Our Taurus month has come and gone. For me it was a month of great loss and sadness as I lost an old and very dear friend – a wonderful Taurus Sun whose battle against breast cancer ended shortly after her birthday. So, she was born and died in the Taurus month and as I thought about my dear friend, I realised how she epitomised so many great things about the sign of Taurus. It’s those things I want to share with you in this post.
My friend was described at her funeral service as ‘a force of nature’ and that is such a Taurus thing to be. Taurean strength is legendary and when they put their shoulder to the wheel they are absolutely unstoppable. My friend was no exception. Whatever she was determined to do, she did and she let nothing get in her way. My observations of many Taurus influenced people are exactly that. They have a stubbornness about them that they will persist in the face of considerable opposition, always keeping going until that opposition has bent to their will.
My friend used to do this a lot – particularly with animal welfare – spending time, energy and money ensuring our furry friends were saved from maltreatment (often in countries with lesser animal welfare standards) and finding them new homes with loving families closer to home.
A love of animals, nature and defending the weak are definite Taurean traits – but this determined and protective attitude can manifest in any field a Taurus deems worthy of their attention. It’s often seen in in their attitudes towards the home and family where they can take considerable pride in their homes, children, partners and pets and actively protect their interests wherever they can.
My friend was a typical Taurus in this way too and that’s unsurprising as Taurus is perhaps the most loyal of the Zodiac Signs. They always put the people (and pets) they love first – and they collect friends throughout their life’s journey. Why is that? Not unnaturally I have thought about this over the past few weeks since my friend passed away and have concluded that her unswerving loyalty is a huge reason for this – together with the influence Venus has over this sign.
Taureans are steadfast – they are ‘keepers’ who love nothing more than acquiring people as well as objects. Their Venus influences play out with a love of possessions – and that includes their friends. Once a Taurus has you, they have you for life and, importantly, you know they will always have your back – come what may.
It’s impossible to talk about those Venus influences without discussing the famous material side of Taurus – and yes, I can confirm my late friend was very much a material girl. Taurus women (and men) love trinkets. My friend loved jewellery – as do many Taurus people. Not just because jewellery is aesthetically pleasing but also because it never loses value. Taurus is sometimes regards as quite a ‘stingy’ sign however that’s selling them short. Taurus is more than happy to spend cash – but insists on quality. You won’t find Taurus wasting money on cheap tat any time soon.
This quality often makes Taureans successful business people. They are instinctively shrewd and can spot a good opportunity a mile away. My friend was no exception to this, successful running a real estate portfolio – as well a successful family life and being a pillar of her local community.
Taurus people are often ‘involved’ in their communities and neighbourhoods. Again, I think is comes down to their innate stability – they need to ensure the family/neighbourhood/community unit is kept safe and strong and has a future – and of course – like the other Earth signs – they like to feel useful in the things they do.
Of course, it could be that Taurus simply enjoys being a good citizen. To really get to grips with Taurus you really need to appreciate how this earthy Venus ruled sign works for them. Venus rules things we love – as well as love itself – and the things that give is pleasure. Taurus has historically been regarded as a bit of a parsimonious worthy plodder – but, if my friend was anything to go by, that’s so far from reality – for what people often don’t get about Taurus is their huge appetite for pleasure and fun.
One of the more surprising of Taurus traits is hedonism – sheer physical indulgence. My friend really knew how to let her hair down and was so often the life of the party – even if she was always also the person who you could rely on to get you home afterwards! That physicality is also seen in the way a Taurus will be the first to notice perfume, a colour, your clothing, your hair – there is simply a great appreciation of the body and not just in the opposite sex.
Taurean physicality gives them such presence in a room. At any gathering you are always aware of the Taurus – they will often be the seductive one, whether they have a bubbly or more introverted personality, the result is always the same – they draw people towards them so effortlessly. As I said earlier, there is something protective and dependable about a Taurus. Perhaps we are drawn to these Taurus qualities as we instinctively know they are needed in our lives.
As many of you who have read my posts will know, I also had cancer very recently. One thing that will stay with me is how concerned my friend was for my wellbeing and how supportive she was to me during my surgery and post operative care. At that time, she herself was suffering from incurable stage 4 cancer that was spreading fast thorough her own body. She was dying. Yet, it was a mark of her typical Taurus selflessness and generosity that she thought of others first and bore her own illness without complaint.
Such stoicism is inherently Taurus – but that trait alone would fail to recognise the wonderful qualities of an amazing person who happened to have her Sun in Taurus. I am sure her Taurus qualities gave my friend strength during the latter part of her life. I suspect however, her greatest support came from those who she had nurtured over the years and who will be forever grateful for the time they, like me, had her in their lives. She lived her life well and kept her feet on the ground.
In memory of Gillian Frances Cooney, 10 May 1962-16 May 2019
© Sara Shipman 2019
