Every couple of years, the two malefics, Mars and Saturn, conjoin in the sky. This is considered a malefic cycle, because of the problematic nature of Mars and Saturn. The most ominous of these conjunctions is when Mars conjoins Saturn in Cancer, because the planets are each in their fall and detriment, respectively. On July 10, Mars and Saturn will conjoin at 5° Virgo; this is not considered as bad as the conjunction in Cancer, because neither Mars nor Saturn are particularly afflicted in the sign of Virgo.

However, the conjunction of the malefics is still bad, and we can expect it to manifest in the summer or autumn of 2008, specifically in places where important points in the Cancer and Libra Ingress horoscopes fall on this conjunction. I will keep an eye out for this and point out any such connections to the Mars Saturn conjunction.

Effects of Mars and Saturn in Virgo

Whenever we have the malefics in Virgo, we can expect some of the following effects:

Saturn in Virgo brings:

Wholesome and beneficial gusts of wind, especially during the harvest

Droughts of fountains and a scarcity of water

Women miscarrying

Acute fevers

Rulers will be ultimately helped by their enemies

Mars in Virgo brings:

War and bloodshed in the North

Vision and eye problems

A good harvest (or injury to the harvest, depending on Mars’s position in a given location)

Death to many women

The death of old men and illnesses of men

Strong winds

The good and prosperity of the rich and famous

In the next few posts, we will discuss the connection of the Mars-Saturn conjunction to upcoming important charts for the United States, and possible effects of the conjunction in this country. I would be interested to hear from non-US-based astrologers who are investigating this conjunction relative to their own countries.

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Everyone, including the parents of Barack Obama no doubt expected Obama to reach the highest levels of public service. The question now is whether Barack Obama has what it takes, astrologically speaking, to become the next president of the United States.

In the old days, parents of potential kings would have astrologers tell them the “kingship potential” of their children. The notion that Barack Obama’s parents have done something similar is a joke, of course, but if the parents of Barack Obama had asked about the kingship potential of Obama’s horoscope, here’s what an astrologer might have told them.

Does Barack Obama Have a Kingly Horoscope?

Again, assuming that the parents of Barack Obama provided an accurate birth time, for Obama’s birth certificate, we have Obama’s horoscope. Only if Barack Obama does have a kingly chart can he win the election against someone whose chart is less “royal.” We will use William Lilly’s criteria of “Dignity or Preferments” to determine whether Barack Obama’s chart is royal, and therefore promising the presidency.

Royal Criterion 1: The Sun and Moon, their aspecting planets, the ruler of the midheaven (the house of honor and glory), and any planets in the midheaven should be in their own signs or exaltations.

Obama’s Horoscope: The Sun is in the regal sign, Leo, which is favorable. However, it is also under the horizon in the malefic sixth house. The Moon is not in a strong dignity, and neither are the two planets that aspect the Moon, Mercury and Jupiter. The ruler of the 10th house is Mars in Virgo in the eighth house, again not favorable, and there are no planets in the 10th house. The overall evidence is relatively unfavorable.

Royal Criterion 2: The above planets should be angular (in the 1st, 7th, 10th, or 4^th houses).

Obama’s Horoscope: Of the five planets above, only the Moon is angular, and it is in the fourth house, which is the lowest part of the horoscope, and therefore not strongly associated with glory or attainment.

Royal Criterion 3: Any of the above planets, including the angles, should be conjunct one of the Royal stars (Aldebaran, Hercules, Regulus, Spica, Lucida Lancis, and Cor Scorpionis).

Obama’s Horoscope: The closest we get is the Moon within about 6° of Aldebaran; Lilly tells us to stay within about 5°, so this is stretching it.

Judgment: Barack Obama does not have a particularly royal chart. This will not necessarily prevent him from winning the presidential election in 2008, so long as his opponent has a chart that is less royal than Obama’s. We will look at John McCain’s horoscope next week and then compare the two charts to see who has a better chance of winning the presidency in 2008.

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The Full Moon of July 17-18, 2008 is powerfully linked to the United States chart, and we can expect some major events flowing from this Full Moon. Some of the likely effects of the July Full Moon are:

• Aggression against open and hidden enemies in foreign countries (or the educated/religious groups)…
• Constrained by weak national finances.

No Full Moon can act in a vacuum, however, and we need to look at a few other charts, including the foundation horoscope of the United States, before we can clarify the likely effects of the July Full Moon.

