Labour 5: Leo (22 July to 21 Aug). The Slaying of the Nemean Lion
The story of Hercules’ labours has been interpreted by Alice Bailey in terms of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Hercules represents the seeker within each of us.
We follow Hercules’ experiences and exploits as he passes through the twelve signs of the zodiac, and gradually we realize that each sign represents a part of Hercules’ character that he now needs to transform so that he can travel further along his path. Each story, if pondered deeply, can give us insight into our own natures, and offers guidance in what we can do to be stronger, clearer, wiser and more powerful creators of our lives.
This month is the story of Hercules’ task in the sign of Leo.
The presiding One spoke: “O Hercules, a call has sounded forth. A call of deep distress. Your outer ears have not responded to that call, and yet the inner ear knows well the need, for it hath heard many voices tell you of need, and urging you to venture forth. The people of Nemea seek your aid. Word of your prowess has gone forth. They seek that you should kill the lion that devastates their land, taking its toll of men.”
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In the fourth labour of Cancer (21 June – 21 July), Hercules learned how to capture the elusive intuition, and once caught, he found out that this is a lesson that is constantly repeated throughout life.
In this fifth labour Hercules has to slay the lion of his personality by dedicating its well developed skills, knowledge and powers to the purpose of his soul.
“ ‘What is that savage sound I hear.’ Asked Hercules. ‘Is it the roaring of a lion I hear, upon the evening air?’ The Teacher said: ‘Go, seek the lion which ravages the land lying upon the further side of the fifth Gate. The people of this ravaged land live silently behind locked doors. From north to south, from east to west the lion prowls and prowling seizes all who cross his path. His shocking roar is heard throughout the night and all are trembling behind locked doors. What will you do, O Hercules?’
Hercules responded to the need. Retaining only his trusty club and his stout heart he went upon his way to seek the lion. ‘Send word to the people of Nemea that I go upon the Way, and bid them cast out fear.’
From place to place passed Hercules, seeking the lion. He found the people of Nemea, hiding behind locked doors, save but a few who trod the highway in the light of day, yet full of fear. They greeted Hercules with joy at first, with questioning later, as they saw that he travelled with only a bow and arrows and his frail wooden club. ‘Where are your arms Hercules? Have you no fear? Why seek the lion without defence? The lion is fierce and strong, and numbers vast has he devoured.’
But silently and without response, the son of man who was the son of God, went forth upon the way, seeking the footstep of the lion and following its voice. He pursued his way, afraid yet unafraid; alone, yet not alone, for on the trail he followed others stood, and followed with hope and fearful tremblings. For days and nights he searched the Way and listened for the lion’s roar whilst the people of Nemea crouched down behind closed doors.
Suddenly he saw the lion. Upon the edge of a deep thicket of trees it stood. The lion roared and the trees shook, the Nemeans fled and Hercules stood still. Grasping his bow and arrow he planted an arrow in the shoulder of the lion. But it failed to pierce and fell straight to the ground. He shot his arrows again and again until he had no arrows left in his quiver. Throwing his bow on the ground Hercules rushed forward with wild shouting towards the lion. Suddenly the lion turned and rushed ahead of Hercules into a thicket on the rocky sides of the sharp mountain way.
The lion had disappeared. Hercules searched on every hand, grasping his club, travelling from point to point on the narrow way around the mountain side. Suddenly, he came upon a cave, and from the cave came a lusty roar, a rumbling savage voice which seemed to bid him stay or lose his life.
Hercules stood still, shouting to the people: ‘The lion is here. Wait the deed I shall do.’ And Hercules entered the cave and passed through its darkness to the light of day and found no lion, only another opening in the cave. And as he stood, he heard the lion behind him.
‘What shall I do? Hercules asked himself. ‘This cave has two openings and as I enter one the lion passes out and enters by the one I left behind. Weapons are no use to me. How can I kill this lion and save the people?’
As he cast about for things to do and listened to the lion’s roar, he saw some piles of wood and sticks lying near his hand. Pulling them towards him, he placed them at the opening, blocking the way into the light of day, shutting himself and the lion in the cave. Then he turned and faced the lion.
With his two hands he grasped the lion, holding it close and choking it. Near was its breath and blasting in his face. Yet still he held its throat and choked the lion. Feebler and feebler grew the roars of hate and fear; weaker and weaker grew the enemy of man; lower and lower sank the lion, yet Hercules held on. And thus he killed the lion with his two hands, without his arms and through his own great strength.
Hercules stripped the lion’s skin and stood at the cave’s entrance showing it to the people. ‘The lion is dead,’ they cried. ‘We can now live and till our lands and sow our seeds and walk in peace.’
Thus Hercules returned in triumph to the One Who sent him forth. He laid the lion’s skin beneath the Teacher of his life, and gained permission to wear the skin in place of that already worn and used.
‘The deed is done. You slew the lion. The lion and serpents must be slain again and once again. Well done, go rest in peace with those you have released from fear.’ ”
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In Aries Hercules learned to work in the world of ideas, in Taurus he learned to integrate the sensous/emotional body with the mind, and in Gemini he understood the duality of his body-emotion-mind, and his soul. In Cancer Hercules learned about the intellect as a vehicle to contact and use his intuition.
Now in Leo, Hercules performs his best known labour – the slaying of the Nemean lion. This is Hercules’ fifth labour and five is the number of man, because man is a divine son of God made up of the lower four-fold nature – physical, emotional, mental and etheric or vital body – plus the soul. Hercules’ journey, reflecting our own, is the gradual integration of the soul- personality into one functioning whole, and using it to serve others.
In Leo we develop the powerful individual- lower mind consciousness of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, while in the polar opposite sign of Aquarius we learn about the universal consciousness of the higher mind. As our purpose is to integrate all the opposites, the Leo lesson is to transmute the selfish personal consciousness into that of the whole.
Hercules represents the aspirant, the soul, and after defeating the lion, he wears the lion’s skin because he has subdued his dominant personality represented by the lion. With the trinity of physical,emotional and mental bodies integrated into one, the personality can be a selfish and powerful individual, terrorising others in its quest for personal gratification.
As the aspirant, Hercules must slay the lion of his personality to stop it devastating the countryside of family, friends, society. The self-protective instinct of selfishness must now give way to unselfishness which is the higher side of Aquarius.
Hercules closes one opening of the cave so that he can face the personality square-on. He must track down all the illusions and tricks played by his personality to distract from the spiritual path, and with bare hands, must strangle it, conquering its ploys. As we learn the lessons presented each year, when the Sun is in Leo, we, like Hercules, are ready to dedicate our powerful, well-rounded personality to our soul so that we can fulfill our higher purpose.
1. Adapted from Labour 5. For the full story refer The Labours of Hercules, Alice Bailey, Lucis Press, 1974. (p. 95-111).
July 2010