Life and Death

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time studying Greek myths. If it were me reading these myths seven to eight years ago, I’m sure I wouldn’t understand much about them, except for the clear and blatant moral question. However, now, having passed through many thresholds and armed with a better understanding of the mind-soul phenomena or the intrinsic ways it plays into how we perceive ourselves and life, we are in a position to become a living archetype of transformation. To say I am fascinated by Greek myths is obviously an understatement. My soul puts a big ass grin on my face while I discover all the beautiful and complex stories of the Greeks. Like a child in a candy shop, a silent warmth moves through my soul. Life and death have always been the riddle that was born to be solved but never quite answered since the beginning of time. It’s a constant… like change. One thing we are sure of is change. Seasons change, stories change, people change, and the world along with it. And that’s okay, I guess.

In this post, I will try not to get too philosophical because I happen to have a bad headache again. In my last post, I was also battling a terrible headache and seasonal allergies. Perfect timing, of course. Now, having covered a little bit of what I want to do, I want to focus on the mystery we call life and the other side of the coin, death. While yes, when we think of death, we are mainly referring to the physical process of dying, I want to invite you into the world of the Greeks, poets, mystics, and philosophers, and what death implies beyond the physical manifestation of it. According to the Hindus, every breath we take is an act of dying. When we inhale and exhale, life and death participate in the cosmic drama. When a thought arises and subsides, when love rises and leaves, when the sun rises and sets, when the moon rises and sets, and when a wave forms and breaks, it is also life and death that participate in the cosmic drama.

Still, today we haven’t found an answer we can all agree on about what the purpose of life and death is, and we can’t deny that the question often arises: What’s the point in being born when we all have to die? From a more spiritual and religious sense, although they do differ, the underlying moral message is the same. We are here to get to know God. We are here to serve God and understand God, His power through His magnificent creation. Sometimes, we spiritualists forget this and still get caught in the mundane world, but in the end, we always come to the same experience, maybe from a different path, that yes, we are here to witness God’s creation, give glory to His creation, and hopefully understand what God wants, including our place and purpose in this cosmic drama.

Knowledge, the forbidden fruit

Something that really captured my attention recently, when I read about Hades and Persephone, was the similarity of the story with the biblical drama of Adam and Eve, the temptress. I understand most of the myths intuitively now, and it is kind of mind-blowing when you understand the archetypal narrative to interpret something so human and inward. As I mentioned previously, I probably wouldn’t understand much if it were me reading these myths several years ago, and probably still don’t for the most part, largely due to the genius of how they were written, where the reader is invited to constantly solve a riddle that can to a great extent be understood through lived experience, and where we are constantly contemplating and unraveling the true meaning behind it.

Persephone, the gentle young girl who liked to pick flowers beneath the Sicilian sun, became the queen of the underworld. But who is she really, and how did she become the queen of the underworld? Before I get into that, let me start by saying that the couple, Hades and Persephone, was actually a happy one, contrary to all expectations, of course. Persephone took her role as queen very seriously, as did her role as wife. Her presence brings a new image and understanding of life and death to Western civilization, since the young woman shares her time between the two worlds, the lower one and the upper one. This marriage, though eventually accepted, did not improve the reputation of the lord of the underworld.

Though many stories differ, I can’t help but notice the same underlying message recurring throughout different cultures and eras. In mysticism, the whole idea of dying is a means to know something. Without death, there’s no knowledge. When we look at the story of Adam and Eve, Eve was deceived by the serpent, ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and gave some to her husband. When we look at Persephone, though a different narrative, she too ate the pomegranate seeds of the underworld, and though she tried to deny it, Ascalaphus witnessed it and reported it to Demeter, and therefore she was not granted total freedom to return and live on the surface, but had to abide by the law and live between the two worlds. In both stories, the act of eating is not just physical; it is the moment knowledge is gained, and with it, consequence.

Knowledge is not something that is simply given. It is something that is taken, and often through a crossing of a boundary that cannot be undone. It is like an initiation. As we all know and have experienced throughout the course of living, once we see, we cannot unsee. In that sense, knowledge is not only the end of innocence as often depicted or interpreted in the Bible, but also the beginning of awareness, self-awareness. Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden, no longer able to exist in unconscious harmony, as living in unconscious harmony is one of the main paths provided by the universe. And Persephone, having eaten in the underworld, is now bound to live between two worlds. This is not punishment in the way we often simplify things, but a consequence. To know means to carry, and as I often mention in my posts, to carry is to live with the tension of opposites, between light and dark, the outer and the inner, or life and death.

Hades falls in love at first sight | Hades and Persephone

Hades is a rich god surrounded by precious stones and rare metals, gold, diamonds, rubies, and possesses nothing on the earth’s surface. No mortals dedicate temples or altars to him, and if they do praise him with sinister ceremonies and sacrifice, they do so in secret. He lives below in the darkness and has no idea of what goes on in the upper world or on Mount Olympus. The only news he receives of the world is contained in the oaths and curses that mortals utter as they strike the ground with their hands. Sometimes he feels the need to leave his infernal palace and breathe the outside air. One day, having left the depths of his kingdom, Hades drives his chariot pulled by horses across a Sicilian plain, not far from Mount Etna. He’s indifferent to the beautiful landscapes, forests, and valleys of Greece, but suddenly a silhouette draws his attention. He suddenly brought his horses to a halt, and there, just a few steps away, a young girl of exceptional beauty was picking flowers. Her name is Persephone , which signifies bringer of destruction. And this young girl is not just anybody. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvests.

On Mount Olympus, where she is sometimes allowed to go, she is known as Kore, which simply means the young girl, the maiden. Hades’ heart goes wild. He could kidnap her, but being her brother’s daughter, he respects the law. Hades sets off to see his brother Zeus and ask for Persephone’s hand. This is hugely embarrassing for Zeus because if he refuses, he offends his brother, and if he accepts, Demeter, will never forgive him. Zeus is conflicted, so he ducks the question and says I can neither give or refuse my consent. Hades considers himself free of all constraints and heads back to Sicily and the plain of Etna. Persephone is still there in the company of nymphs. Hades puts on his cap of invisibility and disappears. A few moments later, as Persephone bends to pick a flower, the ground abruptly opens beneath her feet, and Hades carries her off into the pit of the dead and the night.

Demeter | Goddess of Harvest

When her daughter doesn’t return, goddess Demeter goes to look for her and questions everyone she meets, but no one tells her the truth, nor the man, nor the gods, nor the birds, nor the nymphs, no one. Until an old woman approaches her, Hecate. Hecate is the goddess with double powers.She is the goddess of fertility and the goddess of the moon. When the moon is full, lighting the night sky and making men and beasts mad, it is said that Hecate points out the path to the underworld. This goddess stands at the crossroads between good and evil, between ferility and drought. Hecate is the only divinity who, of her own free will, goes down to see Hades at home. Hecate had heard Persephone call for help the other morning, but when she got there, no one was to be found. Demeter, without pausing for breath, for nine days and nine nights, continues her search through mountains, forests, lakes, and valleys, all in vain.  When all hope seems to be lost, Hecate takes her to see Helios, the god of the sun, who sees everything. Helios decides to name the guilty party. Hades.

Demeter demands the return of her daughter, but Hades refuses. “In that case,” announces Demeter to the assembly of gods, “I leave Olympus never to return, and the earth will be sterile until my daughter is returned to me.” This is no empty threat. She is the goddess of wheat and nourishment. The following day, the crops start to fail, fruits rot, and famine ravages the earth. The human race is threatened with extinction. In his palace, Zeus is at a loss to know what to do. He sends Demeter his messenger, the Goddess Iris, to beg her to see reason. Demeter doesn’t want to hear it. A delegation of gods and goddesses goes to plead with her without success. Zeus, with no choice left to him, sends his son Hermes to see his brother Hades with the following message. “If you do not give back Persephone, we are all lost! Mankind will die, and there will be no one left to honor us, no one left to believe in us!”

Hades considers and accepts. He is willing to give Persephone back to her mother, but on one condition. The laws of the gods must be respected, as he respected Zeus when asking for Persephone’s hand. And there is a law in the underworld which everyone is aware of and which no one may violate: whosever has consumed the food of the dead will remain beneath the earth for eternity. Hermes questions Persephone if she tasted any food, but she assures him that she has been so unhappy since being kidnapped that she has eaten nothing. Hades, therefore, accepts that she return to her mother’s side. Just as Hermes is helping the young girl onto his chariot, a voice rings out. It is Ascalaphus, one of the gardeners of the Lord of Darkness. “She’s lying,” he declares, specifying that he saw Persephone picking a pomegranate and ate seven grains from it, and is willing to bear witness to it. Ascalaphus is to regret these words later, when Demeter turns him into an owl.  

