Creativity And Depression
The legend of Pegasus, the winged horse of the Ancient Greek mythological tradition, can help us find a better understanding of the creative processes. The steed is a metaphor for the creative imagination of writers on whose wings it is possible to lift ourselves and those around us into the heartmind of the Universe. The ideas from the Source are the inspiration behind all creative efforts in earthly life and elsewhere. They are constantly flowing from the highest levels into those who are ready to receive them. This is how the ideas are seeded into the consciousness of the creative writers of our world.
Whether we are aware of this as yet or not, in all our creative writings we act as channels through which the Universe’s ideas are expressed with the help of the author’s unique individual perception and understanding of life. In humankind’s arrogance and vanity younger and less experienced souls may believe all their ideas come from them and are therefore their property. This they only are in a much wider sense because all creative ideas have their origin in our Highest Self who, independent of how unaware we may still be of this fact, at all times remains an integral part of us.
People who are used by the Universe as a channel for bringing its ideas onto the earthly plane of life, in the course of many lifetimes are prepared – maybe unwittingly – to fulfil a task that may be waiting for them in their present lifetime. It may consist of bringing some specific work of art, maybe several, onto the Earth. One major problem arises in this process and that is in order to reach the intended recipient’s conscious awareness, the Universe’s ideas have to work their way through layer upon layer of that person’s residues of the soul memories from all its previous lifetimes. That is the reason why frequently bouts of deep depression have to be endured by creative writers, before the next creative outburst becomes possible. Two outstanding examples of this come to mind.
The first one is the English novelist and essayist, Virginia Woolf, born 25th January 1882, a Sun Aquarius with an Aries Moon. She died 28th March 1941 when her second Saturn Return was almost complete. Saturn returns are times for taking stock and clearing out from our lives that which has outlived its usefulness. Who knows? Maybe Virginia took her own life because her earthly self could no longer endure the pain and pressure that was coming from its soul.
The second one is the American novelist, poet and short story writer, Sylvia Plath, born 27th October 1932, a Sun Scorpio with her Moon in Libra. She died by her own hand on 11th February 1963 at age 30, shortly after the completion of her first Saturn Return. Most striking in the dates of birth of both women is a prominent presence of the seven and therefore Neptune. The vibration of this number is under the rulership of this planet. In Virginia’s case there is the 25th, the day of her birth = 2 + 5 = 7. Sylvia’s is the 27th, 2 = Moon. 7 = Neptune. 2 + 7 = 9 Mars and Scorpio.
As I do not know the birth time of either woman, it is impossible to establish whether a strong Neptunian influence was also expressed in their birthcharts, but it is highly likely that this was the case. However, Sylvia’s Moon in Libra sheds some light onto her fate. If you read the Sun in Libra in the Astro Files, you will find that people with their Moon in this sign tend to draw fateful encounters in their relationships with the other sex into their lives, because of the Karma they themselves once created and brought with them into their present lifetime.
Neptune represents the highest love vibration of the whole of Creation and the higher octave of Venus. It knows nothing of this world and its concerns, and everything about those of the highest realms of life. And that is a world of beauty, peace and harmony, without trouble and strife, the world for which all human souls secretly long and yearn. The upside of Neptune’s energies is that under their influence it is possible to bring the inspiration for the most magnificent works of art onto the Earth plane. During the Age of Pisces, the sign co-ruled by Jupiter and Neptune now behind us, this could strongly be felt in all fields of artistic endeavours and especially music.
The downside of the Neptunian energies is an increasingly strong desire of wanting to escape the dark and harsh conditions of earthly life. Besides in us and our world these energies all too easily express themselves in deceptions and delusions, of the self and others. For as long as Pisceans have not yet taken possession of the stabilising and balancing energies of their polar opposite, known as the sleeping partner, the Earth sign Virgo, the Neptunian energies will remain difficult to handle. Virgo sign is ruled by Mercury, the mythological messenger of the Gods. He was the one who stole their fire and brought it down to the Earth to relieve the suffering of humankind struggling in the darkness of its ignorance.
In view of all this it is hardly surprising that the Neptunian energies provide us with an increased sensitivity to the higher and highest aspects of life to human souls, but unfortunately also to the much rougher and coarser vibrations of the Earth plane. The escapist tendencies in the end may get too hard to resist when the going gets too tough for super-sensitive Neptunian souls. Upon their arrival in the world of spirit they will no doubt find out that what once promised to be a permanent answer to their problems, taking their own life, is in truth the most temporary solution of all. There is no way any soul ever escapes from a single one of the unresolved issues it thought had been left behind. Each one has to be attended to in their next lifetime, and the next, until a resolution has finally been found.
Pisceans are particularly prone to deep depressions. Virgos, their polar opposites in the zodiac, through their inner connection with this sign, are also affected by this. The same happens to the polar opposition of Sagittarius and Gemini, the signs in which the superconscious mind of our Highest Self tries to reach and awaken its small earthly counterpart to Its presence. More often than not this is unsuccessful, as we all seem to be remarkably reluctant to go along with and move into the experiences that are then called for. Wary of this new and strange adventure, our soul shies away from rediscovering the most beautiful and precious aspect of its nature.
The Chinese call Gemini the monkey sign, because of the ceaseless mental activity of the earthly human mind that is particularly strong in this sign. Therefore it is hard to get under our control, which is a main requirement for all of us. Gemini is a mental sign and not an emotional one. Rather than buckling down to the task of taking charge of their earthly minds and going into the depths of their world of feelings and emotions to listen to their inner guidance, Geminians may prefer spending their time in endless small talk and revelling in the minutest details of the most trivial things. And Sagittarius, its polar opposite, is the procrastinator of the zodiac who would rather go jet-setting round the globe in pursuit of those illusory greener pastures than seeking them on the inner levels of life with the help of it Highest Self. The result in both cases is the same: depression.
Scorpios may suffer from depressions because of their great reluctance to reveal their true feelings. Deeply feeling and highly sensitive to the emotional vibrations of their environment, they are particularly good a hiding what they feel away, even from themselves. It is inevitable that in the fullness of time this too results in depression. Pisceans, ruled by Neptune, are under similar influences, as the danger of deceiving oneself and others always loom large wherever this planet’s energies come strongly into play.
Scorpio is ruled by Mars and Pluto. The energies of the latter ensure that hidden things come to the surface of the consciousness of the soul’s earthly self. Their cathartic purging and cleansing effects are designed to gradually purify the human soul’s lower nature, especially selfishness and greed. The energies involved are then meant to be uplifted and transmuted into blessing and healing ones for all life. The human soul’s highest potential in all the signs mentioned, but especially Scorpio, is to lift itself and our whole world on the mighty wings of the Great White Eagle above the Earth plane into the blessing and healing power of the Highest Star, the Spirit of the Universal Christ. The eagle is its symbol.
Recommended Reading:
• ‘Negative Thinking – Prime Cause Of Depression’
• ‘The Negative Aspects Of The Sun Signs’
• ‘My Interpretations Of The Sun Signs’
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The above is a chapter from ‘The Spiritual Aspects Of Depression And Suicide’
.If it has whetted your appetite to read more, please follow the link below:
‘The Spiritual Aspects Of Depression And Suicide’
