The deeds of the Greek heroes and gods were amazing. Their myths are not just beautiful; but deep. Nevertheless, we have to go beyond the mere symbols and find the truth hidden in the tales. We need to understand the meaning of those symbols. Let's study the gods of
the Olympus and the great heroes: Hercules, Perseus, Theseus, Jason,etc.
I love Greek mythology for many
reasons:
- It
is relatively easy to understand.
- It
is colorful.
- It
is beautiful.
- Etc.
Maya and Aztec myth are more
complex. They are under a different code and way. It is a shame that Spaniards
burnt many codex and books from the Mayas and Aztecs.
The Inca’s wisdom is almost totally
lost. Their myths are echoes from a great past. I cannot believe they did not
have books or codex or something where we can read their deeds. It is said they
did not know how to write, but… How can be a civilization without writing? I
certainly do not think so. I prefer to believe their writing was lost somehow.
Indian myths are complex too,
but they are great. The story of Rama, for Example, cannot be taken in a
literal way, but it is amazing.
The Nordic myths are awesome too. I
love Thor; he is my favorite Nordic hero and god.
All these ancient heroes and gods
were awesome. They did not come out from mere imagination or fiction. They came
out from real people who wrote their lives in a mythological way. Ancient
wisdom was not for everyone, but for those prepared to receive it. So, a
special language was invented, in order to protect that wisdom and to preserve
it. That way anyone can read it, but not everyone can understand it.
One day things will be really
different. Humanity will look for wisdom and wisdom will be there waiting for
them. One day a Golden age will come back once more. We are in Kaly Yuga, the
Dark Age, and something must happen to change the way we see life and the
universe.
Please read my article: THE FOUR YUGAS or THE MAYAS AND 2012.
THE GODS OF THE OLYMPUS.
Yes, they were TWELVE as
the Roman gods and the disciples of Jesus, who spread the PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE,
the path of the humble heart. The chakra of the heart is the ANHATA CHAKRA and
it has twelve petals. NO! It is not a coincidence!
THE OLYMPIANS WERE AND ARE:
GREEKS
|
ROMANS
|
ZEUS
|
JUPITER
|
HERA
|
JUNO
|
POSEIDON
|
NEPTUNE
|
DEMETER
|
CERES
|
DYONISUS
|
BACCHUS
|
APOLLO
|
PHOEBUS
|
ARTEMIS
|
DIANA
|
HERMES
|
MERCURY
|
ATHENA
|
MINERVA
|
ARES
|
MARS
|
APHRODITE
|
VENUS
|
HEPHAESTUS
|
VULCAN
|
Let’s try to understand some of
those great heroes and gods.
THE GREAT HERCULES.
He was also known as HERACLES. He is
depicted as a really strong man with big muscles, but all that is only
symbolic. It represents a spiritual strength rather than a physical strength.
Well, you might wonder why the other heroes were not depicted in the same way.
Actually all of them were strong, bold, etc. But each of them had a different
personality and different abilities. Hercules was depicted as a really strong
man just to represent his most outstanding ability.
He is depicted as a very confused
man too. Sometimes he even got drunk
or did foolish mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes is when he killed his own
sons because he was deceived. That mistake made him to repent and fulfill THE
TWELVE DEEDS.
Finally he committed suicide jumping
into a pyre. How can a suicidal person become a hero and then being received in
the Olympus? No way! That is a meaning that I will explain later… Remember:
Samson, the great biblical judge and hero, committed suicide too… Keep reading
if you want to know the meaning.
HERACLES was one year old when HERA
brought two serpents to kill him. But he, the son of Zeus, was already mighty
and he killed both serpents. Without the understanding of the meaning of the
serpent the meaning of this is lost.
The serpent is a symbol of the
energy. Let’s remember that energy vibrates, in other words, it moves like the
serpent. The serpent is a symbol of the Kundalini. You will find a link to
check a more completed the meaning of the serpent on the bottom.
This short starting has a great
meaning. We cannot take it literally; there is not way an infant that age could
do something like that. No, not even the son of Zeus. Nevertheless, it has a
very interesting meaning. What is it? Simple: It is a beautiful representation
of the control of the energies, the serpents. Those are the serpents of the
Caduceus of mercury. They are Ida and Pingala, the channels that move aside of
the shuhunna channel, where the Kundalini is.
