Inspiration Around The Zodiac – Invoking Your Muse

Star Pearls of Joy and Inspiration

Astrology and The Muses

By Dikki-Jo Mullen

Inspiration, that precious pearl of energy which brings zest and meaning to drab and dreary everyday life situations, is ruled by the planet Neptune. Neptune is the cosmic link in your birth chart which will guide you in connecting with your own muse. Mostly we are all trying to discover beauty and comfort in a mysterious universe that seems terrible and wonderful all at once. Here are some astrological suggestions for unlocking  the secret to finding the brightest and the best! Check the Muse for your Sun sign, the familiar birth sign we all know. Then, if you know where Neptune is in your birth chart, consult that muse as well. Really wonderful spiritual energies can go to work in your life when you reach out to your muse.

Connecting with your own horoscope’s personal Muse is comforting and easy. Light a white candle and reflect upon the Muse who blesses your birth sign. Don’t be surprised if a dream or sudden idea changes your life for the better.

Here is a poem brought in by my own Muse to say as you light the candle, if desired …

“Mister Astrologer, make me a dream, drape it to cover up things as they seem. Weave me a trappin’ web airy n’ light to capture forever my share of delight. Focus your magical lens on the beam, that binds me to destiny’s intrepid scene. Locate a dream boat equipped with a sail that’s sturdy n’ staunch in the face of life’s gale. Then pass me the compass unerringly right that points my direction my aim n’ my flight. Away from the view of things as they seem. So dear Astrologer make me a dream!”

In classical traditions beauty and creativity, the catalysts of inspiration, were always personified as a Muse. These lovely, graceful beings are reminiscent of the symbol for Virgo, a kind and heavenly young lady. A Muse comes in with the brightest and the best. Its interesting to reflect that Virgo is the sign opposing Pisces on the astrological wheel. The Virgin holds a sheaf of grains, an emblem for nurturing foods, suggesting growth, fruitfulness and the harvest of worthwhile efforts. The grain relates to the perfection of being. The Native Americans saw The Virgin (Muse) as The Corn Maiden. In Rome she became the Vestal Virgin (not celibate, but a woman who did not lose her identity after marriage). It is in Greece (a Virgo nation), that she is identified as a Muse.

Originally there were three Muses, eventually nine emerged. In numerology three is often called the perfect number, the trinity, sides of the pyramid being reflected. Nine is completion, the final single digit suggests a pinnacle.

The word Muse suggests music and also amusement. By connecting with your own Muse, you can expect to be both amused and amazed. Seeking your Muse can lead you to your own music, your song of inspiration.

Aries

Erato is your Muse. She was usually invoked at the spring Equinox. Her names suggests erotic and she relates to Mars, the planet of intensity and warmth. Erato carries a lyre, a stringed instrument with a dynamic sound. Her energy level is high, she encourages action.

Taurus

Euterpe is your Muse. She is identified with Venus, your ruling planet. Appearing with a flute, Euterpe invented poetry as well as music. Her name means charming.

Gemini

Clio is the Muse linked to you. She appears with a scroll and clock. Her name means to celebrate fame. This historian and teacher-scribe relates to the highest expression of Mercury, your ruler.

Cancer

Thalia is your Muse. She is protective and carries a shepherd’s crook and a comedy/tragedy mask. The mask with two faces shows your fluctuating moods, reflecting the lunar phases and the Moon, your ruler. Thalia’s name means to flourish, she relates to growth, rainfall and the seasonal cycles of planting.

Leo

Your Muse is Calliope. Her name means beautiful voice. The popular circus instrument, the calliope, was named for her in modern times. Calliope is an actress, she wears a laurel leaf wreath suggesting the noble Lions dignity and honor. She recites the deeds and epics of heroes in a high singsong voice. Some say she is the most highly ranked in the arts and sciences of the Muses, so she will help you be first in all you attempt.

Virgo

Clio is your Muse, shared with Gemini, your fellow Mercury ruled sign. A teacher and speaker, Clio is often seen with a chest of manuscripts, books and a trumpet, to make announcements. Scholarship and the dissemination of information are under her care. Today she might bring along a word processor and smart phone.

Libra

Along with your fellow Venus ruled sign of Taurus, Euterpe is your Muse. A poet who composes lyrics for beautiful songs, she also invokes fresh air and beautiful fragrances. She makes the environment more lovely and appealing. Today she can be linked to cosmetics, fashions and decorating.

Scorpio

Your share Erato with Aries, as your co-ruler is Mars. Linked to deepest passions and strong opinions, Erato helps you to focus your drive in the most positive direction. Communicating what true love is, and the recognition of what is most worthy will be a part of the inspiration she brings.

