“There’s a little bit of Amazon in every woman.” – The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier

“Be careful in the world of men, Diana, they do not deserve you.” – Wonder Woman

It’s no coincidence that Wonder Woman was a box office hit in summer of 2017. Here, a fierce and beautifully feminine woman who fought (yes, fought) for the triumph of love and truth over evil. Women love female film role model who don’t fall into patterns of self-deprecation, deference to males, and romanticizing love. Diana is intelligent, creative, strong, able to hold her own under fire, while staying true to her values. She ably and courageously defends, protects and provides for who and what she loves. She is sharp as a tack, visionary, and impervious to the inherited social conditioning of gender identity; she can walk into a room full of men and own her space without being limited or defined by her sexuality.

Almost every little girl who know of her wanted to be Wonder Woman. There is a little bit of Amazon in every woman; her name is Pallas Athene – the asteroid Goddess allied with vision, healing, creative intelligence and justice (yes, there’s a little bit of Amazon in every man, too). Wonder Woman embodies the ideals Pallas Athene represents in our birth chart. Our natal Pallas holds our ability to “see”, to visualize, birth ideas to completion, and our unique skills, crafts and healing tools.

Pallas was an Amazon

Pallas Athene was Greek named, but the homage paid to Medusa on her battle shield reveals her Amazonian origins. Medusa was a Snake Goddess of certain Amazon tribes. While Diana/Pallas is somewhat more synonymous with the more civilized and cosmopolitan side of this huntress feminine archetype, her roots are tribal, yet she’s more than a warrior. When the Amazons roamed the plain, without men or cities, they had to create a sustainable way of life relying on the skills of one another. The talents of each member were put to use, as needed. Perhaps one sister was a better hunter, the other a better healer, the other able to navigate the sea. Hence, Pallas in our birth chart indicates our creative resourcefulness, the artful mix of practical skills we can utilize for the good of all, as well as our ability to see complex patterns and understand how each part contributes to the whole.

Warrior-ship was a part of the Amazon story, but Amazons trained to protect their tribe from various infractions on their personal liberty and independence – for instance, female slavery, which was a reality for women for a very long time, and still is in some parts of today’s world. If feminism is defined as “equality for all”, these were the original feminists. Interestingly, Gloria Steinem, our modern Amazon leader has Pallas conjunct her Sun.

As tribal culture slowly ceased to exist, Pallas/Diana had to shift her outward form, too. The hunter, warrior, strategist and healer moved from the plains and into the cities, as women fighting for equality in the courtroom, in our political systems and universities.

The urge to fight for equality, for the freedom of all, and the ability to see holistically, to implement our unique ideas and talents, our own special way of seeing, is still alive in our own Pallas as is the urge to put one’s creative ideas into action. Challenging aspects to Pallas can make it harder to access our creative wisdom, or give birth to our ideas. We might feel blocked from giving birth to our good ideas and intuitive knowing, due to conditioning we received around our intelligence and the worthiness of our ideas. To unlock our gifts of creative insight we may need to release negative educational training or early messages around our confidence and true abilities. Flowing aspects indicate a flow of creativity and insight that leads to a special talent for our own particular way of seeing.

I have a personal example. Several years ago, after taking a course in the mystical arts, I made the discovery that I am able to “see” health conditions intuitively. Now, I don’t consider myself psychic – this skill of clear seeing doesn’t easily arise across the board to all issues, but my visions around health questions are eerily straightforward. My Pallas makes an exact square to Mercury, and a trine to Saturn. When I looked deeper, astrologically, the asteroid Hygeia, in the fifth, fills out a grand trine between my first house Pallas and Saturn in the ninth. According to Demetra George, due to her connection with Hygeia, goddess of miraculous healing, Pallas is a significator of the healing arts and a prominent Pallas indicates a potential for working with the healing arts.

Also, funny little note: For followers of Moonkissd, since the beginning (back when a URL was just a landing page for entries), you might recall the entry portal for reading my writing was an image of Medusa’s head. Of course, I had no idea about my natal Pallas/Mercury connection then!

Your Unique Way of Seeing

Historically, a women’s value was tied to her biology -not her mental ideas. Pallas reminds us that we are creative beings, that we don’t need another person to validate or fertilize our conceptions; our “idea babies” are just as valuable as our biological ones. The same is of course true for men, whose virgin ideas also create new worlds.

Our natal Pallas shows us where and how our creative, healing energies, intelligence give rise to brainchildren. For instance, Pallas in Virgo’s creative intelligence is its use of mental analysis that gives rise to brainchildren. Conversely, Pallas in Pisces merges with consciousness itself, and channels its perceptions. Pallas in Libra’s creative intelligence comes through it’s unique way of seeing relationships of parts to the whole, while Pallas in Aries’ personal energizing vision stimulates ideas.

Aspects to Pallas, both natal and transiting, can invigorate or challenge our “seeing”. For instance I’ve noticed Pallas conjunct Saturn people have a need to give structure in the material world to their visions. For instance, running a business based on one’s creative ideas about healing. I’ve seen a transit from Neptune opposing Pallas in Virgo confuse or challenge one’s ability to holistically and realistically analyze a situation. Because of her connection to our ability to cogently form intelligent perceptions, this had a similar feeling to a Neptune-Mercury transit.

More than a Woman

I’ve always found Pallas’ Greek myth a bit lacking — she doesn’t have a dramatic movie-worthy story like, say, Ceres. Instead we get it in bits and pieces. Pallas sprang from the head of Zeus, born without the conception of a man and woman, hinting at her androgynous and intellectual nature, but also her tendency to feel she must act, or be, like a man (thus, hide her femininity) in order to be effective in the civilized world. She was also the first woman Goddess allowed into the all-male courtroom of Olympus.

