In 1986, asteroid pioneer Eleanor Bach proposed that Pallas (a surname of Athena) is connected to the immune system which protects the body against invasion as well as susceptibility to disease. (Graphic Ephemeris). All this year, the asteroid Pallas is traveling in tandem, right on the heels, of the asteroid Wuhan through the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius which are hosting the historic Pluto/Saturn/Jupiter conjunctions. Last month, I shared Brenda Wilson’s article on Wuhan, and this is a follow up looking more closely at Pallas. At the end are general suggestions about keeping your immune system strong according to the zodiacal sign of Pallas in your chart.
Grey-eyed Pallas Athena, born from the head of Zeus as an emanation of his mind, was honored as the Goddess of Wisdom and War. Early images portray her full clad in armor, holding a spear and shield, with an image of the serpent-haired Gorgon Medusa emblazoned upon her breastplate. Other depictions show her serpent child coiled at her feet.
Athena, Athenian red-figure amphora ca. 6th century B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin
The shield is protective, not only a physical barrier against vulnerability to attack, but also as intelligence as a strategy for defense. The Gorgon Medusa head was employed as an apotropaic device, repelling and disabling enemies, just as in myth her gaze turned those men who dared approach her to stone. And the serpent is an ancient symbol of healing and regeneration still honored by the contemporary medical profession depicted in its emblem the caduceus.
The Athena Giustiniani, a Roman copy of a Greek statue of Pallas Athena. The guardian serpent of the Athenian Acropolis sits coiled at her feet.[125]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena
She was also honored as a goddess of healing; her epithet was Athena Paeconia, from the root Greek word for physician. Legend recounts when the Greek architect Mnesicles fell while working on the entrance gate to the Acropolis and was dying, Athena miraculously healed him through the power of her mind. In commemoration, a statue of Athena stood on the Acropolis next to that of Hygeia, goddess of health.
Timeline of Pallas and Wuhan
After last month’s Wuhan asteroid article, my mind turned to the current movement of the asteroid Pallas. I am operating on the premise that the asteroid Wuhan represents the COVID-19 virus and Pallas signifies the Goddess of War and Healing who has joined the battle against the onslaught of the disease.
January
The Saturn/Pluto/Jupiter conjunctions in Capricorn provide the overarching context for the 2020 crisis focused around the coronavirus. On January 8th, 2020 asteroid Wuhan entered the sign of Capricorn; on January 11th China reported its first known death from the virus days before the Saturn/Pluto conjunction on January 12th. In that event chart, asteroid Pallas was at 27˚ Sagittarius conjunct the Galactic Center. Within a week on January 18th, it had ingressed into Capricorn. The goddess of war had entered the battlefield against the invisible enemy. WHO declared a global medical emergency on January 30th; Pallas and Wuhan stood either side of the destructive South Node at 7˚ Capricorn; they faced off against one another, gazing into the chasm of Hades’ underworld.
February
Wuhan and Pallas continued their march through Capricorn heading towards Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto;
Wuhan kept its hair distance lead just in front of Pallas. The coronavirus spread around the world with cases and deaths in South Korea, France, Italy, Iran, sub-Sahara Africa, and other countries. Government leaders began to think about strategies to combat and control . On February 17th, Mars, the Greek god of War, wearing his armor and brandishing his gleaming sword, made his appearance on the Capricorn battlefield where this sign exalts him. The US saw its first death at the end of the month on February 29th.
March
Wuhan charged across the Capricorn planets from mid to late March, conjoining Jupiter on March 18th, Mars on March 23rd, and Pluto on March 29th. It left a wake of devastation. Pallas was right behind it, adding her voice to the plans for global response. Pallas consulted with Mars on March 17th, with Jupiter on March 25th, and joined Jupiter and Pluto on March 29th at 24˚ Capricorn with Wuhan at 25˚ Capricorn lying in wait for the assembly to convene. By this time Saturn had already entered Aquarius on Mar 22nd.
