Goddess Centered Astrology by Jenny Yates In this society, astrology is packaged in its simplest and broadest form.  People ask you, “What’s your sign?”  Newspapers and magazines invite you to find your sign and read all about it.   This is like imagining a universe in which only the sun and the earth exist.  It ignores the moon and all other planets.  It takes the intricate, shining web of relationships that is your horoscope, and squeezes it into a tiny mold.   And so I urge every woman to take a look at her actual horoscope.  One way to do this is to go to Astro.com, and click on “free horoscopes”, and then on “chart drawing, ascendent”.  Fill in your birth data, including the time and city of your birth, and a circle full of symbols will appear on the screen.   What are you looking at?  Your horoscope (also referred to as your natal chart)  is a picture of the sky at the moment of your birth.  The top half of the chart shows the planets that were in the sky when you were born.  If you’d stood up at that moment and looked around, you would’ve seen them.  You would’ve needed a telescope to see some of them, of course.  And if you were born in the daytime, the sun’s light would have washed them out.  But they were there.   The bottom half of the chart shows the planets that had already set, or hadn’t yet risen, at the time of your birth.  These influence you just as much as the visible ones.   Take a moment to look at your horoscope.  If you can, print it and keep it available.  Use it as a mandala, a meditation tool, to remind you of your complexity, your variety.  You are not just one thing.   You are a complex mix of many factors, some visible and others invisible.   Our patriarchy postulates a monolithic god, and so it always urges people towards conformity and obedience.  As reported in current newspapers and magazines, astrology only gives you twelve choices, twelve ways to be.  But we all know that we are much more than just a single sign.  And astrology is much more than this.  It’s a holdout from an older era, in which people saw themselves intricately connected to the wide universe.   Those who call on the Goddess know that she takes many forms.  She ranges from the independence and courage of Artemis to the fierce transformations of Kali.  Every woman also has many forms, many possible ways of being, and her horoscope reflects this.   Just as you call on certain forms of the Goddess more frequently, there are certain parts of your chart that have more strength and resonance.  And your sun-sign may well be one of these.  But it’s important to remember that that’s just one option available to you.  There are always a multitude of possibilities. When you have meditated on your chart as a whole, then you can go in and pick out a single factor, and learn more about it – and then another, and another.  Let yourself be guided by whim.  Let your deep intuitive self choose for you. Look at your chart until one particular symbol calls out to you, and then see where that takes you. It can be inspiring to meditate on the symbol itself – to draw it, paint it, or visualize it.  But it can also help to put it into words.  Most astrological programs will give you a list of what the symbols mean, and if you’re using a chart from Astro.com, it’s on the left side of the page.   Nowadays, there are plenty of resources for finding out more about whichever planet you picked.   There are books, and probably even a few in your local library.  And there is abundant information on the Internet.  If you picked Venus, try a search that includes “Venus” and “astrology”, to learn more about this planet’s meaning.  Or you can check out the combination of planet and sign, and read descriptions written by many different astrologers.  (Do a search for “Venus in Virgo”, “Mars in Sagittarius”, or whatever planet you’re checking out.) This can be a good foundation for your investigation of the planet, but you should stop reading before you reach the point of saturation.  Remember that knowing is not merely an outward thing, but also an inward thing.  Let yourself live with the planet that calls you.  Think about it, dream about it, draw it, hold imaginary dialogues with it while you’re weeding in your garden or waiting for a bus.  Bring it into you.    Every planet can be seen as a manifestation of the Goddess within.  And so every planet is worthy of love, honor and reverence.  All the parts of your self are beautiful, as is the whole. Of course, everything that shines has a shadow.  This is true of every form of the Goddess.  Artemis has her urge to flee, Kali has her destructive power.  Even Aphrodite, the goddess of love, sometimes takes on more than she can manage.  So the same is true of every planet in your horoscope. And it’s useful to meditate on each planet’s shadow side as well, so that you can recognize it when it emerges. Here are some of the ways to approach each of the bodies in your horoscope. The moon is she who nurtures you, who gives you what you need.  She builds a network of emotional connections which sustain you. The sun is your inner Hero, she who gives you a name, an identity and a conscious purpose.  She provides a vehicle for meeting other people and experiencing the world. Mercury is your inner Messenger, she who tells you the things that you need to know.  She builds bridges of communication which facilitate movement in the world. Venus is your inner Lover, she who gives you joy.  She sparks love of people, places, and all of life’s pleasures.  She also gravitates towards beauty, and so she is your connection with the Muse. Mars is your inner Warrior, she who defends you against anyone who would broach your boundaries.   She is the most active part of you, and connects you to your body and your will. Jupiter is your inner Matriarch, she who connects you to your social destiny.  She gives you work to do and rewards you for it, and she also helps you build community. Saturn is your inner Crone, the old wise woman who reminds you of the lessons of experience.  She taps into old karma, as well as the survival lessons that your ancestors learned.   Uranus is your inner Rebel, she who liberates you from oppressive circumstances.  She is wildly creative and innovative. Neptune is your inner Mystic, she who connects you to alternate realities.  She carries you away to lush pastures of the imagination. Pluto is your inner Shadow.  She puts you in touch with everything that’s been repressed or denied (in yourself or in society).  