Healing through Astrology and Greek Mythology
THE THREE KINGDOMS OF THE SOUL AND OF THE WORLD
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- THE KINGDOM OF PLUTO
- THE KINGDOM OF POSEIDON
- THE KINGDOM OF ZEUS
- THE CAVE OF THE NYMPHS
- EPILOGUE
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
THE THREE KINGDOMS OF THE SOUL AND OF THE WORLDThere are three levels of World: the Material, the Mental, and the Spiritual. Here, we will follow another road, as an additional asset for our serenity and Completion. Let’s walk along that path too, a path through which we will face the darkness of Hades, our strong fears and desires, the need to experience that darkness… We will cover the story of Persephone who, despite the warning of her mother Demeter to not go near Narcissus because she will suffer, she went near it out of curiosity and her need for love and experiences and smelled it, so Pluto instantly grabbed her and put her down to experience all those that will give her the Knowledge. It is a need of our Soul to experience facts and get through them to the Catharsis. Once we learn our lesson, we will go from Pluto’s kingdom and darkness up to Poseidon’s kingdom where there is love and an ocean of energy and emotion. We see the invisible Nodes that bond the whole World, we are thus in a position to realize what lesson to learn out of each lived experience, the road to Catharsis is easier to cross and, once we reach the region of Athena with a clear Noesis and fulfilled, we begin to faintly see Zeus’ kingdom, our return from where we descended, the road to our Creator… THE KINGDOM OF PLUTOThe material level belongs to the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto. I cite an excerpt from Thomas Taylor’s book, “The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries”, pp. 85-93, based on Claudianus’ “De Raptu Proserpinae,” in order to understand better how Pluto is linked to the Material level: “There is the case of Narcissus that must not be hushed, and I mean the case described by Ovid in his Metamorphoses about a young man who fell victim to his love of his physical appearance. The secret message of this story tallies wonderfully with Persephone’s rapine, which, according to Homer, is the immediate result of the collection of beautiful flowers as Narcissus, in love with his image on the surface of the lake, constitutes the representation of the soul observing the unsteady condition of the material body and, as a result, falls in love with bodily life, which is nothing more than the illusive image of real man or of logic and the immortal soul. Thus, attached to this illusory and fluid image of the real soul, each of us resembles, in this natural condition, a pretty but fragile flower, that is a bodily life that is completely made up of nature’s simple functions. So, Persephone, or the soul, while descending into the matter, is rightly presented as being concerned with the collection of this fateful flower, since her spiritual functions at this very moment are completely engaged in a life that pertains to the unsteady condition of the body. After this, Pluto, heading towards the Earth, seizes Persephone, and takes her with him, Athena’s or Artemis’ resistance being unable to stop him. Zeus forbade these two goddesses to help release Persephone, which in this case signifies Fate. Pluto leads Persephone to the darkest and most hellish places, in other words, the soul plunges into the darkness and depths of material nature. The description of the wedding that follows concerns its union with the dark abode of the body: “Now, Hades’ afternoon star went up in the sky, and the bride has lain in the nuptial chamber. The Night, like a bridesmaid, stood close to her chest that shone with stars and, touching the bed, consecrated the marriage vows with an imperishable bond.” Book 2, 361-364 The night fits this scene, and Persephone stands close to the nuptial bed, thus confirming the union with oblivion, since the soul, upon its union with the material body, be-comes an inhabitant of darkness, and subject of the Night’s empire. As a result, she lives with illusory ghosts and, until she breaks free from her chains, she is deprived of the natural realisation of what is true and real. Below, we provide a description of Persephone, who appears in her mother Demetra’s dream, and describes her captivity and miserable state: “But then, the daughter’s real form came into her mother’s sleep to announce her fate, without any doubt, and Persephone appeared covered by the dark recesses of her prison, bound with fetters, not as the one Demetra had entrusted to the meadows of Sicily, or the one Goddesses recently marvelled at across the flower-strewn prairies of Etna. Her hair, prettier than gold, was unkempt, the night assumed the sparkle of her eyes. That effulgent form with the beautiful posture was sallow and colourless, her limbs that were not daunted by the biting cold were coloured by the pitch-dark king-dom. When she recognised her daughter with difficulty and hesitation, Demetra said: “What kind of crime did you receive so many punishments for? Where