Taurus

Wisdom Teachings
The Signs of the Zodiac

Each day reveals another combination of energies. To a superficial observer however one day seems to be like the other, he does not see a difference between a new and a full moon or between one full moon and the next one. If we want to understand the changing qualities of Time, we need an understanding of the principles and their interrelations represented by the sun signs, the constellations as well as the planets. In trying to perceive the prevailing qualities of time, to align and to act accordingly, we gain an ever-more detailed knowledge of subtle processes and rhythms. “One must do more than listen politely to these truths; one must apply them as reality.” (Supermundane, § 183)

Each full moon offers a present expressing itself in specific energies. In order to experience them and utilise them for daily life, we have to attune to them two to three days before and after the full moon. Many may think that their living conditions would not allow them to do this, but attuning does not mean to put aside all work which we normally have. While attending to our work, we have in a chamber of our mind the consciousness that we are in the time of full moon. An important preparation is not to get ourselves blocked by personal difficulties and to keep aligned to the full moon energy. When we organise our daily routine properly and overcome the inner and outer resistances, space gets created for the subjective work.

The Taurus Full Moon is a particularly important time for man and earth, for Taurus brings a receiving of the energies of the Divine Will, which were poured out from higher circles in Aries. Taurus has a receiving and Aries a distributing aspect. The symbol of Taurus therefore is a semicircle over a circle (♉) - the two horns of the bull represent converging arcs -, while the symbol of the Aries-energy has two diverging arcs.

In the body Taurus holds the part reaching from the eyebrows to the throat. From the eyebrows upwards it is Aries. Voice, sound and word are ruled by Taurus. Before we utter the Word, it is in us, as us, with us, and then we utter it. Through our utterance we can inspire and support, but also inhibit or hurt. How much do we speak during the day without an intention or also with negative thoughts! Much patience and empathy is needed to neutralise negative thoughts in us and in the surrounding. Trying to speak in a right way and thus helping others is an important work of good will.

Taurus is the first earth sign of the Fixed Cross and has to do with the form aspect of creation. The Taurus personality has fixed ideas, convictions and relations, however he is good-natured, tolerant and persevering. You can easily rely upon him. He likes to surround himself with tasteful facilities and also enjoys good food as well as beautiful bodies of the other sex. He loves the beauty in the form, and Venus, the ruler of Love and Beauty, is here the regent of Taurus. Pure Beauty however is the Divine aspect of form being veiled by the beautiful shape. We find Beauty through, but not in the form. A lightful form lets radiate through the inner Beauty more easily. In order to experience the inner glow of Divine Beauty, advanced spiritual students are utterly careful about light food and pure speech.

Taurus is the month in which you can get impregnated by the Will. Therefore it is called the fertilising bull, which fertilises the earth and the earthly beings and gives new inspiration to life. If we attune to the Full Moon in Taurus, we can get injected into us a new dose of will energy. Then it should not be used for ourselves, but transmitted to others. Every work transmitting light to people in any area and representing something good for society, is a work of good will. This is the Will to serve, not the will to power and manipulation.

If we get more and more focussed in our work, the bull with two horns symbolically becomes the unicorn, with the horn of light. To meditate on the symbol of the unicorn helps us to reach the point between the “two horns of the bull” called the “bull’s-eye” or third eye in the middle of the forehead. It exists in us as the Eye of the Lord keeping an eye on all our steps in life. To meet the eye means to keep stability in vibration and to do in every given moment what has to be done. The “Eye of the Bull” in the constellation of Taurus is the magnificent fixed star Aldebaran, which is regarded since ancient times as conferring illumination. In the East it is called Rohini, meaning “That which roars”. The bull “roars” the Divine Word from the cosmic to the planetary plane, as energy pours down from the eye of the bull. We can devote the month of Taurus to such a contemplation.

In Sanskrit the zodiacal sign of Taurus is called Vrishabha: Bha means radiance of light, and Vrisha means pouring down. The downpour of the energies of Will is reflected via the moon and is transmitted to earth through the full moon in a soft and reduced form, for the well-being of the planet and its beings. During Taurus Full Moon the moon is in Scorpio, in the constellation of Vaisakha. Therefore this full moon is called Vaisakha or Wesak Full Moon in the East. Since time immemorial this festival is celebrated by initiates in the Himalayas, they meet in order to receive the Will and to start working in accordance with it in the coming year. The Vaisakh festival represents a group endeavour and not an individual one. Therefore you should come together for the Vaisakh festival in a group and hold it conjointly. Let us attune to it and thus enable the transmission of energies. Then the Full Moon becomes a feast of the Spirit.

