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7. Astrological Heritage

7.3. E305A Astro-Mythology: An Introduction

Instructors: Inga Thornell 
Diploma elective or can be applied to the Alternate Traditions Certificate. 
Prerequisites: none 

This course relates the planets to the Greek and Roman gods. Understanding the gods and their mythology provides helpful background information to astrological chart delineation and synthesis. The Greco-Roman Gods have not been worshipped in any official capacity for over 2000 years, and yet this mythology is also the foundation for much of the allusion, characters, and literary forms in Western literature. 

Topics covered:  

  • Creation myths and their significance 
  • The contrast of Greek and Roman attitudes about the Olympian gods and goddesses 
  • In-depth discussion of Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hermes 
  • Identifying appropriate planetary keywords for the planets  
  • Group work in applying the mythological stories to astrological charts 
We still refer to people as jovial, Junoesque, or to music as martial. What keywords can we discover as we read the god's stories and try to understand them from a more astrological point of view? This five-week course will focus on individual gods, their attributes, spheres of influence, and their interactions with each other and with human beings to develop an understanding of the origins of the astrological keywords and meanings we rely on for interpretation.

Student outcomes 

By the end of this class, students will be able to adopt appropriate and historically realistic keywords for the planets, locate significant themes related to myth in the chart, and realize that myths are personal as well as universal