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Archetypes
and Human Potential
The Maker's
Dozen
by Rio Olesky, M.A.
The
twelve signs of the zodiac are archetypes of human
experience. They help us to be objectively aware of our
attitudes and behaviors, our drives and motivations.
Each individual natal horoscope is a picture that
comprises many of those archetypes. All ten planets and
some combination of signs and houses forge the road map
that represents the fundamental patterns of options and
potentials, possibilities, and probabilities available to
each person.
To understand this system, to speak its
language, and to work with its variables is to become
clearer about who you are. It?s also possible,
however, to get lost in the map. You can be limited by
your present level of awareness and fail to penetrate
the essential truth of your chart to the point that it
helps you to expand your perspective and to become more
self-actualized. You can become limited by the
distinctions between yourself and others and fail to
notice the similarities. You can even become so
tantalized by the chart itself that you become trapped
in the world of polarity and relativity.
The Vedic
scriptures claim that Truth and Ultimate Reality is
unindivididuated Spirit. When Spirit becomes form, it
creates a material manifestation through the illusion of
duality called Maya. You become totally focused on the
day/night, male/female, birth/death combinations, and
fail to transcend your awareness by perceiving the Unity
behind these apparent differences. When awareness is
limited to only that which is perceivable through the
senses you have become tricked into thinking that the
illusion is real. You identify with many and forsake the
One. You are limited to the field of opposites and fail
to notice the stadium within which the game is being
played.
Life is
a clear, radiant endless mirror. From our perspective on
the earth, that mirror is shattered into uncountable
shards. To discover your true nature implies seeing the
self reflected in as many of the pieces as possible.
Through that process you can learn
how to reintegrate yourself into the human family,
seeing yourself reproduced in varying combinations in
all your brothers and sisters.
Similarly,
you can see how you are expressed through each of the zodiacal
archetypes. Some will be more obvious, others barely
noticeable at all based on their presence in your natal
horoscope. As you become more familiar with all the
options, you can begin the process of identifying with
the Whole of Life, the Oneness that is contained within
and represented by all things. This is literally the
process of learning who you are.
Whether we are in an
adolescent phase, in a mid-life transition, or just
beginning the process of self-discovery, the first
question is, ?Who am I?? Each sign provides a
different answer. Each is a part of the total answer. By
learning how to identify with each one, noticing how
each is manifesting in your life, where or at what time
period, you can use astrology as a method of expanding
your consciousness to a point of self-realization.
Instead
of asking, ?Who am I,? make the investigation a
series of declarative statements and include keywords
from each of the signs. Use all the archetypes in your
life in ways that are appropriate and balanced. The
statements are affirmations.
I know who
I am by:
-
What I
do and how I act (Aries).
-
What I
value and what I have (Taurus).
-
What I
think about and how I communicate (Gemini)
-
How I
feel and how I relate to my home and family (Cancer).
-
What I
love and how I creatively express myself (Leo).
-
What I
am devoted to and how I serve (Virgo).
-
How I
relate to others and create harmony (Libra).
-
What I
seek to transform and how I do it (Scorpio).
-
What
I understand and my vision for the future (Sagittarius).
-
What
goals I establish and what I achieve (Capricorn).
-
The
company I keep and the expression of my uniqueness
(Aquarius).
-
How I
relate to all things and the feelings of love, joy, and
bliss that flow through me (Pisces).
Seeing
yourself in each of these ways prevents the projection
of those that you don?t like, or that you feel
uncomfortable with, on to other people. You will no longer
have the desire to be critical or judgmental of those
signs that don?t conform to what you think life is.
The earth plane is a very special school. We are given
endless opportunities to learn about who we really are
so that we can eventually graduate and evolve to more
exalted states of being. As you are working to integrate
the twelve basic archetypes, strive to perceive them as
different aspects of the same thing. In order to do so,
it may be helpful to meditate on the five divine
qualities, love, joy, light, peace, and wisdom. As you
embrace and embody these states, it becomes easier to see
yourself manifesting in each of the signs and to see
yourself reflected by each person you see.
If you
have few planets in fire signs, or if you are called
upon to do something that requires courage and
self-confidence, focus on the quality of light. Observe
sunsets, stare deeply into a fire, or notice the light
mirrored and waving to you by every leaf of every tree.
Light is less dependent upon material form than any
other natural manifestation. It is the energy that
pervades all substance and is the essence of Life
itself. It is the spark that generates and sustains
creative manifestation.
If you
have little energy in earth signs, or if you are
confronted by a situation that requires equanimity and
patience, meditate on peace. This is the first divine
quality through which your connection to and
relationship with Spirit becomes obvious. You can
experience peace when you let go of your burdens of
worry and fear. It?s as if you literally relax into an
ocean of constancy and stability. Peace enables you to
identify with that which is eternal and unchangeable.
If you
have few planets in air signs, or if you are required to
look beyond yourself and your previous understanding of
things, strive to develop the quality of joy. This is a
subtle state that is often overlooked and undervalued in
a culture based on Puritan values of hard work and
solemnity. Joy is a feeling that quickens the pulse,
that enables you to feel full from the inside out,
bringing a radiant smile to the face for no apparent
reason. Mark Twain said that joy must be shared. When
you experience that feeling,
the most obvious course of action is to be open and
interactive with life.
If you
have few planets in water signs, or if you are confronted by emotional pain and psychological confusion,
meditate on the sublime state of wisdom. This quality
unfolds within you as you consistently and actively
participate in two experiences. One of these is
meditation. By meditating daily you tune into the
vibration of Higher Being. You discover an inner
directive that impels you to do that which is right and
proper for you at all times. Through meditation, your
intuition about life and your place in it becomes clear.
Meditation also helps improve your ability to
concentrate. This enables you to develop wisdom through
another modality of being: paying attention. Notice
everything about where you are and what is going on
around you and how you feel about those experiences. To
be part of the eternal present, feeling the flow of
creative energy manifesting within and through you is to
function as a centered person in the ever-changing play
of life. From that perspective you acquire subtle
understanding about the nature of life and a deep
compassion about other people.
To
combine, feel, and identify with all four of these
qualities is to also feel Divine Love flowing around and
through you. You transcend the habit of seeing life from
the various perspectives of each of the twelve signs and
hence you break free from the constraints of illusion
producing Maya. No longer bound by duality, you can
achieve the highest goal of human experience: to
perceive the Unity of Creation from the point of view of
the Creator. You grow beyond identifying as a self and
realize that the truth of your true Self is as a
limitless being of radiant light, peace, joy, and wisdom.
This is your birthright and the result of striving and
response to all challenges. It is the purpose and lesson
of life.
This
article was excerpted from:
"Astrology & Consciousness - The Wheel of
Light?
by Rio Olesky, M.A.
Info/Order book
About The
Author
Rio Olesky has
been a professional astrologer since 1976 with an extensive and loyal
following throughout the world. He teaches both college and private
classes in astrology, writes for national magazines, and has appeared on
numerous television and radio shows. He holds a masters degree from San
Francisco State University. This article was excerpted with permission
from his book "Astrology and Consciousness" published
by New Falcon Publications, Tempe, AZ. http://newfalcon.com
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