Taurus in the court cards

King of Pentacles (trimmed):
© Universal Rider-Waite Tarot

Our final foray into Taurus in the tarot – Taurus in the court cards. Again, we have the question – which court card?  Many decks follow the Golden Dawn system, where the fixed signs are assigned to the Kings.  This gives us the King of Pentacles – with the bull being represented quite clearly on the throne in the Universal Rider-Waite deck, for example. This King looks comfortable – he’s achieved what he’s set out to do and is surrounded by what he’s achieved.  Very down-to-earth, practical achievements, as befits a Taurean King – accomplished through hard work, determination, and tenacity.

Prince of Disks (trimmed):
© Thoth Tarot

 The Thoth deck follows this convention, although there are no Kings in this deck, just to confuse things.  In the Thoth hierarchy, the Prince is at the top of the heap, so it’s the Prince of Disks who’s linked to Taurus.  The bull pulls the chariot in this image, steady, reliable, head down – nothing will stop him in his determination to reach his destination or goal.  Perseverance and patience. The Prince’s nakedness here also represents that straightforwardness, as well as openness and honesty.Behind the chariot we see flowers, while the chariot itself is full of fruit; both represent the abundance of the Earth. Perhaps even the blossoms of spring, in the northern hemisphere at least!

Queen of Pentacles (trimmed):
  © Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

Juliet Sharman-Burke, in her Beginner's Guide to the Tarot, assigns the Queens to the fixed signs, on the principle that Kings order things, Queens maintain, and Knights disseminate. So for Taurus, we have the Queen of Pentacles. Again, we see bulls’ heads on her throne.  Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is represented by the roses – symbols of love, youth and beauty. Taurus is often said to be the sign of the farmer and the gardener; well, we see plenty of evidence of nature’s abundance and the labour that’s gone into growing and nurturing it here.  The Queen of Pentacles in this deck is very connected to the earthy reality of Taurus – she’s maintaining what’s been started by the cardinal energy of Aries, and enjoying the fruits of her labour as only Taurus can!

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Universal Waite Tarot created by Mary Hanson-Roberts & Pamela Colman-Smith, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Fertility and abundance - The Empress

Fertility and abundance - perfect Beltane topics!

The Empress has an astrological link to Taurus through its ruler, Venus.  Venus is probably best known to us as one of the great lovers in Roman mythology, along with Mars (Aphrodite and Ares in the Greek pantheon). In astrology, the planet has become associated with love and relationships.  It also, by extension, reflects our tastes – what we find beautiful or attractive, or pleasurable. Venus rules Libra, the Airy sign seeking peaceful and harmonious partnership.

The Lady (trimmed):
© Druid Craft Tarot

Our relationship to the more material side comes through Taurus, the Earthy, sensuous sign.  Here our relationship to money and ownership, for instance, comes through. It also reflects our relationship to the Earth itself.

The Empress symbolizes natural, earthy creativity. The earthiness of Taurus brings fertility into the mix, so in The Empress we have the heat and passion of Venus and the nurturing of creativity.  She’s often depicted as a pregnant woman, basking in nature and in the element of Earth, reflecting the idea of fertility and motherhood.  Sometimes a waterfall flowing into a river is present in the image, represents the union of female and male in procreation. Creating life is not the only possibility, of course, but it’s such a wonderful metaphor for the birth of any new creative process.

The Hierophant (trimmed):
©Beginner's Guide to the Tarot

Venus, representing the principle of attraction, brings passion and love to the process, be it a new relationship or a new creative project.  That unconditional love, particularly of a mother, is seen in the Thoth’s version of the card – a pelican feeding its young with its own blood. The Empress not only gives birth but also nurtures its creation through to maturity.

Sometimes we see a Horn of Plenty, or cornucopia, representing abundance – a very Venusian-Taurean concept. Venus’ rulership of Taurus reflects the sense of stability and contentment through being comfortable physically – and through bringing something to fruition.  

DruidCraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

The Beginner's Guide to Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

The bull roars!

At 22.26 BST today, the Sun moved (astrologically) into the zodiac sign of Taurus. Here in the northern hemisphere, the buds that started to appear in Aries (or maybe even earlier, this year) are now bursting into blossom.  Taurus is ruled by Venus, the Roman counterpart to the Greek Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty (among other things), adding an appreciation of the splendour of the natural world around us.

Taurus, though Venus’ rulership, has become known as the sensual sign of the zodiac.  Through our senses, we experience the growth of the seeds planted in Aries – we see the colour, we smell the blossom, we hear the birds, the bees... the world continuing to come to life and live up to the promises and intentions set in Aries.  I have to admit to a particular attraction to this time of year, being a double Taurus! There’s so much pleasure to be had simply by going for a walk in the woods, or out on the Levels – seeing and listening to all the birds, seeing the flowers coming out. Even in my mini-garden I love watching the plants beginning to emerge.