She reclaims and transforms all this material, and so she is a source of great power. Chiron is your inner Healer.  She connects you to an old wound, helps you heal from it, and shows you how to heal others as well. The north node is your inner Guide.  She points out the direction in which you need to go, in order to bring about soul-balance.  She corrects your course, in the light of past-life experiences, and moves you towards wholeness.   Each of these inner figures is shaped and colored by the sign in which each finds herself.  This is her style, the way she presents herself.  You could imagine her dressed in a particular kind of clothing, carrying certain things, walking a certain way that’s related to her sign.  This doesn’t change her basic purpose.  In other words, the moon’s goal is always to provide nurturing.  But her sign shows how she does this, and a moon in fiery Aries will nurture you in very different ways from a moon in watery Cancer.   Aries (a fire sign) is ruled by Mars, and so a planet in Aries will wear the garb of the Warrior.  She may be dressed like an Amazon, with helmet and leather boots.  She moves quickly and independently, perhaps carrying a sword and a shield.  Whatever she does, she does with courage.  Goddesses associated with Aries are Athena, Freyja, and Oya.   Taurus (an earth sign) is ruled by Venus, and so a planet in Taurus will wear the garb of the Lover at her earthiest. She may be dressed in fabrics that are luscious to touch, or she may go naked.  She carries a basket of ripe fruit and luscious flowers, and she walks with a sensual sway.  Goddesses associated with Taurus are Ceres, Demeter and Lakshmi.   Gemini (an air sign) is ruled by Mercury, and so a planet in Gemini will wear the garb of the Messenger at her airiest.  She may wear winged boots like Hermes, and carry a book in her hands.   She walks quickly, spontaneously, with the impulse energy of a thought wave.  Goddesses associated with Gemini are Iris, Sarasvati and Sephira.   Cancer (a water sign) is ruled by the moon, and so a planet in Cancer will wear the garb of the Moon Goddess.  You can see her glowing softly.  She wears long flowing robes and a crescent on her forehead.  She does everything in an emotional, intuitive way.  She walks softly, aware of everything in her path.  Goddesses associated with Cancer are Isis, Ixchel and Hestia.    Leo (a fire sign) is ruled by the sun, and so a planet in Leo will wear the garb of the Hero.  You can see her as a strong, confident woman, wearing bright and very visible clothing.  She may carry a plaque or a tool decorated with the symbol of the sun.  She has a heroic, assertive gait. Goddesses associated with Leo are Brigit, Lucina and Amaterasu.   Virgo (an earth sign) is ruled by Mercury, and so a planet in Virgo will wear the garb of the Messenger, at her earthiest.  She may also wear winged boots, but her colors are earthier than her Gemini counterpart.  She carries a pen in one hand, and a basket of herbs and gardening tools in the other.  She symbolizes practical knowledge, as opposed to the theoretical knowledge of Gemini. Goddesses associated with Virgo are Flora, Chicomecoatl, and the Virgin of Guadalupe.   Libra (an air sign) is ruled by Venus, and so a planet in Libra will wear the garb of Venus, at her airiest.  She is beautiful, completely in tune with the air around her, and everything she does pleases the eye.  She may carry a paintbrush, or a Grecian urn.  She walks with great balance and grace.   She symbolizes ideal beauty, as opposed to the sensual beauty of Venus’ other sign, Taurus.   Goddesses associated with Libra are Aphrodite, Inanna, and Oshun.   Scorpio (a water sign) is ruled by Pluto, and so a planet in Scorpio will wear the garb of the Shadow.   She wears dark clothing, so that she can blend into the underworld.  She may wear an image of a phoenix, to symbolize her ability to reclaim and transform what has been thrown away.  Goddesses associated with Scorpio are Kali, Pele and Selket.      Sagittarius (a fire sign) is ruled by Jupiter, and so a planet in Sagittarius will wear the garb of the Matriarch.  She is a little bigger than life, and she walks with great eagerness and enthusiasm, especially among crowds of people.  She wears bright colors, and perhaps the insignia of different communities that she’s visited.   Goddesses associated with Sagittarius are Artemis, Rhiannon and Dike.   Capricorn (an earth sign) is ruled by Saturn, and so a planet in Capricorn will wear the garb of the Crone.  She is an older woman, wearing simple clothes in dark colors.  She may have a heavy burden on her back, which represents all the painful experiences of the past, and so she moves slowly and with great dignity.  (She may also set down this burden, and travel with nothing except the staff which connects her to the physical plane.)  Goddesses associated with Capricorn are Cerridwen, Hera and Asherah.   Aquarius (an air sign) is ruled by Uranus, and so a planet in Aquarius will wear the garb of the Rebel.   She is dressed a bit outrageously, in the latest fashions – or perhaps things that will be in fashion twenty years from now.  She walks quickly, almost electrically.  She may have a technical device or two in her hands, or perhaps a plan for a different kind of future.  Goddesses associated with Aquarius are Tara, Lilith and Changing Woman.   Pisces (a water sign) is ruled by Neptune, and so a planet in Pisces will wear the garb of the Mystic.   She floats a couple of inches off the ground.  She is dressed in long flowing robes, perhaps aqua in color.  Or she may have a fishtail.  She’s a shape-shifter, so she can be one thing one minute and then something entirely different the next.  Goddesses associated with Pisces are Nimue, White Shell Woman, and the Lady of the Lake.   Each of the planets in your horoscope is an inner figure in your psyche, and each has gifts for you.   Each is a source of joy and creativity, and it’s important to let each express herself, one way or another. Goddess centered astrology tells us that you are more than just your sun-sign. There are many altars at which you can worship, and many sources of strength to sustain you.    You reflect all of life’s possibilities, and so you always have plenty of choices.   The Goddess does not demand that you conform, or that you shrink to just one thing.  Go on, draw the circle wider, and wider still.  Never stop.