Taygete

The name Taygete originates from Ancient Greek, Tayyέτη (Tayyétē). Its precise etymological roots are debated, but it is often associated with words suggesting "to seek" or "to gaze," hinting at a contemplative or observational role. The name is most famously linked to the Pleiades constellation.

One of the seven daughters of Atla.s— the tlnrd. who became later one of the Pleiades. These seven daughters are said to typify the seven sub-races of tlie fourth root-race, that of the Atlanteans. [The Sanskrit words commencing wifh the letters Teh are. owivff t<> faulty transliteration, misplaced and should come under C]

The figure of Taygete, a daughter of Atlas and one of the Pleiades, offers a fascinating nexus of mythology and esoteric interpretation. Blavatsky links her to the seven sub-races of the Atlantean root-race, a concept that resonates with Mircea Eliade's understanding of myth as a sacred history, a primordial time that is constantly reactivated. The Pleiades, as a celestial family, can be seen as archetypal embodiments of cosmic order and lineage, their story echoing the ancient human impulse to find meaning in the stars, to read the heavens as a map of existence.

In Hermeticism, the Pleiades are often associated with the seven classical planets, each a potent force shaping the material world and influencing the human soul. This celestial grouping suggests a hierarchical structure of cosmic forces, a divine architecture that a spiritual seeker might strive to comprehend and align with. The very act of naming, of identifying Taygete and her sisters, is an act of ordering the cosmos, of imposing human understanding onto the vastness of the celestial sphere. This impulse to categorize and understand the divine emanations is a hallmark of esoteric traditions, a way of making the ineffable accessible.

The idea of "root races," while specific to Blavatsky's system, taps into a broader esoteric notion of cyclical time and evolutionary stages, a concept explored by thinkers like Sri Aurobindo. It suggests that humanity itself progresses through distinct phases, each with its own unique characteristics and challenges, akin to the unfolding of a grand cosmic drama. Taygete, as a representative of such a phase, becomes a symbol of a particular stage of consciousness or a specific spiritual lineage. Her story, therefore, is not merely a mythological anecdote but an invitation to consider the deep temporal rhythms of existence and our place within them, urging us to look beyond the immediate present towards the vast sweep of cosmic and human evolution.