Astrology Goddess Report. Very accurate *NEW Asteroids in your chart. No shipping charges. Start Price USD 20.00 Current Price USD 20.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, November 18, 2008 End Time Friday, November 28, 2008 Location Melbourne Beach, Florida See more about 'Astrology Goddess Report. Very accurate *NEW' Description GODDESS   A Solar Writer Report for Hilary Clinton   Report compliment of mysticwindows.biz      Key     Abbr Asteroid Cer Ceres Pal Pallas Athena Jun Juno Ves Vesta Hyg Hygieia Ari Ariadne Eur Europa Pan Pandora Mne Mnemosyne Hec Hecate Cas Cassandra Med Medea         Astrological Summary   Chart Point Positions: Hilary Clinton   Asteroid Sign Position House Comment   Cer Ceres Taurus 1°Ta51' 11th   Pal Pallas Athena Aquarius 28°Aq28' 9th   Jun Juno Sagittarius 29°Sg42' 6th   Ves Vesta Cancer 26°Cn43' 2nd   Hyg Hygieia Cancer 4°Cn19' 1st   Ari Ariadne Leo 8°Le47' 2nd   Eur Europa Capricorn 17°Cp16' 7th   Pan Pandora Libra 0°Li17' 4th   Mne Mnemosyne Sagittarius 15°Sg05' 6th   Hec Hecate Virgo 7°Vi18' 4th   Cas Cassandra Cancer 20°Cn11' 2nd   Med Medea Sagittarius 3°Sg18' 6th         Introduction           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 report is your personal Goddess report that 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 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.   Goddess Mythology   Mythology serves as a psychological record of human development recording the imagination and symbols of the culture. Mythic stories speak to the inner life as they deal with universal themes and truths illustrating the archetypal forces that influence the course of the human drama. In archaic societies myths offered an explanation of the world and its creation, the cycle of birth, growth and death, how things came into existence as well as how they disappeared. In contemporary times we have scientific explanations for many of the ancient mysteries, but myth is just as valuable to help us to imagine our own origins and invest our lives with meaning. Mythic themes stir the imagination and broaden the horizon of the individual's story placing it in a context of a larger story.   Mythology is the link between the magical phase of being when consciousness participates in nature and the rational phase when we are separated from the natural world. The magical phase embraces the culture of the Great Goddess when life is full of mystery and wonder and we are one with the natural order, not separated or expelled from it. In this phase all nature is sacred as all life is invested with the divine. The asteroids are surrogates of the Great Goddess and reconnect us to her culture. As emissaries the asteroid goddesses and heroines invest life with the sacred, value imagination and mystery and inspire ritual and sacrifice in order to reconnect to the wellsprings of her magical forces.   Following is a summary of their genealogy and mythic tradition. Let the myths resonate with your imagination and speak to you in their own way.   The Roman goddess Ceres is also known as Olympian goddess, Demeter. She is the daughter of the Titan Cronus and Rhea and mother of Persephone. She is the Corn Goddess who personifies the agricultural cycle of fertility and harvest, as well as loss and renewal through her daughter Persephone.   The Olympian goddess Pallas Athena was a daughter of Zeus, 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 Pasiphaë, 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 - The Earth Mother   'I died to mineral and plant became  Died from the plant and took a sentient frame  Died from the beast and donned a human dress  When by my dying did I ere grow less?' Rumi   Ceres is the Roman agricultural goddess whose gift of grain, 'cereal', was distributed to mankind as thanksgiving for the release of her beloved daughter from the underworld and also as an eternal symbol of the continuity of life. Ceres is the goddess of agriculture who instinctually knows the cycle of loss, death and rebirth through her attachment to her beloved daughter.   The Roman goddess was 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 the 11th House Friendships play a key role in your life. You form strong bonds with your friends, enjoying their company in the good times and caring for them in the troubled ones. You are an empathetic and caring friend, ready with advice and comfort. You are popular with people from all walks of life. At some stage during your life you may need to question your motives in friendships. Do you really see your friends, faults and all, or do you see what you want to see? Do you have the right balance of give and take? This is particularly true for your friendships with women. You may need to take a step back and reassess your friendship with a prominent woman, making sure that this friendship is based on honesty and trust, not your need to manipulate or her need to struggle. Let go of your expectations and the friendship will either flourish or fail.   You gain your greatest sense of belonging when you are involved with a group of caring people. Hence you can often be found at the center of a group, organizing events or people. However, it is important that you do not get caught up in 'mothering' the group or taking care of others who need to take care of themselves.   You are also a born humanitarian. The plight of refugees and other downtrodden members of society weigh on your mind. Your wish is to see all humanity on an equal level, and you may decide to follow your dream of working for a humanitarian cause.   Ceres is in Taurus Your mother plays an important role in teaching you values. You share a strong bond with your mother, or another important woman, in your youth. As you grow and mature you reassess your personal beliefs and in the process separate from your mother. Nevertheless you are likely to maintain many of the valuable lessons that she has taught you. You appreciate the practical advice and the good solid start that she has given you in life. As a result you are able to build on the foundations of your early life, earning other people's respect and a reputable place in society.   You are likely to be drawn to traditional aspects of society, perhaps inheriting a skill directly from your mother, or her side of the family. Perhaps you enter the family business. Nevertheless you need to develop your own set of values. These are likely to include a love of beauty, nature, tradition, and family structures. As you are innately connected to nature, you are likely to be drawn to the animal and plant kingdom, perhaps developing an interest in animal farming, growing herbs or other plants, protecting endangered species or something connected with products from nature.   At some stage in your life you may take on the role of caretaker of your family, as you have a pragmatic and down-to-earth sensibility about what needs to be done in the family unit.   