Know Thyself

The oldest maxim of them all

Approximately 3500 years back, a king of Athens by the name of Aigeus, went to visit the Pythia, aka, the Oracle of Delphi. 

The Oracle organization was a well run religious institution. Only on the 7th day of every month could you visit.  Once you arrived, there was no guarantee that your question would be answered, or even delivered. The protocol had to be followed, the goat sacrificed, and so forth. If that sacrifice was accepted, you were in. 

Whilst you waited your turn, you could study the maxims on the walls of the temple.  There were about 150 of them, all etched along the columns, and at the door.

The most important one, at the door, the number one maxim is one we have all heard before.

Know thyself

And you thought that saying was a modern idea.

The more I study ancient history and its mythology, the more I realize we have not come far. I suppose that is why I want to tell you about these things. To remind you, and me, and everyone who will read or listen, that the wisdom of the ages doesn’t have to be reinvented. It’s here. All you have to do is learn it, and, most importantly, follow the suggestions.

Now, back to Aigeus. Aigeus had no son to inherit his throne. In the ancient world, this is a rather dangerous situation. Not for Aigeus, but for his people. When thrones are left vacant, usurpers and invaders cause upheavals as they fight for control of the land. Therefore, Aigeus runs off to ask the Pythia, the formal name of the priestess who delivers the advice or prophecy, why doesn’t he have a son, and how can he get one?

The Pythia gives him a one liner that every guy needs to hear:

Do not untie the wineskin until you get home.

Straight and to the point. We would say today, “Keep it zipped until you get home.” 

Now what does this have to do with knowing yourself? Easy peasy. Aigeus is like most kings of the time. He sleeps around. He changes wives when the first one cannot give him a son. Do you think he knows this about himself? You bet! Do you think it occurs to him to change his habits? Obviously, he needed a religious person to tell him to change his ways. 

It is one thing to know yourself, and something else entirely to be able to change your ways. Why do you think religion is important? The purpose is to get you to recognize yourself as a duality. You have both good and bad inside your being. If you have no one to answer to, you can be a pretty wicked individual. If you have people to answer to, like spouses and children and parents and a community, this helps keep you on the straight and narrow. 

Religion is all about this aspect of life. To know yourself thoroughly, and to help you change those facets of yourself that will hurt others.

Aigeus turned to religion because he wanted to change. Nonetheless, he had to hear it from the priestess, the religious authority, the human voice of the god, that he must change his ways. 

The twist to this story is that Aigeus didn’t follow the Pythia’s advice. Because it is difficult to change one’s ways immediately. It is a process. Plus, there was another reason Aigeus untied his wineskin before he returned to Athens. That reason brings us to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur….