Taurus New Moon: Capulus and Algol

May 15th 2018: New Moon at 24° Taurus conjunct fixed star Capulus, the sword of Perseus.  The transneptunian minor planet Sedna is 26° Taurus, conjunct fixed star Algol, the third eye of Medusa.

The myth of Perseus beheading Medusa is usually told as a story of a brave hero defeating an evil monster.  But like most traditional myths, the classical interpretation is misconstrued through the lens of misogyny. “Perseus might be from the Greek verb, “πέρθειν” (perthein), to waste, ravage, sack, destroy…”(wiki) and Capulus is associated with blindness and dishonesty, prominent in the charts of successful politicians.  Not exactly the weapon of a righteous hero.

Medusa’s Head by Reimey

 

The myths of Medusa and Sedna have common threads: Medusa had a non-consensual experience with Poseidon, Sedna was thrown into the ocean; both of them were transformed into animal-hybrid immortals; both female figures are powerful symbols of the rage of betrayal and women’s suffering. We are in a five year window of crossover between these myths: Sedna’s extremely slow orbit has extended her conjunction to Algol from June of 2015 to June of 2020.

Algol is from the same root word as Alcohol, and Medusa is from the same root word as Medicine.  The dose makes the poison.  Anything can hurt us, if we overdo it.  Anything can heal us, in the right amount.

Poseidon’s rape of Medusa is thematically similar to Pluto’s rape of Persephone… in both cases, I do not take it literally to mean that the woman was sexually assaulted.  In both cases I believe it refers to the forces of nature represented by the god, that thrust certain types of knowledge and awareness upon us, regardless of wether we consent to the experience. In Medusa’s situation, she was swept away by a sudden and total awareness of the subconscious(Neptune), while meditating in the temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

Athena’s response is classially interpreted as an act of vengeance, transforming Medusa into a hideous monster to punish her.  I believe Medusa’s transformation was almost a reward, a badge of honor for achieving that level of awareness in her temple.  Snakes are an ancient symbol of divine female creativity, also known as fertility.  Athena’s own battle-shield is adorned with Medusa’s crown of snakes.

Athena acknowledged Medusa’s occult knowledge of the Neptunian subconscious with an appropriate makeover to reflect the unprecedented level of power she had unlocked in her own female form.  After Medusa’s transformation, the men who tried to exploit her were turned to stone.  The feminine life force can nurture or drain the masculine.  The dose makes the poison.

A fact of life in this realm is that it does not matter how powerful and divine that female energy can be embodied- it will never cease to be vulnerable.  Put another way: If it isn’t vulnerable, it isn’t the divine feminine.  And there has always been that aspect of humanity that is dishonest, myopic, self-centered, and violent… the wasteful ransacking destruction of Perseus and his sword Capulus, that can and will sneak in to decapitate it.

The Taurus New Moon conjunct Capulus is a reckoning for the sword of patriarchy.  We cannot undo the damage that has been done to the feminine, and we cannot protect it from never being damaged again.  But we can call it out for what it is, expose the ransackers as cowards, writhing on their bellies.  We can dismantle the versions of stories that deem it heroic to hurt women, to hurt the Earth.

Four hours after the new moon becomes exact, the Sun is still 24° Taurus but the Moon has moved on to 26° Taurus conjunct Sedna and Algol… and then, Uranus enters Taurus.

Stay tuned to Planetary Clarity for more about this week’s astrology including Uranus in Taurus, Moon conjunct Venus in Gemini, and Persephone station direct.

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