Interpretation of the Mythological Archetypes of the 12 Constellations — Virgo

Persephone

Queen of the Underworld, Goddess of Grain, one of the Twelve Olympians

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Interpretation

01

Persephone is the most well-known mythological archetype of Virgo. This seems to be a story of a "fall of the maiden." Persephone first appears as an innocent daughter/maiden, ignorant of worldly affairs, playing freely in nature, like a butterfly among the flowers. This picture is more like Virgo's pre-existence paradise. When fate arrives, the purest and most innocent maiden becomes the Queen of the Underworld, plummeting from the bright paradise to the dark underworld and entering into marriage with the God of Hell. The sudden turn of fate has no foreshadowing, just like the moment when a chemical reaction takes effect. This is completely different from Leo's hero's journey of trials, which has a long process of growth. Virgo is extreme, with a cliff-like radical change, as if she has two true selves, a convergence of extreme conflicts and opposites, manifested in Persephone's dual life of yin and yang.

The two symbols of Virgo, maiden - Queen of the Underworld, daughter - mother, are used to interpret the meaning of "virgin" from these two polar dimensions. Persephone has never spoken directly. She is silent and invisible. Her mother, Demeter, and her husband, Hades, negotiate her fate and relay (translate) her story. On the one hand, Persephone conveys herself through her mother and husband. "Virgin" does not show itself directly but provides clues and paradoxes about "virgin" in other guises. On the other hand, in the process of being relayed (translated) by her mother and husband, Persephone falls into the cage of her mother and husband. The language of Virgo is like countless Rashomon events, where lies and truth, the virtual and the real, are integrated.

Among the four terms "maiden," "Queen of the Underworld," "daughter," and "mother," the key associated themes are "chastity" and "child." Persephone's existence is first and foremost the intersection of contradictions in the theme of "virgin." "Loss of chastity - childbirth - motherhood" brings life, while "suffering - degradation - marriage alliance" initiates the wheel of fate. The so - called "virgin" or "maiden" is a state of being unformed and unproductive, but it is also an indelible hope.

Persephone's appearance and departure on earth influence the vitality of the earth through her mother's emotions. It can be said that Persephone is in sync with the cycle of nature. This brings out the important mission of Virgo, which is to be the guardian of the natural order. However, since Persephone is not directly connected to the natural order but through her mother, more precisely, Virgo is the guardian channel of the natural order, and she uses others to carry out the work of a guardian.

Combining the stories of Astraia, Aeacus, and Hermeticism, we will find that the "virgin" theme explored by Virgo goes beyond the moral level and human civilization. It is an experience of higher natural laws and cosmic laws. She descends from the realm of chaotic truth to the human world with black and white, up and down in a state of a sleeper and a silent one. It can be said that the mission of Virgo is tragic. She is like the "hope" at the bottom of Pandora's box that has been overlooked, a longing for a leap that should not be "just so." This longing can even be said to be a vain wish, a remembrance of the lost purity that never existed in the Age of Iron.

As the last of the personal constellations, Virgo enters the deepest realm of self - exploration. Different from Libra, the social constellation that takes the lead as a mediator to coordinate relationships, the context of Virgo is an adventurous journey to the highest truth through the individual. From the perspective of the macro - universe and micro - universe, the self is the universe. So the mediation field corresponding to Virgo is the internal natural law sequence of a person, the cosmic truth within the self.

In sharp contrast, Virgo gives the impression of being trivial, stubborn, and nitpicking, which seems far from the above - mentioned highest realm of individual exploration. The popular keywords of Virgo, "cleanliness obsession" and "obsessive - compulsive disorder," contain a kind of stubbornness that is incomprehensible to "outsiders," an excessive attention to detail, which then evolves into a "compulsion," like the pressure from a higher power. This higher power manifested in Persephone is fate, a compulsory force that allows no negotiation or resistance. Even Persephone's own voice, emotions, and expressions are completely drowned out. So, where does this source of pressure come from? In the context of civilization, the so - called "irresistible factors" often refer to non - human factors, such as natural disasters or fate changes. Under these irresistible factors, the individual is insignificant and has little effect. There is a cliff here. It's as if from the moment Persephone was abducted by Hades, she fell into a parallel world, a different kind of world. These two worlds have lost their connection, with different languages and no information transmission. But Persephone is a miracle.

