GODDESS
A Solar Writer Report
for
Claudia Schiffer
Written by Brian Clark & Stephanie Johnson
Compliments
of:-
Christine
Bennett
Spit
Junction 2088
Tel:
1300 880 448
Email:
cb@ittakes2.com.au
Web:
www.ittakes2.com.au
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: Claudia Schiffer
|
Asteroid |
Sign |
Position |
House
|
Comment |
|
|
Cer |
Ceres |
Taurus |
7°Ta34' |
6th |
|
|
Pal |
Pallas
Athena |
Pisces |
6°Pi12' |
4th |
|
|
Jun |
Juno |
Taurus |
19°Ta02' |
7th |
|
|
Ves |
Vesta |
Libra |
1°Li13' |
11th |
|
|
Hyg |
Hygieia |
Cancer |
25°Cn54' |
9th |
|
|
Ari |
Ariadne |
Cancer |
24°Cn56' |
9th |
|
|
Eur |
Europa |
Aries |
17°Ar49' |
5th |
|
|
Pan |
Pandora |
Virgo |
11°Vi38' |
10th |
|
|
Mne |
Mnemosyne |
Capricorn |
2°Cp44' |
2nd |
|
|
Hec |
Hecate |
Libra |
12°Li12' |
11th |
|
|
Cas |
Cassandra |
Virgo |
24°Vi48' |
10th |
|
|
Med |
Medea |
Capricorn |
15°Cp09' |
2nd |
|
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
goddess in your personal Solar Writer - Goddess report has a specific function,
being emblematic of an important sphere of your life. Every one embodies a
different aspect of the Goddess herself. However, all twelve are involved in
the handiwork of the Goddess. Therefore underlying each individual goddess is
the sanctity of being, the awareness of the seasonal
cycles of our life cycle and the acceptance of inner intelligence, signs,
symbols and dreams. All twelve honor the instinctual wisdom of nature and
follow her guidance.
These
twelve goddesses preside over the three spheres of Heaven, the Earth and the
Underworld. Being Olympians the goddess Ceres, Pallas Athena, Juno and Vesta are the goddesses of heaven who oversee the important
initiations and transitions of the life cycle. These four goddesses were also
the first named asteroids and the ones most frequently referred to in
contemporary astrological literature. They personify four potent feminine
functions or orientations to life. The goddesses of the underworld are
powerfully insightful and understand the deep waters of the unconscious, the
complexity of feelings, the power of mystery and magic and the uncertainty of
life. These goddesses may reveal themselves through a healing crisis, the
psychic senses, loss, betrayal or a myriad of other mysteries that arise in our
lives. Hygieia, Cassandra, Hecate
and Medea are the four goddesses who plunge the
depths of the unconscious realm. Finally the goddesses who rule the Earth
symbolize our worldly concerns and attitudes. Ariadne,
Europa, Pandora and Mnemosyne
are the influential representatives in the world who watch over our loves and
labors, as well as our trials and triumphs.
The
Solar Writer - Goddess report is a celebration of twelve of the numerous
asteroids. Below the asteroid goddesses and heroines have been listed by their
order of discovery. Each asteroid has its unique cycle and position in the
horoscope. Keywords are listed below to introduce you to the meaning of each
goddess as well as other astrological correlations that have a similar essence
to the asteroid archetype. Each goddess will be explored through her myth and
cult to appreciate her ancient role and contemporary meaning. The oracular
meaning of the asteroid goddesses and heroines is based on the individual cult
of the goddess. Once familiar with the presence of each goddess or heroine we
will petition them for an oracle based on their position by sign and house in
your horoscope.
Ceres,
Asteroid No 1, was discovered in 1801. Ceres is closely aligned with the
archetypes of Pluto and the Moon and especially strong when the Moon aspects
Pluto. Her process may enter our lives when Pluto transits the Moon or the 4th
house.
Pallas
Athena, Asteroid No. 2, was discovered in 1802. Athena is sympathetic to
the air signs especially the justice and strategy of Libra and the intelligence
and objectivity of Aquarius. She is aligned with the masculine archetypes of
Mars and Uranus and close to Jupiter, her father's realm.
Juno,
Asteroid No. 3, was discovered in 1804. Juno is the goddess of marriage and
social customs. She reverberates with Libra and the 7th house. Her passionate
side is reflected through the 8th principle of Scorpio and interchanges between
these two astrological principles reflect the goddess.
Vesta, Asteroid No. 4, was
discovered in 1807. Vesta is the spirit of the 6th
house, the domain of the sacred in the everyday, the rituals of work and well
being. Planets in Virgo respond to the archetype as do inner planets aspecting Saturn, the need for authenticity.
Hygieia, Asteroid No. 10, was
discovered in 1849. The axis of health in the horoscope is the 6th-12th
polarity. The Sun symbolizes the vitality and the ascendant suggests how we
conduct that vital life force. Chiron is the archetype of healing. Hygieia is very much concerned with these principles.
Ariadne, Asteroid No. 43, was
discovered in 1857. Ariadne's story plumbs the depths
of the water houses. She leaves the familial terrain of the 4th house to be
abandoned by her lover in the labyrinth of the 8th but awakens to her divine
connection in the 12th.
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
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
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
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
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 6th House
You
have a strong instinct to nurture your colleagues. This could simply be helping
them get organized for a big event or by making sure that your office is clean,
fresh and pleasant. You are also able to offer a shoulder to cry on when your
co-workers are going through times of loneliness and loss. You have a warm and
open heart. Your own suffering and loss has taught you to be very observant and
sensitive.
You
are sensitive to changes in your daily life and could develop allergies to
everyday products. You need to take more care than most with poisonous
substances in your workaday life. You may develop an interest in nutrition,
herbs, natural remedies and other products. In fact health plays a prominent
role in your life, either because you experience ill health or because you work
with the sick or dying. You are understanding and empathetic, with a tendency
to do too much for other people. You need to learn to look after yourself
first.
You
are able to reduce stress by being close to the natural world. You would
benefit greatly from living close to nature, either in the countryside or
surrounded by trees and flowers. You may enjoy tending to plants, animals and
children on a daily basis, as you need to focus your urge to nurture. However,
it is most important to find time in your busy routine to nurture and care for
yourself. Find a ritual that supports and sustains you and make it your daily
practice.
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.