This sculpture is a clear allusion to the twelve labors of Hercules. The twelve labors of Hercules, the prototype of the authentic man, indicate, point out, the secret path that will lead us to the degrees of Perfect Master and Great Chosen One.
First labor: Capture and death of the lion of Nemea (the strength of the uncontrollable instincts and passion that devastates and devours everything).
Second labor: Destruction of the Hydra of Lerna, symbolic monster of immortal origin, endowed with nine threatening heads that regenerate each time they are destroyed, menacing the herds as well as the harvests.
This polyfacetic Hydra can be interpreted as an allegorical image that clearly personifies the mind with all of its psychological defects
Third labor: Capture of the Cerynitian stag and the boar of Mount Erymanthus. We can see in the Cerynitian stag (golden-horned deer with bronzed hooves) a clear allusion of the human soul, the superior manas of theosophy. In the terrible boar, perverse as no one, the living symbol of all the lower animal passions.
Fourth labor: The extraordinary cleaning of the famous stables of Augeas, king of Elis, whose daughter knew the virtues of the plants and prepared magical beverages. These stables are the living representation of our own submerged depths of the subconsciousness that host innumerable herds (those multiple psychological bestial aggregates that constitute the ego).
Fifth labor: Hunting and killing the anthropophagous birds that tenebrously inhabited the Stymphalean Lake and that killed men with their sharp bronzed feathers which, similar to deadly arrows, they hurled against their defenseless victims.
Sixth labor: The capture of the bull of Crete.
Seventh labor: Capturing the Mares of Diomedes that were killing and eating the castaways who reached the coasts of the Bistones, a very war-like Thracian people.
An allusion to passionate, infrahuman elements that are profoundly submerged within our own unconscious abysses, symbolic beasts grazing alongside the spermatic waters of the first instant, they are always ready to devour the failures.
Eighth labor: To eliminate the giant-thief Cacus, the evil thief who, hidden within the tenebrous cave of human infraconsciousness, treacherously squanders the sexual center of our organism in order to satisfy his brutal animal passions.
Ninth labor: The conquest of the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of Amazons, an allusion to the feminine psychic aspect of our interior nature.
Tenth labor: The conquest of the flock of Geryon by killing the monster who confronted him after having killed the watch dogs Orthrus and Eurythion.
Eleventh labor: The theft of the golden apples from the garden of Hesperides, the nymphs daughters of Atlas, living representation of the planet Venus, the delectable star of love.
Evidently this former task has a fine relationship with the biblical narratives about the Garden of Eden and the fruits of the tree of the science of good and evil.
Twelfth labor: The taking of the dog Tricipite (Cerberus the guide dog, the sexual instinct) from its plutonian dominions that kept it [read The Three Mountains by the same author].
Seven centers marvelously protrude on the center of the staircase; these have an intimate concordance with the seven magnetic centers of the dorsal spine of the human being. This is pretty clear; these are the same seven churches of the Apocalypse of Saint John.
Starting from the base towards the top—in other words, from the coccyx to the head—these churches are:
Church of Ephesus or Muladhara chakra
This chakra is situated exactly at the base of the spinal column, at the very root of our genitalia, between the anus and the genital organs.
This center awakens by means of the practice of sexual magic, in other words, when man and woman copulate without ejaculating their semen.
This chakra is fundamental, since it nourishes with its energy the other centers. The Kundalini is found enclosed within this center.
Four nadis similar to lotus’ petals emanate from it.
The seven planes of cosmic consciousness are found beneath this magnetic center or church of Ephesus.
The mantra of this chakra is Bhur.
The mantras of sexual magic Dis, Das, Dos awaken the Kundalini. The root of good and evil is found in this center.
Many say they are apostles, and are not, because they are fornicators.
The chakra Muladhara is related with Prithvi; the one who totally awakens this center acquires the elixir of long life and preserves the physical body for millions of years.
The Kundalini grants us the knowledge of the past, present, and future.
Church of Smyrna or Svadhisthana chakra
The Yogi acquires multiple powers or siddhis in accordance with the awakening of his superlative consciousness.
In the internal worlds, the word time is a synonym of esoteric degrees of the consciousness.
This chakra is the abode of the tattva Apas. The elemental genie of the water, Varuna, is related to it.
It has six marvelous petals that shine with the fire of the Kundalini.
Its mantra is Bhuvar. The one who awakens this center learns how to handle the elemental creatures of the waters and know the distinct astral entities. Death is conquered with the awakening of this chakra.
It is situated two fingers below the solar plexus; it controls the kidneys, abdomen, and the organs of the inferior part of the abdomen.
Church of Pergamus or chakra Manipura
Pergamus is situated in the epigastrium, slightly above the navel.
The hepatic and splenic plexuses enter into activity with this center; this is the chakra Manipura. Ten nadis emanate from this center. It has a resplendent fiery color. It is related with the tattva Tejas.
Agni must be invoked with the mantra Ram-Swa so that he can help us to awaken it.
This chakra is the telepathic center or brain of emotions. The mental waves of people who think of us reach the solar plexus, then they pass into our brain; therefore, this is a receptive antenna. The pineal gland is the transmitter center.
