“Oh, woman, woman! When to ill thy mind is bent, all Hell contains no fouler fiend!”
–Homer
I was watching the end of a made for television movie of The Odyssey last night with my kids. I’ve seen it several times (as well as read it) and was explaining the backstory to the girls. In particular they didn’t understand the role of Athena, why she was helping Odysseus but not Penelope.
The mythology of the Greek goddess Athena is part of the makeup of that for Pallas Athena, the asteroid in astrology. In astrology Pallas Athena, in very broad strokes, is indicative of whole pattern recognition intelligence, seeing how things work, forward and backward. While a female she is largely androgynous in action. She is beautiful but displays identification with masculine attitudes. There is something of Pallas Athena that appears to reject the feminine as weak, siding with the masculine.
Strong Pallas Athena in the chart denotes intelligence and often a sort of androgyny. A challenged Pallas Athena, or one that is not expressed fully, can result in a repression or rejection of femininity, or an outright over-identification with the masculine. We all know, or are, a woman who talks about her balls or has said, “suck my…” I’d look to the position of Pallas Athena for that.
The challenge here is to access the power and intelligence of Pallas Athena without outright rejection of the anima.
Where is your Pallas Athena? What are your attitudes about femininity?
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Pallas Athena is conjunct my Venus in Aries (6th House). I don’t often refer to having balls 😉 but, I do feel very comfortable working in environments that are mostly male verses female. Would that be influenced by this placement?
I have mine in 9th house Libra. It sextile my 1st house Cap Venus. I work well with females. I dress female and act like an old gent.
My Pallas is conjunct my IC and Mercury in Virgo and Pallas forms a yod pattern together with my Jupiter (10th house Aries) and Saturn (8th house, Aquarius). No idea what that could mean in detail, but it seems to be significant. Pallas in the myth has always been a character I liked and felt close to. And in relationships more than once I took on the role of this androgyne, fighting companion for strange guys, wanderers, longing for a home but going for freedom. (o;
My Pallas is in 2nd house Capricorn, along with (but not quite conjunct) Mars. She’s sextile Scorpio 12 Venus and trine Virgo 10 Saturn.
I feel most feminine when I’m being made to surrender. I curse like a sailor, and mix gender-specific curse words (anyone can be an a-hole, anyone can grow some balls). I prefer dark colors, but still like to look “pretty” in them.
What I find most interesting about Athena, is that in her most ancient form, she was a fertility goddess. She was depicted holding snakes, symbols of fertility, which evolved to become the head of the Gorgon on her aegis (while she became a virgin).
1 degree pisces, just at the tail end of my 5th , conjunct chiron at 3 degrees in the 6th ..sextiles venus and opposes pluto
from what i’ve read, on the upside, potential to blend intellect with intution in healing…sextiling venus…maybe via art related path….(always working on that) but opposing Pluto….that seems like a challenging opposition, not sure what it means…you have me thinking, satori….
Oh Good Grief it is sandwiched between my Cappy moon venus in the 10th. Whatever that means it must be a biggie cause it is bi-quintiled by Jupiter.
in 7th house Libra exactly conjunct Pluto and square Jupiter. Also sextile Neptune and MC.
I can’t link any of that to my idea of feminity. But I can tell you, for a long time I was embarassed to be a girl. Didn’t even want to ACT like i wanted to do girly things..like it was taboo or something. Now, I’m learning it is OK to admit to enjoying them. I have no idea where that ideology came from.
Down in the very bowels of my chart. Not quite conjunct my IC since it’s 10˚ off, in Sag. She squares my Asc, opposes Uranus and is inconjunct my Moon, so I have a fairly challenged Pallas! so…
“…repression or rejection of femininity, or an outright over-identification with the masculine”
Yes I think this is true of me – not that I act or dress like a male, but in the way I’ve led my life – eg going to bars and race meetings on my own! and enjoying sex for its own sake – but esp in the way I’ve largely rejected or avoided the traditional role of women, esp child-bearing
Oh I remember that TV movie – it was pretty good I thought.
