GODDESS

A Solar Writer Report

for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Written by Brian Clark & Stephanie Johnson

Compliments of:-

Awakenings, Inc.

PO Box 10672

Prescott, AZ 86304-0672

Email: awake@cableone.net

Web: www.awakereports.com

www.astrologicalsoftware.com

Key

Abbr	Asteroid
Ceres	Ceres
Pall	Pallas Athena
Juno	Juno
Vesta	Vesta
Hygie	Hygieia
Ariad	Ariadne
Europ	Europa
Pando	Pandora
Mnemo	Mnemosyne
Hecat	Hecate
Cassa	Cassandra
Medea	Medea

Astrological Summary

Chart Point Positions: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Asteroid	Sign	Position	House	Comment
Ceres	Ceres	Gemini	3°Ge20'	7th
Pall	Pallas Athena	Aries	12°Ar42'	5th
Juno	Juno	Scorpio	13°Sc29'	12th	read into 1st House
Vesta	Vesta	Cancer	6°Cn26'	8th
Hygie	Hygieia	Aries	15°Ar38'	5th
Ariad	Ariadne	Scorpio	9°Sc45'	12th
Europ	Europa	Virgo	28°Vi29'	11th
Pando	Pandora	Virgo	14°Vi04'	10th
Mnemo	Mnemosyne	Virgo	28°Vi51'	11th
Hecat	Hecate	Taurus	29°Ta03'	7th
Cassa	Cassandra	Taurus	18°Ta08'	7th
Medea	Medea	Leo	27°Le31'	9th	read into 10th House

Introduction

The Goddess is the custodian of the Greater Mysteries and the primal world of archetypal forces. As representative of the world soul she engages us in the sacred rites of nature and reanimates life though the cycles of birth and death. Goddess culture flourished in the prehistoric period when magical consciousness prevailed, supernatural forces were deified and natural forces were revered. As consciousness developed through its phases the wisdom of the goddess was buried beneath the rational constructs of a scientific knowledge that erased the mysteries from life and excluded the magical processes.

With the advent of the asteroids the wisdom of the goddess is once again available to consciousness. Goddess wisdom revels in the ancient wisdom of cycles, the intelligence of the inner life, the sanctity of divination, the mystery of healing and the necessity for sacrifice and ritual. The ancient feminine wisdom of the goddesses embraced all phases of life, celebrated its mysteries, ritualised its passages and knew the power of the natural world. The Solar Writer - Goddess report celebrates twelve goddesses and heroines and seeks their wisdom and guidance.

The maxim 'as above, so below' underpins the philosophy of astrology. Inner and outer lives are woven together through investing the celestial sphere with meaning. Therefore when astronomical discoveries are made astrologers find new meaning and revelation in them. Astrological tradition suggests that with the major discovery of a planet the collective is confronted with the conscious awakening of an archetypal force that may have previously lain dormant or been repressed. As the 19th century dawned such a discovery was made reawakening the feminine power and wisdom of the Goddess.

Late in the 16th century Johannes Kepler first suggested that there might be a planet between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. Nearly two centuries later the publication of Bodes Law reiterated this possibility. Based on the theory that all the planets were in a harmonic distance from the Sun the law suggested there should be a planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. When Uranus was discovered in 1781 its distance from the Sun conformed to the law giving greater weight to the theory of the missing planet. Finally on New Years Eve 1800 a Sicilian astronomer spotted a new body in the region and named it Ceres after the patron goddess of his homeland. To the Sicilians Ceres favoured their island and it was here they claimed Hades abducted her daughter.

One year later its orbit was confirmed and although small in comparison to the other planets the missing planet had become visible. But early in 1802 another body was sighted between Mars and Jupiter and named Pallas Athena. Astronomers wondered if a planet had exploded in this region and therefore more would be discovered. And they were. By the end of the 19th Century over 400 hundred of these small planets had been named.

It was not until the early 1970's as the woman's movement began to accelerate that astrologers began to take note of the significance of these new bodies, which were named asteroids. In 1973 an ephemeris of the first four discoveries was printed and the astrological community began to experiment with these new archetypes. The first four asteroids were named after the Olympian goddesses who had been previously unnamed in the astrological planetary pantheon: Ceres, Juno and Vesta were the three sisters of Jupiter while Pallas Athena was his daughter. All four were prominent in Greek myth and their cults predated their male counterparts. Previously in the astrological pantheon only the Moon and Venus were available to represent the lineage of the feminine traditions. Renewed images of the feminine had now appeared in the astrological tapestry. As astrologers began using these potent images of the asteroids the cults of the ancient goddesses were rediscovered paralleling the cultural reclamation of feminine power. With the discovery of the asteroids and their use in astrology the ancient feminine wisdom of the goddess was brought to consciousness.

Each goddess in your personal Solar Writer - Goddess report has a specific function, being emblematic of an important sphere of your life. Every one embodies a different aspect of the Goddess herself. However all twelve are involved in the handiwork of the Goddess. Therefore underlying each individual goddess is the sanctity of being, the awareness of the seasonal cycles of our life cycle and the acceptance of inner intelligence, signs, symbols and dreams. All twelve honour the instinctual wisdom of nature and follow her guidance.

All twelve goddesses preside over the three spheres of Heaven, the Earth and the Underworld. Being Olympians the goddess Ceres, Pallas Athena, Juno and Vesta are the goddesses of heaven who oversee the important initiations and transitions of the life cycle. The goddesses of the underworld are powerfully insightful and understand the deep waters of the unconscious, the complexity of feelings, the power of mystery and magic and the uncertainty of life. These goddesses may reveal themselves through a healing crisis, the psychic senses, loss, betrayal or a myriad of other mysteries that arise in our lives. Hygieia, Cassandra, Hecate and Medea are the four goddesses who plunge the depths of the unconscious realm. Finally the goddesses who rule the Earth symbolise our worldly concerns and attitudes. Ariadne, Europa, Pandora and Mnemosyne are the influential representatives in the world who watch over our loves and labours, as well as our trials and triumphs.

The Solar Writer - Goddess report is a celebration of twelve of the numerous asteroids. Below the asteroid goddesses and heroines have been listed by their order of discovery. Each asteroid has its unique cycle and position in the horoscope. Keywords are listed below to introduce you to the meaning of each goddess as well as other astrological correlations that have a similar essence to the asteroid archetype. Each goddess will be explored through her myth and cult to appreciate her ancient role and contemporary meaning. The oracular meaning of the asteroid goddesses and heroines is based on the individual cult of the goddess. Once familiar with the presence of each goddess or heroine we will petition them for an oracle.

Ceres, Asteroid No 1. Discovered 1801. Ceres is closely aligned with the archetypes of Pluto and the Moon and especially strong when the Moon aspects Pluto. Her process may enter our lives when Pluto transits the Moon or the 4th house.

Pallas Athena, Asteroid No. 2. Discovered 1802. Athena is sympathetic to the air signs especially the justice and strategy of Libra and the intelligence and objectivity of Aquarius. She is aligned with the masculine archetypes of Mars and Uranus and close to Jupiter, her father's realm.

Juno, Asteroid No. 3. Discovered 1804. Juno is the goddess of marriage and social customs. She reverberates with Libra and the 7th house. Her passionate side is reflected through the 8th principle of Scorpio and interchanges between these two astrological principles reflect the goddess.

Vesta, Asteroid No. 4. Discovered 1807. Vesta is the spirit of the 6th house, the domain of the sacred in the everyday, the rituals of work and well being. Planets in Virgo respond to the archetype as do inner planets aspecting Saturn, the need for authenticity.

Hygieia, Asteroid No. 10. Discovered 1849. The axis of health in the horoscope is the 6th-12th polarity. The Sun symbolises the vitality and the ascendant suggests how we conduct that vital life force. Chiron is the archetype of healing. Hygieia is very much concerned with these principles.

Ariadne, Asteroid No. 43. Discovered 1857. Ariadne's story plumbs the depths of the water houses. She leaves the familial terrain of the 4th house to be abandoned by her lover in the labyrinth of the 8th but awakens to her divine connection in the 12th. Neptune aspects to Venus or Mars may highlight these themes. Ariadne's process is revealed with transits to planets in the 8th house or Pluto transiting Venus or Mars.

Europa, Asteroid No. 52. Discovered 1858. Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn and their rulers Venus, Mercury and Saturn represent the earth instinct. Of all three signs Taurus is the sign most closely aligned with Europa's passions and power. Planets in Taurus or the second house constellate the mythic pattern while transits through the second house or to Venus may evoke issues concerning values and resources

Pandora, Asteroid No. 55. Discovered 1858. Pandora is a change agent and therefore may be sudden and unexpected like Uranus. Her curious nature and marking of threshold change is Mercurial linking Mercury and Uranus. As an agent of transformation she has a Plutonic essences as well. Planets in Gemini or Mercury aspects to Uranus or Pluto.

Mnemosyne, Asteroid No. 57. Discovered 1860. The Moon records, reflects and reveals every heartbeat, breath and nuance of primitive life therefore the progressed Moon evokes memory as it progresses through the horoscope. Aspects between the Moon and Mercury as well as other planets aspecting these planetary archetypes reveal the process of feeling and rational memory.

Hecate, Asteroid No. 100. Discovered 1868. Aspects to Mercury may signal how we might manage crossroads, our facility for change and adaptability. Crossroads in the life cycle are mapped out by the cycle of the slower moving planets while personal crossroads are reflected in the transits of the transpersonal planets to the personal ones. Note the South Node of the Moon.

Cassandra, Asteroid No. 114. Discovered 1871. Cassandra revels in the world of Neptune - the archetype of the medial woman. Aspects between Mercury and Neptune, or Mercury in Pisces reflect Cassandra. Interconnections between Jupiter and Pluto may also ignite a similar pattern.

Medea, Asteroid No. 212. Discovered 1880. Medea is similar to the archetypes of Pluto and Scorpio, as she understands the process of metamorphosis. Planets in the Eighth House or in aspect to Pluto may conjure up the potent magic of Medea.

Goddess Mythology

Mythology serves as a psychological record of human development recording the imagination and symbols of the culture. Mythic stories speak to the inner life as they deal with universal themes and truths illustrating the archetypal forces that influence the course of the human drama. In archaic societies myths offered an explanation of the world and its creation, the cycle of birth, growth and death, how things came into existence as well as how they disappeared. In contemporary times we have scientific explanations for many of the ancient mysteries, but myth is just as valuable to help us to imagine our own origins and invest our lives with meaning. Mythic themes stir the imagination and broaden the horizon of the individual's story placing it in a context of a larger story.

Mythology is the link between the magical phase of being when consciousness participates in nature and the rational phase when we are separated from the natural world. The magical phase embraces the culture of the Great Goddess when life is full of mystery and wonder and we are one with the natural order, not separated or expelled from it. In this phase all nature is sacred as all life is invested with the divine. The asteroids are surrogates of the Great Goddess and reconnect us to her culture. As emissaries the asteroid goddesses and heroines invest life with the sacred, value imagination and mystery and inspire ritual and sacrifice in order to reconnect to the wellsprings of her magical forces.

Following is a summary of their genealogy and mythic tradition. Let the myths resonate with your imagination and speak to you in their own way.

The Roman goddess Ceres is also known as Olympian goddess, Demeter. She is the daughter of the Titan Cronus and Rhea and mother of Persephone. She is the Corn Goddess who personifies the agricultural cycle of fertility and harvest, as well as loss and renewal through her daughter Persephone.

The Olympian goddess Pallas Athena was a daughter of Zeus. The Romans referred to her as Minerva. She is revered as representing the wisdom of reflection and strategy.

The Roman goddess Juno is also known as the Olympian goddess, Hera. She is the daughter of the Titan Cronus and Rhea and mother to Ares, Hephaestus and Hebe. She is the goddess of Marriage and Social Customs who oversees the seasons of a woman's life.

The Roman goddess Vesta is also known as the Olympian Goddess Hestia. She is the daughter of the Titan Cronus and Rhea and is the goddess of the Hearth who embodies sacred space.

The Olympian goddess Hygieia was also known in Rome as Salus / Salud. She is from the healing dynasty of Asclepius. She is the sister of other minor healing deities and heroes including Panacea, Machaon and Podalirius. Hygieia is the goddess of Health, the giver and preserver of well being whose function is to maintain a healthy relationship between body and soul.

The Cretan goddess Ariadne was from the Minoan dynasty. She is the daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë, granddaughter of Helios and Zeus. She is sister of Phaedra and half-sister to the Minotaur. Ariadne represents the marriage to the divine after the trials of betrayal and abandonment.

The Olympian goddess Europa was a Phoenician princess, sister to Cadmus and matriarch of the Minoan dynasty, mother to King Minos and grandmother of Ariadne and Phaedra. She represents the creative and earthy process that supports and guides worldly success.

The Greek goddess Pandora was the first woman and was shaped by Hephaestus. She was married to Epimetheus and mother of Pyrrha. Pandora brings the gift of hope.

Mnemosyne was the Olympian goddess of memory and mother to the Muses. A Titaness, she was thedaughter of Uranus and Gaia. She represents the enchantment and power of remembering.

The Olympian goddess Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria, and the granddaughter of Phoebe. She was the underworld goddess represented in her three-fold nature as the goddess of the crossroads and the guardian of transitions.

