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to the Eagle's Nest and Scorpio
The
Eagle and Scorpio
(some of the following is based on information gleened
from the description given by the Native American "Medicine
Cards Deck")
For
many Native American Indians, the majestic eagle reflects
the power of their all powerful Great Spirit and that
of humanity's connection to the Divine. She reflects
the unique ability to live within the realm of the spirit,
and yet remain connected and balanced within realm of
the earth.
The
Native American Indian concept of balancing spirit with
matter, connecte to Scorpio, is an archetypal (universal)
theme that has continually reverberated throughout the
vast halls of human history.
By
way of small example... the 3rd century AD Christian
theologian, Origen, spoke of this balance between spirit
and matter.
Origen
felt that this was the highest good and example as shown
through Jesus Christ: the ability to simultaneously place
one foot firmly in the heavens and the other foot solidly
on the earth...
The
Eagle - Experiencing The Fullness Of Life
Among virtually all of the many Native American Indian
tribes, the feathers of the majestic eagle are considered
to be among the most sacred of all healing tools. It's
said that the eagle represents a state of grace achieved
through hard work, understanding, and a completion of the
tests of initiation.
Applying
this to Scorpio, it's only through the trial of experiencing
the extreme lows in life, as well as the extreme highs,
and through the trial of trusting one's connection to
the Great Spirit, that the right to use the essence of
Eagle medicine is earned.
The
eagle is able to soar high above the earth and, thereby,
sees the broader tapestry of life.
As
a living and powerful archetypal symbol of Scorpio, the
eagle is a vivid reminder for Scorpio to take heart and
gather courage in their fierce battle of personal fears.
The image of the eagle teaches Scorpio to broaden their
personal sense of self, and the eagle encourages Scorpio
to go beyond the limited horizon of what is visible from
the ground.
Short
Boring and Mind Numbing History Lesson
Regarding Scorpio's historical association with the symbolism
of the eagle, it's impossible to say just how far back
in time this particular connection goes... everyone writing
about it just glibly claims that it goes back to antiquity
and then quickly moves on...
For
example, Rabbi
Joel C Dobin, DD in his fascinating book, Kabblistic
Astrology, simply informs the reader that in ancient
times, Scorpios were (personality-wise) depicted as being
either eagles or serpents.
If
I had any good sense, then I'd simply follow course by
telling you that the Scorpio connection to the Eagle
goes back to antiquity and then move on. Chances are
that you'd "buy it" and be more than satisfied.
Ezekiel's
Wheel Within the Middle of the Wheel (circa
593 BC)
Granted, this is just my (wild) guess... but Rabbi Dobin
may likely have been referring to the well known vision
of 6th century BC Old Testament prophet Ezekiel - the "wheel
within the wheel":
"As
I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great
cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth
continually, and in the middle of the fire, something
like gleaming amber. In the middle of it was something
like four living creatures. This was their appearance:
they were of human form. Each had four faces, and each
of them had four wings... As for the appearance of
their faces: the four had the face of a human being,
the face of a lion on the right side, the
face of an ox on the left side, and the face
of an eagle...
As
I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on
the earth beside the living creatures, one for each
of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and
their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming
of beryl; and the four had the same form, their construction
being something like a wheel within a wheel.
When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions
without veering as they moved.
Their
rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four
were full of eyes all round. When the living creatures
moved, the wheels moved beside them; and when the living
creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. Wherever
the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose
along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures
was in the wheels. When they moved, the others
moved; when they stopped, the others stopped; and when
they rose from the earth, the wheels rose
along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures
was in the wheels. (Ezekiel 1:4-10, 15-21)
Jewish
scholars have historically tended to interpret Ezekiel's
wheels in a grand cosmological sense, with some rabbinical
traditions teaching that Ezekiel was referring to the
wheel of the Zodiac. The four astrological elements of
the Zodiac form a cross represented by the four creatures:
Lion (Leo - fire), Eagle (Scorpio -
water), Man (Aquarius - air), and Ox (Taurus - earth).
Several
modern Old Testament scholars however believe that the
referrals to wheels in Ezekiel were much
later insertions. This is in part because the wheels
indeed appeared to smack of the much later cosmology
of the Greeks.
However,
what these modern Old Testament scholars didn't appear
to take into consideration was that Ezekiel had his grand
vision while living in Babylonian exile. The Babylonians
(and possibly the Hebrews influenced by the Babylonians)
already, by the time of Ezekiel, had a fairly well developed
Zodiacal cosmology.
I
should note that many UFO fans believe that Ezekiel's "wheel
within a wheel" vision was actually a UFO sighting.
But even if it was a UFO sighting, then he would have
been using images to describe it with which he was
familiar.
St.
Irenaeus
If you can't buy into that version, then the connection
of Scorpio with the eagle may have its roots going back
to the late 2nd century AD when St. Irenaeus (circa 120-202
AD) first associated the four living creatures found in
Ezekiel (see above) and the Book of Revelation — a
man, a lion, an ox and an eagle — to the four Gospel
writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
"Around
the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four
living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:
the first living creature like a lion, the
second living creature like an ox, the third
living creature with a face like a human face,
and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.
And the four living creatures, each of them with six
wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day
and night without ceasing they sing, 'Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to
come.'" (Revelation 4:6-8)
As
pointed out at Sacred
Destinations (great catch on their part): Other early
Christian theologians making this early association included
St Jerome (circa 347-420 AD) and St Augustine of Hippo
(circa 354-430 AD). However, all three writers applied
the symbols to different evangelists, based on their
various interpretations.
St
Jerome's version, however, was the one to finally stick:
Matthew (man), Mark (lion), Luke (ox), and John (eagle).
Very
early Christian art (9th century AD depicted here) shows
this continuing association of St John and his unique
Gospel with the eagle, symbolizing the spiritual heights
to which St John rises in his Gospel. St Matthew (man
- top left), St Mark (lion - top right), St Luke (ox
- bottom left), and St John (eagle - bottom right).
A
man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle... do you perhaps perceive
a potential pattern appearing at this point?
Best
Guess
This is just my best guess... but it's most likely that
at some later time astrologers (many of which throughout
the past 2,000 years have themselves been Christian) naturally
appropriated this rich symbolism for themselves.
Notice
here in this traditional Renaissance Tarot of Marseilles
Trump card of "The World" that the four astrological
elements are depicted. They are represented by the four
fixed Zodiac signs: Leo - fire (bottom right), Scorpio
- water (top right), Aquarius - air (top left), and Taurus
- earth (bottom right).
End
of the boring history lesson...
Back
To Scorpio and the Eagle - What Are the Odds
Need I say - that not all (or maybe many) Sun Sign Scorpios
are able to fully, faithfully, and consistently access
this noble and healing energy of the archetypal eagle?
In
fact... having my own Sun in the sign of Scorpio, I suppose
I have to grudgingly admit that if you've ever been on
the receiving end of a typically Eagle type Scorpio during
a brief and/or momentary "lapse"... then it's
probably easy to feel that the archetypal concept of
a healing Eagle Scorpio is nothing more than wishful
thinking... it's
not...
The
Eagle
"He
clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
"The
wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls."
Tennyson
(Mars, Uranus, Vertex conjunction in Scorpio in the
5th house)
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