The forms of the universe aspire to perfection through beauty. Beauty is the hidden quality of form; it creates a radiant glow around beautiful forms. If we look at a flower, waves of beauty radiate through it. The beauty of the flower lies in the totality, not in a part of it. Beauty is caught nowhere in the form, but reflects through it. A beautiful jar is an expression of beauty, beauty itself is neither in the jar nor in the clay out of which it is made. Beauty is the Divine aspect of form. When you see the divine side in the form, you find the radiance of beauty. All forms are the form of God. We are an image of God, our beauty is his radiance. When we see beauty in the form, the etheric streams in us take on their right and original form. The beauty of the inner organises the aura and gives rise to order like a magnet. In the East the form of God is worshipped with incredible beauty, so that the subtle matter takes on an order. Thus an electric vibration of beauty is created. Through beautiful flower decorations of the altar the emotions are purified and the attention gets turned to the Divine.

A painter visualises the colours in his inner and then expresses them in the outer on the canvas. When we contemplate on a beautiful form, take the beauty into the inner and unite ourselves with it inwardly, we detach ourselves from the attachment to matter and can visualise the colours beyond the form. The deeper we penetrate, the more radiant are the colours. He who has detached himself from the outward forms can experience the one light, the origin of all colours.

A person who has devoted himself to art, has the holy task to restore art in man. The master-artists – painters, sculptors, poets – enter into the secret side of creation. A Master of Wisdom is beautiful in everything. It is a state of perfection, where every fibre of him vibrates, full of devotion, beauty and light. Purely by his presence he arranges the streams in others and thus transforms ugliness into beauty. Purity in attitude expresses greatness. Beauty is an expression of truth. On the spiritual path we cannot afford to be shabby. We should keep our houses and our surroundings as beautiful as possible, the things we use should be pure and beautiful. The tendency to beauty should be simple, not costly: Beauty lies in simplicity. “Much is spoken about beauty, but the importance of harmony is little understood. Beauty is an uplifting concept, and each offering to beauty is an offering to the equilibrium of Cosmos.” (Supermundane § 42)

The fixed earthy sign of Taurus represents the beauty of the form side. A beautiful form is very attractive and also gives us a feeling of happiness. That is how man and woman are also attracted by each other. Venus, the lord of love and beauty through forms, is the ruler of this sign for all those who are in the planetary level. It means, if we are still hanging around sensual pleasures, satisfaction and joys, we are taurean and blunt in dealing with our energies. In this love finds its expression through sex consciousness and possessive nature. Bliss loses itself in its shadow, indulgence, which is related to the opposite sign of Scorpio. Taurus also governs food and taste. Taste is the response to beauty expressed through the tongue and its desire. The lower Taurus-type likes to indulge and to relish, his hunger for things is very heavy. If the senses are not already controlled in early years, it later creates problems. Therefore education should attach great importance to the disciplining of the senses at the age related to Taurus, from 7 to 14. The right kind of speaking should also be introduced, for speech is one of the most powerful means. Taurus rules over the voice and the word which fertilises the listener through the idea conveyed through the conversation. Taurus is the fertilising principle of the universe; while the sun is transiting the sign, his rays fertilise the earth and thus create the basis of our food.

The bull is yoked to cultivate the field. When a man enters the path, it is said that the bull is yoked. While the bull of desire is the unregulated, undisciplined, irresponsible man in the world, the yoked bull takes responsibility and consecrates to the work of good will. The word yoke comes from the Sanskrit word yog (Yoga), meaning ‘united’. When one commits to cultivate the personality in order to unite with the soul, he is said to be the man who took upon himself the fixed cross of discipleship. The initiate is the sacred bull, he works in accordance with the Divine Plan and expresses the Word from higher circles. Often there is a bullfight within us between the bull of desire and the divine bull. Frequently the bull of desire wins, but the fight goes on until it places itself under the divine bull.

If we sincerely try to become receptive for high thoughts and to serve with good will in a selfless way, we get assistance from spiritual sources. The receptivity for occult energies grows by our conscious linking up to them and working with them. When for example the sun or a planet transits the sign of Taurus, we can visualise the planetary energy in the corresponding centre of the body. Taurus is represented from the tip of the nose to the throat. The planets transit from the bridge of the nose or the ajna centre to the throat. If you attune to them, their transforming alchemy works and creates a higher order and a more subtle awareness.