Saddened than ever, Demeter shuts herself away all alone and refuses to return to Olympus and continues to starve mankind. Zeus explains the problem to Rhea, his mother, for Rhea is also the mother of Hades and of Demeter. It is Rhea who will preside over the negotiations between her three children, Zeus, Demeter, and Hades. There is discussion, debate, and tears, and at last, agreement has come. Persephone, because she has tasted the food of the dead, will spend her winters in the underworld, and the rest of the year she will be in the fresh air with Demeter. And that is why when Demeter and Persephone are separated, the earth freezes, nothing grows or flowers, and refuses to feed mankind. Nature is waiting for Persephone to return.

Hades, the master of the underworld | Self-awareness

So, who is Hades really? To reduce him to just the god of death would be fatal because he isn’t exactly death. Death is another god, Thanatos. Hades, son of Rhea and Cronus, and brother to Zeus, contrary to many beliefs, is neither satanic nor evil-doing. It is not he who torments his subjects. That is the Erinyes, the goddesses of vengeance who are a law unto themselves. Crowned with snakes, armed with whips, it is the Erinyes who relentlessly persecute their victims, going so far as to make them mad. Hades has nothing to do with that. He governs the underground world.

Hades, the god who isn’t named, reigns over the underworld kingdom, which he never wanted but was allotted to him against his will. When Zeus overthrew his father, Cronus, to liberate all his siblings and took power, he decided to share the universe with his brothers. Zeus took the world of men and the celestial world for himself, gave Poseidon the sea world, and gave Hades the underworld. The fear that Hades awakens is so great that rather than speak his name, he is referred to by all sorts of nicknames: the Receiver of Many, the Illustrious, the Giver of Good Counsel, or even the Zeus of the underworld. With a scepter in his hand, he governs the souls of the dead.

He is surrounded by monstrous creatures with precise functions. Out of duty, he pretends to be pitiless, but in his heart, he is also wise and sometimes tender. If approached in the right way, he is capable of showing a certain indulgence. For instance, Orpheus, a warrior and the most famous poet and musician of all time, pays Hades a visit before death comes to reap him. With no weapon or violence, but only his lyre and voice, Orpheus manages to fight his way through to the infernal couple. Orpheus, after a life of adventures and exploits, met Eurydice, a nymph of incomparable grace.

Overcome by an immeasurable passion, he married her, but their happiness did not last long. Eurydice dies, and Orpheus, mad with grief, dares to do what no other mortal had dared to do before him. He descends into the underworld and asks the infernal couple for the return of his love. Both speechless, poised to punish such impudence, Orpheus stops them with an imploring gesture, striking a sensitive chord, he reminds Hades of the feelings he experienced towards Persephone, the flight of love that he succumbed to, his desperations and sadness when the one he made the queen of the underworld is kept far from his side.

Softened by the celestial notes and the poetical musician’s words, Hades and Persephone give in to his prayers, on condition, of course, that the laws of the underworld be respected. Orpheus can leave, Eurydice will follow him, and he must never turn around, not before reaching the surface. If he disobeys, then Eurydice will be lost to him forever. The destiny of Eurydice now lies in his hands alone.

This decision sheds light on the multiple facets of the personality of the master of the underworld. He is music-loving, sensitive to lovers’ laments, and capable of being moved by beauty. However, whatever he does, in the eyes of mortals, Hades will always be this feared and detested god. When in truth he is both life and death. On certain evenings, overcome by sadness, Hades says to himself that mortals are very wrong to fear him, because real death, as the Greeks well knew, is not the underworld but being forgotten.

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If Owl is your spirit animal or appears to you as an omen in real life or in dreams, Spirit has a message. Have you allowed yourself to be deceived recently? Open your inner vision and choose to know the truth because you can. Owl people are old souls, and when the moon is full, you are creative and energized. You can see in the dark and appreciate life’s magic. Keep your knowledge secret unless asked for counsel. No one can deceive you, and you see into others’ souls.

Owl Spirit Animal Attributes

• Wisdom
• Learning
• Protection
• Warnings
• Messenger
• Revealer of secrets
• Night vision

Owl spirit animal overall message

Is your past holding you back from change and taking flight? What secrets do you need to discover to know the truth? Ask your Owl totem to sit on your shoulder and guide you. Owl is the messenger and revealer of secrets. Let it be your advisor. Change is in the wind, and Owl medicine can help you release the past and fly into a better future. Owls are creatures of the night, and if they cross your path repeatedly, it is a warning to review your situation and see where deception is lurking. A profound change is on the horizon.

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Alchemy and Its Earliest Origins

Spirituality is more than just an abstract thought that developed thousands of years ago. It is rooted in all forms of art, including science, astrology, astronomy, physics, medicine, and so on. As I’ve mentioned in other posts on alchemy, which you can find in my search bar, spirituality is simultaneously developed with the development of mankind.

Alchemy drew from different disciplines that shaped our early understanding of the universe and mankind, specifically from metallurgy, where they experimented with heating, melting, and purifying various metals. It also drew from medicine, where minerals, plants, and compounds were studied for healing purposes. Cosmology and astronomy were key to the study of alchemists, as they helped shape our understanding of patterns, mathematics, geometry, and cycles of time, which gave us a clearer structure of the order of the universe. In philosophy, alchemists explored the nature of matter and inner transformation. All these disciplines influenced scholars and practitioners for centuries through texts that were originally written in Greek and translated at different times into Arabic and Latin. Spiritual symbolism often emerged as a way to describe processes of change and refinement within the material world and the human spirit.

When we look at the timeline of the alchemists, they emerged during the Hellenistic period in Egypt, in Alexandria, to be precise. This was after the Egyptians had already experienced their golden age of enlightenment, spiritually speaking, and eventually, following its fall, a new era of development for humankind had to begin. Something I discovered recently, which I found quite interesting, is the Egyptian language and how it was eventually replaced after the Arabic conquest and the standardization of the language in the region. The ancient Egyptian language evolved through different stages over thousands of years. Early Egyptians wrote their language using hieroglyphs, as we all know, and later, more simplified scripts, such as demotic, were used for everyday writing.

Egyptian Language, Scholars, and Artisans

As time passed, the spoken language continued to develop, eventually becoming what we know as Coptic, the final stage of the ancient Egyptian language. My father, God rest his soul, had a degree in the study of ethnolinguistics, and discussions about different languages and how they developed in parallel with their people and culture were a familiar theme at our dinner table. Anyhow, Coptic was spoken but written largely using the Greek alphabet, with a few additional characters derived from early Egyptian to represent sounds that Greek did not have. So the language did not become Greek. It was simply a change in writing practice while the original Egyptian language continued to evolve.

Now, alchemy did not appear out of the blue. It formed in Alexandria between roughly the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE because a combination of various traditions came together in one place. This is important to remember because often we think of different fields as separate from one another, while the truth is that they are all in sync and together they evolve as humankind evolves.

As many of you know, Alexandria was a major intellectual center of the Hellenistic world. We are all somewhat aware, I hope, of the great library of Alexandria, which was gradually destroyed sometime between the 1st and 4th centuries CE because of political and religious conflicts in the late Roman period. Greek scholars, Egyptian philosophers, physicians, craftsmen, and metalworkers were all working in the same environment. What became “alchemy” as we know it developed out of the practical work they were already doing there.

Dyeing was also one of the important crafts that contributed to early chemical experimentation. Artisans who worked with textile dyes had to understand how substances reacted with heat, minerals, plant extracts, and salts to fix color to fabric. In Alexandria, artisans not only worked with textile dyes, but they also experimented with pigments for painting and decoration, cosmetics and perfumes, glassmaking, and metal purification.

The Metals and the Cosmos

Before I move on to my favorite part of this elaborate post, I think it’s worth mentioning my dream this morning at 4:30 am. I was too scared to fall asleep afterward, but somehow I’m still here, sleep-deprived, with a headache, bad allergies, and writing this post. Last night I had a dream where I was in my house and an unfamiliar Asian woman was sitting on my bed. She had a strange hat on and kept glancing toward the kitchen area as if she could see someone there, and it felt obvious that someone was present even though I couldn’t see them myself. When I asked if someone was there and who they were, she described the being telepathically as humanoid but bird-like. Almost at a loss for words, she said, “pigeon-like.” Instantly, when she said that, my mind associated it with the phoenix.

Then I decided to fly toward her, because flying is my favorite thing to do in dreams, and scare her with spooky ghost sounds, because I like to annoy people like that. Now, as I looked again at the fist alchemical image I chose for this post, I noticed it contains both a bird and a phoenix above it. I can’t make this up, but call it a nice synchronicity between the dream, its message, alchemy, and whoever reads this. It’s not the first time I’ve noticed such synchronicities with alchemical imagery and the mental and spiritual worlds we move through. I am truly mind-blown.

The Basic Metals | Alchemy

The seven basic metals became essential to the work of alchemists because they were some of the most visible materials that could be transformed through heat, melting, purification, and alloying. Now, there was no such thing or title as alchemist in the development of alchemy itself. Even an apothecary was an alchemist, experimenting with medicinal formulas while mixing herbs and extracts. Ancient craftsmen like blacksmiths, glassmakers, dyemakers, including herbalists, and others had already learned how metals changed when exposed to fire, minerals, and different mixtures. These transformations captivated early alchemists. To them, metals were not static substances but materials that could evolve, refine, and move toward a more perfect state.

Each metal was associated with a planet because of its character and qualities associated with it: gold with the Sun, silver with the Moon, iron with Mars, copper with Venus, tin with Jupiter, lead with Saturn, and mercury with Mercury. Sulfur, salt, and antimony were also studied because they revealed different properties of matter. Sulfur was very important and transformed through fire, salt was associated with stability and preservation, and antimony or stibnite found in rocks was used for purification processes that helped separate and refine other metals. Together, they helped alchemists explore how substances could break down, recombine, and transform, which was the heart of their experiments.

What I find so fascinating is that they didn’t have the tools or technology we have now, yet with simple pots, distillation processes, and simple separation methods, they were able to extract pure sulfur and antimony to create stronger metals. Iron, for example, is often found in ores that contain sulfur compounds, which make the metal brittle and weak. When the ore is heated in furnaces, sulfur burns off as gas, leaving behind purer iron. Once the sulfur and other impurities are removed, the metal becomes stronger and more workable. This purification process was essential for producing reliable iron tools and weapons.

Sulfur, Purification, Health | Alchemy

Also, purifying sulfur, separating it from rock and mineral ores with such simple methods as slow heating, melting, draining, or distillation, allowed them to use it in many ways. It was used in medicine, especially in powders and ointments, to treat skin diseases and infections because of its disinfecting properties. Purified sulfur was also an important ingredient in early pigments and dyes due to its bright yellow color. Later, it became a key component in gunpowder when mixed with charcoal and saltpeter, and it was also used in various chemical reactions with metals and minerals because it burns easily and reacts strongly with other substances.

So sulfur’s role was mostly in revealing and separating impurities during heating, or what alchemists called roasting. These processes helped shape metal purification and the development of stronger alloys such as copper and tin mixtures. But they also influenced other developments because the same principles of heating, extraction, and distillation eventually led to substances like ethanol, which became important for medicines, disinfecting, and the early foundations of pharmacy and public health. We would not have the world we have today if it were not for the alchemists. Yes, the philosophy was there, and most people did not understand it at the time, and many were even persecuted, but they understood the unity of the cosmos, the relationship between metals and planets, rocks, heat, and transformation, and how gold was attainable through the seven stages of alchemical work in the laboratory.

The same goes for every era and generation. We guide future generations through our own experimentations and discoveries, whether in technology, like AI, medicine, public health, or even in how spirituality is understood and continues to develop. Many will not understand and will do the same as they did with the alchemists. They won’t hold back from calling you a fool, ridiculing you, or worse. Even today, I almost gave up on writing this post. I had the overall idea, and the seed was planted weeks ago, as it usually happens with my posts. But I didn’t know where to begin. There was so much to say and so many ideas to put together that I almost gave up. Now that it’s done, I’m glad I didn’t stop. My head feels like it’s going to explode, but I know I’ll rest a little better having given it my best.

For the alchemists, the work in the laboratory was parallel to the development of the soul and the development of intellectual faculties, which also guided them in how to experiment better and make new discoveries. We often underestimate ourselves and think we don’t matter. Many times, I find myself cringing at the thought of calling myself a spiritualist or a spiritual teacher because of so many people’s ungrounded claims, distortions, or exploitations of teachings for selfish reasons. But lately, if I have to be honest, the crazier the world gets, the more at peace I feel with calling myself a spiritualist. At least I know my intention and what I can offer through my own growth.

The post What Did the Alchemists Do for Our Civilization Thousands of Years Later? appeared first on Sentient Muse.

What is self-actualization?

While self-actualization has been talked about for the last two centuries and approached and documented differently in various books and doctrines, it remains a single process of completion. Or at least this is how it is often understood by the majority of people who show some interest, whether in self-development or spirituality.

Now, the first question that will probably come to mind is whether this process of completion can be accomplished while living, or if it is something that can only be accomplished once we leave this realm of life. I honestly don’t know. I do not have the answer to that. It would probably make more sense once we leave this realm, but either way, let’s try to dive into it.

What I know about self-actualization is something that many others in the spiritual community would probably agree with as well. Self-actualization is indeed a process of completion, but it is not a single process of completion where we are finally perfect and God-like. It happens in cycles or waves. Maybe some humans have reached that level, like certain Buddhist monks who spend most of their days in deep meditation. But still, having retreated from the way we live our lives in cities and so on, I am not so sure about that either.

If it were true, I would be truly happy for them, and it would show that self-actualization is not a one-size-fits-all kind of process, but something more personal and honest to our own unique story and development. It would be silly for us to go up to these monks, point the finger, and say, “You are not self-actualized! You know nothing about real life out here.”

We obviously do not know their story, their choices, or what led them to their path. So I guess what I am trying to say here is that sometimes, two things can maybe be true at the same time, and while we don’t see their struggles, it doesn’t mean they are not faced with any. One thing that I’m sure of is that, no matter what our lives and paths look like, the lessons are the same. A billionaire could very well be learning the same lesson as an average Joe in Ohio right now.

Learning to adapt to complex systems | Self-actualization

From the individual to governmental, economic, and even environmental systems, there are complexities that we can no longer deny, but that require understanding and adaptation. Each of these systems is different in itself and requires different skills, but at the same time, they are similar and interconnected.

We could even say that the entire world is consciously or unconsciously striving for self-actualization in one way or another. All systems are moving toward a process of completion, where harmony overrules chaos more than anything else. Harmony is not just a human ideal. It is visible in nature itself. From planetary orbits to ecological cycles, systems are constantly realigning toward balance. Chaos is easy, and sometimes the path to self-destruction is tempting, as it appears to be the path of least resistance. Harmony, however, requires effort. It requires a rewriting of what didn’t work out.

The personal system requires self-awareness and emotional regulation. The governmental system requires critical thinking and the ability to see clearly between structure and power. The environmental system requires responsibility and long-term awareness. None of these systems operates alone. What affects one system will inevitably affect another.

For example, a shift in policy changes economic and political behavior. Economic pressure affects individual psychology. Environmental instability reshapes communities, governments, and markets. Everything is feeding into everything else.

So when we think about self-actualization today, it is not just about inner completion, but also about learning how to remain centered while navigating these complex and overlapping systems. Not being swallowed or deterred by them. Not pretending they do not exist or have no effect in shaping our thinking. But understanding their patterns and adapting without losing clarity.

Trusting the body

I’m going to keep it short here because I’ve spoken about this topic in many other posts, including my first book, which you can find on the sidebar. But it is most definitely worth mentioning, especially if we are striving for self-actualization. I like the analogy of the body being the trunk of the tree, with the mind being the flowers of the tree. If we try to accept this analogy for the sake of this post, then let me be even clearer. When we think of a tree, its flowers bloom and blossom according to cycles and the four seasons. But for the tree to stand strong, it must have healthy roots and a healthy trunk.

When we look at society, we are all in a hurry for some reason, and we don’t know why we are in a hurry, let alone where we are going. It’s like we thrive off panic and speed. Often, we unconsciously do so because we must accomplish everything fast, and we do this at the expense of ignoring emotional signals. We comply even when we feel discomfort. That discomfort is not random. It is the body signaling misalignment long before the mind rationalizes it. We especially do this in relationships, and probably more women than men, but who knows.

We are often rewarded for suppressing our true emotions, whether at a workplace or at home with our partners, or in social and friendly circles. The more we suppress, the more accepted we feel. If we were to truly embody our truth, it would be far too inconvenient for most people, and they would start looking at us as if we were some sort of alien. When you are authentically and comfortably living your truth and start saying no as a full sentence, and that it doesn’t need explanation, of course, you will be discouraged or ostracized for it.

