The Taurus woman

As the bull is a supremely masculine creature, the cow is supremely feminine. The female Taurus is often the epitome of the instinctual feminine archetype, with all the gentleness, strength, wisdom, patience and sensual passion of her goddess-antecedents. There seem to be two distinct types of Taurus woman.

The first is the real Venusian Taurus, with a perfectly made up face, surrounded by beautiful scent, dressed in sensuous, expensive designer clothes. Pampered, indolent, and preoccupied with her own attractiveness, you may accuse her of vanity and self-indulgence, but she knows that self- confidence and pride in herself are the best guarantee of being treated with real respect.

Then there's the Taurus woman who reflects the purity and harmony of nature. Organically grown food, natural fibres, a ban on smoking, a refusal to use chemicals in the garden or artificial colouring on her hair, this woman harks back to the old temple priestesses in the days when the power of the Earth-goddess represented the power of life itself. Either way, the Taurus woman is wise in the ways of love, and is devoted and usually loyal -provided she has security and knows she's valued.

Her tenacity and faithfulness are admirable. Sometimes they're too admirable. Try to release yourself from this kind of Taurean woman and she will hang on with that incredible Taurean tenacity until you give up and come back out of sheer exhaustion. Taurus women can wait, and they often do wait, and wait, for the promise you made ten years ago to be fulfilled.

Flirtatious at the beginning of a relationship, Taurus settles into stable routines very easily and quickly. If you enjoy spontaneous trips and unplanned holidays, give this woman at least three months' notice. And don't, for heaven's sake, change plans at the last minute. Taurean women can be very literal, believing what you say and holding you to it the next day. Or the next year. Or the next decade.

If she promises something, she'll endure all kinds of hardships to keep her promise, and her sense of responsibility is very highly developed. She doesn't like letting people down, in personal life or at work. If you promise something to a Taurean woman, mean it. Otherwise, learn to think before you speak, or choose another sign.

There is an innate simplicity in the Taurus woman, even in those whose practical abilities and business acumen have led them to build a solid career in the world. "Simple" doesn't mean "stupid", so don't make the mistake of thinking, because she didn't win any prizes on the school debating team, that she isn't grasping exactly what you're trying to say, even when you thought you meant something else. Although some Taurean women are gifted at verbal gymnastics, most prefer clear, plain, no-nonsense communication where nothing is concealed or ambiguous - and because they're usually straight and direct, they know when you aren't.

Despite her strangely childlike quality, the Taurus woman can be terrifyingly shrewd when it comes to seeing through shams and pretences. She isn't innately suspicious or mistrustful, but she can spot a fake from a long way away. That applies to fake antiques, fake flowers and fake people. Taurus' eye for the realistic, the stable, the reliable, is unerringly accurate. Her common sense is a wonderful elixir for the jaded visionary, and her capacity to get to the basic core of a problem allows her to find simple solutions while you're still pacing up and down tearing your hair and wondering how you'll ever even begin to sort out the mess. The Taurus woman brings everything - including her partner - down to earth. And because it's a gentle sign, it's likely to be a soft landing.