THE HIEROPHANT / TAURUS / BELTANE Authentic, unconditional compassion Humility in facing authority Triumphant and eternal intelligence; eternal principles High Initiation of Divine Love Inner hearing, or Intuition Latent powers and energies, secretness, reserve, propriety The initiate is called upon to be an impersonal, all-beneficent administrator of supernal grace and power. "Vav" means "nail," or "heart," or "and." The nail holds things together, and provides a hook to hang things on. The heart is the life of the body. "And" connects concepts in language. "And" is a way of joining, or "union." "Union" is the meaning of "Yoga," in the sense of joining physical to spiritual. Key 5/ Taurus rules the neck, joining head and body. The Hierophant represents structured ritual used for linking the personal to the universal. The Hierophant is the "concealer of sacred things," and the one who reveals them to the initiate in the Elusinian Mysteries. Taurus is fixed earth - matter in it's purest essence. It is inescapable gravity, the ultimate hard reality of our mortal existence. It is "what matters," our values, ethics, and morals. "Hearing" is the sense attributed to Key 5. It is "The Voice Within," or the "Listening to the Heart," we must do to find out what really matters to us. In order to listen, the listener must be silent. The Hierophant represents this silence. This is the silence of the hidden seed or idea, the sequestration of the sacred. It can also be materialism; an obsession with acquisition as an avoidance of the inner voices. This key has been called "The Pope," "The Merlin," or "The Holy Father," showing connection to Sepher Kochma, the Father, and the aspect of father shown in Key 4, the Emperor. This is the "pontifex," the "bridge maker," between outer experience and internal illumination. He builds the bridge manifested in Key 2, the High Priestess. "All the world is a narrow bridge - but the point is to be fearless." Hasidic proverb The Hierophant sits on a throne between pillars, topped with Taurus glyphs. The pillars repeat the pillars in the Tree of Life. The grey colors show another connection to the second sepher. The pillars are of carved stone; in Hebrew stone is: "aben." "Ab" is "Father," and "ben" means "son of," so the word "aben" joins "father-son." The crown is a golden triple tiara, with trefoils in rows of 3, 5, and 7. The gold shows radiant energy and wisdom. The "W" is a rendering of "Vav." Three trefoils represent the threefold nature of life power, the upper triad of Ets Chaim, the Tree of Life. The row of seven refers to the seven chakras, and the seven inner bodies of astrology. The row of five shows the five senses, or the four elements plus ether. There are five tattvas in various permutations, shown Here. [External Link] The top row is the Creative world, the middle is the Formative world, and the bottom is the Material world. The three crossbars in his staff symbolize the same things. Crowns appear in Key 2, Key 3, Key 4, Key 5, Key 7, Key 11, Key 14, Key 16, Keter, and Malchut. The blue scarf at the throat/neck shows the moon, which is exalted in Taurus. The blue undergarment also refers to the subconscious, lunar energy. There are ten crosses in the image: three on the closure of the robe, four on the floor, one on each shoe, and one at the crossed keys. Ten is the number of Sepherot in the Tree. Crosses represent matter, and the binding of spirit to matter. The cross is also a symbol of order. A yoke (Vav) hangs behind his ears; showing listening and control, channeling. This is Orthodoxy, and Hierarchy. (ortho: straight - dox: thought)(hier: sacred - archy: rulership by). The silver and gold keys on the dais show lunar and solar energy, Ida and Pingala, subconsciousness and superconsciousness, crossed in protection. These are the keys to spiritual growth. The orange carpet is the color of Taurus; the crosses in circles are the Venus symbol folded into itself. Taurus is Venus ruled. Black and white checkers are under the carpet, showing the universal pattern of alternation. Tonsured monks kneel attentively, listening. They wear gold yokes, and robes. The blue robe with datura flowers speaks of sleep, dreams, and the subconscious. The black and gray robe with alchemical symbols shows wisdom and intellectual knowledge acquired through study. Keywords: Alliance, benediction, conscience, consecration, endurance, patience, goodness of heart, meditation, organization, placidity, purification, serenity, strength, restraint. BELTANE - (pronounced bell-tayn) May 1 - Beltane comes from an Irish word "balefire." Here, the young God matures into manhood. The union of the Goddess and God is celebrated with the great rite, usually in a grove of sacred trees. This is the creative act. This is when the May-Pole dance occurs, the May-Pole representing the male force. The Goddess is symbolized by the Cauldron, also