Justification: Cat and Mouse Arguing - Cancer 3 to 4
When we
choose to have impact on the world, it is necessary to focus desire and will
through the lens of mind. If the mind lacks clarity or strength, then external
forces will certainly bend its purpose. So if we expect to achieve specific
goals, the mind must be set before involvement.
Preparation for an event is a part of that event and in some subtle way can influence the outcome ahead of time. Full enthusiastic participation in the preparation stage therefore clarifies our values and optimizes the likelihood of success; it is encouraged.
Personal values develop through the co-creative interaction of two factors: self-discovery and confirmation through social integration. It's not enough just to feel what is right, neither is it good simply to be told by others.
We ask ourselves 'why is a cat arguing with a mouse?’ We understand that the process of social integration frequently triggers in us a sense of self-justification. Our natural urges and society's pressure are two very strong forces, each bringing the other into better focus. A powerful hunter kills to survive; it is natural. Yet society's answer is to provide daily cat food to soften the killer instinct and civilize the beast.
Although passion can be focused into persuasion, and natural urges can so often be absorbed into society's structures, clear, yet dry, argument will not achieve the same type of influence as a passionate plea; this can win both mind and heart.
The human being is part angel, part animal. Each part has the strong imperative to assert itself over the other and neither would be so magnificent without this contest. Nor will either ever win, so we play the eternal game without wholly taking sides.
Why do we seek to justify what is natural? Our urges are as God-given as our conscience. Yet we do. We deny instinct because we have been persuaded that reason is more social. Those so strongly imbued with a herd instinct that they have forgotten their individuality are inclined to trust this dry argument. Others, who accept that passion is life force, cannot be civilized so completely that they will deny the animal passion any more than their inclination towards social protective herding.
Preparation for an event is a part of that event and in some subtle way can influence the outcome ahead of time. Full enthusiastic participation in the preparation stage therefore clarifies our values and optimizes the likelihood of success; it is encouraged.
Personal values develop through the co-creative interaction of two factors: self-discovery and confirmation through social integration. It's not enough just to feel what is right, neither is it good simply to be told by others.
We ask ourselves 'why is a cat arguing with a mouse?’ We understand that the process of social integration frequently triggers in us a sense of self-justification. Our natural urges and society's pressure are two very strong forces, each bringing the other into better focus. A powerful hunter kills to survive; it is natural. Yet society's answer is to provide daily cat food to soften the killer instinct and civilize the beast.
Although passion can be focused into persuasion, and natural urges can so often be absorbed into society's structures, clear, yet dry, argument will not achieve the same type of influence as a passionate plea; this can win both mind and heart.
The human being is part angel, part animal. Each part has the strong imperative to assert itself over the other and neither would be so magnificent without this contest. Nor will either ever win, so we play the eternal game without wholly taking sides.
Why do we seek to justify what is natural? Our urges are as God-given as our conscience. Yet we do. We deny instinct because we have been persuaded that reason is more social. Those so strongly imbued with a herd instinct that they have forgotten their individuality are inclined to trust this dry argument. Others, who accept that passion is life force, cannot be civilized so completely that they will deny the animal passion any more than their inclination towards social protective herding.
Ascendancy:
Two Fairies on a Moonlit
Night - Cancer 6 to 7
Unacceptable
levels of pressure of life can cause one to indulge in senseless flights of
fancy, inhabiting a world of make-believe. It’s not at all helpful to do this,
can be quite disorienting and cause real trouble.
Nature offers unlimited scope to release each of us from psychological and physical burdens that necessarily arise out of our involvement in life. Sleep is the most obvious example, so too is daydreaming, and yet these are meant as temporary restful states rather than realistic alternatives to worldliness.
Certainly, there is a need to balance everyday strains and stresses by finding a lightness of being, which the image of two moonlit fairies suggests. It is the soul’s nature to fly and soar, and in moments when we can feel this, there are precious opportunities for inwardness and self-reflection; these arise as a matter of course whenever such a mood is present.
From this, one learns the ability to rise above any threats to well being that would result if one felt a sense of inescapable long term forced imprisonment in the realm of physicality and all that that entails: the compelling requirement to attend to the body’s needs and so many emotional challenges.