Pallas Athena - The Wisdom Of The Warrior   'I celebrate the powers of Pallas Athena, the protectress of the city:  Dread, as Ares, She busies herself with the works of war,  With the sack of cities, with the battle-cry and with the combats.  It is She also who saves the fighters that go to war and come back alive.  Hail, Goddess, give us good fortune and happiness Pallas.' Homeric Hymn 11   The architectural masterpiece, the Parthenon, was dedicated to the goddess whom the classical Athenians cherished. Pallas Athena was their advocate for law and order, the teacher of household arts like spinning, weaving, and cooking, as well as their protector and defender.   As their goddess of war she helped the Greeks defeat Troy, the Athenians repel the Persians; as their goddess of useful and decorative arts she inspired them to build exceptional monuments and temples. The goddess of merciful justice transformed the law courts and at the dawn of the fifth century she inspired the democratic shift in Athenian politics. Athena was the revered goddess of the Athenians who celebrated her birthday each year with a great festival and procession through the Agora up to the Acropolis.   As a multi-tasked goddess many images are associated with Pallas Athena but it is the owl that reminds us of her wisdom. Her intelligence is 'bright-eyed' and sharp, focused on the immediate, located in the present, aligned with the head and not the instinct. Pallas Athena embodies the rational and encourages left-brain thinking. Her wisdom controls the instincts, learning to direct them into heroic pursuits to eradicate what is dark and primitive. She is 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 the 9th House The goddess Pallas Athena made justice and law part of her new order replacing retaliation and revenge. This is one of your chief aims in your own life - to make a difference through diplomacy rather than conflict. You are concerned about the meting of justice in your immediate circle of friends and local community, but also with global issues of fairness. The plight of poorer nations, the injustice of dictatorships, the planet earth's environmental and weather changes, and the escalating trouble spots of the world are just some of the global topics that play on your mind. For this reason you would make an excellent politician, diplomat or foreign embassy worker.   The role of religion in world affairs is also a matter for your consideration. You may have your own strong religious beliefs or you may have rejected orthodox religion. Either way you are also knowledgeable about the various religious and cultural traditions in different countries. Theology and religious education may appeal, but you are mostly concerned with fairness, integrity and the right way of doing things. Therefore law and politics are often on your mind, ranging from everyday traffic rules to family law to the justice of the High Court. In some cases you may also be interested in the legal systems in other countries. Perhaps you enjoy keeping up with the world news on the television or internet? You may also be keen to promote the role that international sporting competitions play in uniting nations.   You may also enjoy traveling to other countries or studying in the halls of academia. The United Nations, the G8 and other global organizations fascinate you. 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. This is your gift.   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'.   Juno - Socializing The Soul   'And wheresoever we went, like Juno's swans,  Still we went coupled and inseparable.' As You Like It, Shakespeare   Juno Regina shares the 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 the 6th 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.   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.   Vesta - The Inner Life   'Leave those vain moralists, my friend, and return to the depth of your soul:  that is where you will always rediscover the source of the sacred fire which so often inflamed us with love of the sublime virtues;  that is where you will see the eternal image of true beauty, the contemplation of which inspires us with a holy enthusiasm.' Jean-Jacques Rousseau   The cult of the Roman goddess Vesta was connected to the Greek Hestia. However, the Roman archetype had considerably altered from her Hellenic counterpart. By the Roman period the sacrament of virginity was 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.   Vesta is in the 2nd House Whether you are focused on spiritual, artistic, philanthropic or material resources, you are passionate in your quest for fulfillment. You are ardent about pursuing anything that you hold of value. You are on a quest to discover your own skills and resources. As a result you are likely to be totally focused on your own innate talents, rather than other peoples'. Being resourceful you happily employ the talents and finances of other people to help you achieve your ambitions, but you are unlikely to reciprocate. Your own inner fire is lit and you are keen to live true to your own goals.   Money may or may not be important to you. Depending on other aspects of your birth chart you may or may not be wealthy and you may or may not care. On the whole your rewards are likely to be in utilizing your own talents whether or not this makes a good income. You are likely to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and happily provide for yourself, but spiritual values outweigh material ones. Spiritual riches and resources may be of more significance than worldly possessions and supplies.   In fact you may have reassessed your values at some stage during your lifetime due to a spiritual crisis or awakening. If you have been somewhat obsessed with making money then you may need to re-light the creative spark within. An artistic or spiritual project may re-kindle your fire. If you have been concentrating on your own artistic project or spiritual studies then perhaps you are required to earn some money and clear your debts. You may have to make some sacrifices in order to move on with your self-esteem in tact. It is important that you maintain a healthy sense of purpose. In your life Vesta seeks to unite the spiritual with the mundane and therefore you may have a gift of being able to be resourceful by creating assets of great value and beauty.   Vesta is in Cancer You are well aware of the role that families play in society as well as both the positive and negative effects that families can have on individual members. This is also true for society as a whole. You are able to unconditionally accept family members, foibles and all. However, this is not always true for other people. You may or may not have suffered at the hands of your own family, but you are aware that love not judgment is vital for the growth of human beings. Families are the building blocks of society in your opinion. Therefore it is essential that people have a firm foundation on which to build their lives.   