So perhaps, self-actualization is not about becoming perfect and going to heaven. It is more about learning to navigate complex systems, whether cultural, social, political, or economic, without abandoning yourself or your emotional truth. It is about remaining centered in everyday life while everything around you is moving fast.

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The History of Tarot | Temperance

The Tarot is a card deck containing 78 cards according to a given system, with 22 cards of the Major Arcana and 56 cards of the Minor Arcana. Arcana (singular arcanum) means secrets or mysteries. The Minor Arcana is subdivided into four suits: Wands or Staves (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), and Pentacles or Coins (earth). This post is about the Temperance card in the Tarot and its significance for our personal development.

The cards were developed in Milan and Bologna during the Italian Renaissance around 1430. The identity of the first artist to paint tarot cards is obscure; all we know is that Bonifasto Bembo, whose name is occasionally mentioned, was not the first. Playing cards had already been in existence for at least 800 years before the first tarot cards were designed. Some believe that the Tarot originated in ancient Egypt, while others link the cards to the Tree of Life in Kabbalah.

It is said that the tarot cards were used for centuries as a parlor game, without any significance beyond a simple game of cards, and that only in the 18th century do we find evidence of tarot cards being used for esoteric interpretation through their symbolism. In the 19th century, there was a great upsurge of interest in classical occultism. Many small groups devoted themselves to the study of tarot symbolism independently of each other.

Today’s interpretation and expansion of tarot began in the 1970s. We now have over a thousand different versions of the modern standards, with the cards generally seen as mirrors that provide an opportunity for self reflection.

Understanding Tarot

This is not a course on reading Tarot, because you would need an entire book to do so. This is a fun and simple post that focuses on the Temperance card. Why Temperance? Probably because it is one of those cards that is often overlooked and not taken as seriously as it should be.

The Temperance card is the 14th Major Arcana in the Tarot. One and four add up to five in numerology, making this card’s essence about overcoming a personal hardship. That is one dynamic many work with when reading tarot today, although it is generally suggested not to overinterpret numbers for a serious and dependable read. We want more context in the spread before overly focusing on numbers in the tarot, and a skilled reader understands that and would only do so when seeing the full spread.

One of the most important rules to keep in mind in order to grasp the full scope of the tarot cards is to understand both their positive and negative meanings. If we find that we can’t help but regard a certain card in an especially positive or negative light, we can be sure to have discovered one of our blind spots. The blind spot has arisen not because of the card itself, but was already present in our life, and the tarot has simply brought it out into the open.

When studying the images, it is said that no one has been able to understand all the cards spontaneously without external help, due to the intricacy of their symbols, and without proper training after a long period of gathering experience. In other words, the more self-awareness acquired through lived experience, the better the reader.

Temperance XIV

Temperance comes right before the Devil in the Tarot, and with the Tower following after. I find this lineup very interesting, actually. Not sure why yet, but it will probably become clearer as I write. When studied in depth, the theme of Temperance is about changing the world and having fun doing it. We often become overly serious, especially when working through some really hard stuff, but this card calls more for moderation, fluidity perhaps, and even adaptability. As discussed previously, the cards are a reflection of our own lives, so when we say changing the world, we are obviously referring to our own personal world.

One of the main themes here is finding the right measure while aiming for the highest goal in life. We have to touch earth before aiming for the sky, because how would we know the meaning of the sky without its opposite, the earth? Basically, it is an invitation to grasp the contradiction of life with both hands. This is the work of the alchemist, male or female. It is regarded as the aim of the Great Work, or the mysterium coniunctionis (the secret of union), or opus magnum (the marriage between heaven and earth).

The Great Work is, however, a lifelong task, and this is portrayed by the long road in the image. The long road warns us against long-windedness, false ideals, and complicated procedures. Before we can awaken the angel within, our greatest potential or the supernatural, we must work a whole lifespan, with trial and error, until the right measure is found.

When I read tarot once upon a time, lol, I often likened Temperance to our ability to reconcile opposites. A simple example is when we ask, how could someone be such a cold-hearted criminal? I will never understand it. While the alchemist undergoes the whole experience, they come out on the other side transformed, illuminated, and having integrated a part of the self with a clear-as-day understanding. This kind of work is energetic, psychological, spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical.

What I am saying here is that before we call ourselves an angel, we have to work with the soil. We have to work with dirt, get our hands dirty, clear out the weeds that have grown from an untended past, and then plant the ideas that can blossom into a new personal world. Those who refuse to get their hands dirty, which you will find many of in the spiritual community, are obviously spiritually bypassing. These are the parasites in the spiritual community. They feed on the fruits of others.

The spiritual experience of Temperance

We need to be patient. We are still in purgatory, a process of refinement, as long as the right measure has not been found. In purgatory, we are still dealing with perfectionism, unrealistic idealism, or a flight into delusion. In its positive meaning, we are purging, combining the infinite with the necessary. The breastplate on the angel contains a triangle and a square, with the triangle standing for femininity and spirituality, and the square for masculinity and matter. Above the amulet are the four Hebrew letters J H V H.

Finding the right measure also means achieving the right state of tension and balance of opposites. We have to be willing to grasp the contradictions in life and find a relationship between them where they begin to flow. We have to grasp the true contradictions of our lives and see things as they are, because precisely there we can find the personal will to achieve our aim. If we want honesty, for example, we cannot keep punishing people when they tell the truth.

Contradictions can also be resolved and reconciled by creating a potential difference between them so that things can flow. Temperance reminds us that our destiny is best found in the lifestyle that harmonizes most with our personal self. We are called to be more mindful against stagnancy or indifference with respect to our life’s goals and adopt a more neutral attitude at this time. When things flow, unity and illumination in the third eye are possible.

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Crucified for Walking in Truth

For some people, even if you were a saint, an angel, or God Almighty in the flesh, genuinely serving humanity and walking in your highest path and purpose, they will still crucify you. They have no problem running their mouth, lying about your character, and painting you as someone you are not. No matter what you do, you are still the problem in the inner and delusional narrative of the destiny swapper. While compassion and understanding are obviously something we all want to strive for, sometimes the cost becomes too high, and the toll outweighs any karmic balance. Your peace and physical well-being are at stake, and choosing your peace and well-being is a duty you have toward yourself first. You cannot continue to give, especially while standing next to people who do not slip the knife once or twice, but repeatedly, and completely disregard your boundaries.

The levels these people are willing to stoop to in order to accomplish their “grand plan for your demise” are unthinkable for most and even humorous to others. They are so delusional and have no issue throwing rocks while no one’s watching and getting a rise out of it, as true power that comes from within is something they cannot and are unwilling to understand or achieve in this lifetime. They have a skewed perception of power, and their emotional intelligence is painfully underdeveloped, even if they are a grown adult with kids. They truly believe they can act without any consequence. Well, in this post, I am going to expose the doomed fate of a destiny swapper, if only to bring some clarity and peace for you.

The Malignant Act of Projection

Before diving deeper, I want to clarify something that is often misunderstood and even minimized, especially by those who benefit from it. Yes, we can all project in small, human ways. We meet someone who reminds us of a person from our past. A voice, a mannerism, or a situation tied to a memory from a different time or experience. This kind of projection is fleeting and rooted in memory, not malice. It does not seek to harm, destroy, relieve oneself, or rewrite another person’s reality. True projection is not simple association or emotional recall. It is not a momentary misinterpretation, such as in early interactions before you get to know someone or in moments of discomfort. It is not confusion.

There is a profound difference between an innocent or fleeting psychological association and the deliberate act of washing one’s hands clean. It is the act of dumping one’s most deviant and destructive traits, or perceived shortcomings, onto another human being, then scapegoating them, meaning treating that person as if they are responsible for all the traits they refuse to accept or acknowledge within themselves.

Here’s a story that paints this picture well. A group of friends gathered together for a pool party. One girl screamed after accidentally cutting herself and seeing blood surrounding her in the water. While everyone stood silent and frozen, one guy at the party, who was a medical professional (MD, EMT, etc.), jumped into the pool to help her and took her to the kitchen to treat the wound with his first aid kit.

Another girl at the party then began spreading rumors about their male friend, claiming he should not have helped their female friend since she had cut herself near her breast, and that it would have been more appropriate for other girls to assist her. When he was confronted about it, he didn’t argue. He simply said he would be more careful next time and keep it in mind.

Despite this, the girl started spreading rumors and painted him as someone he was not, even though he had simply followed his training and instinct to help someone in need. As more drama unfolded and rumors circulated, most of the friends eventually caught on to the nonsense. When the injured girl found out about the nasty rumors, she called everyone out and expressed how disappointed she was that they treated such a great friend, who had helped her during such a difficult moment, so poorly.