The Grand Conjunction (GC) of 1762 is a horoscope that has worked well in the past in conjunction with Full Moon charts, so we shall use it again. This year, the progressed Ascendant of the GC is at 25° in Sagittarius, having entered the terms of Mars. This is inauspicious for the people of the country (the Ascendant), as Mars is malefic. William Lilly says that the terms of Mars “provoke and stir up the anger of Martial men against [the native],” and there is a tendency to impulsive and harmful actions. The Ascendant also squares natal Venus, causing the people general harm, illness, and affliction by the lowest classes of society. The Full Moon chart has its seventh house of open enemies conjunct the GC progressed Ascendant.

The Full Moon Highlights Conflict Abroad, with the Educated, and the Religious

The Full Moon horoscope strongly emphasizes the ninth house of foreigners and foreign countries, as does the Cancer ingress of 2008.   The ninth house also rules religious people, learned people, and institutions of higher learning.  We may well see afflictions to the educated or the religious in the United States or abroad, or conflict among them.

• Following the July Full Moon, there will be an increased emphasis on strife with foreigners, educated people, and the religious, as we have progressed Mars on the cusp of the GC ninth house.
• The Full Moon itself is at 26° Capricorn, just inside the GC ninth house,
• The Full Moon is exactly conjunct the Cancer ingress Moon at 25 Capricorn, with the Cancer ingress Jupiter at 19° Capricorn, just outside the GC 9th cusp.

The Cancer ingress Moon and Jupiter thus besiege progressed Mars, perhaps indicating increased financial difficulties in funding the Iraq conflict. The Moon rules the natal second house of the country’s money, while Jupiter rules the 11th house of the treasury. Both planets are weak in their essential state, showing that any war efforts are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The Full Moon of July 2008 will likely bring this dilemma into sharp focus.

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7.  Daily horoscopes are an accurate representation of astrology.

Fortunately, that is not true. Most newspaper horoscopes are not based on anything resembling astrology, and rarely are they even written by purported astrologers.

6.  The planets cause things to happen on Earth (the “Saturn ate my homework” theory).

The ancient astrological sources are very careful not to say that the planets cause anything. What would be God’s role, then? Rather, planets reflect everything on earth, as everything in the world is composed of planetary energies. When Saturn is in a bad state, all things partaking of Saturnian qualities are in a bad state. Ultimate causality affecting both us and the planets can only come from a Supreme Being, which is why belief in astrology is incompatible with atheism.

5. The constellations have moved over the millennia, so astrological signs are all wrong.

The astrological signs are not the same as the constellations. The astrological signs are an abstract 12-part division of the ecliptic band, which, thankfully, is still 360 degrees. The signs take their names from the constellations (which do move, thanks to the precession of equinoxes), but that’s all they have in common.

4. Astrology is one-size-fits-all, as computerized astrology reports prove.

Forcing astrology into such constraints may appear to work, but what you get is no longer astrology, but a mass-produced hodge-podge. The difference between a computerized astrological report and a personalized reading is like comparing mass-produced toys made in a sweatshop and a handmade, one-of-a-kind wooden toy. When the factory toy breaks as soon as it is out of the box, we get what we pay for. As with all the ancient sciences, astrology thrives in uniqueness and is disfigured nearly beyond recognition when pressed into robot-like service.

3. Astrology is part of the occult, demonic, and generally evil.

Demonic invocation is not one of the temptations of astrology. Pride? Perhaps. Mistakenly attributing causality to the planets (see item 6)? Yes. But there is no communication with spirits (unless one gets into astrological magic, which is a separate branch), or even tapping into psychic insights. Astrology is a learned skill; some intuition is helpful, but it is no different than balancing one’s checkbook. Though it is considerably harder to get right than debits and credits!

2. My astrology is better than your astrology. Multiple astrological systems cannot all be right.

That is like saying the Russian alphabet is inferior to the Latin, or that they are both inferior to ancient Scandinavian runes. They are all good for their given purpose (have you tried writing a Russian word in the Latin alphabet?), as long as you stay within one system. Once you try to borrow a little bit from there, and a bit from over here to create your own alphabet, you get an incomprehensible jumble. Regrettably, some astrologers have this buffet-like attitude. However, learning any traditional astrological system properly will give superior results. The issue is not finding the kind of astrology that is superior, but rather the skill of the astrologer.

