The Taurus - Venus Connection

TAURUS Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac and is ruled by the planet Venus, the planet of beauty and grace. Tauruses like the good things in life and usually focus their energies on acquiring material possessions and money. They pursue with great zest everything that will satisfy their desires . . . this can be pleasure, comfort, wealth. Tauruses appreciate beautiful things whether it be art, music, nice clothing. Tauruses are very stable people and are reliable, although usually quite stubborn. Some of the characteristics of Taurus are: materialism, greed, laziness, patience, practicality, steadiness and endurance. They are somewhat slow, but always finish what they start. Some of the interests of Taurus are: comfort, possessions of all sorts. These people are usually fiercely loyal to their friends, often burdening themselves with their friends' problems. They also are very jealous people, usually to the extreme. They tend to not be too aware of themselves or their motives. They are great planners, and then they will work hard to make those plans materialize. We have had several U.S. Presidents, among them Harry S. Truman and Ulysses S. Grant, born under the sign of Taurus. Tauruses are the accumulators and builders of the zodiac.

Qualities: Fixed Earth Key Phrase: I HAVE!
Key Word: Possessions
Virtue: Reliability
Defect: Stubbornness
Rulership: Natural ruler of the 2nd house
Ruling Planet: Venus

When Taurus is on any house cusp, or when any planet is in Taurus, the affairs of that house or that planet will be affected by Taurus influences such as: profit, slow but steady progress, determination, slow to change, but dynamic when aroused, possessive attitudes. For now, just remember the Key Word, POSSESSIONS, and the ruling planet, VENUS, to begin understanding Taurus.

VENUS Venus is a personal planet. It typically shows where money may be gained or spent. Venus represents refinement, harmony, love, beauty, and artistry. It shows how you will interact with other people. In a man's chart, Venus, along with the Moon, shows the kind of women he will be attracted to and possibly marry. See Mars to find the kind of man a woman is attracted to. Venus is often called the lesser benefactor. This means it is associated with good fortune in minor ways. For example, winning a small amount of money in the lottery. Its house position shows where good luck can appear. In general, Venus functions most powerfully in Taurus, Libra, Pisces, and Aquarius. In general, Venus functions with more difficulty in Aries, Scorpio, Virgo, and Leo. In the other four signs (Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Capricorn), it seems to hit a happy medium between easy and difficult. Venus rules over: romance, love, gentleness, beauty; sociability.

Some positive characteristics of Venus are: charm, refinement, consideration, creativity, inspiration, gracefulmovement. Some negative Venus characteristics are: vanity, laziness, jealousy, self indulgence, indecisiveness, possessiveness. Venus rules both Taurus and Libra. It also rules ovaries, throat, and blood circulation. Venus moves through all twelve zodiac signs in approximately one year, never getting further away from the Sun than 48 degrees. Like Mercury, Venus goes retrograde and sometimes is ahead of the Sun and sometimes trails the Sun. Venus, too, may be the "morning star" sometimes and the "evening star" at other times Venus travels from 0 degrees to 1 degree 16 minutes a day, depending on whether it is retrograde or not.This means Venus stays in one zodiac sign from 23 days to a little over two months, depending on its motion.

This excerpt from "Astrology for Beginners" By William W. Hewitt reprinted with permission from Llewellyn Publications. William W. Hewitt has been practicing astrology professionally, as an avocation, since early 1974. He is a member of the American Federation of Astrologers and specializes in natal charts and interpretation .