Astrology
and Astronomy until a few hundred of years ago were a single science,
and people used them to help themselves understand nature as well as
their own psyches. It was not until 300 years ago that Astrology and
Astronomy branched apart, basically due to the lack of understanding
of so-called scientific minds.
Today we
can see the results of such a split. Even though we understand and
control nature to a point that was inconceivable a few years ago,
psychologically we are no better off than we were 2000 years ago. On
the contrary, in many ways we could say that our levels of stress and
isolation are much worse today.
Ancient
people used stories to convey the inner teachings related to Man and
the Universe. Such stories allowed them to reveal as well as to
conceal inner teachings.
One of
the stories is the myth of Uranus. In the beginning there was Chaos,
from which came Gaia, the goddess of Earth. Gaia gave birth to Uranus
(or Ouranus), who also became her mate. Uranus, who was the god of the
sky, mated with Gaia, who then gave birth to many beings, among which
were the Cyclops and the Titans. But Uranus, being the god of the sky,
did not like any of his offspring because they were too human, not
divine like him. Gaia, upset with such behavior, convinced her son
Saturn, also known as Cronos, to help her. Saturn castrated Uranus
with a sickle and threw his genitals into the sea, where Aphrodite
(Venus) was born. From Uranus's blood spilled on the ground, the
goddesses of vengeance, the Furies—envious anger, retaliation, and
never-ending ness--were born.
We are
all very familiar with the fact that each time that we intend any
behavioral change, Uranus's energy will try to stop us. First, the
inertia of the past, Saturn's energy, intervenes. If that does not
work, the Furies appear. They may be inside or outside ourselves, and
the only way to conquer them is through love, Venus's energy.
In this
story, Uranus represents change in ourselves, in other words,
individualization. This is the energy that compels us to better and
improve ourselves.
This
story, as well as many others, gives a clear indication of the
understanding ancient peoples had of the cycles and influences of the
celestial objects on nature as well as on human beings.
