Aries Sabian Symbols - Desire and Potency |
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DESIRE - ACTION
Enacting the desire to emerge out of unconsciousness we first become aware of ourselves as separate from Source. We see that it is this separation that creates duality, which is the essence of diversity, a requirement for dynamism; we become enthusiastic to express our individuality as a vision, the vision of our desire to be who we are. This is the universal story of how any aware being develops in consciousness - babe or deity alike. |
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EMERGENCE
Aries 1 – 5 With all creation stories, out of nothing something emerges, making real what previously existed only as potential; it has duality as its core principle, yet it is a single identity – in Astrology that is Aries. It thinks of itself as ‘I’, and strongly affirms self as the centre-point of reality. This affirmation triggers a response from the ‘non-self’ aspect of self, and there arises a polarity between non-self and self. In fact, what arises is the plurality of involvements with others, the collective non-self; this is the stuff of all life – relationship. Whereas impetuous pursuit of self-interested pleasure is an entirely valid path to joy, our drives lead us towards self-realisation only through processes of maturity and refinement, involving others. Life is the mirror that shows us who and what we are, and as individuals our first challenge is to find a way to be with this, by showing who we are within the context of relationship – rather obviously with others who are not us. The fact that they are not us has great consequence. Although the friction of this interplay increases as we struggle to become more unique, and we may find that socialising with others is both limiting and troublesome, it nevertheless is the backdrop of all existence and without it we can neither evolve nor express our unique qualities, because ‘I’ and ‘other’ are each aspects of the self and mutually supportive. |
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DRIVE
Aries 6 – 10 The willingness to struggle within society opens us to be pushed and pulled about, a process which can be quite unsettling until we fix our motivating direction. Yet when we find a clear target for our intention, we can learn how to juggle realities, pick up skills, tricks and wisdom, and renew our trust in the deeply-felt exuberant, joyful life-force that enables us to banish all self-doubt. We need to find our path, and become so competent that we take initiatives to shape not only our own future but also the collective vision of society. Self and non-self are always competing, even within. ‘Polarity in dynamic equilibrium’ could be one useful definition – or at least description – of life itself. When we get distracted and lose focus, the further we go away from centre, the greater is the force that flips us back to the opposite polarity. Thus from a condition of self-proclaiming, we are flipped to more humility, and then back again towards confident self-expression, and so on indefinitely. We see this process very clearly with Aries, as it struggles to embrace self-confidence. |
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DESIRE - CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
Feeling the need for stability, we invest ourselves in a specific goal and, in pursuing it, we come to learn of two polarised aspects of our nature. Society provides a code of conduct to moderate how we respond to our inner sensitivities and urges and this cultural code underpins our ability to understand the wider reality. Our creative interpretation of how to understand it is what defines who we are, and this has both aspects, which are the push of the past - cultural explanations - and the pull of the future - personal vision. |
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HONOUR
Aries 11 – 15 Lesser attainments – fame, fortune and position – typically rob us of true freedom, and the more enlightened Aries, rather than serve them, will use them as development tools. The urge towards freedom is so wrapped up at the core of our essential existence that it is irrepressible; this is because it is spirit itself acting through us. Yet within the context of a social setting, however we seek freely to discover and express our thoughts, feelings and aspirations, we find that we are just acting out an appropriate part of the community’s highest ideals. Equally, no matter how we serve others, we end up serving ourselves. Bringing this into awareness, and acting out freely all of the consequences, is a liberation most feared by society as a whole, yet most respected within an individual. It cannot be safely expressed except by one with a high degree of spiritual attainment. Evidence of this is found in how spontaneous we can be in refining and revealing our skills and wisdom. This includes choosing our focus of life clearly and finding a way to balance freedom against involvement. |
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DESIRE - INDIVIDUAL IMPLICATIONS
Perhaps at first we try to grasp what form reality takes through our feelings but soon enough we are moved to conceptualize and explain, for which mental discipline is required. Yet we also feel a higher order reality that speaks the language of freedom. An immature rebelliousness against imposed discipline fails and teaches us that we have to find the inner balance that reconciles both parts of our nature, only then will we radiate the light that expresses fulfilled desire. Our desire to differentiate seemed to be a very basic, simple urge, and yet now we find how very challenging it is to remember our original state of grace as we grapple with duality. Perhaps we can hold it for a few moments, but then duality's dynamism pulls us in again. |