Acceptance of other people's values and family systems is also vital. These are the matters that motivate you to right the wrongs in some area of society. You are committed to supporting your own family members, even at great personal cost to your own desires. Education for future generations is one of your catch cries; however, you also need to nurture yourself. You are also committed to helping the less privileged members of society, especially disadvantaged children or animals. You may move away from home to achieve your goals, to a different neighborhood or even another country. You need to be wary of becoming disillusioned, as your own high ideals may not always be attainable. If you work with disadvantaged animals, children or families then you may find that your enthusiasm may be dampened unless you withdraw occasionally to stoke your own fires.   You have a kind heart and true purpose to show and teach compassion. You are a real treasure for your loved ones. A foundation stone for your sense of security and well being is the time you dedicate to the sacred. Therefore in the midst of administering to family and friends it is wise to remember your need for quiet, contemplation and peace.   Hygieia - The Soul Of Health    'Health, greatest of all the blessed gods, may I live with you for the rest of my life' Hymn to Hygieia, Ariphron   In the ancient Greek sanctuaries of healing statues of Hygieia, the goddess of health, reminded the pilgrim of the archetypal quest for wholeness and well being. Adorned with a simple garment Hygieia was often represented as youthful, radiant and smiling, attributes that are companions of health. Either she is holding or feeding a snake. Carrying a bowl of food or water Hygieia is generally represented tending the sacred snakes that were housed in the temples on the sanctuaries of healing. Sometimes she is presented holding a wreath of laurel, 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.   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 the 1st House Hygieia in the 1st house of your horoscope suggests that the sphere of health is something you strongly identify with and that this shapes a significant part of your identity. This call to well being may have been evident from the moment of your birth either through your own health or your mother's well being. Issues of healthiness, diet, physical or mental well being may have played an important role in the early stages of life. Certainly the concerns for being in good physical and mental shape are essential to your sense of self and should be goals you consciously identify as essential. Vitality and strength are central character traits, which are apparent through your robust sense of self and vibrant personality. On the other hand it may have been through an illness that your identification with fitness and well being began and this is now obvious in your dedication to remaining healthy.   Instinctively you are drawn to a holistic lifestyle that promotes a sense of equilibrium. It is necessary to be acutely aware of any bodily disquiet or reactions, since you are sensitive to the impact of the environment around you. Therefore it may be necessary to constantly take stock of your health regime and be cognizant that it matches your physical needs. The body may be sensitive not only to the toxins in the environment but also to the food and liquids that are consumed. With this placement you are always reminded that the body is the temple of the soul and that excesses will damage the aura of well being.   With this placement your unique identity is intimately connected with the goddess of health and well being and therefore it is through her that you develop your sense of self. Your self-discovery may be inextricably linked to healthiness and through the experiences and challenges of remaining in good health you come to know the self more fully. This also suggests that your vitality and attitudes towards well being directly impacts others. You may be an example of fitness for others or a model for the power of healing and recuperative abilities. It is imperative to recognize the importance of the role of health and well being in your life and consciously act on constructively maintaining a healthy body and mind.   Hygieia is in Cancer No doubt the combination of Hygieia, the goddess of health, in Cancer, the sign of care taking, emphasizes the need to take care of your health. It may also suggest that the route to your well being is not only the care of the self, but also through your innate capacity to mother and nurture others. You may feel called to one of the health care professions, especially through caring for others when they are vulnerable. Whether you work in physical or mental health fields your interest in healing and caring for others was forged out of your own familial experiences. You also have an instinct and interest in early child development and the health care of the young. For you, a healthy family life is a priority.   For women this placement may address the instinct to mother and the healing that is constellated through this experience. While you were pregnant or during the perinatal period a health crisis may have developed, alerting you to a larger issue of health. Perhaps pregnancy or being a mother altered your attitudes to health and well being, or simply being a mother has thrown you a new lifeline and you are radiant in your role as mother. While it suggests that well being is akin to mothering it may also imply that your own healing journey was literally connected to your mother or the familial legacy of the feminine. Caring for others was a theme in the familial environment but how fate arranged this in your own experience will be unique. On a psychological level your healing journey may have started in the role of daughter or son to a mother who herself needed care taking. Or your own sensitivity to caring for others was borne either out of your own feeling of neglect or, to the other extreme, watching your mother administer to those in need.   The goddess Hygieia draws your attention to the fluctuation of your feelings and moods as there is a strong connection between the way you feel and your own physical and mental health. Your tendency to absorb the feeling atmosphere around you and not express your own feelings, especially when hurt or offended, leaves you weakened and prone to feeling unwell. The unease or bloating in your stomach alerts you to the need to express your feeling in order to regain balance. Weight and water retention are another way the goddess draws your attention to caring for yourself and urging you to express your authentic feelings.   