Hercules drew his razor sharp dagger and swiftly plunged it deep into the neck of the nine-headed Hydra as it emerged from the marsh.  The huge serpent writhed in agony shrieking a hideous cry as Hercules completely severed one of the heads from its massive body.   The moment the Hydra’s head was cut off; two more heads emerged from the open wound and it was cured.  Upon seeing this, Hercules’ companion, Iolaus, began to hand Hercules red-hot brands each time Hercules cut off another head.  Hercules continued to sever the heads, burnt the open wound with Iolaus’ flaming brand before more heads could appear, and thus Hercules killed the monster.
 

Is this story just a colorful but antiquated myth?  Or could this myth be a metaphor, a symbolic work intended to convey spiritual truth and guidance? 

As students of any spiritual system, we initially seek to comprehend the theoretical framework of the spiritual teaching itself.  And with some degree of understanding of that teaching we then seek to put it into practice.  We strive to make the teachings a vital and dynamic part of our daily life.   In doing so, we soon discover that our spiritual unfoldment comes from the practice and integration of the teachings in our life, rather than just knowing the teachings intellectually.   

When attempting to integrate spiritual teachings in our life we inevitable encounter hindrances.  Myths that are understood as spiritual metaphors provide vivid archetypal imagery depicting the predictable obstacles on the path of Self-Realization.  Their dramatic and colorful narratives imprint their meaning and guidance deep into the mind of the student, which can be recalled to guide them during their own trials and tribulations. 

Historically, religions have always used stories/parables to convey their teachings to the often uneducated masses.  In Biblical Palestine, Joshua Immanuel the Christ used parables to veil his teachings from those opposing it while revealing it to those with “Ears to hear”.   (See The Parables book by Daskalos on the esoteric meaning of Joshua’s parables)   In the ancient Mystery Schools of Greece and Egypt, spiritual candidates were given specific techniques to accelerate their spiritual unfoldment.  What were the methods given these spiritual seekers?    One such device was the Myth as Metaphor.    These Myth/Metaphors serve as practical guidelines during the process of spiritual unfoldment or what the ancients called - The Hero’s Journey.                                       

In past times, spiritual candidates were often removed from the world, cloistered in a monastery or spiritual school and concentrated primarily on their spiritual life.  This was done in part to isolate the aspirant from the coarser vibrations of the world so that they could more easily become aware of, and develop an attunement to, more refined spiritual vibrations.  Today, however, most spiritual seekers are still engaged in worldly efforts and family activities while trying to tread the spiritual path.  In this condition, worldly and spiritual vibrations can become mixed and cause confusion.   In addition, today’s seeker has an over-abundance of spiritual material to study and consider.  When haphazardly done, this too can cause confusion and a kind of theoretical congestion. Yet, when rightly understood classical spiritual Myths/Metaphors can dispel confusion and serve as a reliable guide for the seekers of truth today.

One such Myth/Metaphor in Greek mythology was that of the Cretan Minotaur.  The Minotaur was a raging monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.  It represented uncontrollable lusts and powerful egoistic expressions in humankind.  The Minotaur was the offspring of Poseidon’s Bull and King Mino’s wife.  So King Minos built a huge and complicated underground labyrinth-prison for the deadly Minotaur to dwell in.  This maze of chambers was so complex that it was impossible to escape without help.   To satisfy the monster’s ravenous appetite, King Minos would release seven girls and seven boys into the maze for the monster to devour.  

At this same time, Theseus the son of King Aegeus, hearing about the sacrifice of the seven boys and seven girls went to Crete and volunteered to take the place of one of the boys in hopes of slaying the Minotaur.  Prior to entering the labyrinth, the hero Theseus, meets and falls in love with Ariadne, the daughter of king Minos.   Because of her love for Theseus, she shows him a map of the maze and gives him a ball of twine to tie to the entrance of the labyrinth so he can find his way back out.   So the next day, Theseus unrolled the ball of string as he entered the gloomy darkness of the Minotaur’s maze.   Theseus made his way over the bones of the victims, found the Minotaur, kills it, and escorted the other sacrificial youths out of the maze by following the string back to the entrance. 

This Myth/Methaphor represents the essential task of a spiritual seeker to entering into the maze of their own sub-consciousness; finding that egoistic part of their personality that has been consuming the etheric vitality of their seven energy centers (Chakras).  The seven youths, symbolize the seven prime chakras.  And just like Theseus, we need help if we are to be successful in completely eliminating our own egoism.   This help can come from spiritual teachings; or it can come from a brother guide who loves us and is willing to lead us.  This help can and does come from our own Guardian Angel, who stands ready to show us the way out of the maze of our own confusion and into the light of Truth.   

