From the book "Astrology for Lovers," written by Liz Green.

Taurus, the Bull, is ruled by the planet Venus and the Earth. In mythology, Venus is the goddess of love and beauty. A few words on Taurus; Peace, serenity, sensuality, pleasure, calm, stability, security, placidity. The famous patience of the Bull isn't so much patience built upon discipline and cynicism, as is Capricorn's. It's the patience of nature, of the earth itself, serene and living each day for the beauty and pleasures it holds, while tomorrow - so long as it can be guaranteed that tomorrow will be the same or better than today - is forgotten.

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Let's deal first with the obvious. Taurus is a very physical sign. It's a rare Taurean that doesn't possess a strong, intense desiring nature. Taurus is sensual, loves beauty, and can be entirely sybaritic. This is not the sign for the ascetic, unless you want one hell of a religious fanatic instead.

Let's consider the famous sensuality of Taurus. The true Taurean is an undeniably sensuous creature. This means not only in the sexual realm, but in anything that pleases the senses. Colour: Taurus often has a real flair for design and scheme, for colour, perhaps for painting or photography. Sound: Taurus is well-known for its love of music, and many Taureans have become famous singers (like Barbara Streisand) or composers (like Tchaikovsky). Touch: this means not only responsiveness to physical touch, but a love of texture. Silk, velvet, satin, fur. Yes, of course, it costs money, but Taurus isn't interested in anything cheap.

For many Taureans, the sexual side of a relationship is the thing which takes top priority. Where there's good sex, there the Taurus remains. It would be a mistake to assign any particular morality to Taurus; it depends on his personal viewpoint, his generation, and his private values. If he chooses to be faithful, he's very faithful. If he doesn't, he'll happily pursue his sensual pleasures on the side, getting enormous satisfaction from them, yet never allowing them to interfere with the stability of a marriage. Remember that stability is really important to Taurus. So, of course, is satisfaction. The way to keep a Taurus in a relationship is not to play sexual games of now-you-can-have-me, now-you-can't. He'll just find something more available.

Taurus, being Venus-ruled, has a sense of the romantic. It isn't stylishly romantic like Libra, or slightly dissipated like Pisces, or intense and shady like Scorpio. It's good old storybook romanticism, because Taurus has a conventional streak. The old-time honored rituals and way work best. A true Taurean keeps promises, doesn't promise unless he's sure, and isn't sure until he's checked all the facts on the situation. No, that isn't very romantic. But his romanticism, heavy-handed though it sometimes is, is genuine. He really believes in engagement rings and white wedding dresses. They're concrete representations of his feelings. Taurus is apt to give gifts, to demonstrate emotion. This can be both flattering and difficult, because often emotion doesn't come easily to his fixed, cautious nature.

Because he's very conscious of stability, it's a rare Taurean that flies in and out of relationships. He may fly in and out of sexual encounters, but 'relationship' to him has a heavy sound. Often his sense of responsibility, coupled with his need for security, will keep him in a relationship which has long since lost its charm. In this case he'll very likely find the charm elsewhere, so long as it doesn't rock the foundation of the secure home. And Taurus can be maddening in his simplicity. Relationship means you're physically present. It's difficult to talk about deeper nuances with a Taurus. You must be

literal, because Taurus often has trouble with inferences. He's likely to believe what you say, and be equally blunt himself. When you talk about things like unconscious hostility and emotional blackmail and other undercurrent stuff that a Scorpio would take like a duck to water, Taurus will often turn his head away in disgust. What are you talking about? Show him. Put it in the palm of his hand. Often he won't look at the forces building up underneath that so often wreck the best relationships, simply because his vision is tied to what is in the shop window.

Taurus can be poignantly gentle, tender and affectionate. Because it's a very physical sign, most Taureans need tactile expression of love. Once again, this can either be flattering and nourishing, or it can be suffocating. You may have heard about the famous possessiveness. Taurus is indeed a possessive sign, though for different reasons from Scorpio, also notorious for his jealousy. Taurus possesses, which means that like treasured paintings, the valuable antiques, the rare old books, you're his (or hers) and that's that. Taurus will often demonstrate this in public by physical gestures of the property-ownership variety. It depends upon your taste. Taurus is not the sign to get involved with if you like detachment and open relationships, not if he's in love.

It takes a lot to goad the Taurus in anger. The endless patience and easygoing calm in this sign are a blessing and a relief to anybody who seeks tranquility and peace in a relationship. On the other hand, push him too far, and you have the proverbial angry bull. And once he's angry, Taurus can be physically violent. He's rarely subtle enough to deliver verbal bites like Virgo and Gemini, or manipulate poisonous atmosphere like Scorpio. His language is simple: smash the china, or punch you in the face.

One way to observe the violence is to flaunt your freedom from him. Once an agreement has been made, it's a sure way to anger Taurus. Another is to threaten his material security. Taurus women, in divorce or separation, are apt to hang on to the house, the car, the furniture and the bank account with teeth bared and fingernails poised for the attack. Take away his possessions, his stability, and you have a very angry - and a very insecure - bull.

For loyalty and steadfastness, no one beats a Taurus. For calmness verging on complacency, too, no one beats a Taurus. Like all sign combinations, matches for Taurus depend upon your personal taste. Taurus is often attracted to fiery temperaments, and Emotional (Watery) types who possess the daring, childlike abandon, and mist of imagination and feelings that he himself doesn't dare express. Taurus needs fire to warm him, loosen him, show him that other dimensions of reality exist.

He needs fire for faith in life, since his own faith is largely built on what's in the bank. He also needs Watery for creative inspiration, as a muse. And the more volatile temperaments, the gypsies and the wanderers, the visionaries and the prophets, need Taurus, because like the earth he supports and sustains, protects and cherishes, and because his strength in coping with the ordinary problems of life is endless. And because, unlike more complicated signs, he simply wants to be happy; and happiness for him is not so difficult to find. And his simplicity and love of the natural make it a little easier for others to find too.

With Taurus' love of beauty, he's bound to create an environment that has as much beauty and pleasing atmosphere as possible. On the other hand, he's often so occupied with physical beauty that he may miss what lies underneath. Taurus is the original sucker for a pretty face; he can value beauty so much, in objects and people, that he overlooks and underestimates qualities such as perceptiveness, wit, intelligence, and character. It isn't that difficult to fool a Taurean if you are beautiful. Sad to say, many Taureans are hopelessly ensnared by appearances. It's one of their great failings.

Taurus is also a collector. Of objects, money, and people. What he collects must have value to him. He will treasure it, take care of it, shower attention on it, and hang on with both tough fists tightly encircling it. This is why Taurus is often the partner people seek when they seek the real security of a stable, unchanging relationship. No matter what happens or what you do, Taurus will stand by you. He may not always understand your motives, but he'll remain loyal regardless.