She’s Got the Look: The Asteroid Medusa

Medusa is a gorgon, one of three sisters that are supposed to be exceptionally beautiful, especially Medusa. Her two sisters are immortal though, and Medusa is not. Despite that, Medusa is usually described as pretty vain. If you don’t want to say vain, you can just say very confident.

The story is told one of two ways. Either Medusa is overcome by Neptune and gives in to temptation, or she’s raped by Neptune. No matter which way it goes, the ending is the same. She’s punished by Athena, the god that Medusa works for, because it occurs in her temple. Athena turns Medusa into the hideous monster we all know, with snakes for hair, fangs, and a look that turns you to stone.

The asteroid Medusa is number 149, for those who want to look her up in your own chart. Through the sign, house position, and aspects of your Medusa, you can find where in life you pay for your bad choices, and where you can keep making the same mistake over and over again if you don’t learn the first time.

For some, Medusa can show where you pay for the bad choices you didn’t necessarily make or that weren’t completely your fault, much like the second way the story is told with Medusa being punished after being raped. If that was the case, it certainly wasn’t her fault, but Athena unleashes her wrath anyway. How often do we still punish the victim or crimes and abuse? How often do we punish children for the sins of their parents?

Medusa is often linked to vanity, but that isn’t as prevalent nowadays (if it ever was). I think it’s more about supreme confidence with whatever area of life she touches in your chart, and the overconfidence that can lead to your downfall. Confidence is a good thing but you don’t want to be too cocky or overestimate your abilities.

After Medusa was turned into the monster we all know, she supposedly withdrew from the world, so this asteroid can also show what or where we hide away. We have to gather our courage, our strength, and our wisdom and go in there and face the truth.

In some cases, I’ve seen people with a prominent Medusa who can’t now or went through a period time where they couldn’t stand to look at their own face. They saw the metaphoric monster in the mirror, unable to deal with what they had become.

In other cases, some people with a prominent Medusa (especially with the Sun, Ascendant, or Midheaven) have the look that Medusa has, a powerful look that can figuratively turn you to stone. One look into their eyes, and they can destroy. They may feel a bit isolated because of that though.

A prominent Medusa can also show that you have to go through life in search of truth. It could be the truth in the world, but most likely is the truth in yourself, of who you are, and in your life and the experiences that you’ve had. If you can look at them without fear of turning to stone, you can conquer Medusa.

Filed under General Astrology, Learn Astrology | Comments Off on She’s Got the Look: The Asteroid Medusa