invoked at this time. This celebrates the Druidic Fires of Bel, and is when a Priestess trained in the highest magic couples with the Horned One, a young man similarly trained, in a frenzied ritual of procreation. The resulting child is a priest or priestess in the Temple. Hieroglypic bull from Valley of the Kings, Egypt TAURUS April 20th to May 20th. Ruled by Venus. I have. Sensualist or hedonist. Fixed Earth. Physicality, practicality, stability, seriousness, all characteristics of earth, concentrate in Taurus, in its rich, deep, mature tones. Taurus is the bull plowing the new earth of spring, the pregnant heifer, the surging gardens. Taurus influences in the chart (Second house, or planets in Taurus) create an emphasis on worldy achievement and security. This can manifest as success, comfort and beauty. Taurus (in its purest essence) is stable, patient, diligent, determined, long-suffering, kind, and gentle. Taurus creates beauty whenever possible, in its physical body, its home, its work, kitchen and garden. Taurus can also be overbearing, stubborn, dour, boring, staid, possessive, dogmatic, linear/inflexible or greedy. There is an emphasis on social approval, and desire to conform. Taurus is concerned with propriety, that is, fitness, correctness, moral uprightness, decorum, suitability, delicacy, and even fastidiousness. Jupiter or Venus in Taurus soften this tendency, lending grace. Saturn, Martian or Plutonian influences in Taurus can produce lasciviousness, wanton waste, or deliberate affronts to piety. Taurus, when active in the chart, can bring elegance, wealth, artistic power, care in speech, stamina, love of sensuality and pleasure. Taurus is direct, straightforward emotion. It is prudent, traditional, and articulate; it is attracted to literature, language, history, theater, and collecting. Unfavorable Taurus aspects: indulgence, lethargy, missing opportunities, exorbitant, too passionate, con artist, overweight, mean, hesitant, difficulty in love, perpetual victim of love and work, controlled by older persons, self-isolating, impotent or frigid, sexually unorthodox or perverse, sex organ problems, taking too much leisure time. Taurus, when active in the chart, can bring compulsive behavior, and a drive to control people and situations. Scorpio, Capricorn, and Cancer share these traits. Like its opposite, Scorpio, Taurus enjoys having power over others. But Taurus' strategy is to permeate, while the Scorpio approach is to penetrate. (Taurus is Venus ruled - Scorpio is Mars ruled). In this sense, Taurus has an affinity with Pisces, when Taurus chooses to be adaptable. Earth mixed with water becomes clay. Taurus is symbolized by the bull, with its connotations of plowing, fertility, strength, endurance, stubbornness, and deliberate, steadfast determination. Taurus moves slowly, carefully, and with certainty. Domains of Taurus are authority, banking, collecting, building, investing, the arts, music, culture, monasteries, or anything requiring commitment and patience. Lessons for Taurus include flexibility, letting go, ready acceptance of change, learning to raise their values from an earthly to a spiritual aim. Like all three earth signs, Taurus has a tendency to stay put, in one way or another. With Taurus, if afflicted, it's an immovable stress, but usually has some mitigating Venusian beauty. There is often a "cross to bear" in the life. Tatanka Iyotanka (Sitting Bull) - Dakota [1834? - 1890] Taurus rules the throat and neck. For Taurus, the Shadow takes the form of Other's being emotionally explosive or manipulative, and shattering your peaceful existence. You react by bearing down on it, flattening it with earthly logic, or ignoring it. Work with your shadow, and the people you project it onto, by learning to be quick on your feet, by understanding human nature, and by better planning. The more you deny your Shadow, the more it will manifest itself and attract what you will interpret as disruption or pain. The Second house has the character of Taurus: planets in this house are concerned with Security, whether it be in achieving it, maintaining it, obsessing over it, or always losing it, etc. This is the house of wealth or "power in reserve;" helpful planets in the second house can bring prosperity, testing planets can bring difficulty with money, etc. The Second House is said to be the house of money. This is a metaphor for comfort, and the security necessary to be able to afford going slow, taking time, and doing things in a stately, graceful, thorough, and well paced manner. Taurus is not quick on its feet, in that sudden changes are hard for Taurus. The earth triplicity is Taurus (fixed), followed by Virgo (mutable), and then Capricorn (cardinal). In the natural order of the signs, Taurus is earth, preceded by Aries (fire), and followed by Gemini (air). The opposite axis, or antidote to Taurus, is Scorpio.