In Chapter IV we examined not only the events of the Iliad but also the elements of four other poems of the Epic Cycle, of which we have only concise summaries: the Cypria, the Aethiopis, The Little Iliad, and the Iliupersis also called The Sack of Troy. The last three poems of the same cycle included The Nostoi (The Returns), the Odyssey, and the Telegony, but only the Odyssey has reached us in its entirety.
To receive the new consciousness without deforming it, one must be able to stand in the light of the Supreme Consciousness without casting a shadow.
The Mother
(Mother’s Agenda, Volume 10, April 16th, 1969)
(The later summaries of these works by Pseudo-Apollodorus and Proclus are dated to the 2nd and 5th centuries AD respectively). We should therefore remember that the “Return” of Odysseus (Ulysses) narrated in the Odyssey was only one element of the advanced spiritual quest, following the great reversal of yoga described in the Iliad. Therefore, before we start our study, we will examine the return voyages of the other heroes, using the few fragments available to us.
First of all, we must try to understand what these return voyages mean from the point of view of yoga. We have already mentioned that the general process of yoga is a movement of ascension/integration. The Trojan War, which takes place in a region far east of Greece, corresponds to an internal struggle to find the best way to definitively stabilise the intuitive mind in one’s being. This breakthrough, once achieved, corresponding to the Achaean victory, must be integrated into all planes of being and all its faculties. For some aspects, this can be done fairly quickly and the return voyages proceed smoothly. For others requiring thorough purification, this can take a very long (symbolic) time, from a few months to several years.
The rest of the chapter should be read in the following order :
The Returns of Diomedes and Nestor
The Returns of Idomeneus, Philoctetes and Podalirius
The Return of Teucer (Teukros)
The Death of Ajax “the Lesser”, Son of Oileus
The Return and Murder of Agamemnon
Orestes’ revenge and Clytemnestra’s murder
Hermione’s Marriage to Neoptolemus and her union with Orestes
THE RETURN OF ODYSSEUS (ULYSSES): THE ODYSSEY
Reminder of the Lineages of Odysseus (Ulysses) and Penelope
The Departure from Troy and the Raid on the Cicones: the end of all ‘hard’ work (Book IX)
The Lotus Eaters: Renunciation of Spiritual “Sweetness” (Book IX)
The Cyclops Polyphemus : the End of the Attraction to the Powers of Perception-Vision derived
The Island of Aeolus: the Need for great Patience and unwavering Vigilance (Book X)
The Land of the Laestrigones (Laestrigonians) or the Illusion of Nirvanas (Book X)
The Island of Circe or the Access to “the Vision in Truth” (Book X)
The Departure from the Island of Circe and the Invocation of the Dead (End of Book X and Book XI
Odysseus and Scylla (Book XII)
The Cattle of Helios; Odysseus and the Test of Charybdis (Book XII)
Odysseus and Calypso (Book VII, 240 sq., Book I and Book V)
The Arrival among the Phaeacians (Book VI)
The Phaeacian Reception (Book VIII)
The Situation in Ithaca (Book I)
Preparation of Telemachus’ Journey (Book II)
Telemachus visits Nestor in Pylos (Book III)
Telemachus at Menelaus in Sparta (Book IV)
Odysseus’ Journey from the Island of the Phaeacians to Ithaca (Book XIII)
Dialogue of Odysseus (Ulysses) with the Swineherd Eumaeus (Book XIV)
The Return of Telemachus (Book XV)
Odysseus (Ulysses) reveals himself to Telemachus (Book XVI)
Odysseus the beggar (Book XVII)
The Beggars Fight (Book XVIII)
Odysseus (Ulysses) and Penelope (Book XIX)
Before the slaughter of Penelope’s Suitors (Book XX)
The Bow of Odysseus (Book XXI)
The slaughter of the suitors (Book XXII)
Penelope and Odysseus (Ulysses) reunited (Book XXIII)
The Suitors in Asphodel Meadows and Odysseus with Laertes (Book XXIV)