The Goddess is the custodian of life's 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, ritualized 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 a discovery of a small planet would be made, heralding the reawakening of feminine power and the 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 favored 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. More than four hundred of these small planets had been named as the 19th Century drew to a close.

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 honor the instinctual wisdom of nature and follow her guidance.

These 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. These four goddesses were also the first named asteroids and the ones most frequently referred to in contemporary astrological literature. They personify four potent feminine functions or orientations to life. 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 symbolize our worldly concerns and attitudes. Ariadne, Europa, Pandora and Mnemosyne are the influential representatives in the world who watch over our loves and labors, 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 based on their position by sign and house in your horoscope.

Ceres, Asteroid No 1, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 1849. The axis of health in the horoscope is the 6th-12th polarity. The Sun symbolizes 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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 essence as well. Planets in Gemini or Mercury aspects to Uranus or Pluto highlight the nature of Pandora.

Mnemosyne, Asteroid No. 57, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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, was discovered in 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.

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, born from her father's head after he had swallowed Metis. 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.

Hygieia was the daughter of the Greek god of healing, Asclepius and the beloved goddess of Health. She is the sister of other minor healing deities and heroes including Panacea, Machaon and Podalirius. As the goddess of Health, Hygieia is 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 Pasiphae, granddaughter of Helios and Zeus. She is sister of Phaedra and half-sister to the Minotaur. As the wife of Dionysus, Ariadne embodies the sacred marriage having endured the trials of betrayal and abandonment.

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.

Pandora was the first woman, shaped by Hephaestus, to be the harbinger of a new age. She was married to Epimetheus and was the mother of Pyrrha. As a representative of the ancient ways of the goddess, Pandora brings the gift of hope.

Mnemosyne was a Titaness, a daughter of Gaia and Uranus, known as the goddess who personified the faculty of memory. As the mother to the Nine Muses she represents enchantment, inspiration and the power of remembering.

The goddess Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria, the granddaughter of Phoebe, and a powerful goddess revered by all the gods. Later she became an attendant to Persephone. As an underworld goddess she was represented in her three-fold nature and was worshipped at the crossroads and as the guardian of transitions.

Cassandra was the daughter of Priam and Hecuba, the regents of the powerful dynasty of Troy. She was the twin sister to Helenus and sister to seventeen other siblings including Paris and Hector. From an early age she had oracular ability, yet no one believed her. Cassandra carries the feminine mysteries of divination even in a contemporary world that devalues the sacred tradition.

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

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 modeled 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 honoring a sacred and profound feminine story. The 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 baptize 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 fulfill 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 there.

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 mother, Ceres indicates the necessity to nurture a creative project even though that means letting it go. By relinquishing an attachment a phase of the cycle ends and prepares us for a new beginning.

Astrologically the goddess 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 life may be renewed. Following is a portrayal of the goddess Ceres in your natal horoscope.

Ceres is in Aquarius

The goddess Ceres was challenged to learn about true intimacy in relationships, when to be intimate and when to let go. This placement of the goddess Ceres in the sign of Aquarius indicates that this is one of your central life lessons.

You thoroughly enjoy the company of your friends. You thrive in social situations. 'The more the merrier' could be one of your personal mottoes. You are popular, the center of any party and often the organizer of social events. You may even choose to work as an events organizer, promotions officer, marketing manager or any role that involves large groups. You are very accepting of other people because you need to feel that any behavior is acceptable, both your own and other's. Eccentricity does not faze you. This adds to your popularity because your friends feel comfortable in your presence.

Your intimate relationships are another story. You enjoy the romance and excitement of the chase, but you find it difficult to commit to any one person. You are a free spirit. The process of commitment feels like an elimination process for you. In other words you feel that you lose your sense of identity once you become too close to one person. Perhaps your mother was emotionally distant when you were young. You may have learned to cope by detaching from your own emotional needs. The process of becoming involved in an intimate relationship unconsciously sparks your earlier needs and your fear of abandonment. Therefore you are unlikely to commit easily. If you do forge a relationship then it is likely to be with someone whose work demands long hours or long-distance travel or someone who shares your need for intellectual rather than emotional rapport. You are likely to encourage any children in your care to be independent and free spirits.

Ceres is in the Eighth House

This placement of the goddess Ceres indicates that you are extra sensitive to the cycles of life. Whereas other people seem to sail through life maintaining an optimistic outlook, you may tend to dwell on matters. On the positive side this means that you become wise and knowing, able to offer sage advice to your friends, colleagues and loved ones. You understand the true nature of things and can share this knowledge. However, it also likely that you can be a bit overly dramatic, attached to crises rather than developing an ability to see the lighter side. As a result you may miss out on a lot of fun as you focus on the hardships.

Your challenge is to direct your desire for knowledge into research or study of metaphysics, alchemy, biology, nutrition, environmental science or other such subjects. Discover your true passion and become absorbed in this, using your resources to their full extent. At the same time create some fun and playfulness. Emulate the natural world that you so love.

Your ability to nurture others in times of loss or other difficulties is well developed. Your innate understanding of emotional cycles and depth of feeling allows you to be present for others when they are experiencing critical passages in their lives. Being compassionate in times of crisis and therapeutic in times of grief are gifts you bring to all your cherished relationships. Your transformational abilities are forged experientially from your own inner journey and understanding of the darker aspects of the human experience.

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 civilizing and organizing, 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 armored 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 that 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 armor.

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 signaled 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 the goddess 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. Following are the house and sign descriptions of the goddess Pallas Athena in your horoscope.

Pallas is in Aquarius

You are an original thinker. This has its advantages and disadvantages. You are able to be a real leader in an unusual and groundbreaking field, because of your ability to predict future trends. Of course, this makes you a brilliant psychic or astrologer, but you can also enjoy success in any field that requires forward thinking and new ideas. You can be a real genius!

