Preface
If your birthday does not fall during the Taurus timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Taurus, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy.
The Sun began its transit of the sign of Taurus at 3:30 p.m. PDT on April 19, 2013.
Taurus Energy at a Glance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Taureans Speak
Adele
Taurean Singer-Songwriter and Musician
Born May 5, 1988
“I like looking nice, but I always put comfort over fashion. I don't find thin girls attractive; be happy and healthy. I've never had a problem with the way I look. I'd rather have lunch with my friends than go to a gym.”
Frank Abagnale
Taurean author of Catch Me If You Can
(a book recounting his story as a confidence trickster, impostor, and escape artist)
Born April 27, 1948
.jpg)
“I stole every nickel and blew it on fine threads, luxurious lodgings, fantastic foxes, and other sensual goodies. I partied in every capital in Europe and basked on all the world's most famous beaches.”
Source:
Lena Dunham
Taurean Writer, Director, & Actor (known for her HBO Girls series)
Born May 13, 1986
“The fact that Hannah exists on TV and is not a size 4 is meaningful...I have a body that is outside of the Hollywood norm, and it’s not the kind of body I ever thought would be seen naked on television.”
Cory Booker
Taurean Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
Born April 27, 1969
“Look, I think that two things I indulge in the most… one is food, so I have an illicit relationship with two guys named Ben and Jerry. That is enjoyable. And then you know it’s just bad TV. So late, late at night if I come home particularly discouraged from the day, I can see myself sitting with ice cream and watching something on TV – John Stewart, Stephen Colbert — hoping that they’ll make me laugh at the end of the day before I hit the sack.”
Source:
Judith Jamison
Taurean Dancer & Choreographer
(known as the Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater)
Born May 10, 1943
“If you look at a dancer in silence, his or her body will be the music. If you turn the music on, that body will become an extension of what you're hearing.”
Mark Zuckerberg
Taurean Computer Programmer and Internet Entrepreneur (co-founder of Facebook)
Born May 14, 1984
"Simply put: we don’t build services to make money; we make money to build better services. And we think this is a good way to build something."
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/mark_zuckerberg-quotes2013-2?op=1#
TAURUS SYMBOLISM AND RULERSHIPS
The bull serves as the symbol for Taurus, as shown by the medieval painting of the languid and gentle bull at the beginning of this article. The Taurus glyph, shown directly above, shows the round face and horns of the bull. Bruce Nevin offers other interpretations for the glyph, describing it as a bowl-like crescent over a circle, much like a wide-funnel mouth on a round full jar. The jar may represent a vessel of containment for the resources and possessions for which Taurus has stewardship. Moreover, Nevin observes that the glyph represents another stage of the unfoldment of the serpent, the symbolism of which is contained in all the fixed signs.[1]
Taurus is ruled by the earth element, indicating a sign that thrives on the creation and maintenance of form. By quadriplicity (mode), Taurus is a fixed sign, showing a predisposition for stability and strength.
The feminine planet Venus is most commonly associated with the rulership of Taurus. Venus represents the principles of equilibrium and attraction. Following the planet Mercury, in order as we move away from the Sun, Venus possesses qualities that stand in contrast to the mental quality, instead focusing on intuition and attraction in its receptive form. Its concerns are aesthetics, balance, holism, tastes, values, and creativity. Venus endows Taurus with aesthetic inclinations of a sensual nature.
In the wheel of astrology, Taurus rules the Second House of personal resources, which includes those that lie within your personal boundaries. These include possessions, money, and energies (or personal talents). The second house focuses on what is of value to you, whether tangible or not.
In traditional astrology, Taurus rules the neck and the throat. Astrologers of yesteryear considered Taurus a bestial sign, since it is represented by a four-footed animal. Bestial signs often lack social graces, and may even be considered course. Is this the explanation for the expression “like a Bull in a china shop”? I think the older traditions of astrology may over generalize, because I can think of many examples of how the earthly elegance of Taurus is displayed, particularly in song (as Taurus rules the throat). Many crooners are born under this sign, including Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, Cher, and Stevie Wonder.