The era we live in, at least in the Chinese context, seems to be an era that advocates the "Virgo spirit" of being hard - working, service - oriented, and submissive. Economic groups love such employees. They won't be trouble - makers but are good at handling problems and ensuring the successful completion of tasks assigned by their superiors. This sounds dull and bitter. Is this really the true "Virgo spirit"?

The virgin is first and foremost proud. She takes pride in her purity without any impurities. The masks of the silent and the invisible are precisely her declarations of pride. However, truth has faded away, or rather, truth has never shown itself in the human world. So no one can declare the standard of truth, which means everyone seems to be able to interpret truth in their own way. This is the chaotic situation in the Age of Iron, but it is also the possible soil for freedom. God only shows himself in the innermost heart of each person, which is even hard to tell others.

Virgo shows tension and anxiety in personality traits. This is Persephone's trauma. In Greek mythology, there are not a few female characters who were abducted and raped, but only Persephone's story takes abduction and loss of chastity as the core elements. Around the abduction, on one side is the resistance from her mother. Here, there is a preconceived idea, whether from her mother Demeter or Persephone herself: marrying Hades, the God of the Underworld, is terrifying. So her mother devoted herself to saving her daughter and had no time to take care of agriculture and the harvest of grains. The desolate scene on earth was in sync with her mother's mood. On the other side is Hades, the King of the Underworld. He seemed more justified and remained unmoved in the underworld. It can be said that Hades' forced marriage to Persephone was tacitly approved by Zeus, so Zeus sent Hermes to persuade the sad Demeter to make peace. Her mother's resistance worked. Although she couldn't bring her daughter back to the earth completely, she at least got back two - thirds of her daughter.

It can be said that Persephone is protected by two sides: her mother and her marriage to death. One is about producing and protecting life, and the other is about eliminating and finally judging life. Both of these forces are so heavy, serious, and imposing that they cannot be underestimated. As a result, Persephone has become the incarnation of both and breathes with them. Persephone is a channel, a messenger, connecting life and death. This unbearable weight of life squeezes Persephone between life and death. If she were not her mother's child, there would be no covenant with death. Virgo is under the gaze of double sources of fear and is a reflection of anxiety. And anxiety is precisely the driving force of the individual universe.

02

Some versions say that Persephone's children are the children of Zeus, while others say they are the children of Hades. Regardless of whether their father is the yang - side Zeus or the yin - side Hades, her children have indeed pushed the dark side to the extreme.

Her son, Zagreus, is the God of Wine in the underworld; her daughter, Melinoe, has two - colored skin and is the Goddess of Fear and Vengeance. They are both active in the underworld, existing as children hidden underground and releasing madness, fear, and anger there. A sad mother, a dark husband, and furious children. Persephone's nightmare has shown no signs of subsiding since the "deprivation of virginity" but has further evolved. The vitality of "pain" is so endless. Persephone is like a static face, frozen at the moment of being raped. People release violence, sadness, fear, and anger on this face, and "virgin" is the unshakable background. In this way, Persephone's silent, still, and huge face is actually the vast universe itself, maintaining a static balance and order, an image of God.

Or rather, Persephone represents the eternal and inevitable trauma in human fate. As Lu Xun said, tragedy is to tear apart beautiful things in front of people. This is different from Medea's fury and revenge. The themes of anger, madness, and revenge played out by Persephone are more of a helplessness, a cosmic law beyond individual actions. She is not about personal revenge but is like a law - enforcement field in purgatory. Persephone is a metaphor for the times and a metaphor for the trauma of human fate. She is a huge war machine painted with a human face. Compared to Helen being regarded as the fuse of the Trojan War, Persephone is more of an eyewitness to the cruelty of the cosmic rhythm on the eternal battlefield of life.

Although Persephone is the spokesperson of "virgin," compared to the three virgin goddesses Athena, Hestia, and Artemis, Persephone not only has a marriage but also children. Throughout, Persephone has never declared that she wants to choose to be a "virgin." She is more like a "lost virgin." She has a sad mother, a dark husband, and furious children. In this family sequence, "virgin" seems to be a dead obsession that doesn't exist. Corresponding to Astraia's story, Persephone's virgin soul is the Golden Age in Astraia's heart.

