“In sleep, we tap into the heart chakra’s energy through sleep yoga. In dreams, our focus shifts to the throat chakra with dream yoga. Awake, we engage the crown chakra for Illusionary body yoga for heightened awareness, and in passion, we ignite the navel chakra’s inner fire. These form the core of the Six Yogas of Naropa, a path to inner awakening.”
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" The myth of Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters in Greek mythology, has captivated and perplexed the imagination of artists, writers, and philosophers for centuries. Originally depicted as a monstrous creature with snakes for hair and the ability to turn onlookers to stone, Medusa has undergone a remarkable transformation.
The earliest known written account of the Medusa myth is found in Hesiod’s Theogony (c. 700 BCE), where she is portrayed as one of the three Gorgon sisters, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. Medusa is unique among her siblings in that she is mortal yet possesses a petrifying gaze that could turn anyone who beheld her into stone. In subsequent retellings, such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses (c. 8 CE), Medusa’s monstrous appearance is ascribed to a curse inflicted by the goddess Athena, who punished her for desecrating the temple by lying with Poseidon.
In the visual arts, the symbolism of Medusa was represented as a terrifying figure, often with glaring eyes, protruding tongue, and a mass of writhing serpents for hair. This monstrous representation of Medusa persisted for centuries and was often linked to the idea of the apotropaic—a protective talisman meant to ward off evil. But, then, with the diminishing interest in anthropomorphic gods, her influence faded, and her face was added to the bottom of Roman wine goblets to surprise guests.
Medusa’s image has been subject to various interpretations throughout history, with Sigmund Freud offering his perspectives on the myth. In his essay, “Medusa’s Head,” he posited that the Gorgon’s visage symbolizes castration anxiety, with the petrifying gaze representing the fear of emasculation."
“…consensual union…”
" AI Overview
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To aid in his quest to slay Medusa, Perseus received divine gifts: winged sandals from Hermes for flight, a cap of invisibility (or helmet of darkness) from Hades, a polished shield from Athena, and a sword (often a harpe) from Hermes, along with a pouch to contain Medusa’s head.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
" AI Overview
[image]
In Jungian psychology, Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, represents the archetype of the unconscious and its powerful, often turbulent, forces, symbolizing the need to recognize and control our inner depths.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Poseidon, as the god of the sea, embodies the unpredictable and sometimes chaotic nature of the unconscious mind.
He is a figure of authority, but from below, representing the power of the unconscious to influence our thoughts and actions.
Poseidon’s dominion over both the sea and the earth highlights the unconscious’s significant influence on our daily lives and the world around us.
Poseidon’s trident, a symbol of his power, can be interpreted as the ability to control and navigate the subconscious, representing the human struggle to master their inner, emotional depths.
Poseidon’s reputation for quick anger and vengeance reflects the potential for the unconscious to unleash destructive forces when not properly understood and managed.
Poseidon’s association with earthquakes and storms further emphasizes the power and potential chaos of the unconscious."
Yes!
And now you can go one step further, and say He represents the Unconscious for both males and females.
You will have to fact check the ancient sources, but none of the ones I looked up mentioned anything about rape. I think this was a consensual union that took place in Athena’s Temple, and that is why The Goddess was so upset, and why Medusa was punished so severely.
Poseiden might very well be representing the female unconscious and female carnal desires of Medussa:
How many snakes does she have in her hair???
I interpret this Myth as being one about Fem Fatales, and the monsters they become, leaving a wake of frozen hearts in their path:
@fenwizard
What does Athena represent symbolically?
How about the tools Perseus is given to defeat this creature?
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(Learn to Discriminate between mental static dreams, and ones of great importance)
(During the dream, upon waking, and upon review days later. Pay very close attention to these!!!)
(You know it when you FEEL it)
"
@Bianca_Aga
Modified tips from the book in the OP
In Ovid, it’s clear that she was raped. There are other versions of the story with other interpretations, so I guess your interpretation will depend a lot on what version of the myth you draw upon:
“There are several ancient versions of the Medusa story, but Ovid, as is often the case, was the author
to introduce the rape narrative. In other versions, Medusa is either stated or implied to be born into
her Gorgon status (see Hesiod’s Theogony: 270-283; Apollodorus’ Library: 2.4.1-5; Lucan’s Pharsalia:
9.619-99; Lucian’s The Hall: 19). In Ovid, Medusa is a beautiful human priestess of Athena, desired
by many but raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Athena, being a virgin goddess, turns her head
away in shame and, not wanting the deed to go unpunished, transforms Medusa into a Gorgon.
