Asteroid Odysseus

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By Fiona Aedgar 

What  are archetypes? An archetype is a person or character who has a  specific set of personality traits which are familiar to us. Some  examples of archetypes are the Gods within polytheism, with each group  having similar traits to other pantheons in different geographical  locations. An example of this is the Roman Goddess Venus who has similar  archetypal characteristics as the Greek Aphrodite and other love  Goddesses from ancient mythology throughout the world. 

The  archetypes used in Western Astrology are ancient characters which have  become immortal within the collective consciousness. The Western zodiac  (from the ancient Greek word “zoidiakos”, meaning circle of animals)  reflects certain archetypes connected to the seasons, on which the solar  based, zodiac wheel is based. 

Some  of the asteroids, which lie mostly in a belt between Mars and Jupiter,  are useful in astrological practices as we can compare the legends and  characters, from which some of them are named, to the birth chart,  telling the story of how these archetypes are expressed, either  consciously or unconsciously in the native’s life. 

It’s  important to note that, in delineation, the asteroids hold only  fragments or pieces of the native’s story and we should never place more  importance on asteroids than the luminaries, planets and angles in the  immediate birth chart, however the asteroids can give us extra details  on top of an already existing story which is playing out within the  positions of the main planets.  

I felt compelled to write this article after a restless night of  insomnia. Snatching a few minutes of sleep here and there, I drifted in and out of the dream state and woke this morning with a word in my head  “Odysseus.” In the few days prior to this, two separate people had mentioned the word “Odyssey” in conversations with me. The archetype of Odysseus was awakening from some place within my subconscious and calling to me through my dreams and interactions with others. 

We  find the character of Odysseus in “The odyssey” the epic, ancient Greek  poem written by Homer in the 8th century BCE. Odysseus is the hero of  the story, acting with courage, honour and masculinity as he embarks on a  dangerous quest to return to his Kingdom Ithaca, after the end of the 10 year trojan war. 

While Odysseus has been at war, his palace has been  overrun by “the suitors” who are men that, under the assumption that  Odysseus is dead, are trying to take his place and marry his wife  Penelope, who remains loyal and devoted to Odysseus, rejecting their animalistic advances.

Odysseus’s son, Prince Telemachus, lacks the strength of his Father and is  struggling to overthrow the suitors, who are plotting to kill him.  Telemachus is eventually assisted by the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus, who decide to help reunite Odysseus with his family. 

Odysseus  is temporarily imprisoned by the nymph Calypso, who is in love with  him. Remaining loyal to his wife, Odysseus escapes with the help of  Hermes, attempting to sail home on a ship. His journey is thwarted, as  Poseidon, holding a grudge against Odysseus from past events, wrecks the  vessel. He is then rescued by the Goddess Athena who gives the hero  safe passage and he arrives home to Itheca, disguised as a beggar. 

Odysseus  slays the chaotic forces of the suitors and returns to the arms of his  devoted and loving wife, with peace finally restored to his Kingdom with  further help from Athena. At the end of his journey, under his disguise  as a beggar, Odysseus is able to discover the members of his household  who have chosen to remain loyal to him, with the disloyal staff being  executed. 

We see a number of archetypes present within the poem:

Hero and loyal father/husband.

Damsel in distress and faithful wife.

The evil temptress who attempts to lure the Hero away from his wife. 

Villains. 

The vision quest or hero’s journey itself.

Good vs evil. 

Chaos vs order. 

The  main morals of the story are that bravery and honour are the keys to  navigate through the perilous Hero’s journey and it is through chaotic forces that we find true order.

 Only the hero alone can complete his vision quest, with the exception of assistance from the Gods who act as guides for the Hero, expressed in the natural world around him.

It is through the most difficult times of our lives that we discover the  authenticity and loyalty of our colleagues, friends and family. Only when faced with seemingly impossible trials can we appreciate the true strength that each of us holds within our immortal spirits. Through the  completion of these initiations, we are reborn into a more rewarding  life, with truly loyal and loving friends and family around us and a society free of degeneracy. 

It’s interesting to note that the asteroid Odysseus (1143) is currently  transiting through the sign of Pisces, having recently made a  conjunction with Neptune who of course is the Roman equivalent of Poseidon. 

Neptune is connected  with viruses, deception, illusions, and more positively, a connection  with the spirit world and supernatural forces. 

During these times of covid, we must not allow other people, Governments or  systems to keep us captive using the black magic infection of fear,  which attempts to keep us stuck on a lonely island, separated from our families and derailing us from our paths, too frightened to continue  with our journeys, like sheep hurdled into a pen. 

Collectively,  the goal of our Hero’s journey is to successfully navigate through the  murky waters of misinformation and deception that seek to destroy us,  like Poseidon attempted to drown Odysseus by overturning his ship. 

Just  as Calypso tried to seduce the hero and prevent him from returning  home, we must not allow the falsehood of “safety” to prevent us from moving. 

We must fight against the evil forces, both human and supernatural, that we are at war with. We must reject the seduction of  these forces in their attempts to normalise degeneracy and the  destruction of the family unit. 

Only through bravery, authenticity, honour, and the rejection of weaknesses,  fear and the perverse will we reach the destination of freedom, true security and happiness within our empires, with the polytheistic and  ancient Gods and Goddesses as our guides.