When we lack understanding of every
single culture and their symbols then the knowledge is not complete and the
meaning is lost.
Why Hercules is depicted as a fool
man sometimes? Why is he drunk sometimes? We have another simple way to explain
it. Maya is illusion in the tradition of India. Maya makes us to forget the
reason of life, the objective of the universe and nature. As a result we get
drunk with all the things of the world: We get trapped into negative emotions
and thoughts. We get d by technology, by fears, by dreams, etc. Being drunk is
a representation of lack of conscience.
Ancient philosophy is based on the
Maya Illusion. People are not awake of what they do. People are drunk.
Remember: Quetzalcoatl, the great Plumed Serpent, he got drunk with his wife
and the outcome was the expulsion from Tula.
We need to be strong as Hercules and
the ancient heroes to defeat MAYA, ILLUSION. Living in this stage makes us to
make problems and to suffer. HAPPINESS CANNOT BE ACHIEVED AS LONG AS WE ARE
SLAVE OF THIS SYSTEM OF THINGS AND BELIEFS.
Hercules made many mistakes before
completing his twelve LABOURS. Those labours were
needed in order to be purified and to become a real hero.They represent the
fight against oneself: Weakness, fears, passions, desires, etc.
THE TWELVE LABOURS:
1> THE
NEMEAN LION.
2> THE
LEMAEAN HYDRA
3> THE
GOLDEN HIND OF ARTEMIS
4> THE
ERYMANTHIAN BOAR.
5> THE
AUGEAN STABLES.
6> THE
STYMPHALIAN BIRDS.
7> THE
CRETAN BULL.
8> THE
MARES OF DIOMEDES.
9> THE
GIRDLE OF HIPPOLYTA.
10> THE CATTLE OF THE
MONSTER GERVON
11> THE APPLE OF
HESPERIDES.
12> CERBERUS.
Heracles fulfilled all these labours with success. Remember: The chakra of the hear has 12 petals. These labours represents the development of love, not human love, but divine love.
After all these tasks he made a pyre and he jumped into the fire. Great symbol of self-sacrifice. Do not forget that the fire is the symbol of the Cosmic Intelligence. Yes, the same fire Moses saw in the burning Bush, the same fire all cultures worshiped using the symbol of the sun. Please check INTI THE GOLDEN SUN OF THE INCAS for a better understanding about this subject, link at the bottom. That self-sacrifice was represented with Samson when he killed himself in order to kill his enemies. Those enemies are within our own mind: Negative thoughts and negative emotions.
PERSEUS A GREAT HERO.
Here we have another great hero. He
had to defeat himself too. His tasks were different, but they represent the
same. Obviously, Medusa is the representations of our fears, passions and
weakness. Peseus had to defeat Medusa in order to defeat the Kraken (Destiny).
The prize was ANDROMEDA (Love).
Perseus, like Moses, was taken from the waters; actually that is what Moses means. This Greek hero was living in an island till he was able to go back and fight for his kingdom. That was his destiny, that is our real destiny. Yes, we were born to be kings, but we are still living in that little island thinking that is life. We most realize that we have to be free and go away form that island limited by our regular ideas and human dreams.
The destiny of men is already written, but we can change it. Destiny can be defeated and therefore we can write our own destiny, only if we defeat ourselves. Passion, fear, weakness are part of any regular person. When you overcome desire then you get self-control. When you defeat fear you become bold. When you overcome your weakness you get strength. Those are the marvelous virtues needed to change your destiny.
Do not ever forget that Perseus got some gifts from the gods: A sword, a shield, a helmet, an owl. The sword is the capacity to fight as a warrior. The shield is the enlightenment state which protects you against MAYA (Illusion). The helmet is intelligence, so needed to be a real Master. The owl is wisdom. The sword and the shield go together. Wisdom and intelligence go together.
THESEUS THE CHAMPION.
Perseus and Theseus have similar stories. Both became kings after they fulfilled their tasks. Theseus found his sword under a rock. That rock is the symbol of the problems that we need to face to become warriors. That sword is the ability to fight and overcome weakness, fear and passion. That horrible bull, he had to kill, is the representation of all what make us simple human beings. The Crete's labyrinth is our mind.
