Hygeia can be an integral part of your health
Even if you’ve never heard of Hygeia, there’s a good chance she’s already touched your life in one way or another. That’s because this asteroid was once known as the goddess of health, and over time she came to personify the spirit of science behind medicine and its practices. Considering how ubiquitous these things are these days, it seems pretty reasonable to assume that most people have encountered her in one form or another.
The Greek goddess Hygeia was the daughter of Asclepius, god of healing
In Greek mythology, Hygeia was the daughter of Asclepius, the god of healing. To learn more about Asclepius and his role in ancient Greece, check out this blog post.
Hygeia is a bit of an anomaly among the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology in that she was not born from Zeus. Instead, she was born to Epione, who was the wife of Asclepius. She had two other siblings: Panacea and Iaso who were also daughters of Asclepius.
Hygeia in Aries
Your Hygiea will be very different depending on your sign placement, but my Hygeia is in Aries. It’s conjunct my South Node and Mercury in Pisces.
What does this mean? Well, I don’t know yet. But what I do know is it means that inner wellness and the way I communicate are all interconnected with health. I also know that my Arian Hygeia has a need for challenge and movement to feel fulfilled, because she lives in a Fire Sign (Aries).
An elemental mismatch that creates a bit of a perfect storm
I had been experiencing an odd feeling of emptiness and detachment while the universe was going about its business. I talked to friends, went to the doctor, even looked up astrology topics on the internet, but nothing seemed to help. It wasn’t until I discovered my elemental mismatch that things really got interesting.
The problem is that I’m a water sign—specifically Cancer—and my sun is in Scorpio. When your sun signs are in conflicting elements, it’s known as an elemental mismatch. The worst combination is being in two opposing elements, which can wreak havoc on your overall mood and feelings about yourself and life in general. Since my sun was in water (the element of emotions) and my moon was also in water (the element of self-care), I became flooded with feelings of sadness and anxiety that were never articulated or rationalized by anyone else except myself. As a result, I became totally disconnected from the rest of society because people’s emotional cues were completely lost on me.
My solution came after months of failed attempts at control. An astrologer who specializes specifically in elemental mismatches told me all about how they’re related to our body chemistry: we’re not doing ourselves any favors if we let them run free like so many out-of-control chemicals running amok through our bloodstreams! Once we learn more about how these chemical reactions work—Mainly their impact on our nervous systems—we can then start working towards remedying them through methods such as exercise, meditation, hypnosis and art therapy; allowing us to be more comfortable when others’ emotions start getting stuck inside us like this!
Stay on track: art therapy and hypnotherapy
And there are also some other options worth considering. Hypnotherapy is one, which can be a good choice if you would like to try something a little different and don’t mind being put under. Exercise and diet go hand in hand together, but there’s more to it than just eating healthy and exercising. The trick is to find activities that keep you from straying from your goals by replacing bad habits with healthier ones. Art therapy is another one of these alternatives, because it’s been shown to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and grief. So there you have it – Hygeia in a nutshell!
How astrology influences your life: Ceres, a maternal asteroid
- Ceres is the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships.
- Ceres is the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, though it is much smaller than any of the planets, measuring just 950 km (590 miles) across.
- Ceres is actually classified as a dwarf planet—the first of its kind to be discovered—and was named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility. My colleague Annie at [Astrology.com](http://www.astrology.com/) has more about this fascinating celestial babe: “In Greek mythology, Demeter (Ceres’ equivalent) had a daughter named Persephone who was abducted by Hades (god of the underworld). The distraught Demeter refused to let anything grow until her daughter was returned to her.”
How astrology can influence your health
Now we are going to discuss Hygeia, an asteroid. For those not familiar with astrology, an asteroid is a small rock that orbits the Sun. There are thousands of asteroids in our solar system and each one is named after a mythological figure. The largest asteroid, Ceres (as in cereal), is about 600 miles across but most asteroids are only a few meters wide.
In Greek mythology, Hygeia was the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation; the daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing. In modern terms Hygeia represents hygiene and hygiene-related activities such as bathing, cleaning, washing dishes etc.; any activity related to keeping your body clean or healthy is under Hygeia’s influence; this includes massages and spa treatments as well. Your health habits—what you eat and drink on a regular basis–are also related to Hygeia: if you have strong aspects from transiting planets to natal Hygeia it could mean that you’re eating or drinking something out of your usual routine or trying some new nutritional program like juicing or detoxing or preparing foods from scratch instead of buying packaged food at the store.