In Olympian mythology Cassandra was connected to the Trojan dynasty as the daughter of Priam and Hecuba, twin sister to Helenus and sister to seventeen other siblings including Paris and Hector. She had oracular ability. Cassandra knows the feminine mysteries of divination in a modern world that devalues the sacred tradition.

The Olympian goddess Medea was the Princess of Colchis, granddaughter of Helios and niece of Circe. Medea is the great sorceress of the Greek myths and was knowledgeable in herbs, healing and the art of metamorphosis.

Ceres - The Earth Mother

'I died to mineral and plant became

Died from the plant and took a sentient frame

Died from the beast and donned a human dress

When by my dying did I ere grow less?'

Rumi

Ceres is the Roman agricultural goddess whose gift of grain, 'cereal', was distributed to mankind as thanksgiving for the release of her beloved daughter from the underworld and also as an eternal symbol of the continuity of life. Ceres is the goddess of agriculture who instinctually knows the cycle of loss, death and rebirth through her attachment to her beloved daughter.

The Roman goddess was modelled on her Greek counterpart Demeter whose central myth focused on the loss of her daughter, Persephone. It was this myth, which inspired the greatest initiation rites in the ancient world - the Eleusinian Mysteries. These mysteries re-enacted the terrifying journey of Persephone into the underworld and through these rituals both male and female participants faced their terror of death and became thankful for the gift of life.

Ceres, corn goddess, patron of farm life and vegetation is both an agricultural and underworld deity. She is an earth mother who presides over the cycle of fertility, birth, harvest, decay, death and rebirth. From the archaic period the goddess protected and insured the fertility and propagation of the crops and livestock. Her sanctuaries were placed near arable land, outside cities, where pilgrims would come to petition the goddess for a fertile crop and feast on the abundant gifts of food that the goddess provided.

Her myth was more ancient than her male contemporaries and reached back to the epoch when deities of the underworld (death) and the earth (life) were one. Ceres represents both loss and harvest and her classical story embraces each aspect in the myth of her daughter who becomes the Queen of the Underworld.

The myth of Ceres/Demeter and her daughter is a heartbreaking narrative of closeness, separation, grief and reunion, the motivation behind the establishment of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The brutal breaking of their attachment is the impetus that allows each woman to develop independently of one another into sovereignty over their own sphere. Since antiquity this poignant portrait of the mother-daughter bond has probably been the most cherished of all the Greek myths. The classical myth is also remarkable as it places the feminine characters at the heart of the narrative with the male gods on the periphery honouring a sacred and profound feminine story. Ceres myth was first told in a hymn to the great goddess Demeter.

Kore, the innocent maiden Persephone, was playing in a meadow gathering flowers when the earth rumbled beneath her and broke open. Suddenly from the chasm in the earth a chariot drawn by four black horses appeared. In the chariot was Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, who seized her. As she struggled to break free the chariot carrying them disappeared into the black hole. Demeter wandered aimlessly in search of her daughter. No mortal or god could help her with information about her daughter's disappearance. Finally after nine days she met Hecate, the goddess of the crossroads. Hecate heard Persephone screams, the only clue to the abduction.

Demeter raged and withdrew the gift of fertility from the earth causing a great famine. She also withdrew herself from the company of the gods and in disguise wandered amongst mortals unnoticed. Grief-stricken, depleted and withered, Demeter wandered to Eleusis where she met the daughters of the local king who pitied her and brought her home. Their mother gave Demeter the task of caring for her infant son. Demeter nursed him on ambrosia and nectar and every night she would baptise the infant in fire in order to render him immortal and safeguard him from the fate of the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth. However one evening the Queen interrupted Demeter in the middle of her ritual and screamed in fear for the boy's safety. At that moment the cycle of mourning was broken. Demeter cast off her old age, changing her size and appearance to reveal herself as the great goddess and commanded the king to build her a great temple and introduce her worship to the people of Eleusis.

However Demeter was still furious at the abduction of her daughter and withheld the new crop's seed so the earth continued to be barren. Zeus intervened and demanded Demeter return to Olympus and fulfils her duties. Demeter refused. Finally Zeus in his anguish agreed to release Persephone from the underworld so the crops would grow again. Persephone was eager to be reunited with her mother. But before she left the underworld Hades gave her a pomegranate seed to ingest. Innocently Persephone took the seed and swallowed it now binding her eternally to this place. Having eaten in the underworld meant Persephone now belonged here.

Demeter and Persephone's reunion was ecstatic and both rejoiced at the sight of one another even though they knew they would not be together as in the past. As the nourishing caring mother Ceres indicates the necessity to nurture a creative project even if that means letting it go. By letting go of an attachment a phase of the cycle ends and prepares us for a new beginning.

Astrologically Ceres represents the feminine wisdom that acknowledges loss. Loss is intricately woven into the tapestry of life; attachment, separation and loss are part of life's greatest mystery. Feminine wisdom knows that grief is only one phase of the great wheel, and mourning allows the process to be complete so that we may let go and life may be renewed.

Ceres is in the 7th House

You are a warm and loving mate, quietly seeking a partner who believes in love, marriage and all that this entails. When you find the right person you are willing to give a great deal to this union, perhaps even sacrificing a little of yourself in order to maintain the marriage. It is most likely that you will form a strong and lasting bond with a spouse who values and appreciates your caring manner. However, you do need to be wary of becoming too self-sacrificing or too demanding. Martyrdom does not equal longevity in marriage. You should not put up with tyrannical behaviour, but then neither should you display it. Equality needs to be your firm focus, rather than dependency or attachment. Ironically the more that you try to hold on to someone near and dear the more likely that you are to lose him or her. Therefore you need to let go, embrace each person's differences and accept the changes that occur in any long-term relationship. It is true that you may be required to nurture your partner, perhaps through an illness, however; you also gain many positives. It is not just your marriage that is beneficial. Business partnerships are also advantageous. You may enter into a contract with your spouse, running a family business. However, you could also run a business with another partner.

This is a significant placement of the goddess Ceres indicating that your creativity really sings when you are working closely with another person.

Ceres is in Gemini

The telephone was invented for the likes of you. Even better are the mobile phone and the computer. You need to feel connected to other people and technology helps you keep in touch with friend, colleagues and loved ones. Occasionally you are comfortable with silence but mostly you need to talk to those closest to you. If your loved ones are absent then you need to maintain some contact through the written word. This is particularly true of your relationship with your mother, your children, and your spouse.

You are likely to be the type of parent who looks after your children by driving them and from their commitments, chatting to them along the way. You also enjoy helping them with their schoolwork and hearing news of their friends. In fact their friends are likely to be welcome in your home, as this helps you feel even more connected with your children. If you do not have children of your own then you are likely to work with other people's children as a caregiver or teacher. At some stage you need to let go of your children, encourage them to live their own life and seek your own intellectual stimulation.

It is important that your spouse is your intellectual equal. Depending on other aspects of your birth chart you need a stimulating and knowledgeable partner, someone able to discuss local and world affairs.

Nevertheless you need to discover your own source of intellectual sustenance. Language feeds your soul. Therefore you are likely to enjoy study, reading, writing, teaching and other forms of learning. You are keen to understand the nature of human interaction. Therefore archaeology, literature, psychology, the arts and history may appeal. On a more mundane level you may simply enjoy the stimulation of catching the train to work, driving a bus for a local community group or chatting over the fence to a neighbour.

Pallas Athena - The Wisdom Of The Warrior

'I celebrate the powers of Pallas Athena, the protectress of the city:

Dread, as Ares, She busies herself with the works of war,

With the sack of cities, with the battle-cry and with the combats.

It is She also who saves the fighters that go to war and come back alive.

Hail, Goddess, give us good fortune and happiness Pallas.'

Homeric Hymn 11

The architectural masterpiece, the Parthenon, was dedicated to the goddess whom the classical Athenians cherished. Pallas Athena was their advocate for law and order, the teacher of household arts like spinning, weaving, and cooking, as well as their protector and defender.

As their goddess of war she helped the Greeks defeat Troy, the Athenians repel the Persians; as their goddess of useful and decorative arts she inspired them to build exceptional monuments and temples. The goddess of merciful justice transformed the law courts and at the dawn of the fifth century she inspired the democratic shift in Athenian politics. Athena was the revered goddess of the Athenians who celebrated her birthday each year with a great festival and procession through the Agora up to the Acropolis.

As a multi-tasked goddess many images are associated with Pallas Athena but it is the owl that reminds us of her wisdom. Her intelligence is 'bright-eyed' and sharp, focused on the immediate, located in the present, aligned with the head and not the instinct. Pallas Athena embodies the rational and encourages left-brain thinking. Her wisdom controls the instincts, learning to direct them into heroic pursuits to eradicate what is dark and primitive. She is civilising and organising, bringing culture and cultivation to mankind. Justice and law are part of her new order replacing retaliation and revenge.

Strategic, reflective and controlled her craft and skill is mirrored in the multiplicity of devices she offered man, the fertility of her ideas and the usefulness of her inventions and techniques. As Pronoai she is 'before knowing' embracing forethought and strategic thinking. As a warrior queen she was born from the forehead of her father Zeus, fully armoured and mature, suggesting that the wisdom of goddess had been reborn into a new order. As father's special daughter Pallas Athena mirrored the rational intelligence and counsel of Zeus. Metis, the mother of Athena, was an ancient goddess of wisdom known as Wise Counsel or Cunning Intelligence. She knew the feminine mysteries, the intelligence articulated by the heart and the inner world of instinct and intuition. From her Pallas Athena inherited another kind of wisdom: the wisdom of intuitive knowing often experienced in the belly as a 'gut instinct'. It is a knowing that may speak through symptoms or disease, through creativity or craft, or radiate through stillness and tranquility or even erupt in anger or hostility. It is a wisdom born out of an intimate connection between mind and matter, a fluid way of being the ancient Greeks knew as Sophia.

Athena is a proud daughter born from a power struggle between her powerfully dominant father and her intuitively wise mother. Consciously Athena only knows her father's way and the new order. Born of man, like Eve, this myth is often cited when tracing the emergence of 'father-right' from the long held tradition of 'mother-right'. The daughter is now aligned with the sky father who colludes in rejecting the earth mother. The tables have turned in the familial pattern and now it is father and daughter colluding against mother, no longer mother conspiring with her youngest son against the father. When Athena emerges she reflects the need for logic and rationality rather than feeling and instinct. Her path follows the reason of the head, aligned with her father, not the impulse of the heart, the vulnerable feminine side that she has not been nurtured by.

Like Eve, Athena's feminine legacy is not so easily erased. Both their myths contain the image of the snake, a sacred symbol of their legacy of feminine wisdom, healing and regeneration. By the classical period Athena's wisdom became subjugated to Zeus. Shaped by the masculine wisdom becomes linear, logical and rational. Metis is no longer acknowledged as her other parent. The internal wisdom of cycles, intuitive knowing and the complexity of intrapsychic understanding becomes concealed under Athena's armour.

Athena is also associated with the arts of healing, health and regeneration. As Athena Nike she was the goddess of Victory, first victorious in war and later a victor on the sports field. Athena signalled victory and as a patron of heroes she was also known as the goddess of the near, as she was always close to the hero and a staunch supporter of the heroic. As the goddess of war and defender of her father's realm Athena became aligned with the hero as his guide and protector. In mythic portrayals of the hero, Athena stands behind or beside him as his staunch ally against the monstrous and dark forces. When Pallas Athena appears prominently in a birth chart she encourages us to be heroic and battle the regressive forces of our instinctual nature. It is necessary to reflect on the situation and not react emotionally, detaching enough to formulate a decisive plan of action.

In astrology Pallas Athena represents the reflection and meditation that develops out of the turmoil of chaos and uncertainty, helping us to become more strategic and deliberate in our actions. Metis is the valued intelligence that guides our instincts and plans strategically and arises into consciousness at exactly the right moment. Pallas Athena discerns and through reflecting on emotionally entangled situations allows consciousness to develop.

Pallas is in the 5th House

'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!' Edward Lear's famous nonsense song says it all really. The Owl was wise, practical and poetic. What more could you want? With the goddess Pallas in your fifth house, the answer is not much more! Like Lear, you have a wonderful sense of nonsense and a sound appreciation for the power of poetry, but you also have a practical side. Therefore you have the ability to put your many creative and original ideas to good use. Like Lear, you can write stories, imaginative or serious. You can write for children or adults. You can also create other works of art if you put your mind to it. Your challenge is to find your artistic talent and practise it. You may also be adept at helping other people express their creative ideas. Perhaps you are skilled at marketing and publishing other people's original works? Or are you an able producer or director of fine works? You may have a love of crafts and enjoy knitting, crocheting, quilting or your own personal favourite craft as a hobby. Whatever your chosen endeavour you are able to deal with others fairly, nurture their ideas and encourage expression. Like Cinderella' fairy godmother you have the ability to spread a little magic in other people's lives.

Children are also likely to play a prominent role in your life, either your own or other people's. You are even-handed when it comes to dealing with children and make a good teacher, particularly teaching arts and crafts. But it is the beauty and innocence in the world that motivates you. You feel an urge to be useful, to help others believe in the impossible and to reach for the stars either through the manifestation of their own work or through the expression of your own.

