I am feeling the need for a rest for a bit from writing long articles! Here is a quick question from ‘Mandy’ (not her real name):
I was born on the 11th May and am therefore a Taurus, I was also born in 1973 which is the year of the bull in the Chinese horoscopes (which is also of interest as I lived in HongKong for a while).
How do both areas of astrology combine? And am I really as stubborn as a ‘double bull’ would indicate?
Taurus
Hello Mandy
since you have kindly provided your date and year of birth, I have taken a peek into that favourite reference book of astrologers, The American Ephemeris for the 20th Century. It lists the midnight positions of all the planets for a hundred years and I’d definitely not be without it on a desert island (yes, ok, I’m mad!) This is where we astrologers begin the process of calculating horoscopes, although the TIME of birth is needed to reveal the whole picture.
The Ephemeris tells me that on 11 May 1973, in common with everyone else born on that day, the Sun was indeed to be seen occupying that 30 degree sector of the sky called Taurus. However, Mercury, planet of mind and communication, and Venus, planet of relationship, harmony and beauty, were also there on that day! So – having three of the ten key characters on your life’s stage in the same sector or sign emphasises the characteristics of that sign very strongly. The answer to your second question, therefore, is an emphatic YES based on Western astrology alone.
However, there are other things in your horoscope which both modify and contradict this strong stubborn streak. A full horoscope reading, for which you would need to provide your date, place and all-important TIME of birth, would put all the key characters on the stage, enabling you to get a better ‘handle’ on what drives you….
As far as the combination of Chinese and Western astrology is concerned, after more than 30 years as an astrologer I am still getting to grips with the Western tradition (!) so have only a very superficial knowledge of Eastern astrologies. However, I turned to our ever-present friend Google – which, incidentally, told me that the Chinese year for your date of birth is,in fact, the year of the Ox.
Astrowiki has an interesting and informative page on Chinese Astrology for any readers who wish to pursue the topic further.
Many thanks for your question, Mandy. Your feedback would be welcome. And – ask me another any time !
Zodiac
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450 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2016
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Astrology: Questions and Answers 
Hi I’m Badrunisha born 17/03/79 6:00am south africa and I’m a pisces and can u please tell me about my Destiny?
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Dear Badrunisha, thank you for your enquiry.
Here is my Consultations Page which will tell you all you need to know about my approach to astrology, qualifications, experience, supervision arrangements and fees. That will further enable you to decide whether I am the right astrologer for you. Best wishes, Anne Whitaker
https://astrologyquestionsandanswers.com/consulting-and-teaching/
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I am a Taurus born May 9, 1934. I have never agree with astrology’s claim that Taurus people are stubborn. I will claim determined practicality but not stubborn because if someone can show I am wrong I have no problem with that. Of our 4 children one was truly stubborn although I don’t think she realizes it. She is a Pisces but does have a Taurus Moon. My understanding of stubborn that individual will forge ahead no matter what.
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Thanks for your feedback, KLB! As you can see from the following paragraph, one has to assess the WHOLE horoscope, with all its contradictions: it was Mandy who specifically asked about one specific trait, ie stubbornness. And like any other trait, it can operate either constructively or obstructively to a person’s path through life: context is crucial!
As I observed in the post: “…However, there are other things in your horoscope which both modify and contradict this strong stubborn streak. A full horoscope reading, for which you would need to provide your date, place and all-important TIME of birth, would put all the key characters on the stage, enabling you to get a better ‘handle’ on what drives you….”
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Great post, and you are so kind and generous with your feedback! I’m heading to the Astrowiki now!
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Many thanks, Lisa…yes, it’s important I think to give out information which can help to broaden people’s knowledge and perspectives.
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Via Facebook:
28.11.16:
Moira Campbell:
I have a question that seems not to have a reasonable answer.
Why do my closest family and long-term friends treat my passionate work in astrology as a fanciful hobby ? I can’t even get some of them to friend my page here, lest they over-indulge my “fantasms”.
Sure, I have Saturn in Cap’ in a tight t-square with Sun and Moon; so all acceptance comes through some trial of resistance. But the fact that their resistant barrier is so obvious has thrown me for a loop for the years I’ve inhabited my page here.
Merely musing aloud. ✨
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Very relevant musing, Moira….something most of us astrologers have to contend with, one way or another…Will attempt to produce a return muse tomorrow, when I have a bit of musing time…
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Here are my return musings, Moira, for what they are worth. Yes, I think the horoscope configurations described by you here point to nothing significant coming easily …but the plus side of that, I would think, is that your hard-won achievements are solidly grounded in experience and realism, and as such probably increasingly valued by other people as time goes on. Saturn, I have found both personally and in my work and teaching, is a friend of honest effort and perseverance, especially as one gets older.
But one of the great lessons I have learned, for what it’s worth, is that certain walls are not worth continuing to bang one’s head upon. The cultural wall, in terms of society’s attitudes to astrology, is pretty impervious to our head banging. Simply getting on with our work with integrity, and stopping the head banging altogether, I think is the best way forward.
And the familial wall? Well, just letting your relatives fester in their ignorance whilst getting on with your work with as much good grace, tolerance and acceptance of their misguided stance as you can muster, is probably best. Some people will just never give you what you want. So best to stop wasting time in asking. Walk away from that wall, Moira! I know, it’s hard, but I speak from personal experience. Go to the hairdresser. Buy a good book, sit in a cosy cafe with an excellent coffee, and read for an hour in peace and quiet. go for a swim. Don’t waste your life’s energy on lost causes…
End of musing…gosh, it wasn’t intended to be that long…
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Via Facebook:
28.11.16:
Lesley Hibberd:
A guy I lived with was hugely Taurean: Ascendant, Mercury, Sun, Venus and the South Node. He was the single most selfish person I ever met. Another friend had an ex-wife who was born in 1941 on a day when there were six planets in Taurus. Note that she was the EX wife. He often said to me, “You can make a Taurus change. You just have to hit them over the head with a two-by-four.”
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Thanks, Lesley! I have to confess that this feedback did make me chuckle… Doesn’t leave much room for argument!
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Via Facebook:
28.11.16:
Judith Burke:
Nice answer! 😉 And I like to remember that “stubborn” is the flip side of “determined” — a very admirable trait. 😉
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Thanks. Judith! Stubornness, like every other trait, is positive in some contexts and negative and others…
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