By mid-March, the US president declared a national emergency and reluctantly gave the first prompts for social distancing. Many US governors had already implemented protective measures in their states. European and other world nations instituted lockdowns. By the end of the month, there were more than one million people in 171 countries across six continents who had tested positive, with numerous more infected but untested, and a death toll of 51,000. The US led in the number of confirmed cases and more than 10 million people had lost their jobs.
April
On April 4th, Jupiter and Pluto had the first of their three historic conjunctions during 2020 with Pallas joining them. In mythology, Pallas had a special relationship with her father Jupiter as his favorite daughter whom he respected for her wisdom and strategy. It is noteworthy that as in myth she stood at his right-hand side. Pluto which represents a force of destruction was tempered by the benefic potency of Jupiter, who in myth negotiated with his brother about restoring life to some souls fated to death. Amidst peaking death rates, the first part of April saw more widespread suggestions for wearing masks and several vaccine development programs were given a green light to proceed.
By the middle of the month, some European countries began to ease restrictions just as Wuhan entered into the sign of Aquarius on April 16th. That very day the US President announced a phased plan to re-open the economy. He encouraged his supporters to disobey social distancing protocols and instead protest for liberating their states from governor’s restrictions aimed at saving lives. A huge international reaction was staged two days later on April 18th with the free One World Together at Home concert. It featured celebrities, scientists, philanthropists, frontline health workers, former first ladies, and other heroic volunteers asking viewers to make a pledge to stay at home in order to save others and to raise money for the World Health Organization after Trump withdrew funding in the midst of a pandemic.
Now it is April 19th, and from hereon in, I will point out other future dates for you to track.
On April 25th, Wuhan will make the exact conjunction to Saturn in Aquarius, and four days later Pallas crosses the sign boundary herself, tracking and continuing to counteract Wuhan’s activities. I wonder if the power struggle and conflict between the authority of the President and Governors in the US will accelerate, and if Pallas as legal counsel will use her mediation skills. They all turn retrograde after the middle of May; Saturn first on May 11th, followed by Pallas on May 18th, and Wuhan bringing up the rear on May 27th. In the sky, retrograde planets appear to go backwards moving slowly. In medical astrology, retrograde motion is sometimes interpreted as remissions and blockages in the forward momentum of an illness. We may indeed see an abate in the spread of the virus and gradual reopening of the economy. At least for a time.
The Summer and Beyond
At the end of June, Pallas participates in the second Jupiter-Pluto conjunction of the year at 24˚ Capricorn as she is once again at the same exact partile degree with them. Wuhan is still in early Aquarius until July 9th. As soon as it re-enters Capricorn, it conjuncts Saturn for the second time. Over the summer months, Saturn, Jupiter, Pluto, Pallas and Wuhan are all retracing their steps in Capricorn. This brings to mind the image of armies advancing and retreating as they battle to hold the same territory.
With Wuhan leading the pack, they all turn direct between September 10th and October 5th (Wuhan on Sept. 10th, Jupiter on Sept. 13th, Pallas on Sept. 15th, Saturn on Sept. 29th, and Pluto on Oct. 5th). The direct motion may signify a resurgence of the virus as speculated for the onset of colder weather. For the last time, Wuhan will conjunct Pluto on October 13th at 22˚ Capricorn and Saturn on October 27th at 25˚ Capricorn while Pallas is lagging behind. She may be trying to analyze the strategies that previously did and did not work, and come up with new plans. One week after the presidential election, Pallas has caught up and participates in the final Jupiter/Pluto conjunction at 22˚ Capricorn. on November 12th, within a day of Wuhan entering Aquarius and leaving the outer planets behind. Pallas makes her final conjunction to Saturn on December 3rd and enters Aquarius a week later. The hope is that by this time, she represents a successful administrative program of widespread testing and preventative remedies.
Winter Solstice
Pallas stands just a few degrees ahead of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction at 0˚ Aquarius on the Winter Solstice. This takes place in a new triplicity of air signs, which ancient Persian astrologers said ushered in a new dynasty around every two hundred years. As the Jupiter/Saturn cycle takes twenty years to return, it may well take the 10 years between their conjunction and opposition to rebuild the world with a new vision of global interdependence defined by the seminal initiation of this cycle in the sign of Aquarius. On one hand, Pallas’ armor, shield, and breastplate represent the capacity to protect one’s defenses against attack. But we have seen the virus does not recognize boundaries between states or nations and even between human bodies as many carriers are asymptomatic. We are inevitably brought back to the ancient wisdom adage that separation is an illusion and that self and other are one. COVID-19 may well be the transformative global awakening for which humanity has long awaited.
Pallas in the Signs and Strengthening the Immune System
In the birth chart, Pallas is not a main significator of illness. Traditional astrology looks more to the Moon, the sixth and first house planets and ruler for these indications. However, Pallas can represent how we use our natural intelligence to plan a strategy for strengthening our immune system. I am not a medical astrologer and it is beyond the scope of my expertise to match up Pallas in the signs with specific botanical or other natural remedies. However, in her realm, I think we can build up our defenses, by aligning our minds and activities with the elemental qualities of our Pallas sign.
Here is a simple list of suggestions that arose from my reflections on this matter. These suggestions are core to the basic meanings of the zodiacal signs, and can also be applicable to a person’s Sun, Moon, or Rising sign. But here they are offered for your Pallas sign as general suggestions for strengthening immunity.
The Fire signs are all high-spirited and energetic. Mars, ruler of Aries, signifies the blood and Leo, ruled by the Sun, corresponds to the heart. Thus, all forms of vigorous physical exercise which stimulate the cardio-vascular system and the circulation of the blood are optimal ways to strengthen the immune system. Sagittarius likewise thrives on exploring the great outdoors and immersion in nature as a remedy. On the inner level, Aries can meditate on cultivating courage and bravery in the face of danger, Leo to open the heart with compassion, and Sagittarius to broaden the mind with the big view.
The Earth signs are all focused upon the physical dimensions of life. The overwhelming need of earth is to ground one’s energy into the physical body in order to counteract the dissociative confusion. Taurus represents the fertile good earth where planting a garden or even a window-box allows you to draw up the healing power that resides in soil and nourishes your body. Virgo finds solace and centering in maintaining a clean body, a clean orderly environment, and fixing broken household items. Capricorn thrives on structure and the establishment of a daily routine that better enables you to move through your day. On an inner level, Taurus can meditate upon cultivating inner beauty, Virgo on discerning the patterns of optimal functioning, and Capricorn about acknowledging your hard-earned expertise and claiming your authority.
The Air signs are all naturally spacious as their consciousness is diffused in the atmosphere. Air itself is vital to the life-breath. Mercury-ruled Gemini corresponds to the lungs where ample fresh air and deep cleansing breaths are the source of strong immunity. Libra reaches out through space to find and forge connections to others; regular contact and communication with friends and family is a key element to maintain resistance to illness. Aquarius operates in the realm of the mind; with Saturn as its traditional ruler, controlling your thoughts and bringing them to focus and concentration helps to maintain a sense of equilibrium in a changing and unknown future. On an inner level, Gemini can meditate upon ways to keep your curiosity stimulated, Libra on the value of cooperation, and Aquarius on the pitfalls of self-righteous beliefs.
The Water signs are all immersed in the world of feelings. Being needed and bonding with others gives them the emotional security that fosters a sense of well-being and dispels the stress of alienation. All water purifying remedies are particularly suited for these signs. Cancer nurturing and feeding others the balm of ‘mother’s milk’ and gentle self-care provide resilience to weakness; for Scorpio, immersion in detoxifying salt-water baths can calm fears and dispel paranoia which weaken resistance; Pisces filling their ears with the sounds of inspiring music and song can uplift their souls from the excessive weight of absorbing the burdens of others. On an inner level, Cancer can meditate upon the realization that others are not being intentionally hurtful, just unconsciously insensitive; Scorpio that pushing others away is antithetical to the intimacy they crave; and Pisces to imagine the purifying power of liquid nectar flowing into all their channels and out through their orifices.
Resources for Personal Asteroid Positions
Asteroid Goddess Personal Report
Printout of 20,000 asteroids for your own birth chart – email Dave Campbell – theastrologystore@gmail.com
Zodiacal position of Pallas in a chart – astro.com