On the path of self-realization the sense of exaltation that comes from this lightness of being is a dynamic factor – in other words, we move along more readily if such abilities are harnessed and used productively.
So the very inclination we have to ‘space out’ can be productively channelled as a means to tune in and develop a transforming sensitivity. We then find that creative imagination has profound powers of healing.
Being occasionally detached from the normal heavy sense of self is truly liberating and such an ascendancy of spirit demonstrates the magical facility of selfhood.
Nature offers unlimited scope to release each of us from psychological and physical burdens that necessarily arise out of our involvement in life. Sleep is the most obvious example, so too is daydreaming, and yet these are meant as temporary restful states rather than realistic alternatives to worldliness.
Certainly, there is a need to balance everyday strains and stresses by finding a lightness of being, which the image of two moonlit fairies suggests. It is the soul’s nature to fly and soar, and in moments when we can feel this, there are precious opportunities for inwardness and self-reflection; these arise as a matter of course whenever such a mood is present.
From this, one learns the ability to rise above any threats to well being that would result if one felt a sense of inescapable long term forced imprisonment in the realm of physicality and all that that entails: the compelling requirement to attend to the body’s needs and so many emotional challenges.
On the path of self-realization the sense of exaltation that comes from this lightness of being is a dynamic factor – in other words, we move along more readily if such abilities are harnessed and used productively.
So the very inclination we have to ‘space out’ can be productively channelled as a means to tune in and develop a transforming sensitivity. We then find that creative imagination has profound powers of healing.
Being occasionally detached from the normal heavy sense of self is truly liberating and such an ascendancy of spirit demonstrates the magical facility of selfhood.
Inimitability: Clown Making Grimaces - Cancer 10 to 11
Self abuse always leads to loss. If we make clowns of ourselves to gain a cheap laugh, then we must expect to pay a price, since aimless self-exploitation in any disguise is certain to cost us influence.
Why do we do it? Perhaps we find it stimulating to provoke a response in others, and then find their reaction a useful experience to help us learn some lesson about ourselves.
Certainly it’s safer in friendly company to try out new ways and wisdoms, since our tentative attempts to improve ourselves are much less likely to be measured or rejected willy-nilly.
Life is a continuing self-rehearsal; no one has managed to perfect their own personality, so why should we feel embarrassed during our own trial-and-error attempts towards perfection?
As we become clearer in defining who we are, the impact we have on others becomes rather sharper and more dominant. Persuading another to our point of view helps refine and define us.
Exaggeration of some qualities and inhibition of others is normal though often ridiculous behaviour. It shows in everyone, though most people try to conceal self-doubts frequently using misguided humour to do so.
So we are wise to take off the mask when we are ready. Then we find that our own inimitable uniqueness is enough to earn attention without prostituting ourselves in caricature.
Why do we do it? Perhaps we find it stimulating to provoke a response in others, and then find their reaction a useful experience to help us learn some lesson about ourselves.
Certainly it’s safer in friendly company to try out new ways and wisdoms, since our tentative attempts to improve ourselves are much less likely to be measured or rejected willy-nilly.
Life is a continuing self-rehearsal; no one has managed to perfect their own personality, so why should we feel embarrassed during our own trial-and-error attempts towards perfection?
As we become clearer in defining who we are, the impact we have on others becomes rather sharper and more dominant. Persuading another to our point of view helps refine and define us.
Exaggeration of some qualities and inhibition of others is normal though often ridiculous behaviour. It shows in everyone, though most people try to conceal self-doubts frequently using misguided humour to do so.
So we are wise to take off the mask when we are ready. Then we find that our own inimitable uniqueness is enough to earn attention without prostituting ourselves in caricature.
Profundity: Man with a Manuscript - Cancer 15 to 16
There is no ethical standard that remains untouched by time or
geography, no absolute measure of goodness or truth. These are ideals rather
than practical working models. Each of us grows towards the ideal that we
ourselves choose, and develop competence in being what we choose to become.
The scenes and scenarios that each day pass in front of our eyes stimulate in us an intellectual response and it is helpful to employ these dramatized life situations as if they were mirrors reflecting back to us who we are and what we are doing.
We ourselves write the script for our own life drama. As directors we express our feelings about what we value and, as actors, we dramatize these feelings. A masterly actress is convincing because she is convinced; she gives herself, body and soul, to her performance.
