Sabian Symbols: An unexpected thunderstorm
An unexpected thunderstorm
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This universal idea is best expressed through planets in
Aquarius 2 (1° - 2°)ALL LIFE IS EPHEMERAL
Even though we want to cement our lives into secure structures, nature always wins in the end Nature is a constant existential challenge to the works of people; fires, floods and winds tear down our strongest buildings in moments, and time itself erodes everything eventually. By this fact we are reminded not only how small and insignificant we are and how magnificent is any creation that stands against Nature for a while, yet also we remember the need to develop inwardly the strength to cope with it all.
Rudhyar: AN UNEXPECTED THUNDERSTORM |
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An unexpected thunderstorm
Accident
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With optimism and confidence, setbacks will always further our ends
Civilisation has developed to protect us against the cruelty of Nature, yet in the end we all have to take precautions against accidents, and quicken ourselves in the presence of such primitive forces as thunderstorms. The storm image is appropriate on the psychological level too, as society also tries to mitigate emotional pain and inconvenience as much as possible. Nonetheless, it is more or less certain that we will be thoroughly inconvenienced in our lifetime by the shifting patterns of events in which we are obliged to participate. The appropriate attitude is one of alertness rather than complete temperamental instability. It is idiocy to shout threats at the thunder. In all the strands of a normal life – career, relationship, spirituality and family – we will likely have to come to terms with the loss of love, of position, of health and of our hopes – often as a result of an unexpected, unwelcome, forceful or stormy event. It is better to recognise the positive aspect of crisis. Without it, opportunities for maximum self-development are rare, and the bonding convergence of relationships is absent. Life needs crisis to deepen. The masterly approach is to seek out such events and ‘chase the storms’, so to harvest the juice they contain. With the right mind of optimism and confidence, we can call up our genius to create opportunity out of disaster, and use setbacks, and even catastrophe, to further our ends. Accidents by their very nature are unexpected – but only as to their timing and particularities. They are entirely predictable as to their inevitability. So we can prepare for them, train ourselves in how to respond to them – and take full responsibility for their implications in our lives. Nature’s potentialities lie beyond our jurisdiction – so we must develop strategies for how to act when we are not in control. At an advanced level of understanding, we see that all control is illusion anyway. Everything we plan is subject to modification, and the final mystery of life is accessed only through surrender. Thunderstorms, by their very unpredictability and awesome power, help us find our way towards this subtle, counter-intuitive comprehension. |
