Sabian Symbols: Two men placed under arrest
This universal idea is best expressed through planets in
Libra 18 (17° - 18°)RESULT OF GOING BEYOND ACCEPTABLE LIMITS
We must come to terms with the fact that society dispenses punishments "Accepting the consequences of our misdemeanours" Whether we think of the individual or Society, each must maintain order by applying sanctions against forces of disorder. Facing the consequences of our own action or inaction lies at the heart of personal responsibility and personal power. We do whatever we want if we can - but we get away with nothing. Somewhere, somewhen we pay for it all. The carrot is the calmness, the stick is the price we must pay if we do not conform to necessary constraints.
Rudhyar: TWO MEN PLACED UNDER ARREST |
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Two men placed under arrest
Consequence |
If we do not reconcile feelings with circumstances there are serious consequences
The boundaries of an individual and of society are in creative conflict, and this is necessary for the well-being of both; revolution and protest are normal aspects of both personal and community life. It is society’s function to expand its collective reach and control its members; accordingly there are serious consequences if we do not comply – the agencies of authority stop us in our tracks. Against this restriction, it is for an individual to defend and expand their own personal interests. Personal optimisation actually requires the threat of subjugation, because conflict sponsors the development of excellence. Potentials are brought further into effective expression by this friction, and we often see frontiers of the possible pushed back by various social challenges, for example with sport, school examinations and, in the extreme case, warfare. Often the pressure to conform goes beyond justifiable training, even to a level of the forceful denial of legitimate freedom of expression. Being faithful to who we are is of great consequence and it is the responsibility of the individual to challenge the given order of things, and so maintain and proclaim their own essential values and characteristics. Our challenges are examinations by which we can identify any discrepancy between who we really are and what we actually do. When we are truly and spontaneously authentic, then life gets significantly easier – and usually until we do learn how to walk our talk we are constantly struggling. The existential, cosmic need for continual rebalancing expresses itself through us as a compulsion to reconcile our inner feelings with outer circumstances. The power of the individual is mostly the power of persuasion, and we have to understand that there are consequences if we claim the right to self-expression through more forceful means. Force is the legitimate tool of the police whose role is to maintain community stability, and we generally acknowledge the power of the state to stop someone who ‘crosses the line’. However, we notice that in this Sabian image there are two men arrested not just one. Whereas a single person’s unlawful expression is easily contained, when one is joined by another, society needs to take extra notice in case more join in and revolutionary shifts begin to threaten the status quo. As a member of the community, we have the duty to participate in the enforcement of its rules to help preserve the status quo. Yet from another perspective, when its standards are found to be obsolete or in denial of reasonable freedom, then we need to persuade our peers to join with us in legitimate protest. |