As we’ve already learned in previous lectures about the months of the Zodiac, the map of the stars of the heavens reflect for us, the spiritual forces, revealed in our world, and at the same time the effects, the stars have on our lives. In the Zohar, in the portion of Yitro, it is written, that the map of the stars of the heavens, is like the face of a person that reflects what he feels deep inside. We also have to remember, that not all the people of the same sign will behave exactly the same way, because the birth hour (ascendant) and many other additional forces have an effect on a person’s nature and the way he behaves. Of huge significance in understanding the forces the stars have on our lives, is knowing the exact moment of birth of a person and the position of the other stars and planets in his chart at that time. However, one must always keep in mind that each one of us has free will and that when free will and the understanding of the influences of the map of the stars and heavens on our lives, is used together, we can have a better understanding of the experiences in our lives and how we are going to behave.
The spring is the season that is imbued with the most powerful spiritual forces. According to the Book of Formation (written approximately 4,000 years ago), by Abraham the Patriarch, the ruling force in the spring, is the element of fire.
The element of fire in Astrology and also according to Kabbalah represents power, creativity, energy and also ego. More than anything else the fire signs represent the desire to receive; this is because when the fire stops consuming it stops existing. This is the reason why people born during the spring can be very selfish if they’re not spiritual. Their creativity and their never ending energy, most of the time, will center mostly on themselves, their desires and their interests.
The three spring months, Aries, Taurus and Gemini, can be divided into three different columns energetically (this applies to all signs of the Zodiac). According to Kabbalah, these energies are called; Right Column (sharing and giving), Left Column (judgment and desire to receive) and Central Column (mercy and balance).
Since the sign of Taurus is Left Column, it therefore has the strongest ability to draw Light, more than the other spring months. We see the confirmation of this reflected in the Hebrew words/names connected to the month of Iyar (Taurus).
- The name of the month Iyar, comes from the word “light” in Hebrew.
- In biblical Hebrew, the name of the month of Iyar is “Ziv”, which also means “light” in Hebrew.
- In Hebrew, the name of the ruling planet of the month of Taurus is “Noga” – Venus, a word that means light.
- The month of Taurus has one holiday which is not a Biblical holiday, but it has a long and respectful tradition as being celebrated for a day that reveals a tremendous amount of light. Lag Ba Omer is a holiday commemorating the completion of The Zohar (The main work of Kabbalah), and the departure of Rabbi Shimon from the physical world. The word Zohar also means light.
The presence of so much light in this month effects people in many ways. First, people born under the sign of Taurus have an immense power to achieve whatever they want. The fact that Taurus is an earth sign enhances this power. Taureans are very realistic, efficient and goal oriented. However, the combination of Earth (The element of Taurus) with Fire (The element of the Spring) can create a very unpleasant energetic combination for people born under this sign These people can become selfish, egotistical and focused upon themselves and their desires. They can get the reputation of being selfish and materialistic.
The symbol of the astrological sign of Taurus is an ox. In the story of the Merkava, in the book of Ezekiel, Ch. 1, the Left Column (the desire to receive for the self alone) is symbolized by the ox. This image of the Left Column, symbolized by the ox, can be found in many places in the Bible and in many other writings of Kabbalah.
The symbol of the ox – Left Column, aligns, also with the tribe of Shimon. The Zohar teaches that this tribe represents judgment – Gevurah, Left Column. The tribe of Shimon represents the sign of Taurus accordimg to the system that aligns the siigns with the 12 tribes according to the order of theit birth.
The wisdom of Kabbalah, teaches that the light for the whole year is being generated in the spring. The connection to Taureans, is since they have this huge ability to draw light, many of them live under the illusion that everything is great. This allows the Taurean to achieve high levels of spiritual perception, wisdom and energy. It gives them the feeling that everything is already great and it’s just going to get better. This is why Taureans are optimistic, in a good mood and have a great outlook on life. They do not look for trouble and prefer to seek out environments that are comfortable, safe and pleasant. They don’t like to make waves and get involved with problems. Taureans create their world to reflect their desire for stability and consistency, and because of this, they are usually known as loyal, stable, patient, tolerant and friendly. They don’t like to be critical and they usually look good.
Venus the Planet of Love – Taurus the time for love
The astrological sign of Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus. From here, they get their tendency, to especially look for physical pleasures. The numerical value of the name of Venus in Hebrew – “Noga” is 58 which is also the same numerical value for the word comfortable – “Noah”. This is another reason why Taureans always look for the coziest and most comfortable place to sit. When we see them participating in hard labor, it is only because they are purely motivated, by the perfection and comfort, they think they are to receive from their efforts.
Due to the huge influx of light Taureans receive during the Spring, they can be full of light and in a state of Love and enlightenment. This makes it much easier for them to be patient and accept other people. This is also why Taureans have very easy going natures. This is also why they are peace loving and they stay away from wars and conflicts. The problem that can arise from this, however, is that they can become very complacent and this is very dangerous as it can cause the loss of life enhancing opportunities and numbness to potential possible dangers. Love is very important to all of us, especially in the month of Taurus. The numerology of this sign Taurus – Shor (Hebrew שור) has the numerical value of 506 which is also the numerical value of unconditional love – Ahavat Hinam (Hebrew אהבת חנם).
This Month serves as preparation for the holiday of Shavuot, the revelation of the, “love your fellow man as thyself” consciousness. During this month, we continue to count the Omer, which includes the seven weeks between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot. The counting includes the last two weeks of the month of Aries, the first week of the month of Gemini and the whole month of Taurus. According to Kabbalah, the time of counting is a time of judgment; therefore, we have to be extra careful and cautious during this time.
Tradition says that this is a time of mourning, in memory of the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva that died, because they did not respect each other, this is a hint for what can happen to us in this month, while it’s flooded with so much light, if we do not focus on love and tolerance.
So on one hand, this flood of light can bring a person to healing and purification that reaches its peak on Shavuot. The hint for healing this month can be found in the book of Exodus Ch. 15, vs 26, where it is written, “I am a G-d your healer”, the initials of the original text in Hebrew gives the name of this month – Iyar. On the other hand, lack of respect, fear and separation can bring disasters and pain, which is harsh judgment, especially this month. King Solomon established the Temple in Jerusalem in this month because he wanted to use the light filled energy of the month to draw the energies of healing and the elimination of pain.
This brings us to the understanding there’s no good sign or bad sign. Finally, it is always our free will that determines our destiny.
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