Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman;

 

2 and they said, "Has YHVH, indeed, spoken only through Moses?  Has he not spoken through us also?" And YHVH heard it.

Aaron here represents the emotional nature.  Miriam represents the Imagination.  Moses, the Neophyte, is married to an Ethiopian woman.  Ethiopian means burned faces or country of the burning.  His wife was also called a Cushite, which means burned or blackened.  She indicates the material, sensual consciousness; given over to ignorance and darkness.  As his wife, she represents the lower feminine or expression of emotions; his base passions, undisciplined and undeveloped.  His emotions and Imagination will be distorted and out of harmony.

 

3 Now the man, Moses, was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the Earth.

 

4 And suddenly, YHVH said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting."  And the three of them came out.

 

5 And YHVH came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward.

 

6 And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, YHVH, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.

 

7 Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house.

 

8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of YHVH.  Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, Moses?"

Mouth to mouth here means face to face or plainly.

 

9 And the Anger of YHVH was kindled against them, and he departed;

 

10 and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as White as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

 

11 And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

 

12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb."

Aaron, the emotional nature, was spared a punishment because he immediately repented.  He asked for Miriam's healing.  But Miriam, the Imagination or Creative Power of Mind, required a seven day period to return to constructive purposes.

 

13 And Moses cried to YHVH, "Heal her, O God, I beseech thee."

 

14 But YHVH said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days?  Let her be shut up outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again."

Aaron here represents the emotional nature.  Miriam represents the Imagination.  Moses, the Neophyte, is married to an Ethiopian woman.  Ethiopian means burned faces or country of the burning.  His wife was also called a Cushite, which means burned or blackened.  She indicates the material, sensual consciousness; given over to ignorance and darkness.  As his wife, she represents the lower feminine or expression of emotions; his base passions, undisciplined and undeveloped.  His emotions and Imagination will be distorted and out of harmony.

 

15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp seven days; and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.

Seven represents perfection on the material plane.  So, what is required is whatever time it takes to bring the creative function back to the spiritually correct path.

 

16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

This signifies the individual gathering together all thoughts (Hazeroth) and consciously searching for Truth (Paran).  This means that after overcoming some obstacles, the individual\neophyte returns to the path of actively seeking Truth.