The tests to which Hercules willingly subjected himself and the labors into which he sometimes thoughtlessly rushed are those which are possible to many thousands now. It will become apparent also how curiously applicable to modern conditions are the various details of the dramatic and oft-times amusing story of his efforts upon the path of ascension. Each one of us is an embryo Hercules, and each one of us faces the identical labors; each of us has the same goal to achieve and the same circle of the zodiac to encompass. The work to be done has for its prime objective the elimination of all fear and the control of the natural forces of the human nature. These Hercules has to face in every possible combination before he climbs the mount of initiation in Capricorn and becomes the server of humanity.

Competition and selfish objectives have to be completely changed and eliminated, and we shall find Hercules learning the lesson that to grasp anything for the separated self is no part of the mission of a son of God. He has to find himself as an individual, only to discover that individualism must be sacrificed intelligently to the good of the group. He discovers likewise that personal greed has no place in the life of the aspirant who is seeking liberation from the ever recurring cycle of existence and the constant crucifixion upon the cross of matter. The characteristics of the man immersed in form life and under the rule of matter are fear, individualism, competition and greed. These have to give place to spiritual confidence, cooperation, group awareness and selflessness. This is the lesson that Hercules brings to us, and this is the demonstration [10] of the life of God which is being wrought out in the creative process, and which flowers forth more beautifully each time that the life of God makes its sweep around the zodiac which, the astronomers tell us, takes approximately twenty-five thousand years to accomplish.

This is the story of the cosmic Christ, crucified upon the Fixed Cross of the heavens; this is the story of the historical Christ, given us in the gospel story and enacted two thousand years ago in Palestine; this is the story of the individual Christ, crucified upon the cross of matter, and incarnated in each human being, God, incarnate in matter. This is the story of our solar system, the story of our planet, the story of the human being. Thus as we look at the starry heavens above, we have eternally pictured for us this great drama, which the story of Hercules elucidates in detail for the aspirant.