This gist is a solution to the problem at http://wpquestions.com/question/show/id/9039

a_sample_taxonomy_or_index_page.php

<?php
/**
 * The template for displaying Archive pages
 *
 * Used to display archive-type pages if nothing more specific matches a query.
 * For example, puts together date-based pages if no date.php file exists.
 *
 * If you'd like to further customize these archive views, you may create a
 * new template file for each specific one. For example, Twenty Twelve already
 * has tag.php for Tag archives, category.php for Category archives, and
 * author.php for Author archives.
 *
 * @link http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy
 *
 * @package WordPress
 * @subpackage Twenty_Twelve
 * @since Twenty Twelve 1.0
 */

get_header(); 


?>

	<section id="primary" class="site-content">
		<div id="content" role="main">

		<?php if ( have_posts() ) : ?>
			

			<?php
			/* Start the Loop */
			while ( have_posts() ) : the_post();

				/* Include the post format-specific template for the content. If you want to
				 * this in a child theme then include a file called called content-___.php
				 * (where ___ is the post format) and that will be used instead.
				 */
				get_template_part( 'content', get_post_format() );




$term = get_term_by( 'slug', get_query_var( 'term' ), get_query_var( 'taxonomy' ) ); 
$term_id = $term->term_id;

//echo $term_id;

$t_id = $term_id;

$term_meta = get_option( "taxonomy_term_$t_id" );

/*
echo "<pre>";	
	print_r( $term_meta);
echo "</pre>";		
*/

extract($term_meta);

echo "<br/>".$photo;

echo "<br/>".$name;

echo "<br/>".$aka;

echo "<br/>".$birth;

echo "<br/>".$birth_place;

echo "<br/>".$death;

echo "<br/>".$star_sign;

echo "<br/>".$hit_movies;

echo "<br/>".$hit_songs;

echo "<br/>".$bio;







			endwhile;

			twentytwelve_content_nav( 'nav-below' );
			?>

		<?php else : ?>
			<?php get_template_part( 'content', 'none' ); ?>
		<?php endif; ?>

		</div><!-- #content -->
	</section><!-- #primary -->

<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
<?php get_footer(); ?>

add_this_to_functions.php

<?php
// custom author taxonomy 

add_action( 'init', 'register_taxonomy_authors' );



function register_taxonomy_authors() {



    $labels = array( 

        'name' => _x( 'Authors', 'authors' ),

        'singular_name' => _x( 'Author', 'authors' ),

        'search_items' => _x( 'Search Authors', 'authors' ),

        'popular_items' => _x( 'Popular Authors', 'authors' ),

        'all_items' => _x( 'All Authors', 'authors' ),

        'parent_item' => _x( 'Parent Author', 'authors' ),

        'parent_item_colon' => _x( 'Parent Author:', 'authors' ),

        'edit_item' => _x( 'Edit Author', 'authors' ),

        'update_item' => _x( 'Update Author', 'authors' ),

        'add_new_item' => _x( 'Add New Author', 'authors' ),

        'new_item_name' => _x( 'New Author', 'authors' ),

        'separate_items_with_commas' => _x( 'Separate authors with commas', 'authors' ),

        'add_or_remove_items' => _x( 'Add or remove Authors', 'authors' ),

        'choose_from_most_used' => _x( 'Choose from most used Authors', 'authors' ),

        'menu_name' => _x( 'Authors', 'authors' ),

    );



    $args = array( 

        'labels' => $labels,

        'public' => true,

        'show_in_nav_menus' => true,

        'show_ui' => true,

        'show_tagcloud' => false,

        'show_admin_column' => false,

        'hierarchical' => false,



        'rewrite' => true,

        'query_var' => true

    );



    register_taxonomy( 'authors', array('post'), $args );

}







// A callback function to add a custom field to our "authors" taxonomy  

function authors_taxonomy_custom_fields($tag) {  

   // Check for existing taxonomy meta for the term you're editing  

    $t_id = $tag->term_id; // Get the ID of the term you're editing  

    $term_meta = get_option( "taxonomy_term_$t_id" ); // Do the check  

?>  

  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="photo"><?php _e('Photo'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[photo]" id="term_meta[photo]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['photo'] ? $term_meta['photo'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Photo URL'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="name"><?php _e('Name'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[name]" id="term_meta[name]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['name'] ? $term_meta['name'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Birth Name'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="aka"><?php _e('AKA'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[aka]" id="term_meta[aka]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['aka'] ? $term_meta['aka'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Nickname'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="birth"><?php _e('Birth'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[birth]" id="term_meta[birth]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['birth'] ? $term_meta['birth'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Birth Date'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="birth_place"><?php _e('Birth Place'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[birth_place]" id="term_meta[birth_place]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['birth_place'] ? $term_meta['birth_place'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Birth Place'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="death"><?php _e('Death'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[death]" id="term_meta[death]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['death'] ? $term_meta['death'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Death Date'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="star_sign"><?php _e('Star Sign'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[star_sign]" id="term_meta[star_sign]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['star_sign'] ? $term_meta['star_sign'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Zodiac'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="hit_movies"><?php _e('Hit Movies'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[hit_movies]" id="term_meta[hit_movies]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['hit_movies'] ? $term_meta['hit_movies'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Hit Movies'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="hit_songs"><?php _e('Hit Songs'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[hit_songs]" id="term_meta[hit_songs]" size="25" style="width:60%;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['hit_songs'] ? $term_meta['hit_songs'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Hit Songs'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

<tr class="form-field">  

    <th scope="row" valign="top">  

        <label for="bio"><?php _e('Bio'); ?></label>  

    </th>  

    <td>  

        <input type="text" name="term_meta[bio]" id="term_meta[bio]" size="25" style="width:100%; height:200px;" value="<?php echo $term_meta['bio'] ? $term_meta['bio'] : ''; ?>"><br />  

        <span class="description"><?php _e('The Author\'s Bio Description'); ?></span>  

    </td>  

</tr>  

  

<?php  

}  







// A callback function to save our extra taxonomy field(s)

function save_taxonomy_custom_fields( $term_id ) {

    if ( isset( $_POST['term_meta'] ) ) {

        $t_id = $term_id;

        $term_meta = get_option( "taxonomy_term_$t_id" );

        $cat_keys = array_keys( $_POST['term_meta'] );

            foreach ( $cat_keys as $key ){

            if ( isset( $_POST['term_meta'][$key] ) ){

                $term_meta[$key] = $_POST['term_meta'][$key];

            }

        }

        //save the option array

        update_option( "taxonomy_term_$t_id", $term_meta );

    }

}



// Add the fields to the "authors" taxonomy, using our callback function  

add_action( 'authors_edit_form_fields', 'authors_taxonomy_custom_fields', 10, 2 );  

  

// Save the changes made on the "authors" taxonomy, using our callback function  

add_action( 'edited_authors', 'save_taxonomy_custom_fields', 10, 2 );  

add_action('wp_head', 'show_template'); 

function show_template() { 	
global $template;
print_r($template);
}
?>

just_the_taxonomy_custom_fields.php

<?php

// Post Loop code above, mid loop

$term = get_term_by( 'slug', get_query_var( 'term' ), get_query_var( 'taxonomy' ) ); 
$term_id = $term->term_id;

//echo $term_id;

$t_id = $term_id;

$term_meta = get_option( "taxonomy_term_$t_id" );

/*
echo "<pre>";	
	print_r( $term_meta);
echo "</pre>";		
*/

extract($term_meta);

echo "<br/>".$photo;

echo "<br/>".$name;

echo "<br/>".$aka;

echo "<br/>".$birth;

echo "<br/>".$birth_place;

echo "<br/>".$death;

echo "<br/>".$star_sign;

echo "<br/>".$hit_movies;

echo "<br/>".$hit_songs;

echo "<br/>".$bio;

// Post Loop code below, mid loop

?>