1. Astrology is wrong. We cannot predict the future from the planets.

Correction: astrologers can be wrong, and often are wrong. But when we consistently get 80-90% accuracy, we must be doing something right!  I myself was even wrong once; it was a most edifying experience. Between wishful thinking and incompetence, there is a lot of room for operator error in astrology. It is not unlike trading stocks; the theory seems simple - buy low, sell high - but the practice is a challenge. Emotions and inexperience are potent obstacles in both disciplines; there is many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip.

What other myths about astrology have you encountered or tried to dispel in others?

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Following right after a solar eclipse on August 1, 2008, the China Olympics are the most anxiously awaited Olympic Games in recent history. From an astrological perspective, some pre-Olympic anxiety is not a surprise, as a solar eclipse immediately preceding the China Olympics is a little scary. Echoes of the 2008 earthquake might overshadow the China Olympics this year, and I hope that the Olympic games and buildings are all as safe as possible to prevent any problems.

Solar Eclipse: Effects on China’s Horoscope and the Olympic Games

China has some earthquake-prone spots in its horoscope, all of which were triggered during two of the biggest earthquakes China has ever seen, including the one this year. Those planets are Venus in Cancer in the malefic 12th house, Mercury, the ruler of earthquakes, and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. These points will all be active during the China Olympics this year, which causes me some concern. Starting the China Olympics so soon after an eclipse is a bold move indeed.

In September, shortly after the August 1st solar eclipse visible in Beijing, China’s secondary progressed Mercury squares the Sun from the fifth house of games. Mercury opposed Jupiter-Saturn this March, which soon manifested in China as an earthquake. Secondary progressions in China’s chart will only manifest if they are triggered by something else, such as the August solar eclipse. We would expect some activity in China’s horoscope because the country is hosting the Olympic Games, but we would want to see more benefic activity, rather than the earthquake sensitive points being emphasized yet again.

Below is the horoscope for the August solar eclipse set for Beijing, China. The eclipse Mercury conjoins China’s natal Sun, and the Midheaven of the solar eclipse opposes the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction; precisely the point activated earlier this year by progressed Mercury.

Solar Eclipse of August 1, 2008. Beijing, China. 6:11 pm local time.

The fact that the solar eclipse is visible in Beijing makes it active in that area. The connections between the eclipse horoscope, China’s horoscope, and the earthquake triggers are all in place.

We also see a strong link between the Cancer ingress preceding the August solar eclipse, and China’s horoscope. Combust Venus and the Sun in the ingress are conjunct China’s natal Venus in the 12th house, and Mars is in the same position in both charts. The Cancer ingress Moon opposes the natal Mercury. Note how the same planets are emphasized over and over by the solar eclipse.

Cancer Ingress preceding August 2008 Solar Eclipse. Beijing, China.

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The terrible China earthquake earlier this year shocked the world, both due to its strength and because of its deadly consequences. China is a huge country; and an earthquake in China is no rarity. However, earthquakes of this magnitude (8.0 on the Richter scale) are notable events, and when we look at the astrological indications for China, the earthquake announced itself loud and clear. More than that, there were definite parallels between the 2008 China earthquake and the one in 1927, which killed over 200,000 people.

All major events like earthquakes in China (or anywhere else) must flow from a basic horoscope for that country. There is no certain horoscope for the moment that the current People’s Republic of China began. We do know that it was in the fall of 1949, and the most reliable method is to look at the great conjunction horoscope prior to the institution of the country.

Is China Earthquake-Prone?

We can see that there are going to be several sensitive points announcing an earthquake in China before it occurs. The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in an earth sign will be important, especially since each planet rules an angle of the great conjunction horoscope. Mercury will be important because it rules the fourth house of the earth, and because it is also the natural significator of earthquakes. An earthquake in the China horoscope can also be linked with Venus, as it is placed in the malefic 12th house.

The China Earthquake of 2008

In March 2008, the secondary progressed Mercury opposed the great conjunction. As we discussed, Mercury rules earthquakes, especially in the China grand conjunction chart.

The Aries ingress of 2008 set for Beijing has a very problematic complex of planets indicative of an earthquake in China. A week and malefic Mercury in Pisces is conjunct Venus, ruler of the ingress fourth house of the earth, with all of this trine a very nasty Mars in the sign of its fall (indicating falling buildings) in the 12th house. Mars rules the 10th house of the ingress chart, and it is sextile Saturn in Virgo, ruling the seventh house. Saturn is also in an earth sign, which can increase our suspicions of an earthquake in China in the coming year. Finally, Mars in the ingress chart conjoins Venus in the great conjunction horoscope.