However, your brilliant mind can also go of on tangents and this can get you into trouble. Do you find that your friends and colleagues (and perhaps even family members) look at you sometimes as if you are a little crazy? Do your zany antics sometimes get you into trouble? Or perhaps you have so many exciting ideas and projects that you have difficulty focusing on just one? You may be ahead of your time, a pioneer in your field. Others may need some time to catch up. On the other hand you may have lost the plot in your enthusiasm to embrace original thinking. Herman Melville once said that 'it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation' but you would be well advised to rethink your ideas if they are not being communicated effectively to other people. You don't want to ride roughshod over people, nor disregard their creative efforts. Flexibility and teamwork are the key to your success. Mediation not litigation was one of the goddess Pallas' main aims. Therefore you need to apply creativity, rather than force, to solve any problem.

You love to learn, study and acquire knowledge. Modern technology may also appeal to you as a means to acquire further skills and knowledge. As you also love to apply this knowledge you can be a real humanitarian, committed to a cause and able to work as a negotiator or diplomat in tricky situations. This is where your ability to be original can really be beneficial. Conflict resolution is one of your fortes, depending on other aspects of your chart. World peace is a wonderful ideal! In the meantime don't forget the adage that 'charity begins at home'.

Pallas is in the Eighth House

You are skilled at managing other people's resources - their finances, property investments and their personal matters. You are insightful, perceiving the best methods for other people to move forward in their lives. You are a born manager, able to listen, learn and make decisions. For this reason you could enjoy accounting, stock market investment, property management, publishing and sales. These skills also mean that you are skilled at running a business enterprise, either your own or someone else's. You can manage all facets of a business as well as foretell business trends and advise on methods of implementing change. You might be surprised by how quickly you achieve promotion within some enterprises. You have a strong set of business ethics to which you adhere and expect others to respect your rights. If anyone should fail to respect your code of ethics then you are likely to become warrior like in seeking justice.

While you have excellent management skills you also have high expectations. Can others always meet these expectations? You need to ensure that you choose your battles wisely. You find it difficult to let go and trust a natural course of justice. Your battle skills are considerable. You are able to rally resources and allies and beat the opposition; however, you need to make sure that you are acting with integrity. Are you really seeking justice or are you being self-righteous? Are you seeing things from all perspectives? Have people simply become numbers? The answers to these questions will help you choose your battles wisely. Make sure that you are protecting your own rights, or other people's rights, not seeking revenge. The goddess Pallas always preferred mediation rather than confrontation. Conversely if you have walked away from a battle do not have any regrets. Justice does not need to be personally sought in order to apply. Integrity is more important; otherwise you may win the battle but lose the war. In other words a court of law may find in your favor but you then have to deal with the consequences.

Your insights are valuable in business, but you are also wise in understanding human nature. Your friends, colleagues and loved ones may rely on your advice in deeply personal matters. For this reason you may enjoy counseling, social work, psychiatry or psychology as a profession. You may also be a gifted teacher, able to help others learn valuable lessons about life, not just one particular subject. On the other hand you may simply delight in learning about metaphysical matters for your own personal edification. Books about the meaning of life and death may fascinate you, as do other people's psychic experiences. The goddess Pallas discerns and through reflecting on emotionally entangled situations allows consciousness to develop. This is one of your greatest gifts, the ability to shed light on entangled situations and help others rise above them.

Juno Regina shares the honor 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 ascension 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 cults 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 honor 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 spirit of Juno in contemporary woman has new power and possibilities and the placement of the goddess in our horoscope is an invitation to challenge the constructs of the social roles that are inhibiting for us. As a partner and equal Juno is supportive, enterprising, challenging and confronting helping shape potentiality into reality.

In astrology the goddess 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 fulfillment. Juno's ancient legacy is equal relationship and through her archetypal experience you can become aligned with your heroic self. Descriptions of the goddess in your astrological chart follow:

Juno is in Sagittarius

Marriage is an adventure undertaken with another person as far as you are concerned. You are keen to find the right person to share an exciting and fruitful life. You are seeking a mate who is your intellectual equal, someone who can challenge you to view life in a new way. For this reason you may be attracted to truth seekers, whether they are teachers, students, priests, astrologers or travelers. Since you have such a high need for stimulation and challenge you might marry someone who bores you no matter how good a person he or she might be. You value your independence and need an equal partner who respects your autonomy.

The major challenge comes when you are bored with the daily demands of your marriage. You find it difficult to enjoy the mundane side of your marriage. For this reason you might embark on a series of romances that do not develop into long-term relationships. At some stage you may attract a partner who counterbalances your love of fun, someone who is adept in household chores and maintenance, but you are unlikely to appreciate these skills. You are not particularly bothered if chores are left undone or household maintenance goes unchecked. In fact you may become increasingly agitated if you marry someone who spends more time on the practical rather than the philosophical. As far as you are concerned responsibility for daily chores, child rearing, earning a living and other such demands can take their toll, detracting from the creative side of marriage. For this reason you may find it difficult to choose a marriage partner and to remain in a long-term relationship. Therefore you need to choose your partner carefully before making a lifetime commitment. Does this person really understand your need to pursue intellectually stimulating pursuits? Will this marriage support your need for independence? Are you truly willing to compromise for this person or are you likely to become restless? Do you really want to raise children? Many of these things will depend on other aspects of your birth chart. Nevertheless you are likely to need a marriage that is fun, flexible, unorthodox and stimulating.

The goddess Juno is asking that you consider two important factors before committing to a long term relationship i.e. whether or not your mate is your true equal and whether or not he or she shares the same value system. If you have pondered these questions and come up with answers that speak to your heart and mind then you are likely to consider any marriage commitment as an exciting new world to explore.

