Aries – The Capture of the Man-Eating Mares
Diomedes, the son of Mars, owned a large number of brood mares. These mares ran wild throughout the countryside, creating terror wherever they went. Living on human flesh, they were devastating. Worse then this though, was the fact they were breeding large numbers of warhorses. And had eluded all previous efforts to be caught.
Eurystheus, the King of Argos, ordered Hercules to capture the mares as his first labor. Hercules chose to take his friend, Abderis with him and together then went to round the mares up. They were successful and, filled with Joy, Hercules left Abderis in charge of them while he ran to tell the king. Abderis couldn’t hold them and got trampled to death.
Hercules eventually rounds up the mares again but is grieved for the loss of his friend, making his first labor only a partial success.
This is the sign of initiation, of commencement. The spark plug that starts the engines of desire. The urge to Create. The Power that Begins a cycle of Birth.
Hercules rushes in with bravado, initiative and impulse…
The mares symbolize our unbridled mind, the feminine side of our mental nature that gives birth to ideas and concepts, our imaginations. Which if let loose without Wisdom often leads to ill chosen actions, wrongly spoken words and disasters.
Hercules gives control of the wild mares to Abderis, who represents his human self but it takes Hercules, his ‘Soul’s Glory’ and Abderis working together, to hold the mares.
On one level, the tone of Aries carries with it the tone of Mars. Hercules takes his stand, a warrior, the pioneering and adventuring spirit characteristic of this sign.
On another level, the tone of Aries carries with it the tone of Mercury. Aries rules the head; it is a mental sign. Our Soul is called the Thinker. Everything originates in thought. The word ‘man’ comes from the Sanskrit root ‘manas’, which means ‘to think’.
Mercury, as messenger of God, bridges that which is above with that which is below. Mercury symbolizes all levels of Mind but is not so much active in our concrete mind due to the influence of Mars upon it. Hercules rushed in to conflict and do battle with the mares. Was fooled by his pride into thinking them defeated and, ended up killing his friend. This is the legacy of the mares. They live off human flesh and breed warhorses when left to run wild, devastating the countryside.
The more reasoning and abstract side of our Mind and at its highest levels, symbolize our Intuition and ‘pure’ Reason. Pure reason would be the state where there are no conflicts or contradictions in our thought processes, no separations between aspects or parts of ourselves. No longer struggling over the choice of either a Child of God OR a Child of Man for they have merged and become One. AND. Hercules and Abderis working in Unity to tame and guide the wild mares.
“The Will of the Father is Mine” would be saying the same thing, conveying the same idea. We can let our imaginations and emotions run wild with devastating and destructive effects to ourselves and life in general or, we can reign them in. We can rule them; govern them. Accept the reins of Sovereignty over our inner kingdom and tame the mares with fresh apples and sugar cubes.
When Perseus, another son of god and a son of man passed through this first gate, his task was in the form of slaying Medusa. Again, the head is emphasized, symbolizing that it is the nature of scattered thoughts and rampant emotions to be the bane of men.
The Tarot card that best represents this essence of Aries, is the Magician. One hand points up, to above, indicating Creation begins with an idea, a thought. The other hand points down, to below. Indicating that all matter is servant to thoughts and ideas. I add that quantum physicists are now coming to this same realization themselves, as it concerns the operation of the Unified Quantum Field.
His enthusiasm somewhat subdued by his partial success, Hercules proceeds through to the second gate.
Taurus – The Capture of the Cretan Bull
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