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MYTHOLOGY AND ASTROLOGY
The
book of Semira and V.Vetash "Mythology and astrology" represents the
analysis and systematization of mundane mythology on the base of universal astrological
system that permits to represent a picture of the development of archetypical
mythological images that became the foundation of astrological notions. The
task was to explore the roots of human thought that the myths of ancients
reveal us amplifying the astrological ideas with a vivid content. Detailed
tables of the mythological characters of every astrological archetype in
different cultures is given to prove the objectivity of the main concepts of
astrology and to enlighten mastering of mythology.
CONTENT
Introduction: Mythological archetypes of the Zodiac (as a reflection of the
historical evolution processes).
ARCHETYPES:
1. ABYSS OF CHAOS. (Pisces)
2. LIGHT OF THE SKY. (Aquarius)
3. TIME AND FATE. (Capricorn)
4. KING AND PRIEST. (Sagittarius)
5. POWER OF INTERIOR. (Scorpio)
6. SMITH OF CULTURE. (Libra)
7. ORDER OF EARTH. (Virgo)
8. GIFT OF BEING. (Leo)
9. HEREDITY OF IMMORTALITY.
(Cancer)
10. HUMANS AS GODS. (Gemini)
11. BLOSSOMING OF LIFE. (Taurus)
12. WARRIOR AND PASTOR. (Aries)
Gods in a horoscope.
Mythological images of planets in signs.
Bible's images in astrological system.
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(original sources of
astrological notions)
"Even belief in Perun
(Russian god of thunder) will be useful.
It will be needed to
create a general picture of the world."
K.E.Tsiolkovsky, the father of Russian cosmic explores.
The
cognitive approach to astrology is usually considered to be part of the
empirical because astrologers in their practice base themselves mainly upon psychological observations. It is the
most simple and effective method for everyday astrology but nevertheless leads
to superficial insight into the subject of the first science of humanity. The
statistically based cosmobiological approach is desined to overcome the
subjectivity of observations, connecting the motion of planets with precise
physical rhythms. The scientific method is most efficient in medical
applications but reaches it's limits in attempting to reveal the deepest
motives of personal activity without opening the window to the soul.
However there is a third approach - the humanitarian
or cultural historical method which gives us the opportunity to create the
picture of the development of thought and psyche of human beings. Mythology
describes us the picture in the most primary way. History of mythology and
astrology, mythological images and conceptions of the ancients help us to
substantiate universal astrological notions, manifesting mythological origine
of astrological archetypes.
The components of ancient myth rooted in different
cultures hold much in common, and retain signification in the consciousness of
contemporary people. It inspired C.G.Jung to connect modern science with the
believes of the past in creating the notion of the archetype.
A r c h e t y p e s
are primary forms which serves as the basis for imagery, unconsciously
evoking the activity of the imagination. They appear in dreams and delirium as
well as in art and literature and manifest the unity of the human mind,
permitting us to feel its connection with the Universe and infinity. Jung
addressed the subject the following way:
"One who
speaks in archetypes speaks with thousand voices. He transforms elements
arising from the world of simultaneous and inconstant into manifestations of
the eternal, simoultaneously elevating his own destiny to the scale of humanity
at large."
Studying 'synchronicity' between the psychic
perceptions of different individuals and the objective processes of reality led
Jung to accept astrology as an explaination for the phenomenon of universal
rhythms ruling the collective unconscious and the world at large. At first
studying archetypes in connection with the libido Jung then saw archetypes as
the sourse for astrological symbols and the myths of the ancients: "Astrology, like the collective unconscious
with which psychology is concerned, consist of symbolic configuration: the
'planets' are the gods, symbols of the power of the unconscious."
Today the term 'archetype' is accepted by astrologers,
who use myths to amplify and decorate astrological interpretation. But
referring to astromythology, astrologers ussually turn only to the limited
registry of European gods and when addressing the others don't take into
account their specific roles and definite positions in the corresponding
pantheons, merely borrowing for own needs isolated characteristics and features.
And for a proper understanding and practical application of mythological images
we must perceive the picture of mundane mythology as a whole. We can't fully
understand the meaning of any sign of the Zodiac ignoring the others, likewise
to penetrate mythological archetypes correctly we must perceive the entire set
of images of the gods s y s t e m a t i
c a l l y, taking into account
different historical layers and corresponding changes of imagery and defining
the main features.
Every astrological notion corresponds to a set of gods
possessing various characteristics; the task at hand is to define the initially
unified mythological archetype in the analysys of different cultures. This is
possible because an archetype is proposed as a universal notion. It gives us
the opportunity to consolidate, to enrich and even to correct our
representations about the role of a planet or a sign in the horoscope. The
mythological archetype of a planet, held in common by different cultures, helps
us to understand what characteristics are the most primary and natural for the
given planet and the corresponding sign, and what extraneous features, and
deviations from the original archetype are allowed in any given cultural
tradition. At the same time astrology promotes a proper understanding of
mythology, drawing upon the immense variety of images making up the system.
Jung foresaw the positive role that astrology could
play in the interpretation of myths, but having identified only a few separate
archetypes, he didn't resolve the problem of creating the whole picture and
defining a conceptual foundation of astrology. Developing the idea in our book
"Mythology and astrology", we tried to take the next step in the
theory of archetypes, representing the development of mundane mythology within
a system of astrological framework. This article is the overwiew of the book.
* * *
The procession of mythological images describing
planets' concepts is displayed in reverse sequence to the annual movement of
the Sun through the signs of the Zodiac, from Pisces to Aries. The notion of
Chaos and primordial forces as well as the most ancient gods transferring their
functions to successors, corresponds to Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn. The
youngest gods should be considered the different personifications of the planet
Mars.
As it is known, the reverse movement of signs of the
Zodiac coincides with the precessive motion and refers to the great
evolutionary cycle. According to the tradition of Egypt, the formation of the
world and the transformation of man also begins in Pisces, symbolizing the
Primary Division and the beginning of development. One fish remains in the
primordial waters, providing the link with the original source, the other
leaves its native ocean, setting out on the path of transformations and finally
attaining the cosmic wisdom of Aries, the agnus sacrificed. Likewise in mundane
mythology gods displaying certain characteristic features give up their places
to new ones, and we can identify the reverse order of the Zodiac signs with
stages of evolution of human consciousness reflecting the alteration of global
historical epoches.
The evolution of mythological images is considerably
more difficult than Egyptian scheme indicated, so we'll consider here only the
main stages of development of human perception as the main ground of
astromythological representation.
Archetype
of Neptune (Pisces):
ABYSS
OF CHAOS
How was the world formed and what is its source? The mythologies of all
cultures, as well as the Bible, considered primordial Chaos as the cradle of
the Universe. Chaos represents the state of matter existing beyond conventional
imagination, which conceals an inherent threat to the very existence of the
world as we know it, and so becomes principally unfathomable. But each person
internally harbors a representation of that initial state. This representation
also exists in the world of the ancients: Chaos is traditionally depicted as a
dark ABYSS filled with water. It is indeterminate, dense, and has no shape. Its
substantial characteristic is the absence of free space, and this coincides
with the modern representation of the Universe, expanding from a superdense
point - out of 'emptiness'. The word
'chaos' means 'gaping emptiness'; `shunyata'
in India has the same meaning: emptiness giving birth all the beings. In the
mythology of ancient China, the primary watery chaos, a complete darkness
reminescent of the mixed content of a hen's egg, was called Huntun,
a conception that was transformed into a god possessing the features of primary
indivisibility.
So the world arose from Chaos and Life was born in the waters. Human
perception doesn't separate these representations. The very appearance of both
world and life is fundamentally incomprehensible. The associated myths introduce
to us the image of the Great Mother-Sea, the world that was borne by her is
depicted as alive. According to the principle:'as in the beginning, so at the
end', the image of sea itself joins birth and death. Everything that appeared
from the primary chaos will return to it, so the ocean is associated not only
with killer storms and earthquakes brought on by changing of cosmic rhythms,
but with the threat to existence itself. The Accadian great mother Tiamat
('sea') manifests herself as a monstrous hydra with seven
heads, who was conquered by her descendent Marduk, who created the world from
elements of her body. In this passive function chaos may be considered to be
the material of creation.