Yet, from time to time, it is wise to detach ourselves from our current involvements. We need to look again at the script and realistically examine whether we are keeping to it, lest we lose the plot. Against this plan we check what we see in the mirror of life.
Absolute personal control stems from clear vision focused by a specific detailed plan of intention. Without a goal, a person is as unlikely to reach safe harbour as a ship with no rudder. Learning to master situations overcomes self-limitation.
True self-awareness requires us to consider ourselves through the eyes of others, and follow up our observations with a process of continual self re-examination and adjustment. Our personal plans are thus coordinated within the greater design.
What arises out of this is a great deepening – when we learn to trust that life offers us much more than we have been able to imagine. Typically, the deeper profundity of personal experience is reached by serendipity, when we go beyond into unscripted realms of spontaneity.
The scenes and scenarios that each day pass in front of our eyes stimulate in us an intellectual response and it is helpful to employ these dramatized life situations as if they were mirrors reflecting back to us who we are and what we are doing.
We ourselves write the script for our own life drama. As directors we express our feelings about what we value and, as actors, we dramatize these feelings. A masterly actress is convincing because she is convinced; she gives herself, body and soul, to her performance.
Yet, from time to time, it is wise to detach ourselves from our current involvements. We need to look again at the script and realistically examine whether we are keeping to it, lest we lose the plot. Against this plan we check what we see in the mirror of life.
Absolute personal control stems from clear vision focused by a specific detailed plan of intention. Without a goal, a person is as unlikely to reach safe harbour as a ship with no rudder. Learning to master situations overcomes self-limitation.
True self-awareness requires us to consider ourselves through the eyes of others, and follow up our observations with a process of continual self re-examination and adjustment. Our personal plans are thus coordinated within the greater design.
What arises out of this is a great deepening – when we learn to trust that life offers us much more than we have been able to imagine. Typically, the deeper profundity of personal experience is reached by serendipity, when we go beyond into unscripted realms of spontaneity.
Compatibility: Pocahontas - Cancer 27 to 28
It is foolish to
dwell on the past and exalt the principles of conservatism. The past does not
exist and its dreams did not survive. Life is change; we must find a way to
adjust.
New phases of human culture wash upon the shores of what seems crystallized as hard fact, eroding the very substance of reality. Shore and tide, essentially different, are eternally cooperating in the mystery of evolution by finding the rhythm of give and take.
It is true that values, hard-won and passed down from generation to generation, promote faithfulness and the bonding power of deep empathy that underpins the love of family, clan and homeland.
Yet these very values are established only by the interplay between old and new, as the frontier spirit of change breathes its life force into what otherwise would decay or become rigid.
The visionary soul is a pioneer, ever seeking to renew and perfect relationships between what was and what will be, as a means to expanding a greater depth and reach of self-realization.
Every intimate contact is the frontier of human evolution, where old meets new, each convinced of its rights and power. The wise and skilful soul demonstrates its special facility of compatibility in such encounters, and so softens the friction of tide upon shore.
Old wisdom and its deeply-treasured beauty will thus be appropriately employed in service to contemporary needs, expressed by youth’s fresh vibrancy, its modern values and naïve joyful fumblings.
New phases of human culture wash upon the shores of what seems crystallized as hard fact, eroding the very substance of reality. Shore and tide, essentially different, are eternally cooperating in the mystery of evolution by finding the rhythm of give and take.
It is true that values, hard-won and passed down from generation to generation, promote faithfulness and the bonding power of deep empathy that underpins the love of family, clan and homeland.
Yet these very values are established only by the interplay between old and new, as the frontier spirit of change breathes its life force into what otherwise would decay or become rigid.
The visionary soul is a pioneer, ever seeking to renew and perfect relationships between what was and what will be, as a means to expanding a greater depth and reach of self-realization.
Every intimate contact is the frontier of human evolution, where old meets new, each convinced of its rights and power. The wise and skilful soul demonstrates its special facility of compatibility in such encounters, and so softens the friction of tide upon shore.
Old wisdom and its deeply-treasured beauty will thus be appropriately employed in service to contemporary needs, expressed by youth’s fresh vibrancy, its modern values and naïve joyful fumblings.
