pages 37-38
"There is no way to Happiness,
to be Happy is the Way"
Zen-Buddhist proverb
A Labyrinth is a path or collection of paths, usually from
entrance to a goal. In English, the term is denoted by the word "maze",
whose literal meaning in Bulgarian is closet, secret dungeon, basement,
foundation of a house.
Fig.5: The labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral, France
pattern creatd by: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ssolbergj https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral#/media/File:Labyrinthus.svg
AlchemY of Аpogee [ Part I: Quality of Life ]
Chapter 4: In the Labyrinth of our Psyche
The word "psyche" comes from the Greek word for Soul - "Psyche".
We will treat the psyche as "the Secret Realm" of our feelings, thoughts and emotions into which our searching Spirit must descend in order to discover and realize the innermost essence of our Soul. The ruler of this secret realm is the Ego, which zealously shields its achievements. In order to realize the potential of our Self, we need to persuade the Ego to release the light of our Soul. For this purpose we need to arrange our thoughts, feelings and emotions stored in the Subconscious so as to built a ladder to a higher level of Consciousness so that the Spirit can descend to enlighten the Mind of our Ego. This is the Fourth Dimension of the manifestation of the Self - the Trinity - the union of Spirit with Soul through the Cordiality of our Ego. (p.13,17,19,102,146)
Human history has always been "guided" by ancient myths, legends and folk tales about hidden treasures and adventures in search of them. A number of archaeological digs exploring ancient civilizations have found intricately constructed labyrinths in different parts of the world, the purpose and application of which is still a mystery to science. But what could actually be behind these mysterious labyrinths?
Curiosity and doubt are inherent features of the seeking Ego. It is they who lead human civilization to development and improvement, but doubt can be our "stumbling block." Just as it can motivate us to explore, prove, and discover, doubt can put us in a vicious circle of destructive emotions. When we doubt ourselves, we easily fall prey to the fears, passions, delusions, ambitions and temptations that divert us from the path to our personal Self. (p.15,17,33,34,148)
The tendency of human nature to doubt under the influence of negative emotions is expressively represented by the ancient Greek myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice". Orpheus (the seeking Ego) descends into the underworld - the Secret Realm - to regain his Eurydice - the Light of his Soul. Led by Hermes, (symbol of intuition p. 114-115,175), Orpheus is about to save Eurydice, provided if he does not turn back. Shortly before he succeeds, his fears, arising from memories of lost happiness, tempt him to doubt, and he turns to make sure Eurydice is following him. Thus Orpheus loses his will, but also his Eurydice - his faith - the most valuable wealth of the Soul. (p. 153)
Historically, it is the loss of faith that marks the beginning of the decline of Thracian civilization, whose symbol-belief is the "high priest of lost knowledge" - Orpheus.
The ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is the only instruction as to the purpose of the mysterious Labyrinths that we have been given so far. Life is the Labyrinth into which we descend to study, develop and realize our personal potential. Each lesson (p. 13) we must learn is taught to us on a nine-year cycle. Every nine years Life tests our psychological foundations in the material, emotional (Soul), spiritual, cordial, intuitive, mental and conscious areas. Depending on how far we have learned and applied the Lessons of Life, at the end of the cycle we will experience the trials as successes, sufferings or difficulties in the seven spheres of our manifestation. In the myth, these tests are represented as seven girls (the talents of the Yin-potential of the seven forces) and seven young men (the Yang-energy forces required to realize the seven talents) who are sacrificed to the inhabitant of the labyrinth every nine years. “The inhabitant” is our Ego in the face of the Minotaur - a symbol of the primary passion for life. In order not to “eat the life” anymore, the Ego must be defeated by our Will (Theseus), which is guided by the Good Sense (the oracle in Delphi), the Love (Aphrodite) and the Intuition (Ariadne) - the four forces of the stable psyche.
If we look at the human brain, we will find that the brain folds not only form the two halves that manage thought and action (Yin and Yang), but also shaping a kind of labyrinth in which our potential lies.
When we apply our will through the primacy of the Ego, we unconsciously let it build barriers of fears, passions, prejudices and delusions on the way to desired gains and lock our potential and talents in the dark labyrinth of emotional cyclicity. But when we let our Mind be guided by the primary power of the Spirit, we courageously open our Consciousness to the next level on the spiral of the mastery and realization of the Seven powers. In this struggle for supremacy between Spirit and Ego arises the duality of our being, which devides the reality into heaven and hell - ruled by God and Satan.
When we deviate from the path to ourselves, Life sends us trials to awaken our Heart and Intuition and lead us out of the labyrinth of our personal delusion. The essence of our Ego manifests itself in our ability to give and receive, but also in our tendency to take and hold. Unless property is given or withdrawn from the Ego, we cannot know for sure what its nature is. The question is: who are you when you have power over hell and who are you when heaven is entrusted to you: a robber, a judge, a forgiver, or a guardian? Our ability to dismiss the negative manifestations of our Ego from their duties determines our resilience and values, the degree of the Ego's constructive or destructive role in our lives. Our ability to recognize and follow Ariadne's threads can lead us out of the Labyrinth of the Ego.
"To pray Hades for Eurydice", i.e., to convince the Ego to free our Soul from suffering, we must give it with all our love. But it depends on the power of our belief and the freedom of mind whether we will be able to unlock the Heart power and give Light on the way back, and whether our Intuition wakes up to find the way out of the labyrinth. (p.36,39,99,111,117,123,133,137,146-155,192)
The nine years that lead to the entrance or exit of the labyrinth are the nine tests for the "threefold" Self, who seeks the treasures of life in the three spheres of Existence and the three levels of Consciousness. (p. 14,106,191, 197)
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