“The myth is the public dream and the dream is the private myth. If your private myth, your dream, happens to coincide with that of the society, you are in good accord with your group. If it isn’t, you’ve got an adventure in the dark forest ahead of you.” JOSEPH CAMPBELL
Your mythology may coincide with that of the ‘bigger picture’ you were born into or it may not. Perhaps some aspects of it fit well and others don’t (which is the more likely scenario). And Joseph Campbell sees this ‘unfitting’ part as a call to ‘adventure’!
Bringing mythology together with the astrological signs and planets was something of a revelation for me. It deepened my knowledge of astrology as well as my self-understanding – and gave me another ‘map’ for exploring astrological symbolism with others.
My lunar ‘self’ lives in the oceans of Pisces – drawn to the call of the sirens; lost in the seas of the unconscious. My solar ‘self’ seeks the purity of Virgo – my mother used to tell the story of how I (as a very small child) would hold my hands up in horror, insisting that she wipe away whatever mess was on them! How well that fits with the goddess Dike (Astraea) who left the world in disgust, preferring to become the constellation of Virgo. But, as Liz Greene so aptly points out, “soiled goods offend Virgo, yet the goods must be soiled if life is to be lived.”
The connection between astrology and mythology also helps me to make some sense of the world I see ‘out there’. As we approach the last of Uranus’ squares to Pluto, for example, I can imagine Uranus in Aries as Luke Skywalker (a modern-day mythical character) fighting the old order (The Empire) of Pluto in Capricorn. And as Chiron makes his way through the sign of Pisces I can feel into the energy of the wounded healer archetype, the sadness around that which is not ready to be healed and the opportunities this brings to practise compassion. I also know that these archetypes are a part of all of us (they’re not only ‘out there’ – maybe they’re not ‘out there’ at all?), and in working on ourselves we are helping to shift the old patterns and move towards a more hopeful future…
The voyage of Odysseus is one of the stories which resonates with the sign of Pisces. In it, Odysseus is punished by Poseidon the sea-god for his use of deception (the Trojan horse) to conquer the enemy. Deception is, of course, one of the themes of Pisces/Neptune – and Odysseus’ triumph meant that it took him 20 years to get home, getting lost, becalmed, duped, entranced, and many times almost killed as he attempted to get there. As a child I was drawn to the story of the ‘Little Mermaid’ (very Piscean in its energy), and it was in watching the film, ‘Splash’ in my twenties that I began to realise that these stories weren’t ‘fixed in stone’ and that perhaps the endings could be reworked. Unfortunately, the Odyssey is never a straight path, so it’s been a long time coming! 😉
I’ve got a workshop day coming up in April to introduce some of the myths and stories associated with the signs of the zodiac. In the afternoon session there will be space to explore some of our personal themes on the big chart format. Do let me know if you’re interested as places are limited.
Love and blessings to you at this time of Odyssean adventures! Helen x
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