Venus at the Heart Chakra

Art by Marilee Heyer

VENUS AT THE HEART CHAKRA

Tomorrow, the Moon makes her Conjunction to Venus at 5° Scorpio. This opens the Heart Chakra Gateway.

This configuration is also closely conjunct the Asteroid Goddess Pallas Athena at 7° Scorpio, opposing Jupiter in Taurus. Emphasizing a Stand Off between Father and Daughter. Woman and The Power of Patriarchy.

The energy of Venus as Morning Star already vibrates to a frequency quite similar to that of Pallas Athena, the Warrior Goddess.

And of course, this Moon/Venus conjunction in Scorpio, ruled by Pluto, necessitates that we look at the shadow side of this archetype.

Pallas Athena, as a Goddess of Culture, Daughter of the Patriarchy, Patron of the Arts and “Humanities”, War Strategist”, Head of her Own Temple of fellow Virgin Priestesses, One who meted out Justice, and general “Trend Setter” in my mind, can be equated to a woman who represents today’s 4th wave, Hyper-Independent, Feminism.

Meaning this month, we have an opportunity to rewrite how we’ve been wired by cultural feminism, and how that can armor our heart to the hilt.

In my personal view, today’s Feminism feels highly patriarchal, functioning not to smash, but rather to uphold the patriarchy.

I know that seems like a radical statement. Who isn’t grateful for their own checking accounts and credit cards?

But this is not what I am pointing too… read on…

Let’s look at Athena’s connection to the Patriarchy, and see if we can make some connections to feminism and the heart chakra.

In Greek Religion, Athena as the city protectress, helped to cultivate modern day Greek Civilization at the behest of her Father. Setting order into motion. She later becomes a goddess of war, strategy, handicraft, and practical reason.

Born fully formed from the head of her father Zeus, Athena is quite literally, "The Daughter of Patriarchy". She was famously known as his favorite child, and as such, much responsibility was given to her, as she helped him to advance his dominion, and agenda. After the solar cults rewrote most of Greek Mythology, the Virgin Priestesses were often cast as support for the crown. Or the power behind it.

She is portrayed as a majestic woman, clothed in a long flowing sheath, covered by her aegis, an armored breastplate, with snakes embroidered around the edges, and the head of Medusa in the center. Her totems or items of power were her spear, owl, breastplate, and her helmet.

Athena is credited with advancing civilization, and became a patron of the Arts and Medicine.

She instructed humanity in the trades of smithing, metal founding, and weaving.

In a sense her resume reads like one of today’s famous, “elite”, philanthropist's, might read. You know those monied heiresses who Insert themselves in furthering culture, potentially to their aims? The people that put their names on hospital wings, or set up grants to advance scientific or medical discovery? The Upholders, and enforcers of our current paradigm and its trajectory.

Athena is involved In one of history’s worst betrayals. Medusa is raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Instead of Poseidon facing consequences for desecrating the temple, it is Medusa who is punished, turned into a hideous monster, and exiled from civilization. Despite the fact that as a Priestess in Athena’s temple, Medusa would have been in her care. Athena did not defend or protect Medusa. She betrayed and further traumatized her. Siding with the Patriarch.

To make matters worse, after cursing her, and forcing her to live live in isolation on the edge of the wilderness, Athena then mounts the hunted and murdered Medusa’s head on her Aegis. Almost in a boast to killing the feminine.

At some point along the way, the energy of feminism changed from just being about equality for men and women under the law, to an energy that denigrated the old customs of woman craft. Similar to Athena’s breastplate, the energy of the new feminism set out to proudly kill some dimension of what it meant to be a woman.

As I watch today’s feminists, I can’t help but see a parallel to Athena, daughter of Zeus, the Patriarch.

We didn’t use feminism to create a new playing field, we just joined the men on theirs.

So where does this leave the feminine?

In a chart, I always look at Pallas Athena and ask, could this be a place where you left your wild, intuitive, feminine, nature behind, to follow the path the Patriarchy had set out for you?

What expectations did your parents have for you? What language did you hear growing up?

I know I was told that I needed to become so smart, and so strong, that I was never caught out needing a man.

This narrative did untold damage to my relationships as a young woman.

I went head to head with my partners. Always challenging them.

This isn’t to say we should allow ourselves to be dominated. But I did bring a decidedly masculine energy into the home. When it clearly wasn’t necessary.

Which brings us directly to the Heart Chakra.

This is the place in Inanna’s decent journey where she removes her breastplate.

As we mentioned, Amazingly, Pallas Athena wears a breastplate as well, with Medusa’s head mounted on the front.

What would armor over the heart signify?

Where are we carrying shields around our heart?

What would happen if we softened or removed them?

Where are we relentlessly doing battle?

Where are we trying to dominate reality?

To dominate encroaching Chaos?

Scorpio is all about the mystery. Where are we trying to colonize even that?

When we are judging, using the barometer of culture to determine our rightness, how does that translate in the body? Does it leave us “open” or “closed”?

Are we over identified with “looking” the part? To the point that people cannot “feel” us because we are draped in the clothes of cultural womanhood rather than natural womanhood?

The descent journey is all about getting naked. It’s about getting soft.

Letting go of:

places we are in resistance.

Holding a particular rigid pose.

Too much yang, and not enough yin.

This month in SkyDancer, we will look at all the ways the aperture of the heart is closed.

*What is written here is Athena’s evolutionary journey. The journey to reconnect with her Matrilineal line. One that trades allegiance to Patriarchy for allegiance to self, to the Feminine.

This is why I am so passionate about Emergent Archetypes.

I am interested in cultivating an archetype that merges our Athenian impulse towards success and leadership, with one that supports the feminine body and heart.

*Archetypes are always multivalent. Athena has numerous wonderful qualities as well. She is a weaver, a strategist, someone highly intelligent, wise, and sovereign. So this isn’t to say she only represents the patriarchy. It’s one emanation she can take on.

I also see her place in the chart as an Area of Strategic Mastery for the Native. A place where they are adept at the practice of metaphorical, or literal weaving. Weaving disparate strands of life, joys and pains, into an exquisite tapestry.