch, and our physical relationship with the world continues to impact us on a primal level throughout our lives. Our experience of the physical can bring intense pleasure or devastating pain, both physical and emotional, and our comfort level with the physical world can greatly influence how easily or effectively we are able to work within it.

The Taurus web can also become tangled when our sense of self gets knotted up with our "cents of wealth"—when our material worth becomes synonymous with our personal worth. The temptation in Taurus is to say "I have, therefore I am," and then to conclude that if I "have not" I therefore "am not." We invest so much of our time, our energy and ourselves in the acquisition of "things," and western culture places such a high value on having those "things" that the line can become blurred between the possession and the possessed.

If we listen closely, Taurus teaches that while our state of abundance may reflect our material values and priorities, we risk losing ourselves in the pursuit if we don't remember that we have value regardless of the "stuff" we have. The highest aim of Taurus is not the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition but the attainment of inner substance that fuels and gives form to our spirit. The aim of Taurus is to experience the simple joys and challenges of physical existence, and to cultivate a healthy sense of self that doesn't require win-lose scenarios in order to feel whole.

Discovering Your Taurus Nature

How can you discover how Taurus operates in your life? By observing your life at times when Taurus energy is strong, you can learn how to cultivate and work with Taurus energy more effectively. Dates are listed below when Taurus energy is especially strong. (Dates are based on the Eastern Time zone, and may be one day before or after for other time zones.)

© 2004 Wendy Guy. All rights reserved. Photo of wine and cheese spread by Brooke Lark, via Unsplash.com.