Linda Goodman's Sun Signs (11 page)

The bull enjoys shopping around and he'll seldom rush pell mell into a serious courtship. The puzzled woman he's been taking to the movies every Saturday night for a year may wonder if he's ever going to catch fire. It takes time for him to work up enough steam in the boiler to get the engine going at full speed, but once he's set his sights on a particular female, he can't be sidetracked. He may even forget to be sensible and cautious. The typical Taurus man is blind to any warnings of incompatibility when he's been pierced by Cupid's arrow. The more his friends point out possible stumbling blocks, the more obstinate he gets, and you know how obstinate that can be. Consequently, the Taurean frequently makes the mistake of getting tangled up with fire and air signs, when he's better off with earth and water, in most cases. Sometimes, it works out beneficially. Opposites can attract, and stay attracted. But when it doesn't, Taurus will take a long time to get over the scars of a divorce before he's ready to settle down again with a wife who more closely matches his own disposition and outlook.

The financial picture with a Taurus man is usually excellent. Paint it pink and rosy. Few Taureans will fail to accumulate at least security, if not wealth. Some of them play the game of Monopoly with real money. And they win. Both real estate and cash are easily conquered by the bull.

He probably loves the country, football, fishing and camping. If none of these, he likes flowers, gardening or long walks. He prefers to read books about the dashing heroes of olden days or the biographies of empire builders, rather than sophisticated fiction or deep philosophy. Most Taurus males subscribe to several men's magazines, some earthy and practical, others featuring glossy pages of feminine pulchritude.

He's the ultimate in a man's man, so don't ever serve him those dainty tea sandwiches with the crusts sliced off. He likes good, old-fashioned home cooking, with plenty of potatoes and gravy, and apple pie like Mom used to make. Get yourself a good cookbook. He'll also be willing to take you out to dine frequently. Typical Taureans don't expect their wives to be kitchen slaves. (But he may mess up your pots and pans when he plays Sunday chef and expects you to play bus boy.)

As a parent, he's a perfect delight. He'll think it's important to have a son to carry on the family name, but he'll love the little girls with special tenderness. Taurus men make loving, affectionate, warm and sympathetic fathers. He'll set high standards for the children and expect them to respect property and possessions. The Taurean dad is patient. He won't mind if the children learn their lessons slowly, so long as they get them correctly. His attitude is that young minds should be trained gradually toward maturity. You may find that he puts too much emphasis on material matters and showers them with expensive gifts that spoil them. But he'll also shower them with his time and devotion, and the firm hand of discipline will be there when it's needed. In general, life with father, if he was born in May, can be a warm experience, overflowing with love—except for those rare occasions when the bull charges in blind, furious anger, and the whole family has to hide behind the piano.

The typical Taurean husband is generous to a fault with his wife. He won't deny you nice clothes, perfume and baubles; attractive but practical furniture and a full pantry. The bull seldom skimps on furnishings, clothing or food. Still, money won't burn any noticeable holes in his pockets (unless there are impulsive financial aspects in his natal chart). He loves luxury, but he's just as enamored with value, and he'll make sure his cash buys more than a salesman's hot air.

This man will work hard and need lots of rest. See that he gets it, because he can be quite a grumpy grouch when he's tired and out of sorts. Don't ever nag him or accuse him of being lazy. That's like waving a red flag in his face. He lives life at his own leisurely pace, and he won't be rushed or pushed. His speedometer is set at one speed—deliberate. Attempts to make him spin merrily through a continual round of whirlwind social activity are doomed to failure. He will enjoy entertaining in his own home, but he'll prefer a few people of compatible interests to large crowds. Invite old friends, or those who have serious goals and ambitions, and he'll behave pleasantly and hospitably. If you insist on cluttering his castle with empty-headed, frivolous superficial types, he may just disappear from the scene—sometimes permanently.

