ATHENA
Jane Roco Evans
Athena, as Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy, gives the ability for clear thinking, intelligence, foresight and planning. Athena is known largely for Her earthly wisdom.
Her bird is the owl—it marks Her particular brand of wisdom, which is practical and down to earth. It is the wisdom of the Marketplace, the strategy of the dealer and negotiator. The owl also reflects Athena's clarity of vision, for it can see and hunt its prey in the dark.
Athena, as a female Goddess, shows us that the ability to think logically, the ability to develop strategy, and the ability to perceive obstacles as challenges to overcome are feminine qualities which can be developed.
Athena is the coolest head in battle, able to keep calm in the midst of a heated emotional situation. She bases Her judgment not on personal feelings but an objective assessment. Athena counsels restraint. She is present when we choose tact and diplomacy over simply saying whatever comes to mind.
As a battle Goddess, Athena is armored; thus, She can be too chilly for the warmth that personal relationships require. She can be an aloof, untouchable perfectionist. She may not know the true pleasure of intimacy and bonding, because Her standards for others are too high. She only wants heroes, and She can turn callous and unfeeling when a person is not winning.
Athena was not a victim in Her mythology; thus, She was invulnerable to suffering. Because She did not suffer herself, She did not develop compassion for others. Also, to be armored is to be immune from pain. Being out of touch with Her own pain keeps Her out of touch with the suffering of others.
In order to grow, Athena must learn to take off Her armor. She must learn to trust, to allow herself to become vulnerable. She must allow herself to cry when She hurts, allow a friend to comfort Her. As She acknowledges Her own pain, She develops compassion for others.
Historically, Athena's role has been that of defender of the Patriarchy. In the myth of the House of Atreus, Athena cast the deciding vote for the Patriarchy. According to the story, Orestes was the son of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra, together with her lover, murdered Agamemnon. Greek law stated that a son must avenge the death of his father by killing the culprit. This left Orestes in anguish, for in order to fulfill the law, he must kill his mother. Orestes did murder his mother and went to trial.
Twelve human jurors sat in judgment, together with the goddess Athena. Apollo acted as defense lawyer for Orestes. He argued that the father was the most important parent, the mother simply being the carrier of the seed that the father had provided. (It was not known at the time that each parent contributes an equal number of genes to the child.) Apollo cited as proof Athena, who had not even required a mother's womb to be born, but had sprung from the head of Zeus! (In actuality, Zeus had swallowed Metis, Athena's mother. He feared that She would have a child who would usurp Him.)
Athena cast the deciding vote in favor of Orestes. Orestes was acquitted, matricide was thenceforth not considered a crime, and fathers could sell their daughters into slavery. The story of Orestes was thereafter enacted as a play, performed throughout the countryside of Greece, as a ploy to impress upon the people's minds the new patriarchal stance.
We continue to live in a patriarchy. Our Sky God culture devalues nature, women, bodies, feelings and instincts. On July 3rd, 1989, the United States Supreme Court decided, in Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services, that the Constitution does not protect women. The Court said that the legislatures of each state may now control women's lives. In particular, this law places restrictions and limitations on the Abortion issue—e.g., in Missouri, the State Legislature now has the right to decide whether a minor needs the consent of a parent to get an abortion.
Here in California, Operation Rescue has sprung up. This group wants to rescue women from having abortions, by parading in front of clinics carrying blown up pictures of mutilated fetuses.
Athena has a history of supporting the Status Quo by being politically conservative. On this particular issue, however, Athena's stance is shifting. Now, 69% of Republican women are pro-choice. In San Diego, a new organization, Republicans for Choice, has formed.
Clearly, Athena's role as defender of the patriarchy is changing. Athena is developing a new type of wisdom, a wisdom that comes from remembering Her mother Metis and what She stood for: feminine wisdom and values. | 