The girl spreading the rumors was then banned from the group and from future gatherings until she apologized and came clean. The truth of the matter was that she felt ashamed for not jumping in to help her friend in that moment, and instead chose to dump all of her shame onto the guy who had acted out of instinct and care. She later came clean, apologized to everyone, and was eventually allowed back into group activities.

This is a rare example of someone choosing to redeem themselves after recognizing how wrong it was to deflect their own shame by painting someone else in such a negative light. But we all know this is not usually the case out here, at least for the most part.

Devious Tactics of the Destiny Swapper

So, if you thought that story was dark enough, that’s just scratching the surface. It gets dark. I mean, real dark. That woman made the poor guy’s life a living hell for a while by painting him as a horrible person, but only for a while. Most people who deliberately project and never take accountability for their own bullshit will stay stuck in the same cycle for years and refuse to change. They have no problem doing it all over again and crucifying you for a lifetime if they can, especially when you are on a trajectory of expansion and personal growth. The more you walk your unique path, the more you stand out, the more it burns their eyes.

You could be the most genuine soul on earth, wishing the best for all people and having good intentions for everyone around you, but that will never be true for your destiny swappers and the people they surround themselves with. The fact that they deliberately go against you, most times completely out of the blue, betraying you like it’s a stroll in the park and making you look like someone you’re not, is because they hate you for no reason. They simply can’t handle your authenticity, your light, or the capacity of how much light you can hold within yourself, and they want to paint it as faulty or dim it. These are also psychopathic tendencies, which I’ve spoken about in other posts. Psychopaths have little empathy and a strong need for dominance and control. Because of this, they undermine, devalue, or try to dim others, especially people who are confident, visible, principled, or emotionally grounded. Dimming someone else makes them feel powerful, superior, and unthreatened.

Of course, this is confusing to you because you don’t harbor that type of hate or energy in your heart, but they do. To say they are triggered by your light is an understatement. It drives them insane, so they start to project their own traits onto you.

They distort your kind heart in the eyes of others, even the people you love and care about, and defame your character. They will copy you and convince people that you are not who you say you are and that your good traits are their traits. Consumed by jealousy, these people will find issues with anyone they perceive as above them in any capacity. They don’t like themselves, and they continuously reject themselves by compulsively comparing themselves to other people.

Isolation & The Devil’s Work

The destiny swapper, if around you, will try to exclude and isolate you at the very least. Lies will be told about you, all while they try to embody your persona and energy. They want you isolated, alone, and hurt. They can’t stand to always see you happy, the way you carry yourself, and the fact that things actually happen for you because you work hard for them. Your energy and happiness are something money cannot buy, and they can’t stand this.

These people want to drag you and everything you have going on for yourself down. They will definitely come for the people you love, the things you love, and try to take them from you, and they are convinced that they’ll just get away with it. In your presence, they will attempt to bring you down in the harshest ways possible, when no one’s watching, of course, crossing boundaries no one would dare to cross, not even the devil himself, and stooping so low that they make you question yourself and who you are. These people go low. I mean, real low.

Because of your kind nature, they feel entitled and justified and have the audacity to aim at splitting your psyche by instilling doubt in your sense of self, so they can swap places with you and make you feel like they do about themselves. They are fixated on destroying your character and making people believe that you’re not the person that you truly are, because they cannot see it within themselves. They make people believe that you are fake, or some kind of crazy person, or some kind of witch. They paint other people as they are. Fake, jealous, deviant, and miserable.

They do this like it’s a morning routine, without thinking of the consequences, because this is how they live, breathe, and sleep. They love to fight dirty and love to do so when you are most vulnerable, such as when you are overcoming hardships of your own, and especially when you’re on the brink of reaching a huge milestone in life. They have no problem throwing you under the bus and have the audacity to make a mockery of the sacred and personal, the difficulties, trials, and ordeals you have overcome and share, with the purpose to help other people elevate, so they can understand what it means to embody light, find inner truth, and spiritual alignment.

Little do they know that when they cross the boundary by mimicking and making a mockery of the sacred and the personal, throwing it around like that, they are playing against God. And God doesn’t play. But if you really want to play, He will give you what you want. He is indeed a yes man. What the destiny swapper fails to understand, and fails miserably at, is that God’s work is not meant to be played with. If you really want to play, be prepared, because there is an entire field or realm you are about to be introduced to, and the rules are… let’s just say, a little different there.

North Node Thief and Emulator | Destiny Swapper

This is something I won’t go too deep into, because it is more of a warning and an acknowledgment for the fools who think they can cross the boundary by looking into someone’s divinely assigned gifts and personal akasha. When I say God, please understand that God is both within and without. God is omnipresent. These thieves often work with someone who practices these kinds of spiritual violations through their pathetic dark practices and then try to emulate them themselves. They siphon gifts they did not earn and paths they cannot walk. These laws go beyond me.

I can only say what I am given to say, and I do not take credit for it. When I write, it is something beyond me that helps me do so. I am merely the bringer of news here. The North Node thieves and emulators carry different karmic debts to pay, and they know this better than anyone else. These people lost themselves long ago, I mean, long ago. This history goes back thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years.

They sing to curiosity, vanity, desire, and unhealed hunger. They draw humans off course, not through force, but through illusion, mirroring what the soul longs for only until they get what they want. But like every Siren story, the truth remains the same. What is stolen never sustains. What is taken without alignment collapses. Sirens are not Muses. Muses do not steal. Muses inspire, elevate, and remind the soul of what it already is. That is why, in the war in heaven, the Muses endured, and the Sirens fell. One serves creation. The other feeds on it.

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Outward and Inward

Everything organic in the material world festers and decays. All fruits, vegetables, insects, and animals, including us humans, when our time comes, eventually decay and become star dust. Yes, I said star dust because, as I have mentioned in previous posts, everything in the cosmos, including our own solar system with its planets and moons, was largely made possible by star dust, scientifically speaking as well as poetically. Anyhow, in this post, I want to focus more on our inner world. Yes, we can all see the outer world, but we certainly cannot see our inner world so well unless we are equipped with the right tools or understanding, especially when dealing with trauma and dissociation.

When we talk about outward or inward, we are obviously referring to two completely different directions and two distinct natures. If we observe something manifest outwardly, we can all witness it and eventually see the same phenomenon taking place. When something manifests inwardly, we have to observe with a completely different set of tools, and the experts will eventually get to the bottom of the issue, although more time is often required.

Beyond physical phenomena, there is another dimension that still contains a lot of mystery for us humans, and that is the mind (and the soul). While there is an entire field dedicated to studying the brain, psychiatry, and other related disciplines, to this day we have yet to fully understand the depths of how our mind is intrinsically connected to our human experience, as well as how it may be universally connected to the cosmos, whether through alternate mind-inducing states like mysterious dreams, exotic plants, meditation, out of body experiences, near-death experiences, or other methods.

While the soul has more of a religious connotation attached to it, for the sake of this post, I do not want to delve into comparative religious studies and turn this into a 30-minute read or more. If I ever mention the soul, I want us to connect it to the heart field, or the center of our body in the chest. For the old sages in the East, this was known as the heart chakra. If you ever got to read the first book I published myself, because no one wanted to publish it for whatever reason and trust me, I tried contacting over one hundred publishing houses, if not more, you’ll see that I spoke about the heart chakra and how newer scientific studies suggest that the heart’s electromagnetic field responds before conscious awareness kicks in, acting almost like another center of intelligence. This is where intuition lies as well.

Mind, memory, soul

If there is one thing that makes us equal in this world, it is human function. Human function, while complex due to various cultural and moral boundaries, is similar in all of us, as it is intrinsically linked to our nervous system. For instance, when we as humans study animal behavior, we can understand how an animal’s history influences its many functions, such as social behavior, adaptive qualities, survival instincts, and so forth.

In humans, the nervous system is made of the brain, the spinal cord, and a vast network of nerves. It is located in the head, runs down the spine, and spreads throughout the entire body. It rests within and alongside muscles, organs, and tissues, constantly carrying messages that keep us alive and responsive. It is responsible for how we sense, respond, adapt, and survive. It regulates basic functions like breathing, heart rate, digestion, movement, and sleep, but it also governs how we process emotions, stress, danger, and safety.