1st House Pallas conjunct AC by less than 2º…
idk anything about it
I’m in same boat as Blessed Place only mine is on my IC in Libra
The Oxford Astrologer had an entry about how Pallas was the “astrologers asteroid” because it relates to patterns.
http://oxford-astrologer.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-pallas-athene-is-astrologers.html
It’s in Taurus in the 10th (ruled by Aries). It trines Uranus, quintiles Venus, and sextiles my Jupiter. I would probably sugarcoat “have the balls” with “grow a pair.”
I am not very girly, but I am definitely a lady. My personal planets and moon are masculine, and the outer planets are feminine, including my favorite, capricorn saturn. I relate to mature femininity, and the word “gentleman.”
pallas athena in 10H sandwiching my MC with vesta in the 9H all in lovely cancer!!!
NEVER have rejected my feminine role. EVER.
always loved being a girl—–a tough, smart warrior girl
always loved flowers, always loved kickin’ ass, always loved pinks and ruffles, always loved sweating and getting muddy—–yeah i guess a prominent p.a. makes for the androgynous
only rejected the subservient, oppressed hollow role for women/girls that thankfully feminism is wiping out.
i was a feminist before i even knew what the word meant.
and ‘balls’ refers to the circular shape of my ovaries and is a word symbolic of my courage and integrity as a human—–hell yeah, i have balls!!!!
great post, satori—–love the asteroids!!!
Lona that seems like the perfect manifestation of Dallas in cancer – my ovaries are balls dammit! ha!
I have pallas in the first in Aquarius. I’ve been playing with the boys my whole life (ie, being the only girl in the advanced math classes or one of the few at work). I don’t try to act like one though – I could give two shits about your sports, etc, and I won’t pretend.
totally!! venusflytrap—-didn’t even occur to me, but it’s perfect.
I love working with Pallas in a chart – there’s two asteroids actually, one is Pallas and the other is Athene. I’m sure there’s a subtle difference, but Pallas is much bigger in size and more influential. The rejection of the feminine wisdom and the sole reliance on the masculine way of thinking is so signficant for this asteroid. If someone has a strong Pallas that way of being can be so ingrained it’s difficult to find the lost feminine roots.
I have Pallas conjunct Juno and I’m a lesbian. Never quite understood the whole ‘looking for a man’ thing. In my early days I went out with men but realised that the attraction was not so much that I wanted to be *with* them as that I wanted to *be* them :). It was a shock to finally accept how strong my inner masculine really was as I also have a powerful Venus in my chart and appear very feminine.
I love this!
Pallas Athena is in my 1st H Aquarius, trines my MC in Scorpio and Uranus in the 6th Gemini for a big across the zodiac sort of triangle. I feel androgynous as you describe Satori “indicative of whole pattern recognition intelligence, seeing how things work, forward and backward. While a female she is largely androgynous in action.” It’s very fun to be feeling this Pallas Athena energy at 63 she returns to my natal 1st House soon and perhaps that’s where the joyful reunion vibe comes from.
It hasn’t always been so … but it’s the journeying that makes it so FUN! Thanks for this great scoop of deep exploration of the asteroid clan Satori. Lovely.
Gemini. I talk about my balls and all that. Not so much anymore. All makes sense mow.
Discomfort with much traditional femininity — I don’t identify with it AT ALL. Pallas in my 7th! Which is otherwise empty. Trine Sun in Cancer. Pallas in Pisces…
also, I look very feminine (so i’m always told) but… I don’t know how describe it. I don’t identify with “typical” male or “typical” female… Yet am attracted to very gendered people i.e. very masculine men and very feminine women. Or even vice versa. Extremes.
She’s a busy lady. in Aquarius, 1st house, forming a T square with sun/pluto, scorpio saturn as the base. trining my neptune, quincunx mercury….
I’m not a girly girl. Although I sew and cook, I’ve carried 5 tons of rock up my hill, created steps and raised beds up there. I am somewhat comfortable with a chainsaw, learned to ride a motorcycle in my 40s. I’ve felt more comfortable hanging with the guys my whole life–not as a “girlfriend” but as a friend who happens to be a girl. A friend years ago described me as having the most “male” intellect of any woman he knows.
@night_owl13 – Thanks for the link on patterns. I work in IT. Seeing patterns is so helpful there. Pallas in Gen in the 10th, square sun in Virgo.
Pallas is in Capricorn in my 5th house. I dress very feminine and it’s quite clear I’m not androgynous! I am definitely attracted to masculine men.
PA in my Leo/8th. Trine Neptune in 12th.
How I feel about gender–I have so many feelings about it, I wouldn’t know where to begin. I think I had a childhood state of non-gendered feelings for an extended period of time (past the common age of curiosity and cognizance about one’s gender).
I remember being terribly disappointed when I realized that people saw a gender, first. I remember that feeling of disappointment so vividly. I wanted to have that left out of the equation entirely. Not a chance.
Sex and sexuality as I mentioned on a post recently–always a learning experience for me. I mean–I played with dolls non-stop as a kid, and I didn’t think “I am a little girl!” Even though I liked girly things. I relate to Lona’s experiences, a lot. Lived in nature, lots of dirt and sweating. Ha.
I was always (and still am) informed what my limitationsin life were going to be, as a woman/girl. But confusingly–always encouraged to pursue philosophical topics/ponderings/ideas.
Lots of my feelings come from being part of a pronounced tradition of only daughters, and lots of them, in my maternal lineage. You have to go back generations and generations for the sons.
8th House makes sense–it doesn’t take much for me to seem and feel and appear feminine. That and the Neptune–it’s swirly.
Oh, the cosmic joke… Pallas is conjunct my Venus in opposition to Athene conjunct my Mars. Everything makes so much sense now. 🙂
Pallas is right in the middle of my 6th house conjunction of Scorpio moon and mars, squaring Leo Pluto on the IC. I’m compulsive about my work, and also about my daily astrology “fix.” I have always worked best with men; got along better with my Dad than my Mom; and am uncomfortable in settings that require “girltalk.” The “intelligence and pattern recognition” resonates; I use that to my advantage in business; and in some settings I have to work to soften my vibe because I’m aware that my sharp mindedness is perceived as harsh and unfeminine, even when I say nothing. Really good one, Satori.
Pallas is at the tail end of my 5th house in Pisces, conjunct NN, square Juipter, sextile Uranus but otherwise unaspected.
I do struggle with tradition versus creative freedom and just simply being myself. But I also have a fair bit of Capricorn. I do see myself as quite feminine, but I always wear shoes I could climb a fence in. 😉
I have Pallas exactly conjunct Mars then the Sun, which squares Pluto.
I love this site:
http://www.kaltura.org/demos/RemixGenderedAds/
and I want a Nerf Glitter Longstrike Hairdryer to give my little neiblings for their birthdays.
Cool stuff.
What if you have a square between some personal planets – and then pallas comes in, and makes a t-square?
Is it important/large enough to ‘form’ a t-square configuration in your chart?
Cuz if so, yeap, it makes my square aspect a t-square aspect. Would this explain why i do the same mistakes, repeat the same patterns (in life, in interpersonal arena, in making the right decisions for me), even when I’m supposedly a smart, rational minded person?! And my peers just seem to ‘get it,’ while I seem to return to the same situations w/out ‘getting’ it?
:'(
@ Kim
just looked up the asteroid athene (thanks, btw, i didn’t know there were 2)
and she’s opposite my pallas! conjunct my IC in capricorn
wow! so interesting. i’ll have to let it simmer awhile til i get my head around it
I looked it up for the first time and was struck by how fitting it feels since the rest of my chart doesn’t really support my glamour dressing. I used to blame my need to look good/to live up to a particular image on my Libra rising but my Pallas in Leo in 11th house sextile MC/Sun makes more sense. I’ve been told I stand out in a crowd (my Pluto in 12th prefers to lurk around the edges). I get a lot of compliments on my hair–long dark waves with caramel highlights and a lot of shine.
Um, just noticed that my Saturn tightly opposes Pallas in Leo. That would explain the guilt I feel every time I spend $80 on those fancy caramel highlights!
Sorry to post again, but I also wanted to note that in regards to my attitudes towards femininity, I’m very happy, very comfortable being a woman. I was aware of having “feminine power” while I was still a young child. I admire regal, older women.
pallas Leo 12th house trine Venus&Mars have to look into that.. everytime the moon is in Leo it passes through my 12th house and l feel superrrr spaced out yet creative! l prefer strong type females, feminine and strong at the same time.Isabella Rosellini is beautiful!