Pallas is in Aries

You have a keen intellect with the ability to come up with exciting, new ideas. Therefore you are likely to be a pioneer in your field of interests. Your mind is fertile and you are likely to apply your ideas to useful inventions and techniques. You don't mind taking risks, as long as you are exploring new fields. You are a creative pioneer with a talent for listening to your own personal wisdom. Once you have focussed on one path then you are formidable in your achievements. You do not allow anyone to stand in your way. Ideas flow. Your ideas are likely to be useful to other people and therefore may form the basis of a business or financial gain, or perhaps social or legal reform. In some cases you may need to make sure that you protect your intellectual property. Legal patents and trademarks should be explored before you discuss your ideas with other people. It is possible that you enjoy working in isolation, however, you are likely to need at least one other person to help you disseminate your ideas, perhaps even a team of people. You need to choose your support team carefully and you also need to make sure that you acknowledge other people's contribution and support for your creative endeavours. If you do not choose carefully or if you do not fully acknowledge other people's contributions then you are likely to lose your support. You may value your independence, but you also need to appreciate rather than oppose others. Otherwise you could become involved in legalities. The goddess Pallas always preferred diplomacy, but she is the goddess of war. Your pioneering mind is best applied to inventive and useful ideas, rather than strategies for opposing others. Your gift is to disseminate your ideas and creative works. This is best done in a spirit of generosity and co-operation. Nevertheless you are a warrior and are likely to instigate a few battles at some stage during your life, either your own or on behalf of others. You believe in people's right to freedom or independence and are prepared to defend these beliefs. When new horizons beckon you want to be ready for the adventure.

Juno - Socialising The Soul

'And wheresoever we went, like Juno's swans,

Still we went coupled and inseparable.'

As You Like It, Shakespeare

Juno Regina shares the honour of the highest deity in the Roman pantheon as queen next to her husband-brother Jupiter, king of the gods. Each woman had their own guardian spirit named Juno, who guided their transitions into the stages of motherhood and marriage. As a light bringer she was also invoked for protection during childbirth. As the goddess of marriage her Roman name Juno was the derivative of June, the season of the bride. Women celebrated her annually in the festival of Matronalia. By the Roman period Juno had become emblematic of the woman as wife and citizen presiding over social customs and duties. In earlier Greek myths Juno was a powerful goddess in her own right known as Hera, the adored feminine deity of many powerful city-states.

The derivation of Hera's name may be related to Hora or season, as she is custodian of the seasons of a woman's life. On the Olympian pantheon she was the goddess of marriage and embodied social ritual and custom. At her cult in Argos young girls ran races to prepare for their marriage and the rituals of womanhood. In the Greek myths Hera was a wife and unlike her husband Hera does not have affairs. However in Greek myth Hera also seeks revenge upon her husbands' liaisons with others. By the classical period the tales of Zeus and Hera rival contemporary soap operas where the cycle of betrayal, outrage and revenge is the central plot. Hera consistently plots revenge against Zeus' lovers and children from these affairs. However there was an earlier time when the Olympian couple was not always locked in power struggles or scheming and bullying each other. This was when they first fell in love in the palace of their aunt and uncle where they were being hidden, protected by their mother Rhea from the familial wars that were raging with their father. Here in the great palace beneath the sea, they consummated their relationship, a relationship that was to remain secret for nearly 300 years. Underpinning the later myths are fragments, which reveal Hera was an ancient goddess before she became aligned with her brother in a sacred marriage.

Epithets of Hera such as 'cow-eyed' refer to her earlier association with the earth and agriculture, while her epithet 'of the white arms' may link her to an association with the Moon. She is often depicted in three phases as the maiden, the fulfilled and the solitary, a trinity of aspects represented by Hebe, Hera and Hecate. Hebe was the daughter of Hera and the cupbearer to the Gods who became married to Heracles after his apotheosis to Olympus. In this aspect Hera is the maiden, the youth and the aspect of the feminine that retains her virginity, even in relationship. The central phase was motherhood, wifehood and a woman of power. Local folklore suggested she bathed in the streams of Argos where she was able to regain her virginity lost in the marriage with Zeus. Hecate was associated with the final phase embracing Hera's aloneness and need for solace. At times Hera would leave Zeus to go off on her own to pursue her needs for privacy, renewal and worship.

Hera was indigenous to Greece long before Zeus was triumphant. The cult of Hera may have been so powerful that unlike the other goddesses Zeus was unable to be dominant, settling instead for an equal relationship. Her cult on Samos and in Argos are linked to the prehistorical period. On Samos one of the first mammoth stone temples of the archaic period was built in honour of Hera. Similarly her temple at Olympus predates the magnificent one built for Zeus. No doubt Hera is an older goddess like Demeter and Hestia, her sisters who were born to Cronus and Rhea before their brothers. However to incorporate Hera into the politics on Olympus she became the wife of Zeus and mother to his children.

Another mythic fragment, which suggests Hera is a powerful ancient goddess, is her link to Heracles. Even though their relationship is estranged Heracles is named for the great goddess. His name literally translates into the glory of Hera. Hera whose name closely resembles hero is aligned with the greatest of all heroes, Heracles and plays a potent role in many heroic sagas. Their antagonistic relationship ironically spurred him on to become the greatest hero and ironically myth depicts Hera as his mother-in-law. No longer the object of her scorn Hera has challenged Heracles to become the hero. As mother-in-law she models a strong and uncompromising woman who demands the hero be the best man for her daughter.

Juno and Hera are the composite that portray the seasons of a woman's life as well as the evolution of woman's roles. The Juno in contemporary woman has new power and possibilities and the card is an invitation to challenge the constructs of the social roles that are inhibiting. As a partner and equal Juno is supportive, enterprising, challenging and confronting helping shape potentiality into reality.

In astrology Juno represents the status and achievement in the world that are intricately aligned with social customs and tradition. Equality in relationship is necessary at all stages of the life cycle to insure both inner and outer fulfilment. Juno's ancient legacy is equal relationship and through her archetypal experience you can become aligned with your heroic self.

Juno is in the 1st House

The goddess Juno is your guardian spirit. She reigns prominently in your birth chart casting her light over your health and happiness. In practical terms this means that you are likely to be helped by strong women throughout your lifetime. You are blessed with the strength to achieve your goals in the areas of childbirth, self-improvement and marriage.

Juno in this position in a woman's' chart indicates that you are a strong woman, or are influenced by powerful women. Your roles as a wife and mother may be emphasised in your marriage, taking precedence over a separate professional career. You see yourself as an equal to your partner, the queen of the domestic matters in your marriage. This is not to say that you don't have a career, but rather that your role as wife or mother is more significant in your heart. On the other hand you may be a contemporary woman, challenging the traditional role of wife and mother. You have power and possibilities and defy the constructs of the social roles that are inhibiting. Either way your marriage is important, and as a partner and equal you are supportive, enterprising, challenging and confronting helping shape potentiality into reality. Depending on other aspects of your birth chart you may have a shrewish side to your nature. You are best advised to handle this with care because your marriage and personal happiness are likely to suffer if you indulge in any tendency to criticise. You would be better advised to use your feminine wiles in a positive manner.

Juno in this position in a man's chart indicates that you are likely to marry a strong and powerful partner, who is your equal in all areas of life. Your spouse is supportive, enterprising and challenging. This person may take over the running of the household, thus presenting you with the opportunity to maintain a long and successful career. On the other hand you may wish to become the homemaker, encouraging your partner to go out to work while you take on the responsibilities of household management. Either way you are likely to achieve personal happiness with such a supportive person by your side. Treat this person with appreciation and you are able to achieve many personal rewards. Spurn your spouse at your own peril! On the other hand you are not required to put up with any shrewish behaviour.

Unconditional love of your partner is paramount when the goddess Juno resides in the first house of your birth chart. Conditions are likely to result in rebellion and betrayal. This goddess does not respond well to control or arrogance. Therefore you are continually challenged to be powerful but not arrogant, assertive but not aggressive, supportive but not manipulative. You also need to ensure that you own a powerful woman does not overwhelm sense of wellbeing. Your happiness is also important. At times you may need to take a stand, but do so from a position of integrity rather than a need to overpower. Equality in your relationship is necessary at all stages of the life cycle to insure both inner and outer fulfilment.

Juno is in Scorpio

Love and marriage are central forces in your life. Your choice of a marriage partner is likely to influence the direction of your life and your emotional wellbeing, more so than other people. You may fall in love with someone from a foreign land, get married and travel to your spouse's home land thus transforming your life. On the other hand you may, when young, choose an unlikely partner who betrays you in some way. The emotional rage that erupts is surprising to say the least. Be wise in how you express this rage. The goddess Juno is asking you to find your sense of self-worth and power within yourself rather than seeking personal power through marriage. If you do not learn this lesson at a young age then your partner's life choices are likely to have a dramatic influence on your own life. You are vulnerable when it comes to marital relationships. Your emotions, your psychological well being, your sexual wellbeing and your finances can be damaged by marrying the wrong person. The goddess Juno is asking you to protect yourself by choosing potential partners carefully and wisely. Be careful not to let your passions rule your decisions when it comes to relationships, particularly when you are young. You are likely to fall deeply in love, enjoy a passionate union and leave the rest to fate. If you are really lucky then your lover will be a wise and wonderful mate, someone who returns your love in full. Your marriage is rich and sacred. On the other hand you may discover hidden forces start to manifest as daily dramas. Jealousy, possessiveness, battles over money, extra-marital affairs and other vices may be the result of your inability to discern between lust and love. These could stem either from your own feelings of inadequacy or from your partner's. Either way your marriage could become a battleground if you do not honour your own or your spouse's emotional and psychological needs. In other words you need to develop a sound psychological understanding of your marriage and then take action to either heal the wounds or end the battle. The goddess Juno is strong in the sign of Scorpio so the good news is that you do have the ability to learn the lessons of love and form a strong and lasting bond. Once you have learnt to listen to reason as much as passion when choosing a life partner then you are likely to form a sacred union. Loyalty, intimacy and commitment are within your grasp. The Queen of the ancient Heavens can grant you the ability to transform your life through your marriage in a way that brings true emotional and financial rewards.

Vesta - The Inner Life

'Leave those vain moralists, my friend, and return to the depth of your soul:

that is where you will always rediscover the source of the sacred fire which so often inflamed us with love of the sublime virtues;

that is where you will see the eternal image of true beauty, the contemplation of which inspires us with a holy enthusiasm.'

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The cult of the Roman goddess Vesta was connected to the Greek Hestia. However the Roman archetype had considerably altered from her Hellenic counterpart. By the Roman period the sacrament of virginity was literalised, no longer conceptualised as a psychic state but now institutionalized as a spiritual way of being. Priestesses of Vesta, known as Vestal Virgins, served the goddess for a period of thirty years. While the position was privileged it also was one of great piety, devotion and responsibility. Vestal Virgins tended the sacred flame and guarded the Palladium, the secret objects brought from Troy to the preserve the memory of the ancient city and protect the new satellite city of Rome. However in ancient Greece Hestia was the embodiment of an internal and sacred space not a religious institution. Vesta's heritage reaches back to the traditions of honouring the authenticity of the inner life as symbolised by the spirit of the sacred flame, not a system of regulations.

In ancient Greece the goddess received the highest respect. Acknowledged as the deity mankind must first honour when feasting and drinking the goddess embodied grace and virtue. Veiled and virginal her sanctuaries were places of refuge, asylum and political peace. Constant, focused and disliking change Vesta is the hearth, a symbol for both the centre and the focus of the home as well as the metaphor for family life and the family circle. As custodian of the hearth she is central to psychic life representing the sacral centre, the goddess who honours sacred space and protects holy images. She embodies spatiality, conferring safe places to congregate, mediating soul by giving it a hallowed place to be acknowledged. As a virgin (unto herself) goddess Vesta is the custodian of soulful space personifying the stillness at the centre of our busy everyday lives. As goddess of hospitality she also welcomes travellers across the threshold offering sanctuary and hospice. Vesta is the continuity of family life and the coherence it brings to our everyday experiences. Vesta was the first-born child, the first devoured by Saturn and the last one to be disgorged from his belly. Therefore she represents the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, the eternal cycle. Vesta is not a part of the outer rim of the cycle but situated at its centre, personifying stillness, discretion, centering and immobility, aspects of her Greek counterpart, Hestia.

Few Greek myths remain of Hestia; she is rarely personified, no statues or temples remain, yet at times in the archaic period she was the most honoured goddess, worshipped at the centre of the city and the centre of the Greek household. By the classical period Hestia was not included as one of the twelve Olympians having been replaced by Dionysus. Hestia and her brother Hades are the only two siblings who remain detached from the Olympian family dramas and feuds. Unlike their brothers, Poseidon and Zeus, or their sisters, Hera and Demeter, they are not identified with their family of origin or their siblings. Their places are internal, interior and introverted. Few images or alters survive as reminders of their worship or importance in cult. There were virtually no temples erected to them and they were seldom represented in art, sculpture or vase painting. Neither were they parents to heroes like their siblings. As gods of place both Hestia and Hades have been re-placed and dis-placed which are potent clues as to what we culturally and psychologically have done with these archetypal energies. In a modern context this place of Hestia, as a metaphor for the hearth of inner life, has become dis-placed, re-placed by the rush and busyness of the outer world. When the inner life is sidelined and banished to the fringes of society, anxiety, terror and panic can no longer be constrained in the community. Hestia reflects the need for solace, quiet and retreat into the inner sanctuary of the Self.

