70 times 7- Part I

7 are the requests in the prayer “Our Father” (in the Bible it appears 424 times)

7 are the cervical vertebrae (a staircase made up of 7 steps that lead from the body to the mind, from the physical to the spiritual)

7 are musical notes and keys (C, D, E, F, G, A, B; violin, bass, contralto, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone)

7 are colors of the belts in martial arts (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black)

7 are the months of 31 days (January, March, May, July, August, October, December)

7 are the pronunciations of vowels in the Italian language (a-è-é-i-ò-o-u)

7 bones of the tarsus: calcaneus, astragalus, scaphoid, cuboid, 3 cuneiform ones.

…then Peter approached him and said: “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother if he sins against me? Up to 7 times?”. And Jesus answered: “I do not tell you up to 7, but up to 70 times 7”.

Peter, under   the influence of Jesus’ preaching, thought that by forgiving up to 7 times he would have done something exceptional. In those days, forgiveness was allowed for 2, 3 times, a maximum of 4. But Jesus, by replying “Up to 70 times 7”, underlined that we must always forgive.

For-giving means offering the gift of renouncing the right to claim the suffered wrong. It is a concession that is given to someone who has committed what he should not have done.

We only feel pain and we are hurt if feelings are involved. Otherwise, we would feel angry at the blow to our self-esteem and sooner or later the anger would vanish or turn into hatred. The pain, however, does not. The suffering of the emotional wound does not go away until there is a resolution, a resolution which is partly helped by the passage of time which mitigates the memory and alleviates the pain but does not remove the cause. Of course, we can work hard, we may not think about it anymore, but as with everything we put aside, sooner or later it comes out, perhaps “out of the blue”. Putting aside is always a non-resolute and not very courageous act of consolation, even if it is sometimes useful, especially in those cases in which there are no possibilities to deal with the pain. However, we need to know that it is not eliminated, but it is preserved in some corner of the mind.

The resolution to heal from the deep pain of soul wounds, of pride, of love and of the deepest ideals is one, but with two implications: acting or deciding to take justice in any way, or to forgive.

The action of claiming revenge is like resorting to surgery to “amputate” the part that feels an unbearable pain. But even this “intervention” is never decisive because the impairment of the “amputation” remains as a sign of the painful memory. We move from unbearable pain to a – sometimes narcissistic – display of the sense of justice.

Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Whoever takes revenge will have no more access to the path to reconciliation and to the path of forgiveness. Those who take revenge do not grant themselves the gift of remission of the pain and its cause.

The other aspect of completing with pain is forgiveness. No surgery, no cuts, just a deep understanding of the human “business”. Just as alchemy involves the transformation of base metals into gold, also in this case the transmutation of pain into heat is fundamental.

…it is scientifically proven that many diseases that manifest themselves in our body and soul are linked to a lack of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is therapeutic for oneself even before it is for the other. It is a source of healing due to the fact that it always sets one free: by forgiving one does not grant the other the faculty (power) of still being the one who causes the suffering. And then it is really worth forgiving because it is scientifically proven that many diseases that manifest themselves in our body and soul are linked to a lack of forgiveness.

Alchemy represents human evolution from a state where matter predominates to a spiritual one. In this case, transforming metals into gold is equivalent to transforming man into pure spirit.

The art of Alchemy s often used to understand the hidden meaning of fairy tales, legends and myths, in where it identifies the drama of the incessant transformations of the soul and the destiny of creation.

Since prehistoric times, human beings have been inspired by myths, legends and fairy tales to find explanations regarding the human nature and the mysteries of existence. In every fairy tale the constant motif is the internal struggle of the human being to find the true world and his most intimate self. In-depth psychologists (Freud, Jung, Steiner and many others), through studies carried out on mythology, religions and folklore, have found how fairy tales speak to us about the transformation of the personality, the expansion of consciousness, through a language rich in symbols, metaphors, parables. Steiner highlights that they foster the imagination, offer the individual the opportunity to face his inner reality and progressively develop his personality.

Precisely because they work on the unconscious part of man. Power has made extensive negative use of them, to homologate and standardize.

In-depth psychologists (Freud, Jung, Steiner and many others), through studies carried out on mythology, religions and folklore, have found how fairy tales speak to us about the transformation of the personality, the expansion of consciousness, through a language rich in symbols, metaphors, parables.

