In the introduction to Volume 3 are presented the most advanced stages of the spiritual path for the adventurers of consciousness.
The conditions in which men live upon earth are the result of their state of consciousness. To want to change the conditions without changing the consciousness is a vain chimera.
The Mother
(Mother’s Agenda Vol. I, Introduction page, 21 May 1912)
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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In the first volume of this study are presented several keys for decoding mythology as well as the general structure of Greek mythology, which includes two main branches:
- That of Pontos, which describes the phase of vital growth of humanity.
- That of Ouranos and his children, the Titans and Titanides, which encompasses the evolution of human consciousness and the forces contributing to it.
Two genealogical branches originating from the Titans are more specifically centred on the directions of evolution:
- That of Iapetus, which describes the ascension of the planes of consciousness in the mind. The theoretical aspects are broached by the children of his son Atlas, the Pleiades, while with the descendance of Prometheus are treated the experiences and challenges that the seeker can find within this development of the mind, considered here in its broadest sense under its dual aspect of separation and organisation on the one hand, and the intuitive on the other. A first branch, following that of Hellen and his son Aeolus, concerns the first phases of yoga, while a second branch, originating from Protogenia, illustrates the most advanced stages of the ‘adventurers of consciousness’.
- The genealogical lineage of Oceanos, which describes through different branches the objectives, obstacles and realisations of the process of purification and liberation in accordance with Nature.
Within the branch of Inachos, ‘the evolution of concentration’ or ‘the evolution of the inner being’, the myth of Perseus and the Labours of Heracles expose the theoretical aspects, while the asceticisms and experiences which lead to detachment, complete individuation, transparency of the being and to the Siddhis (powers) appear in the genealogical branch of Agenor through his children Europa and Cadmus.
The genealogical branch of Asopos, which describes the quest of ‘perfect equality’, presents the most advanced realisation in the process of liberation of Nature with the Aeacidae (the descendants of Aeacus, Achilles, Ajax and Teucer).
Finally, the branch of Peneus indicates numerous errors caused by the spiritual ego once a contact has been established with the psychic.
We have also seen that the gods of Olympus belong to the descendants of Titan Cronos. They are either brothers and sisters of Zeus, or his children by five goddesses belonging to five different lineages of Titans.
In the immediate descendants of Cronos, are the three sisters of Zeus, Hera, Hestia and Demeter, as well as his brothers Poseidon and Hades, the latter not being however a god of Olympus.
The three sons of Cronos divided the world amongst themselves, Zeus reigning over the sky – the supraconscient -, Poseidon over the sea – the subconscient -, and Hades over the underworld – the corporeal inconscient -, while the surface of the earth, the conscient level, remained their shared domain. As the subconscient is in relation with the vital plane and the inconscient with the body, Poseidon dwells in the ocean depths and Hades in the underworld.
Athena, the goddess who watches over the evolution of the inner being and is therefore ‘the master of yoga’ or ‘the inner guide’, was said to be borne by Metis, ‘divine intelligence’, and fathered by Zeus, ‘the supraconscient’.
Hera and Zeus bore Hephaestus and Ares, representing the powers which respectively shape and destroy forms with the creative impulses originating from the plane of the Titans.
Aphrodite guides ‘the love in evolution within man’.
Apollo and Artemis are expressions of the psychic being, respectively representing the force of illumination and that of exactness in action.
Hermes, the last of the gods to arrive on Olympus, is the son of the seventh Pleiad Maia and symbolises the plane of the highest mental Knowledge, the overmind. This is the highest plane still belonging to the world of duality. (In keeping with Sri Aurobindo’s nomenclature, we reserve the word ‘gnosis’ for supramental man rather than for the overmind.)
Finally we touch upon the genealogical lineages of the other three Titans, who, although they play more minor roles in mythology, are no less essential. These are:
- The lineage of Hyperion concerning the supramental plane, and his children Helios, Selene and Eos being respectively symbols of the Light of Truth, the true Self (the divine person beyond the impersonal), and of the eternally New. (See entries from 1 October 1958 and 4 October 1958 in Mother’s Agenda, Volume I.)
- That of Koios and his daughter Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis, which relates to the psychic being.
- That of Crius, which presents the divine aids supporting evolution.
In the second volume, the following were principally examined:
- The theoretical approach to the path of purification and liberation with the twelve Labours of Heracles, whose great-grandfather Perseus had struggled against the essential knot, fear. The first two Labours, that of the Nemean Lion and the Lernaean Hydra, illustrate the first great stage of yoga, the path towards detachment through the liberation from the ego and from desire. Access to the three last Labours, which are carried out in imaginary lands, can only be very vaguely approached by humanity in its current state.
- The first experiences in the ascension of the planes of consciousness:
- The work of the intellect in pulling itself away from illusions, which can only be vanquished when all fear ceases. This process is illustrated by the myth of Bellerophon, the grandson of Sisyphus who vanquished Chimera while riding the horse Pegasus.
- The progressive importance given to intuition and to the witnessing consciousness.
- The path till the first great experience of contact with what is Real, illustrated by the acquisition of