Juno is in the Sixth House

'All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest - never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a marriage the principle of equal partnership.'

This quotation from US advice columnist Ann Landers is particularly good counsel for you because of the conflict that you experience in your views about marriage. On the one hand you may be single, married to your work and hence feel that you have no need of sound advice about marriage. Think about it. Are you really happy with your current status? You may be delighted to focus on co-workers or associates from a special interest group. Your daily life is so hectic, filled with work, co-workers, hobbies, friends and family, that you don't have time for marriage. Are you really happy with this state of affairs or are you secretly longing for someone to share your lifestyle? This is unlikely unless you happen to meet someone at the office or someone involved in the same hobbies. It is possible that you will marry a co-worker, or someone involved in one of your pastimes.

On the other hand once you do marry then you need to make sure that your marriage does not become mere duty, a chore or perhaps even a struggle for equality. Ann Landers advice comes in very handy because you are eager to have a partnership of equality. You are sensitive to any imbalance in the marriage, particularly if you sense that the other person is not doing their share of the domestic chores. Arguments may arise as you seek to establish parity early in the relationship.

You may have trouble accepting separation from your spouse, preferring to spend much of your daily life together. Differences in age, religious beliefs, personality quirks and skills may irk you. It is quite a challenge to accept your partner's differences. Variations in opinion may result in judgment and standoffs. One way to break an impasse can be for you to seek to serve your marriage partner rather than be the master or mistress. In other words try not to seek equality quite so vehemently, but rather see your marriage as an opportunity to give to the other person. Save your battles for equal opportunity rights at work. Perhaps you could work for a union, or an organization that helps better human relations. You have many insights about right human relations that can be shared. Both workplace and relationships are highlighted and it may be in your work environment that you find your mate. The goddess Juno's ancient legacy is equal relationship and through her archetypal experience you can become aligned with your heroic self.

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 liberalized, no longer conceptualized 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 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 honoring the authenticity of the inner life as symbolized 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 honor 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 center 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 center, the goddess who honors 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 center of our busy everyday lives. As goddess of hospitality she also welcomes travelers 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 center, 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 honored goddess, worshipped at the center of the city and the center 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 center, Hestia is not personified or remembered by statues or temples but manifests through the sense of peace. She is the central point; the meeting place the fires of the home, the hearth, the Omphalos as the symbol for the center 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' that characterized 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 honored 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 center', 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 honors 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. Below are descriptions of where Vesta is to be found in your horoscope, the spheres where she seeks to be honored in your life.
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, combining 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.

Vesta is in Taurus

You have a strong sense of duty and loyalty to your family. You also have strong opinions about members of the family who fail to live up to your high standards. Both of these traits apply not just to your own personal and extended family, but also to society in general. You are a reliable and trustworthy member of your family and society and cannot abide those who fail to carry out their duties.

As a child you may have experienced the effects of irresponsible adult caretakers. Therefore you understand, firsthand, the importance of stability. On the other hand you may have benefited from strong family support as a youngster that now feeds your resolve to contribute to society as an adult, a kind of 'pay-it-forward' attitude. Either way as an adult you are committed to making sure that loved ones feel secure and supported. You like to keep the home fires burning. Cooking, cleaning, and gardening can all be sources of comfort. In fact you fully understand the Zen Buddhist Proverb that states: 'Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.'

You are passionate about people's need to treasure each other and the planet Earth. This is a spiritual motivating force in your life. You treasure nature, feeling refreshed at a deep level whenever you spend time close to the earth, surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of the natural world. You may be an ardent advocate for environmental causes, inspiring others with your enthusiasm for simplifying life. While you appreciate the finer things in life, you are also able to throw off the shackles of materialism to pursue more satisfying goals such as creating warm and loving relationships, nurturing and protecting nature and studying spiritual values.

Vesta is in the Eleventh House

US anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' This is something that speaks to your inner core. You are passionate about the power of the people and need to express this passion!

On a personal level you may have many friends. You are popular, enjoying a wide and varied social life. In your social circle, you are loyal, devoted to supporting your friend's and colleague's creative ideas and projects. Sometimes your social life can become a little too hectic. Yet no matter how devoted you are to others or how much you enjoy their company you have a great need for solitude. An aspect of Vesta's lesson is how to balance your need for privacy with your urge for social participation. On a larger scale you are committed to humanitarian ideals, the power of groups to achieve what individuals cannot. Unionism, environmental groups, and community activist groups can provide a vehicle for your energetic pursuits of improved living conditions for everyone. Anthropology, sociology, and urbanization are topics that may fire your intellect and ideals.

You are willing to sacrifice your own personal creative projects in order to help others, both on a personal and communal scale. However, you need to be careful to take time out to define your personal beliefs and visions. Otherwise you could become a little too fanatical, miss the point and lose yourself in the process of always helping others.

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 demonized, 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, earthy force and recognizes the divine mystery of illness and health. Like her ancient ancestors, Hygieia honored 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 that 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 honor 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. The placement of Hygieia by house and sign that follow are where the goddess seeks her expression in your life.

Hygieia is in Aquarius

As an archetype Hygieia symbolizes our innate urge for health and well being and in your horoscope finds her conscious expression through the qualities of Aquarius. This is a precarious placement as your urge to reconcile the ills of the group is intimately connected with your own need to be separate and distanced. The irony of this suggests that your ability to feel well and whole is reflected in your conscious ability to remain an individual, be independent and supportive of your own principles. Being firmly grounded in your own uniqueness allows you to be available to others, having exorcised the fear of losing your self in the group.

