posted March 10, 2013 07:35 AM            

Audience: I have often wondered why Taureans seem to have such battles in relationships. I suppose this is what happens when they are identified with the Scorpio end of the spectrum?

Clare: That's right. When we start to think in terms of axes, then we will start thinking of a Taurus person as being somewhere on the Taurus-Scorpio axis, although we don't know exactly where until we have explored this with them first. But this means that we will no longer be surprised if we have a Taurus client who is consumed by intense and complex emotional or relationship problems, sexual issues, power struggles, battles over money and shared resources, and the like. None of these things belongs to the sign of Taurus, which is very simple, stable and grounded, but they are not uncommon themes with Taurean clients. I am using the term 'Taurean' to describe a person who may not have the Sun in Taurus but could have several planets in Taurus or in the 2nd house, or Taurus on the Ascendant. In such cases, the Taurean can gradually restore their equilibrium by developing a sound sense of self-worth, providing materially for themselves, cultivating a fixity of purpose, a pride in their own accomplishments, and the courage to defend themselves, rather than engaging in power struggles which appear to be caused by the emotional demands of others.
A useful Taurus-Scorpio myth is that of King Midas, who was extremely wealthy. He was, we could say, identified entirely with the Taurus end of this axis. When he was granted a wish by the god Dionysus, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold, and so it did. However, when he touched the flowers in his garden they turned to gold, and everything he tried to eat turned to gold, so he became increasingly hungry. Worst of all, his beloved daughter turned into gold when he accidentally touched her. Fortunately, and because King Midas was so full of remorse when he realised the consequences of his greed, Dionysus agreed to reverse the spell, and everything came to life again.

We could say that he realised that, without the destructive aspect of the life-force that belongs to Scorpio, everything would become static, incapable of change or growth. The point is that Taurus begets Scorpio, retention leads to release, incorporation to elimination, to ensure that nature remains in balance and that the life force is constantly regenerated.

Audience: What happens if this axis is reversed and the identification is on the Scorpio end? Can you give us an example of a Scorpio that needs to find its Taurus?

Clare: In this case the individual may seek to find their security and self-worth through other people or other people's resources, rather than their own. If we depend completely on others for our security and sense of self-worth, then we have given our power to them, and we naturally feel that they owe us something in return. If we have no sense of our own inner intrinsic value or worth, we have nothing to contribute to the relationship. The Scorpio client can therefore be extremely possessive, feeling that other people are their possessions and that they belong to them, body and soul. With such a great investment in the other, it is not surprising that, before long, intense feelings of jealousy, suspicion and insecurity emerge. The interesting thing about this is that possessiveness belongs to Taurus and is not a Scorpio trait at all. In essence Scorpio is where we are forced to surrender and let go. Scorpio does not hold onto things - it purges and eliminates, because everything which no longer serves life has to die to make way for new life.
The myth of Pluto and Persephone is relevant here because it harks back to the ancient seasonal rituals celebrating the relationship between life and death in nature. Taurus is springtime, celebrated in the fertility festival of Beltane at the beginning of May, when Persephone is said to make her annual return to the earth from the underworld and all of nature begins to thrive and grow. But at the opposite end of the year, in Scorpio time, marked by Samhain, the festival of death, Persephone returns to the underworld, her earth-mother Demeter goes into mourning, and everything in nature dies. Scorpio and Pluto signify the great organic processes of death and renewal. The life force ebbs and flows on a seasonal basis, since growth cannot continue indefinitely - nature has to be stripped bare in order to ensure renewed life. So the Taurus/Scorpio axis is one entire process, and we cannot really understand one without understanding the other.

posted March 11, 2013 01:26 AM            

There is supposed to be a natural balance between building stability and letting things go when necessary to maintain growth and harmony..

I want stability and comfort very much and will work endlessly to get it, which I'm usually able to for some time at least (Taurus Mars, Jupiter in 2nd) but yeah I have a problem associating letting go with losing control, and losing control with chaos. Like if I can't hold on to everything I might as well throw it all away right? (sarcasm lol) And who wants to be constantly under control anyways, there's so much more to life.. But where does that leave me? Back on the Scorpio end of the spectrum of death and destruction.. just to repeat the cycle all over again. And I don't mean the gentle shift of seasons between rainy and dry or something, more like the extremes of say.. Alaska lol

So anyway, I've thought about the aspects themselves but never really the polarity of the signs so it was definitely a good read