Friday 5 December 1997

Centaurs in Greek mythology: self-control, self-regulation and physical intelligence

A centaur represents the perfect integration between the animal side and the human side. In a centaur both poles are strongly stressed.

"The symbology of horses is rich, suggesting raw vitality and instinctual energy, a wild but potentially tameable libido. Their plunging unbridled movement suggests free and ecstatic sexual expression, but also the dangers of frenzy and madness; bridled, they represent cultivated instincts, power channelled by discipline and consciousness, and harmony between man and his animal self." (Melanie Reinhart, 1989; "Chiron and the Healing Journey")


Greek mythology

The Centaurs were beings with human form in its upper half and horse form in its lower half. The mere smell of wine drive them with total abandon and desinibicion. On the other hand, some centaurs had the ability to listen to divinities from the dead.


In centaurs the speed and strength of a horse is combined with the emotional and mental intelligence of an human being. Their capabilities border on geniality.



Self-control, self-regulation and physical intelligence

Physical intelligence is highly developed, which is based in perceptual and sensory acuity, great skill in the execution of motor tasks coordination and physiological strength. Physical activity is directed and controlled by mental will. The main feature of a centaurs it is its capability for self-control and self-regulation:

  • Self-control is based in the capability to activate or inhibit emotional and physiological functions by will. This is a specifically human capability, since animals are extremely dependent on environmental stimulation.
  • Self-regulation is based in the capability to set aims in the short, medium and long term, from which all activity is regulated.


For example, the characters from "Dragon Ball Z" (1991) are able to increase or decrease their level of vital energy according to the situation request. They fight for a cause that they feel as correct, and they continue to do so, even when they are on the verge of collapsing by exhaust, drawing energy from the force that supreme ideal provides them.

The integration of the physical, emotional and mental levels, gives access to the next level in the hierarchy: the causal level, which is manifested through intuition and spiritual awareness.

Michael Jordan