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.
Aries is represented on the Tree of Life through its associated Tarot Card, which is Key 4, The Emperor. The 15th Path connects Chokmah (Wisdom) to Tiphareth (Beauty) on the Tree of Life. The Sefer Yetzirah tells us that “the Fifteenth Path is the Constituting Intelligence, so called because it constitutes the substance of creation in pure darkness, and men have spoken of these contemplations; it is that darkness spoken of in Scripture, Job xxxviii.9. “a thick darkness a swaddling band for it.””
The Emperor card is attributed to the zodiac sign of Aries, a cardinal fire sign that is aligned with concepts of leadership and action, traits that are shared with the idea of an Emperor.
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