The main difference between the Lords and the Priests is functional, not age-related. The Lord cards represent men who have reached adulthood but have not attained their full level of emotional and spiritual maturity. In a way, they represent the male half of the general adult population. The Priest cards represent men who have reached spiritual maturity. They may not necessarily be older but they have reached a level of emotional and spiritual maturity beyond that of most adults. We can't be sure when the Minoan priests began wearing beards, whether it was at a particular age or when they attained a specific title or position in the temple. We just know that they're depicted as being noticeably older than the non-bearded figures. No matter how I tried, I just couldn't bring myself to depict the Priest images with beards, so perhaps there is more to the significance of the bearded figures than we are aware of.