Shrine of Wisdom Magazine 37 (1928)
Bardic Wisdom
THE COUNSEL GIVEN BY CATTWG, THE WISE, TO TALIESIN, CHIEF OF BARDS, WHEN HE WAS HIS SCHOLAR.
Think before thou speakest:
First, what thou shalt speak;
Second, why thou shouldest speak;
Third, to whom thou mayest have to speak;
Fourth, about whom thou art to speak;
Fifth, what will come from what thou mayest speak;
Sixth, what may be the benefit from what thou shalt speak;
Seventh, who may be listening to what thou shalt speak.
Put thy word on thy fingers' ends before thou speakest it, and turn it these seven ways before thou speakest it, and there will never come any harm from what thou shalt say.
APHORISMS OF CATTWG
There are four original vices: first, anger; second, lust; third, laziness; fourth, fear.
Where one or the other of these may be, there will be found every other evil to spring; for out of them forcibly grow all other evils in mind and action.
Silence is the mother of all discretion.
Patience is the mother of all wisdom
Wit is the mother of all knowledge.
Order is the mother of all investigation.
Necessity is the mother of every act.
Virtue is the mother of all happiness.
Exertion is the mother of every excellence.
Genius is the mother of all poetry.
Consideration is the mother of all understanding.
Inconsideration is the mother of every fault.
Use is the mother of every mastery.
Fortitude is the mother of every victory.
Conscience is the mother of all morality.
Love is the mother of all piety.
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The Myth of Narcissus
with suggested interpretations
THE MYTHOS
Narcissus was the son of the River-god Cephissus and the Nymph Liriope. He was a very beautiful youth, but his heart was cold as stone and he was untouched by love. Narcissus had many lovers, but none could make him love them in return. Some in despair put an end to their lives, calling upon the Gods to avenge them.
There was a certain Oread or Mountain-nymph by name Echo who, when Zeus was playing with the other nymphs, would distract Queen Hera's attention by talking to her incessantly. But Hera discovered her deception and changed her into an echo, a being with no control over its tongue, neither able to speak before anybody else has spoken nor to be silent when they have done so. In this state Echo fell desperately in love with Narcissus, but as her love was not returned, she pined away in grief so that in the end nothing remained of her but her voice.
But the Gods had heard the the prayers of those lovers whom Narcissus had scorned. Great Nemesis, who gives to all beings their due, caused him to see his own face reflected in a pool, whereupon Narcissus fell in love with his own image, and because he could never approach near to it, gradually perished for love of himself and was changed into the flower which bears his name.
Or, as other accounts relate, in stretching downward in the endeavour to embrace his reflection, he fell into the pool and was drowned.
Yet another version is that he had a beloved twin sister, Diogeneia (daughter of Zeus) who died. Narcissus, seeing his reflection in the pool, imagined it to be the face of his lost sister and pined away and died.
THE CLAVIS
The commonly accepted derivation of the word Narcissus connects it with the Greek word narké, meaning numbness or deadness. It is from this word that "narcotic" is derived. The narcissus plant has certain narcotic properties and its scent was supposed to cause oblivion.
Another derivation might be traced from the root na-, from which the adjective naros, 'flowing' is derived, and kissa, meaning a false longing or desire for something strange. Both these derivations are suggestive.
Cephissus, the son of Pontus and Thalassa, is a God of a flowing river and the son of two deities of the Ocean. Thus his name signifies the gliding nature of the streams which perpetually flow into the Sea of Generation. The worship of Cephissus was connected with that of Pan and the Nymphs and also Achelous,the divinity of potable (i.e. drinking) water.
Liriope means literally "having the face of a white lily", and signifies the beauty which perpetually floats, as it were, on the waters of generation.
Echo is connected with the word échos, meaning a ringing sound or reverberation. The fact that Echo is a mountain-nymph indicates her connection with Hera, Queen of the Air. After Echo's death her bones are said to have become stones.
EXEGESIS
So profound are the ancient myths that they admit in most cases of many different interpretations, perfectly consistent with each other, but referring to different aspects of reality. Thus the Myth of Narcissus and Echo might be considered from:
(i) the divine standpoint, as symbolizing the relation of certain divine principles;
(ii) the ethical or human standpoint, as symbolizing certain experiences of the soul, and
(iii) the cosmic standpoint, as expressing in mythical language certain natural phenomena.
(i) When the myth is interpreted as signifying the interaction of divine principles, Narcissus may be regarded as that aspect of Divine Beauty which is reflected and merged in the sea of generation. This beauty is impassive and "cold" because it is in its own nature serene and unchanging, but when it reflects itself, its image becomes snared by the changing sea or pool of physical manifestation. Moreover, as everything in manifestation is changing, this beauty is perpetually dying away and being renewed.
Echo symbolizes the principle which still further reflects or echoes the effects of the manifestation of Narcissus. Thus, when Narcissus speaks Echo answers but when Echo attempts to approach nearer to Narcissus he flees away.
The effect of the action of the principle of Beauty on matter is to invest it with form. But everything which results from the union of form with matter continually gives out vibrations. Thus, Echo is the principle which reproduces the vibrations in other media and continually repeats the "words" of Narcissus.
(ii) When the myth is interpreted from the standpoint of the human soul Narcissus signifies the desire of the soul for manifestation. The soul sees its its image reflected in the waters of generation and stooping to embrace apparent beauty, abandons its true home and becomes plunged in the flowing streams of transiency. The connection between this myth and that of Persephone is apparent here, for it was when Persephone plucked the flower of the narcissus that Pluto carried her away. The narcotic properties of the flower may be compared with the River of Forgetfulness of which the soul drinks on her descent, as the Platonic myths tell.
The soul's descent is caused, in a certain sense, by her own self-love, because she identifies herself with a tiny portion of the universe instead of with the whole. Hence, so long as she strives to embrace her image, she continues to sink beneath the waves.
Echo is like the inherent tendency in matter to attain to the perfection of form. Hence Echo is always in love with Narcissus, for the true beauty of the soul remains inherent in her, although it may become obscured by her inordinations. But the physical body cannot hold the soul for ever, for the soul has another destiny, a body celestial, eternal in the heavens. At some time Narcissus must find his twin sister Diogeneia.
Or from another point of view, Echo might be regarded as the desire to possess purely physical beauty; a desire which is for ever unsatisfied since beauty is only reflected in material things and real beauty which alone can permanently satisfy the soul is of a spiritual nature. The soul can only enjoy physical beauty to the full when she is no longer violently attached to it for its own sake, and can see it as an expression and a symbol of something beyond itself.
(iii) Besides the obvious physical explanation of the re-echoing of sounds, the myth might be interpreted in a more fundamental manner as a symbolical description of natural phenomena. Narcissus, as the ideal form submerged in matter, is loved by Echo, or that which results from the production of any sound. Every form when united to matter may be said to emit a sound, and physical objects give out sounds when they are rubbed or struck. But, besides the waves of sound caused by the vibrations of the air, there are also more subtle vibrations through which all forms are reflected in etheric or akashic material. These reflections or echoes of the form may be said to love the form itself, because their very existence depends upon it, and unless they are renewed by receiving the vibrations proceeding from it, they dwindle away.
Zeus, in His Mundane aspect, gives form to everything in generation while His queen Hera gives life and motion to the forms created by Zeus. When in the myths Hera is described as opposing Zeus or punishing the powers that assist Him, this signifies merely that the divided and conflicting motions of the physical world provide the opposition through which the inherent powers of forms are actualized. Thus, Zeus playing with the Nymphs, symbolizes the divine creative energies active in the realms of generation, while the changing of Echo into a voice that merely repeats may be interpreted as signifying that while the highest aspect of sound is the Creative Word that brings all things into being, its last aspect is that of the note or vibration that all things give out and which is caught and as it were re-echoed by the aether.
Narcissus was the son of the River-god Cephissus and the Nymph Liriope. He was a very beautiful youth, but his heart was cold as stone and he was untouched by love. Narcissus had many lovers, but none could make him love them in return. Some in despair put an end to their lives, calling upon the Gods to avenge them.
There was a certain Oread or Mountain-nymph by name Echo who, when Zeus was playing with the other nymphs, would distract Queen Hera's attention by talking to her incessantly. But Hera discovered her deception and changed her into an echo, a being with no control over its tongue, neither able to speak before anybody else has spoken nor to be silent when they have done so. In this state Echo fell desperately in love with Narcissus, but as her love was not returned, she pined away in grief so that in the end nothing remained of her but her voice.
But the Gods had heard the the prayers of those lovers whom Narcissus had scorned. Great Nemesis, who gives to all beings their due, caused him to see his own face reflected in a pool, whereupon Narcissus fell in love with his own image, and because he could never approach near to it, gradually perished for love of himself and was changed into the flower which bears his name.
Or, as other accounts relate, in stretching downward in the endeavour to embrace his reflection, he fell into the pool and was drowned.
Yet another version is that he had a beloved twin sister, Diogeneia (daughter of Zeus) who died. Narcissus, seeing his reflection in the pool, imagined it to be the face of his lost sister and pined away and died.
THE CLAVIS
The commonly accepted derivation of the word Narcissus connects it with the Greek word narké, meaning numbness or deadness. It is from this word that "narcotic" is derived. The narcissus plant has certain narcotic properties and its scent was supposed to cause oblivion.
Another derivation might be traced from the root na-, from which the adjective naros, 'flowing' is derived, and kissa, meaning a false longing or desire for something strange. Both these derivations are suggestive.
Cephissus, the son of Pontus and Thalassa, is a God of a flowing river and the son of two deities of the Ocean. Thus his name signifies the gliding nature of the streams which perpetually flow into the Sea of Generation. The worship of Cephissus was connected with that of Pan and the Nymphs and also Achelous,the divinity of potable (i.e. drinking) water.
Liriope means literally "having the face of a white lily", and signifies the beauty which perpetually floats, as it were, on the waters of generation.
Echo is connected with the word échos, meaning a ringing sound or reverberation. The fact that Echo is a mountain-nymph indicates her connection with Hera, Queen of the Air. After Echo's death her bones are said to have become stones.
EXEGESIS
So profound are the ancient myths that they admit in most cases of many different interpretations, perfectly consistent with each other, but referring to different aspects of reality. Thus the Myth of Narcissus and Echo might be considered from:
(i) the divine standpoint, as symbolizing the relation of certain divine principles;
(ii) the ethical or human standpoint, as symbolizing certain experiences of the soul, and
(iii) the cosmic standpoint, as expressing in mythical language certain natural phenomena.
(i) When the myth is interpreted as signifying the interaction of divine principles, Narcissus may be regarded as that aspect of Divine Beauty which is reflected and merged in the sea of generation. This beauty is impassive and "cold" because it is in its own nature serene and unchanging, but when it reflects itself, its image becomes snared by the changing sea or pool of physical manifestation. Moreover, as everything in manifestation is changing, this beauty is perpetually dying away and being renewed.
Echo symbolizes the principle which still further reflects or echoes the effects of the manifestation of Narcissus. Thus, when Narcissus speaks Echo answers but when Echo attempts to approach nearer to Narcissus he flees away.
The effect of the action of the principle of Beauty on matter is to invest it with form. But everything which results from the union of form with matter continually gives out vibrations. Thus, Echo is the principle which reproduces the vibrations in other media and continually repeats the "words" of Narcissus.
(ii) When the myth is interpreted from the standpoint of the human soul Narcissus signifies the desire of the soul for manifestation. The soul sees its its image reflected in the waters of generation and stooping to embrace apparent beauty, abandons its true home and becomes plunged in the flowing streams of transiency. The connection between this myth and that of Persephone is apparent here, for it was when Persephone plucked the flower of the narcissus that Pluto carried her away. The narcotic properties of the flower may be compared with the River of Forgetfulness of which the soul drinks on her descent, as the Platonic myths tell.
The soul's descent is caused, in a certain sense, by her own self-love, because she identifies herself with a tiny portion of the universe instead of with the whole. Hence, so long as she strives to embrace her image, she continues to sink beneath the waves.
Echo is like the inherent tendency in matter to attain to the perfection of form. Hence Echo is always in love with Narcissus, for the true beauty of the soul remains inherent in her, although it may become obscured by her inordinations. But the physical body cannot hold the soul for ever, for the soul has another destiny, a body celestial, eternal in the heavens. At some time Narcissus must find his twin sister Diogeneia.
Or from another point of view, Echo might be regarded as the desire to possess purely physical beauty; a desire which is for ever unsatisfied since beauty is only reflected in material things and real beauty which alone can permanently satisfy the soul is of a spiritual nature. The soul can only enjoy physical beauty to the full when she is no longer violently attached to it for its own sake, and can see it as an expression and a symbol of something beyond itself.
(iii) Besides the obvious physical explanation of the re-echoing of sounds, the myth might be interpreted in a more fundamental manner as a symbolical description of natural phenomena. Narcissus, as the ideal form submerged in matter, is loved by Echo, or that which results from the production of any sound. Every form when united to matter may be said to emit a sound, and physical objects give out sounds when they are rubbed or struck. But, besides the waves of sound caused by the vibrations of the air, there are also more subtle vibrations through which all forms are reflected in etheric or akashic material. These reflections or echoes of the form may be said to love the form itself, because their very existence depends upon it, and unless they are renewed by receiving the vibrations proceeding from it, they dwindle away.
Zeus, in His Mundane aspect, gives form to everything in generation while His queen Hera gives life and motion to the forms created by Zeus. When in the myths Hera is described as opposing Zeus or punishing the powers that assist Him, this signifies merely that the divided and conflicting motions of the physical world provide the opposition through which the inherent powers of forms are actualized. Thus, Zeus playing with the Nymphs, symbolizes the divine creative energies active in the realms of generation, while the changing of Echo into a voice that merely repeats may be interpreted as signifying that while the highest aspect of sound is the Creative Word that brings all things into being, its last aspect is that of the note or vibration that all things give out and which is caught and as it were re-echoed by the aether.
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SEED THOUGHTS
Eternity
Thinking and Willing are Eternal, they never began to be. Nothing can think or will now, in which there was not Will and Thought from all Eternity. (William Law)
The Destiny of Man
God hath suited every creature He hath made with a convenient good to which it tends, and in the obtainment of which it rests and is satisfied... Now in this is the excellency of man, that he is made capable of a communion with his Maker, and, because capable of it, is unsatisfied without it; the soul, being cut out (so to speak) to that largeness, cannot be filled with less. (S. T. Coleridge)
Eternity
Thinking and Willing are Eternal, they never began to be. Nothing can think or will now, in which there was not Will and Thought from all Eternity. (William Law)
The Destiny of Man
God hath suited every creature He hath made with a convenient good to which it tends, and in the obtainment of which it rests and is satisfied... Now in this is the excellency of man, that he is made capable of a communion with his Maker, and, because capable of it, is unsatisfied without it; the soul, being cut out (so to speak) to that largeness, cannot be filled with less. (S. T. Coleridge)