How to Recognize TAURUS from Linda Goodman’s “Sun Signs” book!

“A travel bug friend of mine, who has been everywhere at least twice, told me he will never forget his first trip to southern Spain on a tramp steamer. One day, while he was on deck admiring the view, a huge mass of solid rock loomed ahead in the distance, rising grandly out of the bright, blue Mediterranean. Someone on the ship shouted, “Look! The Rock of Gibraltar!” Awed and impressed, my friend snapped a picture of it for the folks back home, then turned to a bored teenager in the next deck chair, and waxed poetic. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he asked. “Tons of water have beaten against it through the centuries, storms have lashed at it, armies have assaulted it, civilizations have come and gone, but it just sits there. Nothing ever changes it, and nothing can make it move.” The teenager yawned. “Yeah. Reminds me of my old man.”

His father was born in May. And that’s how you recognize Taurus, the bull. The most fertile places to look for him would be a farm, a bank or a real estate office, but you’ll also find him grazing in other pastures. There are Taurean engineers, movie stars, clerks, gardeners, kings and queens, chimney sweeps, butchers, bakers and candle-stick makers. You can always tell the bull by his strong, silent attitude. Until you get to know him better, his lengthiest monologues will probably be “Yep,” “Nope,” “Thanks,” “So long,” and frequently “Uh-uh,” a substitute for “Nope.” If he had a strong Gemini, Aries or Sagit­tarius influence at birth, he may be a little gabbier and walk with more bounce. But the typical Taurean prefers to move deliberately and speak sparingly.

Like Gibraltar, he is solid and steady and nothing dis­turbs his tranquility. You can throw water on him or light a fire between his toes. You can beat on his chest with clenched fists, glare at him hypnotically or shout at the top of your lungs. Taurus won’t budge an inch. Once his mind is set, he folds his arms calmly and digs in his heels. He sticks out his rather prominent chin, flares his nostrils, pins back his ears and you’ve had it.

The bull seldom rushes forward to stomp on your toes. He simply wants to be left alone. Don’t disturb him and he’ll remain contented. Press him and he becomes obstinate. Shove too hard, tease too much, and be prepared for violent rage. He can go for months and years on end. exhibiting perfect poise and control, inhaling the fragrance of the posies and ignoring the nervous clacking and cluck­ing all around him. Then some unexpected day, a pushy person will pile one straw too many on his broad back. He’ll snort, begin to paw the earth, narrow his eyes-and charge. Get out of the way as fast as you can and run for your life! The Taurean temper is seldom displayed impulsively, but when the bull gets mad, he can destroy everything in his path, up to and including Scorpios. Destroy is not the right word. Demolish is better. It may be some time before the dust settles and peace reigns again. Some Taureana have such control that they only charge once or twice in a whole lifetime. Even the quick-tempered ones won’t erupt more than once or twice a year, if that often. Still, it’s best to remember that Taurus usually doesn’t get just a little mad or annoyed. If the incident is large enough to rock his normally placid emotions, you can count on blind fury, no ordinary anger.

I know one Taurus male whose wife had never seen him angry during all the years of her marriage, until one night in a crowded supper club. An obnoxious drunk stumbled over to their table and made an off-color remark. She ex­pected her husband to handle the man firmly, with his usual self-control, and she was as shocked as the rest of the customers when the Taurean suddenly stood up, shoved over two tables, lifted the man in the air, and sent him flying to the other side of the room, nearly demolishing the bandstand. Not a word was exchanged. I trust this will make you properly cautious. Before even winking at a strange woman, it would be wise to know her escort’s birth­day.

