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Mythos and You, Part II
Posted on 2003.10.22 at 10:57
Behind the LJ cut tag below is my latest incarnation of horoscopes for this Fall/Winter. The twist this time involves a randomly selected myth applied to each sign.
The process involved a little more than just closing my eyes, thinking "Aries" and opening one of my mythology reference books and pointing -- but obviously that is the part that incorporates the Chance/Fate intervention. Like a dutiful little astrologer, I made sure to look at planetary alignments, movements, etc. Also, I came across many versions of certain myths, and myths with many stories connected to them. I applied to each sign the version or storyline that "clicked" with my intuition and matched closest to astrological configs.
This writing venture turned out to be quite an intricate project for me. For many hours, I became absorbed in my cross-referencing research, which enticed me along many intriguing avenues. Some of the books I used deserve special mention and I highly recommend them to everyone either as a first time read, or a re-read:
Dictionary of Mythology by Bergen Evans; Dictionary of Classical Mythology by J.E. Zimmerman, Bullfinch's Mythology - The Age of Fable. Those were the main resources. Then I got gleefully lost perusing various classical art, literature and poetic verse resources, among them the books: The Pre-Raphaelites by Timothy Hilton and Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia. Also helpful and informative were: Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung; Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot.
It took a lot longer than I originally planned to construct this piece of writing but I had a superbly satisfying experience doing it. Mention should be made that underneath any obvious message of each astrological mythoscope, there is archetype interaction information, which is the real cream of the myth/character/storyline involved.
(NOTE: If one desires a stark and modern yet excessively thorough delineation of archetypes, you can consult Caroline Myss' website in the archetypes section. I think a lot of Caroline Myss' work is excellent, however, I found the archetype list too stripped-down and linear. There was no magic, no mystery, no glamour -- and thus it was not interesting or creatively inspiring for me. I found it sterile, much like my brief attempts at studying the Kabbalah were and, a while ago, with the Jane Roberts Seth series. My problem with these areas is I think everything has been "over-designated" -- chopped up into category into sub-category into sub-sub-category into sub-sub-sub-category, and so on. The "learning" becomes bland and tiresome.) (But that is another tangent altogether).
Yeah so -- my mythoscopes are not completely laid out in simple terms or in a black-and-white play-by-play but I do provide narrative commentary. Actual contemplation of imagery, analogy or metaphor, symbolism, etc. will provide a more cohesive (and intriguing) interpretation. If one is ambitious enough, research on the particular myth/character/story that has been applied to your sign will help you get the most out of your particular mythoscope -- as wandering through labyrinths of unusual information can be, even in unexpected ways, fascinating and enlightening.
There's more than one layer to the cake.
If the idea of contemplation and/or research seems too onerous - even a la the vast resources of the Internet - simply reading and taking your mythoscope at face value will suffice. Your subconscious and superconscious will do the rest.
All THAT said -- with Neptune going direct October 22, today, now is the perfect time for everyone to "dive directly" into exploring more nebulous and esoteric realities. The waters of the subconscious are beckoning...swan song or siren song? (Sung to the tune of.....?)
Anyhow, here are Hespeth's Mythoscopes for Fall/Winter 2003
ARIES: Ran - Sea goddess in Norse mythology, sister and wife of Aegir (equivalent of Neptune/Poseidon). She reflects the cruel North Sea. She is greedy and drags down the drowning. Sound ominous? Not really -- some of what you have here is the concept of "do what you must to save yourself but don't try to involve others in this process because you will drown -- and you will drown with you those you are trying to rescue." Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind -- especially to yourself.
TAURUS: Atalanta - Had many admirers, challenged them all to a race in order to win her heart. When they lost, she killed them. Was finally outsmarted/defeated by Hippomenes who threw three golden apples in her path every time she tried to overtake him. She paused to pick them up and lost the race. Such rich imagery, and this myth is used quite a bit in poetic verse and classical art. If you are lonely in love -- or feeling thwarted in spite of your efforts in anything lately, it is because you are your own worst enemy. Allow yourself to be distracted by pretty things (frivolous entertainments). By yielding to the apples of delay that pop up in your path and detour your attention for awhile, you could unexpectedly remedy even the vilest of dilemmas in your life, be it love, luck, money, etc.
