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Homers Odyssey Through the Zodiac

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_____________________
1
, Robert Fagles,
Penguin Books, 1996.
2
The Nakshatras Dennis Harness, Lotus Press, 1999.

Homers Odyssey Through the Zodiac

Jonathan Pearl
Tell me, muse, was the poet of the greatest homecoming tale ever told inspired by the
skies?
First the essentials: after a ten-year siege of Troy, all the Greek warriors still alive had
returned home except one Odysseus. Goddess Athena reminds Zeus that Odysseus is
miserably trapped on Calypsos isle, stalled on his journey due to the anger of Poseidon.
Zeus agrees its time for Odysseus to see his wife and the land he loves. Hermes dashes
off with the plans, and Athena in disguise visits not the great warrior but his young son
Telemachus at home in Ithaca.
Prince Telemachus is the first to see the stranger and invites him in. They chat unhappy
Telemachus grumbles about the many suitors who are pursuing his mother Penelope and
eating up his estate in the process. He longs for his father whom he has never seen.
Athena in disguise says shes a close friend of Odysseus and came to Ithaca after hearing
the warrior was finally back home. If not yet, Athena prophecies, then soon it will come to
pass.
In the meantime, Athena urges Telemachus to drive the insolent suitors away. She
inspires him with a plan: order the suitors out and call an assembly of the nobles of the
island. Then seek news of Odysseus on Pylos, a nearby island. If he hears that Odysseus
is alive, then hold out one more year; if he hears news of his father death, hold a funeral
and give Penelope to another husband.
As the stranger suddenly disappears Telemachus is filled with nerve and courage.i A
bard sings a song of Odysseus and sets his mother to crying, but Telemachus tells her to

18
hush. Then he stands up to all the suitors: You must leave my palace! They all bit their
lips, amazed he could speak with so much daring.
Chapter 2 begins at the assembly. Telemachus, looking more splendid that ever thanks to
Athenas shine, proclaims to all the nobles: All these suitors infest our palace day and
night and squander all our livestock! Hold on, one replies. Its not our fault, but your
scheming mother! We all want her, and she promised to marry one of us after completing
a shroud for her father-in-law Laertes. For three years she wove by day and untied by
night. If your mother would marry, the rest of the suitors would disperse. Telemachus
keeps his cool and says he cannot force his mother to marry against her will, then tells the
assembly of his plan to seek news on a nearby island. Afterwards Telemachus gathers
supplies for his trip as Athena arranges for a ship and crew. In this chapter Telemachus is
warmer towards his mother he instructs the maids not to tell Penelope of his plans so
she wont stain her lovely face with tears.
Telemachus and Athena pull up to Pylos at the beginning of Chapter 3. Athena urges
Telemachus to speak up to Nestor, lord of the land. We sailed the seas for this, for news
of your father press him yourself to tell the whole truth. Nestor asks the guests who they
are and Telemachus replies with his story. I am on the trail of my fathers widespread
fame, you see, searching the earth to catch some news. Nestor tells a roundabout story of
the Trojan War and how he made off without knowing what happened to the others. But
wealthy Menelaus, his comrade-in-arms at Troy and neighbor across the island, might
know more. After spending the night, Telemachus sets off with Nestors son to visit
Menelaus.
A young man inspired to brave action in chapter 1; protection of wealth, suitors longing for
a beauty, a woman loyal to her husband all in chapter 2; a journey in search of news and
friends made in chapter 3 perhaps a familiar pattern? I think the zodiac speaks in this
tale. If you arent yet convinced, thats all right; the best is coming up.
At the beginning of chapter 4, Telemachus and his companion find king Menelaus
celebrating a double wedding feast for his son and daughter. When asked by an aide what
to do with the guests, Menelaus is irked by the question. Just think of all the hospitality we
enjoyed Quick, unhitch their team, bring them in. Menelaus gives Telemachus a choice
portion of meat which the king himself was about to eat. Telemachus is dazzled by the
magnificent palace. Menelaus admits he is wealthy, but also sad he longs for his dead