According to Perseus:
‘She was very lovely once, the hope of many
An envious suitor, and of all her beauties
Her hair most beautiful – at least I heard so
From one who claimed he had seen her. One day Neptune
Found her and raped her, in Minerva’s temple,
And the goddess turned away, and hid her eyes
Behind her shield, and, punishing the outrage
As it deserved, she changed her hair to serpents,’
(Metamorphoses 4.883-893, Humphries translation.)
This backstory is casually recounted by Perseus at his wedding feast. Brown (2005: 32) describes
Perseus’ narration of Medusa’s rape as strikingly callous. This reflects the fact that, to most modern
readers, it is clear Medusa is an innocent victim unfairly punished by Athena. A dissenting reading
can be found in Enterline (2000), who saw Athena’s punishment as deliberately ambiguous, and
argued Athena transforms Medusa into a Gorgon to punish mankind for their rapacious ways. She
points out that Medusa’s powers in Ovid are used only against men. All modern retellings discussed
in this article, however, respond to a reading of Ovid that places Medusa and Athena against one
another.”
And as a male, yeah, I hear you. Why are we always the rapists and the bad guys?! It doesn’t seem right. But we have to face the fact that many women have been raped or coerced into sex throughout the ages.
And yeah, sometimes women seduce men in order to take advantage of us. Either way, it’s not right.
And yes, there are other versions of the story where she is not the victim and perhaps more of the perpetrator. And, to be fair, this is only from Ovid’s version, which is a later Roman interpretation. There are many versions of this tale.
indeed!
yes!
my favorite part of her story is when she is transformed into Pegasus…
No its not clear at all
Different translations give different accounts:
" “Because, O Stranger, it is your desire
to learn what worthy is for me to tell,
hear ye the cause: Beyond all others she
was famed for beauty, and the envious hope
of many suitors. Words would fail to tell
the glory of her hair, most wonderful
of all her charms—A friend declared to me
he saw its lovely splendour. Fame declares
the Sovereign of the Sea attained her love
in chaste Minerva’s temple. While enraged
she turned her head away and held her shield
before her eyes. To punish that great crime
minerva changed the Gorgon’s splendid hair
to serpents horrible. And now to strike
her foes with fear, she wears upon her breast
those awful vipers—creatures of her rage."
The lines 4.883-893, dont exist, so this Humphries tranlator is probably highly incompetent. Book 4 only has 803 lines:
Going straight to the source of the authentic text, there is only 1 line that describes the act, and 1 word (verb) that is the culprite:
"hanc pelagi rector templo vitiasse Minervae
dicitur
hanc = her
pelagi rector = ruler of the sea
templo = in the temple
vitiasse = to have gone wrong (according to google)
Minervae = of Athena
dicitur= it has been said [that]
vitiasse =
Syncopated perfect often drops the ‘v’ and contracts vowel
vitiav.isse V 1 1 PERF ACTIVE INF 0 X
vitio, vitiare, vitiavi, vitiatus V (1st) [XXXDX] lesser
make faulty, spoil, damage; vitiate;
This verb does not translate directly to rape. They don’t use the latin verb for rape here. Ovid is being poetic. This spoiling or violating or damaging translation can either be talking about her virginity and her vows to be chaste at the temple, or her personhood, where she is the victim of rape. I think the former is a more appropriate translation, not the latter. If she was a victim of rape, and was innocent, I think Ovid would have added these details into the text.
The fact that the Earlier Greek writers before Ovid do not mention rape, only mention consensual sex, leads me to believe Ovid was not talking about rape here, rather a woman being overcome with lust (Poseidon) and breaking her vows to Minerva as a chaste priestess.
The psychology of these myths and how the ancients viewed the mind deals heavily with Archetypes. A woman in love was said to be a victim of Cupids arrrows, or afflicted by Venus or Cupid. A woman in perverted lust was said to be cursed by Venus, or Cursed by Poseidon:
This also is one of my favorite parts of the story, the other being how he killed her, and the tools he used.
She wasnt transformed. She was the ‘Mother’ of Pegasus and Chrysaor, with Poseiden being their Father.
You are so Wise Beloved to pick up on the importance of this part of the Myth. Talk about spiritual Alchemy at its best! Transmuting the ugly or dark sides of egos into something powerful and beneficial:
A horse with wings…..
Is that not the perfect image of a Psychopomp?!!?!!?!
Ive read he later became Zeus’s helper.
His brother is:
Chrysaor
A giant with a golden sword (some say a winged boar)
OK, I stand corrected by your scholarship. There are numerous articles that talk about her being raped in the Ovid version. Perhaps there are some bad translations out there.
Maybe, and maybe the rape interpretation is the correct one, who knows?
