Asteroid Goddess Consultation with Demetra George (7/7/11)
By Tara McKinney
This is the second in a series of Notes from the Editor in which I share personal reflections on astrological readings I have been very fortunate to receive from each of the gifted consultants on Inner Sight/ILE’s new Astrology page. By the way, I just need to say that it’s part of my job description to do stuff like this, so how great is that?!
My second astrological consultation was with Demetra George, renowned for her life-long devotion and inspired contribution at the fertile intersection of astrology and archetypal mythology, especially, perhaps, Greek mythology, given her direct ancestral grounding in that very rich soil. Anyone who has read Demetra’s book on the Asteroid Goddesses or is familiar with her work, in general, will understand why a Goddess-oriented woman like myself would be really jazzed by the prospect of having my birth chart examined through her Asteroid Goddess lens. I wasn’t disappointed!
The Big Four Asteroid Goddesses, Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, were the first to be discovered, in the early 1800s. Demetra writes about them in great depth in her book by the same name. She also leads tours to Greece for those who feel inspired to meet and mingle with the Asteroid Goddesses on their home turf, and, in fact, has one scheduled for mid-October, 2011. Since these first four asteroids were discovered, several thousand more have been identified, catalogued and named; and though the naming may seem random or haphazard at times, it apparently never really is. There is always some kind of mysterious perfection to the process that can only be teased out later by people like Demetra who are trained and/or naturally gifted at perceiving the deeper meaning behind the superficial appearance of things.
Demetra’s approach to her Asteroid Goddess consultation is to first identify any significant asteroids that are within a degree or two of each of the planets, plus the Midheaven and Ascendant. She may also cast a wider net at times, looking for general patterns of relationship between the asteroids that show up in a particular house. With her strong, intuitive sensibilities, plus a deep and encyclopedic knowledge of archetypal mythology and astrological signs and symbols, she then fleshes out the various fractals of one’s life in a truly masterful and insightful way.
Not surprisingly, Demetra first turned her attention to my ruling planet, Venus, highlighting two asteroids exactly conjunct it on either side: Oceana and Spirit. I think I gasped out loud as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus depicting the Greek Goddess rising out of the sea on her half-shell sprang clearly to mind: a true embodiment of the Spirit of the Ocean! This image is firmly planted in my imagination now, as the overriding, archetypal imprint of my soul.
The conjunction between Oceana, Venus and Spirit, in the watery constellation Cancer, goes a long way toward explaining my great affinity, bordering on obsession, with large bodies of water, as well as my primarily emotional nature with its sometimes turbulent ebbs and flows. Other major asteroids conjunct planets in the same stellium with my Venus are: Apollo conjunct my Jupiter; Hera conjunct my Mercury; and Santorini conjunct my Uranus. In light of these additional connections, my upcoming trip to Greece in early November was beginning to feel more like a homecoming than a pilgrimage, especially the cruise to the island of Santorini, where an ancient, Minoan city, buried under volcanic ash for millennia, will have just become open to public view.
Following the revelations about my ruling planet, Demetra then highlighted the key Asteroid Goddesses associated with my Moon, Sun and Ascendant. Her approach was at once very left-brain systematic and right-brain intuitive. A clear and surprisingly detailed picture began to emerge of significant past-life experiences in ancient Egypt, Ireland, Nepal, Tibet and Sumeria, as well as Italy and Greece. Some of these lifetimes would have been associated with ancient Mystery Schools and were likely very empowering and ennobling. Other lifetimes appear to have been quite difficult and wounding, resulting in karmic knots that still need to be tended to and, ultimately, untied. Skillfully sifting through the clues like a seasoned anthropologist of the mythological world, Demetra was able to offer several invaluable insights regarding how I might tap into the considerable resources available to me from past lives and proceed with whatever healing is required.
Based on my experience with Demetra, I highly recommend spending some time with her exploring the world of the Asteroid Goddesses and getting to know them on a more intimate basis through their placement in your chart. These empowering archetypes already live in you but there is much you can do to bring them more fully to life, including, should you feel so inclined, hopping on a plane and going to Greece in October to meet the Big Four in person with Demetra as your very knowledgeable guide providing the introductions along the way.
(For a more detailed and personal version of this piece, please see my blog: Bringing the Feminine Forward: The Timely Emergence of the Asteroid Goddesses.)
