"Man's nature is made up of four elements, which produce in him four attributes, namely, the beastly, the brutal, the satanic, and the divine." - al-Ghazzali, “Alchemy of Happiness”, "Kimiya al-sa'adat" (c. 1102)
Tetramorph, Chayyoth,
The living creatures, living beings, or chayyoth (Hebrew: חַיּוֹת, romanized: ḥayyōṯ) are a class of heavenly beings in Judaism. They are described in the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly chariot in the first and tenth chapters of the Book of Ezekiel. References to the sacred creatures recur in texts of Second Temple Judaism, in rabbinical merkabah ("chariot") literature, in the Book of Revelation in the Christian New Testament, and in the Zohar.
According to Jewish and Christian traditions, there are four living creatures, although their description varies by source. The symbolic depiction of the four living creatures in religious art, especially Christian art, is called a tetramorph.
The Man - Aquarius
The Ox - Taurus
The Lion - Leo
The Eagle - Scorpio
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. - Revelation 4:6–8
The Tetramorph (from Greek tetra, "four," and morphē, "form"), are symbolic figures representing the four fixed signs of the zodiac: Taurus (Bull) Leo (Lion) Scorpio (Eagle) Aquarius (Man or Angel).
And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. - Ezekiel 10:14
These cherubs originate from biblical visions in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4–14 and 10:14) and the Book of Revelation (Revelation 4:6–8), where they appear as "four living creatures" surrounding God's throne, each with four faces (man, lion, ox/bull, and eagle), four wings, and eyes all around.
Historically, this imagery draws from ancient Babylonian astrology, where similar hybrid creatures (e.g., lamassu or sphinx-like figures) marked the cardinal points of the zodiac and seasons.
They embody stability, the integration of opposites, and the foundational forces of creation, often linked to the four elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Air), directions (North, South, West, East), and the "fixed cross" of the zodiac, which provides enduring energy amid change.
the Babylonian Fixed Cross, an archetypal cosmic framework—the four dignities representing immutable points in the celestial sphere. Those cardinal anchors in the sky became the template for the vision, long before Christian theology got involved
In Christian mysticism, they are associated with the Four Evangelists (Matthew: Man, Mark: Lion, Luke: Bull, John: Eagle), symbolizing aspects of Christ's nature (humanity, royalty, sacrifice, divinity).
- Bull (Taurus, Earth Element, North Direction): Represents stability, fertility, and material manifestation. Symbolizes the grounded, nurturing force of nature and the physical body.
- Lion (Leo, Fire Element, South Direction): Embodies courage, vitality, and creative will. Symbolizes the solar force, leadership, and the heart's passion.
- Eagle (Scorpio, Water Element, West Direction): Signifies transformation, insight, and renewal (often an elevated form of Scorpio's scorpion, emphasizing ascension over base instincts). Symbolizes emotional depth, death/rebirth, and psychic vision.
- Man/Angel (Aquarius, Air Element, East Direction): Denotes intellect, humanity, and divine inspiration. Symbolizes rationality, innovation, and the higher mind connecting to the collective.
These are viewed from heaven in Revelation (reversing the order: Lion, Bull, Man, Eagle), suggesting a divine perspective on cosmic order.
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. - Ezekiel 1:4–14
The four cherubs represent the "fixed stars" or stable zodiacal anchors for channeling stellar energies:
They form the "fixed cross," a stable framework for invoking planetary and zodiacal influences during rituals like talisman creation or meditation on the spheres.
In astrotheurgical practices, practitioners align with these cherubs to balance elemental forces and attune to the "Great Year" (precession of equinoxes), where Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius mark astrological ages (e.g., Age of Aquarius as the Man cherub's era of enlightenment).
Symbolically, they guard the "throne of the stars," facilitating communion with divine intelligences. For example, invoking the Eagle for Scorpio's transformative water aids in scrying or astral projection tied to lunar or Plutonic energies.
The cherubs are integral to rituals like the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP), where they symbolize the four quarters and elements for protection and equilibrium:
They are visualized in the corners of the magickal circle, with archangels (Raphael: Man/Air/East, Michael: Lion/Fire/South, Gabriel: Eagle/Water/West, Uriel: Bull/Earth/North) invoking their powers to banish negativity and establish sacred space.
Represent stability amid change, embodying the "four worlds" of Kabbalah (Atziluth/Fire, Briah/Water, Yetzirah/Air, Assiah/Earth).
In alchemy, they represent the prima materia's division into elemental stages: Bull (Earth/salt/fixation), Lion (Fire/sulfur/calcination), Eagle (Water/mercury/dissolution), Man (Air/spirit/conjunction).
Carl Jung saw the Tetramorph as emblematic of the quaternity—completeness, psychic wholeness. The four‑fold shape corresponds to individuated self‑integration: lion as fiery will, eagle as emotional depth, man as intellect, ox as grounded substance
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You’ll find it perched in the four corners of the Rider–Waite “World” tarot card (and other decks like Marseille). There, the creatures stand as cosmic guardians, marking the end of one cycle and the threshold of a new beginning—a kind of divine wrapping of story in tarot form
They embody the "great chain of being," connecting heaven and earth, and are tied to the 12 tribes of Israel (e.g., Judah: Lion, Ephraim: Bull, Reuben: Man, Dan: Eagle) around the Tabernacle, mirroring zodiac encampments.
Overall, they represent wholeness, the integration of animal instincts (Bull/Lion/Eagle) with human divinity (Man), and the eternal cycle of seasons/ages.
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The Wheel of Ezekiel contains the solution of the problem of the quadrature of the circle, and demonstrates the correspondences between words and figures, letters and emblems; it exhibits the tetragram of characters analogous to that of the elements and elemental forms. It is a glyph of perpetual motion. The triple ternary is shown ; the central point is the first Unity; three circles are added, each with four attributions, and the dodekad is thus seen. The state of universal equilibrium is suggested by the counterpoised emblems, and the pairs of symbols. The flying Eagle balances the man ; the roaring Lion counterpoises the laborious Bull.