The Ox and the Scorpion: Yosef & Yesod

Each year, the full moon in Scorpio falls in the month of Iyar, ruled by Taurus, the ox. Taurus is the fixed earth sign of stability, beauty, and abundance. It is represented in Jewish tradition by Yosef, who is likened to an ox: "בְּכוֹר שׁוֹרוֹ הָדָר לוֹ"—“His firstborn bull has majesty” (Deut. 33:17). Yosef brings blessing to Egypt, sustains the world through famine, and remains pure despite the trials. This is Taurus at its best: faithful, grounded and abundant.

But before he was able to rise to viceroy of Egypt, save his country and his family, Yosef had to face the scorpions. Yosef’s descent begins in darkness. Sold by his brothers, he is cast into a pit described as being “empty, with no water”, but the sages add: “It had snakes and scorpions.” (Rashi on Gen. 37:24)

Scorpio, symbolized by the scorpion, rules over the hidden, the deep, and the painful inner work that happens beneath the surface. It is a nocturnal sign, drawn to the darkness—not out of fear, but because that’s where the real transformation happens. While Taurus basks in stability and enjoys the fruit, Scorpio is busy digging through the soil. This is the work of exile. The scorpion, buried in the depths of isolation and struggle, stirs the ox from his comfort and calls him to awaken—to do the work he might otherwise avoid.

It’s not a coincidence that this full moon often falls near Lag BaOmer, the celebration of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), who spent 13 years buried in a cave—literally in the dirt, like Yosef in the pit. Both of them endured exile, concealment, and spiritual labor in the dark. Both emerged to bring light to the world: Yosef through sustenance and leadership, Rashbi through the secrets of the Zohar.

In Jewish tradition, it is known that there are two messiahs: Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David. Moshiach ben Yosef, named after Yosef the Tzaddik, represents the hidden potential, the process, and the preparation. He suffers in exile, does the inner work, and builds the foundation—often unseen, often unrecognized. He clears the path, purifies the vessel, and begins the redemption from within. Moshiach ben David, descended from Yehudah, is the fulfillment—the revealed king, the embodiment of sovereignty, and the culmination of the work Yosef began. Yosef is the channel; David is the crown. Together, they represent the full arc of redemption: from concept to completion, from exile to revelation.

Yosef represents Moshiach ben Yosef—the soul who comes first, who does the inner work, who suffers in silence to lay the foundation for the final redemption. He prepares the vessel. Only then can Moshiach ben David: the king can come through.

During Sefirat HaOmer, we journey through the seven lower sefirot—refining a different soul trait each week. This inner work prepares us to receive divine revelation by aligning our spiritual foundation. This is the lesson of Yesod: the sefirah associated with Yosef. Yesod is the foundation. It is about connection, about holding the flow between the upper and lower worlds. It’s about aligning our desires with divine will. In human terms, it’s about sexuality, intimacy, and emotional integrity.

Before we can rise to the crown of Malchut: Sovereignty, which represents the ultimate sovereignty of G-d on earth, and receive the Moshiach ben David, the true king, we we must pass through Yesod. Through Yosef. Through the scorpion’s cave.

Kabbalah teaches that Yosef’s soul returns in Moshe. And Moshe’s soul returns in Rashbi. Each one picks up the inner work where the last one left off:

Yosef preserves purity and trust in the darkest exile.

Moshe liberates the people from slavery and brings down Torah.

Rashbi hides in the cave and reveals the deepest secrets.

All three were cast aside, separated from their families and communities, all three are linked by their descent into the earth—the pit, the exile, the cave—and their return with light. This is the Scorpio path. Pain becomes power. Darkness becomes wisdom.

Scorpio shows Taurus that the true work is underground. It’s not just about what we do—it’s about who we are when no one’s watching. That’s Yesod. Like sexuality, like intimacy, like everything sacred that happens behind closed doors, the real work is hidden. Quiet. Personal. But it’s exactly this hidden work that becomes the foundation for everything visible.

The foundation of redemption is not public. It’s often lonely. It’s healing trauma, refining desire, doing the unseen spiritual labor that makes embodiment possible. We each carry a piece of Yosef’s journey, like those silent moments in the pit, those days when no one sees the work we’re doing just to stay aligned.

When we build from Yesod, we prepare for Malchut. When we do the foundational work of alignment, of trust, of intimacy with the divine, we become vessels for revelation.

This Iyar, to allow the Taurus within to rise, with all its abundant beauty and powerful strength, we must not overlook the deeper work that no one sees, yet changes everything.

This is where inner Redemption begins.