As an image of centre, Hestia is not personified or remembered by statues or temples but manifests through the sense of centring. She is the central point; the meeting place the fires of the home, the hearth, the Omphalos as the symbol for the centre of the Earth. In antiquity her sanctuaries were non-warring zones, places of political peace. Plato remarked, 'when the Gods warred, only Hestia did not take part' which characterised the goddess' propensity to non-involvement. In the earlier myths of Hestia she resisted the advances of both her brother Poseidon and her nephew Apollo and was honoured with remaining eternally virginal, symbolic of her attachment to the inner life. She is the aspect of self, which can never be violated or abused and always able to access the soul. Hestia is central to psychic life and expressions like 'can't settle down', 'off centre', being off base' remind us of being out of touch with Hestia. As the hearth she is a guide to the inner life and the central image around which soulful images can constellate. She represents sacred space, the meditative moment the soul of place and the feeling of home.

In astrology Vesta is the inner instinct that honours soul by giving it a sacred place, an altar, a quiet moment. She represents hospice and offers hospitality to the aspects of self that feel displaced and dislocated. As the hearth light she offers stillness, quietude, meditation and solitude in the midst of the everyday. The inner life is the container for anxiety and despair as well as a refuge from the pollution of daily life.

Vesta is in the 8th House

Magic and mystery are the words that come to mind with this placement of the goddess Vesta. This can literally mean that you are fascinated by mystery stories, magic tricks, codes and puzzles such as the Rubrics cube. You may also be fascinated with the world's money markets, the intricacies of running a small or large business and economic investment. On a deeper level you may have a gift for alchemy, metaphysics, astrology, clairvoyance or other mysterious phenomenon. History, in particular the history of religions and ancient civilisations, may appeal. Your life's work may be linked to one of these aforementioned areas.

Sexuality is likely to figure prominently in your life. You are a sensual being keen to experience a sacred and sexual union with another person. You need to choose your lovers carefully; otherwise you could lose yourself in the pursuit of sexual titillation rather than meaningful union.

Fire is also like to play a literal or symbolic role in your life. You may literally be a scientist working with fire or a fire fighter. On a more mundane level you may enjoy the ritual of lighting a fire for warmth. Perhaps you enjoy cooking over a gas burner or maybe you are nourished by a hearth fire, delighting in the ritual of preparing the hearth and watching the burning logs. On the other hand you may be interested in discovering the creative spark that burns within yourself and other people. It is important that you discover the fiery passion that lights your way; otherwise you may become distracted by the darker side of life. In other words follow your spiritual passion rather than sexual urges.

Vesta is in Cancer

You are well aware of the role that families play in society, both the positive and negative effects that families can have on individual members. This is also true for society as a whole. You are able to unconditionally accept family members, foibles and all. However, this is not always true for other people. You may or may not have suffered at the hands of your own family, but you are aware that love not judgment is vital for the growth of human beings. Families are the building blocks of society in your opinion. Therefore it is essential that people have a firm foundation on which to build their lives. Acceptance of other people's values and family systems is also vital. These are the matters that motivate you to right the wrongs in some area of society. You are committed to supporting your own family members, even at great personal cost to your own desires. Education for future generations is one of your catchcries, however, you also need to nurture yourself. You are also committed to helping the less privileged members of society, especially disadvantaged children or animals. You may move away from home to achieve your goals, to a different neighbourhood or even another country. You need to be wary of becoming disillusioned. Your own high ideals may not be attainable. If you work with disadvantaged animals, children or families then you may find that your enthusiasm may be dampened unless you withdraw occasionally to stoke your own fires.

You have a kind heart and true purpose to show and teach compassion. You are a real treasure for your loved ones.

Hygieia - The Soul Of Health

'Health, greatest of all the blessed gods, may I live with you for the rest of my life'

Hymn to Hygieia, Ariphron

In the ancient Greek sanctuaries of healing statues of Hygieia, the goddess of health, reminded the pilgrim of the archetypal quest for wholeness and well being. Adorned with a simple garment Hygieia was often represented as youthful, radiant and smiling, attributes that are companions of health. Either she is holding or feeding a snake. Carrying a bowl of food or water Hygieia is generally represented tending the sacred snakes that were housed in the temples on the sanctuaries of healing. Sometimes she is presented holding a wreath of laurel, combing victory with health, or other plants known for their medicinal properties, a motif that links her to an ancient tradition of woman healers, herbalists and midwives.

Hygieia's intimate relationship with the serpent recalls her link to the ancient goddesses of healing and nature. Earth and Mother goddesses were accompanied by serpents and the ancient belief was that they transmitted the power of healing and prophecy. As a symbol of both regeneration and divination serpents were sacred to the goddess who gave them sanctuary in the bosom of the earth. Later the cult of sacred snake was adapted and serpents were included in the rituals at the sanctuaries that offered healing and spiritual guidance. The ancients also saw the sacred serpent dwelling in the body and when awakened it could offer illumination, vitality and the radiance of well being. As nature became less mysterious snakes became demonised, no longer transmitting the ancient wisdom of healing but transporting demonic and darker forces.

Hygieia nurtures and tends the snake revering its sacred power to rejuvenate and shed its old ways. She celebrates its dark chthonic force and recognises the divine mystery of illness and health. Like her ancient ancestors, Hygieia honoured the union between the natural and supernatural worlds knowing that health and well being depended on bringing them both into a cohesive whole. Goddess wisdom also knew that all of nature was animated by spirits which could be petitioned through magical and religious ritual in an attempt to restore equilibrium and well being. Hygieia is the modern surrogate of the ancient goddesses who honour the great mystery of healing.

To the Greeks Hygieia personified health, that mysterious amalgam of well being, wholeness and happiness. She emerged in the classical period when the cult of Asclepius became widespread and flourished throughout the Graeco-Roman world. Hygieia was mainly represented as the daughter of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, although sometimes known as his wife. Her numerous statues equal those of Asclepius and in the cult of healing she was revered and equal to the god himself. Interestingly the popularity of temple medicine practiced at the sanctuaries of Asclepius paralleled the growth of rational medicine that had emerged through the teachings of Hippocrates. Hygieia stands at the crossroads of magico-religious healing rituals and contemporary medical practice, holding the tension between the two but allowing each to co-exist. She embraces wholistic healing in every manifestation as she is dedicated to the pursuit of health.

In the ancient community disease was portrayed as a possession by a demon, the intrusion of a spirit or the curse of a god. In the cult of Asclepius illness was seen to be more the call of the divine, the voice that echoed the split between body and spirit. It was the illness that called the pilgrim to the temple to restore equilibrium and well being. At the temple the patient would prepare for an encounter with the god often by fasting, bathing or meditating. Then the patient was escorted into the temple where they would lie down and fall into a deep sleep wherein the god would appear to them in a dream. Once contact with the god had been made through the inner process of the dream the patient would be restored to health. In the healing sanctuaries of Hygieia health was evoked through contact with the divine in the inner sanctuary of the soul. Yet synchronous with these practices were medical doctors who suggested that disease was a natural occurrence and not of the god's making. Hence Hygieia eventually became associated with mental health and well being as rational medical doctors gained a stronghold on the health of the physical body.

When Hygieia is strong in a birth chart we are reminded that health is the alignment of body and soul, heart and mind, outer success and inner peace. One at the expense of the other constellates dis-ease in the temperament that may manifest as a physical symptom, mental anguish or emotional pain. Hygieia is the personification of Health who calls us into the inner sanctuary of the soul to restore health and regain equilibrium. On a divinatory level Hygieia will be chosen when the healing of a situation is imperative. Rational healing is not the only answer. It must be accompanied by attending to the root cause, which ultimately is the illness in the soul. In a psychological sense Hygieia is soul of health, the urge to attend to psyche and its needs by nurturing our deeper urges and impulses. Feeding the snakes is a metaphor for nurturing the dark and mysterious aspects of the soul and attending to the unconscious.

In astrology Hygieia represents health that is forged through the alliance Of the natural with the supernatural, the right brain with the left, the inner world with the outer, the serpent with the soul. Hygieia reminds us that health is an archetypal image embedded in the psyche. When the soul is not nourished or attended it speaks through illness and disease.

Hygieia is in the 5th House

The 5th house of the horoscope symbolises the theatre of the self and with Hygieia in a leading role it suggests that your well being is intertwined with creative self expression. As a child the 5th house is the playground and the park where the freedom of open spaces inspired your urge to be vital and robust. Later it was games, sports and recreation that became critical to your physical and mental health. As an adult the playhouse of the 5th sector of the horoscope is the arena where you are able to express your artistic self. Therefore with Hygieia here it suggests that your vitality, happiness and sense of feeling healthy are intimately connected with the ability to express your creativity. As a child you would have first experienced how alive and vital you felt when engaged in play and this would be an early touchstone in forging your identity. Later your identity and sense of self would have matured the more you became engaged with activities that promoted your creativeness and imagination

Besides being entertaining and amusing the sphere of creativity is therapeutic in your life. You may have recognised how essential amusement and having fun are in reconstructing a healthily lifestyle. You also are aware of how activity and play engage the individual in feeling alive and well. Therefore you might have been drawn to work in physical education or sports training or be interested in therapeutic processes like sand play, inner child work or art therapy.

Your lifeline and road to health lead through the playhouse of the inner child. Therefore if there is not enough time for play, enough joy, or enough space for the expression of the creative self you will probably become run down, prone to feeling off-colour, even sick. Hygieia will call you back into her sanctuary where it is necessary to amuse yourself and become engaged in the theatrical production of your life. To regain, maintain or improve the health quotient in your life you need to take some leisure time to explore the creative aspects of your self and risk hanging out in the playground of your life.

Hygieia is in Aries

Archetypally Hygieia represents our innate urge for health and well being and in your horoscope seeks her conscious expression through the sign of Aries. For you good health implies activity and keeping fit, as the fire in your system needs to be activated and channelled. Physical exercise would be one of the best ways to promote well being. Therefore when you are feeling run down, low in energy or even depressed, the route to fitness is through physical movement and activity. Hygieia suggests ways that we strive to feel whole and in the sign of Aries sports, exercise, competitive dance or tennis, jogging, just walking the dog is therapeutic. A dance or aerobic class works wonders. However, Aries also has a penchant for overdoing.

The goddess Hygieia focuses our attention on the Arian instinct to rush into activities unprepared and ignorant of the consequences, akin to plunging into the sea without understanding the inherent dangers or attempting the climb to the summit without adequate training. This tendency to take on too much leaves a trail of uncompleted projects. While the nature of Aries is to be assertive and competitive the goddess of health guides you into a more holistic way of attaining your goals through balance. Rather than plunging into waters unprepared, she recommends water therapies such as adding essential oils to an evening bath to soothe your scattered energies, floatation therapy, swimming then a sauna. To balance the instinct to rush she suggests relaxation exercises or meditation to sharpen your focus and put your goals in perspective. Or if you are in feeling stressed perhaps you need a relaxation massage or time out to calm down.

The goddess in your chart suggests that the area of the head may be where stress accumulates. If so then you may be prone to headaches or dizziness due to a lack of oxygen, sinus difficulties and head colds. Your body wisdom speaks through these feelings of being unwell and suggests taking time to breathe more rhythmically, slow down, and control the fire that blazes out of control. Due to this emphasis on fire your blood pressure should be checked regularly. Your urge to be well suggests that you follow the path of focused activity and find a venue where your competitive instinct can be unleashed.

Ariadne - The Labyrinth Of The Soul

'To be always fortunate, and to pass through life with a soul that has never known sorrow, is to be ignorant of one half of nature.'

Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)

Daughter of the great dynasty of Knossos, Ariadne's fate was overshadowed by the curse that plagued her family. In the guise of a great white bull, Zeus had abducted her grandmother Europa from Phoenicia and brought her to Crete. Her mother Pasiphaë had also became enamoured by a great bull. Ariadne participated in the family fate: as Pasiphaë's daughter her lifeblood was impassioned and as Europa's granddaughter her destiny was to abandon her ancestral home.

Poseidon cursed Ariadne's family when her father Minos refused to sacrifice his most magnificent bull to the god. Spurned, the god aroused Pasiphaë's shameful lust for the impressive bull that became embodied in her bull-son, the Minotaur, human from the shoulders down. Banished into the labyrinthine blackness below the palace Ariadne's half-brother, the Minotaur, fed on sacrificial children sent from Athens every nine years. Heroic Theseus was one of fourteen youths sent to Crete to face death at the hands of the Minotaur.

When Theseus arrived to participate in the bull games Ariadne's passions were ignited when she saw him for the first time. Beguiled by the handsome hero, Ariadne devised a plan for Theseus to slay the Minotaur and return safely through the dark tunnels of the labyrinth. For her complicity Theseus promised he would marry her and take her away to Athens. Unconscious that her fate was enmeshed with the god Dionysus and not Theseus Ariadne set upon her course to help her lover and in turn betray her family.

