In this page is proposed an interpretation of several major myths : Europa, Theseus and the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus. More specifically is studied a great spiritual error symbolized by the Minotaur and the labyrinth built by Daedalus to shelter it.
To fully understand this web page, it is recommended to follow the progression given in the tab Greek myths interpretation. This progression follows the spiritual journey.
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Europa riding Zeus turned into a bull
Europa is the symbol of an opening of consciousness and his son Minos of a receptivity which unites with a higher light (Pasiphaé). But due to a lack of purification, the seeker will put this light at the service of a power of realization, which will generate the great spiritual aberration of the Minotaur. The seeker will also build around this aberration a mental fortress, the labyrinth.
If one is not sincere, if one is more interested in satisfying the ego, to be a great yogi, to become a superman, rather than meeting the Divine or acquiring the divine consciousness in order to live in the Divine or with Him, then a flood of pseudo-experiences or false experiences enter; one is led into the maze of the intermediary zone where one goes around in the circles of one’s own formations.
Sri Aurobindo (Letters on Yoga)
Europa, Minos, Pasiphae and the Minotaur
See Family tree 23
In this and the following two chapters, we go back to the descendants of Oceanos and thus to the path of purification-liberation extending the effort of self-gathering (or gathering of consciousness) initiated with his son Inachos who gave his name to the lineage (the Inachides).
It should be noted that this lineage relates to the “psychisation” of the being (the coming to the forefront of the psychic being) through nature by refining, purifying and liberating its processes.
Before dealing in detail with the myth of Europa, it may be useful to briefly recall the genealogical succession we have examined in the chapter devoted to the ancestors of Heracles.
Inachos “the evolution of the gathering of consciousness” was followed by Phoroneus “who supports the evolution”, then Niobe “the Mother of the living”, symbol of one who takes the path to awakening/enlightenment after having a first contact with “That which really exists”. Then come the two sons of Niobe, Argos “the luminous” and Pelasgus “the dark”, representing two opposite sides of the seeker’s nature engaged together in the quest.
The lineage continues with the first opening of consciousness, Io, and her son Epaphus “the touch of the divine”, symbol of an extremely fleeting first contact with the Real. This first contact is probably an experience common to all, even if it is most often confused with vital joy and leaves a very fleeting trace in the consciousness.
This opening doesn’t last long because the movement which leads to the path – the lack or need – is not yet powerful enough to propel the being into a conscious quest. There follows a long period of maturing during which the future seeker undergoes the test of “freedom”: it is the evolution of the individuation in the incarnation represented by Libya, symbol of an evolution triggered by the higher plane of the subconscious because this heroine had a close relation with the god Poseidon.
From this union was born the twins Belos and Agenor.
The descendants of Belos “the incarnation of the liberation” which describes the requirements of this path have already been studied extensively with the myth of Perseus and the first six Labours of Heracles.
In this chapter we will follow one of the two branches of Agenor’s lineage “the brave and noble” or “who is leading the evolution in the incarnation”, a character whose lineage is more about the experiences and hurdles encountered on this path (see Diagram 23).
Agenor settled in Phoenicia. According to the authors, his wife’s name is Argiope “clear vision” or Telephassa “distant purity (the dove)”, names that both evoke the purification process. The dove is a symbol of peace, but above all, of purity (always in the sense of “each thing in its right place”).
The name “Phoenicia” (Lebanon and present Syria) where Agenor settled down, is to be associated with the father of Europa according to Homer, Phoenix, which has the same root Φοινιξ meaning scarlet red or purple. This color has been associated with a principle such as “immortality (non-duality)” obtained by the process of purification-liberation followed till its end, the liberation of Natur