In
astrology the element of fire is the one most associated with ego-personality, yet
interestingly it is also closely associated with spirit which indicates
that ego itself has an important function in the journey of spirit into
matter. Ego forms an essential foundation for the individuation process
in this current stage of the evolution of human consciousness.
According to Esoteric Astrology
we are collectively passing from instinct, through intellect, to
intuition*. Within the intellectual or ‘mental’ stage, that which we
call ego is actually the arising of a mental concept of ‘me’ or ‘I’.
Animals don’t think of ‘me’ or ‘mine’! This is a capacity of human
intellect.
Our
ego-mind creates this illusion of a false self, through an ongoing
process of identification which is evident in our continuous ‘story of
me’, ‘myself’, ‘I’ and ‘mine’. We have an innate ability to
experience life through our five senses. As soon as we open our eyes,
seeing happens. We don’t have to do anything in order to see, it happens
anyway. Yet our ego-mind immediately takes the credit by thinking “I
see”. There is an assumption that there is an “I” which is ‘doing’ the
seeing, but if we look closely we cannot find this “I” or “me” anywhere,
other than in our thoughts.
"Egoism, the limiting sense of 'I', results from the individual intellect's attributing the power of consciousness to itself"
- Patanjali
In
our everyday lives we can become identified with many things including
thoughts, feelings, actions/roles, possessions, which all contribute to
our sense of self. So if we feel sad we may identify with being ‘a sad
person’ or if we have a role in society we may become identified with
our position. When circumstances fit our idea of ourselves we may think “this is really me”, and when they don’t we may think “this isn’t me” or even “I’m just not myself”.
One
of the functions of mindfulness is to observe how this idea of ‘I’
arises in our daily lives. This requires observing those thoughts,
feelings and activities that generate a strong sense of ‘I’. If we have personal planets in any of the fire signs
we may notice a strong sense of ‘me’ or ‘I’ arises in association with
action - when we are doing something. This can include a role or career,
for example if we are a Mother or a Manager our sense of self can be so
interwoven with that identity that if we lose the role we feel we are
no longer ‘ourselves’.
Within each element
there are three ‘modalities’, or ways through which the energy
expresses: cardinal, fixed and mutable. Cardinal energy has a creative
quality to it. It is the energy of spring and creation and it’s purpose
is to initiate and make manifest. Fixed energy has a stabilizing quality
to it. It is the energy of summer and it’s purpose is to act as a
place-holder to stabilize creations for the duration of their lifespan.
Mutable energy has a dissolving, changing, quality to it. It is the
energy of autumn and it’s purpose is to dissolve creations and release
the energy so it may be re-used by cardinal energy again in the next
cycle. There are three signs in each element,
one corresponding to each modality. In the fire element Aries is the
cardinal sign, Leo is the fixed sign, and Sagittarius is the mutable
sign. In Esoteric Astrology,
the Tibetan Master tells us that each fire sign brings a gift: in Aries
we have the gift of existence, in Leo we have the gift of opportunity
and in Sagittarius we have the gift of power. However the Divine energy
of spirit is currently filtered through the ego personality, which
hijacks our pure experience and converts it into a “me” story!
The
twelve signs of the Zodiac are human archetypes, which means they can
also be thought of as twelve types of ego-mind, in other words twelve
“stories of me”! Each sign has a key phrase that sums up it’s dominant
‘ego-story’ in the form of an “I” statement. For Aries this key phrase
is “I am”, for Leo “I will”, and for Sagittarius “I seek”. As we
practice mindfulness and become more aware of our true nature we will
gradually begin to drop the ego story so Aries will experience pure
existence without “I” getting in the way. This will be a higher,
clearer, purer octave of Aries energy, unobstructed by any story.
Likewise Leo will experience pure creativity, unimpeded by any erroneous
ideas of a creator, and Sagittarius can experience seeking in total
freedom without the added hindrance of a seeker.
Few
of us are dominated by one sign. Most of us are a mix of at least two
or three which makes life interesting! As you go through your day,
notice where your attachment to your ‘story’ is strongest, and how it
relates to the elements of your personality signs. With practice you can
drop your story and allow your energy to flow freely and naturally. It
gives new meaning to getting out of your own way!
We’ll continue our exploration next time with a closer look at the elements of EARTH, AIR and WATER…
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