GEMINI: Gaea - Earth goddess, offspring of Chaos. Wow -- big shifts in store for you Gems. Life-sustaining/altering conditions springing from chaos, even ancient chaos. Roll with the tides, ride every ebb and flow in your self-contained little universe while being buoyed about by the Big Universe. Things will fall into place and you will begin to see a wholeness to your life that for a long while you had not thought possible. There is an ancient custom associated with honoring Gaea - the placing of a newborn child on the hearth in honor of her as the ultimate source of all life. Well Gems, I don't think the metaphors could get anymore obvious on all the above. Welcome to your brand new world. Try not to spend too much time looking back over your shoulder at the bridges you've just crossed (burned) with bitterness or regret because you need to be looking straight ahead at the doors that are opening before you.
CANCER: Nisus - A king. He had a lock of purple hair and as long has he had this lock of hair, his kingdom would be safe. His daughter fell in love with Minos, who was attacking her father's kingdom, so she cut off her father's purple lock and brought it to her heartthrob as a gift. But after Minos captured the kingdom, he rejected her. She was changed into a bird and her father into an eagle which forever pursues her. There is so much archetype imagery in this horoscope -- and so much metaphor and analogy that really it all should be fairly easy to contemplate upon. You have a heavy cycle coming up. For some, it will be coming to terms with things you are hiding/rejecting about yourself. For others, it will be taking the high road as you traverse difficult or painful situations. For others, a breaking free, a transformative process where you will finally, with confident determination, go after whatever you feel has eluded you for a while.
LEO: Cestus - To quote literally from Bergen Evans' delightful book: "The embroidered girdle of Aphrodite which conferred upon the wearer irresistible charm. In no way to be confused with the Roman 'cestus,' the leather glove studded with iron spikes which the Roman boxers used. Its charm was considerably less than irresistible." So many of my Leo pals, of either gender, will be amused and entertained (and no doubt feel their tiaras polished) by this horoscope! Again, a very easy myth from which to glean metaphoric interpretation. It is a charmed time for you presently -- with gifts of the heart being the primary source. However, I will add one little caveat: A girdle not only shapes and confers transformation of appearances, it does so through restricting, scaling back, and a sort of consolidation. Often we discover that certain necessary restraints that are placed, or must be placed upon our lives in fact act to confer grander, more appealing results. In a pun on both figure-shape and time: Work with the hourglass -- not against it.
VIRGO: - Nestor - Only one of 12 brothers not killed by Hercules. In the Trojan War, he distinguished himself by his eloquence, justice, prudence of mind, and wisdom. The Trojan War -- eek. Heavy imagery there but then aren't all significant battles? Whether the war is internal or in dealing with external circumstances, hold your ground, keep fighting for your goals, hold on to your belief in yourself and in your talents, character, morals, etc. You will not only survive in tact, but may find yourself celebrated or launched into progress by those very persons or circumstances who obstructed and challenged you.
LIBRA: Lycomedes - A king. Young Achilles was kept disguised as a girl for safety to keep him from fighting in the Trojan War. His disguise was exposed by Odysseus who visited the court with a splendid suit of armor while having trumpets sound the call to arms. Lycomedes was infamous later for throwing his guest, Theseus, the greatest hero of the Athenians, off a cliff. There is a lot of intricacy in this one. You are avoiding confronting the realities of certain situations in your life, but any imbalances could be exposed by and through others. Or, you may have to "betray" something for the greater good of a situation and the concept of "whistleblower" expressly applies. It is up to you Libras to decide whether this is really a "betrayal" scenario or actually a "transformation of goals and path" in disguise.
SCORPIO: Garden of the Hesperides - Damn! There's a lot going on with this garden! The Garden is owned by Atlas. In the garden, Atlas grew a tree with golden apples that was a gift from Gaea to Hera on her wedding day to Zeus. Three celebrated nymphs along with Ladon, a fierce dragon, guard the golden apples. The eleventh labor of Hercules was to obtain some of the apples. He did this by tricking and slaying Ladon. The apples Hercules took were eventually returned to the Garden. Three of these apples were the ones that lost Atalanta the race. Well Scorpios, the world is your -- er -- garden and there is a whirlwind beginning. Now is NOT the time to be a hermit. Mix, mingle, and spread your social, personal, creative, spiritual -- whatever -- wings and flit about randomly and extensively. People connections will be extremely important -- especially synchronistic and coincidental ones. Oh -- and something of value you thought you lost, be it internal or external, will casually be returned to you.