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ATTAINMENT
Aries 16 – 20 It is important to understand that the awareness we give to our spiritual, social and physical environments defines us, so the focus of our attention must be very prudently directed. We can learn a lot about how to optimise this important life task by reflection. Reflecting on how Nature works, and how natural processes generate the life-giving energy that creates abundance and fortune, and how well we are responding to that. Two equal and opposing forces that co-exist, pure impulse and conditioned response, must be held in balance – so we learn how to be utterly true to ourselves, and act as though we make a difference, even knowing that on a cosmic scale really we don’t. This leads us to question our identity and true worth, and we are stimulated to a greater refinement of being. A sense of resolution unfolds – we feel reconciliation with the inappropriate differences between outer purposes and inner feelings, which causes the friction and stress in our lives. One lesson to learn is the value of retreat. The hustle-bustle of daily life is good to shape and define us, and yet it is very helpful to take time out to assimilate and take possession of what has been experienced. The reward for this exercise in self-reflection is a broadening of outlook, a sense of expansion of personal freedom, and a shift in the level of our self-assurance. If the mind is occasionally nurtured with silent contemplation, it develops its capacity to overview experience and utilize imagination as a magical process. It is only through reflection that we come to understand that helping others is what brings us happiness. |
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POTENCY - ACTION
Desire is impotent unless it marries with the potency inherent within life's natural forces. These are accessed only when we find our own dynamic rhythm of doing and being - as portrayed by the yin yang symbol. Only when we take action to detach from the stresses and strains of worldly engagement can we gain the magical perspective of imagination to see what is real, and how to handle life's issues compassionately. |
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PROGRESSION
Aries 21 – 25 To defeat the dying of light, then we must have faith in life and in ourselves, together with an ardent outlook that welcomes new challenges. Such optimism is to be recognised as a force – in fact the outstanding force of life; it is equivalent to self-confidence. With it, whenever necessary, we can decisively take up a confronting stance, and come to terms with and everything in full mindfulness of how we may serve, and also be served, by whatever comes along. When we are fighting to survive – against an enemy or the dark vacuum suction of entropy – we may need to hide some secrets to protect our vulnerabilities from the force of social enquiry. We also need to develop a thick skin for the same reason so, if sensitivity to others is at a very low ebb, then that’s just the way it has to be. Yet self-confidence, fully expressed, leads to satisfaction, and satisfaction leads to further confidence, as we expand our horizons of expectation to greater levels of possibility. |
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POTENCY - CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
Within the culture of group interaction, we can see the yang force encouraged by glorification of powerful, aggressive individuals, while the yin shows how the synergy of cooperation creates abundance. Anyone who masters both of these is inwardly fulfilled and becomes open to the revelation of higher spiritual energies and correspondingly a new dimension of potentials. |
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PROFICIENCY
Aries 26 – 30 Exceptional abilities and wealth can be attracted when, through a refined contextualised self-confidence, we equip ourselves with the intellectual and emotional tools required for a successful life. Then just being ourselves is enough to call upon the world to align with our choices, and subsequently we can cope well with all events and bring them to a creative expression of who we are. Such psychological maturity bestows great presence, a commanding atmosphere, and willingness to become the absolute author of our own destiny. We look no more for popularity and social affirmation; such rewards are seen as transient and lacking in any depth of worth. The power and proficiency we have acquired are applied towards dramatising visionary potentials in ourselves and others, because somehow the eternal celestial notes are heard to be sounding out life’s essential harmonies. There can be found a greater sense of sacredness in every aspect of life. This shows in that we do everything as well as we can, constantly reworking plans to improve outcomes, and being free from any need for approval or permission, having surrendered to an inner sense of what is meaningful to us. |
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POTENCY - INDIVIDUAL IMPLICATIONS
We must anticipate the need for new skills and attitudes, bringing more care and attention to everything we do, to deepen our faith in order to overcome setbacks, also to remember to see things from the other's point of view as we act to assert our own. In this way we learn to hear more clearly, and respond to more consciously, the subtle, universal melody of life - and yet at the same time competently hold together our normal, challenging, life situations. |
