When you’re in need of fortitude, try the totally Taurean Marcus Aurelius, Ancient Roman emperor, and comfort to many over the centuries.
You may remember him as ‘good’ emperor in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator or know some of his quotations because, well, everyone quotes him. He wrote his diaries through epic leadership challenges and a grueling schedule of running everything.
You don’t have to agree with the old Roman agenda to find his musings on handling pressure extremely useful. It’s like the bible for people who aspire to be that ‘calm in a maelstrom’ kind of a character. I think the term “taking things in your stride” IS from our good Emperor.
Stoic philosophy is very Taurean. The way I understand it is that you conserve energy by not railing against things you cannot control – human nature, corrupt politicians, mortality, etc.
The best-known Marcus Aurelius book is Meditations. You can read it all the way through and feel strength pouring into you or just open a page at random, oracle style. It’s like a fiercer, more Saturnine version of the I-Ching.
He was a triple Taurus: Sun, Mars, and Mercury conjunct in Taurus. His Capricorn Moon + Ascendant was square Pluto and trine Uranus. Now that’s an outer planet config.
He was also a devout Pagan (not that people in that era used the word “pagan”) who worshipped at the Temple of Jupiter. He had Jupiter in Scorpio/the 10th house – a classic signifier of enduring renown and a questing, restless philosophical kind of a brain.
“The obstacle is the way”? True Taurean grit. See some of his diary self-questioning & exhortations below.
“Operatics, combat and confusion. Sloth and servility. Every day they blot out those sacred principles of yours – which you day dream thoughtlessly about or just let slide. Your actions and perceptions need to aim:
– at accomplishing practical ends
– at the exercise of thought
– at maintaining a confidence founded on understanding. An unobtrusive confidence, hidden in plain sight.”
“Maintain constant awareness that everything is born from change. The knowledge that there is nothing nature loves more than to alter what exists and make new things like it. All that exists is the seed of what will emerge from it. You think the only seeds are the ones that makes plants or children? Go deeper.”
This is some good stuff! Maybe everyone with the Saturn flu and Mars fuqqary should read this book right now..
“The nature of the universal has this work to do, to remove to that place the things which are in this, to change them, to take them away hence, and to carry them there. All things are change, yet we need not fear anything new. All things are familiar to us; but the distribution of them still remains the same.” ~Book 8
“If a thing is in thy own power, why dost thou do it? But if it is in the power of another, whom dost thou blame? The atoms (chance) or the gods? Both are foolish. Thou must blame nobody. For if thou canst, correct that which is the cause; but if thou canst not do this, correct at least the thing itself; but if thou canst not do even this, of what use is it to thee to find fault? For nothing should be done without a purpose.
That which has died falls not out of the universe. If it stays here, it also changes here, and is dissolved into its proper parts, which are elements of the universe and of thyself. And these too change, and they murmur not.
Everything exists for some end, a horse, a vine. Why dost thou wonder? Even the sun will say, I am for some purpose, and the rest of the gods will say the same. For what purpose then art thou? to enjoy pleasure? See if common sense allows this. ” ~Book8
Mystic, where did you get this book cover at?
I know at least 3 (!) very bad men who are such big fans that they changed their name to Marcus.
By very bad I mean, true psychos. I wish more folks used his work for good instead of evil.
What a coincidence…. I just started reading today how to be an exestenstialist (sp?!)
Delighting in this reading:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXcmkSqAqTI
Thank you! I have been meaning to read his work for awhile and keep forgetting. This is a great reminder.
And you can give it to everyone……..
You can download it for free here : http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0082XJGRK/braipick09-20
Why do we (collectively, as a society) no longer produce leaders with this kind of strength of character? And integrity? What went so horribly wrong? I would like to be able to pinpoint the exact causes of this decline in leadership. Because to be a politician today it’s practically a requirement that one be morally and spiritually bankrupt, and yet oh-so-ambitious!
It is fascinating (and madding, TBH) to me how indoctrinated people can be into a system so broken. Few people question, and the ones that do are quickly labeled lunatics by the dominant paradigm. This is a great Saturn in Sagittarius topic.
I say bring back Marcus Aurelius!
Couldn’t agree more.
I bet the decline in “spiritual integrity,” for lack of a better phrase, can be plotted against the rise in mass media. People just want a distracting story. And another. And another.
We *do* have Scott Ludlam:
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=welcome%20to%20wa%20scott%20ludlam
and his hair 🙂
Dude looks like a hipster to me.
Yes!
Was just vibing out to him last night – we’re in sync 🙂
Funnily enough, every time someone references someone at work the past 6 weeks it’s a Taurus. From Shakespeare to Jack Nicholson. Bull energy is running rampant all around. There’s even a giant bull sculpture at the corner of my work street – viva le Taurus! <3 <3 <3
There is something very Saturnine in the air right now. Doing Saturn never felt so necessary and liberating. At least for me.
Have out-laws and friends named after this man, he is the all time popular poet of spiritual law.
Really, by today’s standards, I can’t believe such a man was ever in power.
And we get Abbot.. ugh.
Also love how he mentions the ‘monkey’ life, it’s like the Buddhist ‘monkey mind’ parables, maybe it’s that collective unconscious at work.
GW was much truer to MA. He was a statesman and a man of and for the people. The proof being that he was personally “removed” from office by the queen.
PREACH.
FYI the speeches at his memorial were beyond fantastic. Why the Liberals (ironically what the conservative government is called in Australia) who sat stoney-faced throught even bothered to turn up I will never know. I guess they wanted to say they were there?
Gough 4eva
GW and Jim Cairns’ policies were humanitarian and light years ahead of PK. They simply were not allowed to carry them out.
Bob Hawke and PK were just lackies – like the rest of them, albeit more colourful in a more true-blue, working man’s way (the wags). They only did what their masters allowed them to do and within very narrow perimeters. I learned my lesson when BH came into power, put on a suit, polished his hair, then proceeded to ignore his electoral promises.
This was the beginning of the 80s and the harsh reality of what was to come. And here we are.
Yes. Rhodes scholarships are just entrainment camps for the next wannabe puppet.
This guy sounds sexy in that I-KNOW-he’ll-get-shit-done kind of way. That may be an advanceed Taurean achievement. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing Mystic!
He’s my favourite Taurus for sure! I have a 12th House Taurus situation, so this Neptunian vibe is the most beautiful way for me to engage with Taurus energy.
Very inspiring, yes.
Wow…super wise words. I’m definitely getting my hands on this before my Saturn Return. I definitely need to act more, worry less. And accept change…embrace it.
Wow. He’s a Taurean Dream.
BOOM
No. 14,533,902 why I love this site!
Love this post. So much. Got my copy 30 odd years ago when a teenager. Must re-read, thanks MM x
Have this on the shelf too. Maybe time to pull out…