Buy him one of those papa bear chairs that stretches out into a reclining position. No loud noises, blaring radios and TV sets, chaos and scattered toys, please. Keep your home full of music, beauty and peace. Remember that the trousers fit him better than they do you. Be his woman, and you couldn't ask for a better man. No one else will ever treat you with such gracious consideration. He really deserves to be respected for it. Taurus love is simple, plain and honest. His affectionate nature and flattering attention will make you sure you are loved, in spite of all your little faults and failings that other men would constantly criticize. Taurus gives enduring loyalty and devotion, with a faithful heart. That adds up to emotional security. Combined with financial security and romance, there's little else to ask for. So all right, he's stubborn, but remember that stubbornness turned upside down is patience, and that's a rare virtue.

Get a nice, furry, fluffy blanket (Taurus loves things that feel soft to the touch), tuck it around him when he's in his papa bear chair, and read him the stock market reports. Be sure he gets his hot bath with scented oils and lots of fragrant soap. Serve him a big bowl of rich porridge. Then you're sure to have a strong, gentle man, who will protect you from all the storms. Contentment is the word. Doesn't it have a cozy sound?

I remember a conversation I once had with a writer whose mother had been born in May. In discussing her parent's habits and character, the girl happened to mention that “Mother was a tall woman.” “You must take after your father then,” I remarked, since the girl herself was only of average height. She smiled. And I shall never forget what she said. “I didn't mean in inches. Mother was shorter than I am. That was just soul talk.” The girl was a Pisces, the sign that looks deep inside you.

She was right. A Taurus female is a tall woman. Even if she measures less than five feet, she can reach tall enough to meet almost any emergency life chooses to throw her way. In many ways, the Taurean female is the salt of the earth, a combination of most of the sterling qualities every male looks for and seldom finds. She may have a violent temper that would frighten a strong man into running for the woods (or at least ducking under a table), but she won't go on a raging rampage without good provocation. Ordinarily, if you don't torment her beyond human endurance, or if Fate doesn't hand her a really rough bunch of cards, she'll play the game of life fairly, with cool, admirable calm. Her candor and basic honesty are undiluted with normal feminine tricks and tears. The Taurean woman has more moral and emotional courage than many a tough male, but she has enough confidence in her own sex to let you be the boss, if you want the job. If you don't fill it, she may grab control and run things herself, but she'd much rather have it the other way around. She seeks a real man. That's because she knows she's a real woman, and she's proud of it. To her, being a woman doesn't necessarily mean being an incorrigible flirt, a mental fluff ball or a mewing kitten who pretends to be weak to get her own way. It won't be long before you see she has a mind of her own, and it's quite strong enough not to have to resort to teasing to gain an objective.

There's enough self-control in the average Taurus woman's make-up to hold back a team of horses (a fair idea of the force of her hidden will), if she chooses to exercise it. Let's hope she does. With an Aries or Leo ascendant or Moon, she may be capable of occasional cruelty or frequent emotional storms and with heavy Pisces or Gemini influences in her natal chart, she may be more restless and wavering—but the typical Taurean female practices self restraint in all areas at most times.

It's a good thing, because her normally placid exterior conceals a sensual nature that could stand a little checking. Men always appreciate her gracious tendency to take people as they are, without quibbling. She's as much at home with a scientist who studies tsetse flies in the Congo as with the sword swallower in the side show. They're doing what comes naturally; they're not phonies and that's what counts with her. Her close friends may be weird creatures straight out of the world of Toulouse-Lautrec, or they may be Norman Rockwell paintings come to life. But they will be real people, not stuffed shirts or statues. When she runs across someone she dislikes, she doesn't start a big campaign to destroy him or challenge his ideals and motives. She simply avoids him. The Taurus woman can show frigid indifference to her enemies, but if she counts you as a friend, she'll be loyal through all your ups and downs. Her determination to stick with you would make the relationship between Damon and Pythias look like a casual acquaintance.

You can drive a Maxwell, climb a flag pole, get locked up in the pokey or wear daisies in your hair. You are her friend, and somehow she'll justify your actions. There's just a small catch here. She'll doggedly expect you to return her blind allegiance and unswerving loyalty. If you don't give her your complete devotion in return, she can sulk in the corner like a gloomy, gray cloud of repressed resentment.