Ariadne - The Labyrinth Of The Soul   'To be always fortunate, and to pass through life with a soul that has never known sorrow, is to be ignorant of one half of nature.' Seneca   Daughter of the great dynasty of Knossos, Ariadne's fate was overshadowed by the curse that plagued her family. In the guise of a great white bull, Zeus had abducted her grandmother Europa from Phoenicia and brought her to Crete. Her mother Pasiphaë had also become enamored by a great bull. Ariadne participated in the family fate: as Pasiphaë's daughter her lifeblood was impassioned and as Europa's granddaughter her destiny was to abandon her ancestral home.   Poseidon cursed Ariadne's family when her father Minos refused to sacrifice his most magnificent bull to the god. Spurned, the god aroused Pasiphaë's shameful lust for the impressive bull that became embodied in her bull-son, the Minotaur, human from the shoulders down. Banished into the labyrinthine blackness below the palace Ariadne's half-brother, the Minotaur, fed on sacrificial children sent from Athens every nine years. Heroic Theseus was one of fourteen youths sent to Crete to face death at the hands of the Minotaur.   When Theseus arrived to participate in the bull games Ariadne's passions were ignited when she saw him for the first time. Beguiled by the handsome hero, Ariadne devised a plan for Theseus to slay the Minotaur and return safely through the dark tunnels of the labyrinth. For her complicity Theseus promised he would marry her and take her away to Athens. Unconscious that her fate was enmeshed with the god Dionysus and not Theseus Ariadne set upon her course to help her lover and in turn betray her family.   Through the dark labyrinthine tunnels Theseus crawled, quietly, mindful not to make sounds that would waken the sleeping Minotaur. Wrapped around his wrist was a ball of yarn, tied to the pillar at the entrance of the maze, which unravelled as he made his way through the dangerous tunnels. Ariadne's thread was the umbilical cord that connected him to the outer world and guaranteed his return after he killed the Minotaur. That evening Ariadne escaped with Theseus. In the dark Mediterranean night they set sail for a victorious return to Athens. Leaving behind her father and sacrificing her brother she surrendered to the passion that burned inside, the rapture only Aphrodite could inspire, a similar 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 the 2nd House Maintaining a healthy sense of worth is sometimes a precarious matter, but good self-esteem is also one of the most valuable possessions of any human being. Material goods come and go, but a healthy sense of self is vital for survival and growth on this planet earth. These are sentiments close to your heart. Money, material resources and your own confidence are central themes in your life. It is possible that you have a healthy sense of self-esteem nurtured from a young age it is also likely that your confidence has been shaken at some stage of your life. Perhaps you rely too heavily on others for money and sustenance or maybe you are in conflict with others over your moneymaking priorities.   The lesson is clear - beware of a lazy attitude to material wealth and in particular beware of greed. Otherwise at some stage in your life you are likely to suffer from a very low sense of self as the result of relying too heavily on someone else's resources or because you lose your benefactor. On the other hand you may trust a close friend or spouse only to discover that this person was not worthy of your faith. The thread of Ariadne in your life could suggest that you are vulnerable to the loss of resources. On the other hand the heroine also suggests that it may be through this loss that you come to recognize the strength of your own resources. Check with your inner guidance before you share your assets with others.   However, the benefits of this placement of the goddess Ariadne are that you can build your own self-esteem and learn to rely on your own resources. A little soul searching can go a long way. You begin to discover the true worth of moral integrity and spiritual values. As the Christian Bible states in Luke 12.33.34, 'Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'   Ariadne is in Leo You set out on amazing journeys, seeking fun and excitement. You organize social events, are at the center of artistic groups and travel the world for fun. All the time you are seeking to express your originality. You love to involve your friends and family, the more the merrier. You fall in love wholeheartedly with your artistic pursuit or with a passionate lover.   Strangely, at some stage in your life journey, you realize that many of these pursuits lack meaning. They lose their lustre. Activities become boring. Lovers lose their appeal. Perhaps once or twice you chase a lover who does not return your feelings. You are caught up in the drama of a broken heart or the saga of unrequited love. Soon, this too, loses its charm. Are you addicted to love and excitement? The likely answer is 'yes'. The goddess Ariadne is challenging you to stop looking for love in all of the wrong places. You need to learn to love yourself, the greatest love of all.   Of all the signs of the zodiac Leo has the strongest link with the heart and Ariadne is the goddess who requires that we open our hearts to ourselves. You are so wonderfully adept at sharing your love and heartfelt talents with others but what about yourself? Do you really love yourself as well? Learn to love yourself and the world is your oyster. You can then celebrate a more intimate connection with the heart, whether that is through a personal relationship, a new creative endeavor or a new course of life. Dance, sing, and jump for joy, for the pure pleasure of expressing your love of life and your own unique self. Then you find that you will be able to weave Ariadne's thread into the brightly colored tapestry of your life.   Europa - The Soul Of The Earth    'On a beach in Sidon a bull was aping a lover's coo. It was Zeus. He shuddered, the way he did when a gadfly got him.  But this time it was a sweet shuddering. Eros was lifting a girl onto his back: Europa'  The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Robert Calasso   Underneath the Cretan palace of Knossos hidden in a labyrinthine chamber lived a bull-man, the Minotaur, the shameful shadow of the Minoan clan. Two generations earlier the story began when Zeus shape-shifted into a beautiful white bull to seduce a young Phoenician princess named Europa. Like the gods of the old religion Zeus took the shape of a virile and magnificent bull to 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 Pasiphaë, Minos' wife, to be sexually obsessed with the beautiful god-like bull. Her craving led to her becoming pregnant with her monstrous son, the Minotaur. Minos' greed and failure to respect the laws of the gods produced a monster that had to be buried beneath the surface of the family in the labyrinthine dungeons of the palace. Buried shame or repression lurking under the atmosphere of the family home eventually surfaces through the next generations. This became evident through the fate of Europa's granddaughters daughters Ariadne and Phaedra. The myth the Greeks retold was a variant of a much earlier motif when the bull was consort of the earth goddess. Europa is the ancient goddess whose earthy instinct is powerful and resourceful. Europa heralds contact with the ancient feminine instincts that generate the power to create abundance.   