Venus in Taurus: The Empress

Pictured: Queen Nefertiti

In Taurus, Venus blooms like the archetypal Empress - at home in beautiful surroundings, with beautiful people, material comfort, luxury and beautiful objects.

Venus in Taurus functions exceptionally well - Venus is at home there, and it's one of the two domicile signs where Venusian energy is expressed in the most quintessential way. Her keywords here are stability, wealth, growth and legacy. And most importantly, Venus in Taurus is entirely receptive, yin energy - accumulation via attraction, at home in the metaphysical feminine principle. Unlike the Venus in Pisces, Venus in Taurus does not yearn for that which it cannot have (or which doesn't exist) - it's instead firmly grounded in reality, and, like the Empress, she attracts everything in the material world that she wants to herself. What these natives want comes to them with ease, sometimes over a long period of time - but in general, these natives are not 'chasers' unless they have a very strong Mars or Saturn.

Venus in Taurus accumulates things of value, including people. Yes, they do sometimes see people as their 'property' for lack of a better word. But that doesn't mean they objectify people at all - instead, it means that they consider themselves responsible for their maintenance and care, in the same way they care for their collection of beautiful things. These natives feel a deep sense of responsibility and posessiveness over the people they love, and this is usually expressed through sensual means. A back massage after a long day, a delicious meal, a great movie - and all the better if someone else can be paid to render these services… so that both of you can enjoy these activities together.

Venus in Taurus is royal and noble in its bearing as the archetypal Empress. They aren't really one to do acts of service for others unless they have strong 6th house, Virgo or Chiron signature; they are not long-suffering martyrs by nature. Instead, they show their love and appreciation for others through gift giving and quality time. They'd much rather enjoy a beautiful time together than suffer in silent yearning or suffer through endless self-sacrifice. Like the Empress, Venus in Taurus is self-possessed and knows her OWN value as well as the value of others, and natives with this placement will conduct themselves accordingly. Like royalty.

When everything is right, Venus in Taurus expresses love and affection in a measured, steady and tangible way - but when they're struggling, they do have a tendency to withdraw emotionally and become distant. Since they value stability so much, they don't always like to relenquish control to someone else in a relationship dynamic, especially if they feel they cannot trust the other person to protect their interests. They sometimes struggle to allow themselves to be truly 'known' by others. However, when Venus in Taurus feels secure and safe, they can be incredibly generous, loving, endlessly caring and patient, with all of the tenacity that Taurus is so notable for.

For this post, I chose an image of Queen Nefertiti. She is the quintessential archetypal Empress whose noble bearing and timeless beauty echoes through the ages. We all know her face and part of her story, and yet she remains a mystery, untouchable and unknowable except by those who were closest to her.

While no poems to Nefertiti have survived, Ancient Egyptians of the New Kingdom (her cultural contemporaries) were remarkably literate and wrote a lot of romantic, non-religious poetry and enjoyed a great deal of leisure time to pursue cultural activities - pastimes greatly enjoyed by Venus in Taurus. Here is one such poem, recovered from Dier el-Medina circa 1300 BCE:

Thou beautiful one! My heart's desire is

To procure for you your food as your husband,

My arm resting upon your arm.

You have changed me by your love.

Thus say I in my heart,

In my soul, at my prayers:

"I lack my commander tonight,

I am as one dwelling in a tomb."

Be you but in health and strength,

Then the nearness of your countenance

Sheds delight, by reason of your well-being,

Over a heart, which seeks you with longing.

Where is Venus in your chart? Find out here:

And if you want help understanding what it all means, book a reading with me!