An aspect of your healing journey may lead you into associations or groups that act as healing agents for your sense of displacement or marginalisation. Aquarius is the sphere where worldly relationships are equal, whether they are colleagues, friends or associates. Brotherhood and Sisterhood is recreated through our partners, equals and kin in our worldly family. Therefore in a group, a classroom, a gathering or meeting we have the opportunity to redeem a conflicted sibling relationship, heal the loss of a dear friend or grieve for the separation from a partner. A loving friend, an encouraging colleague or supportive groups are healing agents for wounds inflicted through earlier relationships. Whether it is group therapy, a night out with the girls, or kicking the footy you will find healing grace in communal activities. Your friends come from the same spiritual tribe, share the same direction in life and carry the same hopes and wishes for the future.

Part of your journey is to gain enough autonomy to be able to feel concern and equality in all your adult relationships. No longer is equality having what the others have, but being valued as an equal individual within the group. Feeling well and happy is being independent and individualistic. You need to be part of a group of like-minded individuals but do not need to be part of a pack. Your journey towards wholeness has taken the road less traveled and ironically you feel well living on the margins and not at the center of the herd.

Hygieia is in the Eighth House

Being in the 8th house of your horoscope Hygieia joins a powerful group of goddesses who are priestesses familiar with the landscape of the underworld. They intimately know the dark terrain and cavernous geography of the world without windows or light. In the 8th house Hygieia, like Persephone, Psyche and Eurydice, is called upon to descend in order to heal. In your own personal experience this suggests that your quest takes a route through the underworld of what has been repressed, denied and buried before healing can authentically occur. One of the reasons heroes were compelled to enter the underworld was to obtain important information unavailable in the waking world. With this placement it is important that you descend into the underworld in order to retrieve the missing links and pieces of your life puzzle necessary for healing. Hygieia calls you to the heroic act of descent in order to be well.

In a practical way Hygieia suggests that the route of healing will need to delve into what is below the surface before a change can occur. From a diagnostic point of view the source of the discomfort or disease is unknown and needs to be plumbed in a psychological way, as it is probably connected to an early wound in the most vulnerable part of the self. Often this suggests that it is through the individual's journey to find the root of their disease or illness that they discover the strength in themselves. On another level this is a therapeutic placement suggesting that the healing journey is a transforming experience.

You have innate therapeutic power. Therefore it is not surprising that you may choose to be a therapist who deals with victims of abuse, personality disorders, sexual dysfunction and depression. This allows you to hold the healing potential through the darkest and most difficult of situations. The 8th house is the house of shared experiences and it is through sharing our deepest wounds and pain that healing can be constellated. Healing is connected to intimacy and ironically the more open and vulnerable we become with those we trust the more whole we feel. Health and vitality are enjoyed when we are able to be intimate and connected with those we love the most.

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 Pasiphae had also become enamored by a great bull. Ariadne participated in the family fate: as Pasiphae'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 Pasiphae'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 fervor that had inflamed her mother and grandmother. The next night Ariadne and her lover reached the island Naxos. Exhausted by traveling 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 complex 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 center. 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 honored in relationship. Ariadne celebrates a more intimate connection with the heart, whether that is through a personal relationship, a new creative endeavor 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 realized. Following is the astrological thread that Ariadne weaves through her house and sign in your horoscope.

Ariadne is in Cancer

Your destiny is strongly linked with your family and your home. A strong network of family members influences your childhood. Whether this is mostly positive or negative depends on other aspects of your birth chart. Either way you are likely to feel a little lost amidst the maze of interactions within your home. You love your family members but it is likely that you need to strike out on your own in order to discover your own sense of self. Ironically the more your feel supported and loved the easier it is to leave. How you leave home will be an important metaphor for how you are able to separate later in life.

Ariadne's fate was overshadowed by the curse that plagued her family. She was compelled to leave her home with a lover, and then ultimately face life on her own. Alone Ariadne was forced to connect with her internal world. This may be similar to your lesson: to learn how to remain connected to your own sense of self no matter what is happening in your immediate and extended family and the world at large.

As an adult you may build many homes and start your own family, but until you come to peace with yourself these will not satisfy your need for comfort. You are being asked to contemplate your spiritual home. Perhaps you sometimes experience a sense of longing for a peace that does not seem available in daily life. As John Cheever said in 'The Stories of John Cheever, 1978, 'homesickness is... absolutely nothing. Fifty percent of the people in the world are homesick all the time. You don't really long for another country. You long for something in yourself that you don't have, or haven't been able to find.' The goddess Ariadne asks you to find that sense of peace and belonging. This is your quest.

Ariadne is in the First House

You have a strong sense of your own talents and gifts. This is likely to have been developed at a young age. The path to self-realization may not have been an easy one. It is likely that you may have suffered a sense of abandonment at an early age. Perhaps one or both of your parents were unable to care for you because of circumstances beyond their control. On the other hand your parents may have neglected your needs, imposed their will on your tender developing personality or demanded levels of maturity because of their own shortcomings. Whatever the scenario it is likely that you suffered the pain of loneliness at a young age. The positive side of this experience is that, forced to rely on your own resources, you learned to survive on your own. You developed a strong sense of self that has stood you in good stead ever since. In other words you know your own heart and mind. Your colleagues and friends may seem to flail around with no real purpose in their working life or choose inappropriate life partners; however, you are wise beyond your years. You are well aware of the dangers that come from losing your way because of loved ones' actions. You are unlikely to let yourself be betrayed again. You choose your career path with a sense of purpose and you marry according to your heart. You are determined to maintain your own sense of self.

Ironically you may need to be wary of neglecting the needs of your spouse as you doggedly follow your own desires. You need to maintain a balance. Otherwise your marriage may falter, leaving you again on the precipice of loneliness. It is possible that you prefer this prospect to the one of losing yourself in a relationship. Compromise, not sacrifice, is the key to success.

