Mist - As A Symbol

Symbolically: Mist is similar to the Veil. However, where the
Veil is a solid fabric that hides and protects what is behind it, Mist
is a slow drizzle that blurs, and distorts, our vision and Perception;
it prevents us from "seeing" clearly. Mist is that discomforting
confusion that we must wade through just prior to experiencing
Clarity. It is the feeling that what we are looking for is not yet
ready for us to understand.

Mist also Symbolizes a state of transition just prior to "seeing things
clearly" and resolving our current dilemma. It is like the Sphinx
that blocks the Path of our Journey until we can solve its one final
riddle.

Metaphorically: Mist creates a blurred vision of something
real and True that is not meant to be completely understood by
our rational mind; or, at least not meant to be understood by us
at that moment.

However: Mist is also a Gift from the Spiritual Realm. Mist is the
Gentle Rain of Fertility: the Sacred Substance that impregnates our
mind and spirit, enabling our Thoughts and insights to grow and
blossom. It is the warm, enveloping caress of Divinity letting us
know that what we are looking for is almost within our sight. It is
the feeling that soon we will be leaving the Valley of Mist behind us
and ascending to the higher ground of Sunlight and Clarity.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2008

Awareness (Foresight)

"Awareness: to observe and understand"
- Joseph Panek

Awareness is the Divine Faculty that allows us to be Unattached
Observers of the Events happening all around us. It is the ability
to see things as they really are; not the way we want them to be.

Awareness lets us determine which Events, if any, we should be
concerned with and which Events we should disregard. Awareness
protects us from being "pulled" off course and becoming "bogged
down" in the problems and crises of others which neither concern
us nor benefit us. Awareness is the Gift that allows us to steer clear
of danger and make sound Decisions.

Metaphorically, Awareness likens us to the Captain of a ship.
Although the Captain is Aware of sea conditions, rocks and
weather for as far as the eye can see, he is only concerned with
the conditions that actually affect the course his ship is sailing.
He is focused on his destination and knows how to maneuver
around any difficulties that may present themselves during his
Voyage.

There are times, however, when the Captain encounters
unavoidable danger that must be met head-on. It is at times like
these that the Captain's Gift of Awareness enables him to
recognize the real danger well in advance. By foreseeing the
potential dangers lying in his Path, the Captain is able to calmly
assess the situation, prepare his ship, and steer safely through the
crisis.

The Odyssey of Odysseus provides us with a great Metaphor
for Awareness. As Odysseus and his crew sailed home from the
Trojan War, Odysseus was Aware that their ship would have to
sail past the land of the Sirens. The Sirens were temptresses who
lured sailors to their deaths by way of their intoxicating Siren Song.
Odysseus ordered his men to seal his ears and tie him to the mast
of the ship until he steered it safely past the Siren's lair.

It was Odysseus' Awareness that enabled him to foresee, understand,
and calmly solve the Riddle of sailing past the Sirens.

Rocks, rough seas, bad weather, and Sirens are all part of our Voyage
on the Sea of Life. Awareness allows us to foresee and prepare for
these obstacles before they are upon us. It enables us to determine
how we will steer our ship safely, and calmly, around these hazards,
stay on course, and continue on to our Destination...Our Destiny!

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2008

The Egyptian Sphinx (Symbol, Myth, Mystery and Riddle)

Symbolically, The Sphinx is the "Spiritual Guardian of Entrances
and Thresholds".

Legends state that when someone came upon a Sphinx that person
would be asked to answer a Riddle. If the person solved the Riddle
they were allowed to pass. If they could not solve the Riddle they
would be devoured by the Sphinx.

In Symbolism, when attempting to understand a Symbol we must
take into consideration all the possible meanings, and concepts, that
the Symbol represents.

Entrances exist in all realms and dimensions. Here are some
examples of Entrances: material (doorways); mental (new ideas);
spiritual (higher planes of Wisdom); esoteric (Obscure Wisdom).

Entrances also exist at the beginnings of new Cycles, ages, and eras.
We are currently standing at the Entrance of the Age of Aquarius.
We are leaving the Age of Pisces. What Riddle is the Age of
Aquarius about to present to each one of us?

Whenever we begin to develop an new idea, open a new book,
acquire a new skill, attend a new school, move to a new city, or
Learn a new language, we are Symbolically standing in front of the
Sphinx who is guarding the Entrance to the knowledge we Seek and
the Adventure we are about to experience. An uneasy sense of
anticipation usually possesses us at these times. The knowledge
we Seek, and the Adventure we are about to pursue, is new and
foreign to us; it is a Riddle! Upon mastering our new skill (Riddle)
we are then allowed Entrance into the new knowledge, the new life,
and the new Adventure which we have been pursuing.

In taking this Symbolism a step further, the Sphinx is also the
"Spiritual Guardian of the Mysteries of Nature". Once we solve a
mystery it is no longer a mystery. It then becomes new knowledge;
new Wisdom. Whenever we solve a mystery (Riddle) we conquer
and tame the Sphinx. This is when a new realm, a new dimension,
a new Adventure opens itself up to us.

In the Tarot deck the Sphinx sits on top of the Wheel of Fortune,
which represents the Cycles of Eternity, and guards the Entrance
of a new Cycle. This card is also the 10th card of the Major Arcana.
The number 10 represents completion . As one Cycle ends a new
Cycle, of a higher degree, begins. The Sphinx, with its Riddle sits at
the Entrance of this new Cycle. These Cycles, and the Riddles that
accompany them, are eternal.

Here is another concept regarding the Sphinx. Ancient historians
state that the Egyptian Sphinx originally had the head and face of
a woman and that some unknown pharaoh had the original woman's
face modified to represent his own likeness. There is enough
evidence to make this a very convincing argument.

If this is True, then the Egyptian Sphinx could represent the cusp
(Entrance) of the Age of Leo. The Age of Leo is Entered after the Age
of Virgo is complete. The woman's face would, therefore, represent
the Age of Virgo, the Virgin, while the lions body would represent
the Age of Leo, the Lion. This would make the Sphinx incredibly,
incredibly Ancient!

The most recent Age of Leo began approximately 11,000 B.C. Prior
to that, the Age of Leo began approximately 37,000 B.C. Prior to
that, 63,000 B.C., etc....Just keep adding 26,000 years (the
approximate Time it takes to complete the Great Year) to the last
figure to continue the sequence.

We do not know exactly which Age of Leo the Sphinx could be
representing. The Sphinx can be breathtakingly ancient.

What was it that some long-forgotten culture was documenting
when they chiseled the Egyptian Sphinx out of bedrock in the very
distant Past on the cusp of an Age of Virgo and an Age of Leo?

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2008