Throughout the myth of Europa the bull image reoccurs. It is a multi-dimensional symbol of earthy passions, desires, magnetism, wealth and potency whose shadow is greed and lust. The Great Bull of Heaven was an image of archaic power, fertility and enterprise. The appearance of the heavenly bull of Taurus heralded spring when the bountiful Earth became carpeted with wildflowers and the cycle of courtship began. The great bull is engaging and charismatic constellating the generative power of the feminine. Aphrodite who symbolizes the beauty, sensuality and attractiveness of this archetype is the persuasive erotic power that draws Europa, Pasiphaë, Ariadne and Phaedra into her domain. Europa embodies the wealth and majesty of the bull, its earthy passions and its worldly triumphs.   Europa, as the bull-goddess, reclaims the power to construct and direct the course of her own life. When she is prominent in a birth chart it suggests the individual's present course is to construct a solid foundation that will secure the rapid growth of resources.   In astrology Europa embodies the ability to ride the bull, harness its power and give birth to its resourceful creativity. Innately she is the image of feminine power, guidance and direction. Embodying earthy instincts she knows how to cultivate the earth and create abundance through her passionate, attractive and commanding nature. How she finds expression in your life is explored through the goddess Europa's placement in your horoscope, as follows.   Europa is in the 7th House Partnerships are a creative source of abundance. You are able to reap rewards through your marriage or by forming a business partnership. You may decide to work with your spouse, thus earning your livelihood in a joint enterprise. This works as long as you are both passionate about the same goals. But you may run into difficulties if your own or your partner's enthusiasm wanes.   Generally speaking you are attracted to resourceful people. You want to marry someone who is wealthy, or able to generate wealth in his or her own right. Power is attractive. Ideally you marry someone who is resourceful and loving. If you are not careful you may get carried away with noticing the trimmings of success without seeking true worth in your potential mate. Is this person also kind and loving? Does he or she share some of your interests separate to moneymaking activities? Do you share the same values? These are the sorts of questions you should ask yourself before you launch yourself into a passionate encounter. Otherwise you could fall prey to someone who is not exactly as he or she seems, someone with a beautiful façade but no substance.   The goddess Europa was tricked into riding into the ocean by the god Zeus disguised as a bull. You need to develop a good sense of discernment when it comes to potential marriage and business partners. Trust your intuition. Neither should you resort to trickery to maintain a marriage or business relationship. Act with integrity in all partnerships and show your appreciation. When the goddess Europa is in the 7th house of your birth chart you have the ability to be deeply loved. As a result you are likely to commit to fruitful partnerships, ones that greatly enrich your life. These associations are likely to be long lasting and emotionally and financially rewarding. Europa's blessing is that in a loving and supportive relationship you become fertile and resourceful.   Europa is in Capricorn You are aware of the importance of providing a basic foundation for yourself and your loved ones. Bricks and mortar and money in the bank mean a lot to you. You are able to work towards a goal with a determination to complete a task once you have made a commitment. Some may call you an 'Empire Builder' because of your commitment to accumulating material wealth. You need to make sure that you also take time to relax and enjoy your family, friends, marriage partner, children and the natural beauty of this world.   If you marry when you are young then you are likely to follow your spouse's lead, particularly if he or she wants to move to a different neighborhood. This is not to say that you blindly follow, but rather that you enjoy a partner who can initiate action that benefits you and your marriage. If you have children then you work hard to ensure that they have the best possible start in life. You are supportive, loyal and trusting. You work hard to develop your own sense of self-respect and expect others to do the same. Here's where you can run into difficulties. Your expectations of others can be too high. Not everyone has your ability to adhere to a plan when the going gets tough. Neither do your colleagues and loved ones necessarily have the ability to see the long-term gains from short-term discomfort.   It may repeatedly come as a surprise to you to see how others give up just before the tide is about to turn. You may also be surprised by other people's lack of independence. You enjoy a certain amount of solitude and autonomy, but you need to respect other people's differences. Perhaps you do not realize it but you are a hard taskmaster. Periods of loneliness may result if you continue to drive other people away with unrealistic expectations. Your challenge is to learn to enjoy life. You may need to spend more leisure time with family and friends. Take some time off. Surprise a friend with a social engagement. Have a holiday for the pure pleasure of living moment by moment. Throw the schedules out for a short time. How can your loved ones appreciate your loyal and loving nature if you are always working? If you are married, are you secretly avoiding intimacy through fear of not living up to your loved ones' expectations? If you are single, are you using your work as an excuse not to make a commitment to someone special? Only you can answer these questions.   Pandora - A Gift Of Hope   'Hope sole remain'd within, nor took her flight,  Beneath the vessel's verge conceal'd from light' Hesiod   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 the 4th House Your ancestry plays a prominent role in your life, particularly your links with your father and his family. Perhaps there is some unsolved mystery regarding your father, one that you feel compelled to resolve. The interactions of family members, and your role in your immediate and extended family are also strong themes. If there are skeletons in the family closet then you are the one who will go looking, find them and bring them into the open causing much commotion in the process. You might prefer that your relatives appreciate your efforts to discover the truth, but you are not going to be deterred if they are opposed. This is a prominent placement of the goddess Pandora and you are likely to be a prominent member of your family, a matriarch or patriarch. You may enjoy your role as the storyteller believing that someone has to tell the true family story. As the famous author George Bernard Shaw stated, 'if you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.'   