Compared with vague Chaos, definite Cosmos represents a deviation from
primary undifferentiated wholeness; the Sea gods resent this order and stand
against it. The destructive role of the Sea gods makes them rebels, and forces
their expulsion during periods of formation of new divine pantheons under the
leadership of the God of Thunder. Thus the Semitic Yammu ('sea') struggles against Balu, the leader
of the pantheon, for a return the primordial way of things under his
omnipotence, so also does the Greek Neptune, but they are defeated.
Retired from their former power all throughout the Universe, the Sea
gods occupy a peripheral position (Greek Oceanus, Egyptian Nun),
that correlates with the idea of their wretchedness, weakness, victimization,
the general depiction as the youngest member of the family (Neptune
whose name means 'nephew'). The most
characteristic example is the Indo-european myth about Trita (the 'third' brother, etymologically connected
with Greek Triton) who was thrown into a well by his older brothers. Here
the well is associated with primordial denseness and the absence of space and
with the primary waters where the universal source of fertility is hidden. That
reveals to us the sense of Pisces' sacrifice: Pisceans decline participation in
manifested and ordered existence (cosmos), so as to remain intouch with
something beyond Being, with the secret omnipotence of Chaos, to find in the
very depths of existence the sources of eternity.
The composite images of the watery abyss and it's secrets, the mothering
bosom of the sea from whence life arose, the destructive forces of chaos and
self-sacrifice which establish the connection between life and eternity, all
reflect an archetype of planet Neptune, which rules the sign of Pisces.
Regarding the mythologema from the historical point of view, the representation
of chaos or deluge correlates with the cataclysms that provoked glacial melting
and other natural processes, which pushed the humanity out of former
territories and created the impulse to develop the defensive powers of mind.
The arising of the rational, spiritual force in mankind still remains an enigma for us. There was a whole stage in the history of humanity, called by the Australian aborigines 'the time of dreams', when mind was asleep and saw the outer world through the haze of unconscious processes. Is reason hidden in the depths of the soul, or on the contrary, was there thought initially, which then decorated itself with a plentitude of feelings? - The depth of the soul is hidden by mystery; Neptune rules there, and for this planet all things are vague and relative. Within the archetype of Neptune there is no such differentiation between the mind and the soul which are united initially, being the same as life itself.
Archetype
of Uranus (Aquarius):
THE
LIGHT OF THE SKY
Chaos gives birth to the Sky and the Earth. The duality of Pisces
latently contains seeds of the next two signs: the lightest - Aquarius and the
darkest - Capricorn, manifesting the primary contradictions between the ideal
and the material. In Chaos a motion arises on the part of Uranus resulting in
the emergence of atoms of Saturn. Centrifugal motion in the vacuum separates
the light from the darkness.
Let us imagine the process as ancients did: everything which is light
rises up - more correctly, spreads out - and the lightest thing is light,
infinitely dispersed in space, created by motion. So the Chinese Sky Chian
was formed. Somewhere beyond space, dark chaos remained, and the blue dome of
the firmament became a concrete bariere protecting the light world from the
invasion of the dark forces. It is the blue arc of gates leading to the unknown
world, and it is the omniscient God of the Sky who possesses the keys to these
gates. Such was the ancient image of Roman Janus, with one face turned toward
this world, a world created by him, the second face turned toward another
world. Originally he was the god of the firmament, then lost his dominance and
merely became a keeper of all the arcs and gates.
The god of the Sky is a creator fulfilling the main act of creation:
that is the separation of the earth and the sky. In contrast to his successors,
he founds the world purely by means of thought, word or through his will,
because as yet nothing else exists. An abstract creator, he forms the Universe
as a whole, not worrying about the destiny of individual beings. As the cold
blue sky of February, he is infinitely removed from humanity, commonly
considered to be the substance of material creation; usually it is not he who
has created them from clay or wood. Great Father of gods, he leaves determinate
functions to his children and having fulfilled his role, retires. Humanity
doesn't pay homage to the primary creator, having forgotten him, but somehow it
is always implied that indeed it is the Sky that supports the World.
The primary god personifies the light of the sky. But he is also
connected with the darkness divided from this light, with the wholeness of life
and death of the primary waters, like Aquarius who pours two streams from a
jug: the water of life and the water of death, providing constant
transformation. He is above evil and good, in the ordinary sense of these
words. The words 'deus' and 'devil' both emerges from the name of the
Indoeuropean Dyaus, 'the clear sky',
and the same root is found in the Russian words 'divny' (miraculous) and 'diky'
(wild). The god of the Sky is anarchic and wild, wielding as his instrument the
unceasing process of creation which is as spontaneous as thought. The myth
concerning the Greek Uranus, who constantly gave birth to
monsters, and unsatisfied with his creations, hid them in the bosom of the
Earth, reflects the infinite process of arising and annihilation. Gaea the
Earth, exhausted from the labours of birth, asked Kronos to castrate his
father. That secured the separation of the Sky from the Earth and determined
the beginning of stable existence.
The image formation of the god of the light Sky, historically correlates
with the stage of great population migrations, which opened new horizons after
the retreat of the glaciers. Peoples domesticated all territories fit for their
uses, which become human in the proper sense of the word, illuminated with the
light of thought. Isn't it miraculous, that the spark of God in human beings
retreated only confronted by the eternal ices of Antarctica?
The luminosity, universality and anarchy of the most ancient creators
characterizes Uranus, the planet of thought and liberty, which appeals to the
spirit of new development, makes the hidden manifest and sometimes becomes
dangerous for people. And the destiny of humankind to become the owner of the
Earth brings us to the next archetype.
Archetype
of Saturn (Capricorn):
TIME
AND FATE
In the free space of the Sky the Earth is formed. ncessant unlimited motion
within space has no aim and produces no direct result. But in a limited world
it is possible to create something stable. The world of matter has a beginning
and an end, and it is definitely conditioned by laws that keep it secure. These
are the laws of time and fate, symbolized in astrology by the planet Saturn.
One thinks about the world within the framework of time, which inexorably
restricts our existence. Beyond these limits, we could not imagine something
definite, and we would not be able to think at all.
As Chaos may be represented as a point, the spontaneous motion of light
as a line flying into infinity, or as an unfurling spiral, throwing off the
sparks of new worlds, so the appearance of the Universe and our Earth may be
seen as a segment of the line, or as a piece of the spiral, defined by a
determined cycle.
The limited world is associated with the Earth. Gods of the Earth and
Time supersede the gods of the Sky, becoming creators of stable being and
defining it's destiny. And the newly emerged material world is strictly
subordinated to the predetermination which formed it and exists in perfect
harmony with nature and itself. That is the Golden Age of the Earth, associated
with Saturn.
Those who determinate destiny, as does Enki of Sumeria, often
happen to have a mission of creating humanity. A man is understood in mythology
as something undoubtedly material, so the substance used for making people is
usually earth. The latin words 'homo'
and 'humus' coincide not only in
sound but in sense. Having lived out his life man himself returns to the earth,
it being his mother.
Of course the god who personifies the universal principle of
determination, in the creation of his Universe, didn't intend that evil and
death come into the world. So the Iranian god of Time Zervan wanted to give
birth to only the good son Ormazd, not his evil brother Ariman. But he gave
birth to twins: such is the nature of the Time, that definiteness of life means
also predestination to death. To glimpse the Sumerian goddess of fate Namtar
meant certain death, and the gods of fate often are also gods of death. The
sign of Capricorn is associated with the self-consciousness of the individual,
and his concern about responsibility for the continuation of his genus is
closely connected with his understanding of the existence of death. The earth
containing burial places of the ancestors became the homeland.
So the archetype of earth, time and fate gods is associated with the end
of migrations and the founding of a native homeland. A tribe holds a definite
territory and native gods, protecting its own genus, such as Roman Vesta,
the eldest daughter of Saturn, or Slavic Rod 'ancestor, genus', the ancient leader of the pantheon. Man tried to
influence to the fates through prayers and offerings to his predecessors on the
land. Recognizing that life is determined according to definite laws, and by
the cycles of time, he tried to overcome his dependence upon nature, developing
agriculture on his own lands. Also he tried to uphold the natural order and
promote the earth's fertility through seasonal offerings. Agriculture promoted
the development of the calendar, having made more perceptible the abstract
notion of time.
