I dedicate this post to {{Simon}}, who worries he isn’t shifting fast enough…
When a certain idea keeps coming to me from all sides, repeatedly, it is one of the ways I am to “know” that I am being ~prodded~, goaded even, to speak, when I really don’t want to. (My own human self, getting in My way.)
Lately, one of the issues has been the issue of discernment. So long as there are those of us working on this issue, there will be lies and deceivers, for they are the polar ‘opposites’ of us when we do not know how to discern truth from illusion. Lies and gullibility are two sides to the same coin, two ends to the same rubber band.
Discernment happens to be the 3rd labor of Hercules. It’s rather an involved labor. After the 1st labor of reining in our horses, The Capture of the Man-Eating Mares, establishing mental discipline and, the 2nd labor of riding our bull of desire over to the Temple of our Soul, The Capture of the Cretan Bull, comes the labor of discernment: the Golden Apples of Hesperides.
This is the labor of bringing the two poles of our being together. Coordinating, synthesizing, integrating and, creating a state of at-one-ment between our Soul and our Personality, so that duality gives way to Unity and all pairs of opposites are blended, are seen as ends of the same rubber band. The apples are symbols of the all inclusive nature of Spirit, how all are nurtured by the same Tree of Life.
In the story there were 3 apples, symbolizing Instinct, Intellect and Intuition. The 3 layers of Mind. It takes Intellect, a conscious act of Will, to overcome Instinct, which was the lesson of labors 1 & 2.
But it is still Instinct that is activating the Law of Attraction…that is riding our desire nature (the bull) and, causing our fear inducing perceptions (our horses running wild with us). Until this pattern is overcome, through the Discernment of Intuition. The 3rd labor is to register contact with Spirit in waking consciousness and recognize its qualities.
In the story, Hercules is to get the Golden Apples, which grow on the Tree of Wisdom, a sacred tree of great renown. The tree and its fruit were said to have been a Gift from Divine Mother, the unconditional support structure of Her Garden of Eden. The fame and tale of these sweet fruits had been told far and wide, luring many sons of man and Sons of God over time.
He was told 3 things about his labor. First, that the way would be long. Second, that the tree was well guarded by three beautiful maidens, who were in turn guarded by a dragon with 100 heads. And third, to guard himself well from strength too great for him and wiles beyond his comprehension.
He was also told that on his search he would meet with 5 tests, each with Insight upon where the fruits of Wisdom could be found. As with each of us, at this stage of our enlightenment are in search of 5 things: we have not what is called “a translation faculty of the Presence”, for we do not yet posses the privilege and the prerogative. We may claim to believe in the Reality of a Soul, in the possibility of being Whole and Complete, in a journey of self discovery and self realization but belief has not been turned into Knowledge of the Spiritual Realms in terms of genuine “knowing”. Glamour still rules our minds.
Off Hercules goes, passing through the third gate and, headed north, symbol for the direction of Spirit. He went far and wide, questioning everyone everywhere he went. Coming back to where he started before the gate, time and time again. No one knew where the sacred tree grew. No one knew where to find the golden apples. Discouraged and deflated of his early bravado, Hercules still trudged on.
Out of Compassion, he was sent some aid: Nereus, son of the God of Fresh Waters, son of Neptune, known as “the Ancient of the Sea”. He was not only wise but, capable of assuming many forms. Just as our Spirit, when first contacted, in the early stages of our journey will come to us as a flash of illumination, an “Aha!” moment, a sudden realization, then disappear. Its Wisdom fleeting and illusive, like a hint dropped into our awareness when we have stilled our emotions.
Time and time again Nereus contacted Hercules, in varying forms using various words of Truth, but Hercules ignored him, not recognizing him for who he was. Wise was he and deep in the Wisdom of a Son of God but Hercules was blind and could not see. His answers were always in the form of hints of things to Hercules, leaving him with only a vague idea of what to do and where he needed to go. He did finally impress upon him the way before him was to turn south.
He had his high moment, when he transcended his ‘human’ consciousness and experienced communion with his Spirit, but it did not last.
Failure marking the 1st of the tests, in the darkness of his own ignorance, Hercules continued his search. Having found no sacred tree in the north, Hercules turns and heads south, symbolic of going back into the world, the opposite pole of Spirit.
Where he immediately ran into Antaeus the Serpent, son of the God of Salt Water, son of Poseidon and, the Earth. There is significance in the distinction between fresh water and salt water. One is conducive and supportive of life if swallowed, the other isn’t. One represents Truth, the other, illusions. Hercules wrestled with the Serpent but it overcame him at every turn. “He must guard the tree”, Hercules imagined, “I must be close. All I have to do is break his strength and then get the fruits.” But he wrestled with all his strength and could not conquer.
“Why do I fail?” he cried. “As an infant I destroyed a serpent from my crib. I strangled it with my own hands. What is wrong with me now?”
Finally, he grasped it with both hands and lifted it up in the air. And the deed was done, the Serpent vanquished. Antaeus, momentarily defeated spoke: “I will meet you again in another guise when you come through the 8th gate” and, disappeared.
The Serpent Antaeu symbolizes the serpent of glamour, especially what we call “astral” glamour. Glamour of this kind includes all aspects of what we call “psychic”. It is with the lower aspects of this “psychism” that Hercules has to wrestle with, as in our early stages so do we, for the glamour is very powerful to our untrained minds and attracts each and every single one of us. At this stage, we are ill equipped to verify in any way, what we see, hear or sense. Like Hercules, many of us wrestle with this Serpent for a long time, before we learn how to lift it up to the Light of Illumination.
Earth being Antaeus’ Mother, he draws all his strength from her. So when he becomes disconnected from her, he looses all his power. This tells us that the source of the Serpent’s strength is the Vanity of our Personality. The air has also always been a symbol of what is called the “buddhic” plane or “Christ” plane of activity. When we (rein in our horses) to seek the single eye of illumination (ride the bull to the temple), then our mind in filled with Light and all glamour is seen for what it Is. Truth is revealed. Glamour vanquished. Becoming both immune and invincible to it at the same time.
Simply a change in our perspective can work miracles when it comes to the way we feel.
Essentially, fear and excitement feel the same. What we choose to qualify what we feel, depends entirely on our perspective of expectation…whether we expect ‘good’ or ‘bad’. From the ‘buddhic’ or the Christ way of looking at things, there is NO ‘bad’. Every moment in Life is a Present, a Gift of experience. How Grateful are we for our Presents? How much do we love Life?
“Glamour” is composed of all of our ideas that the Love of God or Spirit, is Conditional. That there are limits to an Absolute’s absolute-ness. Any and all of our ideas based on separation, based upon being separate from Spirit at any moment. It is any and all of the realities we live in our heads based on supposed ‘spiritual’ exclusiveness. Like good/bad are based upon the perception of exclusiveness. As in “Heaven” and “Hell”, “the chosen” and “the unchosen”. Like contradictions, conflict and competition are all based upon the perception of different ‘parts’. Like categories and qualifications are all based on the idea of separation, as well as, being end results of a thinking process called “anal-ysis”, which is best referred to as Hindsight.
While the “view” of Spirit is One of Unity and Equanimity and the thought process of Unity awareness is that of Synthesis.
Ideas of polarity and duality and all the emotions that go with them, all our dreams and all our dramas based upon being superior or exalted above others, all our dramas based on fear and doubts about being loved and accepted, are what make up the substance of the ‘astral’ planes of Glamour.
Rising above it all, is the basis of this story. The “two who are one”. The son of man who is also a Son of God. The Reconciliation of the Divine Brothers. The symbolism behind the sign “Gemini”. The tale has been told over and over and over. Castor & Pollux. Romulus & Remus. Cain and Abel. Christ and Lucifer. Symbolizing the two aspects of our nature, our Soul or Spirit and, our Personality.
In getting back to my story, the 2nd test met and overcome victoriously, Hercules proceeds along his search. Feeling renewed strength through confidence he turns and heads west, where he runs straight into his 3rd test in the form of Busiris, the great Arch Deceiver, another relative of the god of salt water, Poseidon. It his role to bring delusion to the minds of the sons of men by posing as a teacher, a spiritual authority. He has a quickness to his speech and speaks words like ‘accept what I tell you”, “I am the authority. I have been chosen to know the secrets withheld from others.” “Stay with me and be Saved.”
Hercules obeyed, the invitation so gracious, and weakened daily, his strength slowly sapped by the sweet words of deceit. He slowly surrendered his will and his Mind over to Busiris, day by day and, came to accept him as teacher and guide. Busiris made great claims of himself, claims that he was a custodian of the truth and could lead Hercules into the Light, that he could show him the way. Hercules loved and adored Busiris and accepted everything he said without question. Until one day his beloved teacher bound him in chains upon an altar and kept him bound there for one year, as his slave and captive.
Busiris is anyone of us making claims of being an authority figure, superseding the authority of the Presence within our own Hearts. It is anyone who tells us to look to them instead of to look within. It is anyone who seeks to chain and bind us to them through our own ignorance, need or self-denial. Truth or Wisdom only extended for a price of sacrificing personal Sovereignty to them.
This includes the roles of Pastor, Pope, Priest, Guru, Minister, Rabbi, Initiate and Shaman, to name a few. Believing in that authority over us, means we have temporarily forgotten we are ‘Hera-kles’ or our ‘Soul’s Glory”, that we are also Sons of God.
These Busiris figures in our lives claim to be custodians of the Truth, somehow and for some reason, withheld from others. They bolster their position and image with promises and build strong Personality relationships catering to our vanities. They also use the genuine sincerity of others in seeking the Truth to bind them to them, making them appear greater by way of satellites in orbits around them.
No son of man who also knows himself to be a Son of God will make any other promise then to say: “There are steps. Steps all the “saints” and “Masters of Wisdom” have always taken. If you but try and have endurance, trust and patience, the goal will be yours, too.”
At the end of a year, when Hercules was struggling to free himself, all of a sudden he remembered something Nereus had said to him: “Truth lies within yourself. There is the highest strength and Wisdom within your self. Turn inwards and invoke the strength, which Is, the Power, which is the heritage of every Son of God.”