Through the dark labyrinthine tunnels Theseus crawled, quietly, mindful not to make sounds that would waken the sleeping Minotaur. Wrapped around his wrist was a ball of yarn, tied to the pillar at the entrance of the maze, which unravelled as he made his way through the dangerous tunnels. Ariadne's thread was the umbilical cord that connected him to the outer world and guaranteed his return after he killed the Minotaur. That evening Ariadne escaped with Theseus. In the dark Mediterranean night they set sail for a victorious return to Athens. Leaving behind her father and sacrificing her brother she surrendered to the passion that burned inside, the rapture only Aphrodite could inspire, a similar fervour that had inflamed her mother and grandmother. The next night Ariadne and her lover reached the island Naxos. Exhausted by travelling and fatigued from the emotional turmoil that had preceded their escape they collapsed into a deep sleep. But as the rays of the morning sun lit her face Ariadne awoke to discover her lover had vanished. At the edge of the shore she saw the sails of his ship in the distance. Athena had carefully woken Theseus before dawn, setting him on his course home without Ariadne. Abandoned, betrayed and used, Ariadne descended into her own labyrinthine world on the shores of Naxos.

Blinded by her passions Ariadne had been complicit in her abandonment. In betraying her family to follow her hero she had set the cycle of betrayal in motion. Projecting her heroic self onto Theseus had left her separated from her own centre. Alone Ariadne was forced to connect with her internal world. At this threshold Ariadne experienced an epiphany of Aphrodite the goddess who ignited the passionate fires that led to her suffering. Appearing to Ariadne the goddess revealed her true fate: she would wed her real soul mate, the divine Dionysus. Dionysus celebrated their sacred marriage by offering Ariadne the crown as the symbol of their intimacy and eternal union.

Ariadne's myth portrays the heart's painful journey when connection to the inner self is severed and sacrificed to the lover. Ariadne followed her lover's course rather than her own internal labyrinthine journey losing her genuine direction. Using the thread, the symbolic connection to her inner core, to serve the hero Ariadne lost contact with her own inner wisdom. Abandoned she was no longer able to define herself exclusively through a partner; therefore a more authentic sense of self could emerge. The painful process of confronting her naïve trust and blind faith in Theseus enabled her renewal and redemption. In psychological terms a more divine sense of union is possible when projections onto the other are consciously relinquished. Dionysus embodies a woman's masculine spirit enabling her to define herself in terms of her own needs and not through someone else.

When Ariadne is prominent in the birth chart she reveals the course of the heart encouraging the individual to acknowledge that the threads to their inner self are tenuous and must be honoured in relationship. Ariadne celebrates a more intimate connection with the heart, whether that is through a personal relationship, a new creative endeavour or a new course of life.

In astrology Ariadne represents abandonment as an archetypal process that strips away the mind's illusions in order to hear the calling of the true self. Confronted by the painful reality of being left the individual is forced to relinquish their hopes and fantasies in order to awaken to the authentic path of the heart. Ariadne embodies the soul in relationship that must first experience the painful course of the labyrinth before a divine connection can be realised.

Ariadne is in the 12th House

You are a wise and adept strategist, most likely playing a key role of support in a large institution. Perhaps you are a military or political strategist, able to advise people in important roles in society? On the other hand you may work in service to society as a whole - in a hospital with the frail, disabled or disadvantaged members of society. You may simply be the person who quietly supports members of your own family, a behind the scenes nurturer. It is important that you also take care of yourself. This placement of the goddess Ariadne means that you can be your own worse enemy, neglecting your own needs in favour of others. You are likely to lose yourself in the maze of undercurrents that exist in your environment. Perhaps you are trying to please everyone and end up helping no one? On the other hand you may sometimes feel lost in a labyrinth of other people's problems and misunderstandings. Do you feel like you are always cleaning up other people's messes? Do you have trouble saying 'no' because you just seem to get drawn into the middle of an altercation or conflict? You feel torn between the need for isolation, to run away to a desert island or deserted beach, and the need to sort out the troubles. The answer is finding an accepted method of escape. You are not 'running away' per se. You need to discover inner resources that can help you in this life of service that you have chosen. You need to find peace. Of all of the placements of the goddess Ariadne this one gives you the ability to find divine peace. When you feel like your family or workplace is cursed and you are immersed in all of the dramas you need to remove yourself to a calm place. Meditation, prayer, a quiet place in your own garden or a public park may help. At times you may need to go further afield, to take a holiday on your own or take part in a religious retreat. Eventually the process of moving to a peaceful habitat will help you to incorporate harmony into your daily living. Your connection to the divine aspects of life will strengthen your own spiritual gifts.

Ariadne is in Scorpio

You are on a quest to understand the mysteries of life. Do we have a soul? Where do we come from before we are born? What happens to us when we die? These are just a few of the questions that play on your mind. This quest may have been sparked by difficult or dramatic childhood experiences. Perhaps you lost a much-loved pet or person when you were a youngster. This is the classic scenario of a person who studies and practises psychology in order to fully understand his or her own beleaguered childhood. On the other hand maybe you were born seeking wisdom, a naturally curious child wanting to understand the mechanics of the material world and why people behave in the way that they do. You have a tendency to ask the difficult questions, preferring to understand what makes things and people work rather than skim the surface. On a mundane level you enjoy murder mysteries, unsolved crimes and courtroom battles. On a deeper level metaphysical subjects speak to your heart.

In your journey to enlightenment a powerful bond with a lover, teacher or boss may enthral you. You passionately pursue this person and their ideals, perhaps even following them to distant shores or becoming involved in their intrigues. If you are not careful you run the risk of becoming lost in a maze of ardor, jealousy, obsession or betrayal. Abandonment of your own ideals can be a very tricky business with this placement. The goddess Ariadne's myth portrays the heart's painful journey when connection to the inner self is severed and sacrificed to the lover. Once you have lost your way you then face a journey into the dark side of your own soul, one from which you can rise triumphant, gaining an understanding of your own divine mission. Ariadne represents the marriage to the divine after the trials of betrayal and abandonment. This rather long quote by Northern Exposure's Stuart Stevens in 1991 says it all, 'There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vadar in all of us. Thing is, this ain't no either or proposition. We're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can't hide. My experience? Face the darkness, stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. Give that old dark night of the soul a hug! Howl the eternal yes!'

Europa - The Soul Of The Earth

'On a beach in Sidon a bull was aping a lover's coo. It was Zeus.

He shuddered, the way he did when a gadfly got him.

But this time it was a sweet shuddering.

Eros was lifting a girl onto his back: Europa'

The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Robert Calasso

Underneath the Cretan palace of Knossos hidden in a labyrinthine chamber lived a bull-man, the Minotaur, the shameful shadow of the Minoan clan. Two generations earlier the story began when Zeus shape-shifted into a beautiful white bull to seduce a young Phoenician princess named Europa. Like the gods of the old religion Zeus took the shape of a virile and magnificent bull to mesmerise the innocent girl who was unaware that her destiny would instigate the founding of two great dynasties as well as the eponymous continent named for the virgin Zeus had abducted.

Europa had been playing in a field gathering spring flowers to make garlands when she became enthralled by a large charismatic bull that meandered into the meadow. Possessed with desire to know the bull, she moved closer. Zeus, the bull-god, knelt before her gently beckoning Europa onto his back. She dared to climb upon him, and then slowly he took her step-by-step across the meadow towards the sea. With the power of a great god, the bull strode the waves across the sea to Crete. Europa clung tightly to the powerful bull, as she rode farther and farther away from her homeland. Zeus had made his conquest. He took Europa as his lover, fathering three children by her; one was Minos the founder of the Cretan dynasty.

Europa's father summoned his sons and instructed them to search for their sister and not to return home until the task had been accomplished. Cadmus set out on the quest, eventually journeying to Delphi to ask the oracle where he could find his sister. The oracle advised Cadmus to relinquish the quest for his sister, as his fate was to found the city of Thebes. In order to find the location he must follow a cow until it came to a place where it would lay down due to exhaustion. Europa had been abducted by a god disguised as a bull; her brother Cadmus is led by a cow to his destiny. Both siblings' destiny is to found a great dynasty guided by the commanding and enterprising bovine instinct. Like the zodiacal sign of Taurus the bull symbolises inherent resource and power and the ability to either cultivate land or build structures that create wealth.

Europa's son Minos claimed the throne of Crete with the blessing of the god Poseidon, his great grandfather who offered him a gift from the sea. A sacred white bull majestically arose out of the ocean and Minos promised to return it to the god in sacrifice. However the bull was so regal and powerful, Minos decided not to sacrifice the majestic bull but substitute it for a prized white bull from his own herd. Outraged at the deceit, the earth-shaker Poseidon cursed the Minoan dynasty provoking Pasiphaë, Minos' wife, to be sexually obsessed with the beautiful god-like bull. Her craving led to her becoming pregnant with her monstrous son, the Minotaur. Minos' greed and failure to respect the laws of the gods produced a monster that had to be buried beneath the surface of the family in the labyrinthine dungeons of the palace. Buried shame or repression lurking under the atmosphere of the family home eventually surfaces through the next generations. This became evident through the fate of Europa's granddaughters daughters Ariadne and Phaedra. The myth the Greeks retold was a variant of a much earlier motif when the bull was consort of the earth goddess. Europa is the ancient goddess whose earthy instinct is powerful and resourceful. Europa heralds contact with the ancient feminine instincts that generate the power to create abundance.

Throughout the myth of Europa the bull image reoccurs. It is a multi-dimensional symbol of earthy passions, desires, magnetism, wealth and potency whose shadow is greed and lust. The Great Bull of Heaven was an image of archaic power, fertility and enterprise. The appearance of the heavenly bull of Taurus heralded spring when the bountiful Earth became carpeted with wildflowers and the cycle of courtship began. The great bull is engaging and charismatic constellating the generative power of the feminine. Aphrodite who symbolises the beauty, sensuality and attractiveness of this archetype is the persuasive erotic power that draws Europa, Pasiphaë, Ariadne and Phaedra into her domain. Europa embodies the wealth and majesty of the bull, its earthy passions and its worldly triumphs.

Europa, as the bull-goddess, reclaims the power to construct and direct the course of her own life. When she is prominent in a birth chart it suggests the individual's present course is to construct a solid foundation that will secure the rapid growth of resources.

In astrology Europa embodies the ability to ride the bull, harness its power and give birth to its resourceful creativity. Innately she is the image of feminine power, guidance and direction. Embodying earthy instincts she knows how to cultivate the earth and create abundance through her passionate, attractive and commanding nature.

Europa is in the 11th House

You are most resourceful when working with groups rather than acting independently. This is because you understand the power of the people and because a sense of belonging is vital to your well being. If you do not feel a connection to a group then you are likely to feel lonely and isolated. You are able to create abundance for friends and associates through your passionate, attractive and commanding nature. You need to also create this sense of abundance for yourself within a club, group or organization.

Professionally you may choose to work within an organization that promotes the ideals of large groups or humanitarian causes. The United Nations, Trade Unionism, Greenpeace, and the Red Cross are just a few of the types of groups that could appeal.

Personally you could flourish through your friendships. You enjoy social gatherings, even if you are sometimes the observer than an enthusiastic participant. You are an excellent networker, able to link friends with common interests. You may also enjoy a committee or office bearer's role in a social organization. Individual rights may not figure largely in your life because you understand the need for organization of communal resources. At times you may feel a little overwhelmed by the needs of a group, but you are still aware of the benefits of social, professional, cultural and political parties. Tribal values are close to your heart. For this reason you may also feel a strong affinity with a particular cultural or indigenous 'tribe'.

Europa is in Virgo

You are resourceful, able to work hard to achieve your goals, but also maintaining a strong network of colleagues and friends who can help you further your position in society. You have high standards and expect others to meet these standards, both at work and play. You may be attracted to a mate who is as exacting as you. Your yen for perfection can be somewhat off-putting to your friends. If you are not careful you may lose friends because of your exacting standards. Whether or not this matters to you depends on other aspects of your birth chart. However, people in positions of power are likely to find your skills highly suitable for their purposes. For instance your parents are likely to hold you in high regard, appreciating your ability to succeed at school and then find suitable employment. You may not achieve high academic results, but you are likely to receive recognition for your practical and social skills.

You have a real gift for carrying out tasks in an efficient manner, simplifying complicated matters. At home you may discover a gift for renovating and decorating your home in a cost-effective and elegant style. At work you are able to use all available resources to achieve results. Your boss is likely to recognise your ability to work hard and achieve results. You are likely to be promoted at an early age. This may spark some jealousy from other, more experienced colleagues, but your ability to focus on the task at hand once again helps you move beyond petty jealousies and remain engrossed in your work.

The goddess Europa in the sign of Virgo also indicates a strong link to Mother Nature. You know how to cultivate the earth and create abundance through your passionate, attractive and commanding nature. Landscape gardening, ecology, and farming may spark your passion. Whatever course you choose you need to find a practical outlet for your passionate nature.

Pandora - A Gift Of Hope

'Hope sole remain'd within, nor took her flight,

Beneath the vessel's verge conceal'd from light'

Hesiod (ca. 700BC)

Pandora's story was written eight centuries before Christ in the epoch when gender roles were rigidly defined. Yet the mythic plot echoes timeless motifs, even ones used in contemporary science fiction. In Greek myth Pandora is the first woman, mother of all mortal women, created by the gods to assert their superiority over mankind. Cast as a femme fatale, a 'beautiful evil', she possesses a jar filled with toxins designed to pollute the race of mankind. Alluring, yet dangerous, Pandora represents a vestige of the ancient goddess culture threatening the emergent patriarch. Yet she also transports an indelible gift from the goddess embedded at the bottom of the urn.