The New Year's celebration, the traditional Roman carnival was
originally connected with sacrifices to Saturn, the god of sowing. His name
means 'sower', and it is related with
the Russian words 'sytny'(fat,
substantial) and 'sut'' (to exist).
Formation of the Saturnian archetype reflects the period when humanity took
it's existence into its' own hands. But even after the canonization of fate,
humanity still could not influence the weather, so the old protectors of time
and the native lands ceded their power to the god of thunder.
Archetype
of Jupiter (Sagittarius):
KING
AND PRIEST
The God of Thunder personifying the planet Jupiter takes on the image of
the father of gods, the lighting shaker, and sometimes even borrows the name of
the God of the Sky. So 'Zeus' is the transformation of the
ancient 'Dyaus' and the name of Jupiter is also translated as 'father of the light'. Born after the
ancient creators, he overcomes them by force, defeating chtonic monsters which
were spontaneously created in the beginning of the ages and suppressing the
wild rebellions of chaos.
Transcending time and influencing the fate of the world, he inherits the
functions of his predecessors, repeating and fulfilling the process of creation
and in so doing becomes the head of the pantheon of gods. And thus he founds a
society of which he is king.
Babylonian Marduk proved his superiority over other gods and nature by
ordering a star to disappear and appear again, He then became the protector of
the gods and as the leader of the gods' army killed frightful Tiamat, thus
Chaos could never pretend to its omnipotence over the Universe. The other gods
in return built him the heavenly Babylon which of course reflected the human
society of that time.
Historically, Jupiterian mythologema tooks humans beyond the context of
native genus and extended the basis of society beyond the blood relationship to
the level of a state built on a common ideology. It shows the next step in the
development of human consciousness when such a unification, the Sagittarian
unity of minds, became possible. This stage corresponds to the elaboration of
religion and ritual: not only as personal magical manipulations appealing to
the chtonic and elemental forces of Saturn and Uranus, but also as expressions
of common thought and representations of natural law describing the universal
order of Jupiter.
Usually the leader of the pantheon is the god of thunder. Mythological thought thus manifests the image of a king-priest who interacts with elemental forces and by appealing to the Sky is able to evoke the rain, which is necessary for a good crop. A picture of a thunderstorm always stoked people's imagination, so it became a symbol of the highest power. Only the strongest of gods could manage it. And the best of humans was elected to serve as the connection with the Heavens. Like Sagittarius, he directs the arrow of his mind which reaches the Firmament and brings him directs knowledge of Nature. He is able to influence natural conditions through the power of higher laws, so he excersises a power which acts above fate. Thus the image of the god of thunder was fused with the image of the omniscient god of the light Sky. Properly speaking the King of gods in his role as a king of people acts only as a translator of the higher will as it relates to the Earth. But as observed from the Earth the images may be read as the god of Thunder himself expressing the will of the Heavens.
The god of thunder's location between the Earth and the Sky associates
him with high and rocky places, where lightning flashes often strike, and the
Indoeuropean name of the god originates from the word 'perunt'(rock). Such is
the name of Russian Perun or Indian Parjanya. We always associate the
archetype of Jupiter with high elevations which widen the range of mental
perception and help to order existence from above. The King of the gods
coordinates the different dimensions of the world and distributes goods,
happiness, riches and fame according to his fair laws.
Nevertheless he is not an primordial god, so his laws are temporary and
his state from time to time must be transformed. The next archetype describes
this transformation.
Archetype
of Pluto (Scorpio):
THE
POWER OF INTERIOR
It happens that not the entire world falls under the rulership of the
King of gods. As there was always a rivalry between the true law and the forces
of power and money, so there exists a god of the bowels of the Earth, a
sovereign of innumerable treasures, who is independent from the King of gods.
The planet Pluto, symbolized by the image of the eternal Enemy, embodies evil
and death, that seeks to destroy the external world order of Jupiter which
personifies the principles of good. The name Pluto means 'rich, full' and so the chief of the
under world is always rich because he has acquired all things that have
disappeared from the surface of the Earth. As the gifts of the heavens and the
fruits of work on the earth are diminished day by day, the governor of Death
becomes richer and richer.
The existence of the ruler of the subterranean world is justified through his function of keeping hidden in the bowels of the Earth, far from the sight of humans (or even gods!), a reserve potency, a force which nourishes not only the vegetable kingdom but all beings as well. All that is alive needs his energy. And as the potency of nature is passive, the god of Thunder, in irrigating the Earth and awakening her hidden fertility, manifests the new sprout of life by stimulating stored up banks of energy. For life to progress, the god of the Interior, like a Scorpion stinging itself with it's own tail, brings out the extreme energies of war and illness, destroying everything that doesn't meet the test and so is destined to be ruined. It falls to the leader of gods to renew life on the surface of the Earth.
The interaction between these two sovereigns is depicted in the central
Indoeuropean myth as a struggle for herds of cows stolen away by the
subterranean god and hidden by him in the rocky lowlands. He can manifest
himself in the image of a viper from the depths (Indian Vritra or Indoeuropean Budh).
The god of Thunder then defeats the viper in a battle of thunderstorms, and the
herds of cows return as flocks of clouds which provide fertilizing rain. The
process of the natural circle continues on infinitely, as does the struggle of
evil and good.
One finds the historical analog of this battle in the real struggle
between agriculturally based peoples and the herders and nomads. In this period
one's own people personified everything good, and the alien everything evil. 'Goods' means 'richness'. The roots of these abstract notions were at first very
simple, but then the representation of evil became more complicated and formed
the picture of the alien world as a socialized image of chaos, or hell. The
subterranean world is associated with an exit to the abyss: the primary waters
which nourish inexhaustible sources of terrible power over the all the living.
The typical peaceful image of the land of the dead is the Greek Elysium,
plains that serve as the pasture where the souls of the deads graze. 'Soul' is 'anima' in Latin and everything alive may best be personified by an
animal. The richness of another world was usually associated with herds that
embody multiplying riches. The herder himself could display his animal's attributes,
for example horns and hoofs, showing his close relationship to his wards. In
the features of the shepherd god one can easily discern the typical depiction
of the Devil.
The word Elysium comes from the root 'wel' which signified the main opponent of the leader of gods (the
word 'wealth' is also derived from
this root). It also relates to the Russian god of herds, richness and lowlands Veles,
and the Baltic Velnias, who struggled with the Thunder god Percunas and then
was transformed into a Devil.
Nevertheless the plutonic thirst to own and store any energy does not
destroy the Universe. That is meant to decay, dies, manifesting a well
established harmony, symbolized in astrology by the next sign: Libra.
Archetype
of Vulcan and Chiron (Libra):
THE
SMITH OF CULTURE
The planet Vulcan symbolizes the balance of the Universe. This is
usually represented by a Smith god who calms the struggle among the world's
opposing forces, reconstructing the Universe each instant with his own hammer
and hands, not unlike the Indian Tvashtar ('creator, master'). He forges the weapons that help the chief god to
defeat his subterranean Enemy and to dispense with this annoying struggle.
The image of the Smith god is associated with the cultural mastering of
fire and with the epoch of smelting metal.
Vulcan (the root of the name 'wel'
symbolizing the Enemy of the Thunder god) is a personification of subterranean
fire, ever awful and uncontrolable, which then submits to a master. Vulcan is a
hypothetical planet, and thus the associeted archetype of cultural development
has probably not yet manifested its concrete signification in the world, which
may happen if the planet is discovered. Sometimes this planet is considered to
be the center of gravity of the Solar system, projecting the idea of a perfect
balance.
When destructive underground forces of the most intractable and dangerous element come to serve the needs of construction, it becomes clear that mankind is ready to overcome it's inner passions and begin civilized existence. The peace treaties between the tribes concerning the borders of their territories put a halt to incessant fights. That the border is sacred is illustrated by the legend of Rome's founder Romulus who killed his brother Remus for stepping over a line drawn on the ground.
