Earth · Fixed
Taurus: meaning, dates, ruler and traits
The steady, sensory second sign, linked with patience, loyalty and a love of things that last.
Taurus follows Aries and arrives when spring has settled in the Northern Hemisphere and the ground can be worked. Astrologers read it as the sign of what is tangible: food, comfort, touch, craft and the slow building of something dependable. A Taurus Sun is often described as unhurried and loyal, with a strong sense of what feels right in the body and in the home.
Taurus at a glance
| Dates (tropical zodiac) | Apr 20 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Element | Earth |
| Modality | Fixed |
| Traditional ruler | Venus |
| Modern ruler | None assigned; the traditional ruler is the only one |
| Symbol | The Bull |
| Opposite sign | Scorpio |
Dates shift by a day in some years. These are Western (tropical) signs; the Vedic zodiac differs (how we calculate).
Today for Taurus
Reading today's sky for Taurus...
The symbol: the Bull
The bull is strength with patience: a creature that can stand its ground for a long time and then move with real force. Bulls are among the oldest images in human art, and in Greek myth Zeus took the shape of a white bull in the story of Europa, one of the tales attached to the constellation.
Element, modality and ruler
Earth signs are described as practical, patient and attached to the tangible.
Fixed signs sit mid-season and are read as stabilisers. The Sun enters Taurus in the middle of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Venus, the planet named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty, rules Taurus, and no outer planet shares the rulership. In chart reading Venus stands for pleasure, attachment and what a person finds beautiful or worth keeping.
Strengths and shadow themes
Some of this may feel familiar and some may not. Treat the lists as prompts for reflection, not a verdict.
Strengths people often recognise
- Reliable follow-through once a decision is made
- A good eye and hand for quality, comfort and craft
- Calm presence in a hurried room
- Loyal to people, places and routines that earn it
Shadow themes to reflect on
- Resisting change long after it has become sensible
- Holding on to objects, habits or grudges
- Stubbornness that sounds like certainty
- Putting comfort ahead of a conversation that is overdue
Taurus as Sun, Moon and Rising
The Sun sign comes from your birth date, the Moon sign from the date and ideally the time, and the Rising sign from the exact time and place.
- Taurus Sun
- Sun in Taurus describes a core style of steadiness. The reading suggests feeling most like yourself when things are unhurried, tangible and reliable, and when you can see the result of your own effort.
- Taurus Moon
- Moon in Taurus is read as an emotional style that settles slowly and stays settled. Familiar surroundings, good food and regular rhythms are said to steady it. The reflection is how it feels when a plan changes without notice.
- Taurus Rising
- Rising in Taurus is often linked with a calm, grounded first impression: measured speech, a relaxed pace, an air of being hard to rush. Your own Rising sign needs your birth time and place.
Taurus compatibility overview
Taurus shares earth with Virgo and Capricorn, a pairing traditionally seen as practical and mutually respectful. Scorpio sits opposite: possession and trust are the shared themes, and the two can learn a lot about each other by asking what each one holds on to.
- Same element: Virgo and Capricorn.
- Opposite: Scorpio.
- Squares (friction): Leo and Aquarius.
- Sextiles (cooperation): Cancer and Pisces.
Sign pairings are one layer; Moons, Risings and planets add more. See the compatibility report for two charts.
Questions to reflect on
- What am I holding on to because it is safe rather than because it is good?
- Which small pleasure deserves more of my attention?
- What change have I been calling a bad idea when it is only an unfamiliar one?
Find your own Taurus placements
The free chart works out your Sun, Moon and Rising from your birth date, time and place, in your browser.
Explore other signs
See also the Chinese zodiac animals, the origins of astrology and a small self-test.
Astrology is a symbolic framework that mainstream science does not recognize. These lines are prompts for reflection, not advice or a forecast. Orrery Lane offers astrology for reflection and entertainment. It does not predict events and is not professional advice.