SAGITTARIUS: Stymphalilan Birds - (Okay, I need to pay attention to this one, I guess.) Huge flocks of monstrous birds. They have wings, beaks, claws of iron and live only on the flesh of humans. Hercules, under the protection of his impenetrable lion skin, made such loud noises banging cymbals that the birds were frightened away, never to return. Sagittarians are known for having a blunt, calling a spade a spade demeanor. For a while now, it has behooved this sign to keep silent counsel as much as possible while being buffeted about. Excruciating, no? Well, apparently, it is now time to be conspicuously blunt. Call people on their shit, confront and vanquish obstructive or intrusive circumstances, frighten/send away anything or anyone, (be it internal or external), that has been picking away at your life or goals. It is not a time to be gentle with hurdles, especially unnecessary ones -- you don't have to leap over them really, just knock them down and step over them -- or walk completely around them. (Well, THIS could be FUN.)
CAPRICORN: Arion - This winged horse was birthed by Demeter through Poseidon, or sprang from the earth when Poseidon struck the ground with his trident. It had the power of speech and ran with miraculous speed. Arion is also the famous musician and lyric poet who earned immense wealth through his profession. Self-promotion is key right now. Whether you are in creative ventures or other professional pursuits, talk proud and loud. Opportunities may spring out of nowhere and in the most unexpected of places. As with Scorpio, socializing is key for you in the next few months. You may be expected to keep a lot of plates in the air at one time so you better brush up on your juggling.
AQUARIUS: Caeneus - Daughter of Poseidon. She obtained from Poseidon the power to change her sex and thus became an invulnerable warrior. In the battle against the Centaurs, she offended Zeus and in punishment was buried under a pile of pine trees and changed into a bird. Being more aggressive in certain circumstances will definitely succeed. If you have been knocked down, it is now time to get up, dust off, put your hands on your hips, survey the landscape and begin walking. Be sure to find a cooperative balance between your innate nature and the personas you choose exude while you are trying to blaze a new trail. It is an excellent time for expressing different faces (characteristics) to different people in order to find the clearest road to the changes you want to make -- the only caution is to take care you don't accidentally step on any toes along the way. Honor your gods, respect your elders, be polite to those in authority -- even if it infuriates you.
PISCES: Praxiteles: Famous Greek sculptor. He made two statues of Aphrodite, one with conventional drapery, the other a nude - said to have been the first time a female figure had been made without drapery. The future is now and you are the one shaping it piece by piece, chisel by chisel. Name your masterpiece and carve it out. Don't be overly concerned about whether your choices are appropriate for the times or not. All that should concern you is the quality of your choices.
Sweethome under white clouds,
Hespeth
The process involved a little more than just closing my eyes, thinking "Aries" and opening one of my mythology reference books and pointing -- but obviously that is the part that incorporates the Chance/Fate intervention. Like a dutiful little astrologer, I made sure to look at planetary alignments, movements, etc. Also, I came across many versions of certain myths, and myths with many stories connected to them. I applied to each sign the version or storyline that "clicked" with my intuition and matched closest to astrological configs.
This writing venture turned out to be quite an intricate project for me. For many hours, I became absorbed in my cross-referencing research, which enticed me along many intriguing avenues. Some of the books I used deserve special mention and I highly recommend them to everyone either as a first time read, or a re-read:
Dictionary of Mythology by Bergen Evans; Dictionary of Classical Mythology by J.E. Zimmerman, Bullfinch's Mythology - The Age of Fable. Those were the main resources. Then I got gleefully lost perusing various classical art, literature and poetic verse resources, among them the books: The Pre-Raphaelites by Timothy Hilton and Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia. Also helpful and informative were: Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung; Dictionary of Symbols by J.E. Cirlot.
It took a lot longer than I originally planned to construct this piece of writing but I had a superbly satisfying experience doing it. Mention should be made that underneath any obvious message of each astrological mythoscope, there is archetype interaction information, which is the real cream of the myth/character/storyline involved.
(NOTE: If one desires a stark and modern yet excessively thorough delineation of archetypes, you can consult Caroline Myss' website in the archetypes section. I think a lot of Caroline Myss' work is excellent, however, I found the archetype list too stripped-down and linear. There was no magic, no mystery, no glamour -- and thus it was not interesting or creatively inspiring for me. I found it sterile, much like my brief attempts at studying the Kabbalah were and, a while ago, with the Jane Roberts Seth series. My problem with these areas is I think everything has been "over-designated" -- chopped up into category into sub-category into sub-sub-category into sub-sub-sub-category, and so on. The "learning" becomes bland and tiresome.) (But that is another tangent altogether).
Yeah so -- my mythoscopes are not completely laid out in simple terms or in a black-and-white play-by-play but I do provide narrative commentary. Actual contemplation of imagery, analogy or metaphor, symbolism, etc. will provide a more cohesive (and intriguing) interpretation. If one is ambitious enough, research on the particular myth/character/story that has been applied to your sign will help you get the most out of your particular mythoscope -- as wandering through labyrinths of unusual information can be, even in unexpected ways, fascinating and enlightening.
There's more than one layer to the cake.
If the idea of contemplation and/or research seems too onerous - even a la the vast resources of the Internet - simply reading and taking your mythoscope at face value will suffice. Your subconscious and superconscious will do the rest.
All THAT said -- with Neptune going direct October 22, today, now is the perfect time for everyone to "dive directly" into exploring more nebulous and esoteric realities. The waters of the subconscious are beckoning...swan song or siren song? (Sung to the tune of.....?)
Anyhow, here are Hespeth's Mythoscopes for Fall/Winter 2003
ARIES: Ran - Sea goddess in Norse mythology, sister and wife of Aegir (equivalent of Neptune/Poseidon). She reflects the cruel North Sea. She is greedy and drags down the drowning. Sound ominous? Not really -- some of what you have here is the concept of "do what you must to save yourself but don't try to involve others in this process because you will drown -- and you will drown with you those you are trying to rescue." Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind -- especially to yourself.
TAURUS: Atalanta - Had many admirers, challenged them all to a race in order to win her heart. When they lost, she killed them. Was finally outsmarted/defeated by Hippomenes who threw three golden apples in her path every time she tried to overtake him. She paused to pick them up and lost the race. Such rich imagery, and this myth is used quite a bit in poetic verse and classical art. If you are lonely in love -- or feeling thwarted in spite of your efforts in anything lately, it is because you are your own worst enemy. Allow yourself to be distracted by pretty things (frivolous entertainments). By yielding to the apples of delay that pop up in your path and detour your attention for awhile, you could unexpectedly remedy even the vilest of dilemmas in your life, be it love, luck, money, etc.
GEMINI: Gaea - Earth goddess, offspring of Chaos. Wow -- big shifts in store for you Gems. Life-sustaining/altering conditions springing from chaos, even ancient chaos. Roll with the tides, ride every ebb and flow in your self-contained little universe while being buoyed about by the Big Universe. Things will fall into place and you will begin to see a wholeness to your life that for a long while you had not thought possible. There is an ancient custom associated with honoring Gaea - the placing of a newborn child on the hearth in honor of her as the ultimate source of all life. Well Gems, I don't think the metaphors could get anymore obvious on all the above. Welcome to your brand new world. Try not to spend too much time looking back over your shoulder at the bridges you've just crossed (burned) with bitterness or regret because you need to be looking straight ahead at the doors that are opening before you.
CANCER: Nisus - A king. He had a lock of purple hair and as long has he had this lock of hair, his kingdom would be safe. His daughter fell in love with Minos, who was attacking her father's kingdom, so she cut off her father's purple lock and brought it to her heartthrob as a gift. But after Minos captured the kingdom, he rejected her. She was changed into a bird and her father into an eagle which forever pursues her. There is so much archetype imagery in this horoscope -- and so much metaphor and analogy that really it all should be fairly easy to contemplate upon. You have a heavy cycle coming up. For some, it will be coming to terms with things you are hiding/rejecting about yourself. For others, it will be taking the high road as you traverse difficult or painful situations. For others, a breaking free, a transformative process where you will finally, with confident determination, go after whatever you feel has eluded you for a while.
LEO: Cestus - To quote literally from Bergen Evans' delightful book: "The embroidered girdle of Aphrodite which conferred upon the wearer irresistible charm. In no way to be confused with the Roman 'cestus,' the leather glove studded with iron spikes which the Roman boxers used. Its charm was considerably less than irresistible." So many of my Leo pals, of either gender, will be amused and entertained (and no doubt feel their tiaras polished) by this horoscope! Again, a very easy myth from which to glean metaphoric interpretation. It is a charmed time for you presently -- with gifts of the heart being the primary source. However, I will add one little caveat: A girdle not only shapes and confers transformation of appearances, it does so through restricting, scaling back, and a sort of consolidation. Often we discover that certain necessary restraints that are placed, or must be placed upon our lives in fact act to confer grander, more appealing results. In a pun on both figure-shape and time: Work with the hourglass -- not against it.