This isn't the same thing as jealousy, however. The average Taurus woman will take the masculine hobby of girl watching in stride. Unlike the Aries or Leo woman, she won't turn scarlet with rage every time you openly admire a pretty woman. It takes more than a casual flirtation or kissing a good (female) friend goodnight on the cheek to arouse her Taurean anger. If you go beyond the bounds of her idea of fair play, she can be a holy terror on wheels, but the line is drawn with generous strokes. She'll have to be really pressed to the wall in some way to explode in typical Taurus fury. You can go ahead and wink at that attractive cashier, but don't test her patience too far. It does have a limit, boundless as it appears to be. If you've never seen her mad, leave well enough alone.

These women aren't dominated by strictly mental goals. That's not meant to imply that the Taurus female isn't smart and clever. She can match brains with the brightest men and women, but she's not fiercely interested in figuring out the theory of relativity or delving into abstractions. Multiple university degrees don't impress or thrill her. Just one is sufficient to gain her respect. Practical common sense and the ability to understand the fundamentals of any subject is, to her, essential. But the typical Taurean female isn't an intellectual who reads the philosophers for kicks, and intricate ideologies are not her forte. She's a solid, practical thinker, with no frills or showy mental gymnastics. Her feet are planted on terra firma, and there are definitely no wings attached to her solid heels. Taurus women are seldom restless—they keep their heads and their balance. The Taurean perspective remains normally straight and true, with no twists and turns or distortions (though a Gemini Moon can put her in a bit of a whirl).

She's strictly a physical creature.
That
will undoubtedly interest
you,
but to interest her, an object or an idea has to appeal to her finely tuned senses. She doesn't want to hear that it's “good for her,” that “everybody else is doing it,” or that it will “stimulate her mentally.” That sort of persuasion will make her yawn. To respond with genuine excitement, she has to derive some sensual satisfaction from everything she does.

You'll seldom see a Taurus woman stuffing a few artificial blooms in a vase. Her flowers must be real, and have an honest feel or fragrance. She'll gather huge bunches of pussywillow and bittersweet in the spring and fall, and fill the house with sturdy mums and dahlias in the summer. Her perfume will usually be exotic and lingering, though some Taurean women lean in the opposite direction, and prefer the odor of squeaking clean hair and skin. They will be visibly moved by freshly washed sheets saturated with the sweet smell of sunshine or the delicious aroma of bread baking in the oven. She's spiritually aroused by the scent of the morning paper, the intoxicating odor of newly cut grass after a spring rain, burning wax candles or the smoke from a pile of smoldering autumn leaves. This should clue you to use a good brand of shaving lotion, rub some damp newsprint on your ears, tuck a burned leaf in your lapel and turn on the sprinklers just before you kiss her goodnight. Unpleasant odors affect her just as drastically, in a reverse way, This is not a woman who will appreciate a pet skunk, even if he has been deodorized. Don't take her on a fish fry unless you take along a can of floral spray. It's the cooking odor that causes the problem. The fragrance of fish fresh out of the stream is different; that's natural. The stables won't offend her delicate nostrils, either. Mother Nature again. You may have to make a careful list if you want to woo her with olfactory success.

Colors send her senses soaring, too, the richer the better. Every shade of blue, from powder to indigo, will weaken her strong resistance. So will rose and pink. Wear a blue tie and a shocking pink shirt when you visit her, but not at the same time. Remember, she also has a sense of harmony, and you don't want to look like a co-ed nursery.

Her food must taste just right, and she'll usually sprinkle on the seasoning generously (unless she has a Virgo or Capricorn ascendant). Be sure to take her to places with the best chefs, because flat hamburgers and bland pea soup leave her emotionally cold. If you're lucky, she'll invite you for a home-cooked meal, and you may propose before dessert is served. When this gal ties on an apron, it's not just to make cinnamon toast. It's always a good idea to drop in on her with an empty stomach. A typical Taurus woman can cook her way right into your heart, and her kitchen is a real man trap.