19
brother, for his companions who died at Troy, and for his friend Odysseus most of all. At
this the king starts crying, and Telemachus (before revealing who he is) cries too.
Menelaus wife Helen notices the resemblance between the young prince and Odysseus,
then Telemachus traveling companion speaks up: Right you are here is the son of the
great hero. But the man is modest, he would be ashamed to make a show of himself.
Finding out that the son of Odysseus is now his guest, Menelaus cries again, and Helen,
and Telemachus. After getting it all out, the Cancer king declares: Well so much for the
tears that caught us just now; lets think again of supper. The next day Menelaus tells
Telemachus what he knows of Odysseus in his own tale of his return from Troy, and
Telemachus tells the king the situation on the island. Meanwhile the suitors were plotting
to kill Telemachus on the seas as he returns. His mother Penelope catches news of this
and is so sick with worry she can barely speak. Oh herald, why has my child gone and left
me? Athena comes to her aid and says not to worry.
In chapter 5, we at last meet the hero Odysseus. But not quite yet first Hermes delivers
the message to Calypso that Odysseus has to go. Hermes is amazed by the luxurious
woods, birds, grapes, flowers and herbs of Calypsos domain. Why even a deathless god
who came upon that place would gaze in wonder, heart entranced with pleasure. Not so
for Odysseus though he spends the nights with the goddess Calypso, during the days he
cries on the beach, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish, longing for
the home and wife he loves. When Calypso says that he could try the journey in a raft,
Odysseus suspects a plot. The oceans dangerous enough for deep-sea ships, how am I
to cross in a raft? She assures him of her compassionate heart. Though Calypso knows it
is Zeus command that Odysseus return home, she still inquires of Penelope: Does she
rival me in build, in beauty? Perhaps Calypsos goddess pride was wounded after all the
years of Odysseus pining for his mortal wife. Odysseus spends the next 4 days building a
raft. Calypso provides supplies, then he sets off on his great journey home. After 17 days
at sea, Poseidon still angry because Odysseus had blinded his son wrecks the raft in a
storm. Odysseus drifts at sea for 2 days and 2 nights, again and again facing death, yet on
the morning of the 3rd day he sees land. Thanks to the aid of an ocean goddess and her
gift of a protective scarf, he makes it past the breakers and rocks to shore. Odysseus
covers himself in leaves and goes to sleep.
While Odysseus rests, chapter 6 begins with Athena appearing in disguise in a dream to
the daughter of the king of the land. She inspires her not to sound the alarm, not to go
looking for a handsome old warrior but to do the laundry. Nausicaa, look at your fine

20
clothes, lying here neglected with your marriage not far off, the day you should be
decked in all your glory lets go wash these clothes at the break of day. Ill help you
you wont stay unwed long! When she awakes she talks to her father about going to wash
the clothes, but is too shy to touch on her hopes for marriage, young warm hopes. If
Nausicaa isnt married, as Homer makes abundantly clear (5 times in 5 pages), she is
probably a virgin. Just a hunch.
After washing all the clothes, Nausicaa and her maids play and sing. The noise wakes
Odysseus, who after 20 days at sea and a night covered in leaves, was a terrible sight. He
pleads for help. Nausicaa holds steady and hears him out, and thanks to his wits and
smooth delivery she gives him clothing and food after he cleans up. She then directs him
to the palace of her king father and queen mother, but asks him to wait a while before
following behind, concerned about maintaining her pure reputation.
Perhaps the first three chapters seemed like mere coincidence, but lets review whats
happened in chapters 4, 5 and 6. In the 4th chapter where we are starting to expect Cancer
themes, we meet a wealthy and hospitable king whose sentiment gets everyone crying,
then they find relief in supper and sleep. In the 5th Leo chapter we first get a description of
divine luxury yet also of Odysseus misery, then hear of his courageous crossing of the
ocean in a raft; he nearly dies, but thanks to divine aid makes it to shore. In the 6th Virgo
chapter, a fine young virgin who is yearning for marriage and has a thing for washing
clothes rescues Odysseus. So far the story twists and turns, yet the zodiac is right on
course.
After allowing time for Nausicaa to get home, Odysseus sets off to the palace of the
Phaeacians at the beginning of chapter 7. Athena appears as a young girl to guide the way
and conceals him in mist. She tells him the queen of the land is worshipped by all for her
honor and judgment, and is renowned for settling disputes. She can dissolve quarrels,
even among men, whoever wins her sympathies. Odysseus begs for mercy at the feet of
the queen. The king is the one to respond and promises safe passage home. The queen,
however, spots clothes that she herself made and so investigates Odysseus. He tells his
story: he wound up on Calypsos isle after all his other shipmates perished, languished
there 7 long years, then in the 8th he sailed the ocean on a raft, washed up on the shores
of this land and was discovered by Nausica who provided the clothes. The king inquires:
My daughter did not bring you straight here? Odysseus tactfully replies: It was my idea to
follow behind, since people are prone to talk about a young girl walking with a strange