Three centuries later her myth was carved on the marble base underpinning the spectacular cult statue of Athena. When designing the Parthenon and its decorations the Athenians chose the myth of Pandora to be the motif at Athena's feet. On the pedestal of the colossal statue suppliants to Athena were reminded of the creation of the first woman and the plagues she brought to bear on humanity, a striking contrast to Athena who brought victory and pride to the Greeks. Like Athena Pandora's birth was unusual. Fashioned out of the earth at the command of Zeus, Pandora was the instrument designed to punish mankind for the unsanctioned possession of fire stolen by Prometheus.

Zeus was furious when Prometheus stole fire from heaven, smuggling it in a fennel stalk and distributing it to mankind. With the theft the distance between man and god narrowed, as fire was the alchemical agent that would refine raw materials and promote the development of mankind. As the human race developed there would be less need for the gods. Zeus' revenge was to send a 'gift' to man that would counterbalance the profit mankind gained from using fire. To date men had lived without evil in a golden age, which now would come to an end through the guile of a beautiful woman.

Zeus instructed the smith-god Hephaestus to fashion a beautiful maiden resembling a goddess out of clay and water. Athena was to teach the phantom how to weave a web, Aphrodite was instructed to make her seductive and Hermes, the trickster-god, was to teach her how to be deceitful. Adorned with beautiful garments from the Charities Zeus breathed life into Pandora, who was given as a gift to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. In her hands she carried an intricately designed urn, the dowry Zeus had given her. Shut inside it was all the evils, storms and plagues that bring misfortune to mankind. Instructed not to accept any gifts from Zeus, Epimetheus became enchanted by the beautiful Pandora and forgot his brother's warning. Pandora opened the jar and before she could close the lid disease, old age, pain, toil, death and all the other ills that plague humanity spilled out. When she was finally able to seal the jar nothing remained except Hope, trapped at the bottom. In their benevolence the gods had insured an antidote for suffering. Pandora offers hope when all else has failed.

The myth of Pandora was included in Greek literature synchronous with the time that the myth of Eve appeared in Jewish writings. In both myths Pandora and Eve become the patriarchal scapegoat for all of humanity's troubles aligning feminine power with evil. This mythic misogyny demarcates the epoch when masculine values were dominant and feminine values were denigrated, even demonised. Pandora and Eve became the composite projection of evil, blamed for their lack of foresight, chaos and feelings. Underlying the mythic stratagem was a motif from an earlier period when goddess culture was dominant.

In Greek Pandora translates into 'all gifts' and her entry into Greek myth suggested this name because the gods of Olympus each gave her a gift. However this mythic thread is probably an inversion from earlier goddess culture when Pandora may have referred to the goddess giving gifts. Gift giving became an essential component of Greek culture and this inverted fragment reminds us of the abundant side of the goddess who offers us the cornucopia of plenty. Pandora is born of the earth like Gaia, supplying the gifts of life. And the gift of life she brings that cannot be destroyed is Hope. On a psychological level hope is the mechanism that breathes life into the soul after it has been bruised and deflated.

Pandora emerges at a critical time historically and psychologically. She enters Greek myth when the goddess culture has waned and been rejected and man is no longer in favour with the gods. Psychologically Pandora appears to offer hope in devastating times. She brings a powerful gift that cannot be destroyed by life's ills. Hope is the life force that survives the disaster evoking images of healing and improvement. When Pandora is prominent in a birth chart she confronts us to delve into the deepest part of ourselves to tap the reservoir of faith. Having survived the projections and denigration of the other Pandora resurrects life once again through the auspices of hope.

In astrology Pandora reminds us that embedded in every disaster is the gift of renewal through the auspices of faith and hope. Illness, destruction, old age and pain are part of feminine wisdom and this knowledge stands in direct contrast to masculine fantasies of a Golden Age and Garden of Eden.

Pandora is in the 10th House

There is no doubt about it - you are ambitious! You are eager to make your mark in society, to contribute in a meaningful way. Your career is paramount. From the moment that you enter the workforce you are a force to be reckoned with. Professional qualifications and certificates adorn your work environment. Awards and trophies line the shelves. Those in authority welcome your work ethic, although your co-workers may be somewhat overwhelmed, perhaps even resentful and jealous. You are unlikely to notice any ill feeling, because you are on a mission, determined to leave no stone uncovered in your efforts to achieve your professional ambitions.

Marriage is also like to feature strongly in your life, contributing to your social status. You may marry a colleague, someone who recognises and supports your position in society. Alternatively you may marry someone who enhances your public life. Children are a consideration only if this suits your life plan.

Professional zeal is admirable but at some point in your life's journey you are likely to realise that you have concentrated on your public life without paying head to the consequences for other aspects. Your private life also needs attention. Your career may come to a sudden and unexpected halt as a result of ill health or at the behest of a loved one. Alternatively you may start to feel tired, weighed down with responsibilities and tasks that no longer hold any meaning. When this happens the time is ripe for a reassessment. You need to pay attention to the warning signs. Is your heart really in your career? Are you following your true dream? Do you have the right balance between career success and personal satisfaction? Are you including your loved ones in your plans? Once you can answer 'yes' to these questions then you are filled with renewed energy and hope. Your faith in yourself and your goals is an inspiration. This is a prominent placement for the goddess Pandora and so you are able to inspire all who work with and for you.

Pandora is in Virgo

My goodness you do set such high standards for yourself. Are you aware that you also demand perfection from your colleagues, friends and family members? You don't mean to be picky, but somehow you just can't help noticing the faults of those closest to you. Of course, you are just as self-critical. Once you start to find fault then you don't seem to be able to stop. This personality trait does have a positive side. You can have a very successful career in any vocation that requires something or someone to be pulled apart and put back together again. For instance you could be an excellent mechanic, engineer, psychiatrist, surgeon, police officer or private detective. However, you do need to learn not to be so critical if you want to enjoy a fulfilling private life. Criticism can drive loved ones away, which is not what you want. As US psychologist Dr Phil Mcgraw says, 'instead of focusing on your partner's shortcomings, remember the qualities that attracted you in the first place. Perhaps some of these idiosyncrasies were part of the attraction? Just because a behaviour isn't mainstream, doesn't mean that it's toxic to the relationship.' You can apply this advice to any relationship in your life and therefore save yourself and those around from a lot of angst. Once you learn to temper your perfectionist streak you can inspire others with your wise advice and by setting an example. You become a strong and reliable source of comfort with your store of practical advice, offering hope to others.

Mnemosyne - The Soul Of Memory

'Thou fill'st from the wingèd chalice of the soul

Thy lamp, O Memory, fire-wingèd to its goal.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)

The faculty of memory was so important to the ancients that it was personified as a goddess. In Greek cosmogony Mnemosyne was the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, a pre-Olympian goddess who characterised Memory. Being one of the original deities Mnemosyne is the custodian of memory before the advent of writing, literacy, books, recordings and computers. She embodies the voice of an oral culture that communicates from the soul through stories, pictures, metaphors and body language. Mnemosyne finds her voice through the poetry of images revealing her memoirs through a dream, a feeling, a response, a longing or a sudden thought that darts into consciousness. Embedded in the fragments of a song, a myth, or a fairy tale linger ancient truths that awaken the goddess. Dwelling in the soul Mnemosyne unexpectedly arouses memory through our senses and bodily reactions.

To the ancient Greeks memory was a goddess residing in the heart. Memory was soulful, an aspect of psyche that was creative and evocative and the ancients also saw the goddess as mother of the Muses. Goddess culture honoured her form through three phases and originally Mnemosyne was celebrated through the Muses of meditation, memory and song. In early myth the Muses were the triune aspect of memory who inspired poetry and song. As rational science and beliefs began to emerge the seat of memory began to shift to the brain, aligning memory with a more logical and calculating experience rendering Mnemosyne a passive goddess who collected and stored life's impressions. Later myth suggested there were nine muses. Zeus visited Mnemosyne for nine nights and was the father of her nine daughters, the Muses, the inspiration and manifestation of the soul of memory. As mistress of healing and prophecy the Muses inspired and taught others to contact a deeper knowing through their imagination and creativity which guarded the wellspring of memory. As custodians of the arts each had a sphere of influence which they inspired and animated with ancient images and recollections. History, Music, Comedy, Tragedy, Choral Dance and Song, Lyric Poetry, Religious Dance, Astronomy and Epic Poetry were the personifications of the ancient goddess of memory. Apollo, lord of the rational sphere, became their guardian and leader.

Memory's daughters are the muses, the ones who inspire and enchant the soul. Through her and her daughters we are able to engage in weaving the fragments of memory together to evoke meaning. Mnemosyne reminds us to remember the ancient ways. The goddess of Memory is not just a passive recorder of experience and events but a poetic and heart-rending process that inspires the imagination. Mnemosyne re-collects the emotional experiences, feelings and impressions of our life. She is the archive of all that we have tasted, touched, wanted, smelt and felt. Her memories are stored in the psyche as images, symbols, feelings, impressions and instincts or become imprinted in the body, in the adrenal or olfactory glands, the tension in the muscles, allergies and illnesses. Mnemosyne is rhythmic and reflective, not linear, evoking dreams, images, songs that give continuity to our life's narrative. Memory and imagination are woven together when Mnemosyne and her daughters are aroused.

To the ancients the sacred sanctuary of Mnemosyne and the Muses was the museum. These ancient shrines dedicated to the goddess ceded to the structures we know today as museums where we house the great works of the imagination. On an inner level the museum is the sphere of Mnemosyne where impressions and feelings from the past are evoked in the present situation.

In astrology Mnemosyne the goddess helps us remember images and impressions from previous phases of our life in order to give meaning, context and insight into these experiences. She acts as a loosening agent, allowing buried complexes, taboo feelings, repressed memories to breathe again to find some place in the sunlight of consciousness. She connects passages of time together. Links can be made back to times in the previous cycle allowing space for the process of reflection and musing.

Mnemosyne is in the 11th House

Memory is an important part of anyone's personality and identity. As far as you are concerned it is your memory that helps bring you closer to friends, groups, organizations, and societies. You enjoy spending time with friends, and taking part in group activities because it helps you feel a sense of belonging through the memory of shared experience. Communicating with other people inspires you further in your own work. For this reason you are likely to organise social events to commemorate important dates in your own, and your friend's calendars. You particularly enjoy significant dates in your own culture. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah or Passover. No matter what your background or religion you like to mark significant occasions in your calendar with friends or your local community. You are also keen to ensure that your friends intermingle. You can see value in all of your friends and in all cultures. You like to hear your friends' stories and in listening you start to see the links between various people, who don't know each other. You are keen for them to meet and share their common thread. For this reason you are skilled at networking, linking people with shared interests or skills. You may also enjoy book clubs or chat groups on the internet. You are more likely to join or lead a group of similar interests rather than a random social group because you are most focussed on shared interests, a common language so to speak. Although you enjoy working with groups and perhaps on committees, you are unlikely to receive accolades and recognition for your efforts in groups. You are more likely to be the secretary or public relations officer rather than the Chief Executive of an organization. If you join a committee then you are more likely to be a hard-working member or the secretary rather than hold the prominent position of President or Chairperson. This does, of course, depend on other aspects of your birth chart. Nevertheless you are seeking shared experience of working towards a common goal rather than appreciation or accolades. You agree with author Lester J. Pourciau who says, 'there is no monument dedicated to the memory of a committee.' You are generally philosophical rather than ambitious. Your individual hopes and wishes are linked to learning about friends, groups, society and humanity rather than personal ambitions. You are aware of the fact that all people are linked at a spiritual level and that we are all striving to our best to live on planet Earth. This gift for understanding others plays a key role in your life. The goddess Mnemosyne is urging you to inspire others with your philosophical, spiritual or artistic gifts.

Mnemosyne is in Virgo

Sometimes the world is a troubling place. You see disease, pestilence, natural disasters and wars and realise that humanity has learnt little from history. You wonder why people have failed to remember the consequences of past misdeeds. As such you can find that the troubles of the world get you down unless you create diversions. You need to talk to others, share your thoughts and opinions in order to resolve inner conflict. Good mental health depends on your ability to communicate with others, create artistic diversions and find some meaning in your own life, as well as world affairs. Music can also play a key role in healing your troubled soul. The harmonies and lyrics of favourite songs can instantly uplift you from depressing thoughts and feelings. You have a love of words, but more so you have a love of the way in which these words are communicated. Poetry, choreography, and creative design are just a few of the activities that inspire the best in you. You are more likely to be the choreographer or stage manager rather than the artiste. You may work in the office of an artistic organization rather than stand in the spotlight. Nevertheless you are inspired by the arts. You may also be interested in patterns. This interest can range from something as simple as a knitting pattern to solving a more complicated mathematical problem. Reading detective novels and solving murder mysteries may also appeal. You are sensitive to your immediate environment, to the extent that your immune system may sometimes be challenged. Dwelling in the soul Mnemosyne unexpectedly arouses memory through our senses and bodily reactions. Therefore you are likely to enjoy massage, aromatherapy and other healing modalities. You may also be interested in conventional medicine, but it is more likely to be connected to a fascination for rare diseases, x-rays or anything that presents or solves a health dilemma. You are interested in configurations, synchronicity, mysteries and collating evidence.

