On Paths

[sdi]

For any given complete symbolic system, there is a spiritual path corresponding to each symbol. So we might classify different spiritual paths by which symbols they correspond to in that system. (Naturally, since there are many symbolic systems, there are many such methods of classification.)

Let's take an example and look at the classical elements.

• The path of fire is a masculine path involving drive, will, and transmutation. I imagine many of those who found their way to this diary from Ecosophia would easily recognize this as where magical paths belong.
• The path of air is a masculine path of interaction, communication, and dispersion. This is perhaps the path most foreign to me—my natal chart contains no air at all, and so I find airy things bewildering—but I imagine it's what the Bhagavad Gita refers to when it's talking about the karma yoga: a path of service to others.
• The path of water is a feminine path of purity, reflection, and dissolution. This is the path I would tend to associate with the image of an anchorite or monk: one who separates themselves from the world, studies wisdom traditions, meditates, etc.
• The path of earth is a feminine path of embodiment, effort, and acceptance. I would associate this path with mystical traditions that emphasize good works, and also with what's been called "The Path of the Hearthfire" or of "lay monkdom:" doing your mundane work to the fullest.

(I'm certainly being a bit sloppy here; these are very large bins and we have few widespread spiritual images to draw from in the West; I'm also mostly typing it out as a reminder to myself for something to circle back to later, so I'm writing quickly rather than deeply.)

One can do a similar exercise with any other complete system: the astrological planets or signs of the zodiac (or both together, if you want a year or two of meditation themes), the geomantic figures, the ba gua or I Ching hexagrams, the Tarot, etc. I think the exercise is worthwhile, since it helps one recognize and identify what kinds of spiritual teachings or methods—and there are a lot to draw from, many of which are marketed as The One True Way™—are likely to be of benefit to one's own path.

Comments

[deketemoisont]

Geomancy (about which I've read some) seems to me as having a lot to offer, but this hits literally the *one* thing I've been puzzled about: it seems to me that, for a lot of stuff, the 4 elements mean roughly the same as they mean in wider Western elemental attributions, but Albus and Rubeus look reversed to me. Of course you sound Albus-y to me, but I have no idea about why that'd be purely-watery instead of purely-airy - and I mean that for other figures, air and water *do* fit my expectations from other reading. As for "eight kinds of ways" - who says every figure represents some kind of capable programmer? :)

[sdi]

Aha! Good eye. So as far as I can tell, that's because Aristotle assigned air and water one way, and the Stoics assigned air and water the other way. Hellenistic astrology followed the Stoics, and geomancy followed Hellenistic astrology. But when astrology was revived in the West during the Renaissance, it kept the Stoic symbolism (in both astrology and geomancy!) but used the Aristotelian elemental assignments, thus making a big old mess of it. Modern astrology, of course, follows Renaissance astrology (and is, if anything, an even bigger mess).

This is a large part of the reason I took up studying Hellenistic astrology rather than Renaissance astrology or modern astrology: for me, it's very important that a system has very pure and consistent first principles, since I'm the kind of person who, if given bad theory, produces bad practice. (That's surely a water thing; I imagine airy people can do much better working with whatever they have to hand.)

(Also my veneration for Porphyry is very difficult to overstate, and he's one of our sources on Hellenistic astrology. :) )

[deketemoisont]

I think I'd read the linked article (and the previous) - but it seems to me that the associations I'm (relatively!) more familiar with fit 14/16 figures perfectly well, and thus nothing comes to my mind as to why I shouldn't just think the actual figures that mean "White" and "Red" were reversed (and un-reverse them?).

"if given bad theory, produces bad practice. (That's surely a water thing;" - you see, that doesn't sound obvious to me at all - I don't think watery people even pay attention to theory! (By that criterion, I'd think air>earth>fire>water.)

The (more properly, *my*) problem is that I seem to be arguing against your natal chart and career matching, so I must be wrong.

[sdi]

the associations I'm (relatively!) more familiar with fit 14/16 figures perfectly well

I would say this is a sign that what you're familiar with is inconsistent! Either it should fit all of the figures well or none of them well, and if it's in the middle, then you haven't gotten all the kinks worked out, yet. This happened to me a lot when I was picking up geomancy and trying to figure out why was one of the main ways I got better at the system.

For example, I can't see how you can have Albus be confusing but Puer make sense, since they're defined as opposites to each other. Albus is water, it flows downward, it turns inward into itself—hence it's a hermit who ignores the world and spends its time in contemplation. Puer is everything *but* water: it does everything *except* reflect, hence it's the man of action who does what its told. But the boy's going to just shoot off like a rocket wherever he's pointed, and that's probably going to land him into trouble without a voice of wisdom. That's why every Luke Skywalker gets paired up with his Obi Wan Kenobi in every story, right?


I don't think watery people even pay attention to theory! (By that criterion, I'd think air>earth>fire>water.)

And yeah, I'd say you're working with very different symbolism, as I'd have reversed what you have! Fire and water deal with theory: fire creates ideas, water contemplates them. Air and earth deal with practice: air does things, earth embodies the results. As further evidence of this, Laetitia and Albus, while generally positive, don't really do anything: Laetitia (fire) gets lost in la-la land, while Albus (water) is just too detached to care.