This is a prominent position for the goddess Ariadne. Therefore if you face your sorrow and follow your own heart then you will experience divine peace. You also have the ability to teach others the benefits of self-reliance and the path to happiness. You have an innate gift for nurturing the free spirits of young children or encouraging the spiritual beliefs of all who cross your path. Meditation, prayer, labyrinths, nature expeditions and spiritual teachings are also likely to help you reconnect with your true self.

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 mesmerize the innocent girl who was unaware that her destiny would instigate the founding of two great dynasties as well as the 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, not find his sister. In order to find the location of Thebes, 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 symbolizes 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 Pasiphae, 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 symbolizes the beauty, sensuality and attractiveness of this archetype is the persuasive erotic power that draws Europa, Pasiphae, 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. How she finds expression in your life is explored through the goddess Europa's placement in your horoscope, as follows.

Europa is in Libra

There is a part of you that longs for divine experiences - through love, the arts, spiritual pursuits, the intellect or anything that provides an escape from the daily grind of life. As a result it is very easy for you to be swept away by your passion for another person. You fall in love and give your heart to your lover. You immerse yourself in every word and deed of your loved one. Only the most sublime poetry can capture your feelings of devotion. This is both wonderful and alarming at the same time. . The experience of losing yourself in love is exhilarating while the romance lasts. However, as author and poet T S Elliott says, once the romance has faded you then need to come down to earth and assess your relationship. It is possible that you can then form a loving and lasting bond. If this is the case then you are one of the lucky ones finding true love with a supportive mate. However, in some cases you suffer rejection and you find that you have lost an important component of yourself. Your self-esteem is adversely affected. It feels as though your loved one has walked away, taking a vital part of you with them. Then you are faced with the task of re-establishing your relationship with yourself.

Like Europa the partner who seduces you away from your secure surrounds may also introduce you to a new world of wonder and possibilities. It might be through the auspices of someone else that you are called to where you need to be. For you some relationships need to be transitional to set in motion your destiny. In fact this process of annihilation and rebuilding through love is a significant process of growth. At times you may feel lost without the love that sustains you, but you are forced to expand your self-knowledge and your horizons each time. Once you have established a strong and loving partnership, then you are likely to seek this growth through a passion for the arts, beauty, counseling, diplomacy, fashion or anything that sparks your aesthetic interest. You may pursue an academic career, publish a work that inspires others or travel to foreign lands.

Europa is in the Fourth House

Your family and your family history are at the crux of all that inspires you. Like Europa you may come from a tightly knit family. However, your fate may be to take this sense of belonging with you into your own home and family. If you had a difficult childhood, neglectful or abusive parents then you are driven to escape your past and create a positive life for yourself. If your childhood days were happy then you are able to take these memories and create a joyous life. You seek peace and understanding and are likely to purchase your own home as you soon as you are able. Nevertheless you understand German author Christian Morgenstern's saying that 'home is not where you live but where they understand you.' As such you have the happy knack of creating a family atmosphere wherever you go. Your workplace becomes a home away from home, your office a haven from the rigors of daily demands. Your hobbies also reflect your love of the people who enjoy the same hobbies. Perhaps you become involved with like-minded groups, who feel like a second family. People are attracted to your warm nature.

One of your challenges may be leaving home. You may feel drawn to move but unable to make the break from family and friends. Europa rode off on the back of a bull, leaving home far behind. In a woman's chart this could indicate that you follow your lover or spouse to another city or country. You may return to your birthplace or you may remain in your new residence. Either way you are challenged to construct and direct the course of your own life. You need to rely on your own resources rather than your partner's. Try to remember the words of writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, 'home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room.' Grasp the bull by the horns and have some fun of your own.

In a man's chart this may also mean that you are required to leave your place of birth in order to make your own way in the world. It could also indicate that you are required to leave your wife and children on a regular basis because of work commitments.

Ultimately the challenge of this placement of the goddess Europa is to find peace within your own heart. To quote yet another famous author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 'he is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home'.

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 defines the time 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 favor 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. How she enters our life is reflected in the placement of the goddess. Descriptions of the goddess by house and sign in your horoscope are next.

Pandora is in Gemini

You love baubles and gadgets - anything shiny, collectible, innovative and amusing. Any object that opens and shuts fascinates you. Contraptions arouse your natural curiosity. These can range from the everyday workings of a wristwatch to the more complicated machinations of computer technology. For this reason you may recognize, from a young age that you need to make enough money to help you satisfy your curiosity.

You may also be fascinated by the way money circulates in the economy. In fact you are fascinated by a variety of things, able to juggle a few things at once. Pursuing different directions simultaneously may be a bit stressful so be aware of your propensity to overtax the nervous system. People also captivate your interest. What motivates some of your friends? What are their hobbies? What are their plans for the future? And why do they make particular decisions? You enjoy gossip; however, you are also able to be quite charming and sympathetic, becoming a confidante. Be careful to keep your counsel. Otherwise your intentions may be misunderstood. You would be well advised to keep your friend's secrets, to lend a sympathetic ear but to refrain from meddling.

Offer your loved ones the message of hope. The goddess Pandora has given you the gift of humor. You can help uplift the troubles of others by taking an understanding but light-hearted approach to life's challenges. Your sense of fun can assist in lightening the load of those who cross your path.

Pandora is in the Twelfth House

At heart you are a loner, enjoying silent contemplation and solitary pursuits. You can become immersed in your own company, bush walking for days on your own in nature or immersed in reading a good book. You don't mean to be anti-social. It is simply that you delight in solitary pursuits and you lose track of time. You also find it difficult to fit in with some of society's expectations, preferring to march to the step of a different drum. Fashion statements leave you cold. You have your own individual style. Punctuality, social chit chat, work hierarchies and other such societal structures are meaningless. You sometimes feel that you are out-of-step with social expectations and as a result you find yourself in some tricky situations. You may resent the intrusion of family members, friends and work colleagues, when they encourage you to join their social activities. You may even feel misunderstood. But like Pandora you may also be deeply in touch with hope for all of humanity.

At some stage in life you need to accept some rules and codes of conduct as being necessary to living in a community. As you struggle to come to terms with the irrational versus the rational you also need a job to survive, preferably one that gives you enough freedom to express your individual talents, but that also requires some structure. Mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton had little interest in society or for any pursuits other than science and mathematics. Yet after years of pursuing his own studies in university he was eventually required to take up a public government position. Fate played its hand.

You have a deep and profound connection to divine and metaphysical matters. Life Newton, you may also wish to be left to your own devices to study these matters particularly through meditation, alchemy and other such methods. Secret codes and societies may fascinate you. Be careful not to dabble in the dark arts because you may take on more than you can handle. Also, once again you need to be aware of society's expectations to earn function and earn a living. You also need to accept other people's spiritual beliefs even though they differ to yours. You may be required to attend baptisms, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other such rites of passage as a sign of respect for your peers. Once you have fully accepted your own eccentricities and unique talents then you are more likely to develop a healthy respect for the unique gifts of other people. As such your deep connection to other worldly matters is likely to become an inspiration for others. Like Newton you may have a significant legacy to leave this world.

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 characterized 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 honored 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 mistresses 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. Following is a report of how Mnemosyne brings the muse into your life experience.

Mnemosyne is in Leo

You are a born storyteller, particularly when it comes to telling your own story. You are an individual, likely to break away from traditional roles in society. You respect your roots, but you also recognize your need to separate from convention and tell your own story. The goddess Mnemosyne entreats us all to look deeply into our selves, to remember our true path and live our lives honestly. 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. You have a gift for allowing your own buried feelings to come to be expressed, as well as encouraging others to articulate themselves. Some may even say that you are soothsayer.

Depending on other aspects of your chart, you may indeed be psychic, but this goddess enables you to detect other people's unexpressed desires and enable them to find the courage within to break free of their personal and societal taboos. You are grateful for all that is given to you, and are happy to help other people but you also recognize your need to follow your own dreams. There is an Italian proverb that suggests gratitude is the memory of the heart. You have the courage to follow your own heart. Your love of storytelling may manifest in a talent for poetry, dance, music, theater or art. If this is the case then you are likely to be revered for your talents. As Homer says in 'The Odyssey', 'among all men on the earth bards have a share of honor and reverence, because the muse has taught them songs and loves the race of bards.' You need to be wary of squandering your talents, listening to your ego rather than to your soul-felt desires. Your attention-seeking ways may prevent you from making the right choices. You need to listen, as much as you speak; praise as much as you seek appreciation and honor other people's stories as much as you seek to speak your own truth.

You find meaning in symbols embedded in the fragments of a song, a myth, or a fairy tale, or perhaps in everyday life. You need to also find your creative voice. 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. Stay tuned to these symbols and your life takes on a whole new meaning. You find a creative voice that cannot be quietened, memories that become your own private muse and synchronicity that propels you into a life of purpose.

Mnemosyne is in the Second House

You are blessed in that you are able to live according to your values. The material world is simply a means to an end. You are able to live a simple life, should you so choose. You do not understand how other people can become so attached to material success at the expense of other values. You may very well accumulate wealth and possessions during your lifetime, but you are not attached to them. You know the value of objects lies not only in their use, but also in their stories and their ability to give joy. Photographs, handcrafted gifts, and family heirlooms all hold value in your life. You are grateful to own any object that holds memories for you or your loved ones.

You are also likely to appreciate pieces of art, musical instruments, dance costumes, songbooks and musical CDs. Why? You are a culture buff, enjoying the inspiration that comes from either your own or other people's works of art. You may have artistic talents in music or dance, or you may enjoy other people's talents. Either way you are likely to spend money (and perhaps earn some, too) on musical instruments, cultural objects and artistic events. You treasure the memories that come from inspirational moments in your life.

The goddess Mnemosyne was said to have invented language and therefore had the responsibility for naming all objects. You are also likely to have a love of language, perhaps even earning your income through teaching, writing, editing, singing, dancing or counseling. If you don't earn money through your gifts, you are likely to receive recognition for your efforts in other ways that you value - such as industry awards, accolades from your peers or superiors or letters of appreciation. You may even decide to join or form some sort of non-profit organization for the benefit of others. You have a gift for talking people into volunteering their money, time or goods for a good cause. You know that money is not the only thing of value in society. Nevertheless you do like to receive recognition for your efforts. Gratitude is your key to dissolving any ill feelings and earning you the respect or monetary rewards that are of true value to both you and society. You will know when the mother of the muses is really singing to your soul, your heart will swell with gratitude for all of life's blessings and you will know that you are contributing something of value to society.

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' honored 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 travelers to leave offerings and say prayers to Hecate for guidance across an important threshold.

At transitional spaces where paths converged travelers would pass from one world into another, therefore crossroads became 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. Her ancient myth reminds us of her perpetual role as an intermediary and attendant at the crossroads. 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 goddess 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. By house position Hecate would suggest where you will encounter her in your life; by sign she colors your life with magic and mystery. Following are the astrological descriptions where Hecate enters your experience.

Hecate is in Aries

The goddess Hecate is strong in the sign of Aries because both are connected with independence. The sign of Aries suggests autonomy, a talent for self-motivation and self-reliance. Hecate represents feminine independence.