Astraia

Early goddess of justice, purity, and virginity, wearing chains and holding an olive branch

Interpretation

01

Rather than saying that Astraia believed in humans, it is more accurate to say that she believed that the cosmic rhythm was not degenerate. The survival struggles among humans due to the passage of time are also part of the cosmic rhythm. The "justice" that Astraia wanted to teach was to determine who was wrong and who was not, so as to restore the truth and show it to everyone. Therefore, rather than saying that Astraia was a protector of the degenerate humans, it is more appropriate to say that she was a defender of cosmic truth.

02

Obviously, Astraia is not the recognized spokesperson of truth. Even her credibility as a judge is not as high as that of the gods of Libra. Astraia is isolated and, from a certain perspective, even weak. She chose her own cause, so no one knew her mission earlier than she did. Astraia, who took justice most seriously, was unable to convince others and even had to ask Zeus to make a judgment. This is very thought - provoking. Astraia is like an opposition party. She even disdains to participate in power and turn her personal cause into a public one. But paradoxically, the personal cause she chose does involve everyone, so she eventually had to participate in public affairs. Through self - proof, she made more people receive her transmission of the profound meaning of truth.

The Bronze Age is also a symbol of the era of war. War and heroic epics are also part of the rhythm.

03

Astraia's myth is an important clue to explore the profound and grand themes of Virgo. Astraia came from the distant Golden Age but has been active until the Age of Iron. Astraia can be regarded as a real elder, a pioneer exile. Virgo is profound. She is the most representative symbol of the laws of the macro - universe and micro - universe. She is like a meteorite that has survived from the vast expanse and has now become the necessary tableware for people's lives.

Astraia wearing chains and being punished for humans gives me more inspiration about the religious connotations of Christ's suffering and Joan of Arc. I used to think that such acts of suffering were both stupid and arrogant, even evil. Human original sin has not been eliminated because they bore the punishment for others. Instead, an additional layer of sin has been added. People accept Christ's suffering without knowing or passively. Once aware of this double sin, people cannot feel justified about their own "happiness" and realize the hypocrisy of their happiness, so they have to bear double the pain. But if we temporarily put aside the boundaries between self and others and integrate them into one, when we perceive Astraia, we become Astraia, including her purity and the pain she endured. At the same time, we enter a more grand sequence of the cosmic rhythm.

It is not surprising that Virgo is often regarded as a "weirdo" because she is indeed an alien. She came from the Golden Age and has the potential for a firm stance and the mission of being a "divine messenger." "Virgo is not here to serve others but to follow the principle of service."

Aeacus

King of Oenone, Ant Warrior, one of the three judges of the underworld

(The other two judges of the underworld are Rhadamanthys Rhadamanthys and MinosMinos)

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Interpretation

01

The ant - people are a wonderful symbol. Aeacus was pushed to the brink by Hera and became the only survivor on the island of death. The words "Give me back my people or send me to the grave" revealed the two paths of Virgo: either stay on earth to form an ant army and rebuild a "beautiful" homeland; or enter the underworld, face fear and darkness, and become a judge of death, a judge in the underworld.

Ants, here, form the symbol of Virgo. Their symbolic meaning is very rich: weak, hard - working, accumulating little by little, and also carrying fear, being secretive, and hard to notice, just like Jung's collective unconscious that is infinitely large and infinitely small. The characteristics of Virgo that span time and carry the ancient cosmic rhythm are extended through the more specific themes of ants and hell, the microcosmic and death.

Hermes

Note: The citations are from "The Vision" in "The Divine Pymander" (Imagination)

01

The higher - level consciousness breaks free from the shackles of the physical senses, and the divinity is released in the surreal space.

02

This is the first stage in Jung's alchemical process, the nigredo period. Reason separates light from darkness, gods from mortals, melts the hard - fixed matter in the water, creates new life, ascends, and enters the albedo period.

03

The process of analysis is to look back at the formation of the self - that is, the archetype, the primitive, uncivilized, archetypal self - the mold. Then use the word of reason as a hammer, constantly strike and rub to generate fire. The work of Virgo is often regarded as trivial, boring, insignificant, and full of compulsive tendencies. But as a transmitter of the mind and a builder, the process of construction is essential. And the so - called construction work - that is, the choice of how to spend every moment in daily life.

04

This passage is the account of Gemini. As mentioned before, it can be used as another piece of material here.