A Traditional View on Corresponding Deities and Astrological Signs: Find the Greek or Egyptian Deity Associated with Important Natal Signs

 

An ancient text suggests a relationship between ancient Hellenistic deities and astrology signs. In an article for Cosmos and Culture, Aurelio Perez Jimenez discusses Hephaistio’s Apotelesmatica and a section of the text that focuses on the consecration of statues. Hephaistio tells about astrological configurations for priests creating or consecrating statues of divinities.¹ Amongst the recommendations, Hephaistio equates deities with astrological signs. The article also references Cosmas of Jerusalem’s writing on the decans and corresponding deities. Jimenez believes that Hephaistio’s correspondences reflect actual religious and astrological practice, while Cosmas’s list has been shown by Cumont and Gundel to be more philosophically based.² “The association of gods and goddesses with different zodiacal signs are shown to be not random, but rather the result of a long tradition based on the relationship between the zodiacal signs and their respective planetary gods.”³ The Hephaistio text, it should be noted, focuses on the Moon in the signs of the zodiac. The list of correspondences is included below, in Table 1. Though the texts are largely focused on consecration, anyone who is interested in traditional astrology, astrological magic, and ancient Greek and Egyptian religion can also pay attention to the deity and sign correspondences. 

Each sign and god or goddess correspondence hints at an inborn relationship for a native with key astrological planets and points in a sign. A person with their Ascendant, Sun, Moon, Pre-natal Lunation, or Lot of Fortune in a sign may have an inborn or natural connection to the divinity. They may align with the deity and the archetypal principles associated with the deity. They may be gifted or skilled at connecting to the deity or its mysteries, in rituals or other forms. Any person with knowledge of their natal chart with an interest in ancient Greek religion can investigate their connection to the deities that correspond to planets or points in their charts. 

Table 1:

Hephaistio, III 7.16-18

Astrological Sign	Greek or Egyptian Deity
Aries
Taurus	Mother of the Gods, Demeter, Kore, Pluto, Osiris, Sarapis, Eros, the Graces
Gemini	Heracles
Cancer	Nike, Tyche
Leo	Mother of the Gods, Sarapis, Herakles
Virgo	Demeter, Kore, Pluto, Nike, Dionsysus

Astrological Sign	Greek or Egyptian Deity
Libra	Eros, the Graces, Nemesis
Scorpio	Tyche
Sagittarius	Sarapis, Asclepius, Hygeia
Capricorn	Mother of the Gods, Dionsysus, Nemesis, Tyche
Aquarius	Osiris, Nemesis
Pisces	Osiris, Asclepius, Hygeia, Eros, the Graces, Tyche

 

The concept can be demonstrated. I’ll explain its application with an example. First, I will choose a random date for a fictional individual. I have selected the random time, date, and location of 3 PM on April 1, 2000 at Los Angeles, California, in the United States. The fictional native, titled “Anonymous” in the natal chart, has Leo on the ascendant, the Sun in Aries, the Moon in Pisces, the Lot of Fortune in Cancer and the Pre-natal Lunation in Libra. The native could have a special connection or relationship with the following deities: the Mother of the Gods, Sarapis, and Herakles for the Ascendant in Leo; Nike and Tyche for the Lot of Fortune in Cancer; Osiris, Asclepius, Hygeia, Eros, the Graces, and Tyche for the Moon in Pisces; and Eros, the Graces, and Nemesis for the Pre-Natal Lunation in Libra. If the native was into Ancient Greek religion or astrological magic, he or she could investigate his or her relationship with the gods, goddesses, daimones, and abstract concepts. Some ways of investigating the relationship with the gods would include performing rituals, doing prayers, learning about the characteristics and worship of the deities, reflecting on them in daily life, or reading mythology about them. 

 

 

Special thanks to Ryhan Butler of Medieval Astrology Guide for sharing the Hephastio article this post is based on with his followers. 

 

 

Notes

1. Aurelio Perez Jimenez, “Hephaestio and the Consecration of Statues”, Culture and Cosmos, Vol. 11 no 1 and 2, Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2007, 111.
2. Jimenez, “Hephaestio and the Consecration of Statues”, 114.
3. Jimenez, “Hephaestio and the Consecration of Statues”, 111.

 

Bibliography

1. Aurelio Perez Jimenez, “Hephaestio and the Consecration of Statues”, Culture and Cosmos, Vol. 11 no 1 and 2, Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2007, 111-134.
2. Hephaistio, III 7.16-18

 

Photo Credits

1. An Egyptian pillar under the skies of ancient Alexandria, Egypt. Photo by Midjourney. Prompt: the astrology symbol for Mercury over ancient Alexandria. Username: @david.k9
2. Clockwise, from left to right: Temple of Isis by Bernard Gagnon Public Domain, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Isis,_Delos_02.jpg>; Osiris votive statue in bronze and gold, Penn Museum by Mary Harrsch CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Votive_statue_of_the_god_Osiris_in_bronze_and_gold_700-80_BCE_(Saite_to_Ptolemaic_Periods)_Penn_Museum.jpg>; Herakles and the Hesperides by Mary Harrsch CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herakles_with_the_Apples_of_the_Hesperides_Roman_1st_century_CE_from_a_temple_at_Byblos_Lebanon_MH_01.jpg>, Serapis by Rama CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serapis-AO_1027-IMG_4686-gradient.jpg>
3. Statue of Isis or Persephone at Heraklion Archaeologial Museum CC0 <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isis_Persephone_archmus_Heraklion.jpg>
4. Natal chart from Astro Gold software.