Now the brain has two core functions. One is to keep us alive and safe, and the second is to store memories properly. When I found out that storing memories properly is a big deal for our brains, I wanted to know more. So, storing memories in our brains is the second core function for humans because it helps maintain a sense of continuity, meaning knowing who we are over time. I mean, if we didn’t know who we were over time, think of the disaster this human experience would be. Storing and organizing memories properly helps us adapt, build relationships, make sense of the world, learn from experience to guide future behavior, and regulate emotions, attention, and decision-making.

While this sounds all neat and tidy, it can actually get quite complicated, especially when the nervous system is overwhelmed by stress and survival overrides memory. This is something I will elaborate on further in this post.

Violation, Trauma, Dissociation

Content note: The following section touches on themes of violation, trauma, and dissociation. Please read at your own pace.

Violation comes from the Latin violatio, from violare, meaning to treat with force, to dishonor, to transgress, or to break a boundary. At its core, violation means crossing a line that is not meant to be crossed. That is why it is universal in all human systems. Whether it is a violation of speed laws, property, consent, or trust, the structure remains the same. A boundary exists, and if breached, there are consequences.

In the cosmos, boundaries exist through orbits and forces. Planets follow precise orbital paths governed by gravity. Each body has its place and trajectory. If a planet were to suddenly break its orbit or cross into another’s path, the system would become unstable. Collisions, ejections, or collapse would inevitably follow, and the system would no longer function as it currently does.

While I am not a clinical psychologist nor wish to be at this point, I will only mention a couple of examples worth noting. Humans become more complex when boundaries are blurred at an early age. While the causes differ in each family or similar relationship dynamics, the consequences remain. Oftentimes, because the mind overrides memory in violation of boundaries for survival and adaptation, memories are lost and not stored properly. Meaning, the person sensing danger and overwhelm is not preoccupied with understanding or remembering, but with getting through the moment. Memories are then stored as feelings like fear, shame, panic, dread, or body sensations like tightness, pain, numbness, pressure, and/or images or fragments without a full narrative reaction, without a clear “why.”

While there are many consequences to violations in early childhood that result in trauma with various mental disorders, such as Dissociative Identity Disorder, CPTSD, attachment-related disorders, and mood and anxiety disorders, an example worth noting is parentification. We often hear this term mentioned and thrown around on social media lately, but please be very mindful in doing so, as trauma is dangerous if not dealt with properly and should be taken very seriously.

While dissociation is a protective response where the mind disconnects from identity, thoughts, memories, emotions, or sensations under overwhelm, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a rare and severe condition, usually rooted in chronic childhood trauma, involving distinct identity states and significant memory gaps between them. When someone with DID is about to have another Identity take over, they will often describe it as feeling like they are going to sleep. Hence, memory gaps between identities.

Parentification is a dynamic where a child is pushed into an emotional or protective role toward a parent, often becoming the caretaker, confidant, or defender. Over time, this blurs boundaries so deeply that survival-driven attachment and responsibility can be mistaken for love, even romantic love, regardless of gender. When a child is highly empathic, the parent may allow this dynamic to continue or fail to stop it, especially if the parent lacks the ability to self-regulate and unconsciously leans on the child to meet emotional needs the child was never meant to carry.

Trauma and Demonic Possession | Dissociation

If you ever felt that you had a demonic attachment or were undergoing some form of demonic possession, a good and grounded priest would likely do you the favor of sending you to a psychotherapist first, one who is trauma-informed at the very least. People often underestimate the severity of undermining our humanity, what actually makes us human in the first place. We tend to think that addressing our basic human side is weak, and we skip straight from zero to hero. What turns a hero into a bitter villain is often the silent wounds that fester within. They’re silent because there are no words to make sense of what’s happening, or a grounded and logical perspective from which to process what we are internally going through. The soul slowly, surely, and silently festers until one is completely consumed by what happened and begins to act autonomously, as if driven by an external force that cannot be defeated.

Trauma, when resurfaced due to an overload on the nervous system, is no walk in the park. Old survival patterns activate without context. Emotions, sensations, and fear come up faster than the mind can organize them. This is why people are so afraid that they are going to lose control. When an internal overload happens, where dissociation, fear, and stored survival responses flood awareness all at once, it feels like an external entity has taken possession of your body. It is by far the most disgusting and scariest psychological or spiritual phenomenon a person can ever go through. The only thing you seek at that point is to get this disgusting thing out of yourself, and that is because the energy that has been held in your body for years is suddenly flooding your nervous system, bouncing all over from behind the eyes to the lower lumbar spine, with pressure within both sides of the brain constantly moving and even taking over your body movement, with your throat swelling, nausea, vomiting, etc.

If there is one piece of advice I can give to a reader here, it is to never let fear consume you. You have to be still in the eye of the storm. If you are not equipped with a strong sense of self, meaning having strong faith in yourself or God, or any grounded understanding of what may be happening to you, I cannot even fathom what could possibly happen in these cases. This is why psychiatric hospitals are often flooded. If you are on your own and lack a good support system, such as people who can truly be there for you in those moments, a therapist, or good friends, seeking professional help is crucial and nonnegotiable.

Meditation vs. Fear | Trauma & Dissociation

Perhaps contrary to medical advice, especially when dealing with trauma, I would proceed with caution and work with both a therapist and other helpful means you may know. Some professionals suggest that long hours of meditation can enhance the feeling of trauma, and that is actually very true, so you have to be the leader of your own discernment here. While I find that meditation is crucial, at least within the first days of re-emerging trauma, it should not be done with the intent to become enlightened, of course, but with the simple intent to calm your nervous system down and return to being yourself after dissociation. Especially when your body is scanning for spiritual or symbolic meaning, such as demonic possession, etc., the last thing you want is to have some creep on the internet perform an exorcism or traumatize you further by neglecting the very parts of yourself you have deemed demonic. Sometimes, even the idea of choosing ourselves can flood our nervous system with overwhelming guilt. The last thing you want is to have some idiot make you feel worse about yourself or about what your body is screaming to process and integrate. If you choose this route, you are not actually healing; you are just postponing the inevitable. If the universe is conspiring to show you something within that needs immediate addressing on your part, be courageous and grounded enough to face the trauma. Do not run from it.

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If I could live as a wild animal for a day, I would probably choose the giraffe. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t? Apart from their goofy stare, these animals are so rare that I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to experience their vibrational imprint. Not on my watch. Jokes aside, the giraffe animal totem is surprisingly interesting. Their presence in our lives, spiritually, calls us to ask whether we have lost balance in life. Perhaps we have stuck our head out a little too far. If giraffe is your animal totem or comes to you as an omen, you are a natural visionary. At this time, you are being called to move through life with more ease and rise above everyday material worries. Although the path may seem foggy, the giraffe spirit animal helps us see a tough situation from a higher perspective. Truth can be found from a greater perspective.

 5 Amazing Attributes

• Vision
• Higher Perspective
• Charm
• Gentleness
• Foresight

Giraffe Spirit Animal | Overall message

Giraffes are the tallest land mammals. They have amazing stamina and are patient, silent, and wise. If giraffe is your animal totem, you have the gift of perception and can see things coming long before others do. You are very giving but often need to set boundaries to avoid being misused. A unique trait of giraffes is how little sleep and water they need to sustain themselves. Giraffe appears when we need to be reminded just how grand we are and that we have the potential to rise above any challenge with grace. At this time, you are being encouraged to stretch yourself as far as you can go and stand tall in your own worth.

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Brace yourself. It is going to be a long one. Almost all esoteric doctrines, including yoga and Hinduism, discuss the four elements as the foundation of the physical phenomena in the Universe that we know and can observe. Circa 2013, on the first day of my yoga training here in New York City, one of the lead teachers began explaining how yogis understand the world through Hindu cosmogeny. She asked, “So what was in the beginning?” And while everyone knew about the Big Bang, she followed with, “And what came after the Big Bang? How did we end up with life here in our solar system?” The room went quiet.

It was a simple question, and maybe a scientist might have had a direct explanation, but it would obviously lead to more questions. Then she said, “The four elements came: Fire, Water, Air, Earth.”

While I thought I was more than prepared for such a discussion, having studied various doctrines at least five years prior, I was still taken aback by the simplicity and the insight, more of a bird’s-eye view, so to speak. There are countless cosmogonies written about the birth of the Universe. Just the thought of how much there is to read and study overwhelms me every day. But one thing I am getting better at is taking it one day at a time.

Twenty-first century teachers describe the four elements as the biggest beings in the Universe. While we probably think of the elements as resources we can exploit or dominate, in the spiritual or metaphysical realm, there is much more going on with them.

