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Mythical Tales of Leo
Both the Egyptians and the Babylonians worshipped the Sun. The Egyptians and Persian royalty kept lions as pets. The Egyptians solar goddess was Sekmet, the Lion-headed Goddess who scorches the earth in the summer months and amplifies the fury and anger of Leo.
Apollo, the Greek Sun God, has a famous statue at Delphi engraved with the words “Man Know thy self”.
Hercules and the Lion – Myth Symbolizing the fight to Attain Inner Strength.
The Greeks identified Leo with Hercules and the lion. The Goddess Hera had sent the Lion from the Moon to plague Hercules. The Hero had to fight the Lion with his bare hands. An old man directs him to the Lion’s lair. Hercules then shoots the Lion with an arrow which finds its mark, but Hera intervenes and the arrow bends and does not kill the lion. So Hercules goes after the lion hiding in a cave with two mouths. Hercules blocks one entrance, and then goes in the other side and in the darkness kills the Lion with his bare hands. He then wears the skin as proof of his own strength.
This tale represents the battle with the developing ego, also the instinctive roots that Leo must battle with before he/she can become an individual. Leo is known for their enthusiasm also aggressive tendencies which the solar goddess Sekmet portrays. It is the fiery nature of Leo, which needs to be tamed in order to make the most of their attributes and to recognize the unconscious and its contents.
Parsifal and the Grail – Myth Representing the Spiritual Quest of Leos
Parsifal was raised by his mother. Parsifal meets 5 knights and decides to venture further afield, and become a knight himself. He leaves his mother without so much as a goodbye and she dies of grief. He fights with one of the knights – kills him and then wears his armor. He then meets a beautiful lady who initiates him in the art of love. Parsifal leaves again without much thought and carries on with his travels. He then sees a beautiful black swan and kills it for the sheer hell of it.
Parsifal travels on and comes to a river that has no apparent way of crossing. This is his major quest in life, and a fisherman crosses his path and shows him the way. When he gets to the other side he finds a castle and the land in ruins. Parsifal has a vision. He sees two maidens. One carries a silver platter, which contains the four elements; the other maiden carries the golden grail, which is embedded with precious stones. Parsifal doesn’t know what to make of this and simply goes to sleep – only to wake in the morning to be told that he has missed a major opportunity.
Parsifal then leaves the kingdom, and ventures on his travels once more. He has not reached maturity, and needs more experience in life to realise his potential, his individual self, but also to cultivate compassion.
When Parsifal returns to the castle he comes across the same vision but this time asks the question “Who does the Holy Grail serve?” Instantly the land is restored to its original beauty. The sick King is Parsifal’s grandfather and is healed. Parsifal takes his rightful place and becomes the King and everything is how it should be. Parsifal finds a father figure and the King is contented and healed.
The main underlining issue with the quest which Parcifal undertakes is the search for the missing father who wasn’t around in his formative years. It is this area of his life which must be satisfied. He does find his father but it is his spiritual father. The king and the maiden whom he meets on his journey are all part of himself, the sexual aspect of him that needs to be initiated. This is their first venture. The search for love. The knight and the swan which he kills without compassion is yet another.
Parcifal must experience life alone. Like most Leos the road is long and arduous, they must cultivate compassion, and it is not that they don’t have it. Basically they are so innocent that as they journey through life one thing or another is laid out in front of them so as to bring out these qualities so as to become the truly magnificent individual that they are. The sun rules Leo. If you look at the symbolism of the sun you will see a circle with a dot in it. This symbolizes the seed potential they are born with. It is a seed that needs nourishment in order to develop. The sick father also represents the sick father and spiritual weakness. So that they feel compelled to compensate for this area in life so as to know their own strength.