Taurus is associated with the image assumed by the god Zeus when he appeared before the maiden Europa as a beautiful gentle white Bull. She slid on his back, and he carried her away to the island of Crete, where she bore two of Zeus’ sons. This well-known myth has been depicted in paintings entitled the Rape (or Abduction) of Europa, by such artists as Titian and Rembrandt.[2]
THE TAURUS EXPRESSION OF ENERGY
The end of Aries and the beginning of Taurus represents the time when the spring season has mellowed. The sunny landscape sparkles with green lushness, and the flowers in full bloom add lovely scents to the warm air. Aries energy ventured out to look for lands to plant new seeds, but now the earth requires a more patient and consistent energy to till and enrichen the soil. Loving the smell of the earth, and in awe of its fertility, Taurus cultivates nature’s bounty with care and nurturance. This energy provides strength in the plowing of the land, but it knows that all work and no play is of little value. Moved by the senses, Taurus slows down to “smell the roses,” so to speak.
As astrologer Dana Gerhardt says, “each zodiac sign corrects the excesses of its preceding sign, and Taurus is no exception.”[3] The cardinal fire energy of Aries played its important role in initiating beginnings, with its infectious excitement, bravado, and impulsive energy. Now, the energy of Taurus calms the environment, with a quest for security, serenity, loyalty, and stability. Whereas Aries demonstrated strength in action, Taurus shows strength in stillness, says astrologer Deborah Houlding.[4] Like an animal that will not budge, Taurus adheres to a position. This reflects a commitment to a stance, but in situations requiring greater flexibility, it may indicate stubbornness. Similarly, the Taurean accumulation of resources may be taken to an extreme, when other motivations drive the Bull to hoard and stockpile resources (ala Bernard Madoff).
Taurus is a highly physical sign, and derives pleasure from anything indulging the senses, be it tactile as the feel of sensual fabrics, auditory and vocal such as a melodious song, or the taste of appealing foods on the palate. Like the other earth signs, Taurus needs tangibility in work and play. Taurus desires to be in nature, at least occasionally. Taurus preservationist and naturalist John Muir expressed his sign’s sentiments in the following: “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”[5]
Taurus seeks simplicity. In my astrological analysis, I sometimes think I’m omitting something about this sign in my descriptions. Like others in my western culture, I’m used to a great deal of complexity. Taurus seems perpetually to be seeing past the complexity of situations and finding simple truths. Sigmund Freud, the great psychoanalyst whose natal sun was in the sign of Taurus, reflects this quality in his statement, “Love and work... work and love, that's all there is.”[6]
MYTH BUSTING OF TAURUS STEREOTYPES
Many of my Taurean friends and acquaintances feel rather ho-hum about their Sun Sign. They seem to dwell on the descriptions in popular astrology that speak about Taurus as a very conservative sign with strong goals for material acquisition. Although that view is not false, the motivations of Taurus are broader than that. As an earth sign, Taurus needs to live in the physical world, and that often involves the pursuit of tangible resources. However, this appreciation of tangibility may be manifested in different ways, depending upon the underlying VALUES of the Taurus native.
It is true that Taurus, as a fixed earth sign, is inclined to conservatism, but I think it is important not to overstate this characteristic. Taureans Michael Moore, Ho Chi Minh, and Karl Marx don’t fit the typical definition of conservatism, or at least in the way we perceive that quality in the United States. In the astrology literature, there is discussion of the planet Venus symbolizing the principle of values, whether that pertains to monetary or economic value, or to principles that are important in our lives. The second house in the astrology chart refers to values and resources. Combine that concept of values with the idea that earth signs create form. It is more accurate to say that Michael Moore, Ho Chi Minh, and Karl Marx, have the charge of putting form and structure to values. In the case of Michael Moore, he creates documentaries to express problems in American values that create a violent society, a country obsessed with war, and growing economic inequities. Interestingly enough, he has amassed a comfortable income from his documentaries and books. Tenacious Ho Chi Minh, deeply committed to his country’s (Vietnam) self-determination, relied on guerrilla war tactics to overcome American imperialism. In a much earlier era, Karl Marx presented extensive commentary in Das Kapital on the capitalistic economic structure.