The 1927 Earthquake of China

This huge earthquake in China in 1927 makes this year’s earthquake look like an amateur, in terms of the damage caused. If we look at the 1927 secondary progressions compared to the grand conjunction chart (which did not yet exist, but works very well) we see secondary progressed Mars square the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, and the ascendant of the 1927 Aries ingress is conjunct Venus. We see that any major earthquake in China will likely trigger these two points in the great conjunction horoscope.

The Aries ingress again has Mercury in Pisces conjunct a strong benefic, this time Jupiter in Pisces. As we mentioned earlier, Mercury has strong significations for earthquakes in China, due to its rulerships in the grand conjunction chart. Mercury and Jupiter are in the fourth house, the angle of the earth, with Jupiter ruling the fourth house. Mercury rules the 10th house. All this is squared by Mars, ruler of the first house. Saturn in Sagittarius is in partile square to the fourth/10th house axis, afflicting the earth and heaven.

Due to China’s large population, earthquakes in China can be truly deadly, with great loss of life and damage to property. The 1927 earthquake of China came through very clear, and we could also look at the horoscope for the prior Chinese state and compare it with the 1927 Aries ingress. It is just as effective to look ahead, even though nobody in 1927 could have guessed that a new Republic will be formed under the 1940 great conjunction horoscope. Perhaps this is just proof that everything in the cosmos is unfolding as it should, and time is just an illusion, from the highest perspective.

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The long-term weather forecast gnome is back forecasting California weather (at least in the San Francisco Bay area) for July 08. He has been on hiatus in the last few months, but this summer’s quite unusual weather forecast for California roused him out of his gnomish slumber.

California has been having hundreds and hundreds of wildfires, most of them started on June 20 and 21st by dry thunderstorms that swept through Northern California. Since the vegetation in that area is normally so dry this time of year, many wildfires started due to lightning with no rain. A smoky haze has been hanging over this area for a week, with little wind to disperse the smoke. The weather forecast gnome suspected something like this when he first examined the Cancer ingress chart earlier in the year, yet he was quite surprised by the sheer magnitude of the Northern California wildfires.

The Cancer ingress chart shows fire quite clearly, as it has Mars in Leo, a fire signs on the midheaven. Mars normally indicates heat, but in California in the summer, hot temperatures very easily translate to lots of fires. The fact that Leo is a fixed sign with all the angles of the chart in fixed signs, adds to the persistent nature of the fires. Not to mention the unwholesome smoke hovering everywhere.

The obscured Sun specifically is indicated by the Saturn-Sun sextile, and the smoky haze is brought by Saturn sextile Venus. Saturn-influenced hazes and winds are always unhealthy and cause breathing problems.

Amazingly, the full Moon before the Cancer ingress 25 Leo ascending, dramatically highlighting the Mars-Midheaven combination in the ingress chart.

From the ingress chart, we can see that June 22 was going to be especially critical with regard to the promised fires.

July Long-Term Weather Forecast

June 26 — July 2, 2008. The unpleasant smoky haze brought by the ingress on June 20 persists. Saturn continues to sextile the Sun, thereby obscuring its light.

July 2 — July 9, 2008. Pleasant weather, with some clouds and much-needed rain. Some isolated thunderstorms with intense winds.  Look for increased clouds/rain or cooler temperatures around the 5th.

July 9 — July 18, 2008. More thunderstorms and wind, mostly on the dry side.  The Moon will trigger some of this around the 12th of July.

July 18 — July 25, 2008. Possible rain, with cooler temperatures early in the week, especially near the 20th. Later in the week, isolated dry and windy thunderstorms. Some fires may result, but nowhere near the grand scale seen at the start of summer.

July 25 — August 1, 2008. More thunderstorms right around the 26th, continuing the conditions seen during the previous week; cloudy and unpleasant. The end of the week, around the 1st, will bring nicer weather.

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Horary Astrology Question:

We are both divorced with 2 children each, 3 of which live with us. We are hoping to move house and set up a cattery at the new home so I can be at home more. B is great (most of the time!) very un-emotional and does not show or talk about his feelings, his father died tragically when he was 11.  I would love dearly for some commitment from him but fear it will never happen.  We have been together for 8 years now.  I think he thinks that setting up the cattery is enough commitment, he owns the house, etc., and I feel I have put all my eggs in one basket (again) and will end up on my own.