Once you have mastered your own family secrets, you may choose to expand your horizons by moving away from your family of origin. You may travel abroad thus changing your definition of home. Alternatively you may live in a communal environment that offers more opportunities to learn about the interactions of individuals in a home setting. You may work as a family therapist or counselor, helping others to heal childhood wounds and discover the gift of hope within their family and home.   Your concept of home and family is likely to be challenged and change considerably during the course of your life. Your own journey and discoveries are likely to inspire others. Your optimistic and broad concept of the role of groups in society has the ability to bring hope where there has been despair. Ultimately you can guide each person to discover his or her own home within - the spiritual home that is the soul of every person.   Pandora is in Libra You are a born mediator. You sit back and observe the comings and goings and the interactions of your colleagues, friends and family members and then you can't help yourself, you... well, you meddle. You dive into the middle of conflict and try to bring two parties together. You are well aware that sometimes you seem to make matters worse, stirring the emotional pot. This awareness doesn't seem to act as a deterrent. You are ever hopeful that you can help people to solve their problems.   Fortunately in most cases you are correct, particularly when it comes to misunderstandings between different parties. Your ability to listen to each side of the story, hold your counsel and help each party see things from a different point of view is generally conciliatory. You have the gift of being able to bring a new perspective to any situation, a point of view that others may have never thought of. Therefore you would make an excellent diplomat or mediator.   On a more personal level you are often the adept matchmaker, helping many a couple on the path to true love. You are a romantic at heart and enjoy the prospect of a happy couple and are pleased to act as go-between. If only you could do the same thing in your own love life. As a single person you seem to be attracted to the wrong people. Unrequited love is far too often your plight. Your strong desire for romance may be frightening to potential lovers. On the other hand you may be seeking the perfect partner, overlooking the values of friendship and affection in your quest for passion. Once you are married you may have difficulty accepting the mundane aspects of your union. You need to create romance and excitement in your marriage from time to time. You also may develop a love of one or more aspects of the arts such as the theater, dance, art or music. Again you have a tendency to go overboard, having some difficulty in balancing the practicalities of life with your need to explore your creative interests. The key is to inject stimulation into your relationship, be spontaneous and challenge your partner to keep the relationship exciting.   Mnemosyne - The Soul Of Memory   'Thou fill'st from the wingèd chalice of the soul Thy lamp, O Memory, fire-wingèd to its goal. Dante Gabriel Rossetti   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 the 6th House Are you surrounded by many messages - lists on message boards, notes magnetized on your fridge, pop-up reminders on your computer? These are signs that Mnemosyne is at work in the 6th House of your birth chart. You love to make lists of your many chores and responsibilities. It is important that you remember to do all that you have undertaken or promised. This is part of a greater promise to yourself, to ensure that you make the most of every moment and that your everyday life reflects a deeper purpose. This purpose could be as simple as showing a kind heart to those nearest and dearest, or it could be a much bigger plan such as starting up a non-profit organization, or educating as many people as possible about the necessity to take care of planet Earth. You are often busy, making sure that odd jobs are done with finesse.   Your memory for details often comes in handy at home and work. In fact you may combine your home and work, enjoying the sense of accomplishment that comes from this combination. Prayer, meditation and other daily spiritual practices can be highly beneficial to help remind you of the higher purpose of your life. These practices also help jog your memory so you take care of your bodily needs. You can be so busy working, networking and making lists that you forget to enjoy the more aesthetic pleasures of life. Massage can be a soothing remedy, arousing memories of pleasurable experiences.   Some experts say that memory is a biological function, enabling us to learn from experience. In fact this is the best method of learning for you. Books and study courses are all well and good, but you learn the most when 'on the job'. You like to reflect on the past, and anticipate the future. If you do study then it is likely to be a subject such as psychology, which studies human's perception and relation to the environment or history, which helps humanity, learn from past experiences. As the ancient philosopher Cicero once said, 'history is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.' You could also earn your living through teaching, writing, networking, service work, poetry, art, architecture and design, interior decorating, singing, comedy and astronomy, to name a few of the areas associated with the goddess Mnemosyne and her Muses.   Your challenge is to make sure that you are not driven by hard work. Your mind always seems to be aware of the many tasks that need to be completed within a lifetime, the fact that the clock is ever ticking. You need to be careful not to become over-stimulated by taking on too many tasks. The use of vitamins and minerals and the advice of a good doctor can help you maintain excellent physical and mental health. In other words you need to make time to enjoy sensual pleasures - to be inspired by the touch of a loved one, the sight of a sunset, smell of the ocean, taste of favorite treat or sound of favorite song. Paying attention to the five senses will help develop your sixth sense and improve your mental health and experience the joy of discovery. You may feel called to share your experiences with others, thereby persuading others to focus on improving their health and well being. On the whole the goddess Mnemosyne is encouraging you to rise above the many distractions of your daily life and to remain focused on the big picture, your life's calling. Finding inspiration through beautiful artwork, poetry and spiritual practices can be beneficial. 'Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.' So says US comedian and singer Eddie Cantor.   