This is the story of a birthing. A story of Self-actualization. Coming into our own. And what does coming into our own mean? Accepting our own glory. Experiencing that we are lovable, as we are. Independent of the world and interdependent with the world. An acceptance and experiencing that fills us with an easy fulfillment.
I read this “story”, called “The 12 Mysteries of Love”, when I was a child (teenager). It is in the introductory pages of Linda Goodman’s book Love Signs. The main book seemed kind-of chick-lit to me, but that is because of where my interests lie. But these pages, The 12 Mysteries of Love, and the table preceding it, convinced me right at that early age that there is deep wisdom in astrology. A conviction that I have turned to again and again through life, and each time the wisdom has revealed itself further to me, like a flower opening up.
While coming into our own means accepting our own glory, this write-up, The 12 Mysteries of Love, is not about our personal stories. It is the story of how a birthing takes place, how evolution takes place. Day-and-night, day-and-night, contraction-expansion, contraction-expansion, again and again, like a woman in labor, culminating in the knowing that “Love is All” and that I Am that Love. Here the “I” is not our limited identity definitions. It is like the universe itself is coming into the knowing. As Eckhart Tolle says, consciousness becoming conscious of itself. It is the knowing – aham brahmaasmee.
Linda Goodman presents The 12 Mysteries of Love as the evolution of the soul. We can consider this as the inner psychology of a human soul, a culture, a country, or the universe itself. That is the beauty of astrology – it acknowledges the relevance of the individual while going towards the universal. It is the same picture reflected again and again in different-sized mirrors.
Each of the 12 zodiac signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer etc. are mapped alternatively to day and night, day and night, or masculine feminine masculine feminine – i.e. outward looking, inward looking, outward looking, inward looking, and so on. Personality-wise we can look at day as extrovert, night as introvert. So Aries is a day sign, Taurus a night sign, Gemini a day sign, Cancer a night sign and so on. And evolution is depicted as an alternating journey between day and night. The signs are also mapped in order, to the elements fire, earth, air, water. What does it feel like to be fire, earth, air or water? It helps tremendously just to feel this within ourself, on the path to knowing ourself better. But I am jumping ahead.
Right now I invite you to read The 12 Mysteries of Love. It is exquisite. At the end of reading the whole thing one feels a soaring, expansive gratitude – like one feels at the end of a good book, or an exquisite music recital. Yet it will leave one wanting for more. 😊
Since this is not your personal story, try not to read this as “I am evolved till here”, or “I am evolved more or less than this person in my life”, as per your Sun Sign. That is not what this is saying. Evolution occurs in concentric circles and on a circle there isn’t a starting point or an ending point. No point on a circle is lesser-than or greater-than any other point. However, there may be parts that resonate with you, maybe your Sun Sign, maybe some other signs. Notice that with a child-like curiosity.
Also, pay special attention to the tabular summary in the beginning – 24 clues to 12 mysteries. Come again to it after you’ve read the whole thing. That summary deserves an article of its own. So until next time, ciao! And now I present to you – The 12 Mysteries of Love.
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