The Taurus partner

Taurus is a very physical sign. It's a rare Taurean who doesn't possess a strong, intense desire nature. Even Taureans who fear intimacy (perhaps because they've been badly hurt in early life) will still display their innate sensuousness - through affectionate touching and an intense response to anything that's nice to touch, beautiful to look at, pleasant to hear, delicious to taste or lovely to smell. The Bull loves beauty, and can be astonishingly sybaritic. The ascetic approach doesn't go over well, unless you've found one of those more spiritually inclined Taureans (and there are quite a few around) for whom inner peace and serenity count for more than external comfort.

For many Taureans, the sexual side of love takes priority. Where there's good sex, Taurus remains. If Taureans choose to be faithful, they're very faithful. If they don't, they'll pursue their sensual pleasures on the side, enjoying themselves but never allowing such escapades to interfere with the stability of a solid relationship. Stability is really important to Taurus. But keeping a Taurus partner happy means you have to avoid sexual games of the now-you- can-have-me-now-you-can't variety. Your Taurean will simply find someone more available.

The Taurus partner can be very romantic. It's good old storybook romanticism, because this sign can be very conventional, and the old time-honoured rituals and ways work best. Taureans keep their promises, don't promise unless they're sure, and aren't sure until they've checked all the facts, including your bank balance and the history of your family. No, that may not seem very romantic. But Taurean romanticism, although sometimes outweighed by common sense, is genuine. They really believe in engagement rings, white wedding dresses and honeymoons. The Taurus partner remembers birthdays and anniversaries, and expects you to remember as well.

Taureans like to give real, solid gifts to demonstrate their love. This is both flattering and reassuring, even when the gift is something frighteningly useful (like an ironing board or a new cordless drill). If you're the more emotive type who craves a flamboyant verbal outpouring of affection, remember that expressing real, raw feelings doesn't come easily to this cautious, sensible sign. If you get too insistent with your demands, that Taurean contentment will slide into a deep, smouldering discontent.

Often a strong sense of responsibility, coupled with a deep need for security, will keep the Taurus partner in a relationship which has long since lost its charm. Taureans can be poignantly gentle, tender and affectionate. They don't get angry easily. Push them too hard, though, or destroy their serenity with too many emotional crises, and you'll be astonished at just how volcanic Taurean anger can be.

You may have heard about the famous Taurean possessiveness. This is indeed a possessive sign, and the Taurus partner will often demonstrate this in public by physical gestures of the property-ownership variety. Choose another sign if you want a detached, cool, unpredictable or "open" sort of relationship - unless you're prepared to enjoy an intermittent affair and can accept the fact that your Taurean lover has a steady relationship at home.

For loyalty and steadfastness, no one beats a Taurus. For calmness verging on complacency, too, no one beats a Taurus. So, although keeping the Taurus partner insecure is not a good idea, periodically introducing new elements into your life together can help to keep things alive and moving.

Taureans are often attracted to fiery temperaments who possess the daring, childlike abandon, imagination and rashness that they themselves don't dare express. While they need stability, they also need inspiration. Most importantly, they need to know they're needed and useful. If they know you rely on them, they will always offer generous support and protection, and the great inner strength that allows them to cope so tirelessly and serenely with the ordinary problems of life.