We find an example of alchemical interpretation in the tale of “Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs”. Snow White is the young Maid (Virgo), the gold mine[1]. The 7 dwarves or gnomes (from the Greek gnosis = knowledge) represent mineral matter. In fact, each dwarf has the appearance and character of the planet that dominates him: Saturn, Venus, etc.  Snow White is handed over by the evil Queen to the hunter to make her die, but it is an apparent death caused by ingesting a poisoned apple (the apple, the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve, represents the warning through which God makes the two directions known and invites man to choose between the path of earthly desires and the one of spirituality. The apple is the symbol of this knowledge that leads to the need for a choice). Later the young Maid will marry the Prince of her dreams who is young and handsome. This Prince is our Mercury, the puer, the image of eternal youth in face and body. From the union of Mercury with Virgo (the Prince and Snow White) comes the conclusion of all fairy tales “… and they lived happily ever after and had many children“. This last sentence responds to the teaching contained in Genesis “Grow and multiply“.

A fairy tale is a medium that suggests how it is possible to approach the world without experiencing the fear of getting lost, how to face the reality of every day counting on one’s own strength, how to get by in the best possible way by demonstrating courage and initiative, like the protagonist of every fairy tale that triumphs in the end. Through the slow unfolding of the plot, fairy tales with their images full of emotional elements push man towards evolution.

Steiner underlines that the fairy tale, as a metaphor for life, it is a tool that pushes people to overcome their personal and social discomfort. And it is again this Austrian philosopher, creator of organic-dynamic agriculture, who considers animated matter to be the bearer of earthly and cosmic powers. Taking into account astrological constellations and alchemical processes, the ground contains cosmic laws and energies. In the “biodynamic” vision, man nourishes not only his body but also his soul with food.

He highlights that 7 represents the path of awareness that allows evolution, and a leap in consciousness. It is the closing of one transformation cycle and the beginning of another. Steiner grasped the meaning of this number which returns in his pedagogy: school teaching is divided into seven-year rhythms as, according to his vision, the soul of man evolves according to cycles of 7. He mainly identifies three corresponding phases to the first three seven years (0/7 – 7/14 – 14/21…) in which the educational action of the family and the school is of vital importance.

During the first seven years, the child acquires three main faculties: the upright position and the ability to walk, the use of words and the possibility of saying “I” to himself: he masters his abilities and expresses his faculties of movement.

During the second seven years, the child develops the emotional dimension, the life of feeling (this is why great importance is given to art and all teaching takes on an artistic guise), while in the third seven years period, we witness the development of increasingly abstract thought and the development of an autonomous judgment capacity.

In the pedagogical path of the Steiner school, great attention is paid to respecting the developmental phases of the child: precociousness often means weakening abilities, not gaining time! The number 7 indicates change after a completed cycle.

In the pedagogical path of the Steiner school, great attention is paid to respecting the developmental phases of the child: precociousness often means weakening abilities, not gaining time! The number 7 indicates change after a completed cycle. After creating the world in six days, in the seventh day God did not work and made it a sacred day: Saturday is not resting from Creation, but its crowning achievement, the conception of perfection. Most likely, the rainbow does not have 7 colors, but six: the seventh color is white, a synthesis of the other six. A Hindu tradition attributes 7 rays to the Sun: six correspond to the directions in space, the seventh corresponds to the center.

The yarrow sticks used for divination are 49 (7 x 7). 49 is also the number of the Bardo, the intermediate state following death according to the Tibetans. This state lasts 49 days divided into periods of 7 days. In astronomy it appears that the Moon is 49 (7×7) times smaller than the Earth and completes its cycles in a period of 28 (7×4) days.

There are 7 angels present in “The Essene Gospel of Peace”: The Angel of Sunlight, the Angel of Air, of the Angel Water, the Angel of Sleep, the Angel of Work, the Angel of Love and the Angel of Earth.

This text, defined as apocryphal by the Catholic Church, was translated by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely from ancient manuscripts entitled “Dead Sea Scrolls” found in 1947 in a Qumran cave. The Essene Gospel of Peace contains the teachings that Jesus imparted regarding nutrition and other rules of life.

The Essenes were an Israelite tribe that practiced inner research through direct contact with nature and all its manifestations. This knowledge, although it can be framed in a religious perspective, has nothing to do with religion understood as a system of power, but with knowledge based on the natural methods used in order to obtain an elevation of the state of consciousness.

In this text men ask Jesus how to overcome health, internal and spiritual problems. The answers focus on a profound purification of the Being, achieved through 7 natural practices:

1. Enteroclysms, performed through the Angel of Water and repeated until the water omes out of the organism pure as it was introduced.
2. Light baths, created through exposure of the naked body to the Angel of the Sun.
3. Healing mud, symbolized and protected by the Angel of the Earth.
4. Constant ablutions of the body always through the Angel of Water, achieved through exposure of the body to the Angel of the Earth, the Angel of the Sun and the Angel of the Air.
5. Deep inhalation of the Angel of Air.
6. Control of sexuality through abstinence.
7. Constant fasting carried out for prolonged periods (fasting is recommended for at least one day a week and repeated on that same day over time).

This text also recommends to eat raw fruits, cereals and vegetables. They are defined “food of light” because they grow through the action of the Angels of the four elements. Jesus says (various quotes): “Behold, I give unto you every herb yielding seed upon the surface of all the earth, and every fruitful tree yielding seed; this will serve as nourishment for you… Do not kill men or animals or even the food that enters your mouth because if you eat living food that same food will also vivify you, but if you kill your food, that same food will kill you… Do not feed yourself when Your spirit is irritated or sad or without appetite otherwise that food will become poison… Eat as if it were a prayer addressed to your Lord because if you eat in this way the power of God (Love) will enter you.”

7 is the number of transformation that is acquired through a path of awareness.

In this regard, Steiner underlines that “Man remains in his incomplete state if he does not grasp the matter of transformation within himself and does not transform himself by his own force. Nature makes man simply a being of nature; society makes him a being who acts according to given laws; he can become a free being only by his own strength.”

I have concretized this transformation, this alchemical transmutation from lead into gold, attending the Inner Research Laboratory which is a path of awareness that allows change. Similarly to the alchemical art, in order to implement the change, fire is needed: the desire and passion to really set out. The fire can only be lit if you want.

The first step to make this transformation and implement rebirth is forgiveness.

 

Who is be to forgiven?

Definitely ourselves. Many cannot forgive themselves for the harm they have caused themselves or the wounds they have inflicted on others. And then we must also forgive all those who, through insults, rejections, abandonments, have left bitterness within us to the point of suffocating and hardening us.

But what is forgiveness?

Forgiveness is more a choice than a feeling. “I decide to forgive because it will benefit my entire being.” Forgiving is not giving an alternative, a justification, nor forgetting the behavior of the other, but it is done to bring order, to make peace not so much with others but with oneself.

The Unveiled Soul favors and even pushes towards this awareness which is however a path, a process that needs time. You don’t wake up one day and say: “Enough. From today on I will forgive!“. Reconstruction is slow and can only rarely be planned. It takes time. Everyone must take his own time: time to cry, to wallow in despair, to reflect on responsibilities, to ask for help and comfort, to make sense of it, to break into a thousand pieces… until, little by little, what we are begins to become whole again without any guest to hurt us.

Through the Inner Research Laboratory, we gradually come to understand that gratuitous and unmotivated violence is always the result of psycho- affective immaturity for which we either love or hate ourselves. Through the manifestation of one’s feelings, one has the opportunity to face and free oneself from painful experiences. It may seem absurd but, little by little, we understand how the evil we received does help us to grow, to feel the suffering (even if obviously we would gladly do without it!).

It seems incredible how the 7 has a particular importance even within the Unveiled Soul: before starting the evening, during some grounding exercises, we do breath 7 times to draw energy from the Earth and the Sky. Could it be a coincidence?…

So, how many times must we forgive?

“70 times 7!” as Jesus said in defense of an adulterous woman who risked stoning, “Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone!“.

7 is the most active odd number, the most powerful prime number in the series from 1 to 10. The best way to define it is through the idea of action in the world which in the Tarot manifests itself very visibly in Arcanum VII, The Chariot, and in Arcanum XVII, The Star.

The Chariot represents action par excellence at all levels, on oneself and on the world. The Chariot knows perfectly well where it is going. Three main levels are recognizable on the card: two horses, a vehicle and its driver. The vehicle, a flesh-pink square, sinks into the earth and almost seems as if it can’t move forward. In reality it moves with the movement of the planet, the movement par excellence. Finding itself united with the Earth, the Chariot does not need to move forward: it is a mirror of the planetary rotation. The horses with blue fur are spiritualized: the horse on the right, with long eyelashes and closed eye, as a female element, and the other horse as a male element. The two complementary energies, male and female, realize unity here. Even if the legs apparently go in opposite directions, the movement of the head and gaze is common: the union of opposites occurs on an energetic level.

By observing the position of the driver, we discover that his body, head and arms make up a triangular figure within the square of the vehicle. A triangle in the square: spirit in matter. From this perspective it could be said that the vehicle represents the body, the horses the energy, and the driver the spirit. The driver acts effortlessly and also does not need reins to steer the horses. Above the two shoulders, the masks could represent the past and the future, the positive and the negative of which he is the meeting point, of unity. Acting in the midst of the present, he is open to the past and the future, to joy and sadness, to light and shadow.

Card VII of the Major Arcana is completed with XVII, The Star.

There are many points in common between the Star and the Chariot: both have their roots in the Earth (vehicle-knee) and in both there are stars that indicate their connection with the Universe. But if the Chariot penetrates the world as a conqueror, a traveler, the Star acts on the world by irrigating it, nourishing it. The bare breasts refer to breastfeeding, and one could see an allusion to the Milky Way in the stars.

The Jewish candlestick or “Menorah” is the stylization of a tree and constitutes the symbolic representation of the creation of the Universe in 7 days.

Since ancient times, the trees, with their roots anchored to the Earth, with the branches that touch the Sky and with the fruits that give life, had a profound religious meaning: they embodied divinity. The Menorah is the tree that leads men towards the light and light towards men.

This candlestick is made up of 7 arms and 7 candles (7 often occurs in the Gospels because it is the number of the Holy Spirit).

The association order that is most commonly adopted is the following:

• the 1st candle is associated with the planet Venus, copper, and the musical note D;
• the 2nd candle is associated with the planet Mercury, the chemical element mercury, and the musical note E;
• the 3rd candle is associated with the the Moon, silver and the musical note F;
• the 4th candle (the central one) is associated with the planet Saturn, lead and the note G;
• the 5th candle is associated with the planet Jupiter, tin and the note A;
• the 6th candle is associated with Mars, iron and the note B;
• the 7th candle is associated with the Sun, gold and the note C.

In religious tradition, the lighting and switching off of the Menorah had, and still has today, the value of a prayer. The ignition mode involves different explanations and analogies. Among the main procedures I list three:

• we start from the 3rd candle, then the 2nd, then the 1st, then the 7th, the 6th, the 5th and finally the 4th, the central one (therefore, if we were referring to the musical notes, we would have the descending sequence: F, E, D, C, B, A, G);
• the second procedure is the “alternating” one: we start from the 1st one, then the last one (which is the 7th), then the 2nd then the 6th and so on to finally arrive at the central one;
• the other procedure has the following switching order: the 7th then the 3rd, the 6th then the 2nd, the 5th, then the 1st and finally the 4th, the central one. According to this last procedure, there would be the following symbolic association:
  • the 7th candle corresponds to the first day of creation, that of light, and to the chakra of sight (placed on the forehead between the two eyes);
  • the 3rd candle corresponds to the Moon, to the second day of creation, that of the separation of the waters, and to the sexuality chakra (located in the genitals). The Moon is in fact associated with the tides and the female cycle;
  • the 6th candle corresponds to the third day of the creation of plant life on Earth, and to the chakra of will;
  • the 2nd candle corresponds to Mercury, the fourth day of creation, that of the stars in the sky, and to the communication chakra located on the throat; – the 5th candle corresponds to Jupiter, to the fifth day of creation, that of life in the sea: the fish, and in the sky: the birds, and to the chakra connected to vital energy, located at the base of the spine;
  • the 1st candle corresponds to Venus, to the sixth day of creation, that of animals and man, and to the heart chakra;
  • the 4th candle, the central one, corresponds to Saturn, to the seventh day of creation, that of rest and contemplation, and to the chakra of enlightenment located on the top of the head.

Even today, through the arrangement of the candelabra and the Cross on the altar of a Catholic Church, the Jewish Menorah is recalled. The altar therefore becomes a sort of giant Menorah in which the central light is equivalent to the Cross and represents the centrality of Christ.

KEYS TO ESOTERICISM

Esotericism is not a profession of faith, nor a philosophy but a method of investigation. Just as the microscope is the instrument of the scientist, so esotericism is the instrument of the one who studies and investigates with intelligence (from intelligere which means looking inside) concepts of a metaphysical nature. Therefore, esoteric research is not comparable to notionalism or even to a form of encyclopedic culture, but is something that is accompanied by intuition. Intuition is a small enlightenment, the Eureka that makes you say “I understand!”, even if you haven’t yet understood what exactly it is.

Intelligence and intuition are a fundamental combination for a researcher.

“Esotericism is not done, but it is used to go in search of what is not known…; it is as ancient as man – states Dethlefsen – it has always been there and will always be there, its doctrines have never been corrected, never modernized, they never get old”.

Unlike science, which believes that the arrival of all knowledge is only a matter of time, esotericism considers knowledge to be always present, it is the person who must evolve to the point of becoming aware of it. Esoteric doctrines are accessible to all but they are in encrypted form. So, those who are not prepared cannot identify them: “In order to see you must first learn to see“. In this regard, Dethlefsen cites the example of music: those who cannot read the notes either study them or renounce this knowledge.

To reach the goal which consists in the evolution of man, in his becoming increasingly aware and in overcoming duality, esoteric disciplines (tarot, yoga, astrology…) come to our aid. To “reach the goal”, however, there is no shortage of problems!

Problems have the task of provoking man to resolve the situation by taking a step forward in his personal way of learning. Only through their solution evolution is possible. However, since the solution to problems is always linked to efforting and toiling, men do not seek problems on their own initiative, rather each man, in his own way, thinks he can cheat fate.

Problems have the task of provoking man to resolve the situation by taking a step forward in his personal way of learning. Only through their solution evolution is possible.

Esoteric practices show us that the life program is determined with certainty and must be completed. Based on the law of polarity, man can choose how to carry out this life program: through conscious learning, with which man voluntarily and actively solves the problem, or through unconscious learning that occurs automatically every time a person consciously avoids solving a problem. However, this learning is linked to pain (blows of fate, illnesses…). Every time man tries to avoid a problem, destiny forcibly brings him towards such a process. Destiny is only interested in the final result which is learning, not in how much pain man causes himself with his constant refusal to learn.

“Man does not incarnate in this world to lazily enjoy the warmth of the sun, but to evolve and serve according to his own abilities.” Whoever does this consciously will find happiness, not understood as the achievement of material well-being but as a condition of the soul. Happiness is independent of the outside world. “Happiness arises where man manages to be in harmony with the world. Happiness arises when man becomes aware of his tasks and understands what a grace it is to be able to serve.” Speaking of this, I quote a phrase from the movie “Life is Beautiful” by Ro berto Benigni: “Serving is the supreme art. God is the first servant; He serves men, but he is not a servant of men.”

In the same way as the star, man must not abandon his own orbit which he must know and actively follow. “This activity comes from confidence, not from ego dominance, not from the concept: “I want it, therefore I do it”. Man reaches his maximum freedom when he can pronounce the words: “Lord, let Your will be, not mine“.

To know the task of one’s life, established since birth, the study of the planets and of astrology, is fundamental. It should not be considered a magical code that confers powers or advantages: it represents a system of self-knowledge which, if carried out wisely, can help us recognize and develop our potential, understand and appreciate the gifts and talents that the good God has given us and be able to accept reality. Such knowledge can be aimed at understanding others and only then will it be possible to understand and respect “our traveling companions” on this Earth.

If therapists dedicated themselves to the study of the planets of Medical Astrology they could establish the diagnosis of diseases more quickly and safely than by resorting to common means. Some experts who have studied this branch of astrology, and have carried out the necessary experiments, have been able to see how celestial bodies have an undoubted influence on human ones.

 You have to understand,
from one you make ten,
the two let it go,
the three take it immediately,
so you are rich.
Leave the four alone
and then the five and the six,
so the witch says,
make seven and eight, so it’s perfect.
Nine is one, ten is nothing,
and this is the witches’ rhyme.

 “Goethe’s witches’ rhyme no longer means anything to the man of today. It is generally thought that it is nothing more than a play on words without much meaning, which – being Goethe – would be rather strange… Today we only consider the quantitative aspect of time, even of numbers we know nothing other than quantity. However, numbers also have a completely different aspect. If we learn to understand the quality of numbers, they reveal themselves for what they really are: the patterns and symbols of creation.”

THE MAGIC OF NUMBERS

This ancient knowledge began when primitive man felt the need to count the nights, the days, the things he had learned to know. Thus, he began to form a sort of calendar built on the vague intuition of numbers. Later the great occult Sages, who watched humanity in its evolution, understood that numbers contained the secret code to understand the order of things and the laws of the cosmos. Numbers are divided into even and odd. The even ones have a feminine polarity, so they are passive and represent states of being, while odd numbers, with masculine polarity, are active and represent events.

From a spiritual point of view, the one represents the unique, that is, divine uniqueness. The two does not come from the doubling of the one, but from its division. The two divides and breaks the harmony of the one and represents the duality of all things on Earth: male-female, light-shadow, day-night, good-evil, sky-earth, life-death. From this ambiguous antagonism the fusion of the numbers 1 and 2 was formed, and three was born, the continuer, which completed the concept of continuation of the species. The meaning of the Triad was then formed: Father-Mother-Son, we returned with three, through the reverse path, to unity. A fact that explains how the three, the triangle, the Triad, are expressions of unity. Then man also discovered the four elements: the Earth that nourished him led him to the concept of Mother, the Water that quenched his thirst led him to the concept of purifying liquid, the Fire that warmed him led him to the concept of Light, the Air that gave him breath led him to the concept of movement. From the union of these four elements with the previous digits, 7 was born, the most sacred of ancient numbers.

Seven is the number that expresses globality, universality, perfect balance and represents a complete and dynamic cycle. Since ancient times, it has been considered, a magical and religious symbol of perfection because it was linked to the completion of the lunar cycle (7×4). Among the Babylonians, the days of each month that were multiples of seven were considered festive and consecrated to worship. The Greeks called it the venerable, Plato’s anima mundi. Among the Egyptians it symbolized life.

The number seven represents the perfection of human nature at the moment in which it unites the divine ternary with the terrestrial quaternary. Being formed by the union of the triad with the tetrad, the number seven indicates the fullness of what is perfect, participating in the dual nature, physical and spiritual, human and divine. Seven is the number of the pyramid as it is formed by the triangle (3) on the square (4). Therefore, Seven is the privileged expression of mediation between human and divine.

In 570 B.C.,Pythagoras was the main promulgator of numerology. He claimed that number is the order in the Cosmos (which in fact means order) and thanks to it one escapes chaos and disorder.

The number seven represents the perfection of human nature at the moment in which it unites the divine ternary with the terrestrial quaternary. Being formed by the union of the triad with the tetrad, the number seven indicates the fullness of what is perfect, participating in the dual nature, physical and spiritual, human and divine.

He also highlighted that it was possible to draw a complete personality profile from the name and date of birth of each person. Pythagoras chose his disciples from among those who had 7 in their profile, as they were reserved and introspective people, with a strong intuition and a predisposition to mysticism: these were his favorites and they had to pass fewer tests than the others to access his school.

BEFORE SINNING

“The so-called sin is an essential element of progress. Without it the world would grow old, it would fall into immobility, it would lose its colour. The curiosity that generates sin increases human experience. The intensified affirmation of individualism to which sin leads saves us from mediocrity. By rejecting moral preconceptions, sin finds itself in agreement with the ideas of higher ethics”
O.Wilde

The Seven Capital Sins – Pride, Gluttony, Avarice, Anger, Lust, Sloth and Envy – have represented for centuries the ways in which man could give in to the temptations of the Evil One, losing his soul and condemning himself to perpetual damnation.

In today’s Western culture, less conditioned by religious dogmas, some natural behaviors emerge which, in excess, cease to be profitable. It is logical to want to eat to be strong, but eating a whole cow is no longer a functional action, since, in the best case scenario, you won’t be able to move for an entire week. Sins fall into the category of “capital” when they give rise to other vices: Pride, mother of all vices, can also manifest itself in vainglory, ambition, hypocrisy. We can also define it as a disordered love for oneself and it becomes a mortal sin when it pushes the individual to disobey God. Envy is followed by hatred, insinuations, slander, joy in evil and affliction for the good of others. Anger brings with it fights, swelling of the mind, insults, indignation and blasphemies. Sloth is accompanied by wickedness, resentment, indolence. Betrayal, fraud, deception, restlessness and hardness of heart are instead the sequel to Avarice. Gluttony follows, silly cheerfulness, scurrility, obscenities, verbosity, dulling of the senses. Finally, Lust is at the head of mental blindness, recklessness, self-love, attachment to the world, horror or desperation for future destiny.

Almost everyone knows, at least vaguely, what the capital sins are. When we talk about them, negative judgments are generally aroused, but committing them is more seductive, interesting and, sometimes, useful. There is an industry that produces desires and appetites. Our consumer society was born and lives thanks to vices. If ladies did not want clothes or jewelry, or if people did not want to eat and live comfortably, industry and civilization, as we know it, would end. The problem is that society is based on the fact that we all aspire to own assets. In fact, no one really needs most of the things he owns or wants, and this has always been the case throughout the history of humanity.

How do we overcome the capital sins? The capital sins are overcome by the exercise of the opposite virtues. Thus, Pride is overcome by humility, Avarice by generosity, Lust by chastity, Anger by patience, Gluttony by abstinence, Envy with brotherly love and Sloth with solicitude.

VICES AND VIRTUES OF THE PLANETARY SYMBOLS

In the text “Destiny as Choice”, Dethlefsen highlights that everything that nature produces consists of the trinity: body, soul and spirit. Since ancient times, the symbol of the circle was chosen for the spirit, which was supposed to signify unity and perfection, the spiritual principle. For the soul the semicircle or the cup, which was supposed to represent receptivity, sensitivity, and for the body finally the symbol of the cross which, like the number 4, represented matter. From these three fundamental symbols the glyphs of the 7 planets known until then were formed. Each planet was attributed a principle called primary principle.

The Sun became the representative of the spiritual principle and had the symbol of a circle with a center. The Moon represented the soul and all that is receptive. The cross as a symbol of matter does not occur alone, because without one of the principles described above, matter is not capable of living. The symbol of Mercury indicates that all three principles are united here in perfect harmony. The symbol of Mars shows how matter dominates spirit, but the spirit from below sets matter in motion. The opposite pole is represented by Venus, where it is clear that spirit dominates matter. In the Jupiter principle the soul dominates matter, but the Saturn principle clearly shows how matter weighs on the soul.

In this way we know that in ancient times the 7 primary principles were called Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, were personified and transformed into divinities. Each of these seven principles was connected to a celestial body which was called by the same name.

Once there were the capital sins were considered to be 7exactly because 7 planets were known until then (the date of the discovery of Uranus, the 8th planet, dates back to 1781) and since the vices are linked to the 7 planets, I will deal with them in order of orbit starting from the Moon up to Saturn.

The Planets carry within themselves an archetypal message.

According to Jung, the archetype (from the Greek tipos = model, brand and archè = original), is an innate psychic structure present in living beings. These unconscious structures support the psyche and “suggest” images and dynamisms. It is not an inherited representation, but an inherited psychic functioning. Similar is, for example, the biological archetype in which the chick knows how to get out of the egg, the birds know how to build their nest… In this case the archetype shows itself as an experience of fundamental importance.

In the text “Coincidences” the Indian doctor Deepak Chopra talks about archetypes and highlights that “Within every human being there is a dominant theme, the mold that can shape a heroic life, a divinity in embryo just waiting to be born. It is what we were born to become, the Self that we often reject because most of us fail to see the field of infinite potential that is available to us. It is our best Self, the one without ego, the piece of the Universe that acts through us for the good of all. Individuals who lead an existence linked to the more material side of things do not come into contact with the mythical creature that is within each of them. The archetypes arise from the collective soul but are recited by the individual soul.”

The medium by which psychic energy is then transformed into “projects of existence” is the symbol, which acts as a mediator between consciousness and the unconscious.

Knowing the planetary archetypes with their relative vices and virtues can therefore offer us the possibility of better knowing ourselves and making brighter our personality.

Snow White and the 7 VICES

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs is, together with the “Adventures of Pinocchio”, very rich in interpretations linked to the growth of the individual through adventures, deceptions of witches, or cats arm in arm with foxes.

They both have an origin very close to nature: Pinocchio is born from a piece of wood, Snow White is born from the desire of her mother who pricks her finger while she is sewing, a drop of blood falls on the snowy ground and Snow White’s mother at that moment expresses the desire to have “a little girl as white as snow, red as blood and with hair as black as the wood of the window!”. The birth of Snow White is inspired by nature and its colors: white, red and black. These three colors belong to Snow White’s personality: White represents candor, naivety, it is the white of the pale Moon; the red is the Blood, the life that flows, the solar part; black is death which Snow White often comes across in the form of sudden sleep (she falls asleep in the woods when she is being combed and when she bites the apple).

And the 7 dwarfs, what do they represent?

In single file: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey. In the fairy tale of Snow White the number 7 appears at the beginning, 7 are the years in which Snow White reaches the peak of her beauty.

The 7 dwarfs were given names and characteristics that distinguished them from each other. Their temperaments were linked to the influences of the first 7 planets: Grumpy is associated with the shyness and prudence of Saturn (Saturday), Bashful the modesty of Venus (Friday), Sneezy recalls the impetuous strength of Mars (Tuesday), Doc is linked to the joviality of Jupiter (Thursday), Sleepy represents the dream world of the Moon (Monday), Happy the vanity of the Sun (Sunday), Dopey the ductility of Mercury (Wednesday).

Walt Disney was a passionate student of esotericism, probably he used the number 7 not for to personify the dwarves, but to recall the deadly sins, since they hover throughout the entire fairy tale:

Pride: symbol of the evil Queen.

Envy: of the queen for Snow White’s beauty.

Lust: Snow White’s father remarries just a year after his wife’s death;

Anger: when the queen learns that she is not the most beautiful of her.

Gluttony: Snow White can’t resist and eats the apple. Here we see an analogy with Eve, she too is seduced by an apple which represents the temptation of evil

Avarice: lack of good feelings on the part of the queen.

Sloth: the negligence of the hunter who on the one hand does not complete the task entrusted to him by the queen, and on the other, despite saving Snow White’s life, does nothing to help her.

The tale ends with the Prince’s kiss and therefore with the union of the two opposites: the feminine and the masculine, the yin and the yang, the negative and the positive.

YIN and YANG

The practice of energetics is based on the circulation of energy. This energy is characterized by a fundamental duality: Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang are concretely found in every moment of life and cannot be conceived one without the other just as there is no high without low or darkness without light. The theory of Yin and Yang states that everything that exists has an opposite, an inverse side, with which it relates, is in continuous interchange, completes itself and without which it itself remains incomplete. This applies not only to humans or objects, but also to the whole of nature, it even applies to cultural aspects, ideas and thoughts.

Also understood as masculine and feminine aspects, they are not simple opposites, but complementary parts of any whole, such as the top and bottom, the beginning and the end, the heads and tails of a coin. Yang represents everything that expands, moves, grows, shines, warm, masculine, active, while Yin refers to stillness, rest, condensation, introversion and everything that is passive, feminine, cool and decadent. Both presuppose and result in the other: the activity of Yang without the strength of rest remains ineffective, while the rest, the calm of Yin without the activity of Yang remains inexpressive and ineffective.

In no case does Yin simply mean weakness as is often mistakenly believed, indeed in certain relationships it even represents the strongest aspect. The principle of Yin and Yang is the expression of the continuous change of everything that exists. Yin generates Yang and Yang produces Yin, there is never a moment of rest.

These two forces constantly in transition generate a third: the middle way.

The harmonious balance between the two opposing forces brings the solution.

[1] According to the Vedic texts, gold represents immortality which is what the only real transmutation tends towards