A treaty is the highest form of social interaction, and in the civilized
state a certain god appeared whose duty it was to secure human agreements and
to punish transgressors. This type of god is personified by the Roman Quirin,
identified with Romulus and the justification of his legendary act. The Iranian
Mithra,
having been born with a trowel in his hand and personifying the Law of the
Universe, regulates the observance of treaties with a thousand eyes and ears.
The Indian Mitra also protects and considers wedlock as a treaty,
transforming personal human relations into a higher social realm. Mithra's name
etymologically means 'peaceful, grateful,
friendly'. Divine Smiths are also peacemakers: connected with celestial and
subterranean fields, they act as mediators between them.
Creating palaces for gods from their golden fire, like Greek Haephestus,
and protecting arts and crafts, the divine Smith forges the artificial order of
human civilization, dividing it from the wild custom of disorganized nature. As
the creator of the Sky defended the Universe from incursions of Chaos by
creating the dome of the Firmament, the master of culture artificially forms
his world, where no threats are imposed on humanity. His acts of creation are
always concrete and purposeful.
However myths often emphasize the artificiality of the world, divided
from elemental influences: so when the Finnish divine Smith Ilmariinen
fashions the Sun and the Moon with his own hands, they aren't able to shine.
Often a polar pair of creator gods appears such as the Finnish Ilmariinen
and
Vaeinaemoeinen or Indian Varuna and Mitra, representing
natural and cultural models of order. Contemporary western civilization is an
example of the regulated world of Mithra, in contradistinction the more
anarchistic nature of the East which is represented by Varuna.
One can associate with the archetype of Libra certain lower gods,
sometimes taking on animal form, but benevolent to humans and assisting them,
much in the way that the Smith becomes an assistant to the leader of the
pantheon. The most famous such being is the Greek centaur Chiron, the teacher of Aesculapus, Orpheus and Hercules. According
to the one of the legends he bestowed upon Hercules his immortality. It is
interesting that the asteroid Chiron, reflecting the sympathy and sweetness of
Libra, was discovered by the astronomer Charles Koval, whose surname is
translated as 'smith'.
When wild nature is not dangerous for the society of humans, animals become man's allies instead of his enemies. However the taming of wild animals, which signifies the submission not only of the political but also of the economic order to the human sphere, is traditionally associeted with the next sign: Virgo.
Archetype
of Ceres and Proserpine (Virgo):
ORDER
OF THE EARTH
If the archetype of Libra regulates social relations, the archetype of
Virgo consolidates the principles of economy and farming, closely connected
with natural order of things. Iron tools and the invention of the plough
secures the blossoming of agriculture and manifests an image of nourishing
Mother-Earth, symbolizing abundance and fertility. So the Greek Demeter
('mother-earth'), goddess of the
fertile Earth controls the sequence of crop cycles, insures the gathering of
the harvest and it's wise use into the next spring. She is accompanied by gods
of the changing seasons, that maintain the cyclic order of nature which serves
as the foundation of the agricultural process. Dying and rising vegetation gods
occupy the main positions between the seasonal cycles.
A seed must be buried in order grow, so first it must die. Each year the
Mother-Earth Ceres sacrifices her daughter Proserpine ('proserpo' means 'grow up'), taken as a bride to the underworld by the subterranean
sovereign. He allows his wife to visit her mother for half of the year, during
which the earth become fertile and is covered with green. The other half of
year Mother-Earth remains barren grieving for her daughter. The Egyptian mother
figure Renenuteth (Thermutis in Greek) and her son Neperi
('seed') form a similary pair. It was
usually said about Neperi that only after he died did he begin living.
The death and resurrection of Proserpine maintains the natural order as
she properly fulfills the universal law of seasonal change in her own being.
The executive power symbolized by the archetype of Virgo must be fair and
accurate to insure life processes. And thus she is also associated with justice
and purity, helping her husband to judge the souls of the dead. Gods belonging
to this archetype display a righteousness exemplified by their self-sacrifice
in the name of duty, and expressed by their virginity (which corresponds the
name of the constellation, and to an alternate name for Proserpine, Core,
which means 'girl'). The Indian Sita
('furrow') is also a goddess of this
type: she was born of the earth in a furrow and pleaded with her mother Earth
to take her back into the soil when a charge of unfaithfulness had been leveled
at her.
Gods of the agricultural cycle, such as Nisaba of Sumeria whose
name means 'seed', also manifest the
skill of writing that helps to register the harvest. An economy suggests the
hierarchical distribution of duties, so one can associate with the archetype the
historical delineation of castes seen as the consolidation of economic
principles of the division of labour. In the economic system the domesticated
animal occupies a place junior to that of humans. An interesting image of an
animal executing his duty is Russian Semargl, the winged dog who protects
crops.
Solar
archetype (Leo):
GIFT
OF BEING
One can find a regularity in the images within a succession of signs of
any element. The subterranean god is connected with the invisible sources of
existence of Chaos, reflecting the potency of the water element. The divine
Smith continues with the work of creation of the Sky god, and thus represents
the air element. The sign of Virgo develops the notion of the abundant earth,
as stated by Capricorn. Thusly, within the signs of fire element, Solar god,
being a generous dispenser of benefit, borrows the functions of the Thunder
god, the head of the pantheon.
The Sun moves across the Sky like a great wheel, which becomes his
universal symbol. It appears in myths primarily as an eye of the omniscient god
of the clear Sky, closely related to him through the notion of light, spreading
infinitely and embracing all the Universe. The wheel also begins to symbolize
celestial universality. The Solar god spends his days on the surface of the
Earth, surveying his domain and dispensing gifts, and descends to the
underground world at night, where he illuminates the dead and struggles with
the forces of darkness, much as the solar god Ra of Egypt fought with
the viper Apope each night. The daily path of the Sun manifests a unity of the
celestial, terrestrial and subterranean. Solar image combines the highest
justice of the archetype of Vulcan with the concrete life processes of Virgo.
Like a wheel that touches the earth at one extremity and the sky at another, it
personifies the wholeness and integrity of being.
There were even particular gods of the solar disk, such as Aton
of Egypt, Koloksay ('wheel-tsar')
of the Scythes or Khors of the Slavs. Like the Indian Savitar and the Greek Helios,
Solar gods travel across the sky in chariots, pulled by horses that also become
a symbol of the Sun. A historical invention of a wheel as well as use of
wheeled carts is also associated with this archetype. The new speed of chariots
permitted the control of wide expanses, which allowed the unification of
separate reagions and the formation of empires, in whose light the smaller
states faded. The idea of unified power is associated with the Sun: the
Egyptian pharaoh Ehnaton even began to see in the solar disk an autocratic god.
But his idea of monotheism was not disseminated: this idea was manifested only
at the end of mythological development and is associated with the archetype of
Mars and Aries, the third sign of fire element.
Great emperors were named after the Sun, but in the divine pantheon the
place of main god was already occupied. So the Solar god, sending heat and
benefit to the Earth with his hands the Sun rays, only succeded in rivaling the
Thunder god, bringer of the fertilizing rains. The light of the Sun was so
commonplace that it never stimulated the human imagination as did the
thunderstorm, and humanity only gradually perceived the significance of solar
energy. In distinction to the Thunder god who translates the higher forces of
celestial fire, the Solar god personifies an inner power of his own. Leo, the
king of beasts with the yellow mane, is associated with him as well as with the
idea of personal force.
The Sun protects heroes and is himself in rivalry with the King of
society, thus the Chinese Yan-di struggles with the god of
Thunder Huang-di. But sometimes a cloud covers the Sun and the Solar
god is defeated: because mere personal force and independence of action, even
if strong cannot stand against an opposing global and social order, which is
destined to maintain the eternal traditions. Understanding the transmission of
traditions and reproduction of being is the subject of the next archetype.
Lunar
archetype (Cancer):
HEREDITY
OF IMMORTALITY
The lunar gods continue the theme of birth and death, characteristic to
the water element. The Moon is represented as a partner of the Sun, and in
myths they are often depicted as brother and sister, or husband and wife. At
night the Moon replaces the Sun in the sky, and during the day in the
underground world. According the Indoeuropean tradition, the constant Sun was
correlated with the feminine image and the changeable Moon with the masculine
one: there were myths wherein the Moon proved unfaithful to the Sun, having
fallen in love with the Morning Star (Venus). But in the patriarchal schema,
the dim light of the Moon associates it with weakness, and so makes it an ideal
of femininity. In this way, according a myth of the American Indians, the
Creator, at the end of his work, transformed the most handsome man into the
Sun, and the most beautiful woman into the Moon.
