BULL/TAURUS
In exploring this Zodiac of the Bull we now move from the sphere of the hierarchies to the the region of the Holy Cosmic Spirit from which forces emanate towards the planets.
The Holy Spirit is also called the Lunar Logos because of its kinship to the Moon. This kinship was the result of an important task during Christ's descent towards the earth. The birth of the Sun Logos into the Body of the Sun was made possible by the Holy Spirit principle working into the sphere of the Moon through the communion of the entire circle of the 6 Elohim and Jehova as we have seen in previous posts. The Holy Spirit is connected, therefore, to the Moon Sphere by virtue of this union and the entire third hierarchy of angels, in particular their representatives the Angels. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit has a special connection to the Astral body of man or the soul, which was created on old Moon and its connection with the consciousness of the entire soul - the Consciousness Soul - or the 'Conscience Soul'.
We see this relationship between the Moon and the Sun through the Holy Spirit in the various cults of the Bull in Egypt and Sumeria. In Egypt the Egyptian Goddess Isis was the Goddess of the Moon, and her image arose out of the union of the Moon with the Sun, that is, of Sophia with Isis and through them, the union of the region of Virgo with the region of the Bull. This connection was depicted in various ways depending on what forces were prevalent at the time, for instance:
In the Third Cultural Epoch whenever the influence from the sphere of the Virgin was the more prevalent there arose the image of the Moon Goddess Isis, representing the Sun spirit, the Divine Sophia, the World-Soul, carrying her Sun-child Horus. Whenever the image of the Bull or the entire macrocosm prevailed in Egypt, Isis was seen with Cow Horns on her head - as an image of her representation of the World Spirit. Furthermore when, within these cow horns was depicted the Solar disc, it signified the upward striving of the Spirit of the Bull from the Sphere of the Moon to the Sphere of the Sun or the region of Ram. This depicted an ascent from Holy Spirit to Christ, which signified a move from the Third Cultural Epoch, Egypt to the Fourth, Greco-Roman Epoch, when Christ would be born on earth.
The Luciferic principle had cut itself off from the Holy Spirit on old moon. It chose not to strive upwards to the Sun Sphere but to remain egoistically within the boundaries of the Moon Sphere. The Luciferic Holy Spirit did not seek to find Christ and, it is for this reason, that in the Greco Roman era the Bull was associated with the Luciferic principle.
The Holy Spirit that emanates from the region of the Bull down into the Moon Sphere was seen at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist through the agency of his angel in the form of a Dove. He saw this image of the dove because, interestingly, Rudolf Steiner tells us, the cow seen inspiratively, takes on the image of a dove, since astrally the cow is like a bird.
It is the Holy Spirit, which once again enables the birth of Christ into the Nathan Sun-Soul, the being of Jesus of Nazareth at the baptism in the Jordan. Christ is born, not only through the highest earthly representative of the region of the angels or Waterman - John the Baptist - but also because of another mystery.
The Luke Mary is that being who was once seen as Isis by the Egyptian Initiates. And her own descent into the human soul ran parallel to the descent of the Nathan soul to earth carrying the Christ being through his sacrifices. Isis/Mary descended from the region of the Sophia and enabled human beings to develop the Sentient and intellectual souls in preparation for Christ's incarnation. After her own short incarnation, the heavenly Isis/Mary was united once more with the Divine Sophia at her death. It was her unification with Mary of the Matthew Gospel which connected the Matthew Mary with the Sophia making the birth of Christ into the soul of Jesus of Nazareth, possible. This communion of heavenly and earthly representatives from the Sphere of the Bull and the Virgin - was the archetypal image of the spirit which must enter the soul to enable the birth of Christ there.
Similarly, it is also the Holy Spirit from the region of the Bull that, in uniting with the sphere of Twins or Seraphim, (represented by the sacrifice enacted by both Christ and the Zarathustra individuality at the baptism), that created the possibility for the birth of the highest principle of Sacrificial love, Christ, on earth. Christ, the Sun Being was then able to walk the earth and to speak of a love that is not inspired by 'blood' kinship, but a love that is free and inspired instead by 'spirit' kinship. He could do this through the agency of this region which rules the Larynx and speech (Bull) and the Spirit of Community (Twins). It is for this reason that speech connects us with others in a loving marriage of souls. Rudolf Steiner even goes so far as to say that the Larynx will one day not only speak forth words, but will be a creative organ, a higher version of the organs of reproduction which are, at present, possessed by human beings. The larynx will offer itself up, chastely, to the Holy Lance of Love - the Holy Spirit - in order to bring to 'birth' the spirit of Christ, not only in the soul, but within the soul of a 'community' and in the Soul of the earth, as a moral creative force. In this way The Bull also connects the realm of Twins with the realm of Goat, the realm of Archangels, in particular Michael who, as the highest Archangel of the Sun and the Countenance of Jehova, had a special relationship both to the Sun Logos and the Holy spirit - the Word and Thought - that is, the Cosmic Intelligence of Christ.
