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The Labors of Hercules - The Purpose of this Study
Astrological Connotations A secondary object of this study is to present an aspect of astrology which will differ from that usually expressed. We shall trace the story of Hercules as he passed through the twelve signs of the zodiac. In each sign he expressed its characteristics, and in each sign, he achieved some fresh knowledge of himself, and through that knowledge demonstrated the power of the sign and acquired the gifts which the sign conferred. In each of the signs we shall find him surmounting his natural tendencies, controlling and governing his destiny, and demonstrating the fact that the stars incline, but do not control. [7] The form of astrology which will, I believe, in time supersede the ordinary kind, dealing with horoscopes, is that synthetic presentation of cosmic happenings which have their reflection in our planetary life, in the life of humanity as a whole, and in the life of the individual, who is ever the microcosm of the macrocosm. This type of astrology confines its attention primarily to the unfolding of the plan of the ages; this, history reveals in a small way as far as humanity is concerned, and a larger study of the times and seasons may bring to us a wider understanding of God's purposes. There is an immense past behind humanity; aeons and aeons have come and gone; the wheel of existence turns continuously, and ever the scroll of life unrolls, and we are carried forward on the impetus of a returning force towards a newer aspect of the goal, and a wider vision and realization. Concentration upon the personal horoscope and the intense interest evinced by individuals in their own petty affairs may be natural and normal, but it is nevertheless myopic. The consciousness that we are integral parts of a greater Whole, and that knowledge of the divine sumtotal can alone reveal the vaster purpose. These are the ideas that must eventually supersede our personal concentrations. Our small life histories must disappear in the larger picture. Hercules astrologically enacted the life history of every aspirant, and demonstrated the part which the unit must play in the eternal Enterprise. A great eastern Teacher has expressed in connection with the zodiac and astrology this suggestive thought: "That astrology is a science and a coming science is true. That astrology in its highest aspect and its true interpretation will eventually enable man to focus his understanding and to function rightly is equally true. That in the revelations that astrology will make in time to come will be found the secret of the true coordination between soul and form is also correct. But that astrology has not yet been discovered. Too much is overlooked and too little known to make astrology the exact science that many claim it to be. The claim will be fulfiled at some future date, but the time is not yet. [8] Astrology as now practised is doomed to break down, owing to the rapidity with which souls are controlling their personalities. The casting of the horoscope of the soul will not be based on our three dimensional knowledge, for the laws of time and space have no hold over the soul." (Esoteric Astrology). We will therefore in this study deal with an astrology which will be non-mathematical and which will have no relation to the casting of horoscopes. It will concern itself with the twelve types of energy by means of which consciousness of the divine Reality is brought about through the medium of form. In no distant heaven and in no subjective state did Hercules arrive at this knowledge. In the physical body, handicapped and limited by the tendencies conferred on him by the sign in which he performed the labor, he attained understanding of his own essential divinity. Through the overcoming of form and the subjugation of matter, a picture is given us of an unfolding divine self-realization. In the study therefore of Hercules the disciple, and of Christ, the World Savior, we have an entire pictorial presentation of the final stages of unfoldment which lie ahead of all of us. The five great Initiations as portrayed for us in the history of Jesus the Christ are not dealt with here, but form the subject of another book. (From Bethlehem to Calvary.) As we study the story of Hercules and go with him through his twelve labors, passing around the great zodiac of the heavens, we will approach it from two angles: that of the individual aspirant and that of humanity as a whole. It is now possible to regard the human family as having reached, practically en masse, the stage of the aspirant, the stage of the intelligent seeker, the stage of the man who, having developed his mind and coordinated his abilities, mental, emotional and physical, has exhausted the interests of the phenomenal world, and is looking for a way out into a wider realm of awareness, and into a more sure sphere of undertakings. This stage has always [9] been expressed by the advanced individuals down the ages, but never before has the human race itself been in this condition. Herein lies the wonder of past achievement, and herein lies the hour of present opportunity.
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