—L.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear L.,

Your situation is difficult; a certain pattern has been set up that will be difficult to change without an effort on your part. But, let us see what the astrology says.

The horary horoscope for your question is below: 

We have an early degree on the ascendant, indicating the situation is as yet underripe. This is somewhat puzzling, because the relationship has been going on for eight years, hardly an immature situation. It may be a reference to the fact that there will never really be a “right” time to take this relationship to the next level, and it may remain in this embryonic state always.

We see that you are very much interested in marriage, and even though before, you were content just to have a stable companion, you are now ready to get married. We see that the Moon in Taurus, which represents your emotions in the situation, is in the sign and triplicity of Venus; Venus rules the Arabian Part of Marriage at 11 Libra.

The most dramatic element in this chart is the extent to which all of the main significators; your planets and his, are in strong dignities of Saturn. Whatever Saturn represents has a huge influence over the situation, and will eventually decide whether you will marry your boyfriend or not. Moreover, we see that Saturn is right inside the seventh house cusp of partners, where it is strongly tied to your boyfriend.

So what does Saturn represent? It can be his children, as it rules the fifth house from the seventh, or it can be something hidden or secret, perhaps the emotional trauma you speak of. Whatever it is, it is harmful to you and your hopes of marriage. Saturn is in the detriment of Jupiter, your main significator, and also in the fall of Venus, the planet the rules marriage and his horoscope. Unfortunately, your boyfriend is very much under the influence of whatever Saturn represents — both of his planets, Mercury and the Sun, are in Aquarius, in Saturn’s sign and triplicity. I wonder if Saturn doesn’t represent the cattery; it rules his sixth house, but because of Saturn’s negative reception to you and to Venus, I would strongly recommend not setting up the cattery, for fear of perpetuating an already difficult situation.

The bigger concern I have is that neither of his planets seem particularly interested in either marriage or your planets, showing something of an indifference to you. If there is true mutual interest between two people, even a roadblock such as Saturn in this chart can be overcome. I am concerned, however, that there are some fundamental weaknesses in this relationship, and it will be difficult if not impossible to marry this man without addressing these issues first.

We see that the Moon is opposite the antiscion of the Sun, and the aspect will become exact about the same time that the Moon trine’s Saturn. It looks as though you will have to make a momentous decision in the near future, one that will make you rethink this relationship, and hopefully will bring out some of the problematic undercurrents more into the open where you can address them.

As always, I like to ask that in return for your free reading, you update me (either by email, or in the comments on this page) on what happened. I don’t mind being wrong, but I like to learn from what I did well or badly.

—Readers who wish to get a horary reading from Nina Gryphon may purchase one at top left, or learn more at the Gryphon Astrology Readings page.

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Damascius’s allusions to Greek mythology track the upward order of the planets very closely.

“The soul descends into generation, after the manner of Kore;” The Moon is associated very closely with the principle of generation, because of its watery nature, its speed of movement, and its constant change. Just like all things in this sublunar world, the Moon is constantly growing and dying, never staying the same. Kore (literally “the virgin”) was another name for Persephone, who was kidnapped and taken to the underworld by Hades. The implication here is that at the beginning of its journey, the human soul is forced to inhabit the inhospitable and arid realm of material forms, just like Persephone’s enforced stay in Hades.

“She is scattered by generation, after the manner of Dionysus;” Dionysus himself was scattered by the Titans, who prepared to eat him, having cooked the parts of his torn body. Zeus interrupted the feast, and Apollo buried the body parts. Dionysus was then reborn from his heart, which was preserved by Athena. The relevant Planet in the proper order would be Mercury, the planet of duality, having no gender of its own, and always influenced by planets disposing of or aspecting it. Similarly, the soul on earth becomes scattered, loses the direct identification with the divine principle, and must find its own way back to God. It is important to note that the god Mercury was the patron and guide of travelers.

“Like Prometheus and the Titans, she is bound to body.” Titans were the children of pre-Olympian gods who inhabited the earth; they were defeated by the gods, and humans were said to have been created from the Titans’ smoking ashes. The Titans are of the gross matter of the earth, symbolizing the natural downward tendency of Creation. For the purposes of our planetary ladder, the Titans are associated with Venus, which gratifies the senses and bestows physical pleasure. The more we live for sensation, the more we identify with the body and with matter.

