Aside from the occasional awkwardness that stemmed from the minor Asian-American cultural differences between the actors, Knights of the Zodiac, only recently released to the online world, was what we could call “a pretty solid movie,” perhaps a 7/10.
Especially when it comes to his spiritual plot. Most movies focus on getting the action right, but often fail to capture the underlying archetypal Soul teachings. But not Knights of the Zodiac. From Sienna incarnating as Athena to Saint Saiya receiving his ‘halo’ and tapping into his Cosmo energy, they’ve done a pretty good job.
You’ve seen the movie, but haven’t seen it? Or maybe you are interested in experiencing the archetypes while watching them? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Two major mystical themes within Saint Seiya
The spiritual concepts in most movies mostly follow the primary principle of the Hero’s Journey, but each movie has its own twists and adjustments to the story depending on the setting, culture, and so on. And it is thanks to these twists, these fine details, that we spiritualists are able to decode and find our lessons from such films or series. The Saint Seiya movie (not to be confused with the Saint Seiya series) showcased two main themes that we found fascinating and were drawn to dive deeper into.
First, the idea that the spiritual armor chooses and activates you (the trainee) based on your readiness. And second, the idea of the higher self or guardian angel, if you will, that can be channeled by the individual when harmony has been brought into his or her Kosmo energy. Both extremely important spiritual concepts for one’s evolution, but first let’s dig a little deeper into the storyline.
The film opens early on with the introduction of what is called Cosmo energy: “It is a mystical energy and the fundamental force that powers every supernatural feat in the series.” according to the fandom Cosmo thread on Saint Saiya. And that is it. In our own language we might think of it as the fundamental energy that governs and yet does not personify all things. What modern scientists might call the quantum field. Other examples include chi energy, life force energy, holy spirit, pranic energy, ether, etc.
And in the movie, we see Saiya go from being physically strong but unable to harness the Cosmo energy within him, to eventually becoming one of the most powerful men on Earth, The Golden Knight, exploding rocks and flying arrows in the sky . all thanks to the manipulation of atoms in all living beings, interconnected through this common cosmo energy. How is such a task accomplished?
The Spiritual Armor initially rejected Saint Seiya
Although Seiya is physically strong and masterful at the martial arts craft, he has trouble activating and truly controlling at the beginning of the film, bringing his inner Cosmo into harmony. His true powers. We can see right away that this distinction is made between a master on the physical material plane and a master on the energetic, etheric planes. One is not necessarily the other. They are different worlds. So Seiya continues training under the adept Silver Knight, on a remote island, a knight who has already mastered his Cosmo energy. And failure after failure, the Silver Knight teaches him:
“Find your strength, and your armor will accept you.”
Eventually, Seiya gets to the point where he trains enough and can tap into this energy, but quickly loses his emotional composure after seeing a vision that makes him angry and arrogant again. And once he embodies those negative emotional states, regardless of his physical mastery, the armor naturally disappears from his body. A kind of signal that he is not ready to receive this divine gift. The holiness so to speak. His teacher then continues:
“If your heart and mind are not clear, your armor will reject you.”
And it’s not until much later in the movie, after he’s faced several more challenges, that he’s humble enough to get brave for love and face the bad guys. And when he does, at the very last moment of his fragile bravery, his armor activates and stays on so he can fight.
So you could say that one of the most important lessons that permeates the film is this vulnerable, courageous, humility. Preliminary lighting, chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water. The path is the same. But what has changed after your enlightenment? Not much, at least externally perceived. But the inner worlds are vastly different. It is not always the outer worlds or the physical activity that is most important, but the state of the inner activity or inner worlds, during the performance of any outer physical activity. If you focus too much on the outside, you can become boring or arrogant. What makes the difference between a professional and a master is that the professional can get the job done right. But the master will pull it off effortlessly.
This is often the reason that in the monasteries young adepts who have been caught with clairvoyant gifts are not trained or informed about it until some time ago. In fact, it’s the opposite, as if the elders are almost purposefully working to shut them down. This has a paradoxical purpose, as it humbles the student and allows him or her to remain focused on his or her inner calmness, without being overwhelmed by the newfound gifts. If done long enough, the student or spiritual adept can go back to the original state, and now have control over the gifts and use them for harmony.
Lesson from this? Real power is not the power you seek most.
Activate your Guardian Angel or OverSoul
What pervades both of our protagonists, Athena and Saint Seiya, is this idea of the Higher Self or Higher calling bestowed on them. As the young knight asks the goddess how it feels to be on board, Sienna, the incarnation of the Greek goddess replies:
“I’m not a goddess yet, but Sienna’s cosmos is getting stronger every day, so one day I’ll be Athena.”
Here in this lineage we see the idea of what the ancient Greek philosophers called hegemonikon, or known in mainstream spirituality as the Higher Self or OverSoul. Or fully activating your birth chart, as we would say in astrology. The main principle is the same. We are all endowed with a higher aspect of ourselves that is spiritually elevated and can lead us to a beautiful, simple, joyful life called our destiny. And as a person integrates the forgotten aspects of himself, he or she becomes more and more his True Self. Their true identity. The same way Sienna waited patiently for Athena to incarnate through her. So we must patiently live our lives as our higher being emerges in this earthly realm.
Because you see, a change in personality implies a change in the neural chemistry of the brain, which in turn changes the human DNA. This new form of science, known as epigenetics, tackles spirituality on a whole different level, looking deeply into the biological coding we have received. Meditation specialists such as Dr. Joe and Bruce Lipton are pioneers in this field, but what’s really important to us in practical terms is this: energy takes a while to settle. Your soul needs a source to lodge in your coding, in your blood vessels and neurons. So it is essential to be diligent, yes, beautifully demonstrated by Saiya herself, who was told by several people throughout the film:
“You don’t seem to know when to give up.”
But at the same time, we must learn to be gentle and patient with the inner aspects of our soul. It is the cultivated aspects that make a true master. Not his expertise in any physical subject. And such aspects, as with anything valuable, always take time to build. So take your time. Be patient. Allow yourself to embody on this earth, in your own timing.
And for those who seek the master: you must do so on foot.
All Love in your path.
May the serpent bite its own tail.
