SCORPIO

 

SCORPIO-EAGLE

23^rd October to 22^nd November

Spectrum: Stone Opal, colours magenta, maroon.

SCORPIO: the sign of strength and sensitivity, the result of being of fixed quality like Taurus, Leo and Aquarius, combined however with water like Pisces and Cancer. This fixed-water combination produces a deep and complex personality, and a strong, often difficult life situation; the reason being that this sign is in contact with the very essence of the life force and the cosmic energies that drive our world and our being; the mysteries of life and the universe. However, not all so influenced are aware of their potential in either personality or in this time of year, when these energies are more emphasised. Some understanding of the complications to be dealt with may be arrived at from a study of the three symbols associated with Scorpio, that of the Scorpion with the sting of self-protection, that of the Serpent capable of shedding its old skin for renewal, and that of the Eagle, majestic and noble bird soaring towards the light of heaven to create distance and perspective on the lesser things of life in favour for the higher achievements that can now be perceived. 

There is something rather settled at this time of the solar cycle, a feeling that changes are imminent but not yet ready to be brought into the light, so we are restless whilst being stuck. Now the still waters can run deep, turbulence below the calm surface, if indeed we have not already turned to frozen ice emotionally because we can’t get our own way. Let us not forget that this is a Mars ruled sign with the great Pluto running a close second in planetary rulership – strong forces that need a conducive outlet. Rather than being at war with either ourselves or the other person, let’s look for constructive things to pour our energies into. Physical and emotional energy flows better directed into sporting interests, creative emotional expression like art and dance, or into healing those with pain, as a professional or just as a kindly listener. Other channels are through research into the mysteries of life, by either the scientific or occult road, or through innovative industry. The answers found are then ready to share with others as guidance to better living. Or perhaps some detective work, looking for where a problem lies so that it can be exposed and a solution found. So many areas of useful expression of such powerful forces that should not be allowed to go to waste. During this time of year look for something deep and meaningful to do or research, something that contributes to the wellbeing of all, as well as our own development and transformation into a better expression of our own self. Turn things around by eliminating all that is no longer of use or relevance to good living; avoid possession and extremes.

Proud Eagle

The Sun’s journey through the deep darkness of the zodiac sign of Scorpio has the purpose of introducing us to our own deep, dark inner self, that part of us that needs to be contacted in order to really know who we are and thus perhaps understand a little more of the our world and the next. We are now with our hero Hercules as he enters upon his EIGHTH LABOUR. This is the Labour of slaying the Hydra of Passions. The wisdom advice is to ‘kneel in humility and to conquer by surrender’; a not easy to achieve piece of advice. This Hydra has many heads symbolising all the hungers and passions that drive us through life and which need to be conquered or in alchemical terms, ‘sublimated’. The main head is immortal, a source of Light, and the hardest to tame or subdue. Exposure of the many headed monster to the sun and wind will weaken its resolve and power and thus assist in over-coming it. Under the sign of Scorpio we must look at the polarities of life a little more closely, expose them to our awareness and thus integrate the light and dark aspects of life within us in such a way that they are rendered less damaging to ourselves and those around us. Some say that there is a polarity of 7 vices and 7 virtues; others say that the monster has 9 heads of destruction or health. Our labour will require the utmost of patience over a long period of time, in humility and discrimination, in effort and observation, but the battle must go on in order to eventually find the healing Light of Wisdom and Joy. True magic is the expression of pure soul through the medium of Earthly matter which we must work with during this incarnation whilst avoiding the scourge of greed and selfishness. The Scorpion/Serpent/Eagle are the three stages we must work through in order to pass our tests of life and desire successfully and earn our right to true knowledge. 

Hercules battling the Hydra

Artist Pollaiuolo c1475 CE

In our ongoing quest to avoid the ‘Serpent of Illusion’ held in the hands of the constellation Ophiuchus, we learn that we do have the ability of squeezing it into non-existence, the way baby Hercules did. Hercules has the same reputation and was once called Izdubar and at another time Saltator the Leaper. However, it is Ophiuchus the healer and serpent holder that attracts our attention now and who was nominated by the Greeks as Aesculapius the god of healing herbs. His Serpent has been turned into the caduceus rod used even today for the symbol of turning pain and discomfort into well-being. Some say that Ophiuchus was trained by the great Centaur Chiron. It is pretty certain that Aesculapius was the ship’s surgeon aboard the Argo on a voyage to discover the ‘Golden Fleece’.

Persephone also called Ishtar is the maiden or goddess who was charged with the ordeal of taking a trip to the ‘underworld’. In modern language, this is a trip into the mind to uncover the dark recesses of our thinking and emotions, so appropriate to this time of year and perhaps leading to a new awakening when we travel through the coming sign of Sagittarius. Some of us can take the trip with Persephone and find the pomegranate seeds of wisdom, some of us might accompany Ishtar in her pain of losing her partner and having to sacrifice much in order to find him. Either way we have some great lessons of discovery and learning to be found. Eve also woke up to view certain ways of the world when she ate the apple hiding the five star symbol at its core. Use the rites of Halloween to make your own inner discoveries about other dimensions of life. Here is the challenge of Venus as the goddess of love and war dancing with Mars the god of combat and victory. They need each other eternally.

Ouroboros of Tutankhamon

Egyptian Pharaoh 14^th century BCE

AAL’S LABYRINTH HISTORY An Alternative Viewpoint…..contd. #70

 

Greek god Dionysius

vase painting

c415 BCE        PROTAGORAS (c490-421 BCE) a Sophist at the time of Critias. In reaction to the ‘ass’ of contradicting ideas of the preceding Greek philosophers, the Sophists recognised that each person had his own experience and therefore his own reality. The result being that all understanding is according to subjective opinion and moral standards held; understanding arises from convention and knowledge is relative. In response the Sophists concluded in favor of a flexible atheism or agnosticism in metaphysics and a situational morality in ethics, all was open to humanly created conventions and that invisible deities no longer existed. (19)

Marduk & Tiamat of Babylon

410 BCE          Earliest known individual birth chart or horoscope, of a Babylonian birth, is recorded. It is probably based on the constellation zodiac rather than the tropical zodiac. (46) which won’t come into common before the 4^th century CE. 

Orvieto Cathedral marble bas-relief ‘Creation of Eve’

by Lorenzo Maitani 14^th century 

c400               Compilation of a second version, of the first of the 5 books of Moses. The Hebrew ‘Bereshit’, ‘In the Beginning’. It will be called ‘Genesis’ when translated into Greek in the Third Century. (9). It is taught that Adam is the first man and from him was created Eve. The first Greek translation of the Hebrew ‘Book of Law’ was said to be the ‘Septuagint’ of the time of. Ptolemy II Philadeplus (c347-285 BCE).

                    At the end of the 5^th century BCE, Hestia of Mount Olympus is replaced by the rule of Dionysius.(33)

Hestia, goddess of the sacrificial fire.

LIBRA

 

LIBRA the SCALES

22^nd September to 23^rd October.

Spectrum: Sapphire.  Blue, Rose, Green.

LIBRA the sign of the scales, of equilibrium, of equal balance and a turn of the wheel in response to having achieved a point of realisation with the Equinox, one of two yearly points of equal light and dark. Thus, the sign symbol is of the Scales that tell us of a weighing point in this seventh sign of the Tropical Zodiac. It usually needs two to keep the balance and at one level this means a good relationship with one other. This is a cardinal sign, a quality shared with three other signs, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn to mark the four cardinal points of our Earth orientation in which we live and have our being. Libra is of the AIR quality which it shares with Gemini and Aquarius, so we are in the realm of thought and communication here, sometimes productive and sometimes remaining in the realm of ideas and plans and wishful thinking. Generally, the combination of cardinal-air produces people who have a great need for making relationships both personal and social, they need to circulate and share their thoughts and dreams and hopeful meet with those who can provide the impetus to give these desires some sort of external expression, an expression of the potential for harmony and sweetness in the world. But wow-betide those who too long oppose this fruitful situation, for the Libra person and the gentle Libra quality can turn into a fighter when it is seen that the balance of the world is too much out of kilter for too long. Venus is the beautiful planet of morning and evening, that is closely associated with the sign of Libra as well as that of Taurus. Both signs carry the desire of Venus for refinement and happiness in life, sadly the constant search for such an ideal state can lead in Libra to constant indecision or heavy bickering and criticism. The uncongenial is not easily tolerated; the learned and artistic thought of with fondness.

This is the time of year to strive for companionable and happy situations, a time for creating pleasant atmospheres for all to enjoy themselves basking in pleasure and ease. A time to revamp the outdated wardrobe to buy something pretty and of value. It is time to welcome your fellow travellers on this little blue planet. Look for what compliments rather than aggravates, whether in relationships or circumstances and surroundings.

We are now in opposition to the first sign of our solar cycle, that is ARIES. We are at the calm centre of the cycle before it swings in the opposite direction, according to the seasonal change. For those of the Northern Hemisphere this is from external work of Virgo to internal understanding and growth of Scorpio, whilst for those of the Southern Hemisphere it is a movement outwards into life after a period of wintery internal searching. We are at the fulcrum of the year between Virgo and Scorpio, two signs that need some deep thought and understanding on a cosmic level.

‘Justitia’  1556

By Maaten van Heemskerck

With a complex of stars and constellations in the background we find a complicated mythology to keep us busy on our travels. The ancient Egyptians knew of the sign of Libra and associated it with their concept of MAAT which in turn symbolises the philosophy of balanced judgement, equality and justice. This concept is based on a uniting of the rational mind with the intuitive love of an awakened heart. We are entering on the SEVENTH LABOUR of our Solar Hero, that of climbing a mountain to catch a wild boar of desire. After a drunken party with his centaur friends, Hercules following the boar on his hunt, climbs to the snow peaks and traps the animal. This act signifies that pleasure for its own sake must be replaced with a conquering of emotional desire, as Libra must do, in order to achieve a balance in life between the physical and divine senses, which manifests as intuition. Spin a beautiful web for yourself halfway between Earth and Heaven and maintain the balance between two poles of force forever bombarding one. The Boar is a symbol of the 'Great Mother' seen in the goddesses of love and wisdom, Artemis and Isis and needs our respect. This all-encompassing ‘Great Mother Goddess’ is also associated with the constellation Virgo which we were introduced to last month. Virgo, the corn mother Demeter has a daughter Persephone, the latter hinting at our coming visit to the underworld in the next sign of Scorpio.

‘The Angel’ 2017

By Benjamin Victor, sculptor

As an angel, Virgo’s wing is marked by the star Vindemiatrix: as the wheat bearing maiden Virgo holds a sheaf of wheat with one of its ears marked by the great star Spica who has some links with the star Sirius. Virgo is also associated with Princes Erigone who hung herself in grief at the death of her father Icarius. The story is of King Icarius, recipient of the vine stock from the god Dionysius. In his lack of wisdom Icarius gets his workers drunk. They turn in frenzy and slay Icarius. The gods place the king in the sky as the ‘Bear Watcher’, constellation ‘Bootes’ holding the bright star Arcturus companion of bright star Spica, known as the ‘Singing Sibyl ‘or the Pearl Princess, who can irradiate the soul of man. But sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between Spica and Arcturus mythology.

There are rumours that Virgo as Isis, scattered her wheat ears to form the ‘Milky Way Galaxy’, and at other times nurses her son/sun god Horus who is to become the Christ figure. For ancient Semites this goddess is Ishtar, for the ancient Egyptians her other aspect is Hathor the cow goddess.

Another god called Apollo took on the disguise of a Black Raven during a conflict between the gods and giants. This bird of the sky is known as Corvus riding on the back of the constellation Hydra the Water Serpent, sometimes called Tiamut. In Greek myth this Raven, along with a White Dove, is associated with the Great Flood of ancient times. It is also related the Mountain of Parnassus in Greece, that Mountain that gave birth to the Muses. Others have associated these birds with Noah and the Ark, riding the same Great Flood.

The Hydra is a representative of the ‘Dragon of Aetes’ who plagued the ship of the Argonauts as they journeyed to find the Golden Fleece of Colchis. It is this Hydra Dragon that gave the name of ‘Dragon’s Head and Dragon’s Tail' to the Lunar nodes, those points at the intersection of the Moon orbit with the Ecliptic circle. This monster of a water serpent stretches across 95 degrees of our celestial sphere, from the constellation of Cancer to that of Scorpio where we will visit next..

‘Argo Ship’ 19^th century

By Konstantinos Volanakis