Another theme related to values and structure is the concept of labor. I think many Taureans critique how work fits into our lives. In his book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, Taurus oral historian and social observer Studs Terkel analyzed the perspectives of the “working class.” He discusses how even the most modest jobs provide lives with meaning.[7] On the other hand, Taurean philosopher Bertrand Russell, in his essay In Praise of Idleness, challenges the notion of the nobility of work. He commented: "I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work.”[8]
ENDNOTES
[1] Bruce Nevin. Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusetts: Para Research, Inc., 1982, p.85.
[2] Wikipedia entry for Europa. Retrieved on 4/17/12 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(mythology)
[3] Dana Gerhardt. (April/May 2010). “Riding the Bull.” The Mountain Astrologer, #150, pp.13-17.
[4] Deborah Houlding. (December 2008/January 2009). “Taurus the Bull.” The Mountain Astrologer, #142, pp.40-45.
[5] John Muir (n.d.). Brainy Quote. Retrieved on 4/21/12 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnmuir104245.html
[6] Sigmund Freud. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved April 22, 2012, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/sigmundfre378806.html
[7] Studs Terkel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_(book)
[8] Bertrand Russell. Retrieved on 4/1/12 from: http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
A Brief Look at the Natal Chart of Harper Lee: The Silent One?
Harper Lee
Born April 28, 1926
The Astro Databank version of Harper Lee’s natal chart appears at the end of this article.
Known as the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee is an enigmatic literary figure to the readers of her beloved novel. In the 50 plus years since its publication, To Kill A Mockingbird has remained a perennial favorite work of literature for many in each passing generation. Poignantly narrated by the adult voice of Scout, the story’s rambunctious tomboy, the novel describes how black and white residents of a small Southern town navigate their lives within an environment of extreme racial prejudice, poverty, and an intolerance toward those who are different. The novel was made into a highly acclaimed film starring Gregory Peck, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, the story’s beloved father and the town’s highly principled attorney. Among her many honors throughout the decades, Harper Lee received the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007.
Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama, she was born to parents Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch. Her novel’s characters are closely patterned after members of her family. At one time a newspaper editor and owner, her father later became a lawyer and an elected official. Seemingly interested in following in the footsteps of her attorney father and older sister, Lee began the study of law. However, she realized that writing was her true career path, and she left her home state for New York City to pursue this calling. There she reunited with her childhood neighbor, Truman Capote who had himself become a writer. However, after Lee’s success with To Kill A Mockingbird, the relationship between she and Capote became strained.
Following the publication of her book and the making of the movie, Harper Lee retreated from public life. Since then, she has not granted interviews and she has never made speeches in public, although she did occasionally attend events honoring her work. After receiving an invitation to speak at a function she attended in 2007, she declined and commented, "Well, it's better to be silent than to be a fool." In the documentary Hey Boo, broadcast by the PBS American Master series, Oprah Winfrey and others comment that Lee acknowledges being like the character Boo Bradley, her novel’s recluse. However, according to her close and longtime clergyman friend, Reverend Butts, Lee was really not a recluse but rather a shy woman.
Harper Lee never published another novel after To Kill A Mockingbird, which earned her a Pulitzer Prize in 1961. An Australian reporter who interviewed Reverend Butts claims that Harper Lee once explained to him why she did not publish another work after her first novel. She told him: “’Two reasons: one, I wouldn't go through the pressure and publicity I went through with To Kill A Mockingbird for any amount of money. Second, I have said what I wanted to say and I will not say it again'. "
Astrologer Steven Forrest refers to one archetype of Taurus as “The Silent One.” He says that the Bull’s real goal is to achieve inner silence, a challenging endeavor. He explains that one strategy Taurus uses to stop the chatter of the mind and to achieve silence is through music. This nontranscendent process allows Taureans to eliminate excessive mental imagery by connecting with the elements of the earth, through the physical senses. Forrest posits that the Bull pursues opportunities that allow her to find simplicity and silence. Whatever Taurus does to achieve this state, it can bring her a reverence not experienced in the same way by other signs of the zodiac, says Forrest.
What does Lee’s chart say about her? First, I must state that this analysis is speculative, because we cannot say for sure how her chart dynamics play themselves out in her life unless we are in a direct dialogue with her.
