Hygeia: Asteroid of Wellness
At a time when health concerns are at the forefront of the global discussion, it’s only natural to look to the stars for guidance. But because finding evidence of a crisis in the heavens only confirms what we see on the ground in real time, it’s valuable to remember that how we address each day’s events gives us agency. Perhaps you’ve found yourself resorting to weird self-care routines in isolation, or you’ve developed a deeper relationship to rest. We’ve all discovered ways to keep stress and anxiety from taking its toll on the immune system, and chances are, there are some interesting parallels between your wellness practices and the placement of asteroid Hygeia in your natal chart.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Hygeia was a daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine, whose symbol of a single snake entwined around a staff adorns ambulances and is embedded within the logo for the World Health Organization. One of five sisters representing aspects of health and healing, Hygeia’s domain was preventative medicine: how to care for physical and mental bodies to avoid illness, as opposed to curing illness once contracted.
Unsurprisingly, most documented evidence of her cult dates to the years following the Plague of Athens in 430 BC which killed upwards of 80,000 people. Despite a consistent worship for centuries, there are few depictions of what she looks like and statues to her name. Perhaps her most famous representation is within Gustav Klimpt’s painting, Medicine. Commissioned for the University of Vienna, Hygeia stands, dressed prominently in orange and gold, with a snake coiled around her arm.
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