In a woman's chart this indicates that you are strong-willed, probably breaking new ground in your personal or professional life. You spurn the stranglehold of traditional male roles, insisting that women are able to achieve equality in all walks of life. You are likely to be the head of your household, garnering support from the men in your family. In a man's chart this suggests that a strong-minded woman, someone who you admire and aspire to imitate, has influenced you. As a result you feel that you understand women, while still maintaining a healthy self-respect. You seek equality in your personal friendships with women, and may even be considered a feminist.

With this placement of the goddess Hecate you are likely to have a close group of female friends on who you rely to help you make decisions whenever you reach a crossroads in your life. You seek advice from your friends, but you are able to make your own decisions. You are a sharp-faced go-getter, a leader rather than a follower and hence your forge your own path in life. When you reach a fork in the road, you take action knowing that inaction is the real obstacle. Either path takes you forward and moving forwards is your favorite direction! Fortunately, you are charming and charismatic. Otherwise you could be a bit of a human bulldozer. You are lucky in that other people respond well to your potency. It is almost as if you caste a spell on others compelling them to obey your wishes. You need to ensure that you remain aware of the potent affect that you have on those around you. Insensitivity to other people's opinions may be detrimental in the long-run, because they are more likely to just disappear rather than succumb yet again to the persuasive affects of your charm. On the whole, though, you are able to accommodate other people needs. You like to protect and direct anyone who is suffering ill luck. You enthusiastically assist troubled souls, helping them to make decisions and move forward on their life journey. Nursing, psychology, counseling, and teaching may appeal as avenues for contributing to society. You know when to let someone make his or her own decisions and when to give a helping hand. The goddess Hecate urges you to focus on your spiritual direction, as well as material achievements.

Hecate is in the Tenth House

The goddess Hecate is a powerful influence in your birth chart, indicating that an authoritative woman, probably your mother, plays a prominent role in your early life. Your father is unlikely to be the head of your childhood household, as this position suggest the prominence of feminine principles. Your mother, or another female relative, is the boss. The extent to which this influence has a positive or negative effect depend largely other aspects of your birth chart; however, your mother does make a significant impression of your choices in your adult life.

In a positive scenario your mother is a strong woman, able to command respect in both happy and difficult periods. Her wisdom and good common sense set an admirable example. It is possible that your father is absent in your life, and that your mother has had to struggle on her own. On the other hand it may be that your connection to your mother is more evocative than your bond with your father. Positively speaking, she teaches you what to do at different crossroads in your young life, which helps you later in life. She teaches you many life skills, preparing you to leave your family as a young adult and strike out independently. She is also able, by example, to teach you how to maintain a mutually supportive bond with your spouse.

On the other hand it is possible that your mother has had a detrimental effect on your adult life. The darker side of this placement of the goddess Hecate is that your mother, or grandmother, could be too powerful in your family system, reigning like an overpowering monarch. As you are growing up you may start to feel oppressed by this woman's level of interference in your life. You feel that you are missing out on a bond with your father. As a result you are likely to want to break free, leave your family home and learn how to live your own life without meddling from others. Your adjustment to independent living may be quite tumultuous. Your challenge is to connect with your own sense of self, your own spiritual purpose, and to create a life that works for you. You need to integrate the positive lessons that have been passed down by your mother, but to break away from any manipulative tactics. Once you feel powerful in your own life, then you are more likely to see her influence in the light of another human being trying to do their best. In order to do this you may benefit from taking part in rituals whenever you make major changes in your life direction. For instance a graduation ceremony can mark the end of one form of schooling and the beginning of a new phase, and a wedding ceremony is an important statement to society of your commitment to another person, as well as your change in social status. These rites of passage can assist you at the crossroads of your life.

Cassandra stood on the walls of Troy and watched Paris' ship enter the harbor. 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 honor 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 marginalized 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 misunderstood and marginalized. Her feelings, identified by others as autonomous ravings, isolate her. 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 honor 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 in your horoscope reveals where you are sensitive to the pattern of the goddess. Following are the placements of Cassandra in your horoscope by house and sign.

Cassandra is in Aries

You are forthright, single-minded and insightful, but other people sometimes misunderstand what you are saying. Perhaps you are a little sharp in your communications? You don't mean to be so blunt, but this is how you may be perceived. The fact is, your words carry weight and therefore you need to be selective in what you communicate to colleagues, friends and loved ones. You are blessed with the gift of insight, particularly when it comes to predicting sporting events, political leadership battles and the outcomes of war. However, you are also cursed because others don't always listen to your forecast. There is a strong tendency to say: 'I told you so'. This doesn't bring a long-lasting feeling of satisfaction, even if it does offer some immediate relief. What you really desire is to be respected for your knowledge and insights. Trust your intuition. Learn to listen before you speak. In particular, listen to the small voice in your own mind that advises caution. Once you can learn to soften your outspoken ways then you are likely to be a leader in your field.

In a woman's chart this can mean that you are a powerful leader with perhaps some clashes with dominant men, pioneering in territories that have been mainly dominated by males. Famous and forthright actress Joan Crawford is an example of the goddess Cassandra in Aries. Barbra Streisand a leading singer who broke new ground for female singers also has this placement.

In a man's chart, you are likely to be prominent, independent and forthright. You need to make sure that you respect other people's opinions, in particular those of prominent women in your life. Powerful and visionary women are your allies therefore it is wise to acknowledge and respect their power. US computer giant Bill Gates is an example of the goddess Cassandra in Aries. Bill Clinton too has this placement and knows the value of having a powerful and insightful partner.