21
man. Odysseus is actually bending the truth to protect Nausicaa it was her plan for him
to lag behind. In this chapter we read of Odysseus pleading at the feet of the peacemaker
queen and the skillful bending of truth so no one gets hurt all Libra.
After a night of sleep, chapter 8 describes a day of songs and contests. Athena mingles
among the people and rouses their curiosity. Come see the old warrior! At the meeting
grounds there is a fair bards sing, young men sport and all dance and feast. The blind
herald sings a song of Troy, and the warrior who had not yet revealed himself lifts his cape
to hide his tears. Only the king notices as the games begin racing, wrestling, jumping
and discus. A young man taunts Odysseus to join in the contests. No, he replies, Im just
thinking of home. The man mocks him, and at that Odysseus trades insult for insult, then
grabs the largest discus and throws it further than everyone else. Next a dance, and in the
dance a song, and in the song a tale of Ares and Aphrodite - famous lovers, caught in their
adulterous act by crippled Hephaestus. The king asks the nobles of the land to give gifts to
Odysseus as he sets off for home. Before the journey Odysseus relishes a hot bath: What
a welcome sight to Odysseus eyes! The bard signs again, and Odysseus again weeps.
This prompts the king to ask Odysseus of his story, to share his secrets. No less dear
than a brother, the brother-in-arms who shares our inmost thoughts. In the Scorpio
chapter we read of curiosity, emotion, contests, sexual intrigue, sharing secrets, even a
hot bath.
The second sentence of chapter 9 sums up Sagittarius: Theres nothing better than when
deep joy holds sway throughout the realm and banqueters up and down the palace sit in
ranks, enthralled to hear the bard, and before them all, the tables heaped with bread and
meats, and drawing wine from a mixing-bowl the steward makes his rounds and keeps the
wine-cups flowing. This, to my mind, is the best life can offer. Odysseus tells his tale to
the Phaeacians. After getting out of Troy with his shipmates, Odysseus describes the
lotus-eaters with their addictive food, then encountering the Cyclops. Harboring their ships,
they explore the island and make their way to a cave. A giant returns, they ask for help, he
chomps down two of his men for dinner in return. Trapped in the cave, Odysseus gets the
giant drunk and then they put out his eye with a sharpened olive trunk (this was why
Poseidon was so angry at Odysseus). Making their escape hidden under sheep and then
sailing away, Odysseus taunts the monster giant. The shipmates plead please shut up,
we almost died! The Cyclops heaves a rock, just missing the boat. Odysseus still cannot
keep his mouth shut. Seems like a modern day stereotype of Sagittarius. Apparently
Homer thought highly of Virgo, where a beautiful goddess rescues Odysseus; and rather