And as the Sun is an unfailing source of life energy, the Moon, which
dies away and disappears, from the sky is connected with death and nonexistence.
Its faded glow seems ephemeral and does not leave any hope for the continuation
of being. But suddenly it appears again, begins growing and is restored,
generating in the human mind the idea of illusion and at the same time the
immortality of life. All over the world lunar myth is connected with the idea
of immortality, that coincides with the astrological definition of the Moon as
Psyche which is considered to be imperishable.
The full Moon dying and giving birth to the small Crescent was associated
also with the idea of motherhood, securing the continuation of life. The notion
of a taste of immortality, associated with the Moon, (for example, the Indian Soma
which personifies simultaneously the Moon and the drink of immortal gods), goes
back to mother's milk. Through mother's milk and fairy tales a human inherits
traditional knowledge transmitted from generation to generation. The Moon
preserves the integrity of being imparted by the Sun through the memory of
knowledge of the past. Regarding the phases of the Moon, which became the raw
material for the calculation of time, the act of fixing the present allowed
humanity to memorize it's history based on the experience of the past. Then
epics and legends arose, and were disseminated in the form of fairy tales which
helped every new inhabitant of the Earth to orient himself in the world and
recognize his destiny as a part of human history.
The Moon archetype is associated with the epoch during which for the
first time mankind looks backward upon his path, evaluating his journey, and
this links us back to the notion of Time that was considered in the mythologema
of Capricorn. As was seen in the examples of the Sky and the Sun, associated
through the idea of light expanding, signs which stand opposite to each other
are bound by a single idea. For Pisces and Virgo it is the idea of
self-sacrifice for the sake of regeneration, for Aquarius and Leo it is the
idea of wholeness, and the planets of Time - the Moon and Saturn, which wield
the most significant influence on human psyche, make conservative Cancer and
Capricorn the keepers of the world's destiny.
Archetype
of Mercury (Gemini):
HUMANS
AS GODS
The power of humanity based on the experiences of the past, and
overcoming conservative traditions, is the archetype manifested by Gemini. It
is the archetype of the hero who transcends taboos and the most sacred
interdictions, and of the twins who committed original sin against the divine
order and disturbed the schema of the unconscious soul's natural immortality,
which brought about human life and death.
The pair of identical humans evoked a superstitious fear of the
ancients: they thought of the bearing of twins as something supernatural. As a
compromise between the ordinary and the wondrous, one of twins was often
considered to be born of his human father and the other of a god,
mythologically speaking, one mortal twin, the other immortal, as we see in the
case of Castor and Pollux in the constellation of
Gemini. Furthermore the duality of life and death was represented in the first
pair of humans - or likewise in the first pair of gods who descended from the
established realm of the Heavens to the deserted Earth so as to arrange and
populate it, compare the Japanese Izanaki ('first man') and Izanami ('first woman').
Two brother-twins, also considered sometimes to be hermaphrodites,
create the duality of the world (day and night, good and evil, man and woman
etc.). Then one of the twins has to die in order to consolidate the ownership
of the land by the created race of people; he becomes the king of the dead.
Similarly, brother and sister commit ritual incest, necessary for the
production of offspring, and in the process they become conscious not only of
the phenomenon of birth, but also of death, which indicates a separate and
independent human destiny existing within the world of immortal nature and
gods. The Biblical story of Adam and Eve originated from this
type of myths.
The idea of this archetype refers us to the opposite sign of Sagittarius
which had broken the traditions of Genus, the natural order of Saturn, for a
more progressive one of his own, and separated humanity from the animal world.
But if Gemini presupposes the destruction of man's primary links with nature,
then Sagittarius initiates the observance of religion as a reconstruction of
these links to the primary order.
Taking center stage in myths, the human creates the world with all
necessary and useful things. Like the Chinese Fu-Xi, he states the
traditions and rituals, invents tools and writing, and transmits this
inheritance to his descendants, after having inhabited the land and having
fulfilled his mission according to the previous lunar archetype. In the typical
image of a cultural hero the third
sign of the air element completes the idea of creation, which takes on concrete
form.
The transgressing of interdiction was originally a method of
self-affirmation for the ancients, and hence appeared a god-deceiver, a fraud
and a thief, called in mythological terminology a trickster. The mental activity of humans is under his rulership; he
is a god of calculation, writing and language. Human mind itself appeared
initially as a kind of malice. The newly born Greek Hermes stole away the cows
of Apollo, and in spite of the Solar god's omniscience, Apollo could not obtain
a truthful confession from the diaper wrapped deceiver who made up endless
stories by way of excuse.
A god of communication and writing serves as a mediator between gods and
humans; he serves as a messager of the chief god and accompanies the souls of
the dead to the underground world, as Hermes or the Egyptian Thoth.
As the Roman Mercury or the Phoenician Melkarth, he is the patron of
interaction and protects the activities of exchange and trade. He is very
inventive in the creation of his tricks and transgresses the most sacred
interdictions; as the German Loki, who made fools of the gods and
once in fun broke a peace treaty between gods and giants. All these factors
permit us to consider the image of the god-trickster, as well as that of the
ancestors-twins, as the most ancient self-portraits of humankind.
The archetype of the planet Mercury refers to the historical stage of
invention of writing which permitted the fixing of myths and history. That lead
to the arising of science as a separate cultural area, and signals the
beginning of the intellectualisation of the world. Mercurian curiosity promoted
wide contacts between peoples, through newly developed sea-going fleets and
trade. In the period of European civilization it manifests as the age of
city-states.
Archetype
of Venus (Taurus):
BLOSSOMING
OF LIFE
At first the evolution of mankind was shaped through a refutation of the
natural and wild world in favour of a civilization based on culture, whose
borders would guarantee the future of humanity. With the development of
agriculture this aim was achieved, and one can see it in the archetypes of
Libra and Virgo. Then the process of self-realization began and after the
development of mind that the archetype of Mercury demonstrates, humanity
aspired to widen it's borders, again encompassing natural sources. The last two
archetypes of the Zodiac work out the notions of the two fundamental principles
of nature, the feminine and the masculine, stated by the image of Gemini. These
archetypes appeared relatively late; as the goddesses of the Taurean and the
gods of the Arien archetypes gradually win honourable places in the pantheon.
Taurus, the third sign of the earth element, demonstrates that the
mankind is firmly established in the creative process and achieves prosperity,
abundance and well-being on the Earth, when it begins to understand humanity as
a part of nature. The human's integration with nature is tied to the feminine
force, which is closer to natural sources. The essence of the human being is
identical to that of the Cosmos. And so the astral cult of the celestial body
of the star Venus was widespread all over the world, incorporating worship of
her image of the goddess of love. The word 'aster' ('star') was itself borrowed by the most
of European languages, originating from the Babylonian name for Venus, Ishtar,
which means simply 'goddess'.
The Goddess of the Morning and Evening Star was often associated with
the inimitable beauty of the dawn, symbolizing the power of the reproductive
forces in nature which the archetype of Taurus manifests. In Mesopotamia these
existed the image of two dawns, represented by the bulls, Hurri ('morning') and Serri ('evening') which express this basic idea.
And the Greek Eos, the Indian Ushas and the Roman Aurora
become the most typical personifications of love.
The goddesses of sexual love personifying blossoming and the abundance
of nature are very ancient. So Aphrodite Urania, said to be born from
sea foam and blood of the God of Heavens, is older than Zeus and coeval to the
titans. But then her place was transformed, making her the daughter of Zeus, as
the goddess of love and beauty must be eternally young. Her link with the Sea,
similar to relationships shared by other beautiful female goddesses with the
primary waters, points to the prototypical potency of fertility. Similarly, the
Indian Laxmi ('happiness, beauty')
was also born of the ocean, and the name of Ardvisura-Anahit of the
Avesta means 'powerful source of eternal
waters'.
The names of love goddesses often express force.