All the energy or solar forces that nourish all of the plexuses of the human organism are gathered by this center. Dominion over the fire is acquired with the chakra Manipura.
Church of Thyatira or chakra Anahata
This chakra is situated in the region of the heart; it has a living red color. A jet colored hexagonal space is situated within this center. This chakra is related to Vayu, the tattva of the air.
Its mantra is Sssssssss. One becomes an absolute boss of the air and can dissipate the hurricanes and govern the winds by will when one learns how to meditate on this center.
To float in the air is easier than to drink a glass of water; it is simple. It is enough for the disciple to learn how to enter into the astral plane with his physical body.
Practice
Let the disciple become slightly slumbered, then get up from his bed with a lot of softness as if imitating a somnambulist—in other words, keep the slumber state as if it were a very precious treasure.
Thus, the disciple walking filled with faith, as a somnambulist, will jump with the intension of floating within the surrounding environment. If the disciple achieves floating in the air, it is because his physical body has entered the astral plane. Then, he will be able to go to any place of the Earth through the infinite space.
Thus, this is how the physical body can fly throughout the astral plane, and remains submitted to the laws of the astral plane, yet without losing its characteristics.
What is important is to have faith, patience, and tenacity.
Church of Sardis or chakra Vishuddha
Sardis is situated in the region of the creative larynx; it is the chakra Vishuddha.
It is marvelously related with the Akasa Tattva, the ethereal element.
This tattva has an intense blue color. It has six beautiful petals; it looks like a full moon.
When one practices meditation on this chakra, one can even sustain the physical body during the cosmic night.
Whosoever meditates in this center can know the most elevated esotericism of all of the sacred books and can reach the grandiose state of Trikala-Jñana, in other words, someone who can know the past, present, and future.
Its mantra is Han, and the Yogi utilizes it during full meditation.
The powers are flowers of the soul that sprout when we have sanctified ourselves.
For each step that we walk in the development of the chakras, we must also walk a thousand steps in sanctity.
With the esoteric exercises we just prepare our garden, so that our marvelous chakras may sprout with the aroma of sanctity.
Samael Aun Weor
The chakra Vishuddha is related with the creative Word.
The most difficult thing in life is to learn how to control the tongue. At times, to speak is a crime, and sometimes to be silent is a crime. There are felonious silences; there are iniquitous worlds.
Church of Philadelphia or chakra Ajna
It is situated between the eyebrows. Its mantra is Om.
This is the chakra of clairvoyance or psychic vision.
The plexus of this chakra is a lotus flower that emanates from the pituitary gland. This gland is the page and light bearer of the pineal gland, which is where the crown of saints, the lotus of one thousand petals, the eye of Dangma, the eye of intuition, is situated.
We have taught the mantras and practices for the chakras of the spinal column, yet we must not forget that the plexuses also have their mantras.
The powerful mantra Fe Uin Dagj makes all of the plexuses to vibrate. What is important is to prolong the sound of the vowels.
The vowels I, E, O, U, A, are located in the following order:
I – frontal plexus
E – laryngeal plexus
O – cardiac plexus
U – solar plexus
A – pulmonary plexus
The one who learns how to meditate in the chakra Ajna acquires the eight major powers and the thirty-two minor powers.
The psychic clairvoyance is an open door before you, but it is necessary for you to acquire a little strength, and to keep the word of the Lord in order not to fall in the hour of temptation.
Church of Laodicean or chakra Sahasrara
This is the so-called crown of saints, the abode of Shiva. It is related to the pineal gland.
The crown of saints has twelve stars, which are the twelve faculties of the soul.
There are twenty-four angelical atoms in the brain that represent the twelve zodiacal signs; these atoms marvelously and blazingly shine when Devi Kundalini opens this center.
This chakra has one thousand petals.
The twenty-four atomic elders represent the wisdom of the twenty-four elders of the zodiac. The twenty-four elders of the zodiac are dressed with white garments and seated upon the throne of our brain.
The atom of the Father is situated in the root of the nose; this is the atom of willpower.
The seven serpents ascend by means of willpower, by dominating the animal impulse.
The atom of the son is in the pituitary gland whose exponent is the Atom Nous (the Son of Man) in the heart.
The angelic atom of the Holy Spirit shines in the pineal gland, within the chakra Sahasrara.
The atom of the Father governs or controls the right ganglionary chord Pingala, within which the solar atoms, the positive force, ascends.
The atom of the Son governs the Sushumna canal within which the neutral forces ascend.
The atom of the Holy Spirit governs the Ida canal within which the negative forces ascend. This is why it is related with our creative sexual forces and with the rays of the moon, which are intimately related with the reproduction of the races.
Each of the seven chakras from the spinal medulla is governed by an angelic atom.
The seven thunders are the seven notes of the Lost Word that resound within the seven churches of our spinal medulla.
Therefore, this staircase is an open book that indicates the difficult and narrow path one has to tread in order to reach the Great Light.
It is also indicating us the profound subconscious levels, etc.
Samael Aun Weor