In Eastern wisdom Taurus is considered to be a ray of light coming down from the sun to earth. We as souls are also rays of the sun living in this mortal form. The light of the sunray is called buddhi, it is the light of wisdom, the higher intelligence and the point of equilibrium. Whoever settles in it for all times and is enlightened is called Buddha. Buddha is a title, just as Christ is. Besides Gautama Siddharta, who got enlightened 2500 years ago, there are many Buddhas. They are obliged to the Light and have decided out of their compassion to stay on earth in order to transmit Light and Love to the entire humanity so that each man can become a Buddha or a Christ. Gautama Buddha was born in the month of Taurus, he is also called the “sacred bull among men”. Taurus Full Moon therefore is also called Buddha or Vaisakh Full Moon.

On Taurus Full Moon the energy received in Aries from higher circles is transmitted through the soul of this planet also called “the Lord of the Planet” or Sanat Kumara. His habitat is called Shamballa and is located in the etheric around the Gobi desert. The etheric abode of the Hierarchy is in the Trans-Himalayan caves, they are called the Caves of Kalapa and Sravasti (Shigatze). From Shamballa the energies are directed through the Buddhas via Gautama Buddha into the Vaisakh Valley, where they are received by the World Teacher – also called Christ or in the East Maitreya – and his team of initiates and their disciples. And all disciples of the world who seriously quest for it participate inwardly. On Gemini Full Moon the energies of Will and of Love are further distributed to the disciples working on the physical plane. They form the link with humanity and endeavour to manifest the Plan during the remaining 9 months of the year. In this way a bridge is built from highest realms down to the mortals. Thus the Taurus energy stimulates our will and enables us to carry the enlightenment into the material world through determined activity and to manifest the work of good will in the different areas of life.

In order to make abstract spiritual principles more easily understandable, the ancient sages have depicted the different aspects of wisdom figuratively or also acting as persons. The work of spiritual realities is thus visualized in allegories and stories. Without the key of wisdom however we only see the pictorial personifications, the deeper truth being lost. Eastern wisdom for example describes Lord Siva as riding on the bull Nandi. As an earthy sign the zodiacal sign of Taurus stands for the material universe, which is called the fourth state of the Word of God. In the light of a higher understanding we realise that the representation of Lord Siva on the bull symbolically describes how the divine aspect of Will rides on the Word as a vehicle and enters into manifestation through the sign of Taurus. The new impulses of will energy released in Aries pour down in Taurus and fertilise life. Therefore the Sun in Taurus is worshipped as the bull fertilising Mother Earth with his sperm and bringing the light of enlightenment into matter.

Astrologically the part in man reaching from the eyebrows down to the throat is assigned to Taurus, and thus also the tongue and speech. The ordinary Taurus person has a taste for rich, rare food and a sense of harmony, rhythm and colour. This indicates Venus as the mundane ruler of Taurus. She brings about the development of sound as voice and music. In the East the speech centre in man is called the “bull”, for the idea conveyed by a talk fertilises the listener. Continuous, meaningless talking however only wastes energy. When we speak in a critical, judging and negative way, we hurt others and also harm ourselves. Throat problems arise from a wrong use of our speech and action. All wisdom teachings emphasize that on the spiritual path we have to regulate our speaking and refine the quality of our speech. The initiation of mankind takes place through the throat centre and symbolically it is said that in Taurus the tongue has to be pulled out to become silent.

By uttering sacred sounds and mantrams our speech slowly gets purified and our voice transformed. In order to get a feeling for the more subtle vibrations it is helpful to regularly clean the mouth and also the tongue. It is an important act of good will to neutralise negative emotions and thoughts in our surrounding by a right use of language, and in this we have a great responsibility.

This cannot be done by arguments or by discussions; it needs time and very much patience, love and compassion.