After looking at my chart with the asteroids in it…noticed that my 10th houses Pallas in Libra squares Cancer Mars in 7th EXACTLY. Hmm, wonder if that’s why I suck at arts and crafts. And yes, I am a little masculine…I enjoy saying “crap”. :-p Back in college, Xena the Warrior Princess was my hero–she could kick butt. (Maybe that’s my Aries SN talking though.)
Never did like wearing makeup, jewelry, perfume, skirts or dresses. (Though I do dress up every now and then, and people NOTICE when I do.) Unless someone else does my nails, they look bleh.
I have Pallas in Aquarius, in the 2nd. Squares my moon in Taurus, but a nice trine with my Mars in Libra
I curse like a sailor(I could make a grown man blush), like being around men, don’t get on with women in general, because really I have been told that although I am ultra feminine, I am not a girlie girl,
I have been told I am an excellent investigator and researcher, a good problem solver, always thought that was because of my eighth house signature though
My Pallas Athene was in the constellation of Hercules at the time of my birth. I strongly show both male and feminine charecteristics and am also asexual. I think you’re right on the dot with this asteroid! 🙂
thanks, Noah! welcome!
I have Pallas Athena in 3rd in Libra conjunct north node and Juno. Very important I would think. I don’t think as myself having balls.
Pallas conjunct Moon in Aquarius, 7. House. Moon is chart ruler. Pattern recognition is huge and somewhat obsessive (perhaps I should become an astrologer after all :-). Share Aqua Moon with my mother and oldest daughter. The feminine is my foundation. Not that it is always easy (Moon Trine Pluto), but it is solid and intens. As a child I loved my father and I still feel his support although it has been more than 20 ys since he passed. And I know he loved me and was proud of me.
mine is in Pisces
AHA! My Pallas is conjunct my Ascendant in Aquarius! No wonder I seem unfeminine. Lol! I live through my mind and value wisdom. I love this site and everyone that posts such great articles. :>
Just wrote about my Pallas Athena in Scorpio in a related posting. Wanted to add that I don’t like getting my hair done. Have been coloring my hair myself since I was fourteen. My mom, whose Venus in Leo opposes my Venus in Aquarius, has appointed herself guardian of my hair. Her gifts to me are usually beauty related…gift certificates to the hair salon and Ulta. When I was four I immersed myself in a mud puddle. My mother was livid. She was always putting me in beauty pageants, making me sleep with wire rollers all over my head. I like to glam it up…I have lipstick every color of the rainbow and I prefer dresses to pants…but I’m masculine minded. My best friends have invariably been men. I don’t do well at baby showers. I’m Amy Schumer in “Trainwreck.”
Pallas in Taurus 1st House conjunct Lilith and South Node.
During my teenage years I rejected my feminity very much. I don’t know why, I’ve always been attracted to men, but when I stopped getting my period because of stress and dieting I felt… good. I was mentally ill and now I’m at much better terms with my femininity. But there’s always going to be something there… The feminine traits I’m embracing are mostly external, I won’t change my mannerisms or personality if I’m told they’re too masculine. Maybe wear prettier clothes, yes.
Trine my ascendant and Inconjunct mars. I don’t do the damsel in distress thing very well but I think I possess a strong femininity. I do have balls but I don’t put them on display very often. I mostly wear dresses, florals but also large metal jewelry.
I think gender is mostly fluid. I don’t really understand our societies gender roles. They seem silly and shallow to me. I play along but it’s with some irreverence and kind of tongue in cheek.
Pallas Athena is in my 5th house of children… and no joke, here… believe me… it’s never been a joke… I ended up with four daughters(adults, now); The oldest decided she is non-binary… takes testosterone, even. Second oldest wears clothes only from male section of store, although she goes by, “she”… (she looks incredibly androgynous), the third is bisexual, and my youngest child is asexual androgynous. I don’t understand how I produced this when I was the dainty little ballerina who played with dolls forever, and dreamed of being a mommy my whole life. None of my girls would ever play dolls as children… always wanting the stereotypical “boy toys”.. they watch all the action movies, and look more like their dad than myself. In their dreams,(every night) they are always fighting some war or are warriors, samurai and so on… I have never once had a dream where I was a warrior or fighter. I also have Uranus in my 5th house. The oldest is Aquarius with almost all planets under Aquarius, the next two have Uranus at Ascendant. And the youngest, Uranus at Midheaven. It’s been mind-boggling….