Ganymede progression

Alexandre Orion wrote: The myth of Ganymede has nothing to do with paedophilia ... Besides, that practice in ancient Greek society was not like unto what is seen as child molestation (or sex with a minor) today. It was an honourable practice with some pretty strict terms attached to it.

Nevertheless, the rationale for why the lesson is called the Ganymede Progression does indeed have much to do with the myth. First, the "most beautiful of mortals" was a humble shepherd. Not a prince, not a rich Athenian -- just a shepherd boy. Zeus became enamoured by him and came to carry him up to Olympus. There, he became a favourite of all the gods - being the "cup bearer" ("cups" being a symbol of the heart, or our feeling/intuitive nature). Feeling precedes thought in all matters ; the rational (logic) is founded on the non-rational (feeling). The beauty of humility in service to divinity (review Campbell for that one -- or explore Eliade, and /or Buber ...)

Ganymede was the only one of Zeus' lovers to be immortalised. This invokes (and perhaps evokes -- but that is not clear, since the question is being posed) transcendence beyond the physical -- gaining favour with the "gods" (the giving of oneself to something greater than an individual is as an isolated being) thus transcending the limited identity of just being a "hot guy".

You will notice that none of those concepts/notions which the GP explores are very sophisticated abstractions from analytical philosophy : they are all relatively simple terms that we all think we know something about just through common sense (the worst kind of sense, when one thinks about it), but when we have to intro-outro-reintro-spect on them, we find their scope just a little out of our grasp. Hence, the dialogue with the TM is indispensable -- or a clergy person -- or just your dog/cat/goldfish sometimes.

Of course, I also have personal reasons for dedicating that lesson to Ganymede, but that has only to do with how the myth strikes me in my own experience of life with another's experience of life.

Note : Hera was furious....

Locksley wrote: That sounds like an excellent lesson collection.