A Journey
with Athena
Goddess of
Wisdom
Women
of power
Women
of wisdom
Come
to Athena on this day
At
this very hour.
Unite in strength
Lend
a helping hand
See
that our brothers learn
To
take care of the land.
Goddess
Athena was born from her father’s head. Historically, this tale
marked the end of matriarchy and the beginning of what was called by
the German philosopher Johann Bachofen, ‘Father-right.’ The story
goes that Zeus was married, happily, to Metis, the goddess of wisdom,
daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, counterparts to the Mesopotamian Apsu
and Tiamat (Baring, page 335). All was well until Zeus learned
that any son born to him of Metis (literally – Wisdom) would soon over
throw his rule. In an act of fear, he swallowed the pregnant
Metis. Soon Athena was born, fully grown and armed, from Zeus’
head. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, was born of man and not
woman. Why would this be so? What was it in the Greek mind
that would produce such a story? And what can we learn and use
from this story today?
This statue of
Athena is a clue to her earlier origins. “In Classical Greek art
there are two quite different images of Athena.” (Baring, page
332) This image indicates her as a probable descendant of the
Minoan snake goddess. Notice the snakes intertwining all through
her robe and her headdress. She moves forward confidently.
This idea of the Great Mother Goddess of renewal and rebirth so
prevalent in the imagery of Athena begins to direct our attention to
other earlier forms associated with Athena. “On a
sixth-century-BC Corinthian vase Athena sits in her chariot while, just
behind her, perched on the horses, is a woman-headed bird, established
as a diver-bird. Such and archaic image reveals Athena’s descent
from the Neolithic Bird Goddess, who had as her counterpart the cosmic
snake, and also the Minoan and Mycenaean bird goddess.” (Baring, page
333) This Goddess of such ancient and powerful descent is then to
be born from a male head and not of a woman?
Magickal
Athena
patroness of Athena
in the World of Work
Athena
brought civilization to human life. This could be a result
of her earlier life as snake goddess or the even more ancient bird
goddess. She is also associated with the spider goddess because
of her love for crafts, especially weaving.
Athena
is the goddess and protectress and inspiration of crafts people.
She loved the arts, especially weaving, and pottery. These crafts
were especially essential to the people of
Spell for Success in
the World
Sacred
Stones of the Goddess
By
Galen Gillotte
Materials:
Four carnelian stones
Tools for making a pouch, including fabric of similar color to the
stones.
Yellow candles for attraction, orange for communication, green for
money.
Meditation:
“You
find yourself in your ideal job setting…and you are dressed for the
part. Imagine the sounds, sights, and smells that you would
experience there. Watch your colleagues as they go about heir
work. Take some time to get a feel for what it is like to be what
you have chosen to be. As you become comfortable with this role,
you see striding toward you an authoritative looking woman. She
is dressed perfectly for the setting. Her gray eyes are alive
with intelligence and her handshake is firm. She takes you under
wing and shows you around and she shows the supreme confidence in your
ability to dot he job. You feel alive, excited and full of
interest and curiosity. You feel an energy that feeds you and you
just know that you have found your right place in the world of
work. Before she leaves you, she hands you four glowing stones, a
reminder that any thing is possible.
Spell:
This spell is best done on the Thursday after the new moon.
Prepare your space as usual, casting the circle and calling the
elements/directions. At the conclusion of the meditation above,
stand before your alter and intone the spell, directing the energy into
your stones as you do so:
The
opportunities of the heart
are
all arrayed before me.
Athena
leads the way;
I have only to choose.
I
seek that path that leads
to success, to inner satisfaction
and
confidence.
I
seek the path that fills
my
days with joy and celebration.
For
who I am, and what I do,
Symbolize
inner harmony
And
ultimately reveal the
Contentment
of my soul.
Now
take the materials for the pouch and create the pouch in which to place
the stones. Repeat the spell as you work. Place the stones
in the pouch and secure them there. Place the stones under your
pillow for dreams that lead you to your true path. Carry them
with you to remind yourself the power of Athena who is ever with you.
Athena
the Goddess of Healing and Regeneration
“Athena turns her
attention inwards and develops a reservoir of resilience from which she
draws in times of turmoil. Athena energy enables a woman to
regenerate by dedicating herself to useful and simple tasks – pottery,
weaving, tapestry, and playing music.” (Mascetti, page 33)
The
image of Athena as warrior incorporates this idea of
regeneration. She carries the blood of Medusa, her very head with
the snakes writhing, upon her shield. This indicates the power of
regeneration and reminds us of her earlier origins. “As goddess
of health and healing, Athene taught a variety of medical
practices, including the secret of regeneration through the Medusa’s
Blood.”
(George, page 81)
Blood
from Medusa’s head produced two children. Athena then took blood
from Medusa and gave it to her son who used it to heal the living and
regenerate the dead. George claims that “Athena and Medusa were
originally two aspects of the Libyan snake goddess Neith. The fact that
Athena carries Medusa’s head on her shield shows us that her origin is
not forgotten.
The
Asteroid Pallas Athene: Athena’s Astrological Significance
Healer
The
asteroid Pallas Athene governs the healing that regenerates the mind
and body. “Such ‘holistic’ health therapies have gained a large
following since the activation of the asteroid functions in
1973.” (George, page 90) This asteroid, named after Athena,
governs healings modalities that deal with mental healing such as
guided imagery, visualization, and hypnosis. She also helps to
activate balance through homeopathy, cellular regeneration, and other
therapies such as acupuncture and polarity therapy. Those with a
strong Pallas Athene in their charts are most often involved in the
aspects of healing that involve the mind and clarity.
Artist
As
patroness of artisans and crafts people, Athena “taught the practical
arts and crafts that enable humanity to develop a more civilized
culture.” Serving as inspiration, Athena helped artists to bring
soul into art and imagery into form. Pallas Athene rules all
crafts and those with Her figured prominently in their charts will
experience a greater ability to perceive whole patterns in life and
produce from that visually communicative work.
Soul
Work
Athena
is very much a man’s goddess. She helped men, and seemed to like
their company much better than the company of women. Her wisdom
was shared with warrior men and rulers whenever it was needed.
She showed up with her wisdom and reminded the men of
This
asteroid rules the activation of Kundalini forces through yoga.
This activation brings about cellular regeneration and the opening of
the crown chakra and the subsequent illumination gained. Pallas
Athene “embodies the magical will that enables us to create and control
our own reality.” (George, page 97) Those with a strong
Pallas Athene use natural laws spontaneously and scientifically to
manifest their desires through creative visualization. Prophecy
is also an aspect of this asteroid and its placement.
Athena,
Our Guiding Force
I’ll start this
singing with
Sources:
George,
Demetra. Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, and Astrology of the
Re-emerging Feminine, Berwick, ME, Nicolas-Hays, Inc., 1986
Gillotte,
Galen. Sacred Stones of the Goddess: Using
Earth Energies for
Magical Living
Mascetti,
Manuela. Athena: Goddess of War and Wisdom.
Many
of the best images and information came from a wonderful site by Freya
Owlsdottir www.owlsdottir.com