22
less of Sagittarius, where a monster chomps down men for breakfast and dinner, and
though Odysseus saves the day with his wits he still risks everyones life with his prattle.
In complex chapter 10 Odysseus continues his story. They come to the Aeolian island,
protected by ramparts of bronze and sheer rock cliffs. The king there gives Odysseus a gift
of the winds so they sail off and make good progress for 9 days and nights. The grumbling
men wonder what is in the sack and open it as the captain slept. The winds escape and
they are blown all the way back to where they started. No help this time, says the king, you
are cursed! And so the men row, backbreaking work. They stop at the land of the giants,
men are eaten, they promptly sail away. The next island is the home of Circe who turns
most of the men into pigs a comment on Capricorn? Odysseus gets a special medicine
from Hermes, confronts Circe, she drugs him as she did the men but thanks to the herb
her charms have no effect. She then relents, they get on and she returns the men to
human form. Circe then assigns Odysseus his great task: he must journey to the realm of
the dead to visit the blind prophet Tiresias who will tell Odysseus the way to peace. One
last thing a man who had drunk too much falls off a roof and dies. In the Capricorn
chapter we learn that greed creates more work, sometimes men can seem like pigs,
Odysseus must make an unheard of journey to find his way home, and oh yes, dont drink
so much on New Years that you fall off a roof and die.
Odysseus rather quickly gets to the realm of the dead in Aquarius chapter 11. After
meeting with the prophet and getting information on how to get home and have peace at
last, the rest of the chapter isnt about Odysseus at all. Instead we hear of various women
- first his mother, then others: Tyro who fell in love with the river god, Antiope who spent a
night with Zeus, Alcmena who was the mother of Heracles, Epicaste the mother of
Oedipus, Chloris wife of Neleus, Leda mother of Caster and Polydeuces, Iphimedeia wife
of Aloeus, and more. They break, then the next day we hear tales of men: Agamemnon,
Achilles, Patroclus and more trade stories. We meet the ghosts of Minos and Orion, then
Tityus, Tantalus, Sisyphus, these last three famous images of punishment. Vultures eat
the liver of Tityus; Tantalus who is parched by thirst stands in a pool that evaporates when
he tries to drink, and is tempted by fruits that blow away when he tries to eat; and
Sisyphus pushes a boulder uphill all the way. Seems like Aquarius involves some effort to
say the least, and likely suffering as well, yet it is this chapter in which Odysseus gains
wisdom. We notice history, tales of others, and if we are paying attention we see women
are separate from men. Odysseus makes his way back to the ship and they row off.

23
In chapter 12, still telling his story to the Phaeacians, Odysseus goes back to Circes
island to provide a burial for the poor drunk who fell off the roof. Circe again gives him
guidance of what lies ahead: first he will come to the bewitching Sirens, then he must pass
through the twin sea monsters of Sylla and Charbydis, then they will arrive at the island of
the Sun god where you and your men are not to eat the cattle! The Sirens are the second
addictive experience Odysseus comes across (the first is the lotus eaters in the Sagittarius
chapter). While the ears of the crew are sealed with beeswax, Odysseus listens to their
sweet sound. This is not because hes so great that he withstand the temptation, but
because his friends tie him up and promise to bind him more tightly the more he cries to be
let go. Can we see a model for Alcoholics Anonymous in this Pisces chapter of the
Odyssey? After the Sirens, the next challenge is the twin sea monsters. Some men die,
but Odysseus, his ships and most of the men make it through. The last temptation of not
eating the cattle proves the hardest. Though Odysseus wants to bypass the island entirely,
his men are tired and demand a rest. He relents but makes the men promise not to touch
the cows. They swear an oath, but after a month of no wind, dwindling supplies, and
hungry bellies, they slaughter some for a feast. They dont know they have just doomed
themselves to death. They sail on but Zeus complies with Helios request to take revenge
and sends a lightening bolt to destroy all the ships. Odysseus washes up on Calypsos
island but the rest of the men die, and from there we know the story. So in this Pisces
chapter Odysseus has faced an addictive temptation, journeyed through the midst of two
sea monsters, and experiences ruin because his crew desecrated the sacred.
We have traveled round the zodiac, but there are 12 chapters to go. What happens next?
If we are at Aries again, will Odysseus come out braver than ever, the mightiest warrior of
them all? Not quite. He sleeps on the way home and lets the Phaeacians do all the work
as they see him home to Ithaca. What is going on? What has befuddled our zodiac tale?
Homer gives us a clue at the beginning of the chapter: time and again Odysseus turned
towards the radiant sun, anxious for it to set, yearning now to be gone and home once
more As a man aches for his evening meal when all day long his brace of wine-dark
oxen have dragged the bolted plowshare down a fallow field how welcome the setting
sun to him. It isnt too much a stretch to think that perhaps Homer is telling us to imagine
the Sun setting in signs. Instead of a young man striking out for battle, Odysseus sleeps
his way home. Then Athena disguises him as an old man, the very opposite of the themes
of the first chapter.

