Swan Songs

Nowadays the phrase ‘singing our swan song’ means to convey acknowledgement of failure, defeat and submission to our fate.  But in early days…It meant something completely different.

Knights of the Round Table use the Swan as an Insignia.  And ancient Norse mythology tells how noble men of that age ‘sang their swan song’.

The Swan represents an Initiate – able to soar through the air (mental clarity & acuity), master of the emotional element of water, and through its particular faculties (long neck and sharp eyes) able to pierce beneath the water to discover the elements of the ‘deep’ as well. 

In those earlier days, we sang our sawn song to signify we had become Initiates and were consciously ascending from the limitations of matter to freedom.

It is a peculiarity of our current civilization, to view this as any kind of acknowledgement of failure or submission.

I call to our attention the Opera Lohengrin by Wagner. It is primarily a story of Faith. The aspirant (Elsa) stands before a ‘karmic council’. Her sponsor (Higher Self) comes to stand by her side, riding on the back of a Swan, (mystical powers controlled by self mastery). She must accept him without curiosity, which she does. Then comes the test, during which Ortrud instills doubt into her mind as to the Beloved’s True Identity. She accepts the suggestions of Doubt and Forfeits the right to His Presence. Lohengrin calls for his Swan who remains to help Elsa in a lesser capacity, for such is the Mercy of Life, as she had forfeited the Presence of her Higher Self.

So does each of us stand alone one day and, with only the Light of our Heart to guide us. We must decide on the nature of our Higher Self, our Guide, not by name, or by person, or by heritage. At this time all the forces of doubt and uncertainty rise from within us and without. This is a crucial moment in our life. If doubt and uncertainly block us from acceptance of the Presence, like Lohengrin, such a Presence will withdraw and a lesser Light becomes our Guardian.

See “Pisces” for further relationships between our higher selves and our lesser selves.