The Emerging Self " Leo is the constellation through which the will-to-fulfilment or to achievement pours into humanity and on to the planet. It is essentially the spirit of self-determination. It is at first the determination of the little self, the personality, the self-conscious individual. It is next the determination of the Self, the soul, the group conscious individual, aware of the greater Whole and of itself as the part, integrated and basically at-one." - The Tibetan, Esoteric Astrology As we continue our Soul's journey through the twelve zodiac signs, the sentient 'spark' of light that ignited in Aries, became a conscious beam of light in Taurus, and multiple rays of intelligent light in Gemini, eventually incarnated into form in Cancer. In the Leo stage of our Soul journey, consciousness identifies with form and develops a sense of self. Our newly-formed body of conscious, intelligent, light emerges as an individual Self. In earlier newsletters we explored how, according to the Tibetan tradition, everything manifests from source, through the light realm into the physical realm. On our Soul's journey through the stages of Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, our Soul was in the light realm. In Cancer the Soul incarnated into the physical realm and now in Leo becomes an individual. This is the point where our Soul starts to experience a unique sense of Self. So what does this mean for us personally? Let's explore! The Process of Individuation Our Soul's journey is one of individual experience, yet this is not the same as separation. As we 'individuate' to have our own unique experience, we are still 'indivisible' from the whole. It's important to remember this. In our interconnectedness it is never possible to be separate. To understand this we can think of our hand. Each finger has the capacity to move independently of the others, but at no time is it ever separate from our hand. The Necessity of Ego Very closely associated with the individuation process is the formation of ego. As you read this, take note of whether you are carrying any judgement around ego. Ego is sometimes thought to be a negative thing in some spiritual circles with practitioners trying to get rid of their ego as fast as possible, but without fully understanding what it really is. The formation and eventual dissolution of ego is a vital stage within the process of spiritual awakening without which we would never fully awaken or be able to discern what we are from what we are not. Through our experiences of ego formation in Leo, we develop the essential skill of discernment, which we then carry forward into the Virgo stage of our journey. Ego does not exist as an actual 'thing'. We can't hold it, and look a it, and say "There is is! I found my ego. Now off to the trash with it!". So if it is not an actual 'thing' what is it? Ego is the name we give to an illusory sense of having a separate self. By convention we refer to ourselves as 'me' or 'I'. Life would get pretty confusing if we didn't! But in reality, if we go deep in meditation, we cannot find any trace of this 'I'. "Ego, the limiting sense of 'I', results from the individual intellect attributing the power of consciousness to itself" - Patanjali The Actor The sign of Leo is closely associated with acting, and here we can see why. Ego is the name we give to a mental process where, almost instantaneously and mostly imperceptibly, we overlay the concept of a 'doer' or an 'actor' on to every action we take. Even the simple act of washing hands becomes overlaid with an idea of "I" am washing "my" hands. Hand washing is indeed happening, but the "I" that we assume is performing the action, is actually an illusion created by mind. “ the assumption or preconceived idea that our mind is ‘us’ on the inside, versus an objective ‘real’ physical world on the outside, enduring through time, is actually a thought construction” -Lama Shenpen Hookham, “Trusting The Heart of Buddhism” This is mind-blowing for most of us and arriving at the full realization of this spiritual truth is a long and winding journey. Until we are fully spiritually awake we won't get it completely. In the meantime we need to have a sense of 'me' in order to operate in the world. We wouldn't get anywhere without it. Imagine getting pulled over for speeding and saying to the police officer, I didn't do it officer because actually I am an illusion! Our Soul's journey through Leo is vital, and we should embrace it fully, including it's challenges. The journey through Leo is all about Selfhood - from self-consciousness, through self-awareness and eventually to Self-realization. The Path of Leo Is Important for Us All The Soul's journey through the stage of Leo is vitally important to us all at this time. In addition to those individuals who may have personal planets in Leo, or Leo Rising (Leo Souls), as we enter the Age of Aquarius the whole of humanity at this time is experiencing the important lessons of the Leo-Aquarius polarity, which call upon each of us to honor and acknowledge the sacredness of individuals within the collective. In an earlier article I explained in more depth why the role of Leo is so important to us now, during these times. It is through the actions we take, and the worlds we create by those actions, and the roles we play in those worlds, that we contribute to the creation of entire universes of experience. This is worthy of deep contemplation. Spiritual Path of Leo The spiritual path of Leo is not about trying to get rid of ego (that would be ego trying to get rid of itself!) but rather it is about understanding the process of ego formation. Through deep meditation and self-observation we can begin to see how this illusory self gets created, and what it's purpose may be. Esoterically the sign of Leo is associated with Divine Will. Our Soul's journey is about Divinity having an individual experience as us. We are here to carry out Divine Will in the world through our actions, and to do that we need to understand more deeply how to get our 'little Will' out of the way so we can become a clear expression of Divinity. It is about allowing action to flow through us, without superimposing an illusory 'actor' onto the action. “There is a reality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” - Martha Graham The path of Leo calls for us to become self-aware, and in that awareness to recognize the role we are playing in the whole of creation. With the self-awareness that comes from diligent self-observation we may finally come to understand more deeply the meaning of the Tibetan's keynote for Leo: "I am that and that am I"
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