Typically associated with the stars accompanying the Sun in the morning and in
the evening, they were considered as the main goddesses of the pantheon. So the
name of the Egyptian Isis means 'throne', the Semitic Uzza means 'omnipotent' and the Sumerian Inanna -- 'sovereign'. In ancient times the goddess of fertility and sexual
love, cruel and rough, use this initial force to possess the world, gods and
humans. She was both seductress and warrior. The arrows of Eros have not always
been missles of love, they are the rudiments of true weapons. As an attribute
of Ishtar these weapons were dangerous, and the goddess of war and love,
battling for her rights and sovereignty engaged even with the most powerful
god, the god of Thunder.
But times changed, and the goddess of love, ever young and as
self-renewing as life, became graceful and benevolent. The names of the Roman Venus
and Bona
Dea mean 'kindness, grace'.
In a civilized world that had overcome the passions and forced them to serve
the needs of happiness and prosperity, it is beauty and charity, conjugal
fidelity and motherly selflessness that embody the essence of the star
goddesses. Having won her place and affirmed her position among the gods, the
most powerful goddess, in force equal to the Chief of gods, calms her rage when
she is recognized as his wife and entrusted with the protection of the
establishment of wedlock. Thus arises the notion of love and family in the
modern sense as an expression of the initial natural harmony in the framework
of human society.
One may be astonished by the transformation of the image of the Star
goddess Isis with the infant Horus, which became the prototype for the
Blessed Virgin (this shows an example of the astrological exaltation of mother
Moon in the sign of Taurus).
The fully realized archetype of the Star goddess coincides with the
developmental stage involving emotional penetration into the nature of the
world and the resultent cultural blossoming. Art, previously subjugated to the
Jupiterian religious ritual, have by now attained an independent place in
culture, much as the goddess of love secured her own significance in the
Universe. The art of Venus, closely associated with natural sources, as it
loses its very artificiality, is differentiated from the more rational mastery
of Vulcan. The feminine principle of being manifests itself as a natural life
deified.
Archetype
of Mars (Aries):
The appreciation of emotional nature doesn't interfere with the
framework of Jupiterian social law, as the goddess of love and beauty comes to
an alliance agreement with the chief of the pantheon. But a new leader, a
fierce and furious commander of the gods during the time of battle, embodying
emotional force together merged with the wisdom of human mind, pretends to
supersede him. The archetype of Mars is associated with the idea of going
beyond the established society in search of new forces and means.
The gods of the forests and of the wild beasts as well as warriors and shepherds correlate with this archetype. A shepherd lives most of the time in wild nature, outside of society, he is personally responsible for his herd and has to defend it from alien invasions and in every type of unexpected and dangerous situation. He is isolated and so has to develop his own natural capacities. Outside the niceties of civilization he must overcome obstuctions by himself, and this is the foundation for his natural wisdom which he then brings back into society. That is why an image of the shepherd coincides with the one of defender and commander.
Roman Mars himself was originally a god of wild nature and the herds,
with a wolf as his symbol. Boys offered up to him were banished beyond the borders
of the settlement, and this made them closer to nature, and required the
development of strength and audacity. In honor of Mars they were called
mammertians.
The function of the shepherd and the association of War god with death
liken the mythologema of Mars to that of Pluto, and originally they were the
same archetype. The god-warrior was a destroyer and he not only successfully
defended his herds and property but confiscated that of others. However this
new type of invincible god has aquired the new quality of wisdom. Like the
thunder gods they are patrons of just wars, struggle with evil, and awake
natural fertility. The mastering of magic associated with the War gods, which
characterizes the Greek Athen , is originally a
Plutonian feature, but here it no longer serves the forces of destruction and
death, instead reflecting a deep understanding of nature and the capacity to
control natural forces and direct them to medical purposes. And so was formed a
new mythological image of the ideal commander who borrows forces from nature
but uses his mind as the tool of civilization. It is an image of a leader who
is moral, as the Iranian Vishtasp or Hiawatha of the American
Indians.
The unification of lands worshipping different gods became possible
under the banner of such an ideal god. It was Mars that facilitated the unity
of the Roman lands. And Egypt owed it's unity to Amun, whose symbol was a
ram, displayed his shepherd's functions, and was originally identified with the
War god Montu. His final identification with Solar god Ra, one may
associate with the astrological exaltation of the Sun in Aries, as Aries
reflects integral function of the Sun. It is Amon-Ra, personifying
universal wisdom, who was depicted in the heavenly constellation of Aries.
Sometimes a wise young commander succeeded in superseding the old
short-sighted chief of gods, to himself become leader and point to a new path
of the world's development, as did the German Odin. This is but one step away
from monotheism.
The idea of a god who attains leadership not only through force, but
through his own ideal personal qualities, correlates with the affirmation of
the individual's independence in society and the right to pursue one's own way
of existence. The notion of inner law and the achievment of progress joins
Aries with the opposite sign of Libra. The archetype of Aries lays the
foundation for the establishment of spirit as the inner human god. The more
recent religions such as Christianity and Islam borrowed to a considerable
extent the images associated with this archetype.
Completing it's development, the mythological cycle creates a full
circle of archetypical notions. It is unified urge to activity on the part of
the fire element -- Greek Eros, Indian Agni -- that gives birth
to new life in the sleeping abyss of Chaos.
* *
*
That is the picture of development of mythological representations as a
whole. Certainly we have mentioned only a few of the images, and the short
space of an article does not permit a fully detailed analysis of mundane
mythology proving the consistency of the overall picture. At the end of the
article is given a summary table including more mythological characters. It
also does not embrace all the manifestations and particular qualities of the
archetypes, but could help to orientate one to the appreciation of the
mythologycal elements.
Astrological archetypes were formed over period of time, and one can
identify separate layers and particularities of perceptions of the world
according to geographicallocation. But even a cursory glance towards the vivid
richness of mythologies' characters shows that there is more the typical, then
the occasional in it. And it permits astrology to rely on the most ancient
experience of the human being's appreciation of the world.
THE
HISTORICAL PICTURE OF MYTHOLOGICAL IMAGES
+-------------------------------------------+
|sign, |historical stage |mythological |
|planet
|
|archetype |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|PISCES:
|epoch of cataclysms, awa-|primary Chaos, Sea|
|Neptune
|kening of consciousness |gods,
Great Mother|
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|AQUARIUS: |migrations, assimilation |god
of the Light |
|Uranus
|of new lands |Sky,
Great Father |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|CAPRICORN:|finding the native land, |gods
of the Earth,|
|Saturn
|family organization, |Time
and Fate |
|
|arising of agriculture | |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|SAGITTARI-|social organization, |god of Thunder, |
|US:Jupiter|forming of religion |Chief of pantheon |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|SCORPIO:
|development of cattle |god of
subterrane-|
|Pluto
|breeding, struggle |an
world, cattle |
|
|of farmers and nomads |and
richness |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|LIBRA:
|definition of state boun-|god of agreement, |
|Vulcan
|daries, smelting of metal|divine Smith |
|(Chiron)
|creating of civilizations| |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|VIRGO:
|agricultural development,|Mother-Earth,dying|
|Proserpine|taming animals, |and resurrecting |
|(Ceres)
|demarcation of casts |gods
of vegetation|
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|LEO:
|invention of wheels and |Solar
god, god of |
|Sun
|chariots, foundation of |disk
of Sun |
|
|empires | |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|CANCER:
|development of epos, |gods of the Moon |
|Moon
|conceiving traditions |and
motherhood |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|GEMINI:
|invention of writing,
|messenger of gods,|
|Mercury
|development of trade and |god of writing, |
|
|science, towns-states
|trickster, |
|
|
|cultural heros |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|TAURUS:
|penetration to nature,
|goddess of love |
|Venus
|cultural blossoming, |and
fertility, |
|
|wedlock establishment |Star
of Venus |
|----------+-------------------------+------------------|
|ARIES:
|affirmation of personal |gods
of war and |
|Mars
|rights over a tradition, |wisdom, shepherd, |
|
|coming to monotheism |leader
and pastor |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
* *
*
Studying universal archetypes of
different mythological traditions creates a fundamental basis for the
penetration of astrological knowledge. The signification of the individual
planet is really understood by a person only when it is fully perceived by his
psyche. A archetypical image serves as a key for our perception. If the image
is subjective, the key opens only the door of one's own flat, whereas the
mythological archetype serves as the master-key to the human psyche.
Myth offers something typical for
every person. "There is always a lot
of the mythical whithin the typical because anything as typical as myth is an
original pattern, an initial form of life, an out-of-time scheme, a formula
determined in ancient times, in which conscious life aspires to rediscover ever
present features of it's existence, and is thereby shaped." This was
said by Thomas Mann who was also interested in astrology. In the novel
"Joseph and his brothers" he even depicted the horoscope of Joseph,
using mythological names of Babylonias gods instead of the roman.
Astrological studies is closely
connected with the development of artistic associative thinking. One studding
this science, even remouved from concerns of artistic perception may happen to
dream bright images of planets. He may be astonished having recognized that the
subject of his vague dream was none other than... Jupiter in Pisces! But that
is quite natural: one's psyche having found in the archetype something of it's
own, reacts to it with a vibrant emotional response. Jung wrote that
archetypes, as constant universal elements of human nature, "when they become more definite for a person,
may be accompanied with alive emotional tunes... they are able to influence,
impress, inspire." The associative thinking which overcomes the domination of the left logical cerebral
hemisphere, leads to an integral perception of the world which reflects the
simultaneous work of the both hemispheres.
In the modern world the notion of
the universal is deprived of imaginative beauty and is connected with the word
of pure logic. But doesn't this mean that we are impoverished in comparison
with ancients, who didn't separate thinking about things from their sensual
perceptions? We simply ignore the phenomena that spoke to them constantly,
talking fairy tales. 'Amplifying' the role of archetype that Jung wrote about,
or the 'animistic' function of myth that the mythologist Taylor concentrated
on, connects the outer world with the inner reality of our psyche and permits
us to recognize it's richness.
Astromythology shows, that myths belong
to eternity and that is why they have not vanish into the past. Nowadays one
searches for the cradle of civilization in Atlantis or Tibet or in the
motherland of the heavens to prove that the original unity of mankind really
existed. But it is given to us in our thoughts, in our everyday astrological
participation in cosmic rhythms, and in the universality of myths through which
it is revealed. And ordinary people manifest archetypical qualities in their
day-to-day life: so as in the determination of their psychotypes even now the
ancient gods live.
ASTROLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE
MAIN IMAGES
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| sign |PISCES |AQUARUIUS |CAPRICORN |SAGITTARIUS |
|--------|source, |spirit, |substance,
|organization|
|region |depth |motion |restriction|expansion |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|ROME
|NEPTUNE |Diovis, |SATURN, |JUPITER |
| | |Janus |Vesta | |
| | | |
| |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|GREECE
|Poseidon,|URANUS
|Kronos, |Zeus, |
|
|Hydra, | |Gaea, |Artemis |
| |Nereus |
|titans | |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|EGYPT
|Nun, |Nut, |Geb, |Horus |
|
|Seth |Shu |Tatenen | |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|SEMITES |Yammu,
|Baalshamem,|El/Ylu,
|Balu/Baal |
|
|Leviathan| Sabaoth
|Yahweh | |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|MESOPO- |Tiamat,
|An, |Enki, |Marduk, |
|TAMIA
|Apsu |Enlil |Aruru |Teshub |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|IRAN |Apam
Nap-|Ahuramazda |Zervan,
|Zoroastre |
|
|at,Thrita| |Spandarmat
| |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|INDIA
|Apas,
|Dyaus,Vayu,|Prithivi,
|Indra, |
|
|Trita |Varuna, |Dharma, |Parjanya, |
|
|Chaya |Aditi |"rita" |Brihaspati |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|SLAVS
|rusalkas,|Svarog,
|Rod,Sud, |Perun |
|
|Vod'anoy,|Svyatovit |Chur | |
|
|Triglav | | | |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|BALTICS |Autrimps |Dievas, |Trimps
|Perkunas, |
| | |Ilma/Jumala| |Torum, Ukko |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|GERMA-
|Njord,Ir-|Tiw/Tyr
|Midgard, |Thor/Donar |
|NICS
|mundgand | |Jord | |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|CHINA
|Huntun |‘hian |Tai-Sui |Huang-Di |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|INDIANS |Mamacocha|Avonavilona|Izamna |Tlaloc, |
(american)
| | |Mixcoatl |
|--------+---------+-----------+-----------+------------|
|charac- |primary |clear
sky, |native land|head of pan-|
|teris- |chaos,
|creation of|creation of|theon, god |
|tics |fertile
|the world, |the people,|of thunder, |
| |waters,
|great fat- |time and
|fertile |
| |sacrifice|her, space,|fate,death,|rain,battle |
| |mystery
|retirement |offering
|with viper |
| | | |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
(table
continuing)
+-------------------------------------------------------+
|sign |SCORPIO |LIBRA |VIRGO |LEO |
|--------|potential,|culture,
|order,ful- |power, |
|region |trial
|mastering |filment |wholeness|
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|ROME
|Vejovis, |VULCANUS, |PROSERPINE, |SOL |
|
|Dispater |Quirin, |CERES, |Apollo |
|
|Orcus |Juno |Tellus | |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|GREECE
|PLUTO, |CHIRON, |Demeter, |Apollon, |
|
|Hades, |Hephaestus |Persephone, |Helios
|
|
|Erinyes | |Dike/Astraea | |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|EGYPT
|Osiris, |Ptah |Renenuteth, |Ra, |
|
|Anubis | |Neperi, Maat |Aton |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|SEMITES |Mutu,
|Kuthar wa |Adonis, |Shams, |
|
|Sheol |Khusas |Eshmun |Yarickbol|
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|MESOPO- |Ninurta,
|Ishum, |Dumuzi, |Utu, |
|POTAMIA |Ereshkigal|Hasamil |Telepinus
|Estan |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|IRAN
|Ahriman, |Mithra,Kava|Sura
Anahita |Hvarnah/ |
|
|Vala |Aryaman | |Farn |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|INDIA
|Vritra, |Mitra, |Sita, |Surya, |
|
|Mrityu, |Tvashtar, |Parvati |Savitar |
|
|Yama,Shiva|Ganesha | | |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|SLAVS
|Veles,
|Svarozhich,|Mat'-Syra-
|Dazhbog, |
|
|Morena, |Radogast, |Zeml'a, |Khors |
|
|Yascher |Semargl |Porevit | |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|BALTICS |Velnias,
|Kalvis, |Potrimps, |Saules,
|
|
|Patols |Ilmariinen
|Zemina |Usin's |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|GERMA-
|Hel, |Voelund, |Nerthus, |Sol, |
|NICS
|Ruttu |Heimdall |Baldr |Sunna |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|CHINA
|Diyu |Yu |Nu-Kua |Yan-Di |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|INDIANS |Tezcatli- |Quetzal- |Coatlique |Tonatiu, |
(american) poca
|coatl | |Sue |
|--------+----------+-----------+-------------+---------|
|charac- |subterra-
|treaty,law,|agriculture, |integrity|
|teris- |nean world| divine |dying and
|benefits,|
|tics |fertility | smith, |resurrecting,|disk ofi |
| |of bowels,| craft, |fulfillment
|the Sun, |
| |richness, |mastering |of law,
|chariot, |
| |cattle,de-| of fire, |purification |horses, |
| |struction,| helper of | |rivalry |
| |demons
|thunder god|
|with thun|
| |
| | |der god |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
(table continuing)
+----------------------------------------------+--------+
|CANCER |GEMINI
|TAURUS |ARIES |sign
|
|heredity, |mind,coor-
|nature, |struggle,
|--------|
|bearing |dination |life |person |region |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|LUNA,
|MERCURY, |VENUS, |MARS, |ROME |
|Diana
|Romulus and |Bona Dea,
|Bellona | |
|
|Remus |Maia | | |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Selene,
|Hermes, |Aphrodite,
|Ares, |GREECE |
|Leto
|Heracles |Eos, Eros,
|Athene, | |
|
| |charites |Pan
| |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Khonsu,
|Thoth, |Isis, |Amun-Montu|EGYPT |
|Taurt
|Seshat
|Apis,Hathor|Sekhmet | |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Yarikh,
|Melkarth, |Astarte, |Rashaph,
|SEMITES |
|Tinnit
|Taauth |Allahat |Anath
| |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Nanna,
|Nabu,Nisaba,|Ishtar,
|Nergal, |MESOPO- |
|Syn
|Gilgamesh |Inanna |Erra/Yarri|TAMIA |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Ila,
|Gayomart, |Nahid |Vishtasp, |IRAN |
|Haoma
|Karshiptar | |Veretragna| |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Soma,
|Ashvins, |Ushas, |Skanda, |INDIA |
|Sarasvati |Yama and |Laxmi,
|Pushan, | |
|
|Yami, Budha |Vishnu
|Rudra,Agni| |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Lel'a,
|Stribog, |Makosh, |Yarila,
|SLAVS |
|Mes'ats,
|Bayan |Lada, |Ruevit | |
|Kupava
| |Zhiva | | |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Meness
|Algis, |Austra, |Aitvaras
|BALTICS |
|
|Jumis |Laima | | |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Mani
|Loki, |Freia,Frigg,|
Odin/ |GERMA- |
|
|Tuisto |Eostre |
Wodan |NICS |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Chan-E
|Fu-Xi |Xi-Shen |Guan-Di
|CHINA |
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|Meztli,
|Ictomi
|Xochiqueatl|Agresqui, |INDIANS |
( Ix-chel
| | |Hiawatha |american)
|----------+------------+-----------+----------|--------+
|cycle of |messenger
of|morning |war, fire
|charac- |
|Moon,night|gods,trick- |star, dawn |element, |teris-
|
|light, |ster,trepas-|love,beaty,|wild natu-|tic |
|birth, |sing
taboos,|fecundity, |re, magic,| |
|animals, |language, |abundance,
|wisdom, | |
|motherhood|writing,
|main god- |shepherd,
| |
|drink of |trade,prede-|dess,
|commander,| |
|immortali-|cessors,cul-|natural |ideal
| |
|ty |tural heros |force |leader |
|
+----------------------------------------------+---------
MYTHOLOGICAL IMAGES OF
PLANETS IN THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC
The table characterizes the typical qualities of
planets in the signs according to particular images, each of which has it's own
history and salient features. It may help to enlarge upon concrete astrological
ideas.
