The text in this section is about the Taurus / Eris type, which is not the same as being born in Taurus or having Eris in Gauquelin sector. The astrological method for determining your type is described here.

The following brief description of Taurus has been inspired by the Danish astrology book ”Astrologiens verden” by Karl Aage Jensen. The text has been chosen for this context, because it is brief and condenses many of the Taurus characteristica.

”I can resist everything – except temptations,” could be the motto of the Taurus. These people are born hedonists. They’ll do anything to make their life comfortable, especially on the material plane, where they desire a high degree of security and safety. They prefer a stable life without major changes along the way. In romance they are usually quite reliable and sensible, but their possissiveness may create problems. They are very sensual and enjoy good food, which might lead to obesity. Fortunately they also possess a high degree of endurance, firmness and stubbornness, which means that once they decide to do something, it can be almost impossible for others to turn their boat around. When it comes to career this type usually becomes the expert, because once they have decided on a career path (which may happen very early in life), they hang on to it and increase their competences slowly but steadily. They are realistic, thrifty and know how to make money, because they sense the needs of the public.

R. Meredith Belbin (born 1926), a British researcher and management theorist, has created a typology consisting of 9 types or roles and based on observation of human behaviour. His aim was to determine the best possible team composition for business organisations.

The team role, which Belbin labelled the "specialist" seems to match the Taurus / Eris type. But Belbin hasn't written much about the "specialist", because the role was discovered and identified at a vary late stage in the research: This type supplies knowledge and skills in rare supply and prefers to contribute on that limited front. Possesses a high degree of self confidence and commitment to his / her chosen field. Usually very concentrated on his / her tasks and assignments. But the type also has a tendency to isolate himself / herself and be disinterested in other people. Guards his / her area and contributes strictly within it.

The Taurus / Eris people I have encountered had one thing in common: Their approach to career and job was always characterized by a high degree of professionalism - only surpassed by their contempt for amateurism. I also noticed another character trait, when it comes to making money: They have an innate sense of location. When they establish a business they make sure that it is located in a central spot, where they can be sure the customers will see it.

Since Belbin didn't have much to say about the specialist, I have instead found this song, which was sung by Marilyn Monroe and Frankie Vaughn in the movie "Let's make love" from 1960:

If you peruse the people in the news,
The people that the magazines refer to.
You'll find that they are naturally soignée,
The special ones that all of us defer to.
They've each a trait that seems to state first raters.
That separates them from the small potaters.

Maria Callas
Is booked in Dallas.
The carpet's rolled out and they're sold out clear to the skies.

Specialization, specialization.
They'll love your high notes if
If you specialize.

When Elvis rotates,
Each critic note-takes.
It may look funny,
But the money's what it supplies.

Specialization, specialization.
You'll meet the colonel if
If you specialize.

Salome did it with veils.
Abe Lincoln did it with rails.
Toledo did it with scales
The Chinese built that Wall.
Specialists all.
Marc Clement gives gals the tremors.
This Casanovan sure has the rovin'est eyes.

Specialization, specialization.
You'll rule the barnyard if
If you specialize.

The Pharaohs did it with Sphinx.
And Darwin did it with links.
Some robbers did it with Brinks.
Carnegie used a Hall.
Specialists all.
Van Cliburn caused us a high burn.
While we were blushin'
Some Russian gave him the prize.

Specialization, specialization.
They'll give you medals if,
They'll love your high notes if,
You'll meet the Colonel if,
You'll rule the barnyard if,
If you specialize!
I specialize.

The ”Enneagram of Personality” is another typology with 9 personality types. Just like with Belbin's typology, the enneagram is often used in business life for teambuilding. The system is said to have been derived from Sufi mystics, but this claim is not supported. Instead its creators include such names as Oscar Ichazo, Claudio Naranjo G. I. Gurdjieff.

Since astrology has 12 types, and the enneagram only has 9 types, it is no wonder that 3 of the astrological types are missing in the enneagram, among them the Taurus / Eris type. The explanation why the Taurus / Eris type is missing in the enneagram is obvious: Some types are more visible than other types, and in traditional astrology Taurus belongs to the "invisible" signs, which include Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio and Pisces.

The invisibility of Taurus express itself in curious way: When you read astrology books containing descriptions of the 12 zodiacal signs, you can almost always expect Taurus to have the shortest description - as if Taurus was "beyond description".

Below is a bar chart showing that the Eris type is the most dominant among artists. The statistic is very small, only covering 62 artists, so it is like a peak into the category. Among the 62 artists 44 were male and 18 were female.

The statistic is interesting, because in traditional astrology Taurus is described as enjoying beauty and high quality products.