“Phobia” is the ancient Greek word for “fear.” More specifically, in today’s lexicon, it refers to an irrational fear: something that you can’t bear to even think about, a situation that gives you an anxiety attack even when your logical mind is telling you that there’s absolutely no reason to worry. An uplifting horoscope can’t even help.
Under normal circumstances, a little fear can be healthy. It keeps us aware of dangers and helps us make safe decisions.
A true phobia can really ruin someone’s ability to enjoy life, though. Just imagine a hydrophobe (someone who’s afraid of water) at the beach — this person can barely take a bath without getting the shudders, and here they have an entire ocean to contend with. They’ll miss out on sailing, swimming, and even pool parties.
Just because something makes you nervous doesn’t mean you have a phobia. You might not like the little spider on the ceiling, but a true arachnophobe wouldn’t be able to stay in the same house with the creature.
(Personally, I like spiders, and with my agoraphobic tendencies, I’m perfectly happy staying in the house with them.)
Psychologists have named hundreds of different kinds of phobias, and some of them seem pretty weird. Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) has been a big topic these days, with all the scary clowns showing up in movies and TV shows.
But why would anyone have turophobia — a fear of cheese? Or geniophobia — what’s so scary about chins? On the other hand, I think we can all relate to the modern-day condition called nomophobia, the fear of being without mobile phone service. (Yikes!)
Every zodiac sign has its own “flavor” of energy, and we seek out people and experiences that reinforce that energy. If someone is going to develop a real phobia, their sign can sometimes indicate what kind of energy would interfere with their own, and predict what they’re most likely to avoid.
So, here are the zodiac sign phobias and what they absolutely fear the most.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
Peniaphobia: Fear of poverty
Taurus craves earthly comforts: money, luxurious surroundings, valuable possessions. The driving force behind Taurus’ goals isn’t simply a love for the finer things in life, but a genuine terror at the very idea of not having enough.