You recognise that there is a grand design, a destiny for humanity and yet you need to concentrate on your own gifts. You tend to get caught up in details, remembering all of the little things that need doing, rather than seeing how you can contribute to the big picture. Hence you feel overwhelmed by the world at large. You are also very critical, recalling all of the things that have been done wrong rather than concentrating on the connections. Criticism has its place, but you need to be wary of being too harsh on yourself and others. Learn to relax, remember the good times and focus on your artistic goals. You have a real gift for creating connections, either in arts and crafts or in linking people with common interests. You may also have an excellent memory for figures. The goddess Mnemosyne asks you to lighten up and share the good times, use your gifts as a service to others in your personal life, and humanity as a whole.

Hecate - The Soul In Transition

'Leave those vain moralists, my friend, and return to the depth of your soul:

that is where you will always rediscover the source of the sacred fire

which so often inflamed us with love of the sublime virtues;

that is where you will see the eternal image of true beauty,

the contemplation of which inspires us with a holy enthusiasm.'

Anthony Robbins

Hecate became associated with the dark phase of triple goddess who embraced the spheres of heaven (Selene), earth (Artemis) and underworld (Persephone). Her initial association with the underworld was as an attendant to Persephone. It was Hecate who heard Persephone's screams when Hades dragged her down into the netherworld. Hecate was also present when Hermes escorted Persephone out of the underworld. As a guardian of the threshold Hecate witnessed Persephone's descent and release. Her cave is located between the earth and the underworld confirming Hecate's role as an intermediary, bound to neither world but in between both.

As a threshold goddess Hecate is encountered when the paths of our lives converge and we are uncertain which fork in the road to follow. Throughout antiquity she was worshipped at the intersection of roads and by Roman times she was known as Hecate Trivia, the goddess of the three ways. On the night of the New Moon pots of food were left at the crossroads as votive offerings to the goddess. 'Hecate's suppers' honoured the transition of one lunar cycle to the next on the night that the old month ended. Statues with three bodies and three heads were erected at crossroads for travellers to leave offerings and say prayers to Hecate for guidance across an important threshold.

As liminal places where travellers pass from one world into another, crossroads were often associated with spirits and shades. Hecate became aligned with ghosts and hallucinations as the ancient Greeks attributed the power to conjure up the dead and the phantoms of the imagination with her. Known as the leader of souls she was associated with magic, divination and contact with the shades of the dead. By the classical period Hecate had become affiliated with witchcraft and magic, known as the goddess of ghosts and night terrors. Her companions were dogs. As guardians of thresholds and instinctually able to trace a scent hounds represented Hecate's instinctual wisdom. By later antiquity Hecate had become the patroness of witchcraft.

Hecate's triple aspect was also reflected in the phases of the Moon. As 'Mistress of the Moon' Hecate governed its dark phase. Sappho called her the 'Queen of the Night' and as a light bearer she often carried two torches. Knowing the wisdom of cycles and their triune phases of birth, death and rebirth the lunar goddess also represented the menstrual crossroads in a woman's life cycle. As a birth goddess she was an intermediary figure not only for souls departing their body but also for souls entering a new one. Hecate appears at the threshold of change in women's lives as she enters a new phase of the life cycle. As a lunar goddess associated with fertility rites she is aware of the richness of the dark and hidden treasures. In her dual role as guardian of the threshold and Queen of the Night she knows that every decision taken at the crossroads must come from a deeper level of soul.

Since her early depiction in epic Hecate has become denigrated, often portrayed as a negative and a dangerous demon of the dark. Disassociated from the totality of the lunar cycle she has become identified only with its dark phase. Fear of the dark, death and the underworld were projected onto Hecate who represented the dismembered connection to the feminine wisdom of cycles. However her ancient myth reminds us of her perpetual role as an intermediary and attendant at the crossroads. As a goddess of liminality we meet her on the precipice of change, at crossroads, on doorways, in transition. During these times of initiation Hecate helps us to accept our disorientation between two ways of being.

When the godess Hecate is prominent in a birth chart she depicts the area in which we are at crossroads in our lives. Time can sometimes seem suspended while we reorient ourselves to a new way of being. Confusion, loss and disconnection are natural moods during this phase as we let go of what has been in order to greet what may be.

Hecate is in the 7th House

This is a prominent and challenging placement of this powerful goddess indicating that you are keen to be married, but may have some problems when it comes to maintaining a long-term relationship.

In a woman's chart the goddess Hecate in this area of your birth chart indicates that you are a strong person, who tends to dominate and therefore alienate potential marriage partners. You may not realise just how much you like to be an authority. You may believe that you are striving for equality, but in younger years you are likely to have difficulty getting close to a mate, because of your need to be your own person. Relationships require compromise, give and take. You may, inadvertently, try to dominate your mate. As a young person you are likely to attract lovers who find your independent spirit attractive. Gradually, though, the sheer force of your personality overwhelms them. This could lead to a crisis situation that changes the course of both of your lives. The good news is that as you mature you take a more philosophical, less intense, approach to potential mates. As a result you are able to find true love with someone of equal status and independence, someone who has a strong sense of their own personal boundaries and requirements. You can enjoy a quality marriage as well as having enough freedom to satisfy your independent spirit.

In a man's chart the goddess Hecate in this sphere of your chart shows that you are likely to marry a strong woman. In fact your partner may have such a dramatic personality that you decide to live together before proposing marriage. You are very clear about the type of person you want to marry. You are not attracted to anyone who is weak, victim-like or vulnerable. You prefer a strong-minded individual, who knows his or her own mind and is not afraid to be your equal. You are not willing to compromise and will leave a marriage rather than live unhappily. You are happy to look after your spouse, but only if you see them making an effort to improve their own situation.

The goddess Hecate is challenging you to view your marriage as an area in which you consider another person's feelings. This powerful goddess was a protector of the down trodden. Although she could be wrathful, she was also known to have a tender heart. She was an intermediary. You have all of these traits at your fingertips if you choose to follow your heart. Sometimes you might feel like you are giving more than you are receiving in your marriage. Long-term contracts, whether business or personal, can start to feel lopsided. You are being asked to keep a level head and protect both your own interests and those of your partner. You may also like to consider using your diplomatic and intercessory skills for the benefit of humanity as a whole. Perhaps you could work as a marriage guidance counsellor, an intermediary in divorce courts or perhaps an international diplomat.

Hecate is in Taurus

The power of the goddess Hecate and the sign of Taurus combine to give you a heightened appreciation of sensuality and beauty. You could be a priest or priestess reminding the rest of humanity of the importance of the great mother earth, as well the beauty of the universe. You love to gaze the night sky, noticing the brightness of the stars and mapping out the phases of the Moon. You also delight in the blue hue of the daytime sky, as well as the varying weather patterns. When you reach a crossroads in your life you are easily soothed by nature. However, mostly you reach out to those less fortunate than yourself. You are compassionate, noticing when someone is in pain. In fact you may have difficulty communicating on a superficial level because of your heightened sensitivity to the spirit world. You may see and feel things that other people seem not to notice. You are a healer, who can see what is out of order and knows how to mend tribulations. You can inspire those who have broken down under the weight of physical, emotional, mental or spiritual ailments. You are well versed in the feminine arts. You are likely to enjoy cooking, nurturing those around you with medicinal recipes. Like the goddess Hecate you can call on the spirit world to assist those in trouble. The Angelic realms are nearby. On a spiritual level you know the healing power of prayer and meditation. On the physical plane you understand the curative potential of touch. It is an automatic response for you to touch others, particularly animals and people when you sense that they are in pain. You connect through the sense of touch. You are also very sensitive to the other senses, including the sixth sense - the psychic realm. You are practical and yet spiritual and this is a potent combination. You need to be wary of taking your gifts for granted, and also need to avoid the dark arts. Witchcraft can be white or black. You may deal with at least one crossroads in your life when you need to choose between good and evil, your conscious and your desires. Make sure that you respect other people's artistic deeds, needs for healing and autonomy. Otherwise your desire to control situations could backfire. The goddess Hecate is urging you to focus on your gifts and what you can give, not what you are likely to gain. You need to continually overcome any personal hurts and slights, and to use your gift for the betterment of humanity.

Cassandra - The Prophetic Soul

'And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.'

I Corinthians 13:2, Bible

Cassandra stood on the walls of Troy and watched Paris' ship enter the harbour. Her brother had returned from Sparta having seduced Helen away from her homeland to bring her to live in Troy as his wife. With the blessings of Aphrodite Paris and his lover Helen had snuck away from her palace undetected and sailed across the Aegean to Asia Minor. A dark cloud shrouded the ship as it anchored. When Cassandra watched her brother and Helen disembark and approach the city gates she was flooded with images of Troy's destruction, filling her with an ominous and terrible feeling. Possessed by this eerie perception she uttered a warning to the crowd that was gathered at the gates to welcome the couple. From deep inside she divined the future: Helen's entrance into the city would lead to its destruction. Ignoring Cassandra and her prophecy the crowds turned away to welcome the new royal couple into their city. Time and time again her message was rejected and ridiculed. Ten years later a similar scenario would unfold. Cassandra would warn the Trojans not to accept the wooden horse into their city. Once again no one would heed her accurate predictions. The Greeks, angry at Helen's abduction, sacked Troy and left the city in ashes.

Cassandra was one of the daughters of the royal family of Troy, a sister to both Paris and Hector and twinned to her brother, Helenus. When the twins were infants they accompanied their parents to the temple of Apollo to celebrate a festival in honour of the oracular god. During the ritual the twins fell into a deep sleep. Two temple snakes slithered into their basket as they slept and bit them on their ears injecting the gift (or poison) of prophecy into them. From that day both Cassandra and Helenus were known for their prophetic nature.

Having the gift of sight Cassandra entered the temple to serve Apollo being called to her vocation as his Pythia, the voice of the oracular god. However Apollo fell in love with her and demanded she reciprocate his desire. But Cassandra refused to consummate the relationship preferring to worship the god in spirit, not body. Enraged Apollo found a way to avenge her rejection. Knowing he could not retract the gift of prophecy that he had given her when she was so young he cursed her so no one would ever believe her prophecies. The god begged her for one kiss and Cassandra consented. As she opened her mouth to kiss the god Apollo breathed his curse into her insuring others would no longer value her prophetic vision. He turned his back on her, condemning Cassandra to see the perilous future yet never able to be understood or believed. Cassandra, cursed by the narcissistic god for rejecting him, was later violently assaulted by Ajax upon the altar of Athena when the Greeks were ransacking Troy. After the sack of Troy the leader of the Greek fleet Agamemnon took her as his slave back to his palace of Mycenae. As she approached the mammoth walled city her images of destruction became more and more intense. Racked by the violent visions she screamed a warning for Agamemnon to not enter the palace foreseeing his brutal murder at the hands of his wife. In her heart she also knew that entering the city with him would result in her own death.

Cassandra personifies the medial woman whose intuitive faculties and understanding of the unconscious patterns are not welcomed in an ordered rational society. She sees what others are too fearful to see and exposes the inevitable patterns that underpin the situation. In an atmosphere of control and denial Cassandra is marginalised and demeaned becoming the projective reflection of the fear of chaos and uncertainty. Disbelief and ignorance render her wisdom impotent. When dark feelings, dread or grief are repressed in the atmosphere Cassandra is the medium of their expression. Her curse is that she is not identified with her feelings leaving her unable to connect or be understood. Her feelings are identified as autonomous ravings abandoning her to the sidelines of society. In a psychological context Cassandra's ego identity has collapsed through her symbiotic alliance with the unexpressed shadow lurking in the atmosphere. Cassandra is able to sense what is taboo and unlived but unable to remain separate from it.

Cassandra represents the archetype of medial knowledge. Unlike the ancient world there are no longer sanctuaries or sacred places to honour her way of knowing. She reflects the need to be aware of our medial skills and intuitive knowledge and seek training to help strengthen the ability to use this skill and not be overwhelmed by it. When Cassandra appears prominently she encourages the individual to find a voice for the medium through understanding the symbols, images, signs and omens of unconscious language. She embodies the ancient ways of knowing in a culture that no longer values prophecy and divination. Her knowledge is not objective but oracular. To embrace Cassandra we must abandon logic, separateness and rationality and enter into the irrational world where meaning is revealed through feeling and connectedness. However Cassandra reminds us that in a scientific and ordered society our knowing may be rejected. Cassandra encourages us to have the strength of our convictions and a strong and healthy identity about our beliefs.

Oracular knowing springs out of the collective through an unconscious and unbound participation with everything in the environment. When boundaries are blurred and the veil between the worlds is lifted we enter into a participation mystique with the spirits of the world beyond us and may be called to act as a vessel for their message.

Cassandra is in the 7th House

As a young child you watch and learn from the interactions of your parents. If they share a positive and loving bond then you are likely to learn that relationships are a gift. As an adult you develop a deeply rewarding bond with a marriage partner, and possibly also business partners. On the other hand if your parent's relationship is fraught with difficulties then you are likely to be more sensitive than usual to the potential undercurrents in marriage unions. As you grow older you may be wary of forging your own commitment to another person, believing that your personal gifts will disappear.

Whether you grow up with loving or feuding parents, you have a wonderful ability to understand the benefits that can come through joining forces with another person. If you choose not to marry, then you are likely to form bonds with other people that help develop your gifts. Perhaps you become involved in creative projects that benefit both yourself and those working closely with you. On the other hand you may work as a marriage guidance counsellor, mediator or diplomat.

In a woman's chart this placement of the goddess Cassandra can indicate an intimate bond with a dominant man. This union needs to be closely monitored. You must be vigilant in making sure that you do not let this man have too much influence in your life, or that his influence is only positive. In other words you can form a strong love union, but do not let your marriage partner have control over you and your decisions in a negative manner. Ensure that your spirit is strong in this relationship.

