Prior to reading this book I never really thought about the effect the asteroids have on us, and even after I got my copy the idea of them influencing us didn’t grab me…until I read the first paragraph. The authors begin by pointing out that the greatest advances in human consciousness and culture always occurred at the same time as the discovery of a new planetary body. This one paragraph inspired me to look at the interconnectedness of the universe and our place in it in a whole new way. And I realized just how important asteroids can be for understanding our place in the universe.
Once the reader understands the importance of the asteroids, we move to an excellent chapter about the Mandala of the Asteroid Goddesses. This chapter includes some good illustrations and ends with a handy table of the four asteroid goddesses (Ceres, Pallas Athena, Juno, and Vesta) that outlines their feminine functions, relationship to women, stereotypes, alternate modes of expression for men and women, practice of the magickal life, and how men can activate and utilize the Goddesses’ powers in their own practices.
Each goddess then has two chapters devoted to her particular mythology, correspondences, astrology, psychological themes, and her role in the horoscope. These pages I found to be most interesting with some of the most in-depth versions of myths and information that I have ever found. After reading these chapters I had a much greater insight into each goddess, especially the matriarchal versus patriarchal interpretations of the myths. At the end of the book the authors included a table of the ephemeredes of sixteen asteroids for 1930–2050.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent book that I am happy to add to my collection.
~ review by Jennifer Erwin
Authors: Demetra George and Douglas Bloch
Ibis Press, 2003
pp. 334, $22.95