Water H₂O

We all know water as H₂O, a simple molecule made of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, the substance that makes life possible on Earth. When I was in middle school, we were still debating or speculating whether there was water anywhere beyond planet Earth, and it was a big deal. But I mean, a big deal. Now that we have confirmed water on other planets and moons, the idea has become almost ordinary, but in my generation, this was something we could only dream of. Confirmation of water outside our planet came after 2005 with Cassini and even more in the 2010s. Even comets are mostly water ice, as well as many asteroids with hydrating minerals. We have also detected oxygen on Mars, Venus, and several moons in our Solar System, but not in the same quantities as Earth.

Now, beyond its scientific identity, water has often been seen as something that holds memory, emotion, depth, mystery, and the ability to cleanse and transform. Many cultures have viewed it as alive in its own way. So even though we can study it in a lab, there is another side or dimension to water that invites us to look past its chemical makeup and into the deeper form it carries.

Water for us moves downward, not upward, unless you are on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, where water from an underground ocean is forced upward through cracks in the ice, erupting into space in visible jets like giant sprays. Water has also been used as a symbol of purification and holiness, especially in Christianity, and with the new ritual of baptism that came with the Essenes or whoever the first Christians were.

While water seeks life and depth, fire seeks height and sublimation. Sublimation in science is the process by which a solid changes directly into a gas without passing through the liquid state. It is extremely important in the search for life on other planets because it helps scientists understand how, i.e., water ice or other volatile substances, can move, disappear, or reappear on a planet’s surface, which affects where life might exist.

In spirituality, sublimation is the process of transforming raw or lower energies of desire or impulsiveness into higher states of awareness, creativity, or spiritual growth. Just as a comparison of how our ancestors understood the elements. Fire was represented by the Stars in the sky, like our own Sun, our destiny, and water was a representation of our inner mystery, associated with emotion, memory, imagination, and feeling.

Here’s a Hindu text for reference, which I thought was worth noting, as stated in the epic Itihāsa, the Mahabharata.

“I am Narayana, the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable. I am the Creator of all things, and the Destroyer also of all. I am Vishnu, I am Brahma and I am Shankara, the chief of the gods. I am king Vaisravana, and I am Yama, the lord of the deceased spirits. I am Siva, I am Soma, and I am Kasyapa the lord of the created things. And, O best of regenerate ones, I am he called Dhatri, and he also that is called Vidhatri, and I am Sacrifice embodied. Fire is my mouth, the earth my feet, and the Sun and the Moon are my eyes; the Heaven is the crown of my head, the firmament and the cardinal points are my ears; the waters are born of my sweat. Space with the cardinal points are my body, and the Air is my mind…

…And, O Brahmana, whatever is obtained by men by the practice of truth, charity, ascetic austerities, and peace and harmlessness towards all creatures, and such other handsome deeds, is obtained because of my arrangements. Governed by my ordinance, men wander within my body, their senses overwhelmed by me. They move not according to their will but as they are moved by me.”

— Mahabharata (translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883-1896), Book 3, Varna Parva, Chapter CLXXXVIII (188)

Water, baptism, and holiness

Baptism and the symbol of purification mark the culmination of the Age of Pisces, the era that begins with the coming of Jesus Christ and carries the themes of water, faith, sacrifice, and spiritual rebirth. All things that are represented by the sign of Pisces that astrologers know very well, better than I can ever say. The painting is by Leonardo da Vinci. Notice how Jesus’s feet are immersed in water as well as John’s, performing the holy ritual of purification on Jesus Christ. It actually reminds me of Temperance in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, representing healing, patience, and the reconciliation of opposites within, all things essential for one’s spiritual actualization.

While the 60s are said to mark the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, throughout this period, the Age of Pisces, water became more than a physical element. It turned into a holy tool, something capable of cleansing not just the physical body but the unseen realms around us. In Christianity and in many older traditions, water is blessed, prayed over, and infused with intention so it can cast out demons, break negative attachments, and support acts of exorcism and spiritual protection. Holy water in these rituals is used not just as a weapon but as a reminder of purity, surrender, and the return to one’s original state before fear and darkness take over. So water then becomes a bridge between the physical and the spiritual, emphasizing the same idea found in baptism, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the esoteric understanding of water as the element of memory, dissolution, renewal, and transformation.

Water has the power to transform our identity on a cellular level, especially with the right intention in mind and spirit. Even a simple bath at home can become a powerful ritual of purification and healing. As long as we hold the truth in our hearts and remain honest before the holy, water will do its job and cleanse us of our sins, marking a rebirth in its own way.

John 3:5
“Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 3:11
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Nymphs – Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, nymphs were seen as the silent presence within nature, especially inside water. They were the soft, watchful spirits of a spring, a river, or a sea, like the Nereids. They weren’t gods, just subtle beings that held the mood and intelligence of the water they lived in.

Above is one of my favorite paintings in the more realistic and classical style. I’ve looked at this painting for years, and every time I return to it, it remains one of my favorites, especially within the theme of mythical creatures and fantasy. I grew up swimming before I could walk (I mean that literally, lol), and I’ve always connected to water in a way that is hard to put into words. I mean this in the most humble way possible. I have no desire to dominate water or challenge it, like riding big waves, etc., but more to meet it in its most serene state.

Growing up in the southern tip of Albania, by the Ionian Sea in Vlorë County, where both my parents are from, Vuno, to be more precise, apart from stuffing my face with prickly pears, feta cheese, and grapes, living among the calm, turquoise waters of Jalë and the surrounding beaches helped us, as natives at least, build an understanding and relationship with this element that is hard to put into words. Everyone in my family and culture quietly understands and relates. Rich in salt, iodine, and sodium, these waters offered a level of cleansing and purification that felt almost indispensable for the temperament of my people, lol, especially on my father’s side, in Vlorë City.

Story time

Now, a little story time and a fun fact about my ancestry, since some of you have asked. The picture above is a more recent one. When I was growing up, there was nothing there except the military base at the very far right of the picture up the hill. Sometimes my family felt adventurous enough to hike down from the village, which sits high in the mountains, through the olive terraces, and then down the steep slopes toward Jale, shown in this image. The whole walk took a good 60–70 minutes if I remember it right. There are also beautiful surrounding beaches not included in the image, where my brothers and cousins would swim to. We were that brave. Haha.

Vuno was a key base for resistance during WW2, also involving Greek Himariotes, where my grandmother was raised, only about a 30-minute drive from Vuno, with many villagers listed on monuments for their sacrifices. Among these heroes was my great-aunt, Amalí Andoni, my grandfather’s little sister, who was killed by Nazis and Italian fascists at the age of 16.

This is how the story was told to me for as long as I could understand words. One night, when the moon was full, Aunt Amali prepared food for the soldiers in the resistance, as she always did. She was brave but stubborn. On the way to the partisans, the German soldiers spotted her and shouted at her in German (my grandfather would shout in German when narrating the story), but she was determined to keep going and didn’t stop, and she was shot in the back several times.

The partisans later found the man who had done it and brought him to my great-grandmother and said, “It’s him. This is the Nazi who killed your daughter. What do you want us to do with him?” And my great-grandmother replied, “Let him go, for he too has a mother who waits for him at home.” These kinds of stories became part of my values and how I was shaped while growing up.

My grandfather would tell me this story almost every year, and he would always tear up halfway through. December 5th was his birthday, and so I thought, in honor of him, Piro Andoni, who raised me, I would tell the story. While my family is filled with stories I like to keep for myself, here’s one more fun fact about my grandfather. He was raised as poor as a… well, a very poor child. He told me that growing up, he would read books only with the light of the moon because he was so poor that he had no electricity. My upbringing wasn’t so different, by the way. He read so much, though, and even learned a whole new language, Spanish, that he later became the Albanian ambassador in South America for 13 years.

Growing up, I would hear him on the typewriter every day, writing stories from his diaries and about each country he had visited in South America. He spoke fluent Spanish, obviously, and he also raised me with some South American musical influence, which is kind of funny to me now, lol. He was based in Argentina and had a weird obsession with actress Greta Garbo, who had very similar features to my grandmother, with high cheekbones, small but defined lips, and clear blue eyes. He wrote an entire book about her life and translated it from Spanish. He would often talk to me about Greta Garbo and what her career as an actress meant for her, which I now, as an adult, see more clearly. He traveled through the entire South American continent with my grandmother, Athina Andoni, for all those years.

Okay! Enough of me, because I’m already cringing. See you in the next one.

The post An Esoteric Dive Into the Water Element, The Age of Pisces, & Baptism appeared first on Sentient Muse.