Silently he lay in waiting, for just the right opportunity, then with the strength that belongs to all Sons of God, he broke free of his chains, seized the false teacher by the throat and bound him to the altar in his place. And left him there, without speaking a word, to learn the same lesson.
He freed himself, as do all sincere seekers, having freed our selves from the worlds of fake spiritual teachings and psychic glamour. Hercules had passed the 3rd test. Notice that the tests so far, may appear to be laced with discouragement, delay, deceit and failure however; Hercules was rapidly learning the language of his own Soul.
He was wandering on his way, mulling over the lessons in Wisdom he had learned over the past year, spent prone upon that altar, when he heard a moan of deep distress. The intensity of the cry tore at his very Soul. In the distance over a huge rock, he saw vultures circling, near to where the cries and moans were coming from. Hercules was torn with indecision. He had already lost a year and felt a need for haste. He did not like the idea of another delay. But again the cries burst forth and his mind was made up. He bolted into a run to help whoever it was needed aid.
He found Prometheus, another son of God, an older brother, chained to a rock, suffering the agonies of vultures picking away at his liver, which symbolized being tortured by vultures of old ways and old desires. When Hercules broke the binding chain and freed Prometheus, he freed himself from the vultures of selfish desire that had been eating away at him, too. He gave up being selfish and gave up on only satisfying himself and his desires. Cooperation was the Key to World Service. Genuine Initiates were too busy serving the Whole of Man, to spend much time drawing interest to themselves for validation of Vanities and self-aggrandizement.
Hercules then chased away the vultures and took his time tending the sick man. When Prometheus was recovered, with much loss of time, Hercules went again on his way. He had passed the 4th test. The test of Service. In beginning to recognize the Spiritual Presence within him self, he also started recognizing it within all others, too. Any help he extended towards another, hastened his own realization.
He went on, searching for the sacred tree everywhere: north, south, east and west. Finally one day when he was almost totally worn out by fear and travel, he heard a rumor from a passerby that the tree was to be found near a distant mountain. On a bright sunny day he looked east and found what he had been looking for, the highest mountains. He hurried on his way, imagining victory would shortly be in his grasp. “I will vanquish the dragon”, he thought, “and then charm the fair maidens right out of their fruits.”
But again, a sight that disturbed him down to the very depths of his Soul stopped him. He had almost reached the top of the summit of the highest mountain when he turned a corner and came face to face with Atlas, another older brother, another Son of God, too. He saw Atlas but Atlas did not see him, for his back was bowed by the weight of the World upon his shoulders. He staggered under the load, his eyes closed in agony.
Hercules stood there literally shaking, taking in the whole scene. He watched, gauging the weight and size of the load of pain. All thought of his search had left his mind. The quest for the sacred tree, the fair maidens and their apples faded completely away from his thoughts. The only ideas in his head were those of how to aid the giant as soon as possible.
He rushed forward and lifted the load off Atlas, placing the weight of the World on his shoulders instead. He clinched his eyes shut, mentally bracing himself for the weight and pain of the load of the World, when suddenly the load rolled off and disappeared. Both he and Atlas stood free.
Atlas, now free, goes to the Garden of Hesperides, has no trouble with the 100 headed glamour dragon and with the enthusiastic help of the fair maidens, brings the apples to Hercules, who now also stands free, having passed the 5th and final test. With Love, he hands them to Hercules.
Then the maidens step forward with still more golden apples, symbolizing three aspects of his own Divinity. They each symbolize the potency of a Divine Principal.
The 1st Maiden, Aegle, presses her apple into Hercules’ hand saying, “The way to Us is always marked with Deeds of Love. Of extending ourselves for the Joy of the extension, requiring no conditions.” She represents the Glory of Life and the Splendor of the setting sun: the magnificence in manifesting on the physical plane.
Then the 2nd Maiden, Erytheia, steps up and presses her apple into Hercules’ hand. Inscribed in the apple is one golden word: Service. “Remember this”, she said, “Forget it not.” Erytheia represents the keeper of the gate of our Soul, which is always opened with a key of Loving-Wisdom: Intelligence illuminated by the Light of our Soul, through our Intuition. “Always embraces all ways.”
Lastly, Hesperis, the 3rd Maiden steps up. She represents the evening star, the star of Initiation and symbolizes Willpower. She says with great Clarity and Love to Hercules, “Tread the Way. For all World Servers from now on. Body, Soul and Spirit; Intelligence, Love and Will.”
“Then I give back these apples for those who follow”, said Hercules and returned from whence he came. Before the Watcher he stood, rendering an exact account of all that had transpired. Of why he went after the golden apples but does not have them now.
The Watcher gives him a word of cheer, points to the next gate, the fourth one, saying to him, “Go now, pass through that gate. Capture the doe and enter once again into a holy place.”
Despite all the hindrances and deviations due to astral and physical glamour, Hercules did obtain the golden apples. No matter how much time it took, he did arrive at Wisdom.
Posted in Law of Attraction, Oneness, consciousness, enlightenment, new paradigm, spirit, spirituality, unity awareness