You can expect many May people to actually resemble a bull, the men that is, and the women born under the Sun sign will have an intangible, elusive bovine quality about them. The look in the female Taurean’s eyes will be serene and limpid, yet steady. She will move gracefully, indolently, but with a suggestion of hidden strength. As for the males, the neck will often be thick or muscular, the shoulders, chest or back, or all three, broad and strong. The entire body will be well proportioned, whether short or tall. The ears are usually small and close to the head. When they eat, they chew slowly, and ordinarily have excellent digestions. You may notice a lock of hair (resembling the bull’s forelock), or a curl that hangs in the center of the forehead. Not all, but many Taureans have curly or wavy hair. It’s usually dark, like the eyes and skin. Even the occasional blonde, light-eyed and fair-skinned Taurus people will never suggest fragility of mind or character.

Naturally, you can’t expect every Taurean to look like Ferdinand the bull or Elsie the cow. It’s true that they frequently have large, generous bodies, ranging from muscular to plump to fat. But if you get that image too set in your mind, you won’t recognize the skinny ones, and it’s important to learn to spot them, too.

Taurus is strongly attracted to the opposite sex, but ag­gressive pursuit of any kind of pleasure isn’t in his bag of tricks. He prefers to attract people to him. Why should he waste his energy chasing them over the countryside? A short trip to a farm and some astute observation of the laws of nature will make it clear how the Taurean emotions are activated in both love and friendship. Passivity is the typical behavior. Taureans would rather entertain hospita­bly at home than go to the trouble of visiting. The effort required for scintillating popularity doesn’t appeal to the bull’s nature. If you want him, you can call him. He’ll be there. Throw out the line of comradeship or romance, and he’ll pick it up, if it interests him. He’ll know what to do with it, too, which isn’t always true of the more gregarious signs.

Taurus seldom worries, frets or chews his nails. He can pout and brood when things don’t suit his fancy, but he’s not the nervous, twitchy type. It’s his nature to be stoic, and take things in his stride, and nothing really alters this basic tendency.

Taurus people are home folks. There’s scarcely a bull who doesn’t love to luxuriate under his own roof and stretch out amid comfortable, familiar surroundings. Change upsets him (unless there’s a Gemini, Sagittarius or Aquarius Moon or ascendant). If the Taurus you know doesn’t own his own home, he’s dreaming about it, and he will someday. He’s close to the earth, and the love of the land will come to him eventually, one way or another. If he’s forced to live in a crowded apartment building, hell probably have a window box full of geraniums or petunias. When the noisy clatter of the city threatens to press in too close, hell determinedly grab his fishing pole and head for a quiet, pastoral spot. Let the world spin at too dizzy a pace for him, and Taurus simply gets off for a spell until it slows down. If he has no fishing pole or window box outlet, he may dabble in real estate, and make arrange­ments for other people’s mortgages, which gets him out to the suburbs occasionally. There’s always a connection with the land, however remote, like hanging around the race track, or taking his Sunday stroll through the park and drinking in the sights and fragrances of nature.

The average bull is superbly healthy, with a strong con­stitution. It takes a lot to put him on his back, but once he’s down, he may recuperate slowly, partially due to his stubborn refusal to obey the doctor. His natural inclination to distrust optimism doesn’t promote speedy recovery, either. The sensitive areas for accident and infection are the throat, neck, legs, ankles, reproductive organs, the back and the spinal area. Colds often turn into sore throats, and overweight brought on by the legendary Taurean love of food and drink, mostly food, can put a strain on the heart, and plague the bull with poor circulation, weak ankles, varicose veins and other chronic complaints. Gout is another possibility. Most May people, however, can easily stay healthier than the rest of us if they avoid obesity, lethargy and kidney infections. Let’s be blunt. If the bull drinks too excessively or gets fat and lazy, he’ll lose his splendid physique and his robust good health. One of the main causes for his illnesses is a lack of country air and exercise. His system always needs it, even though his obstinate will may deny it.

Speaking of obstinacy, there’s no use telling a Taurean He (or she) is obstinate. In the bull’s mind, he’s not stub­born at all. He’s patient. It’s a matter of semantics. He’s not hardheaded-he’s just sensible and firm. For the life of him, he can’t see why people judge him so unfairly.”