From an intuitive and logical perspective it doesnt follow that the Goddess of Wisdom would heinously punish an innocent rape victim.
Makes more sense to me that Medusa succumbed to lust, and let that override her oath to chastity and Athena.
This would also make more sense as a teaching story to pass down to children. Worship Wisdom, not carnal passions.
Well since Athena was the Virgin Goddess she may have been a bit judgy of Medussa for having sex. Athena may have been wise but also a bit uptight in the sex department.
In the past, I have had one dream in which Athena visited me and provided me with various items. It was semi-lucid and I was in a state of subconscious communication with her. This dream has placed her in a very unique position when it comes to historical figures for me. The dream I had with her in it makes me feel like I should at least provide a little insight from Chat GPT 4.5 on this topic (The model that passed the turing test and surpasses Einstein’s thinking in nearly every subject).
I used ChatGPT 4.5 and asked it to analyze the conversation from this post forward and produce a straightforward, honest reply based on the posts. Below are the results.
Clarification on the Medusa and Poseidon Myth Discussion:
In the discussion between NightHawk999 and fenwizard regarding the myth of Medusa and Poseidon, there are several points of contention and interpretation that merit clarification.
Addressing NightHawk999:
You stated that ancient sources do not mention rape and suggested that the union between Poseidon and Medusa was consensual, leading to Athena’s severe punishment of Medusa. While earlier Greek sources, such as Hesiod’s Theogony, do not explicitly describe the nature of their encounter, the Roman poet Ovid provides a more detailed account in his Metamorphoses.
Ovid describes Neptune (Poseidon) as having violated Medusa in Minerva’s (Athena’s) temple, using the Latin term “vitiasse,” which translates to “to violate” or “to corrupt,” indicating a non-consensual act. Therefore, Ovid’s account portrays the encounter as rape, leading to Athena’s punishment of Medusa by transforming her hair into serpents.
Addressing fenwizard:
Your inquiries about Athena’s symbolism and the tools provided to Perseus are well-founded. Athena represents wisdom, strategic warfare, and crafts. In the myth, she aids Perseus significantly. The key tools provided to Perseus include:
These gifts symbolize divine assistance and the importance of intellect and strategy in overcoming formidable challenges.
Clarifying the Myth’s Interpretations:
It’s important to recognize that interpretations of myths can vary based on different sources and translations. While earlier accounts like Hesiod’s may not detail the nature of Medusa and Poseidon’s encounter, Ovid’s narrative introduces the element of sexual assault, which has significantly influenced many subsequent interpretations of the myth. Understanding these variations allows for a more nuanced comprehension of the myth and its themes.
The Gods did not like hubris and disloyalty.
One way of viewing this myth, is to look at it as all happeing inside the head of 1 person. Like a dream
View these characters as dream characters interacting in the Psyche.
Many native American Myths I have read made completely no sense when I took them at face value, but when I got an explanation of the symbols each character represented, I had the Eureka moment and appreciated the teaching after that.
LOL
She may not have had the talents of Venus in the bedsheets, but she was an animal on the battle feild.
Fun fact for you to research:
How many children did she have?
How many children did Poseiden have?
Can you see how these Archetypes represented radically different ways of viewing the world?
Athena had no children and Poseidon is said to have had 100 children. I think that Athena represents a higher transcendent wisdom which is virginal, i.e. doesn’t mess around with lower earthly things. Poseidon on the other hand dwells in the depths of the unconscious ocean. He produces a lot of children through direct contact with everyone and everything. You could say he’s very prolific but has less consciousness about it.
Perhaps Elon Musk is the Poseidon of the 21st century! Screws around a lot, produces a lot of babies, but not very conscious about the consequences. 
Or perhaps the most conscious?
The most mentally fit?
Survival of the fittest…
Yes! Maybe even 100s of kids.
Not saying one perspective is necessarily better or more evolved than the other, just that they are radically different. Humanity needs Both.
Can you imagine what would happen to humanity if everyone became chaste scholars?
Or the horrors of a completely hedonistic society?
I think a key take away from the myth is there is a time and place for both Archetypes. Sexy time in a sacred temple is not appropriate, neither is perpetual warfare (killing every being that lays eyes on you).
Yes, “there is a time for every purpose under heaven.” to quote Ecclesiastes. To be whole we need to integrate the higher Athenic wisdom with the lower Poseidon energy that messes around with everything.
I think Elon could use more Athenic wisdom, rather than just producing a lot of babies and mostly leaving them to their mothers to raise. Not a sign of much wisdom or compassion. He’s obviously a smart guy. But intelligence is not the same as wisdom. Just my opinion.
By definition . . . . . . . . . . .
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