Luke was the apostle connected to the Sphere of the Bull. Luke was a 'Bull Initiate' and therefore a doctor because the Holy Spirit is connected with all forms healing. It is connected with healing because it is the Holy Spirit which brings about a connection between the human being and Christ - the great healer. Luke therefore, sees the Mystery of Golgotha from the perspective of the healing Nathan Soul, or Jesus son of the Isis Mary. When we see the image of Mary holding her child in her arms in Bethlehem as Luke depicts it, it is the fulfilment of the prophecy seen by the Egyptian Priests, who saw the image of Isis holding the Horus child.
The Luke Mary is that being who was once seen as Isis by the Egyptian Initiates. And her own descent into the human soul ran parallel to the descent of the Nathan soul to earth carrying the Christ being through his sacrifices. Isis/Mary descended from the region of the Sophia and enabled human beings to develop the Sentient and intellectual souls in preparation for Christ's incarnation. After her own short incarnation, the heavenly Isis/Mary was united once more with the Divine Sophia at her death. It was her unification with Mary of the Matthew Gospel which connected the Matthew Mary with the Sophia making the birth of Christ into the soul of Jesus of Nazareth, possible. This communion of heavenly and earthly representatives from the Sphere of the Bull and the Virgin - was the archetypal image of the spirit which must enter the soul to enable the birth of Christ there.
Similarly, it is also the Holy Spirit from the region of the Bull that, in uniting with the sphere of Twins or Seraphim, (represented by the sacrifice enacted by both Christ and the Zarathustra individuality at the baptism), that created the possibility for the birth of the highest principle of Sacrificial love, Christ, on earth. Christ, the Sun Being was then able to walk the earth and to speak of a love that is not inspired by 'blood' kinship, but a love that is free and inspired instead by 'spirit' kinship. He could do this through the agency of this region which rules the Larynx and speech (Bull) and the Spirit of Community (Twins). It is for this reason that speech connects us with others in a loving marriage of souls. Rudolf Steiner even goes so far as to say that the Larynx will one day not only speak forth words, but will be a creative organ, a higher version of the organs of reproduction which are, at present, possessed by human beings. The larynx will offer itself up, chastely, to the Holy Lance of Love - the Holy Spirit - in order to bring to 'birth' the spirit of Christ, not only in the soul, but within the soul of a 'community' and in the Soul of the earth, as a moral creative force. In this way The Bull also connects the realm of Twins with the realm of Goat, the realm of Archangels, in particular Michael who, as the highest Archangel of the Sun and the Countenance of Jehova, had a special relationship both to the Sun Logos and the Holy spirit - the Word and Thought - that is, the Cosmic Intelligence of Christ.
Luke was the apostle connected to the Sphere of the Bull. Luke was a 'Bull Initiate' and therefore a doctor because the Holy Spirit is connected with all forms healing. It is connected with healing because it is the Holy Spirit which brings about a connection between the human being and Christ - the great healer. Luke therefore, sees the Mystery of Golgotha from the perspective of the healing Nathan Soul, or Jesus son of the Isis Mary. When we see the image of Mary holding her child in her arms in Bethlehem as Luke depicts it, it is the fulfilment of the prophecy seen by the Egyptian Priests, who saw the image of Isis holding the Horus child.
It is the human being who also heals Lucifer by connecting Lucifer with the Holy Spirit again in the human soul.
So on this Holy Night when we gaze up at the region of the Bull (Thought), may we see the connection between it and the Holy Spirit, the Lunar Logos working particularly through the Moon Sphere realm of the angels to enable the birth of Christ (The Word) firstly into the body of the Sun and secondly into the body of the Sun-Soul Jesus of Nazareth. May we see the Gospel writer Luke writing of the Nathan Soul and the Isis Mary. May we see how the Luke Mary united with the Solomon Mary so that she became, the Mother of God, a 'Vicarious' incarnation of the Sophia on earth, and how the Holy Spirit united again with the Mother of God twice more: at the Wedding at Cana and at the Pentecost in order to bring about a free 'common love' among men who are not blood kin.May the Spirit of this Holy Night working in our souls unite us with the Spirit of Christ in the sun of our hearts so that we may unite in loving communion and speak forth the word of God!
