The Labors of Hercules
Aries
The Capture of the Man-Eating Mares
You will resonate with Aries if you have the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant in Aries or if you have any of these in close aspect to Mars. You will also be influenced by Aries if you have several planets in the first house, or if you were born with Mars in the first, fourth, seventh or tenth house.
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Hercules and the Man-Eating Mares
Listen to Kathy Newburn summarize the myth in Aries.
Aries
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The Soul’s Task in Aries: Learning to Control Our Fiery Passions through the Right Use of the Mind
In this labor, Hercules rushes forward to capture the mares. His impulsive, enthusiastic, and headlong dive into action helps us to understand how the Aries influenced personality acts. It is an active, bold, and energetic sign, and for Hercules, there is no fear of being challenged or of entering into battle. Hercules acts here as the representative of the soul, and begins his journey through the astrological signs with a bold fearlessness that is typical of Aries.
Aries Strengths and Gifts:
- Adventurous
- Pioneering
- Courageous
- Confident
- Enthusiastic
- Initiating
- Willful
Aries Shadow and Weakness:
- Selfish
- Quick-tempered
- Impatient
- Impulsive
- Headstrong
- Unpredictable
- Undisciplined
Click on the audio file to listen to a reading of the Capture of the Man-eating Mares of Diomedes
~ Read by Karen Johannsen
The Myth
The first labor on the zodiacal wheel is the sign of Aires, the Capture of the Man-eating Mares of Diomedes. Diomedes, the son of Mars, is a savage giant, who rules a tribe of warriors. His horses are four mares who have been fed only the flesh of humans and have been driven mad. They are wild, uncontrolled, and destructive, and are wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the countryside. Hercules’ task is to capture them so that the land can be rescued and its people regain peace.
Enlisting the help of his good friend Abderis, the two rush forward enthusiastically into this first challenge. Hercules is fiery and confident. Together, the two are able to catch and tether the horses. Celebrating the success, Hercules then turns over responsibility for the handling of the mares to Abderis, and leaves him to battle Diomedes. On his own with the wild mares, Abderis is unable to manage them on his own. He is killed and eaten by the horses. When he returns, Hercules finds Abderis dead. He captures the horses again, but this time, he drives the horses through the gate where they are then tamed. Hercules grieves the loss of his friend.
So, while Hercules was ultimately successful in the task, he managed the task poorly and at the cost of his friend’s life.
Understanding the Myth’s Symbols and Meaning
So, what does this task communicate about our spiritual nature and evolution in Aries?
Hercules, as the representative of the soul, begins this task with a typical Arian bold fearlessness. He enlists the help of his friend, Abderis who symbolizes the personality. The personality cannot manage the task effectively on its own.
Diomedes’ horses represent the unenlightened aspects of personality, specifically the mind and intellectual activity. There are four horses, and each represents an aspect the mind (monkey mind, concrete mind, the ego mind, abstract mind). It is these four aspects of mind that must be harnessed to work on behalf of the soul.
To perform the task, Hercules wisely partners with his friend Abderis, representing the personality. The soul and personality must align for the task, and only when working together can they capture and contain the wild mares of the mind. But mistakenly, Hercules gives responsibility for guarding the mares to Abderis, and on his own, he is unable to manage. The horses kill and eat him.
There can be an impulse for the personality, or ego to take over with hubris, believing that it can work on its own. The soul cannot relinquish responsibility for its work in the world to the unredeemed personality. They will only find success through working together.
The Spiritual Task
In Aries we are asked to re-orient our consciousness so that the mind aspect can be harnessed to work on behalf of the soul. Aries rules the head. The personality in Aries tends to act rashly and with an ego-driven rush of bravado and impulse. With our personality in Aries, we can be focused on the activity, expressing life energy as action without thought to how the action impacts those in their path. The unevolved Aries wants to do something and from the personality’s perspective, it doesn’t matter so much what it does.
The horses symbolize intellectual activity and in Aries, as the ruler of the head, this is an important clue. The man-eating mares represent the destructive power of an uncontrolled, undisciplined, and wild mind. So, without control, these wild horses wreak devastation and destruction on the countryside where they roam.
The labor in Aries marks Hercules’s initial step upon the “path of transformation’. It is in the sign of Aries that we are called to re-orient the mind aspect of our consciousness. Here we must begin to shift from the impulse of living enthusiastically in matter, to using it thoughtfully on behalf of spirit. The personality suffers, or in this case is destroyed, when it attempts to work without the guidance of the soul.
There must be an ongoing partnership between the soul and the personality for relief from the wild drives of an untethered human nature to be realized. Only through this partnership can the form life be harnessed and tamed for the greater good.
Humility and wise use of resources is needed. Wild, unrestrained action can wreak destruction and devastation. When the soul and personality work in partnership, the mind can be harnessed so that new and transformative ideas can be brought forth for the benefit of humankind.
Applying the Aries Lesson in Everyday Life:
If you haven’t already done so, it may be helpful to read the article “Spiritual Transformation is a Team Activity” https://soulbridging.com/spiritual-transformation-captain/ This useful article highlights how the energy of the personality shifts its expression from personality dominance to soul mastery.
Aries is a cardinal fire sign ruled traditionally by Mars and spiritually by Mercury. The personality in Aries wants to pioneer and launch some bold and original initiatives. However, there is a tendency to rush forward without regard for the others that may be affected. Aries benefits by using the energy of its opposite sign Libra to support its work in the world. The spiritually mature Aries will look to the balancing and relational aspects of Libra. By harnessing the careful and measured energy found in its opposite sign, the soul in Aries can realize new ideas and continue to be a pioneer, but in ways that are in balance and beneficial to the greater whole.
Explore the Ancient Keynotes
These ancient and profound Key Notes provide insight into the expression of the sign by the personality and the soul. Kathy Newburn explains how we can better understand their meanings.
Click on the Audio Link to Listen to the Ancient Key Note for the Sign of Aries
Practice:
It is helpful to meditate on and ponder the ways that the personality uses the energy of Aries to initiate and act in the world. Consider how the spiritually mature Aries native uses the energy of the sign. Take some time to journal your answers to the following questions. This will support you to deepen your awareness and integrate the highest expression of Aries and to manifest it in your everyday life.
The Voice of the Personality in Aries says: “Let form again be sought.”
The personality in Aries wants to act, it just wants to do something. When combined with selfishness, a lack of wisdom, or inexperience, the action can have a dramatic and destructive influence on those around him. The personality seeks power, control, and to dominate.
Some questions to ponder for the Aries personality:
- How attached am I to excitement and thrill?
- How important is winning? Do I want to win at any cost?
- Do I strive for positions of leadership and authority over those around me?
- How do I use my power?
- Do I use power and authority to force others to my will?
- Do I find that there is more than a usual amount of struggle and strife when I am initiating something new?
The Voice of the Soul in Aries Says: “I come forth, and from the plane of mind, I rule”.
The soul in Aries is under the rulership of Mercury, so there is a desire to learn to control thought. Aries is energy that initiates, but the soul seeks to help the Aries native to initiate new and transformative ideas that benefit all of humanity. Through the fire of mind, the warrior energy can be used here to harness the personality so that it can work on the soul’s behalf.
Some questions to ponder for Soul’s Expression in Aries:
- When inspired by a new impression or idea, are you able to hold the thought with a higher intention?
- Do you consider the impact of your actions beyond your own self-interest?
- Are you invested in some larger activity that has a scope beyond yourself?
- Are you willing to be a warrior, a pioneer, a lone-voice who can act through forming relationship with others?