Daily Meditation: Wednesday, December 1, 1999

In the dialogue ‘The Banquet' Plato recounts the myth of …

12/01/1999

In the dialogue ‘The Banquet' Plato recounts the myth of the primitive androgyne. In days long gone by, human creatures are said to have lived on earth who were both male and female : they were spherical in shape and had two faces, four arms, four legs, two genital organs, etc. These creatures had exceptional vigour and, conscious of their power, they undertook to attack the gods. Greatly concerned, the latter sought a way to weaken them and it was Zeus who found the answer : they would be cut in two. This was done and that is why, ever since then, these two halves of one divided being roam the world continuously looking for each other in order to unite, and so refind their initial integrity. In Plato's myth one detail is particularly significant : in order to weaken these creatures threatening the power of the gods, Zeus decided to split them in half. The conclusion is clear : the power of human beings depends on the possession of both principles. Human beings are akin to gods when they possess both principles – masculine and feminine.