Sabian Symbols: Indian woman pleading to her chief for the lives of her children
This universal idea is best expressed through planets in
Scorpio 29 (28° - 29°)PRAYER AS A FORCE THAT BRINGS PEACE
When our instincts get the better of us and our behaviour goes outside acceptable limits we must find a way to centre in peace "Intense emotional focus" We are both soul and ego and the image of soul as mother, and ego as unruly sons, is a helpful insight. The wildness of ego has an unsettling effect upon the community and will be checked for the sake of collective harmony. The chief represents the power of social censure. The mother’s intercession to the chief on her children’s behalf equates to soul activity moderating ego-centred behaviours. Prayer is such a process – the intercession of soul’s love to moderate unbridled passions.
Rudhyar: AN INDIAN WOMAN PLEADING TO THE CHIEF FOR THE LIVES OF HER CHILDREN |
Watch the video |
|
Indian woman pleading to her chief for the lives of her children
Effectiveness |
We must balance what we want with what society wants, and trust this process
In this image, a mother pleads to her chief and indicates submission – yet it is implicit that a good chief will protect her valid interests. In all life we need to balance what we want with what society wants, both looking after our own imperatives and yet also trusting in the community process. We are not likely to feel satisfied if we are obliged to truckle to others in order to resolve our most important issues, in the naive hope that our priorities are theirs. First and foremost, we ask to develop a reliable effectiveness in our ability to control our world, at least to the point where the basics are not at risk – things like protecting the family from harm. The family unit is the foundation principle of the tribe. Society must first and foremost protect the family if it is to be accepted as a force for the good of the community. We are willing to defer to collective authority only to the extent that we feel that our nearest and dearest are protected and supported by it. This is not feasible without forming allegiances with emphasis upon the principle of fair exchange and justice, backed up by the practice of caring and empathy. To feel both caring and cared for, we must be part of a society that responds appropriately to help balance rights and wrongs that arise as a result of our direct experience with the problems of self-fulfilment. From our personal viewpoint, we must develop the gift for putting our priorities clearly – first things first. Without this, personal accomplishment and enabling of our dreams is uncertain at best. We feel that any diminishing of our personal aims must be offset by the advantages of communal life – yet our personal goals need only be stated clearly and prioritised for this not to be a problem. The community surely is better able to thrive when its members are fulfilled? So any group will only hold onto its influence under two conditions. The group must invest in the welfare of the individual and the individual must invest in the welfare of the group. A functioning society cannot emerge without each member accepting, and being made to accept, a degree of self-sacrifice to minister the common interest. To achieve this, it must function to improve the effectiveness of individual aspirations as much as its own declared common dreams. |