“She frees herself by exercising the strength of Hercules;” In Greek mythology, Hercules is one of the few mortals to become divine, and his story points to a similar function of the soul. With this part of the story, we come to the turning point in the souls journey. This is appropriate, as we start heading toward the outer or slower planets, which are considered superior to the faster inner planets. The labors of Heracles are all concerned with the triumph of spirit or virtue over gross matter, paralleling the efforts of the soul to free itself from its material prison. Hercules’s chief virtue is, of course, strength. As a result, he is associated with the planet Mars, even though the next planet in the proper order should be the Sun. Despite this martial association, Heracles does have some solar characteristics, most notably, his connection with the Royal goddess Hera (Heracles means “the glory of Hera”).

“Gathers herself together through the help of Apollo and the savior Athene, by truly purifying philosophy;” here, we come to a combination of the Sun and Jupiter. Apollo is the god of prophecy, and the ruler of the objective world, as Tim Addey* writes. His name means “not many,” or in other words, “the one.” This is an excellent commentary on the nature of the Sun, which is always associated with things that are singular or unique. Even though all the other six planets are arguably unique, only the Sun is the living representation of the Creator.

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, and therefore the hidden face of Jupiter (Zeus), as she was born out of Jupiter’s head. She was considered to be the protector and helper of man, and this is why the Greek city is named after her. She protects and helps all heroes, who receive magical gifts from her to complete their quest; Perseus, Jason, Theseus, and of course Odysseus, her greatest favorite. Her gift is at once wisdom and divine protection, both qualities associated with Jupiter.

“And she elevates herself to the causes of her being with Demeter.” Demeter, in Greek mythology, was the goddess of fertility (her name means literally “the mother Goddess”), and the mother of Persephone; she rules the harvest and fertility. She is strongly associated with Saturn (who in Greek myth was her father, Kronos). Saturn is not only the god of restrictions and endings, but also the god of farming and the earth. Therefore, in the last phase of the soul’s journey, the soul returns to its true home, which is not the material earth, but rather its primal matter; the endlessly fertile Spirit.

*For further reading on the topic of ancient Greek mythology and its connection to Platonic teachings on the soul, I recommend Tim Addey’s The Seven Myths of the Soul, published by The Prometheus Trust.

Read Ancient Greek Mythology, Astrology, and Plato (Part 1) here.

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It has become fashionable to correlate Greek mythology to astrology and the planets, though unfortunately most such analyses merely scratch the surface of myth, as the authors focus exclusively on human psychology. However, Greek mythology functions on many levels, and the Platonists used myth to describe the very nature of the human soul, rather than just the temporal travails of the ego on its passage through life.

The Platonic tradition, springing from Greece, relied heavily upon ancient Greek myths to describe the complex and often paradoxical interaction of man and the divine. Since astrology is a symbolic language describing the divine plan, we will see a very strong correlation between astrological and mythological symbolism, enabling us to access a deeper level of meaning than is common today.

Damascius, the last director of Plato’s Academy (an 800 year-old establishment which closed in 529 A.D), wrote the following lines about the journey of the soul:

The soul descends into generation, after the manner of Kore;

She is scattered by generation, after the manner of Dionysus;

Like Prometheus and the Titans, she is bound to body.

She frees herself by exercising the strength of Heracles;

Gathers herself together through the help of Apollo

And the savior Athene, by truly purifying philosophy;

And she elevates herself to the causes of her being with Demeter.

It is interesting that none of the Greek gods mentioned here are associated with the planets. From my research, I strongly suspect that many if not most of the Greek gods had two faces, one exoteric and mundane, and the other esoteric and celestial. As an example, the overt god of the Sun was Helios, who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky. However, the god embodying the highest intangible attributes of the Sun, such as prophecy and nobility, was Apollo. And so it goes with many of the gods.

The ancient order of the seven planets goes from the heaviest/slowest to the fastest and most changeable. Don’t forget that the traditional perspective gave precedence to those astronomical bodies which were perceived as the most constant and least subject to change, as change is a sign of imperfection and deterioration. Thus, the most elevated planet is Saturn, followed by Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and finally the Moon.

One may think of this list of planets as a ladder, with the Moon at the bottommost rung underneath which is this imperfect earth. Therefore, it follows that in order for the soul to reconnect with its maker, it has to start out at the bottom rung and make its way all the way up to the top, to Saturn.

Read Ancient Greek Mythology, Astrology, and Plato (Part 2) here.

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