“the gorgon’s head, a ghastly sight, 

Deformed and dreadful, and a sign of woe.”  - The Iliad 

“Astrologers of course said that it was the most unfortunate, violent, and dangerous star in the heavens.”  - Star Names, Their Lore and Meaning by Richard Hinckley 

“Of the nature of Saturn and Jupiter. It causes misfortune, violence, decapitation, hanging, electrocution and mob violence, and gives a dogged and violent nature that causes death to the native or others. It is the most evil star in the heavens.”  - Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, by Vivian Robson

So… If this was a prominent star I had in my own birth chart, did that mean I was destined to misfortune, violence, decapitation, hanging, or becoming a murderer?

I began researching in earnest to confirm whether this was a certainty. Like you perhaps, I sensed there must be deeper waters beneath these fearful prophecies, hidden pathways through this mysterious terrain. I looked for others who had walked this path before us, those who had a heavy chart influence from the head of the dreaded gorgon.

What I discovered was a map far more nuanced than the ancient warnings suggested - a sacred landscape where intensity became power, where creative force found purpose, where truth-telling became prophecy. The territory of Algol revealed itself not as a curse to be feared, but as a divine inheritance to be understood.

• Aretha Franklin, whose voice became a beacon of truth-telling power

• Einstein, whose revolutionary insights shattered and rebuilt our understanding of reality

• Edgar Cayce, who walked between worlds with prophetic sight

• Van Gogh, who transformed intensity into visions of eternal beauty

• Carl Jung, who mapped the depths of psyche and soul

  Dean Martin, Billy Joel, Oscar Wilde, Liberace, Frida Kahlo, Erik Satie - each finding their unique way to channel this force into creative expression

Were there also tragic lives or bad eggs? Without a doubt:

• Josef Stalin

• Princess Diana

• John Wayne Gacy

• Carrie Fisher

But it seemed by and large that those with Algol influence in their charts were prolifically creative and skilled, ahead of their time and more liberal than most people were comfortable with. The demons they seemed to struggle with the most were those of the creative life–the need for intense catharsis that both births creative output, and is quelled with a creative outlet.

Violence and dishonor were not nearly as common as ancient sources emphasized. Which got me wondering… 

With curiosity and determination, The spirit of Algol threw me down a very deep rabbit hole of research that spanned Gorgons, Apotropaic Iconography, Scythian religion, Egyptian and Canaanite Gods, Amazon Warriors, to try to make sense of the twisted history of the Medusa myth.

Each layer revealed new territory in our map - from the sacred guardian roles of ancient temples to the fierce creative force of warrior priestesses. Like an archaeologist uncovering a lost city, each discovery illuminated another aspect of what it means to carry this star's influence in our charts. The paths began to clear, the landmarks emerged from shadow, and a complete cartography of Algol's power started to take shape.

The deeper I went, the more it was revealed that the Greeks took a pre-existing Goddess (or maybe a few) and turned her into a monster. Paradoxically, this monster (unlike any others in the Greek myths) was even more powerful when she was decapitated. And there was a fundamental purpose and reason that her stare would freeze any who looked into her face. A spiritual one.

Obviously some of this was for colonization purposes… But it seemed more of it was an echo of a past spiritual practice related to divinatory insight, assessing if someone was worthy to enter precious places or have access to powerful people, and ritual death and rebirth in an ecstatic state. 

In my spirit-led research I even developed a theory as to why this star was later construed in Arabic astrology as a blinking demon… Which was certainly connected to the fact that Algol is actually a triple star within a binary-eclipsing system that runs on a 2.8 day cycle (much like the Moon). 

This research culminated into a much more rich and nuanced understanding of this powerful and greatly feared star. Within my own practices the Great Mother Gorgon reclaimed her dimensional self beyond the fearful projections and scapegoating I witnessed in astrological texts.

The map that emerged revealed:

• The sacred cycles of crisis and revelation that mark our path

• The guardian role we're called to embody

• The creative force that demands expression

• The prophetic sight that sees through illusion

• The power of voice that speaks necessary truth

Like ancient mariners learning to read the stars, we too can learn to navigate by Algol's light - not as a warning of doom, but as a beacon illuminating our unique purpose and power.