does this imperceptible weakness come from? Who exerts the power of salvation on you? Why have your soft weapons turned into iron fetters that don’t befit even the wildest beasts? Are you my child, or am I merely seeing an empty shadow?” Book 3, 80-96 “So pathetic is the condition of the soul, when it penetrates deep into bodily nature. It is not only trapped, but it also loses its brightness, since it comes in contact with the impurity of matter, and the acuteness of its logic becomes blunt because of the deep darkness of material night.” We see that the Kingdom of Pluto, Hades, is our World here, where the soul is trapped inside the earthly body, and its Fate is to go through the trials and tribulations of Pluto’s Kingdom: sadness, sorrow, hardship, and what is offered here in their lower substance. So, Persephone did not listen to her mother Demeter who told her not to go close to Narcissus because that would cause her all those afflictions… But she chose to experience them, as if pushed by the need of Eros. The Soul needs to taste, to touch, to behold the beauty of the physical world resulting from the inferior substances of the Gods, that is, the planets as mirrors of the Conceivable beauty… it needs to be seduced in a world of images, to get excited, to make mistakes, to feel pain and uncontrollable passions and, through difficult experiences, to accept the consequences of its actions so that it is led to the road to Catharsis… It is always some profane action that sets off every Tragedy… where through a course of hardships comes atonement and the Hero is led to higher fields. Tartarus also has a place in Pluto’s kingdom, where our inferior instincts and our worst fears are found. That is where Zeus imprisoned the Titans after the Titanomachy, that is where Sisyphus endures his sufferings, Sisyphus who had deceived Death and has always been carrying a rock up to the top of a mountain where it falls down and then he must pull it back up… That is where Tantalus is, who wanted to befool the gods offering them his son, Pelops, as a meal. His suffering was to be placed in a pit filled with water under fruit trees and whenever he is hungry and extends his hand, the fruits go farther, and whenever he is thirsty, water too slips away from his feet. According to Manilius (Astronomica 2.876), Typhon belongs to the 8th House of our Astrological Chart, which is the House that belongs to Scorpio and Pluto’s ruler. Due to the Giants’ extermination by the Olympians at the Gigantomachy, Gaia found herself in a moment of great wrath, pain and exasperation. She then got together with Tartarus and they gave birth to Typhon, a gigantic monstrous creature. He was larger than all the mountains and his power was enormous. He was half-man, half-coiled-snakes, and on his shoulders, he had a hundred dragonheads. He climbed the Mount Olympus to take revenge for the extermination of the Giants. The Gods got scared and went into hiding. Only Athena stayed to face him, and she blamed Zeus for his lack of courage who transformed into an Aries to hide himself. Then Zeus recovered his courage and decided to face Typhon. There was a big fight, with Typhon winning at first as he immobilized Zeus by cutting off the tendons of his arms and legs. Then he gave Zeus to Python to guard him. Hermes1 managed to lull Python with his music, take back the tendons and free Zeus. There was another fight and Zeus shattered Python by lightning, threw the Mount Etna upon him, crushed him and shut him at the depths of the Earth. From time to time, Typhon lets out screams and fiery tongues from there. Typhon and punishments in Tartarus represent full darkness… It lies in sleeping mode and it can be activated in moments of great anger or hatred, when we feel like we do not even recognize our own selves and our actions. It is also very anguishing… it is guilt that hunts us down like Erinyes for the wrongs we have done. We will have to face the consequences of our actions and understand that it is all a lesson. Once we learn it, we will be able to escape from Tartarus and ascend to the following fields to find serenity. 1.The fact that Hermes saved Zeus with his music reminds us of the previous chapter about frequencies. Astrologically speaking, planet Pluto activates these incidents. A man under the sway of Pluto often experiences intense incidents of pain that still lead to Metamorphosis. This is because he or she, more than anyone else, descends into the Underworld of the Soul, and faces the Titans, along with other mythological Monsters, so as to come out of the fight reborn and strong. Like the Phoenix that emerges from its ashes. The end result is that he or she will receive only Gifts from Pluto which are deep Knowledge and transformation. Of course, there are those under the sway of Pluto that act in its lowest substance, and become others’ manipulative masters. When they too descend into the Underworld, chances are they will not manage to come back…They receive Pluto’s Wrath, not Gifts, and repeat the lesson in the following reincarnation. We will all pass from Tartarus at some point in our lives. This