Mnemosyne is in Sagittarius You like to hear stories of people living in exotic lands. As a child you may have collected stamps from other countries, read books from different cultures or attended a church or school that taught you about diverse religions and cultures. Your fascination continues into adulthood. In particular you like stories. You see storytelling is a way to encourage people to experience all religions, all cultures. You like to learn about the common threads that link all people, encouraging an all-encompassing spiritual attitude. Racism appals you, and you hope to overcome bigotry by telling people stories of your own experiences, as well as sharing tales of other people. You are a born philosopher.   Instinctually you cross cultural lines through learning a foreign language, adopting a distinctive set of beliefs or through your urge for adventure. You are likely to travel, and possibly live, in another country during the course of your life. You learn to enjoy the experience of expanding your mind through exposure to other lifestyles. You enjoy creating memories through travel. As writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn says, 'own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.'   If you are not in a position to travel then you may enjoy visiting libraries, museums and art galleries to expand your mind, or studying. Topics that could appeal include classical mythology, metaphysics, ancient philosophers, theology, the arts, science, ancient history, foreign cultures or languages. You have a love of language, enjoying finding common words in different languages. You may enjoy studying traditional languages such as Arabic or Latin. Perhaps the ancient papyri fascinate you? You may decide to publish your own works, a journal, magazine or book. The internet may also provide an avenue of communicating with like-minded friends and colleagues, or for you to publish your thoughts and works. Teaching may also be an option. It is important that you discover an avenue though which you can learn, expand your mind and express your philosophical ideas.   Hecate - The Soul In Transition   'Leave those vain moralists, my friend, and return to the depth of your soul: that is where you will always rediscover the source of the sacred fire which so often inflamed us with love of the sublime virtues;  that is where you will see the eternal image of true beauty,  the contemplation of which inspires us with a holy enthusiasm.' Anthony Robbins   Hecate became associated with the dark phase of triple goddess who embraced the spheres of heaven (Selene), earth (Artemis) and underworld (Persephone). Her initial association with the underworld was as an attendant to Persephone. It was Hecate who heard Persephone's screams when Hades dragged her down into the netherworld. Hecate was also present when Hermes escorted Persephone out of the underworld. As a guardian of the threshold Hecate witnessed Persephone's descent and release. Her cave is located between the earth and the underworld confirming Hecate's role as an intermediary, bound to neither world but in between both.   As a threshold goddess Hecate is encountered when the paths of our lives converge and we are uncertain which fork in the road to follow. Throughout antiquity she was worshipped at the intersection of roads and by Roman times she was known as Hecate Trivia, the goddess of the three ways. On the night of the New Moon pots of food were left at the crossroads as votive offerings to the goddess. 'Hecate's suppers' 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 the 4th House There is likely to be at least one strong woman who has had authority during your childhood, a woman whose experiences have shaped your life. Perhaps your mother underwent a crisis during your childhood, and you learnt at a young age how to cope with family crises. It is also possible that your father initiated the crisis and that your early childhood home constantly changed, shape shifting to accommodate the needs of your father. Your mother played a central part in the drama of the family. She is either a powerful figure in her own right, or somewhat resentful of the authority influenced by your father. Power is a parental issue that echoes the ancient time when masculine standards began to dominate the values held by the goddess. You are aware of this conflict and work hard to uphold the values of the goddess. The details of this early childhood scenario are influenced by other factors in your birth chart. Nevertheless your family plays a prominent role in shaping your early life.   You are likely to have strong values attached to your family members, perhaps even a sense of responsibility for looking after individual members, or the family as a whole. You are the linchpin in your immediate family. You share your knowledge, help others through crises and perhaps even tend to the sick with herbs and medicine. You are concerned for the well being of your relatives, whether close or extended family. You may also be the one who visits the graveyards of deceased family members. For you these graveyards may be comforting as they allow you to be in touch with those you loved.   Your friends also become part of your family. You open your home to friends in need, and provide shelter those who are at a crossroads in their lives. Your home becomes a safe haven for those who are outcast, troubled or at a turning point. You need to marry someone who shares your family values. Otherwise you are likely to experience conflict, rather than harmony, in your own home. Your family values come from a place deep within. You are driven by a spiritual need to connect with your family. This is not a superficial matter. The goddess Hecate is a powerful influence in this sphere of your birth chart. Your roots can be traced far back into your family, and you feel a powerful urge to protect those who come into this sphere.   Hecate is in Virgo There is a sharp edge to your personality that others may or may not realize, depending on how well they know you. This can be a very positive trait, lending you the ability to discern and make decisions based on facts and figures. A cool head in heated moments can be a real asset. There are defining moments in your life, and those close to you, when you know precisely which turn you are going to take next. It is likely to be a logical choice and sometimes you fail to take into consideration the emotional aspects of any given situation. You have a strong intellectual bent, but the intellect needs to be balanced with the emotions, particularly in your personal life.   