Taurus zodiac sign characteristics

Taurus (The Bull), April 20th - May 20th

This is the Head Sign of the Earth Triune, and corresponds to the neck of the Grand Man. Its colors are azure, red and lemon-yellow, its birth stones, moss-agate and emerald, its profession science, and its chief characteristics are a strong will and much natural sympathy. Its tribe is Asher, meaning happiness. It is the natural home of Yenus, which gives a tendency to early marriages. These people rarely remain single, both the men and women having a natural attraction for the other sex.

Their personal appearance is also favorable to this, as they are usually good looking, the men being broad-shouldered, powerfully built, full faced, with a good complexion and much animal magnetism, and the women their healthy, handsome, magnetic duplicates.

Taurus people are great lovers of science, literary pursuits and art in its various branches. They are studious and clever, but make better imitators than originators. Their temperament is slow and steady, even stubborn at times, and they have a tendency to grow stout. Their sympathies are very easily excited, this being the vulnerable point in their armor, by which they are much imposed upon. But once let them think they are being used in this way, they will shut up in a shell of silent stubbornness which nothing can pierce. This sympathetic trait makes thoughtful, helpful friends, and ideal neighbors of them, and gives them a love of animals.

It makes them splendid nurses, and excellent doctors, their steady, unexcitable natures having a soothing, comforting effect on their patients.

Taurus people are remarkably even-tempered and generous, unless crossed. But when thrown into a rage, they resemble nothing so much as their prototype, the Bull, with no regard for entreaties, threats, and still less for the furniture. In men of uncontrolled and dissipated habits this trait is frequently met with, but it generally modifies in a woman, or man of control, into a slow, cold, steady aversion much harder to bear. These people have both vigorous brains and physiques, and their affable manner and good memories, taken with their strong will, make very popular leaders of them. They have keen business insight, if left to themselves, but are apt to be influenced by others' opinions. Their success in life will depend a great deal on a good education, as no people can improve more with it or fall so low without it. Both sexes have strong passions and a good deal of jealousy in their nature, which work strongly toward mis* leading them while young. But if they once overcome these faults, the wholesome strength, powerful mental gifts and quick sympathies of their nature raise them to great heights. So though still earth they are of the mountain-tops —not the plains—and tower above mediocre air, fire and water.

These people, above all others, seem to enjoy life. They love the good things of this world, and are very fond of giving and attending dinners and banquets. If the over-eating of rich food is indulged in too freely, they are liable to contract dropsy. But this only applies to the dissipated unregenerates or habitual gourmands of this sign.

Taurus people as a rule are extremists, being often as zealous in religion and church work as they are in business and the pursuit of their own pleasure. They should be very careful in picking their friends and associates, who, once having gained their sympathies, have also gained a great though perhaps unconscious control over them.

One of their strongest points is their courage, which, coming from quiet nerves and a wholesome, phlegmatic disposition, is a constant surprise to people of more nervous signs.

There will rarely be found a miser among these people. Money with thern is only a means to an end, and they give it freely in charity, and generously among friends. They are very fond of beauty in every form, and so are apt to judge things by appearances. Shabbiness is an eyesore to them, and they are generally well dressed themselves and like to associate with well-dressed people. There are brilliant speakers and writers among them, and the more intellectual have the power of thought transference to a marked degree. They are slow to provoke to anger, but when they become fully roused, they make the most bitter and unforgiving of-enemies.

When they get into a rage they should have perfect quiet till they entirely regain their self-control, as the stouter ones are in danger of breaking a blood vessel or in some other way injuring themselves during the paroxysm. These people are sometimes as capricious and fickle as the unawakened nature of their Aries neighbor, and as they think their own way the best always, they are sometimes very hard to get along with. Considering themselves in a position to give any one advice, their interference with other folks' affairs sometimes causes a great deal of trouble.

Being the head sign of Earth, they will be very congenial friends with Caprioornus, the negative sign. A marriage of these two would have every reason to be perfectly harmonious, the occasional coldness and selfishness of the two earth natures, which might interfere with the happiness of others, being offset and sympathetically understood in the companion nature. Should Taurus marry a Libra person, which is the middle sign of Air, there would be congeniality on a more intellectual basis. Cancer, head sign of the Water Triune, would make a good friend, but a marriage would mean that one or the other would have to forego natural leadership to keep peace in the family.

According to some authorities Scorpio, the middle sign of Water, would be the most perfect mate for Taurus, being its exact opposite in the zodiac. In any of these cases, and most certainly in all others, the chances of a Taurus person's happiness depends on himself. This of course is true of all signs in a degree, but with Taurus rests the making or marring of his own home. If he would remember that not the ruling of others, but the ruling of self, is the greatest conquest in the world, no heights of blessedness in this world or the next would be impossible to him.

The most fortunate times in the year for Taurus people to undertake new enterprises are the two weeks beginning September 5th and January 11th.

"Astrology", by M. M. Macgregor (1905)