24
This structure continues for the rest of the book. In chapter 14 (Taurus setting following
this logic), Odysseus visits the loyal swineherd and hears that his estate has been ruined
by the suitors. In chapter 15 (Gemini setting), Athena calls Telemachus home from his
journey; instead of news, they seek wisdom from omens. In Cancer chapter 16, instead of
weeping over a lost father, Odysseus and Telemachus are re-united. In Leo chapter 17,
Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar. In Virgo chapter 18, mature Penelope inflames
the desires of all the suitors; we also find out the maids of the house are spending nights
with the suitors too. Instead of peace in Libra chapter 19, Odysseus and Telemachus
prepare for battle. In Scorpio chapter 20, again we have sexual intrigue but more
importantly Odysseus is repeatedly attacked instead of protected as he was earlier. In the
revealing Sagittarius chapter 21 we read of the great contest of the old bow - Sagittarius
setting! In the first Capricorn chapter Odysseus saves his men from being pigs; in this one
he slaughters all the suitors. In the first Aquarius chapter we hear of the tales of others; in
the second Odysseus and Penelope share secrets. And instead of losing everything as he
did in chapter 12, in the second Pisces chapter Odysseus gains all peace at last.
Balance is best in all things, Homer reminds us throughout the book. The interesting twist
in chapters 13-24 has meaning. From the beginning of chapter 13 Homer describes
Odysseus differently. Though he has been great in the previous chapters, he also has
been suffering quite a bit. Starting with chapter 13, Odysseus is on home turf and a cool
tactician, the royal son of Laertes, and old campaigner, shrewd a man of intrigue,
and most importantly, King. Perhaps Homer is reminding us that if we are suffering in
Aries because we are talking and acting too much, then it is time to rest. If we are suffering
in Taurus due to material pursuits, then maybe let them go. If the search for facts is
coming up fruitless, turn to omens. And so on.
We now have a valid question: was Homer writing about the signs? Probably not he is
writing about the sky. We can now understand the Odyssey of a poetic tale of a sign rising
in chapters 1 12, and a focus on that same sign setting in chapters 13-24. As profound
as this is, there is much, much more. I have presented just the bare bones of the story
read with the zodiac in mind, line after line will jump out. The structure gets even more
sophisticated if Aries is rising then Libra is setting, Capricorn culminating and Cancer
underneath. A keen eye will spot motifs that repeat as the signs rise, set, culminate and
are not seen.

25
Im also convinced Homer weaves nakshatras into the story. One telling example is in
chapter 12 where we read of the island where the crew is given the command not to eat
the cattle. Since this is the end of the Pisces chapter, if Homer were telling us about
nakshatras this is where wed expect to find the last one, called Revati in Indian astrology.
According to Indian tradition the deity of this nakshatra is Pushan, the lord of the fields
and herds, keeper of sacred cows of the gods.ii While not all line up this precisely, there
are many such similarities.
Homer even weaves in many other astronomical events. Mercury and his retrogrades are
described throughout, particularly when Odysseus tells a tale. His duel with Cyclops (in the
first Sagittarius chapter, so Gemini is setting) can be understood as the fall of Orion, the
constellation that once marked the spring equinox. The story of this constellation is told in
many other myths. And all the numbers have meaning one example is the duration of
homecoming itself. People generally say Odysseus takes 20 years to get home, but this
isnt quite right its 19 years and several months, the declination cycle of the Moon.
Speaking of which could Athena, who appears in various guises throughout, shrouds
people in mist and gives special help in the last 12 Sun-setting chapters, be the Moon?
There is more work to do, but this much we now know: Homer was not only one of the
worlds finest poets, but also one of the greatest astrologers. Only practitioners of the craft
read authors like Ptolemy, Bonatti and Lilly yet among those educated in the West who
has not read Homer? Perhaps the greatest Trojan Horse (described in the earlier Iliad) is
this: Homer has taught everyone about astrology and they didnt even know it. And this in
a story 2700 years old! He had a keen sense of the signs many of the themes and
details still come alive today. The Odyssey is not just a story of the sky or gods, but the
lived experience of the zodiac as we go from suffering to peace.

i
ii

All Odyssey quotes from The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 1996.
The Nakshatras by Dennis Harness, Lotus Press, 1999.