What is Taurus in Western astrology?

Definition

Taurus is the second of the twelve equal thirty-degree signs of the tropical zodiac, covering the 30 degrees that follow Aries, and is classed as a fixed earth sign ruled by Venus in Western astrology.

In plain words

Taurus is the second of the twelve equal thirty-degree signs in the tropical zodiac, covering the 30 degrees that follow Aries. Reference sources describe it as a fixed earth sign, traditionally ruled by Venus. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos groups the signs by class and assigns Taurus to the solid signs.

Also asked as

• What does Taurus mean in Western astrology?
• What are Taurus's element, mode and ruler?
• Is Taurus a sign or a constellation?
• What are the traditional dignities in Taurus?

History

In Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, the signs were grouped by the ancients into solstitial, equinoctial, solid, and bicorporeal classes, and Taurus is named among the four solid signs that follow the solstitial and equinoctial signs.¹

Richard Hinckley Allen's Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning describes Taurus, the Bull, as one of the earliest and most noted constellations, perhaps the first established, because it marked the vernal equinox from about 4000 to 1700 B. C.²

Allen notes that Babylonian sources associated Taurus with the Bull of Light and the Heavenly Bull, and that a Babylonian cylinder seal of about 2150 B. C. shows the sign as a demi-bull.²

Quick timeline

1. Early record — In Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, the signs were grouped by the ancients into solstitial, equinoctial, solid, and bicorporeal classes, and Taurus is named among the four solid signs that follow the solstitial and equinoctial signs.¹
2. Classical framework — Richard Hinckley Allen's Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning describes Taurus, the Bull, as one of the earliest and most noted constellations, perhaps the first established, because it marked the vernal equinox from about 4000 to 1700 B. C.²
3. Later transmission — Allen notes that Babylonian sources associated Taurus with the Bull of Light and the Heavenly Bull, and that a Babylonian cylinder seal of about 2150 B. C. shows the sign as a demi-bull.²
4. Modern usage — Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos places Taurus in the second of the feminine, nocturnal triangles, assigned to the moon and Venus, with the moon ruling by night and Venus by day. The text states that the second triangle is drawn through Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and is composed of three feminine signs, which is why it was assigned to the moon and Venus.¹

What classical and modern sources say

Classical view

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos places Taurus in the second of the feminine, nocturnal triangles, assigned to the moon and Venus, with the moon ruling by night and Venus by day. The text states that the second triangle is drawn through Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and is composed of three feminine signs, which is why it was assigned to the moon and Venus.¹

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos explains that Taurus was taken as the moon's exaltation because the moon, after conjunction in Aries, begins to increase her light in the first sign of her own triangle.¹

Modern view

In Western astrology, the Sun transits the Taurus sign from approximately April 21 until May 21, and the sign spans from 30 to 60 degrees of the zodiac. The dates describe the Sun's passage through the sign rather than a fixed calendar rule, and other systems use slightly different boundaries.⁴

Astrology.com's Taurus profile, written by Debbie Stapleton, describes Taurus as grounded, patient, loyal, sensual, and steadfast, with a deep appreciation for beauty, art, and nature. It also dates Taurus from April 20 to May 20 under the symbol of The Bull.⁶

The building blocks and rulership

Sign-wheel position

Taurus is the second of the twelve equal thirty-degree signs in the tropical zodiac, covering the 30 degrees that follow Aries. The sign spans from 30 to 60 degrees of the zodiac, and its position on the wheel is a fixed slice rather than a set of star boundaries.⁴

Classical grouping

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos groups the signs into solstitial, equinoctial, solid, and bicorporeal classes, and names Taurus among the four solid signs. It also assigns Taurus to Venus as a house, describing the sign as extremely fertile, and places it in the second feminine, nocturnal triangle.¹

Ancient star lore

Richard Hinckley Allen's Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning describes Taurus, the Bull, as one of the earliest and most noted constellations, perhaps the first established, because it marked the vernal equinox from about 4000 to 1700 B.C. Allen also notes Babylonian sources called it the Bull of Light.²

Modern profile

Astrology.com lists Taurus as an Earth sign with Fixed modality and Venus as its ruling planet, dating it from April 20 to May 20 under the symbol of The Bull. Its profile by Debbie Stapleton describes Taurus as grounded, patient, loyal, sensual, and stubborn, with a deep appreciation for beauty, art, and nature.⁶

The astronomy

The zodiac sign of Taurus does not entirely align with the constellation of Taurus. The sign covers the 30 degrees that follow Aries in the zodiac circle, so it is a fixed slice of the wheel rather than a set of star boundaries. Wikipedia's Taurus entry gives this description.⁴

Taurus, traditionally ruled by Venus, stands opposite Scorpio, ruled by Mars: the two signs sit 180 degrees apart. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos uses this relation in its sign-wheel framework. Keeping this separate from symbolic meaning prevents measured quantities, such as angular separation, from being confused with interpretation.¹

Where astrologers differ

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos lists Taurus among the Egyptian and Chaldaean term tables, where Venus holds the first 8 degrees of Taurus in both systems. Astrology.com's Taurus profile, by contrast, describes a modern reading in which Taurus can be resistant to change and overly set in routines, and may become overly materialistic or focused on comfort. Reading these traits as growth practice can help a newcomer: steady routines can be tested with small, deliberate changes, and an appreciation for comfort can be balanced with generosity.

Then and now

Then

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos places Taurus in the second of the feminine, nocturnal triangles, assigned to the moon and Venus, with the moon ruling by night and Venus by day. The text states that the second triangle is drawn through Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and is composed of three feminine signs, which is why it was assigned to the moon and Venus.¹

Now

In Western astrology, the Sun transits the Taurus sign from approximately April 21 until May 21, and the sign spans from 30 to 60 degrees of the zodiac. The dates describe the Sun's passage through the sign rather than a fixed calendar rule, and other systems use slightly different boundaries.⁴

Worked out from the evidence

Reasoned from the cited facts, not stated outright by any one source.

Because Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos ties Taurus to Venus both as a house and as a term ruler, and Astrology.com names Venus as its ruling planet, a reader can trace the Venus link from the classical texts into modern profiles without a break.

Since Allen places the sign's earliest star lore near the vernal equinox and Wikipedia's Taurus entry describes the zodiac sign as a fixed 30-degree slice, the sign's name and its wheel position come from different traditions that a newcomer should keep apart.

Not yet confirmed

Follow the parts of Taurus

Continue through Aries, Gemini.

Questions people also ask

What does Taurus mean in Western astrology?

In Western astrology, the Sun transits the Taurus sign from approximately April 21 until May 21, and the sign spans 30 to 60 degrees of the zodiac.⁴⁶

What are Taurus's element, mode and ruler?

Astrology.com lists Taurus as an Earth sign with Fixed modality, and names Venus as its ruling planet. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos also classifies Taurus as a fixed earth sign with negative polarity.⁶¹

Is Taurus a sign or a constellation?

Taurus is both a zodiac sign and a constellation, but the two do not entirely align. The zodiac sign covers the 30 degrees that follow Aries, a fixed slice of the wheel rather than a set of star boundaries.⁴

Method and review

Every statement about Taurus was checked against the wording of its 6 sources (Ptolemy (LacusCurtius), Allen's Star Names, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia and Astrology.com), and its positions and boundaries were calculated with Astronomy Engine. How the Machine works.