Cassandra is in the Tenth House

This is a prominent placement of the goddess Cassandra in your birth chart indicating that you possess a unique skill that needs to be expressed through your chosen profession. This talent is perhaps an inherited one from your mother's side of the family. As a direct result of the bond with your mother you have developed a unique aptitude. Your mother's influence and subtle unspoken values has indirectly shaped your professional choices. It is most likely to be a deep understanding of human nature, which can be utilized on the job. Perhaps you are an advocate, orator, writer or actor using words to convey powerful messages. On the other hand your strong intuitive powers may be used to foretell economic or political trends. These powers may also influence your life path in other ways, such as prompting you to move in a completely different direction when others are asking why you would consider such a move. Your motivations may baffle other people, but you need to listen to your own truth.

At times your colleagues may be impressed with your powers of deduction; however, beware of professional traitors. The goddess Cassandra was both gifted and cursed. Her curse meant that others refused to listen to her prophetic claims. Make sure that you use your powers of discernment to learn who is with you and who is against you in your job. This will save you much heartache and help you to be truly able to reap great rewards from this prominent placement of the goddess Cassandra.

If this placement is in a woman's chart then you may feel the conflict between your need to be successful and your need to be in relationship. Perhaps you fear, rightly or wrongly, losing your ability to be mistress of your own destiny. You need to be aware that your partner is able to respect your right to express your unique gifts.

If this placement is in a man's chart you may marry an influential woman, who supports your professional life. This union is likely to bring great rewards as long as you respect and listen to her words of wisdom.

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 civilized 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, honoring 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 caldron. 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's 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 gave sacrifices 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 caldron with the liquid herbs she had prepared. Jason's father emerged from the caldron 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 caldron 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 demonized. 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 demonization of magic.

As 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, earthy 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 exorcize 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 honor 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. Following are astrological account of how the force of the goddess may be revealed through your horoscope.

Medea is in Cancer

Even though Medea had a powerful family her fate was to leave home for a different culture and new experiences. Therefore underlying the position of Medea in Cancer, the emblem of home and country, may exist a powerful pattern about how or why you leave or left home. This may have been due to the passionate lure of a foreigner, a powerful desire to experience life or your search for the place to call home. You need to feel safe at the deepest levels and seek a place where you can belong. This need is a powerful motivation that urges you to seek a place of refuge, one where you can feel safe and in control. Even though your upbringing may have been caring from an early age you may have felt you did not belong in your family or culture and needed to find out why.

This placement highlights the motif of nurturing, beginning with the personal experience of mother and the extended family. Mother may have felt foreign or experienced an estrangement from her family or culture, which may have interfered with your relationship with her. Through her you may have been introduced to customs and rituals, which aroused a curiosity about magic and mystery. She may have introduced you to exotic spices, herbal tinctures or foreign cuisine. The preparation and enjoyment of eating may have played a significant role in your upbringing which may strongly influenced your own eating rituals. You need an intense relationship with meaning and mystery and when this is lacking you may turn to comfort food to full the gap.

Medea brings her intensity and passion into your mothering style contributing to your strong protective bond for your own children and creativity. By nature the goddess needs a secure home base. You, too, need a shelter for your intense feelings and needs. Therefore you might completely transform your living space to reflect your personal style, needing to renovate all spaces that you occupy.

Medea recommends you brew some teas as a mood enhancer to comfort the feelings and stimulate relaxation. Peppermint and spearmint are good brews in your teapot while camomile tea can be shared in a family tea ceremony or when you just need to relax by yourself. When you feel too nostalgic or unable to let go of some of the past hurts then some flower essences are recommended. Clematis and honeysuckle neutralize nostalgia while chicory also can be helpful in releasing old feelings. Or plant some geraniums in pots outside the kitchen window or use a few drops of the geranium essential oil to remind you of the prolific bounty of nature. Medea was a lunar goddess and being in Cancer suggests how sensitive you are to the tides of the lunar cycle. Mark the dates of the Full Moon on your calendar and set some time aside to draw down her power to help restore yourself to an emotional equilibrium.

Medea is in the First House

If we were to conjure up an image of Medea her favorite colors, imaginatively speaking, could be black and red; she'd be striking with soul-penetrating eyes and an aura of mystery would surround her. Her presence would be captivating and you would immediately be drawn to her if you wanted to engage, or you would keep away if you wanted to remain anonymous. There's something compelling, yet intimidating, about her. What we all notice is her powerful persona. After all she is a witch! In your personality Medea is at the forefront, implying that you too have a powerful image whether you're aware of it or not. This suggests that you make an impact on your environment. When you're passionate about what you do or deeply engaged in relating to others you're able to bring about powerful change and contribute significantly. You have the ability to confront life and demand that it meets you. You want to ardently engage with your environment and those that are in it. Yet if the situation or others are not willing or able to engage at the level of depth you require then you prefer to be alone. When you're involved with another you help them do what feels impossible or terrifying. Those who are unwilling to become involved with you may feel intimated by your power and afraid to reveal their vulnerabilities.

Because of your intense feeling and passion for the truth you often feel rejected by others who are unable to be truthful with themselves. Therefore you may often feel foreign or marginal to the situation you're in. However, your feelings of foreignness are also liberating allowing you to be free to experiment and explore. You have charisma and people will be drawn to this. What you will need to be clear about is their intention and motive, as once you begin relating you expect equal return. If that does not eventuate you will feel let down and resentful tapping a gorge of intense feeling. However, remaining true to your reactions and senses will allow you to discriminate with whom you are prepared to share your magic and transforming abilities.

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 synthesize 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 people 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 gently 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 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(Penguin, 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 by US Games Systems, Inc.

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. She is a practising astrology with her own business, Seeing With Stars 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, specialising 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, 'Goddesses 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 Website : www.esotech.com.au