In Sanskrit the sign of Taurus is called “Rishabha”, the Great Bull. It is represented by the sound of the syllable “R”, which, when produced by the vocal chords, fertilises the consciousness. Between the 11th and 24th degree of Taurus there is a brightly shining star which is of the Pleiades and is also called the Eye of the Bull. In the West it is called Aldebaran and in the Vedic system Rohini. Rohini means “that which roars”; it stands for the uttering forth of the Will energy, whereby Light, Love and Will pour down into our system. In the Vedic symbolism the roaring of the Cosmic Bull is also presented as a light ray entering through Rohini and being received via the soul of this planet also called the Lord of the World or Sanat Kumara. In our essence we are also nothing but light rays, radiations of the divine Will having descended into bodily forms. Out of the will which is in us we should develop a direction for our lives. We realise the direction, if we don’t run after our own shadow, the personality. “If we run after our own shadow, we have no direction”, Pythagoras says. This means that we cannot reach the Light and follow the Plan, as long as we only meet our own needs. When we take to the path and work in a field of service, the bull gets yoked and he is given responsibility. He can do a lot of work, when it works with all his energy into the right direction.

For receiving a fresh dose of Will energy for the work of good will, we should align ourselves at the time of Taurus full moon, just as the initiates do to tune up to the Will and the Plan of the year. For those who lead us are led by others in the higher circles. Thus there is a bridge from the Highest down to the mortals. The cosmic energies of Will come from the Eye of the Bull and are reflected and received via the moon in an extenuated form. At Taurus full moon it is in Scorpio in the constellation of Vaisakha. Therefore Taurus full moon is also called Vaisakh or Wesak full moon. Since times immemorial it is celebrated in the Himalayas as the Vaisakh festival, since Gautama Buddha also as the festival of his enlightenment.

In man the eye of the bull corresponds to the third eye on the forehead, the point between the “two horns of the bull”. The two converging horns of the symbol of Taurus ♉ represent the receiving crescent of the moon, they also stand for the energies in us flowing into two directions and known as Ida and Pingala. The Pingala-energy is the movement of energy in us directed upwards, leading from the dense to the subtle, and the Ida-energy is the downward-movement directed from the subtle down to the dense. The right eye represents the Pingala-energy and the left eye the Ida-energy; the Third Eye is the source and the meeting point of both. The purpose of spiritual practice is to bring the material and the spiritual in us to an equilibrium. Symbolically speaking the bull with two horns then becomes a unicorn. We can meditate on the symbol of the unicorn as a pillar of light, particularly in the month of Taurus, so that our work becomes more and more focussed and effective. In this we contemplate the horn as a pillar or light shining out from the heart centre up to the higher Third Eye and beyond, up into the Higher Circles. Taurus full moon is the culmination of this contemplation. When we have developed this vision, we can come out via the horn of the unicorn and see on the other side our own physical body and thus realize that we are not our body, but in reality an essence of light living in this body.

With the body of light we can experience the spectacle of the Vaisakh full moon in Vaisakh-Valley. Sometimes we can also participate in it, if we get temporarily enlightened for this purpose: It is an assembly of the Masters, who form the Inner Government of the World. At the day of Taurus full moon Sanat Kumara releases the energy impulse for the year and passes it on to the spiritual hierarchy, so that they transform it down through their co-workers and distribute it to humanity at Gemini full moon. The energies are directed from Shamballa through the Dhyani Buddhas via Gautama Buddha into Vaisakh Valley, where the World Teacher and his team of initiates receive them. And the world disciples participate in it, for experiencing the energy and sharing it out, so that it is received by all those who are seriously seeking it.

During the whole month we should try to remain in this consciousness, bringing it into our work and thus manifesting the energy in our surrounding. The entire process is for bringing enlightenment into the material world, for the well-being of the planet and all beings living on it.

The world we see around ourselves is only one fourth of the whole of creation; three fourth are subtle and hidden. The fourth state of existence is objectivity, the material universe. It is also called the body of God or the form side of the divine Word. For ages, there is an utterance of this word; it takes on the form of a thought and manifests through creation. An impulse comes out of us as an idea. The idea specifies into a thought, and the thought is translated into visible action. This happens continuously, but since we mostly concern ourselves with the outside, we do not see what happens on the more subtle spheres of existence. We notice something only when it appears on the outside. We do not realise the stages preceding and underlying the outward appearance.

When however our awareness grows, we slowly go into the field of subtler qualities and causes. Humankind as a whole, having turned towards the discovery of the outer world for a long time, now takes again another direction. Even though it goes through the pains of change, the orientation towards qualities of consciousness will grow, and so the wisdom teachings will also be better understood.

Taurus is an earthy sign and has to do with the form aspect of creation. Taurus stand for expression – as thought, as word, as action, and as the power of life. Taurus symbolises fertility and seed force. Here the sun is also called the inseminating bull that fertilizes the earth in order to bring forth the living beings and to give them food. The opposing sign of Scorpio stands for sexual attraction and the entanglement of consciousness into the differentiation of the sexes.

Taurus is the sign of farming, of food and taste. Taste is a reaction to beauty, expressed through the tongue. However, through the material food we taste with the tongue as well as through a crude use of the tongue in speaking we get bound to the earth. That is why the advanced spiritual students are utterly careful about speech and food. They are not only careful about the quantity, but also about the quality, they look more for spiritual food than for material stuff. They lift to lighter food, water and air. There are people who only eat air and sunlight. It is not a fantasy or something mystical, but indicates the direction of the future development of humankind.

The passage of the planets through Taurus anchors certain energies on earth. The sun pours down light and will energy, which are not available in other signs. Taurus is therefore called the month, which brings down the divine energy. Aries is the utterer, Gemini the process of utterance, Taurus the utterance taking on form. Aries is the first vibration, and in Taurus, this vibration is brought to the outside. Shamballa, the etheric centre on the Northern side of the Himalaya range and abode of the planetary Logos, gives in Aries the program for the year as an impulse, which is received by the Enlightened Ones whom we call the Masters of Wisdom. Intuitionally conceiving the plan of the year, the Wise Ones gradually radiate it into their disciples who in turn transmit it to the foremost thinkers and leaders of humanity. Within their limited possibilities, they guide the plan into their daily activities.

The masters transmit the received seed-word to their disciples at Taurus Full Moon, which is also called the Vaisakh Festival or the full moon of Buddha (Buddha Purnima). It is a wonderful incident that Gautama Buddha was born, received his enlightenment and left his body on a Taurus full moon. Buddha works as a transmitter, as a link between the soul of the planet, also called “the Lord of the Planet” or Sanat Kumara, and the Masters of Wisdom.

The Vaisakh Festival was already celebrated before Gautama Buddha was born. For at Taurus full moon, when the moon is in Scorpio in the constellation of Visakha, energy comes from the buddhic plane, and there is an alignment of the mind towards Hierarchy or towards buddhi. The ruling principle for Visakha is Indra-Agni, the fire of thinking. The energy causes transformation of the mental matter, so that the absorption of the light from higher circles becomes possible. The moon carries out transformations on the mental matter of the planet, which also exists in us as the mental matter. Like at no other time the seed of consciousness can thus be sown at the Vaisakh Festival on the field, which is the mind of humankind. All who seek the truth can obtain on this day the necessary enlightenment.

Buddhi is the lowest point to which the divinity can descend, to the clear, pure mental of the higher intelligence. Buddhi is the light of the sun ray we are as souls; we are the sun rays who have decided to live in earth-born forms. The plane of buddhi is the plane of equilibrium in us. He who is established in it is a Buddha. So the Aries full moon is related to the atmic plane or to spirit, Taurus full moon to the buddhic plane of the soul and Gemini full moon to the mental plane.

During the full moon hours of Taurus the Masters of Wisdom and their accepted disciples gather in the Central Himalayan range in a valley called the “Vaisakh Valley”. This valley is not accessible for the uninitiated. Some initiates participate in the festival with their physical bodies and some with their subtle bodies.

We can also tune up to it and have the possibility to experience the grand annual meeting by etheric permeation, by etheric travel, when we have aligned body, mind and senses through purity in thought, speech and action. The profundity of our longing to participate will enable the transmission of the energies. They should not be used then for ourselves, but passed on to others.

All that exists in the outside also exists in our inside. We therefore can also tune up to the valley by building a bridge between Scorpio and Taurus. This means to feel the column of light between the base and the ajna centre and guide ourselves consciously on the journey from the base of the column up to its top. When we are able to settle in the eye of the bull, the ajna-centre, then it is possible that we can come out of this eye and reach the Vaisakh Valley. The visualisation can slowly become a reality.

The Vaisakh Festival is a group endeavour and not an individual endeavour. It is therefore important to come together in a group during Taurus full moon. The purpose of the gathering is to receive the Will and in accordance with it to bring enlightenment into the material world through thoughts and deeds of good will during the coming months.

Sources used: K. P. Kumar: Hercules: The Man and the Symbol / The Aquarian Cross / seminar notes / E. Krishnamacharya: Spiritual Astrology / Vishnu Sahasranama. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India. - A. A. Bailey: Esoteric Astrology, Lucis-Trust, London ( www.netnews.org / www.lucistrust.org )