Aries 0-1 A Woman Rises Out Of Water, A Seal Rises And Embraces Her

When I started looking for images about this, the web led me to the legend of the Seal-Woman, or the Selkie-folk which are part of Celtic folklore.

The selkies live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land (as part of a ritual). The stories are generally romantic tragedies where a selkie maiden only has contact with humans for a short time before going back to her true home, the sea. Often this means that children and/or a husband on land is left behind. Sometimes the selkie is going back to a sea-family that she was "kidnapped" from, once a man on land took her pelt and therefore made her his wife. Sometimes a selkie woman changes back into a seal to save her unwitting fisherman husband from drowning, but she cannot change back into a human, so they are thereafter separated anyway.

To me I wonder if the "embracing"seal is actually the seal pelt being taken off the underlying human form. There are many selkie stories, and if you have this symbol, then your story is another version again (you don't have to fit the myths that have already been told - we are all unique and having a unique time in our current lives).

In Marc E. Jones' original book "The Sabian Symbols in Astrology", this symbol was "A Woman Rises Out of the Ocean, A Seal is Embracing Her", however his original hand-written notes at the time of channelling the symbols were "A Woman Rises Out Of Water, A Seal Rises And Embraces Her" (and these notes are faithfully photocopied in Diana Roche's book "The Sabian Symbols: A screen of Prophecy").
As a geologist/scientist, I am a big fan of using the original data (yes, try not laugh at the application of science to this very esoteric subject!) When scientists observe something, we are encouraged to just describe what we see without interpreting what it means. For example, what percentage of dark or light minerals in a rock, what shape, etc etc. If instead of describing what you see, you instead record your interpretation, then people are not able to find out later if what you interpreted was in fact based on what you saw. As science progresses and humans learn more, we are able to change our interpretations even though the original material hasn't changed. So in the act of recording what we see, we are creating a legacy of truth that helps future generations.
With the Sabian Symbols, we don't have the visual images, but we can try to use the original material and make our own personal interpretation of how these symbols play out in our lives.

The original symbol implies that there are two entities, a woman and a seal, so the seal could be a pelt, or it could be another member of her seal "family" embracing her. Yes just a subtle difference, but it is up to YOU to feel what resonates.


Further I had a shower-thought about this symbol in relation to its 0-1 Aries/ Cancer/ Libra/ Capricorn cross as follows:

The Selkie is shedding a skin to inhabit a human world, and the Aries symbol is focussed on the process of conscious transformation. The Libra 0-1 A Butterfly Made Perfect By A Dart Through It refers to a something that has already finished its transformations - from caterpillar to butterfly at least, and now that it is pinned (in death by the way!) there are no more transformations. It is perfectly still, preserved, possibly even "complete" in terms of "finished".
Cancer 0-1 A Furled And An Unfurled Flag Displayed From A Vessel, if we feel like this is next in the sequence from the Aries Selkie, also shows both furled and unfurled signals, that is, there is still more to "unfurl", develop, or bloom/grow. I speculate that the vessel refers to a sea-going ship, one that carries more people, and we know that flags are for identification and signalling to other boats. In a variation on the theme of identity, the Capricorn 0-1 An Indian Chief Demanding Recognition is an obvious symbol of power, identity and ego. The Chief is demanding that we see him as the rightful leader.
All the elements of the cross have the theme of visual identity, and vary from Aries and Cancer transitions to Libra fixed and Capricorn imposing this identity on the tribe. As we spiral upwards, we continue shedding skins (Aries), learning and experiencing ourselves within the home of ourselves (or with others in the same "boat" such as families - Cancer), until we have completed our transition (Libra) and demand to be seen as who we now are (Capricorn). Or in another direction, the chief could go back to Libra in perfect, static symbol of himself; Aries could go back to demanding recognition of either human or seal (or Selkie!); someone, on the vessel with furled and unfurled signals, could reveal herself away from their home (sea) or original family (seals); and the Libra butterfly can choose to be "unfinished" and refine, revise their experiences in the Cancerian vessel. What say you?


Does any part of the symbol resonate with you?

Share your experiences of this Aries karma!

Do any of the astrological bodies (Venus, Jupiter, Chiron etc) fall on this symbol for you? What has it meant in your life?

Please note that your comment may be edited for other visitors' experience. We aim to share knowledge and experience for greater learning.

Many thanks!