MEDITATION IS THE TECHNIQUE TO FACE THAT BULL, SO WE CAN BE FREE FROM FEAR, WEAKNESS AND DESIRE. ACTUALLY, BUDDHA TAUGHT: ALL SUFFERING COMES FROM DESIRE. Mara was the representation of desire in Buddhism.
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS.
Jason had to assemble a team of great warriors, including Heracles, to achieve his mission: BRING THE GOLDEN FLEECE. They built a nice ship called Argo and they were named the Argonauts.
That voyage represents the traveling
of our own life through different situations and problems. LIFE WITHOUT
PROBLEMS WOULD BE REALLY BORING. HUMAN NATURE NEEDS CHALLENGES. ANY PROBLEM IN
LIFE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEFEAT OUR WAEKNESS, TO BECOME SMARTER AND TO GAIN
STRENGTH.
Those who fail in that voyage fall into the waters and get drowned. We have to fulfill our real destiny, not the regular destiny under the waters. We need to set sails and get to the other shore, as Buddha taught. When we get to the other shore, we get out of the waters and get into the promise land to get the Golden Fleece and become real kings of our own nature.
The Argonauts got into THE ISLE OF LEMNOS. Right there all they got into temptation with women, Just Hercules did not. He actually made them go away from the island. The problem is not getting into a temptation, the problem is to stop the voyage, as long as you can then fight. Real warriors do not pay attention to a mistake, but to their goal.
KING CYZICUS AND THE GEGEINES.
Jason and his warriors arrived to
the land of king Cyzicus and the Doliones. They were received with good
manners. The king send them to the land beyond the Bear Mountain.
THE CLASHING ROCKS!
This is a very important part in
this myth. Jason needs to get the Golden Fleece, but he has to pass through the
Clashing Rocks. Did you hear of the Philosopher’s Stone? Did you know about
Moses touching a stone to give water to the people in the desert?
Wait! Let’s go back. Before the
Clashing Rocks the Argonauts arrived to Thrace to see Phineus of Salmydessus.
Phineus was punished by Zeus. Why? It is said Phineus revealed the future to
mankind and Zeus did not like that. The punishment: Harpies (Half women and
half bird like creatures) were talking his food day by day. He took advantage
of the Argonauts making a deal. The deal: kill the Harpies and Phineus will
tell them where to get the Golden Fleece. I think this was a pretty descent and
fair deal.
Yes, Jason and the Argonauts
fulfilled the deal. So the Phineus told them to go beyond the Clashing Rock,
BUT THEY WOULD NEED THE HELP OF A GOD TO PASS THROUGH. Jason said they had not
more the favor of the gods. So he was given an amulet. Thanks to that amulet
they passed the trial of the Clashing Rocks. In other version, Jason was given
a dove; if the dove pass through the Clashing Rocks then Jason would pass
thought too, if not he would fail. But the dove passed through and Jason too.
(Picture on the right: JASON
ET MEDEE)
COLCHIS
(Modern black Sea, coast of Georgia)
The Argonauts finally arrived to
COLCHIS. Jason went to talk to King Aeetes to ask for the Fleece. The king
accepted o give him the Fleece is he was able to fulfill three tasks. Jason was
really disappointed. Medea, the king's daughter, felt in love and that is the
reason she helped Jason.
The first Task was to plow a field full of oxen, which breath fire. Medea make an ointment to protect him from fire of the oxen. The second task was to bring some dragon's teeth to a field. Some warriors came out from them. Medea told Jason how to defeat them. Our hero threw a big rock in the midst of the army. The final task was to defeat the guardian of the golden fleece, the sleepless dragon of seven heads. Here again Medea comes to rescue Jason. She gave him, according to one version, some herbs to put the beast to sleep. Another version indicates she was singing and the dragon was put to sleep.
Jason and Medea sailed away back to Lolcus with the Golden Fleece.
What happened when he returned? What is the meaning of this voyage?
