Where is Paris? What is Paris like?

[Night reading constellation] 12 constellation myths and legends-Libra

His life was remarkable and outstanding.

But the will does not belong to you.

He must obey his birth.

And not follow one's inclinations like the humble.

Because of the safety and rise and fall of the whole country

It all depends on his choice.

-Shakespeare's Hamlet

Libra is the only constellation on the ecliptic represented by inanimate objects. It sounds insulting, but to me, it means that when time comes to the balance represented by the autumnal equinox, we will encounter something far from the kingdom of human instinct. Libra has a very confusing early myth, which may be commensurate with the meaning it represents. As the basic characteristics of this constellation, judgment, deep thinking and choice are the product of human subjective efforts rather than "natural". The name Libra itself also means balance, and its appearance should not be earlier than the 2nd century BC. This led some authors to believe that Libra did not exist as an independent entity in early astrology. At that time, the position of Libra was filled by Scorpio. This constellation is twice as big as it is now, and it contains two different aspects or fields. This area in the sky now called Libra was originally called Chelae, which means the first pair of feet of arthropods, that is, the claws of Scorpio. This seems to be very suggestive: the balance of fair trial was originally built on the grasping organs of creatures in the dark underground world, and this creature is usually the representative of the underworld. Our noble judgment seems to come from some older and more primitive beings, and it takes many years to form an objective or fair evaluation as we now understand it.

Although the balanced Libra (in the zodiac) is a latecomer, the image of judgment or judgment in fairy tales has a longer history. The Egyptians used the balance as a symbol of Osiris's soul arbitration for the dead in the underworld. This myth about the ritual of soul passing may be related to our understanding of Libra. It seems that the ancient Egyptians knew balance, but the Babylonians didn't. In Egypt, the claws of scorpions sometimes appear in the shape of a balance beam. In Babylon, Cuba, the scene we saw was a bit strange: Scorpio's claws held a bright lamp. From these images, which are also considered to represent Libra, but they are not unified, a more consistent image has gradually evolved: a goddess of justice, who is Moirae with certain civilized characteristics (the three fates who are responsible for weaving and cutting the thread of life are usually regarded as heartless and have no feelings), with some characteristics more elegant than the dark and bloody revenge nature. This goddess is judged according to the law and morality of human beings, but unlike the righteous god star, it represents the orderly form of nature. Libra's judgment depends on careful judgment and deliberation before making a judgment.

In the ceremony in Egypt, when the soul of the dead safely passes through the country between the living world and the dead world, it will be led to Osiris by Anubis (the guide of the wolf head, the Egyptian version of Hermes). In the center of the trial hall, a huge balance was installed, and the goddess of truth, Matt, stood by. She is responsible for weighing the dead man's heart on the scale. At the same time, a beast named Amet crouched aside, waiting to devour the guilty man's heart. This monster has a crocodile head, a lion in the upper part and a hippo in the lower part. Its name means "devourer" and it is considered to be the early image of Erinyes, the goddess of vengeance. Forty-two people in shroud were sitting around the hall, some were faces and some were animals. The soul of the deceased must first declare its innocence to every judge-that is, ensure that it has not done anything on the bad list, and then weigh the soul. Anubis will invite the goddess Matt to one side of the balance, or put its symbol "Feather of Truth" on the tray. On the other hand, put it into the heart of the judged. If the two sides can balance, it means that this person's crime does not exceed the weight of Matt's feather, and the sacred trial will end with a gratifying verdict.

Matt is like Athena in Greek mythology, and I also associate it with Libra, which embodies law, truth and social order. She is undoubtedly a rational and civilized god, which was born in the reflection on the original principle of "an eye for an eye". Matt's law is not the law of maternal god, but the ethical code of society. The 42 judges in the trial hall represent 42 provinces in ancient Egypt, and people's crimes are closely related to their behavior in social life. We have seen Athena appear in this capacity in Orestes's story. The mortal court she convened to vote for the fate of the young prince is relatively new, which is different from the noisy and angry god. In the myth of this outstanding mortal, the unnatural nature of rational judgment shows the potential solution or balance point of subconscious soul conflict (Greek likes to call it the conflict of gods or the curse of family). The goddess Yi Shenxing also has some characteristics of this kind of fair trial. Although it exists on another level we see, according to my experience, virgins and Libra have similar anger about breaking the rules. However, Libra will project this sense of justice into life in a sublimated way, which forms the basis of this constellation's strong idealism and belief in life justice. I have never felt that Libra has something to do with romantic love, flowers and candlelight dinners, as some popular sayings say. At most, these only exist as appropriate rituals in the ideal courtship step. Romantic feeling is not characteristic of Libra. This constellation is actually related to ethics, trial, appointment and other issues. I have seen this moral theme from Librans many times in my life, because people in this constellation are eager to prove that the goddess really controls the balance perfectly. In order to achieve this experience, all kinds of unbalanced, extreme and even illegal accidents may occur, which Libra can't escape.

The mythical image of Osiris judging the souls of the dead is a portrayal of God's judgment on people, which shows the existence of the law of right and wrong in the universe, and human beings must survive under this law. These laws are not "natural" because they are not the laws of the natural kingdom, but belong to the human spirit and yearning for perfection. Next, we will discuss two myths with the theme of God's judgment on mankind. I think these two myths bear the development model of Libra. In these stories, a mortal was ordered to decide a matter disputed by the gods, just as Athena's mortal jury had to express their judgment before Apollo and Erynnyes. The troubles that followed after the trial are also related themes in mythology, which reveals that God's judgment is not a simple matter and it is impossible not to cause any consequences. From the balanced images of Osiris and Matt, we can see Libra's favorite scene: the universe is finally just and fair, and there will always be rewards and punishments for good and evil. As Plato said, no constellation yearns for "truth, goodness and beauty" so much. Although the final definition of "goodness" depends on the individual, Libra does not regard this as a personal problem, but prefers to regard it as a search for universal ethics beyond pure human choice.

However, in the story of Paris and Teresias, we see that two mortals are called to do things that even God himself can't do because of their extraordinary experiences and insights. Therefore, this imagination of "order and justice" is actually something that human spirit can contribute to life and gods, rather than what God gives to mankind in turn. Both Paris and Tiresias suffered from their judgment. I think this is a typical way to implicate Libra. As the story says, judgment is a dangerous profession-because God himself doesn't obey the rules.

Paris is the son of Priam, king of Troy, and Huckabee, queen. His mother once got an Oracle in her dream that the prince would lead to the destruction of the kingdom when he grew up. Therefore, parents abandoned Paris as a baby to Ada Mountain, but fortunately, he was saved by a female bear and raised. The royal bloodline of the prince is revealed with the passage of time, because of his handsome appearance, extraordinary wisdom and great strength. Because of his charm and outstanding determination, Zeus chose him to arbitrate three disputed Olympias. When Hermes appeared in front of him one day accompanied by Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, he was still herding cattle. The angel handed him a golden apple and conveyed Zeus' will: "Paris, since your beauty is as outstanding as your wisdom in love, I order you to judge which of the three goddesses is the most beautiful and give the golden apple to the winner."

Paris is not stupid, so he hesitated in the face of this request. He knew very well that whatever he did would arouse the anger of the two goddesses. So, like a typical Libra, he politely divided the apple into three parts However, Zeus did not accept such an escape and still ordered him to make a choice. Paris begged the three goddesses not to be angry with him because he lost the election, because after all, this task was imposed on him regardless of his wishes, and it was not his own choice at all. The three goddesses also promised not to be angry with him. Then Devines was asked to take off her clothes in front of the teenagers, and Athena insisted that Aphrodite must take off her famous belt-because it would make people who saw her fall in love with her, which was unfair. Aphrodite asked Athena to take off her helmet, which would make her look more distinguished and different. Hera did not adopt such tactics, but made a move commensurate with the status of a goddess: she simply took off her clothes, put forward the conditions for Paris to become the king of Asia, and promised that if he chose her, she would make him the richest man in the world. As a typical Libra, Paris is not attracted by this huge wealth and power. Athena then promised the teenager that if he chose her, he would be invincible, but unfortunately this is the myth of Libra, not Aries, so this condition is not attractive. Aphrodite saw what moved the boy the most and promised that he would marry the most beautiful girl in the world. This woman is Helen, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and the wife of Menelaus, king of Mikinai. At first Paris was going to refuse because Helen was married. How can she be his wife again? Aphrodite promised you not to worry. Anyway, I have an idea. So Paris gave her the apple without hesitation. Because of this decision, he attracted the disgust of Hera and Athena, who broke the oath of "no revenge" and left together to plot to destroy Troy. Paris finally met Helen in her husband's yard. They fell in love at once and eloped to Troy while the king was away. This "accident" angered the Greeks, made them swear revenge, and gave them an excuse to fulfill their long-cherished wish of turning Troy into a scorched earth. Paris and his three sons with Helen were killed in the war. Because of Helen's demigod status and Aphrodite's guarantee, Helen returned to her husband.

Paris, the most Libra-colored mythical hero, must make a judgment out of personal value and moral choice, and he also responded to it in a unique way. But his tragic ending does not represent Libra's fate, although sometimes Libra's emotional choice does lead to great confusion and dilemma. I have seen many Libras involved in a love triangle, which makes them fall into a rather nervous emotional dilemma (sometimes involving money), so I believe this myth hides a typical growth model of Libra.

Tiresias is a completely different image. When he appeared in The Legend of Oedipus, he was a blind prophet and was famous for his insight and judgment. It was he who warned Oedipus that it was the king himself who was accused of defiled Thebes. However, the cause of Tiresias's blindness is also an interesting story. There are many versions of this legend. One of them said that Tiresias, like Paris, was asked to evaluate who was the most beautiful of the four goddesses. The candidates are the daughters of Aphrodite and Meihua, Zeus and Euronom, who have brought beauty and joy to the world. They are Glorious Goddess Agraia, Inspiring Goddess Talia and Happy Goddess Ophologyne. Later, because the most beautiful laurel was awarded to one of the three goddesses, Tiresias offended Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Aphrodite turned him into an old woman.

But the most famous myth about Tiresias describes the days when he was still wandering in Kailin Mountain. There, he saw two big snakes mating. The latter will both attack him when they find him. Then he hit back with a cane and killed the mother snake. She was immediately turned into a daughter and became a famous prostitute for several years. It was not until seven years later that he happened to see the same scene in the same place and became a man by killing the male snake. Because of his unusual sexual experience, Zeus asked him to be the mediator between himself and Hera. At that time, two couples quarreled as usual because Zeus was unfaithful to his wife. Zeus defended himself by saying that his betrayal made his wife have more fun, because women can get more happiness from sex. Hera denied this and insisted that the truth was just the opposite. Otherwise, what reason can explain her husband's willingness to commit heinous promiscuity? Tiresias, who was summoned to quell the debate, said this:

If the interest in sex is ten.

Nine points is enjoyed by women.

Only one point is reserved for men.

Hera was very angry with this answer. She rewarded Tiresias for being blind. However, Zeus sympathized with Tiresias. He stood by him and gave him extraordinary insight and the ability to understand the bird's prophecy. At the same time, as a gift, there are seven generations of life, and the privilege of going to hades will not lose insight.

Both Paris and Tiresias were forced to make the decision they had to make, and this necessity came from the quarreling gods. In the story of Paris, the essence of choice is not difficult to distinguish. In fact, this is not a competition about beauty, but what is the most valuable choice for him. Jane harrison described the Paris decision like this:

The pain of hesitation ended with a choice, which led to the greatest tragedy in Greek legend. But before Paris, the choice was there. There are many different versions of real elements in the selection. Athena is both wisdom and Sivir. Generally speaking, Hera stands for imperial power or majesty, and Athena stands for bravery. As for Aphrodite, she is certainly a symbol of love. How should the young man choose? Which is the most beautiful? Or which goddess' gift is his favorite? Actually, it doesn't matter at all, because they are actually different expressions of the same thing.

Paris seems impossible to obey Zeus' orders at the same time, which also hints at some fates of Libra. Just like a cake, he can't have it or eat it at the same time. We can easily replace Paris with a female character and compete with three male gods. One of them may provide many children in return, while the other tries to give it the power of Zeus, or the joy of Dionysus or Apollo's superhuman vision as a gift. Of course, this may be the courage of Ares, the wisdom of Hermes, or hephaestus's artistic talent. What this myth describes is not a problem unique to men. It may have something to do with the attributes that Paris must choose in these goddesses-we call them Anima or Soul. He is not called to choose a masculine goal he likes, but the one that conforms to his deepest value. However, being forced to choose from several kinds is not only against Libra's nature of wanting everything to be in balance, but also the necessity of life. Such a choice also contains psychological consequences, because any ethical decision made by self-consciousness means rejecting or suppressing some other contents in the mind, which will produce great contradictions and sometimes even bring great pain. I believe that Libra's famous "indecision" is not due to the innate lack of a certain ability to choose, but comes from the fear of the consequences of these decisions. Whether Paris's choice is right or wrong has always been controversial, but no matter which goddess he chooses, the other two will be angry. If he stays, Zeus will give him a good look.

So it is not surprising that Libra always complains about the injustice of life, and it is true. Poor Paris can't decide her own fate, so she can only divide the apple into three parts and try her best to avoid it. But the reason why he was chosen to complete this task is precisely because of his excellent experience and insight, which shows that we must pay something for the talent and achievements endowed by God, and maybe life is fair after all. It seems that the growth of Libra contains a strange contradiction: this constellation falls in love with the orderly law of life and has great confidence in their justice, but it constantly needs to face the disorderly and immoral side of life, which will tear the consistency that Libra cherishes. However, in this obviously unfair change, there will also be deeper and more ironic traces of order. Libra prefers to be involved in the choice between two opposite sexes, and may need to choose between two positions or philosophies, which shows that this constellation can't bear the division and disharmony in the universe. There is something in Libra that drives them to split themselves forever and let him explore himself through the deepening knowledge embodied in the selection process.

Tiresias has a better ending than Paris. Although he had to pay for his judgment, he was compensated. His story is very strange. At the beginning, there is a scene of two giant pythons mating, which implies some typical cognition of the origin of life. We mentioned Uro Polosse, a tail-biting snake, in The Myth Before Cancer-devouring yourself and giving birth to a new one. In alchemy, the image of Ulopoulose is often a pair of giant snakes or dragons, forming a unified cycle. Tiresias obviously happened to see an extremely mysterious process. The two snakes are world snakes, male and female intertwined. That's why they attacked him, because he shouldn't see such a scene. Just as Al themis attacked Actaeon who saw her taking a bath, nature kept her secret. There is no doubt that Libra's cleverness makes it possible to see "forbidden" things, especially in love, which often attacks them in turn because of Libra's fair judgment. As a defense, Tiresias killed the female snake-probably by instinct. As a result, he lost his male identity, which may also be a portrayal of the price he paid at a certain stage of his life journey, because the suppression and disgust of the emotional side of life by nature is also a characteristic of Libra, and the result is to lose himself and sell his soul. However, in the end, the future prophet once again encountered the scene of the origin of life, this time he rebelled against the principle of surplus men that had made him an enemy of his own sex. So, I changed back to my original self. This back-and-forth swing of men and women, spirit and flesh is a typical feature of Libra men and women. The same is true of the experience of the opposite sex, far from one's own physiological gender and influenced by a transsexual subconscious. Libra people are traditionally considered to be interested in "feminine" decorations and beautiful things, while Libra women are known for their clear rational thinking and organizational skills. Tiresias's myth shows that the gender characteristics of Libra's contradiction have their archetypal roots.

Tiresias solved the marriage contradiction between Olympians and won the respect of Zeus for his wisdom. It's like Paris's decision: a mortal is asked to provide what God doesn't have, to think about both sides of the contradiction and make an unbiased decision. Tiresias suffers from his own judgment, but if he stands with Hera, there is no doubt that Zeus will make him look good. Just like Paris, it also reminds people of Job in the Old Testament. Because of the gods' own nature, Tiresias had to pay the price for his outstanding insight. But the prophet also received a gift in return. In mythology, the image of the blind is usually that the eyes are sunken inward and face the self. So he won't be tempted by a peerless beauty like Paris. Wotan in Teutonic mythology (Odin in Nordic mythology) also exchanged knowledge with his own eyes. The longevity and glory of the prophet in the world of Hades implies that those things bought at such a high price will surpass the wisdom of ordinary people and be preserved forever.

I tend to think that Paris is a portrayal of Libra's youth, while Tiresias is mature. The problem of choice is developed from the deep dilemma of determining the necessity of personal value and revealing the duality of gods and needing the help of human consciousness. Through this insight, both man and God have been changed. This is what Jung called "Job's answer", and I think this is also one of the fundamental themes of Libra's fate. In particular, all possible lessons learned from the stories of Paris, Tiresias and even Job make people realize that God (or nature and life) is not as just as man. If Libra can finally accept this, then his role as a messenger of civilization and a profound thinker will be realized, adding more dignity to the loftiness of human spirit.

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