This episode is recorded in Thessaly, Greece. In ancient times it was considered to be the land of sorcery, witchcraft and healing. In fact, it still feels that way today due to the abundance of healing herbs in the region.

Thessaly was the birthplace of the centaurs including Chiron and Pholus, and the God of Medicine Asclepius. When I say 'birthplace' here, I'm referring to the land that dreamed up these mythic figures.

The concept of the land dreaming is foreign to the modern mind. And yet, to the ancient mind this is just a matter of course. Different lands have different dreams embedded in them, and therefore dream up different kinds of humans, animals and plant life.

In this episode I explore some of these topics with, of course, the help of mythology. Prometheus steals fire from the gods and therefore is a good symbol for that 'higher' way of knowing. Chiron is a centaur, inseparable from nature, and therefore a good symbol for that knowledge that comes from the ground up.

It's a tension that I'm sure we all feel on some level. Perhaps we experience it as the instinct vs the mind. The feeling vs the thoughts. The gut sense vs the logic. And it's a tension I feel as I wander the lands of Greece, trying to make contact with the many apparently dead gods.

Cover Art: Heracles and Nessus by Giambologna

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

After some time of unusual introspection and restraint, Hercules sets off on his fourth task: tracking down the Erymanthion Boar. The boar is the wild and uncontrollable side of nature. By taking a side road and visiting the centaur Pholus on the way to the boar, Hercules convinces the centaur to open a sealed jar of Dionysian wine. And with that, all hell breaks loose.

This sets off the chain of events that leads to the wounding of our beloved healer, centaur and guide, Chiron. His animal side now wounded, he reflects our current state in the civilised world. And our current quest - to rediscover the beauty of animal consciousness.

The movement from the deer to the boar also brings into focus the tension between Artemis (goddess of the hunt) and Aphrodite (goddess of sensual pleasure). Although both deer and boar are sacred to Artemis, the boar is associated with Aphrodite due to her tragic love affair with Adonis who was speared by a boar (who was actually Apollo, Artemis' twin (yes the Greek myths are like this!)).

The jar of Dionysian wine is symbolic of delighting in the senses. Sealed for four generations, once it's opened the animal side that has been repressed breaks free and causes absolute chaos. So what are we to do? Keep the jar sealed and stay safe but overly controlled? Or open it up and take the consequences of unbridled wildness?

It brings forth a conversation around addictive processes. Something that I discuss with Brice Hancock from Mile High Recovery in Colorado. That conversation is coming soon to the podcast.

Episode Artwork: Hercules fighting against the Centaurs, 1542 by Hans Beham

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Hercules, or Heracles in Greek, was one of the greatest figures of the ancient mythic world. He was seen as an amalgamation of many different heroes, relying on brute strength and his trusty club, and was generally at a loss when a problem required more than simply force for its solution.

A quintessential solar hero, Hercules battles with the monsters of the world sent by the spiteful Hera who wants to crush him at every turn. And yet, the two of them, Hera and Heracles, are forever linked to each other. Heracles, after all, means 'Glory of Hera'.

In this episode we will use the opposition between these two to look at the astrological archetypal tension between the Sun: our shining golden light of the spirit in its quest for individuation, and Saturn: the blocks and limits that get in our way.

The exploration then moves into the first three labours of Hercules: Wrestling an enormous lion; becoming entangled in a swamp snake; and tracking a deer with golden antlers for a full calendar year. These tasks align with the Zodiac signs of Leo, Cancer and Virgo respectively and teach us about our own sacred process of individuation.

This is the first of a series of episodes on Hercules. His stories are vivd and filled with archetypal information, each monster representing elements of our consciousness that challenge us to move into the essence of who we are here to become.

Cover Art: Peter Paul Rubens

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.