Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Seeking Medusa-Belinda Schneider [36]


©Belinda Schneider_Mirror of the Soul


Once beautiful, Medusa was a priestess in the temple of Athena until her rape there by Poseidon. For this desecration of the temple Athena first changed Medusa’s hair to snakes and, after Medusa was beheaded, placed the head on her shield. Perhaps the virginal goddess of wisdom and justice used the shield to remind herself of her own unjust action regarding Medusa.
I believe that because of what she experienced Medusa’s eyes were opened to reality. As snakes represent rebirth, transformation, immortality, and wisdom, she saw all truths, understood all things and symbolically carried the weight of her knowledge upon her head. It may then be that no one could look into her eyes because the sheer magnitude of all they saw would petrify them. God-like she saw all and knew all, so I have given her an infrared “Eye of God” Helix Nebula with which to gaze on the world.