Sagittarius

The Muse Polyhymnia brings you inspiration. Her name means many hymns and she is identified with Jupiter, your ruler. She holds a finger to her lips in a shush gesture. This accents the importance of spirituality and contemplative meditation. The arts of illustration through mime and a veil, separating this world from the next, are her symbols. Her hymns celebrate extraordinary deeds, she honors class distinction and sophistication.

Capricorn

Melpomene is your Muse. Her name means simply to sing and she chants solemn tales of final reckoning, honoring Saturn, your ruler. Appreciating the gothic and the gathering of the night is her message. Melpomene brings weapons and helps with the passage to other worlds and other dimensions. She appears surrounded by beautiful, wild forests and thick vines.

Aquarius

Urania, whose name translates heavenly and suggests Uranus (your ruler) is your Muse. Astrology, astronomy, science and humanitarian values come with her. She carries a globe, emblem of the holistic tie between all of humanity and a compass, a tool for measurement and construction. Urania is a skilled diplomat.

Pisces

Terpsichore is your Muse. Her name means rejoice in the dance. Pisces is always linked with the feet and is the birth sign of the most gifted of dancers. Terpsichore often plays a tambourine or cymbals while swaying gracefully and hypnotizing all who gaze upon her. Terpsichore is the mother of the Sirens, mysterious mermaid- like women who emerge from the waters, Neptune’s lair.

Oh Oh! The Muse speaks again, offering you another poem to invoke your own source of deeper muse, your inspiration … Chanting … consider the Muses’ messages for your Moon and Rising Signs for a deeper cosmic experience ……

“Poseidon, Lord of his lair, twitched his shoulders, flung back his hair. The frigate entangled in waves of Neptune, immobile it staunched For dark depth doom,

but a comb o’ sea plead brushed that head like fire melting anger freezing ire. The frigate it quivered wept soon, not knowing the inconstancy of any Neptune!”

P.S. Oh My, My own muse, Thalia, has just spoken. She related this childhood memory. 

                              The Medicine Woman – Herb Magic

This is a true story as told by my family             

It is the vernal equinox, the official end of the winter, March 20, 2013. While doing some spring cleaning, I looked in an old file cabinet and found a faded newspaper clipping of one of my early writings. It was from a readers’ forum of letters and originally was published over 30 years ago. Hopefully you will enjoy it, as a reflection about early spring and gratitude for the universal gift of new life.

“It was the winter of 1919 in Northern Wisconsin. The terrible flu epidemic was at its peak. My mother, Elayne, was just a month old. She lay dying, next to my 23 year old Grandmother Esther, who was also very ill. It seemed that they were about to follow so many who had perished. The family lived in an apartment above their business, Neumeier‘s General Store. Downstairs the clerks carried on business as usual. No one was surprised when three Menominee Indians walked in. Gresham, Wisconsin was just 8 miles or so from the Reservation and the Native Americans would often appear to make purchases. Joe Neumeier ran one of the few stores who would sell to them. However there was a panic and a clamor when one of the visitors, a tall, elderly Menominee woman, pushed everyone aside and picked up two cans of condensed milk. She walked upstairs directly into the living quarters. She seemed to speak no English and paid no attention when the clerks tried to tell her she was off limits. As if she knew the way, the woman went into the sick room and picked up the ailing baby. With one hand she started to force feed my mother some kind of slimy looking green herb, with the other hand she pushed away anyone who tried to stop her. Mother began coughing up mucus and the Medicine Woman set her down. By that time a clerk who spoke Menominee arrived. Through the interpreter the old woman said that she had walked all day through the snow to save Joe Neumeier’s only child, whom she knew was going to die. She did this because Joe had been good to her relatives. The Medicine Woman also pointed at the canned milk and indicated that Elayne was to drink only that, as the mother’s milk was making her sicker. With that the Medicine Woman turned around abruptly and left, flanked by her two companions. She was never seen before in the town or afterward that anyone could recall. Her cure worked though. By morning the fever had broken. Baby Elayne as well as Esther, her mother, recovered.”

  The family tried for years to find out about the herbs and could not, but they were some kind of powerful expectorant. Because they were always described as ‘slimy’ I think a vegetable or animal oil was mixed with several kinds of herbs. Maybe mint was one, as mint is called the aspirin of the herb world and is used in many folk medicines. Another possibility is that is was cowslip, which is plentiful in the area and a potent expectorant. Wintergreen is another thought, as it has shiny leaves that could have looked slimy, as described by the family.