The first thing my eyes focus on in her chart is the T-square configuration. The T-square consists of an opposition between Neptune in Leo in the 10th house and a conjunction between Jupiter and Mars in Aquarius in her fourth house, which square Saturn conjunct the Moon in Scorpio in the first house. This configuration is indicative of a major issue in one’s life.
The opposition between Jupiter conjunct Mars in her house of home and roots and Neptune in her house of public standing and career likely represent a cause that Lee wants to make visible to society. Planets signify the energy of motivation, and in the case of Neptune, it is to be of service and to imagine the ideal. Clearly, Lee brought to public consciousness the injustices of racial inequality as she knew them in her small Southern town. The planet of awakening and rebellion, Uranus, is conjunct her planet of values, Venus, and together they form a compatible relationship with idealistic Neptune. Chiron, which symbolizes how she can bring about healing by tapping into the lessons of her own wound, is widely conjunct her Neptune. Her disagreements with societal values gave her the impetus to express her viewpoints creatively through the medium of fiction. Perhaps leaving home for a few years (to live in New York City) gave her a fresh perspective about life in her hometown.
At the same time, the T-square suggests that Lee had to contend with an “absent” mother who suffered from mental illness. (In To Kill a Mockingbird, the family’s mother died before the novel’s story begins). The Moon conjunct Saturn is about weighty emotions, particularly in the intense sign of Scorpio. This may reflect the mother’s condition, and it may also indicate that Lee herself may have been prone to depression. Astrologer Sue Tompkins explains that people with this aspect are often cautious about expressing their feelings and they may demonstrate defensiveness. Furthermore, Tompkins posits that individuals with this aspect may find it difficult to extricate themselves from family responsibilities and their family history.
Harper Lee’s biographer, Charles Shields, presents a detailed account of how she assisted Truman Capote when he conducted research for his true crime masterpiece, In Cold Blood, which probes the details of a murdered family as told by the murdererd. Shields said that Lee was as fascinated by crime and mystery as Capote. With a Moon in Scorpio trine Pluto this is not hard to understand! This energy clearly likes to investigate and is fascinated with the taboo. Interestingly enough, Lee herself became a mystery to the public when she stopped speaking to the press in 1964.
Most of Lee’s planets are in sensitive water signs. Her Mercury in Aries and Neptune in Leo provide her life with the bravado of fire, which gave her a sassy tongue and the impetus for self-expression through her career. Her secondary influence is air and she has one sign in Earth, her Sun.
Although I have seen the documentary Hey Boo, I know little of Harper Lee beyond viewing this film. I know that until recently, she lived with a sister near the area where she grew up. According to her older sister, Lee did continue to write, although her works were not published. There is not too much information about what she did in addition to writing.
How might Lee best have addressed issues in her life? With her Sun in the seventh, it seems that seeking a few high quality and deep connections (Sun sextile Pluto) might have provided satisfying relationships. Because her life was so private, it is difficult to know what close relationships she cultivated. The ruler of her Taurus Sun, Venus, is in her fifth house of fun and it trines the North Node in Cancer in the ninth house of travel and higher learning. The North Node represents an area for soul expansion. With its position in the ninth house, Lee might thrive by establishing new roots or studying in a locale far from her native home. Lee did move away for a few years, but she did eventually settle back in her hometown. Given that she earned a substantial amount of money from her novel, money was not an issue in her decision to return home. The planet Jupiter can signify where you are comfortable, and since it is in her fourth house of home and roots, it is easy to see why there would be benefit (Jupiter) in residing in her hometown. With the Venus conjunct Uranus in her fifth house of fun, it could be that she placed value on unconventional relationships. Whatever the case, I do hope that she obtained what she desired and that her life brought the serenity Taurus seeks!
At an advanced age, Harper Lee is presently in frail health and is cared for in a nursing home. Although we may not have seen much of her since the 1960s, Lee has left us with a powerful and memorable story that will live on through the ages.
Sources:
Steven Forrest (1988). The Inner Sky. San Diego, California: ACS Publications, pp.42-46.
Sue Tompkins (2002). Aspects in Astrology. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, pp.145-148.