However, when I tell this to my women clients who have Pallas strong – often these are women working in a “man’s world” -they mention being at odds with their sexuality in the professional world. A prominent, but challenging aspect Pallas placement can cause a woman to feel schizoid about her softer, sensual, feminine side. In the boardroom, at work, she wonders whether she should wear make-up or not — wanting to downplay her sensual gender so she is seen for her ideas, not her breasts, lips or hips. She doesn’t want her gender to work against her; she wants to be taken seriously.

I’ve observed women clients with Pallas either on their Sun or Ascendant as players in typically male systems. One has Pallas-Sun-Virgo conjunct in her ninth house and she’s a tenured professor at a university who also sits on many different boards in her community. Another client, a lawyer (remember, since Pallas was the first woman allowed into the courtroom, that’s always a sign to look to see where their Pallas is located– many female lawyers have a strong Pallas), has natal Pallas in Cancer on her Cancer Sun. She fights for reproductive/women’s rights (Cancer).

Likewise, I’ve noticed a year with Pallas strong in the Solar Return chart bring a year of fighting for one’s creative identity and ideas in a patriarchal/corporate system. Which brings up an interesting part of the myth– in myth, when Pallas won a contest against Poseidon, she was punished for it. Athenian women lost the right to vote. Many women fear putting their ideas out there, fearing retribution, a fight or insult – especially in an age in which people so freely share their negative opinions. If you have Pallas prominent, you need to find the courage to stand up and speak. As Demetra George says, “On a social level, when half the population does not contribute their gifts and talents, everyone suffers.” This is a remnant of Pallas’ legacy.

The tendency to reject the softer side of the feminine, to participate in a man’s world, can be strong in certain Pallas types. Hilary Clinton, the pantsuit queen, has Pallas in Aquarius square her Nodes, so this is a skipped step, or key, to integrating her nodal axis. For men, Pallas can bring up conflicts with their feminine side, too, and a need for integration. One male client has Pallas in Gemini, conjunct Vesta, square Moon in Pisces. He doesn’t feel he receives enough warmth from his female partners, and experiences alienation at times from them. This masculine linear focus requires integration of mental intelligence with sensitivity, empathy, heart, emotion & feeling.

Daring to Create

How does this asteroid work in practice? It’s an interesting question. As I’ve said before, there’s not a huge shared language, yet, around using the feminine asteroids. When we choose to work with them in a reading, with little precedent and room for creativity we are writing the story about “what it means” as we speak. But these asteroids keep drawing my attention by sending me clients, like this next one, with an outer planet transit. I think it’s Pallas in Libra in my own first house, urging me to take my ideas, inner visions, my way of seeing… and run with it.

A client was being stuck on getting a business idea going. She didn’t understand why she was having such a hard time. In fact, that morning, after having an exciting creative brainstorming and list-making session about everything she was ready to do to get going, she went out to her garden and immediately proceeded to pull a muscle in her back. By the time we spoke, she was propped up with pillows in bed.

Neither of us thought this was mere coincidence. What did I spy? Transiting Pluto conjunct her Pallas. In fact, that was the major transit influencing her. With natal Pallas in Capricorn widely opposing her Cancer Sun, too, as we rooted around for answers, I asked, Was there a point in time where a creative idea of yours was shot down? This opened up a world of conversation, and she was able to identify two situations where she had birthed a beautiful “brainchild” and was shamed for having done so. She said she hadn’t dared to create something so beautiful and compelling since! She’d been creatively blocked from implementing her new ideas by a old wound (tr. Pluto).

Recently an astrologer-healer-friend and I had an exchange. I knew that, when younger, she was a warrior- she once served in the military, then eventually became a full-time healing arts practitioner. Astrologer, healer, warrior– all are Pallas archetypes. I inquired after her Pallas: she has Pallas conjunct Pluto in Leo trine Mars in Sagittarius.

By the way, if you are reading this, you might also want to read Christina’s excellent article Why Pallas Athena is the Astrologer’s Asteroid. Pallas indicates a gift for detecting patterns, and our most influential astrologers share her prominence in their natal charts.

To begin working with asteroids start putting them on your radar, and in your charts. Once familiar with the myth, similar to her birth, the right questions and observations spring to mind. Pallas Athene wants to be discovered, engaged, explored, owned. Give voice to the asteroids and you give voice to the Divine Feminine.

A New Sisterhood

Couldn’t we use our own modern version of sisterhood tribe? Awash in a sea of conflict created by the greed and power hunger of patriarchy, the Amazons broke away and started their own matriarchal culture. Whether you believe the Amazon race existed or not (and most scholars do), the archetype is profoundly relevant today. Modern women are tired of playing by the rules of a system that feeds off the oppressed. The Amazons would recognize our story as their own.

You don’t need to break away to realize you are amongst sisters. We each have a Pallas Athene. Look up your Pallas, explore what she has to offer. Her sign and placement will tell you how and where you seek to remedy injustice and oppression. Understand your unique way of seeing, and how important it is for you to share your voice, skills, art, craft and healing wisdom with the rest of the world. The more aspects she shares with the rest of the chart, the more you share in common with your ancient -and modern- sisters. Take heart in that. We are out here!

P.S. -What to know what Goddess wisdom Pallas has for you, in your birth chart? Order your custom Asteroid Goddess report today.