The Minotaur of our own egoism continuously tries to lead us away from the light and into the darkness of its convoluted lair.   Our own hero’s journey requires that we neutralize this inner adversary and find our way back out of the labyrinth and into the light. (For more information on this process, see Daskalos’ Stoa lesson – “Out of the labyrinth and into the Light Feb. 1, 1993)

A similar western Myth/Metaphor that addresses this same fundamental challenge is Saint George and the Dragon.  This and other legends have different versions and levels of interpretation.  But to the seeker of truth, this Myth/Metaphor depicts the internal struggle to overcome our own egoism.   Here again the dragon represents uncontrolled egocentric desires and unbridled emotions.  Saint George represents our inner Self-Aware Soul.   The woman, who Saint George saves, represents our personality, which has been enslaved by the dragon of egoism.  In this image, Saint George is shown riding a white horse and killing the dragon with a spear.  The horse represents our material body; while the spear represents the proper use of Mind as reason, intelligence and will-power.   It is by using Mind as reasonable thought that we gain control over wild emotions and endless desires.   It is through the use of our noetical body (mental) that our psychical body (emotional) can be calmed, cleaned and mastered.  
 

Another great Christian Myth/Metaphor is the Arthurian legend of the Quest for the Holy Grail.   The Holy Grail is the cup Christ drank from at the Last Supper, in which according to legend; Joseph of Arimathea collected Christ’s blood in the cup after the crucifixion.  From that point on, the Grail was believed to have miraculous properties.   Joseph of Arimathea purportedly brought the Holy Grail and Christianity to Britain. 

The Quest for the Holy Grail Myth/Metaphor begins in Britain in the 12 century with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.  After numerous adventures and great accomplishments, the knights were getting a little bored and decided they must embark on a new adventure.  Being the brave heroic knights they were - they chose the ultimate quest of all: the search for the life-giving Holy Grail.   So they set off on this pursuit, with each of the knights starting off alone.   According to their creed, a true knight had to find his own way and could not follow the path of another.  It would have been a disgrace for one of these knights to try and follow in the exact steps of another knight on such a quest.  Metaphorically, this is an important point for those seeking Self-Realization.  Ultimately we must make our own steps toward our goal.  Masters, teachers, brother guides and books can light the way to Self-Realization.   But to succeed in our quest, we must make our own unique journey.  

In this story, only one of the knights actually finds the Holy Grail.   The others lose their way, become distracted and leave the search, or are killed.   The one who finds the Grail in most versions of this myth, is the knight called Percival.  His name, Percival, means one who pierces the valley.  A valley is a place in between two opposite mountains.  So metaphorically the one who can succeed in reaching the Life-Light cup of Christ, is the one who can penetrate between the extremes of duality and see beyond the domain of conceptual good and evil.  This Myth/Metaphor instructs the seeker of truth to take the middle path and not swing back and forth between the diametric poles such as aversions and longings.  Or as Christ put it:  “If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light".  

Duality belongs to the temporary Worlds of Existence (physical, psychical and noetical) that we are traveling through.   Our destination and source is, was and will always be in the non-dual reality of Beingness.  Beingness is beyond duality with its twin expressions of relative good and evil, light and dark, inward and outward.   For a seeker of truth this is an inspiring and practical Myth/Metaphor. 

So we can still take guidance and direction from the ancient Myths in our lives today.   But is that all there is to it?  No!  Sincerely working with these myth/metaphors we not only gain a perspective of the spiritual efforts required of us, we are also consciously creating an “ally” type elemental to help us in our quest. 

Every desire, emotion, thought, word or deed creates a living elemental which will either aid in our advancement or impede us. See previous lessons on: Angels & Devils.  With strong and repeated expression of a specific elemental we charge it with great energy giving it power and purpose.  When we create or re-energize a strong negative elemental it can quickly become a tempter/tormentor that leads us astray.   But when we create or re-energize a strong positive elemental, we are creating a potent ally to help us achieve our aims.   Once an elemental has been created it can never be completely destroyed.  It can be changed, morphed or rendered inactive but never completely exterminated.  So we must be careful. 

Desire for anything, good or bad, creates a corresponding elemental.  Desire based elementals are classified as desire-thought forms, which means they are composed primarily of emotion.  Whereas, elementals that are composed primarily of thought, are classified as thought-desire forms and are far more effective.  The vast majority of elementals created and revitalized today are the desire-thought form type.     