In a man's chart this placement of the goddess Cassandra can depict partnerships with an influential woman, or possibly more than one. This union is likely to bring great personal and/or professional rewards. You need to ensure that you respect your female counterpart in all contracts.

Cassandra is in Taurus

You are a wise person, the holder of your family and friend's secrets. This is because others confide in you, seeking your advice and visions. They also seek your practical advice. As a young child you were likely compelled to know things that other children did not even consider. This is both a blessing and a curse. As you grow older, you learn that compassion and wisdom are wonderful traits. However, some times you tire of being the knower other people's troubles and concerns. You may feel that you are missing out on the lighter side of life. Being a sage is not always easy. Perhaps you could consider the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. Forced to become a sage at a young age, seeing hardships that are beyond many people's comprehension, the Dalai Lama has a contagious laugh and an obvious sense of fun. This adds, rather than detracts, from his wisdom.

The tendency to become a confidant and vessel for other people's truths is emphasised in the chart of women. You are a warm and supportive person, particularly sensitive to the wisdom of the feminine forces in this world.

If the goddess Cassandra is in the zodiac sign of Taurus in a man's chart, then you are also wise and knowledgeable in feminine arts, however; you are also likely to attract a wise woman, one who becomes your confidant and perhaps even muse.

The house placement of the goddess Cassandra in your chart will tell you the area in which your wisdom really shines and the extent to which others are likely to seek your counsel.

Medea - Herbalist And Healer

'Of all things upon earth that bleed and grow, A herb most bruised is woman'

Euripes, Medea

Medea, a princess of Colchis, was known as the 'wise one' for her skill of healing and proficiency at using drugs and herbs. Colchis, which gives its name to Colchicum, the meadow saffron, was a kingdom on the Eastern shores of the Black Sea, considered a foreign, barbaric land through the eyes of a civilised Greece. Medea's ancestors were linked to both the sun and healing long before Apollo became the god associated with these realms. Helios, Medea's grandfather, was the Sun god of the old order, born a Titan's son. Her aunt Circe was a sorceress, a magician, herbalist and healer who knew the ancient ways of plants and spices and how to cast spells. Circe had trained Medea as a young woman in the arts of sorcery, magic and herbalism, teaching her how to mix potions, direct spells and rearrange matter. Medea was also a priestess in the temple of Hecate, honouring the goddess of the dark night and magic. Hecate guided her instincts. As a medical intuitive she knew the magical properties of herbs, the appropriate plants for healing, homeopathic tinctures and the process of preparing and administering these remedies in her cauldron. As the surrogate of Hecate Medea knew the timing of the lunar cycle and how to draw down the moon when ritual and ceremony was needed.

However Medea was unable to withstand the unholy alliance of the goddesses Hera and Athena who petitioned Aphrodite to conspire with them and cause the princess to fall in love with Jason. Medea became enchanted by Eros and fell in love with the Greek hero, who had come to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Medea helped Jason achieve this impossible task with the help of special ointments, incantations and timing. Medea enabled Jason, her heroic/lover, to succeed at the trials set before him but in helping Jason be successful Medea had to betray her family and flee her homeland.

On their flight from Colchis Medea visited her aunt Circe who absolved her of her betrayal and eventually Medea arrived at Jason's birthplace, at the foot of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. When she arrived in her new homeland Medea used her great skill at the arts of magic and herbs to rejuvenate Jason father but also used her sorcery to trick the king's daughters into unintentionally killing their father. To prepare for this procedure Medea disappeared for nine days collecting the special drugs and herbs that she needed. As the Moon swelled she returned, sacrificed to her goddess Hecate, then used drugs to help Aeson, Jason's father, fall into a deep sleep. She then cut his throat to let the old blood run out, dismembered him, putting the pieces in a cauldron with the liquid herbs she had prepared. Jason's father emerged from the cauldron rejuvenated, forty years younger. Medea's spell captured the daughters of Pelias, the wicked uncle of Jason who had usurped his rightful claim to the throne. The daughters also wished to rejuvenate their father and Medea said she would perform the task again. The daughters prepared their father by dismembering him, however this time Medea did not put the herbs in the cauldron and their father never emerged.

Having been responsible for the murder of the king Medea and Jason once again were forced to escape. While fleeing Medea's herbal bag broke open spilling her drugs seeding the plains of Thessaly with an abundance of healing and magical herbs. As the first sorceress to perform rituals in Thessaly Medea is the seminal figure behind the region being known as 'the land of the witches'. Her myth intimates that she introduced woman's herbal knowledge from Asia Minor into Greece.

In later myth Medea is usually remembered, not as the skilled healer, but as a revengeful and spurned partner, a woman caught in the grip of jealousy for which she had no antidote. By the classical period the playwrights depict Medea consumed with rage murdering her own children to avenge Jason's infidelity. However Medea is more a reminder of the great respect and knowledge of healing, herbs and magic that was brought to the West and then subtly ignored and eventually demonised. Underpinning the myth are fragments of an older tradition. Jason's name means 'healer' and his partnership with Medea complements the old ways of healing before the emergence of rational medicine and the demonisation of magic.

Botany evolved away from gathering herbs and digging roots of the pastoral communities to empirical and detailed research purification ceremonies and the use of herbs became replaced by manmade drugs and prescriptions. The connections to the more instinctual, chthonic and natural ways of healing were left behind. Traces of magic, ritual healing and evoking the spirit of the disease began to disappear in the Western medical tradition. Left to carry the ancient process of magic was Medea the embodiment of the archetypal witch. As a heroine Medea champions the feminine wisdom that knows intuitively knows how to cooperate with nature and her cycles. She instinctually knows the right time to perform rituals and ceremonies to evoke the healing spirits or exorcise the demons.

When Medea is prominent in a birth chart she reveals the need to explore the ancient feminine traditions of herbalism, witchcraft and magic ritual. Intuitively we know the natural cycle of the body and what it needs to be well. Medea reminds us to honour the ancient custom of relating to the plant world, the wisdom of nature and the powerful healing and transforming properties embedded in the natural world. Instinctually the witch is the impulse that draws us to remedies and potions at the right time and is the urge to create ritual and ceremony to evoke the powers of the goddess.

Medea is in the 10th House

Supported by the power of Medea you should never feel hesitant about taking your place in the world. Underlying the foundations of your road into life is the influential goddess who is transformational and charismatic. Your 10th house is the vocational vicinity that suggests you have a calling, a purpose or the urge to contribute something to the community. However these feelings are always tempered by the messages that we literally receive from our parents and principals about what we should do and who we should become. Hence placed on the road into life are detour signs lovingly erected by our caretakers that can delay the authentic experience of what we are destined to do in the world. This placement may also suggest that one of the parents is powerfully persuasive about what is important and what path should be taken. From an early age we may have been privy to seeing power unconstructively used in the world and may have shied away from wanting to be powerful ourselves. However without feeling powerful and transformational in the world you will always feel something is incomplete or missing. Medea suggests that it is important for you to find the expression of truth in the world that probably has to do with either championing the disenfranchised, using power and influence for positive change, or healing and therapeutic activities. While the 10th house is about our career it is more useful when we think of it as our pathway through the world, not a fixed position. Therefore to feel fulfilled your skills at healing, change management, empowering the wounded would need to be used, but these skills will always be improving and changing as you utilise them in the world.

No doubt you will come across power struggles in your adult experiences just as you did as a child. It is important to trust your judgements and your hunches in work situations. You have a great instinct for perceiving what the truth of the situation really is. Therefore it is imperative to trust your instincts and support yourself when you know you're right, even against all odds. It is often through adversity and the challenge of authority from superiors that you find your powerful voice to speak the truth, not just for yourself, but all those who are underprivileged and victimised.

Medea is in Leo

In the classical account of Medea's story, told in the enthralling version by Euripides, the heroine is betrayed by the man she loves. Then, as an act of revenge she takes their children away from him so he will lose contact with this most precious aspect of his life. Medea's vengeance is designed to break Jason's heart. The tragedy confronts the human experience of rage, betrayal and the pain of a broken heart. While your destiny will not be like Medea's you will recognise the motif and pattern inherent in the story. Underlying Leo is often the story of a broken heart or the loss of innocence brought about by the pain of experiencing love for the first time. With Medea in this sign you know the potency of your feelings of attraction and love as well as your reactions to disloyalty. Your feelings of love are intense and passionate. Medea highlights the ability to manage these feelings as we can not afford to be devoured or overwhelmed by infantile rage. You have a great inner strength supported by the will and courage to strive to be a loving human being.

Like Medea your fate may also involve children. Your strong protective instinct may lead you into parenthood but generally it suggests safeguarding children. Whether this fate leads you into the teaching, child care, or social services involving children you are called on to use your strong feelings and convictions to shield children from harm. However it is not only the child in the outer world that captures your consideration, it is also the joy and playfulness of the inner child.

A channel for the passionate urge to express yourself can come through a creative or passionate endeavour. Whether you find yourself on stage as the spokesperson for a valuable cause, a coach or instructor or the theatrical voice of a tragic character you have an impressive ability to express powerful thoughts and feelings, especially when what you are expressing is close to your heart.

The heart is where Leo is most sensitive to stress. Medea's herbs like borage are helpful for strengthening the heart. Plant some in a corner of the garden where it can grow wild, then harvest it for tea. While you might be thinking of redesigning your garden create some space for sunflowers or marigolds to brighten the mood. Hawthorn berries are also good for blood pressure irregularities while flower essences that complement the goddess in this area are vervain and vine. Petition the goddess by using lots of garlic in your cooking. Get used to using walnuts as a power supplement to your salads. Your Tarot card is Strength, which encourages you to draw on impassioned feelings to express yourself, and to discover a life-affirming creative outlet where you can shine and be noticed.

Conclusion

When using this report, please bear in mind that, inevitably, every chart will contain some contradictory influences. Usually it is the responsibility of an astrologer to synthesise these apparent contradictions in order to present a cohesive and meaningful interpretation of the dilemmas of the chart.

Please also be aware of the fact that each person has positive and negative influences in the chart, and therefore in their lives. The challenge is to accept and overcome the negative influences, so that we can successfully focus on the positive traits. This report outlines both influences, and therefore parts may be difficult to accept. Any advice given is meant to be an aid to a person taking responsibility for their own lives. The ultimate decision rests with each individual. The authors and publisher accept no liability for any adverse effects of this report.

This report is meant more of an introduction to the wonders of the Asteroid Goddesses rather than a complete course in its intricacies. Further studies, or a consultation with a professional astrologer, are encouraged to explore this most ancient scientific and philosophic tool. We hope that you will discover a common thread that gentles winds its way through the 12 Goddess placements in your chart, a thread that inspires you to continue to follow your dreams and discover the Goddess or God within.

The text in this report has been written by Australian astrologers Brian Clark and Stephanie Johnson.

Brian Clark Brian is one of the main tutors of a four-year program in applied astrology for Astro*Synthesis. He has been active in astrology since 1972, having served as National President for both The Fraternity for Canadian Astrologers and The Federation of Australian Astrologers FAA. He has twice received awards from the Canadian astrological society, received the Education Award from the FAA and been nominated three times for the International Regulus Award. Brian also lectures on myth and conducts tours to sacred sites in Greece through Odyssey. Brian has a BA from Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Canada and a Post Graduate Diploma in Classics and Archaeology from Melbourne University. He is the author of 'The Sibling Constellation'(1999) and a contributing author to Intimate Relationships (Llewellyn, 1991), books that have also been translated into French and Japanese. A new book called Celestial Tarot is soon to be published.

Stephanie Johnson is co-director of Esoteric Technologies Pty Ltd., the company behind astrology software Solar Fire, Solar Maps, Solar Writer, Solar Spark and JigSaw. In 1994 Stephanie, and her partner, were awarded the Federation of Australian Astrologers' Southern Cross Award for Research and Development, and in 1998 they were awarded the Southern Cross award for Community Service and Research. Stephanie holds a Federation of Australian Astrologers' (FAA) Practitioner's Certificate and was awarded an FAA Diploma for her share in designing and developing the Solar Fire suite of programs. She is a student of Medieval Astrology and the Ancient Wisdom teachings, holding a Masters of Science degree in Esotericism from the University of the Seven Rays, New Jersey, USA, as well as the Robert Zoller Certificate of Medieval Astrology. Before commencing her professional astrology career Stephanie was a journalist for 15 years in Australia, England and the USA.

Kay Steventon is a Melbourne based artist/astrologer. After graduating from R.M.I.T. in 1980 with a Diploma Fine Art, Kay gained the F.A.A. Professional Astrologer qualification, and 'Living The Tarot' Diploma. Since 1966 Kay has had many solo and mixed exhibitions in Melbourne and overseas,specializing in symbolic art in 1992. Her first Tarot deck and book,'The Spiral Tarot', was published in 1998. Kay 's second Deck, 'Celestial Tarot', was published in 2003 with the Celestial book written by Brian Clark. A 52 card deck, 'Goddessess and Heroines' is due to be published 2005, again a joint effort by Kay and Brian Clark.

If you would like further information please contact Esoteric Technologies Pty Ltd PO Box 578 Magill SA 5072 Australia. Phone/Fax (08) 8331 3057. Email: sales@esotech.com.au