THE RETURN OF JASON:
Jason arrived, after
many problems, o give the Golden Fleece to Pelias, but Jason got a plan to kill
him. Medea said she could give Pelias more years of life. His daughters ask the
recipe. They were told to kill their father and cook him with some herbs, so he
could resurrect. They did so, but he did not come back to life. Acastus, son of
Pelias, sent Jason and Medea to exile to Corinth.
It is said Jason got engage with Creusa or Glauce, as referred in some versions. She was the daughter of the king of Corinth. Medea became really mad when she found out about the engagement. She brought a course dress to Creusa for the wedding. The dress got stuck to Glauce and it got fire burning Creusa alive. Jason looked for Medea after he was told of the incident, but she was gone.
Later Jason defeated Acastus and recovered the throne. But he died a lonely and unhappy. Why? Because he lost Hera's favor, that was the prize of betraying Medea. Yes, it is a sad ending, but it is a great meaning.
THE MEANING OF JASON AND
THE ARGONAUTS:
HERCULES, JASON,
PERSEUS, THESEUS, ETC. WERE ZEUS SONS. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER. THEY
WERE HALS HUMANS AND HALF GODS. THEY REPRESENT THE HEROES WITHIN YOURSELF. WE
ALL HAVE A DIVINE NATURE, BUT WE ARE TRAPPED INTO THIS HUMAN NATURE.
These great heroes were
made of flesh and bones as you and me. All their deeds are symbolic deeds. All
those fights, were not fought in the fisical world, but in the inner world. The
same battle Buddha had against Mara and his demons.
We all have this divine nature, the Buddha Nature, but we are trapped into this human system. Regular people are not alive, they are just fighting to live, they are just surviving.
THE GOLDEN FLEECE REPRESENTS THE MAIN GOAL: RECOVERING YOUR DIVINE NATURE OR AWAKINING INTO THE REALM OF REAL HUMANS.
The greatest temptation for any man is a woman. MEN ARE REALLY WEAK IN FRONT OF A WOMAN, SPECIALLY IF SHE IS VERY SEXY AND ATTRACTIVE. That was the first trial in THE ISLE OF LEMNOS. They all fail, but Hercules. He was a real hero who brought the Argonauts back into the voyage.
Those Clashing Rocks are the symbol of hard trials and the patience to pass them. The Philosopher’s Stone represents the power of defeating oneself in the ocean of life. The dove is a sacred Christian symbol, it represents the Holy Spirit. The dove, as we all know, represents peace too. So that dove is the power of a peaceful heart: a heart full of LOVE AND COMPASSION.
Yes! Only a hero with a heart full
of love and compassion can endure the trials of the Clashing Rocks. Just
someone like Moses can make a rock to give water. Obviously, it is not a
literal story, but a symbolic one as always. We need to take the water from the
rock! The water gives life, but it comes after working with the hard rock, the
Clashing rocks.
Medea helped Jason
to fulfill the tasks given by King Aeetes. Here we see clearly how love is the
main ingredient to fulfill the most dangerous and hard trials. Love comes after
a person pass through all the basic trials. Passion is the opposite to love.
The first one is a poison, which can become an obsession; the latter is a magic
source of abundance and happiness.
THE THREE TRIALS GIVEN
BY KING AEETES:
- The field full of
oxen, which breath fire, is the work needed to defeat the inner passion. The
horrible power of desire was always depicted as fire. The flames of desire burn
the hearts of humanity. The brave ones face that trial learning to love beyond
human limits.
- The warriors who came out from the
Dragon's teeth are the demons of Mara in the Buddha's tale. allof them
represents our negative thoughts and negative emotions.
- The Dragon, the guardian of the
Golden Fleece, is supreme purification.
Jason could not be able to fulfill
these tasks without the help of Medea, LOVE.
The triumphant Jason returned with
the golden Fleece, but his happiness and victory did not endure too long.
Yes! He betrayed Medea, love, and
therefore he had to pay the consequences. He lost the favor of Hera and he die
lonely. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW GREAT YOU ARE, HOW SMART YOU ARE OR HOW BOLD YOU
ARE IF YOU HAVE NOT LOVE IN YOUR HEART.
WE ALL MOST FIGHT FOR OUR DREAMS,
BUT WE MOST KEEP OUR LOVE. LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS NOT LIFE.
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