Returning to the Hydra myth, Heracles first tries killing the Hydra with his club without success.  Then using his sharp-edged knife, he succeeds in severing all the Hydra’s heads, burns the wounds, and buries the dismembered creature.   

Symbolically, Heracles is our Self-Aware Soul, which neutralizes the Hydra of desires within our own personality.  The mastery over harmful desires is a require lesson in the life of any sincere spiritual seeker. It is especially relevant at this time and in this culture where rampant commercialism promotes the Hydra of desire in everyone. 

In undertaking the work on the second labor of Heracles (the killing of the Lernaean Hydra) as given in the Symbol of Life book by Daskalos, we are creating a strong noetical elemental of this symbolic spiritual task.  In a calm comfortable environment quiet your emotions and silence your thoughts.  Relax the body and take deep, comfortable breaths in the 4 : 4 count (4 beats of the heart during the in breath, 4 beats of the  heart during exhalations – do not hold the breath, just breath rhythmically in this pattern for a few minutes).  Once the body is relaxed and the emotions and thoughts have been silenced begin.  Now using visualization create the set and setting (the marsh, the Hydra, Heracles, Iolaus, etc.) of this labor in great detail.   See it vividly.  Feel you actually are there three dimensionally in the scene watching it unfold.     

Clearly visualize Heracles shooting flaming arrows into the marshy lair of the Hydra forcing it to come to the surface and reveal itself.   The marsh represents our sub-consciousness where our desire elementals hide.  Using Mind as reasonable thought (the flaming arrows) during Introspection we roust the beast of egoism out into the open to be dealt with.   

When created properly, the elemental of Heracles cutting off the Hydra’s heads and burning the wound with fire to prevent them growing back, can be recalled and applied when we are tempted by our own egoistic Hydra of desire.  Consciously create this thought-based elemental with the sincere practice of this labor.   Once it is well formed, practice recalling it in detail to your mind from time to time.  Then when you are tested by unreasonable desires, you can bring this noetical elemental to our conscious mind and apply it to any condition that may be tempting you.  Feel yourself as Heracles, your Inner Self, powerfully slaying your Hydra of your own desires. With the practice of this labor, we will be strengthened in our efforts to vanquish the damaging desires that hinder our spiritual unfoldment and distract us from our purpose in life. 

After visualizing this labor, try contemplating the nature of desire.  Introspect on how the Hydra of desire affects your life and those around you.  Ask yourself proper questions such as: How far am I willing to go just to fulfill my strong desires.  What amount of effort and energy am I willing to expend just to fulfill emotional desires? Is that reasonable?  How much money am I willing to spend to attain the object of my desires?   What happens when conditions do not allow an ardent desire to be immediately fulfilled?   The nature and effects of emotional desire should be known to us.  

But what happens when our desire is fulfilled?  Typically when a desire for something is fulfilled, we soon lose interest in it and begin desiring something new.  When this new desire is fulfilled, it again looses its appeal and we start having new desires.  Left unchecked, this pattern of desire goes on and on and on without end.  The endless multiplication of unnecessary desires is also symbolized in the myth.  When Hercules cut off one of the Hydra’s heads, two more grew back to replace it.  This is exactly what happens with our personal desires.  And without applying the “flaming brand” of reason, this process can not be stopped. So we must study all the effects desire can have on our personality and neutralize our Hydra of desire. 

This is not to say all desire is bad, but we should distinguish between those desires which are good and necessary, those that are not so necessary, and those desires which are enslaving us.   There is nothing inherently bad in desiring and seeking those things which are necessary and good in life.    What is wrong is when we become a slave to the desires.   This is the point: We are to be the master and not the slave. 

The study of myth as a spiritual metaphor has great benefits.   It gives a vivid, symbolic depiction of challenges we all must one day face on the spiritual path.   In addition it provides clear and simple instruction for overcoming these challenges.  By visualizing these Myth/Metaphors we are also using three qualities of the etheric vitality (imprinting, kinetic and sensate) to create a strong “ally” type elemental to help us along our way.   

And by deeply contemplating the Myth/Metaphor we are developing our innate power of observation and concentration to penetrate deep into the spiritual meaning of it and learn so much more than can ever be expressed in words.   Developing this ability is a great, great benefit that can be applied to know and understand any situation we encounter on our journey.   

May God speed you on your hero’s journey, 

Daniel
Jan. 5, 2005

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A metaphor is a kind of figurative language that is not meant to be taken literally.  A metaphor is a symbolic representation of some other thing or some deeper meaning; whereas a myth is a fictitious story about someone or something.

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Luke 8:8 (NIV ) “He [Jesus] called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

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Matthew 6:22 (KJV)

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