You are very adept at changing jobs, gaining promotions and new positions of authority with a blend of hard work and astute networking. If you are not careful you could be conducting your personal relationships based on the same basis and this does not necessarily work. The intellect alone can be a harsh judge of human foibles. There is a saying, something along the lines of, 'do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?' You need to reserve your judgment in your private life and temper your integrity with compassion. You would be better off directing your powers of discernment into your professional career. You are honorable, perceptive, resourceful, fair and righteous. What better qualities could be required for law, justice, diplomacy, accountancy, politics, academia or research?   The goddess Hecate has been linked to many herbs, probably because of her association with witchcraft. She viewed herbs as sacred medicine. The sign of Virgo also has links with health, herbs, medicine and medical research. Therefore you are likely to be fascinated with the process of disease and cure. A look in your medicine cabinet or bookshelves may verify this! In a woman's chart this placement of Hecate in connection with the sign of Virgo indicates that you delve in to the realms of conventional or alternative healing, researching the many intricacies of health and well being. You could literally be a medical scientist, doctor, nurse or health care worker or you could be fascinated with growing medicinal herbs in your garden. In a man's chart this placement indicates that you attract a female friend, spouse or family member who is preoccupied with health. Hopefully your loved one experiences good health, but it is possible that she is searching for answers because of her own ill health. You need to encourage her to discover as many alternative-healing cures as possible. You are also expected to look after your own health. You may cringe to know that the precise details of your life scenario are not important; what is significant is how you conduct your overall life. The goddess Hecate is calling on you to bring integrity - the integration of intellect and emotions - to bear on all situations. Your healing powers then can be directed to assist sick and suffering children, adults or creatures from the natural world.   Cassandra - The Prophetic Soul   'And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.' I Corinthians 13:2, Bible   Cassandra stood on the walls of Troy and watched Paris' ship enter the 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 the 2nd House You have a sixth sense when it comes to money. You know how to make money, how to invest your income and how to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Others may not appreciate your efforts to teach them the laws of economics, but you don't seem to mind. You have good judgment in monetary matters and that's all that matters to you. Of course, there are times when your focus on monetary matters can blind you to the reactions of those around you. Others may envy your income and your ability to handle the material world. You are not driven by greed, although that is sometimes how it can appear to your friends, colleagues and loved ones. Those who know you well understand that your spiritual beliefs are often behind your ability to manifest material goods.   Once you have gained the financial security that you seek you may decide to earn your income through an artistic or spiritual pursuit. You are unlikely to be the starving artist in the garret type, but once you are financially secure you could easily begin to explore your artistic talents. This could be through painting, sculpture, drama, dance, film or another related artistic pursuit. Ironically you are also able to earn a substantial income through your artistic or spiritual pursuits.   The goddess Cassandra was both gifted and cursed, so you do need to be discerning with your personal finances. In a woman's chart this placement of the goddess Cassandra means that you should be wary of taking the advice or entering joint financial ventures in connection with a close personal male friend or lover. You need to follow your own counsel.   In a man's chart this placement could mean that a woman counselor or friend may have good advice to offer for your personal investments.   Cassandra is in Cancer You are a sensitive person, particularly empathetic with your loved ones. You are deeply concerned with suffering, both those close to you and the suffering of humanity. You are keen to encourage your family members and enjoy discussing all manner of subjects with those who you care for. However, you also hold strong opinions about the importance of family, the role of families in society and the need for humanity to view itself as one big dynasty. Sometimes you may be a bit too forthright in these opinions. Others may tire of your didactic ways, misunderstanding your caring for morality. You have an understanding nature; however, you may sometimes feel unable to offer any words of comfort to those in trouble. Words are not enough. You need to find an outlet for your sensitivity. Charity work, counseling, policy making for the underprivileged and speaking up on behalf of those in need can all provide relief. Through these means you are able to fully express your inherit wisdom.   The family, and the history of your family, also plays an important role in your life. Stories of family members, both past and present, are inspiring. You may enjoy tracing the lineage of your own family, perhaps even keeping a written record. You may be the voice of the family through speaking up for others or suggesting what needs to be done. On a collective level you are a spokesperson for family values and traditions.   In a woman's chart Cassandra indicates that you are a powerful and empathetic woman with the ability to speak from the heart destined to be a powerful influence on those she cares for. You may have inherited a particular talent from your ancestors, one that involves communicating - acting, writing, singing, dancing, story telling, or foretelling the future. On the other hand you may be particularly knowledgeable in a certain subject, inheriting your good judgment from a family member.   The goddess Cassandra in the sign of Cancer in a man's chart means that you are able to attract a wise and nurturing woman, who provides a strong support. This is most probably because you had a prophetic and visionary mother who fiercely protected her and your rights to speak up and say what you believed to be true You are well advised to respect the power of the feminine arts.   Medea - Herbalist And Healer   'Of all things upon earth that bleed and grow, A herb most bruised is woman' Euripes, Medea   Medea, a princess of Colchis, was known as the 'wise one' for her skill of healing and proficiency at using drugs and herbs. Colchis, which gives its name to Colchicum, the meadow saffron, was a kingdom on the Eastern shores of the Black Sea, considered a foreign, barbaric land through the eyes of a 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 an