‘The 32nd path is the administrative intelligence and it is so called because it directs and associates the seven planets in all their operations, all of them in their own due courses’
The Path Of Tau is known as the administrative intelligence because it represents the influence of Yesod - the Sephira of the energies which shape physical reality on Malkuth, the natural world itself.
It is said it directs the courses of the seven planets because these, in the ancient vision of time previously mentioned, are governed by Saturn in their timekeeping function. There is also reference in Cabalistic philosophy to the planets being the material reflections of the seven palaces, the Sephiroth in active manifestation and the Path Of Tau is the path by which the balanced forces of the entire tree descend into Malkuth.
The 32nd path is given the mythological principle of Descent into the Underworld - most traditional mythology contains legends of living people who journeyed into the land of the dead; from the legends of Orpheus and Ishtar to Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’. The image is a potent one, and rarely missed by the storytellers of any society. Such tales will have the tendency to follow similar lines, down to points of fine detail. These tales have been closely parallelled by the experiences of Shaman in their trances to the Underworld - and by Cabalists venturing along the Path of Tau.
There are ghosts and monstrous creatures along the way; caverns and narrow passages, the rush of underground water; the unnerving journey across a bridge as wide as a sword’s blade; at times the traveller must give up something - anything from a small gift to the flesh on his/her bones; as the price of descent. At the very end of the journey comes the return to light and air; often the light is the light of the stars.
Watcher Of The Threshold
One of the entities often met on the 32nd path has a somewhat broader role - The Watcher Of The Threshold - symbol of the fear which bars the way to transformation. Although the watcher can make its presence felt at any point, this path is perhaps its most common lurking point. Saturn’s involvement with time and death makes the Path Of Tau congenial ground. It will sometimes happen that the watcher will take concrete form in a working, appearing as a monster barring the way.
While this can be unnerving, it usually marks a turning point in the work of the student. Once the watcher is squarely faced, on any level, its power dwindles.