Saturn

Brace yourself, as I’m going to make this post one of those posts that may be hard to read (or not), in other words, more woo-woo than you might expect. And this is maybe one of my favorite ways to speculate about space, our universe, and life in general. Of course, I will be guided more by my intuition, even after looking at it scientifically, especially regarding life on Saturn. I know, don’t shoot the messenger yet. Hear me out. When I say life, I may not refer to a tangible humanoid life exactly, one we can touch, see, smell, or hear with our senses. So give this a chance. I promise it won’t be boring.

Saturn has been with us since the beginning, even before the telescope was invented, because you can see it with the naked eye. Nobody actually discovered Saturn. It was simply there, glowing in the sky with a golden yellow light, waiting for us to notice it. When telescopes were invented in the 1600s, we learned it wasn’t just another star but a massive gas giant wrapped in those mysterious rings. It’s the second-largest planet in our solar system, made mostly of hydrogen and helium, the two main ingredients in this soup we call the Universe. Remember, hydrogen is the first and most abundant element in the universe, and hydrogen fusion in stars converts it into helium, releasing the energy that makes stars shine.

At the top of Saturn, as seen in the picture above, an actual photo of Saturn, there is a strange hexagon-shaped storm around its north pole. It is huge, over 20,000 miles across. Scientists don’t know exactly why it forms a perfect hexagon, but it remains one of Saturn’s most mysterious and beautiful features, and it makes the planet feel a little strange and magical in its nature.

What is it made of?

Planets in our solar system aren’t so different, but they aren’t made the same either. The gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter, according to scientists, have no solid crust or surface like we do on Earth because they are mostly made of hydrogen and helium. How do they know this? Because of their density. Saturn and Jupiter are massive planets, much heavier than Earth. Saturn has about 95 times Earth’s mass (in kilograms, the standard scientific measure of mass), and Jupiter about 318 times. But most of that mass is made of light gases, mostly hydrogen and helium. Because these gases are spread out over such huge volumes, their average density is very low. Saturn’s density, for example, is only 0.69 grams per cubic centimeter, which is less than water. In other words, if you could somehow put Saturn in a giant bathtub, it would float. This low density and the crushing pressures inside these planets prevent a solid surface or crust from forming, which is why gas giants are completely different from rocky planets like Earth.

The rocky planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, are made mostly of silicate rocks and a mix of metals like iron and magnesium, along with nonmetals like silicon and oxygen. Some, like Earth and Mars, have water and atmospheres rich in nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon dioxide. While the same elements appear across planets, the proportions are very different, giving each world its own personality.

So far, we have discovered around 90 elements in the universe, most of which appear in stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. The same elements you learned about in chemistry class, if you remember any. Hydrogen and helium dominate the cosmos, but elements like oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, neon, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, and iron are very common. These elements combine in various ways to form gases, rocks, ices, and metals, creating the diversity of planets, stars, and solar systems we see. Even the heaviest elements, like gold or uranium, exist in small amounts, sprinkled throughout stars and cosmic dust. So when we look at Saturn, Jupiter, or any distant star, we are seeing these same elements playing out in different forms and proportions.

So what makes these 90 elements differ from one another? It all comes down to the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in their atoms. That’s it. That’s what differentiates the elements we know. When we study planets, stars, and galaxies, we are really studying these atoms and how they combine to form all matter. For instance, the dad of the Universe, hydrogen, as I like to call it, is the simplest atom, made of one proton and one electron orbiting it. A helium atom, on the other hand, the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen, is made of 4 particles in its nucleus (2 protons + 2 neutrons) and 2 electrons orbiting it. Remember, hydrogen and helium are the lightest elements in the Universe and make up the vast majority of stars (suns) and matter in the cosmos, about 98 to 99 percent.

Everything heavier than helium, which astronomers call metals, exists in much smaller amounts. These heavier elements are what build planets, rocks, and life. Even the Sun’s average density is lighter than Earth’s, about 1.41 grams per cubic centimeter, while Earth’s is around 5.5 grams per cubic centimeter. So while Saturn could hypothetically float in a bathtub if somehow we could fit it into one, the Sun on the other hand is slightly denser than water (which is 1 gram per cubic centimeter) and it would sink. So if you ever feel like life is getting heavy, remember that you could hypothetically inhale Saturn and swallow it whole if it were sitting in your bathtub.

Saturn in Mythology

Although Saturn spins much faster than Earth, completing a full rotation in about 10 hours and 33 minutes, which is roughly 2.3 times faster than Earth’s 24-hour day, Saturn is slow, at least from our perspective on life. It takes about 29.5 Earth years to orbit the Sun, while Earth completes its orbit in just one year, or 365 days. In Greek mythology, Saturn is known as Cronus, the Titan of time and harvest. Cronus ruled during a mythical Golden Age, a time of abundance and peace. But he was haunted by a prophecy that one of his children would overthrow him, just as he had overthrown his own father, Uranus. To stop this, he swallowed each child at birth: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. His wife, Rhea, horrified, hid their youngest, Zeus, and gave Cronus a rock to swallow instead. Zeus grew up, came back, made Cronus spit out his siblings, and led them to defeat the Titans, becoming king of the gods. The Titans were older gods who ruled the world first, while the Olympians were the new gods, more like humans and closer to life on Earth.

Scholars often interpret the myth of Cronus as a story about time, change, and cycles. Cronus swallowing his children represents the old generation trying to hold onto power, while Zeus overthrowing him symbolizes the rise of the new generation, showing that change is inevitable. The myth also reflects human fears of loss, mortality, and being replaced, as well as the cycles of nature and the harvest, since Cronus was associated with time and agriculture. So the story of Cronos  isn’t just about gods fighting, but a symbol for how the universe moves from chaos to order. The Titans, like Cronus, represent the old, chaotic, primal forces of nature, and the Olympians, like Zeus, represent structure, rules, and a more organized cosmos. It’s like a metaphor for natural cycles, like seasons, growth, life and death, and the passage of time.

Astrology

In astrology, Saturn is the planet of structure, earthly law, life lessons, and karmic growth. It rules discipline, responsibility, and boundaries, showing us where we need to work harder, slow down, or face the consequences of our past actions. Because Saturn moves slowly, taking almost 30 years to orbit the Sun, it is linked to long-term cycles, major life milestones, and soul lessons. Many astrologers associate Saturn with past lives and karma, suggesting that the challenges it presents are echoes of lessons we haven’t fully learned yet. Saturn asks us to confront reality, accept limitations, and grow wiser through those experiences. It can feel heavy, restrictive, or even harsh, but it also rewards patience, perseverance, and maturity. In a mystical sense, Daddy Saturn is the cosmic teacher, showing us the patterns we carry through time and encouraging us to evolve, spiritually and personally, through the natural cycles of life.

Saturn is the teacher of time, so people influenced by it often seem wise beyond their years. Many Saturn-ruled souls, like myself, go through hard lessons early in life, which can make them feel older or more serious when they are young. As we grow, we start to loosen up and feel more playful, almost like becoming children again, but thanks to the wisdom we have gained. We also notice that life feels slower and more measured, and this can make us seem younger or more energetic than others. Saturn’s energy helps us follow life’s natural cycles and grow through experience, patience, and discipline. That’s why those ruled by Saturn may seem to age backwards, not literally, but in how they carry themselves and move through life.

Collective Intelligence of Saturn

So here we are. We’ve come to the woo-woo part of this post. Keep in mind that this is about the spiritual dimension or innerstanding of Saturn. Yes, I said innerstanding, not understanding, but you get what I mean. So, where do I even begin? Let’s start with a simple question:

I warned you about the woo-woo part. But hear me out. There have been so many, I mean so many cases of abductee reports describing atrocious experiments performed by these weird-looking aliens, and almost all the stories are similar. Now, having said this, and hopefully coming to some mutual understanding, let’s speculate on this civilization of Saturnians.

Now, some of you are obviously going to laugh at this or say this is beyond woo-woo and crosses into pure sci‑fi. And there’s absolutely no way that there could be intelligent life on Saturn, especially based on our scientific findings. But what I’m here to tell you is that this isn’t entirely true. How do I know this? I’m not sure how or why. Maybe I’m 100% wrong for claiming this, but I was given an image to interpret, and like many other spiritualists or whatever they want to call us, I interpreted it. Perhaps it is a timely thing, or maybe a subconscious way of interpreting particular life cycles or strange phenomena at play. Either way, it is what it is. You can do whatever you want with this information. Who knows, maybe it’ll open the door to a new understanding of things, or maybe not.

Don’t miss this documentary on Saturn. Click here

The post The Mystery of Saturn | What is Saturn Hiding? appeared first on Sentient Muse.