The Qabalah’s Tree of Life is a glyph that represents, simultaneously, two directions: the flow of the Divine from Above to Below, and the Path of Return to Source, from Below to Above, for those on spiritual journeys of enlightenment. It is a glyph that represents all of creation and all the energies of creation.
The Tree of Life is comprised of ten circles called Sephiroth and the 22 paths that connect them. The Paths are subjective, and allocated to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet as well as the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot. The 10 Spheres are objective and are considered emmanations of the Divine. They are allocated to the First Swirlings, the Zodiac, the six visible planets, the Moon and the Earth.
Taurus is represented on the Tree of Life through its associated Tarot Card, which is Key 5, The Hierophant. The 16th Path connects Chokmah (Wisdom) to Chesed (Mercy) on the Tree of Life. It is described as the road upon which the Chariot rides, the link between the Macrocosmos and the Microcosmos, the Great Universe with Manifestation, the Above and Below. As Robert Wang states, “Expressing it in another way, it can be said that the intelligent energy which binds the pure inner spirit to the outer aspects of manifestation, is also the source for our understanding of that inner spirt. It is the only source. The Hierophant is the only teacher. He is, as the esoteric title of the card states, “The Magus of the Eternal.” The Hebrew letter for this path is Vau, which means Nail or Hook, reinforcing the idea of the binding connection of the Above and the Below. Its numerical value is 6, it is a simple letter, its “gift”, is hearing.
The Hierophant card is closely aligned to the zodiac sign of Taurus, a fixed sign whose symbol is a Bull, the representative of the Earth aspect of the Holy Creatures foursome, the other three being Air=Aquarius/Man, Water=Scorpio/Eagle and Fire=Leo/Lion. These four Holy Creatures show up in Ezekiel’s vision and illuminated medieval gospel covers; however more astrologically, they are representative of the four seasons or quadrants of the year. A broader view reveals all the zodiac signs to be approximately 2000 years of an astrological “Great Year”. An astrological Great Year, or Platonic Year, is a complete ~25,920-year cycle of the precession of the equinoxes, divided into 12 "Ages" of approximately 2,160 years each. These ages move backward through the zodiac (Pisces to Aquarius), with the sun's position at the spring equinox determining the current age.
The Age of Taurus is generally considered to have lasted from approximately 4300 BC to 2150 BC. This period, spanning the Early Bronze Age, was defined by the Sun rising in the constellation Taurus during the spring equinox, with a focus on agriculture, fertility, wealth accumulation, and massive monument building. The biblical story of the golden calf is often associated with this era, representing the end of the Taurus age and the shift to the Aries age. The Minotaur legengs also arose during the Age of Taurus, reflecting the era’s widespread bull worship in Mediterranean cultures.
Crowley states that the child (seen in the Thoth deck and others) is representative of the transition into the Age of Horus, which has supplanted the Age of the Dying God. He states rather cryptically that “the rhythm of the Hierophant is such that he moves only at intervals of 2000 years.” This is a direct reference to the Procession of the Equinoxes that divide the Great Year into its 12 Ages. This could be interpreted that the religious or spiritual teachings of each Age is reflective of that Age, and as the Hierophant moves with the rhythmic changes from Age to Age, the spiritual lessons are adjusted as necessary. In many depictions of the Heirophant, he is holding a scroll, which is considered the “Word” that through Vau’s gift of “Hearing” is heard. Seen simply, it is possible that our interpretations of this Word and the symbolism and mode of the Hierophant’s teachings adapts according to the Age we are in.
Presently, we are entering the Age of Aquarius, and by all indications, the Age of AI. Our interpretation of the Word, via “the Magus of the Eternal” may be changing once again.
Sources:
Tarot Correspondences by T. Susan Chang
Kabbalah by Charles Ponce
Qabalistic Tarot by Rober Wang
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kynes
Hermetic Qabalah by Oliver St. John
The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall