Earthy Taurus offers a sturdy environment for speedy Mercury, the planet of communication. This period is one in which solid values, concrete ideas and practical perspectives are likely to take on greater significance for all of us.

Mercury generally excels at flexibility, but Taurus is arguably the least flexible of all the signs. We may find ourselves digging in and taking rigid positions when opposed by different ideas, concepts or facts at this time. It's vital that we not lose our ability to stay open-minded to overcome Taurean resistance to whatever is new or different.

Ideally, Mercury in Taurus connects us with the earthy realities that will nurture the growth and development of our ideas. Taurus offers a rich soil of values and commitment that can provide resources to carry thoughts from conception to birth. Slow, careful conversations enable us to consider alternatives without ever losing sight of fundamental values and underlying practical issues.

Mercury tends to be a bit less gabby in Taurus than in most other signs. Some good examples are Johnny Depp, Clint Eastwood and Miles Davis, all born in chatty Gemini, but with communication styles reflective of their less talkative Mercurys in Taurus.

Actors Alec Baldwin, Russell Crowe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Uma Thurman, Renee Zellweger, Annette Bening, Brooke Shields, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, Jack Nicholson and Billy Dee Williams belong to the Merc in Taurus group. Singers Barbra Streisand, Bono, Wynonna Judd, Janet Jackson, Cher, Carnie Wilson, Pete Townsend and Joe Cocker were also born with Mercury in the sign of the throat.

Other public figures with this placement include Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, John F. Kennedy, Gary Kasparov, Sally Ride, Ram Dass, Orson Welles, Joe Louis and Pope John Paul II.

For more on Mercury see An Interview with the Messenger by Alice DeVille.