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| | ARIES |TAURUS |GEMINI |CANCER |LEO |VIRGO |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|MARS | ARES |ANATH
| HERCU- |AITVARAS|RUDRA
|SEKHMET |
| | furious|warrior | LES |fears
|force |extermi-|
| | | | hero
| | |natrice
|
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|VENUS| CYBELE |BONA
DEA|FORTUNA |LAXMI |APHRO- |ISIS |
| | passion|benefits|luck
|happi- |DITE |fide- |
| | | | |ness |love |lity |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|MERU-| PROMET-|BUDHA |HERMES
|VACH |PHAETON|SESHAT |
|RY | HEUS |wise |messen-
|voice |daring |writing |
| |provisor| |ger | | | |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|MOON | YARIKH |SOMA |SARASVA-|LEL'A |DIANA |TSUKUYO-|
| |herald |immorta-|TI |baby |goddess|MI
cle- |
| | |lity |current
| | |aning |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|SUN | AMON
|SAVITAR |ASHVINS |SURYA
|RA |AMATE- |
| | unit |awake- |chariot |help |impe-
|RASU se-|
| | |ning
| | |rator |curing |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|CERES| ADONIS |TELLUS |RENENU- |PERSEPH-|DEMETER|SITA |
| | regene-|mother- |TET re- |ONE sac-|crops |furrow |
| | ration |earth |gulation|rifice
| | |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|CHI- |
MINERVA|TVASHTAR|QUETZAL-|QUIRIN
|PTAH |AESCULA-|
|RON | defence|
craft |COATL |communi-|mastery|PIUS |
| | | |culture |ty |
|curing |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|PLUTO| YAROVIT|SERAPIS
|YAMA |VELES |PLUTOS |ERESHKI-|
| | sprouts|fecondi-|trans-
|animals |plenti-|GAL |
| | |ty |gressor
| |ty |pitiless|
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|JUPI-| PERUN |THOR
|ZOROAST-|TLALOC |ZEUS |BALU
|
|TER | thunder|mighty
|RE new |rain |chief |ruler
of|
| | storm | |order
| |of gods|earth
|
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|SA- | YAHWEH |ROD | ENKI |VESTA | ILU
|SPANDAR-|
|TURN | guide |ances- | matter |hearth | judge |MATagri-|
| | |tor | | | |culture |
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|URA- | ADAD |CHIAN
|SHU se- |ADITI |BRAHMA |BAALSHA-|
|NUS | tempest|firma-
|paration|infinity|crea- |MEM host|
| | |nent |of
sky | |tion
of heaven|
|-----+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+--------|
|NEP- | YAMMU |ARDVISU-|PROTEUS |TRITA |OCEANUS|TEPHNUT |
|TUNE | revolt |RA fecon|changea-|well |world
|soaking |
| | |desourse|bility |
|waters | |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
(table continuing)
+--------------------------------------------------+-----+
|LIBRA
|SCORPIO|SAGITTA-|CAPRI- |AQUA- |PISCES | |
| | |RIUS |CORN |RIUS |
| |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|PAN |ERRA |ATHENA
|ODIN |AGNI |NERGAL |MARS |
|panic |feroci-|frank- |leader |element|overco-| |
| |ty |ness | | |ming | |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|LADA |EROS |ISHTAR
|FREIA |EOS |VISHNU |VENUS|
|wedlock |wish | star |hostess |dawn |ferti- | |
| | | | |
|lity |
|
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|FU-XI |ANUBIS |NABU |THOTH
|LOKI |YMIR |MER-
|
|arranger|guide |know- |calcula-|tricks-|duality|KURY |
| |of soul|ledge |tion |ter |
| |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|MENESS |LILITH |ARTEMIS
|HEKATE |SELENE |NANNA |MOON
|
|change |demon |hunter |magic |clear-
|appre- | |
| | | | |ness
|hension| |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|APPOLO |TONATIU|HVARN |ATUM
|HELIOS |UTU |SUN
|
|art |light |reign |recess |omnis-
|protec-| |
| |fordead| | |cience |tion | |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|DIKE |ERINYS |TELEPI-
|MAAT |NISABA |DIONY- |CERES|
|fairness|venge- |NUS dis-|just
|science|SIUS ve|
|
| |ance |order |
| |getatio| |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|HEPHAES-|VOELUND|MITHRA
|TERMIN |ILMARI-|PAN-GU |CHI- |
|TUS |libera-|treaty |terminal|NEN
in-|dissi- |RON |
|skilful |tion | |
|vention|pation | |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|KUBERA | HADES |OSIRIS |DIS
|SHIVA | MUTU |PLUTO|
|treasure| hell |subter- |anti-god|destruc| death | |
|keeper | |rean so-| |tor | |
|
| | |vereign
| | | | |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|HUANG-DI|INDRA |MARDUK |HORUS
|DYAUS | BRIHA-|JUPI-|
|center |winner |father
|height |day | SPATI |TER |
| |of evil|of gods |
|light |
priest| |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|DHARMA |PATOLS |KRONOS |GEB
|ZERVAN |GAEA |SA-
|
|law |tramp- |despot
|demiurge|time
|pati- |TURN
|
| |ling | | | |ence |
|
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
|JANUS |ENLIL |AHURA-
|SABAOTH |AN | VARUNA|URA- |
|two- |wind-so|MAZDA |world
|far | cosmic|NUS
|
|faces |vereign|superior|founder | | anarch| |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------|-----+
| NOAH |TIAMAT
|POSEIDON|NJORD |APAS | NUN
|NEP- |
|
ark |substa-|sea sou-|depth
|univers| primar|TUNE |
| |nse |vereign | |alwater| chaos | |
+--------+-------+--------+--------+-------+-------+-----+
One can view a horoscope through the picture of planet's characteristics to restore links with integrity of mythological thought and to pay attention to the immutable features of human nature.
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