happens when our inner planets “meet” astrologically or when our Ascendant meets planet Pluto. There, we will be asked to deal with any difficulty brought to us and get to know ourselves in the process. Inside Pluto’s Kingdom, that is the Material world, we can approach Poseidon’s Kingdom! All our trials and tribulations are elevated this way. THE KINGDOM OF POSEIDONPoseidon’s World is in between Matter and Spirit, the World of the Soul, mental processes, and all those that reside around us, and are invisible to us: the electromagnetic field, frequencies, gravity, and so on. It is the field through which Astrology works! This is where the secrets hide of how telepathy and insight work together with the Subconscious and Unconscious. . Serious mediums communicate with this field, and translate its signs into our own world. This connection is made possible through Tarot cards and other processes. In the dialogue Phaedrus (275 c), Plato says that people in the past weren’t knowledgeable, unlike us, but could read the signs of the Gods, judging by the rustle of the oak leaves… Through Poseidon’s kingdom, energy therapies take place. The power of Faith also operates there. An ugly thought creates energy… That energy has a direct reflection on the material field. Same goes for happy thoughts. The direct receiver of that energy is the liquid element, water. For instance, when someone feels that they are having negative energy, they do what is necessary to force it out… And it leaves through the tears. Then, our energy is pure. Individuals with an intense Poseidon on their astrological chart are very sensitive to spatial vibrations, they have their ‘antennae’ on the alert. We will all find ourselves for a while in his Kingdom, when our inner planets or our ascendant “meet” with planet Neptune. In its low substance, Neptune (Poseidon) makes us susceptible to alcohol and drugs as the person cannot attune to those around him / her, feels that they don’t understand him, and wants to live in his own world. With some substances, it goes into “posidonius” mode, for it loses the sense of space and time. This destroys the cells of the brain. Over time, they are irreversibly altered. People with an intense Poseidon (Neptune) in adverse aspects, like that situation and they become self-destructive. It would be best for them to release Poseidon with meditation or prayer, so that they manage to reject the need for such experiences. Besides, Neptune brings out the liar in us as it is the planet of deception. These people like talking about inexistent stories. They can honour their dear Poseidon through their novels. This way, their rich imagination will become fertile and produce a beautiful result. In its higher substance, it gives rise to seers and mediums, who have connected Conscious and Unconscious. In addition, these people can have prophetic dreams. We can all find ourselves in the higher state of the Kingdom, not just those who have that planet strong on their chart. But it needs training that I have mentioned above to approach this and live with Unity and Harmony. Here is where the deities of rivers, lakes, springs, and the sea dwell. The playful Nereids, daughters of the polymorph sea god Nereus, are always happy and dance around in a circle or sing or weave and appear in white dresses and wear cloths. The sublime Nymphs, daughters of rivers that are connected to the soul of trees and nature also sing in their sweet voices hymns for the gods. Healing properties are attributed to them, specifically to Naiads, that they can make the waters of a spring healing. Also, divining properties are attributed to them, that they can foretell the future. 
The nymphs are also members of Dionysus’ theatre troupe, as theatre which belongs to the god Dionysus is found in Poseidon’s kingdom as well… It is addressed to the higher elements of the soul and not to those related to material. It is one of the roads that lead to soul Catharsis. This is why the tragedies’ main theme is the process of its journey… The soul needs to descend to the physical world and to live experiences. Then, through the mistakes it will make, the punishment that will be forced upon it as destiny, the guilt that will follow, comes Catharsis… In another myth, we find Theseus, son of Poseidon, descending to Crete and killing Minotaur with the help of Ariadne. He then fell in love with her and took her along with him on his way back to Athens. But he left her on the island of Naxos, alone in the sand, and as the waves hit her, they tore her clothes and she became lighter and lighter. When the god Dionysus got to the island, he made her his wife granting her a golden wreath made by Hephaestus. Then, he took her to Olympus and, from a mortal princess, she came to be immortal and the spouse of a god. From the material world, with the help of Theseus, Ariadne passes as a soul to the intermediate kingdom, that of Poseidon, where the chitons and the bodies of the soul are removed, and with the help of Dionysus, she enters the kingdom of Zeus and becomes immortal. A higher state than Poseidon is also the goddess Athena, as