In astrology, Taurus is one of the three Earth signs, along with Virgo and Capricorn, as well as being one of the four Fixed signs. You could say that this makes it the most enduring of the three Earth signs, although some might associate that with stubbornness!  It takes what’s been initiated in Aries and gives in form – as we see in the natural world around us at this time of year (again, apologies for the northern hemisphere bias).  

Taurus is often called ‘the builder’; it provides the stability as well as the tenacity to maintain what’s been started.  Other qualities associated with Taurus are solidity, dependability, reliability, patience, and perseverance.  Taurus is a hard worker, like the other Earth signs, willing to put in the hours in order to maintain financial and/or material security.

Taurus is also known for being indulgent!  Going back to the sensuality of Taurus, via Venus, it’s not only pleasure through sight, smell and sound, but also taste and touch.  Good food and wine... and not only the enjoyment of consuming (Easter eggs, perhaps?!) but also the growing.  Being an earth sign, Taurus loves being close to the earth – it’s the sign of the farmer and the gardener - but by extension, to any form of creativity.  

‘Taurus’ © Alison Coals

As an example, the idea for the image to the left (from my AstroArt series) was born during an exploration of Taurus during a workshop held at Chalice Well in Glastonbury and in the Glastonbury Landscape Zodiac., a few years ago. The exploration of our senses in those surroundings brought ‘Taurus’ (a collage created with watercolour on paper) into being!  

Taurus in the Druidcraft court cards

Our final foray into Taurus in the tarot – Taurus in the court cards. Again, we have the question – which court card?  Many decks follow the Book-T system, where the fixed signs are assigned to the Kings.  This gives us the King of Pentacles – with the bull being represented quite clearly on the throne in the Universal Rider-Waite deck, for example. 

Druidcraft: Queen of Pentacles (trimmed)

Having looked through the Pentacles court cards in the Druidcraft, it seems to me that the creators have followed a different tradition, one which assigns the Queens to the fixed signs – can you see the bulls carved into her throne in this image? So here we have the Queen of Pentacles maintaining what the Kings have set in motion.

The Queen of Pentacles in this deck is very connected to the earthy reality of Taurus – her foot resting on the stone symbolizes her link to the earth.  The Druidcraft, like many other tarot decks, associates the Pentacles with winter, and with night.  In this image, the trees are bare – but clumps of snowdrops surround her throne, the first signs of the earth awakening and the promise of the spring.  Taurus, in the northern hemisphere, is one of those spring months – the one in which we start to see the blossoms appear on the trees...

Behind her, the night sky is giving way to dawn – another indication of the light returning after a long winter.

Behind her we see a hare, a symbol of fertility and of the Goddess – representing promise and fulfilment. It’s one of the first animals we look for in the spring – the boxing March hares!  In the legend of Taliesin, the hare is the first creature that Gwion shape-shifts into to escape Ceridwen, in the form of a greyhound (both animals of the Earth) – and in some parts of Britain, hare-hunting was allowed on the day of Beltane.

I like to think of this Queen of Pentacles maintaining and supporting what’s been started by the cardinal energy of Aries through the slow and steady beat of her drum, waking the earth from its winter slumber, delighting in the promise of the abundance to come.  She’s the guardian of the land, of hearth and home, of work and well-being. She will find a way to make things grow.

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Taurus in the Minor Arcana: The Seven of Pentacles

The Seven of Pentacles, in the astrological correspondence system I follow, is linked to Saturn in Taurus - and to the final ten days of this sign (10^th-19^th May).   

Seven of Pentacles: Druidcraft (trimmed)

Let’s start by looking at what qualities Saturn brings to Taurus. Saturn is about establishing and preserving, as well as about having integrity.  In Taurus, that integrity could grow out of a sense of loyalty or reliability, or perhaps through building (Taurus) or establishing (Saturn) a safe and secure base – one that provides a sense of stability.  Saturn can also be about traditional values, as can Taurus (through its association with the Second House), as well as preserving the status quo, perhaps in order to maintain some sort of approval or recognition within a social context.   There can be a tendency towards conservatism in this combination, as well as that Taurean stubbornness (I like to call it tenacity!), linked to a Saturnian fear of not being in control.  Saturn wants to achieve but Taurus can slow things down, and at its worst could impede progress by not only stubbornness but also laziness.  At its best, progress is slow but sure; it’s steady, and often self-reliant.

But how does this fit with the Seven of Pentacles? This card is often linked to the need to make a decision, usually depicted by the man on the edge of two fields – one with a well-established crop, one lying fallow, or less developed.  It’s about the choice between the familiar, the established, the ‘tried and tested’ – all very Saturnian – and the promise of something new.  Taurus is represented by the idea of the crops; an achievement on one hand, something that’s required hard work, and on the other, the fertility of the yet-to-be-used soil.  

The Druidcraft’s version of this card gives that sense too. It’s a time to consider alternatives.  It’s all about choice – the Devil (Saturn rules Capricorn, the sign associated with The Devil card) you know or the Devil you don’t?! The emphasis is on the fact that the mistletoe on the tree is ready to be harvested – the figure has been patient and waited for the right time to harvest it, trusting in the natural cycle of things rather than rushing it.

Druidcraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections