Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Phaedra




a dream from 6/11:

So I'm at an icey river (probably the N fork of the boy see) and I'm chucking rocks--not sure why either. I'm chucking them far, and when it skadooshes the ice, toys come out of the hole--children's toys. I throw several rocks and toys come out each time. I then walk through the river and pull a little girl out of the hole (my niece--my wife's youngest sister's only daughter). I cary her back in my arms, and I'm pretty sure she is dead.


I should mention that the little girl's name is Phaedra (and after my own form of sync dream analysis, I think this is likely the reason why she appeared in the dream).

In Greek mythology, Phaedra (Phaidra) is the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus and the mother of Demophon of Athens and Acamas. Phaedra's name derives from the Greek word φαιδρός (phaidros), which meant "bright".
Though married to Theseus, Phaedra fell in love with Hippolytus, Theseus' son born by either Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, or Antiope, her sister. Euripides placed this story twice on the Athenian stage, of which one version survives. According to some sources, Hippolytus had spurned Aphrodite to remain a steadfast and virginal devotee of Artemis, and Aphrodite made Phaedra fall in love with him as a punishment.[1] He rejected her.
In one version, Phaedra's nurse told Hippolytus of her love, and he swore he would not reveal her as a source of information. In revenge, Phaedra wrote Theseus a letter that claimed Hippolytus raped her. Theseus believed her and cursed Hippolytus with one of the three curses he had received from Poseidon.[2] As a result, Hippolytus' horses were frightened by a sea monster and dragged their rider to his death.
Alternatively, after Phaedra told Theseus that Hippolytus had raped her, Theseus killed his son and Phaedra committed suicide out of guilt for she had not intended for Hippolytus to die. Artemis later told Theseus the truth. In a third version, Phaedra simply told Theseus this and did not kill herself; Dionysus sent a wild bull which terrified Hippolytus' horses.
I shared the dream w/ The Mask, and the analysis began. Immediately I realized that I owned a copy of a recent translation of the extant play dealing w/ the Phaedra material, Hyppolytos. Anne Carson, (the translator), says of the author's intent, "Euripides seems inclined to lead us into the middle of this question [free will & determinism] and leave us there. It makes me think of a hardboiled egg."

Eleleth responded to the dream with a question:

"Enus: We seem to be swimming in similar waters. Or, perhaps we just
read the blog too close to bedtime. Is Phaedra the Siren, or Penelope?
We know what happened to Major Tom."

Major Tom?



Your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear....

am I floating round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do?

recall . . .
& . . . .






(The Blade Runner)
"Although the goal, the place of redemption, the heavenly Jerusalem, is already within reach, an extremely difficult tightrope walk must be survived." (196) Tarot and the Journey of the Hero. Banzhaf, Hajo


"As long as the hero is fascinated by the light side of his anima, the star woman, he will also remain enslaved to her dark aspect. This dark aspect has pushed itself in front of the sun here as the moon. Only when the hero recognizes that the actual goal, the sun (as a symbol of the self), lies behind this darkness, can he escape from the labyrinth, or the enchanted woods." (197) Tarot and the Journey of the Hero. Banzhaf, Hajo

I reply:

I will have to get back to you on the matter of Phaedra and The Siren. . .
currently I'm dealing w/ a sword bridge on which both sides cut.

enjoy this while you wait:



(song to whom?)



(what's your name?)


(wait a minute, where do you work?)

so yes, it appears that I was presented w/ an answer regarding El's question. If that wasn't enough, I woke to find this "daydream" of a blog today:





hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .



the mask of God?

anyway, I've been into the Euripides play a bit, and let me tell you about this madman stuff. Hypplytos [Caulfield], an Artemis worshiper (yes, that's the virgin moon goddess) gets mixed up a bit with Mrs. Robinson--wait I mean Phaedra. Poor Phaedra. The play is a tragedy which is a shame because what my life needs right now is more of a Mike Nichols-esque comedy.

your future? everything will be made of plastic.
so just what is it that you want?
































siren

versus

penelope

"The message from Liverpool is the Newest Testament, chanted by Four Evangelists—saints John, Paul, George, and Ringo." (Timothy Leary)

A naked woman hovers or dances above the Earth holding a staff in each hand, surrounded by a green wreath, being watched by various creatures. In older decks, these are usually a human face or head, a lion, an ox, and an eagle, the symbols of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.... According to Robert M. Place in his book The Tarot, the four beasts on the World card represent the fourfold structure of the physical world, which frames the sacred center of the world, a place where the divine can manifest. Sophia, meaning Prudence or Wisdom (the dancing woman in the center), is spirit or the sacred center, the fifth element.... The World card is thus a symbol of the goal of mystical seekers. The lady in the center is its symbol.


baby grace is the victim (and the finger points at me)