a bridge between the Kingdoms of Poseidon and Zeus. Athena is Zeus’ Wisdom, since she was born out of his head, after he had swollen the pregnant Metis. Plato in Timaeus managed to draw a parallel between Poseidon’s superior status (Athena) and his inferior one, where he describes the battle of Atlantis. That there used to be the Athenian wardens of the Republic (see Plato’s Republic and its operation for more), whose chief was Philosopher Basileus (King). They defeated the Atlanteans, whose God was Poseidon. So, the Atlantis sank into the ocean, the water, which is linked to Poseidon’s haze and deception So, the Atlantis sank into the ocean, the water, which is linked to Poseidon’s haze and deception, and Athens won, having as its protector the goddess Athena who leads us to Philosophy and to the Kingdom of Zeus. Apart from the historical facts, Plato has added symbols to this fight. Αt the end of the 9th book of Plato’s «The Republic 592 b» the philosopher tells us that there was never such a Republic, nor can it ever exist because humankind is not capable of such an endeavour. Let’s elevate it to the Sky, and let this become the Celestial Republic of our Soul. THE KINGDOM OF ZEUSΤhrough Athena, we climb up to Zeus’ kingdom, on Mount Olympus. We enjoy the honors of Hercules, who went up the Mount Olympus through Fire (catharsis) and became equal to the Gods, once he had completed his Labors, the Incarnations Cycle. Individuals with intense Jupiter on their birth chart are people given to Justice and Philosophy, they like delving into things, and travelling far and wide. In its negative form, it gives some frivolity, arrogance, and a tendency to exaggerate things. Both the positive and the negative aspects of Jupiter give people a pleasant feeling, generosity, optimism, and prosperity. Allow me to stress at this juncture that planet Jupiter acts as a Warden of our Solar System as it is the one that absorbs any foreign body that could upset the Harmony and movement of the Planets. So, it is the Janitor of Law and Order. Can you imagine what could happen without its presence? A rain of meteorites. We wouldn’t even exist. Everything in the Universe exists for a reason. THE CAVE OF THE NYMPHSWe can also find the upper levels in the Cave of the Nymphs in Odyssey (Rhapsody ν’, verses 103-112), where Homer informs us about a cavern that is consecrated to the Nymphs Naiads, with two entryways, dark and gloomy, but also with running waters; outside, at the top of Ithaca’s port, there is an olive tree, symbol of the goddess Athena. In his analysis, Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry says that this is the Psyche’s journey, entering from the Gate of Cancer and exiting from the Gate of Capricorn; inside it will meet the darkness but also the beauty of the World. It is like we alternate between the kingdoms of Pluto and Neptune… and outside of it, there’s the goddess Athena (olive) waiting to lead us to the kingdom of Jupiter, to our return… EPILOGUEBy now, I hope you have already begun to see the World from a different perspective, filled with more hope and love about the Beauty around us. Also, the information I provided is enough for you to start searching for more extended analyses concerning any question aroused. The ancient peoples knew every aspect of the Universe, specifically the human one, and offered us their Knowledge through all those Symbolic myths. That’s because Symbols speak to our Soul… and they are never forgotten. They take us from Hades to Olympus and from Hell to Heaven, one step at a time… The guide in our journey is our Dragon, our North Node. Let’s find out his secrets… It is at your discretion whether you will keep on living, in Pluto’s Kingdom, in the darkness of Hades or face the titanic elements of the Soul, placate them and move on to the next level, Poseidon’s Kingdom. There, we pass from the conscious to the subconscious and discern the Truth behind the facts. We realize the vibrations and the energy we receive from others and we know how to develop our defenses. Unity is granted in Poseidon’s Kingdom and Harmony prevails… Once the Soul has gone through its incarnations and, little by little, has cast aside more and more bodies that weigh it down, Zeus’ Kingdom will be waiting for it. Its Creator will be waiting for it. BIBLIOGRAPHYAeschylus, Seven Against Thebes Apollodorus, Library, book 3 Claudianus, De Raptu Proserpinae Hesiod, Theogony Homer, Odyssey Jean-Pierre Vernant, Myth and Thought among the Greeks Jean-Pierre Vernant, Les ruses de l'intelligence: La mètis des Grecs Little Iliad Manilius, Astronomica Nonnus, Dionysiaca Orpheus, Argonautica Pamela A. F. Crane, Draconic Astrology Pausanias, Description of Greece, Boetia Plato, Phaedrus Plato, Republic Plato, Timaeus Porphyry, On the Cave of the Nymphs Proclus, Commentary on Plato’s Republic Proclus, Commentary on Ptolemy Roberto Calasso, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony Thomas Taylor, The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries Download 1.04 Mb. Share with your friends:
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