VIRGO: - Nestor - Only one of 12 brothers not killed by Hercules. In the Trojan War, he distinguished himself by his eloquence, justice, prudence of mind, and wisdom. The Trojan War -- eek. Heavy imagery there but then aren't all significant battles? Whether the war is internal or in dealing with external circumstances, hold your ground, keep fighting for your goals, hold on to your belief in yourself and in your talents, character, morals, etc. You will not only survive in tact, but may find yourself celebrated or launched into progress by those very persons or circumstances who obstructed and challenged you.
LIBRA: Lycomedes - A king. Young Achilles was kept disguised as a girl for safety to keep him from fighting in the Trojan War. His disguise was exposed by Odysseus who visited the court with a splendid suit of armor while having trumpets sound the call to arms. Lycomedes was infamous later for throwing his guest, Theseus, the greatest hero of the Athenians, off a cliff. There is a lot of intricacy in this one. You are avoiding confronting the realities of certain situations in your life, but any imbalances could be exposed by and through others. Or, you may have to "betray" something for the greater good of a situation and the concept of "whistleblower" expressly applies. It is up to you Libras to decide whether this is really a "betrayal" scenario or actually a "transformation of goals and path" in disguise.
SCORPIO: Garden of the Hesperides - Damn! There's a lot going on with this garden! The Garden is owned by Atlas. In the garden, Atlas grew a tree with golden apples that was a gift from Gaea to Hera on her wedding day to Zeus. Three celebrated nymphs along with Ladon, a fierce dragon, guard the golden apples. The eleventh labor of Hercules was to obtain some of the apples. He did this by tricking and slaying Ladon. The apples Hercules took were eventually returned to the Garden. Three of these apples were the ones that lost Atalanta the race. Well Scorpios, the world is your -- er -- garden and there is a whirlwind beginning. Now is NOT the time to be a hermit. Mix, mingle, and spread your social, personal, creative, spiritual -- whatever -- wings and flit about randomly and extensively. People connections will be extremely important -- especially synchronistic and coincidental ones. Oh -- and something of value you thought you lost, be it internal or external, will casually be returned to you.
SAGITTARIUS: Stymphalilan Birds - (Okay, I need to pay attention to this one, I guess.) Huge flocks of monstrous birds. They have wings, beaks, claws of iron and live only on the flesh of humans. Hercules, under the protection of his impenetrable lion skin, made such loud noises banging cymbals that the birds were frightened away, never to return. Sagittarians are known for having a blunt, calling a spade a spade demeanor. For a while now, it has behooved this sign to keep silent counsel as much as possible while being buffeted about. Excruciating, no? Well, apparently, it is now time to be conspicuously blunt. Call people on their shit, confront and vanquish obstructive or intrusive circumstances, frighten/send away anything or anyone, (be it internal or external), that has been picking away at your life or goals. It is not a time to be gentle with hurdles, especially unnecessary ones -- you don't have to leap over them really, just knock them down and step over them -- or walk completely around them. (Well, THIS could be FUN.)
CAPRICORN: Arion - This winged horse was birthed by Demeter through Poseidon, or sprang from the earth when Poseidon struck the ground with his trident. It had the power of speech and ran with miraculous speed. Arion is also the famous musician and lyric poet who earned immense wealth through his profession. Self-promotion is key right now. Whether you are in creative ventures or other professional pursuits, talk proud and loud. Opportunities may spring out of nowhere and in the most unexpected of places. As with Scorpio, socializing is key for you in the next few months. You may be expected to keep a lot of plates in the air at one time so you better brush up on your juggling.
AQUARIUS: Caeneus - Daughter of Poseidon. She obtained from Poseidon the power to change her sex and thus became an invulnerable warrior. In the battle against the Centaurs, she offended Zeus and in punishment was buried under a pile of pine trees and changed into a bird. Being more aggressive in certain circumstances will definitely succeed. If you have been knocked down, it is now time to get up, dust off, put your hands on your hips, survey the landscape and begin walking. Be sure to find a cooperative balance between your innate nature and the personas you choose exude while you are trying to blaze a new trail. It is an excellent time for expressing different faces (characteristics) to different people in order to find the clearest road to the changes you want to make -- the only caution is to take care you don't accidentally step on any toes along the way. Honor your gods, respect your elders, be polite to those in authority -- even if it infuriates you.
PISCES: Praxiteles: Famous Greek sculptor. He made two statues of Aphrodite, one with conventional drapery, the other a nude - said to have been the first time a female figure had been made without drapery. The future is now and you are the one shaping it piece by piece, chisel by chisel. Name your masterpiece and carve it out. Don't be overly concerned about whether your choices are appropriate for the times or not. All that should concern you is the quality of your choices.
Sweethome under white clouds,
Hespeth