The Virgo Cat

For as along as human beings have been recording their history and it seems the Sumerians have full credit for having created a system of writing and also mapping the heavens with their own special brand of astrology, we humans also seem to have been endlessly fascinated by cats and how we can better understand them. What is it that draws us so magnetically to domesticated cats and kittens? Could it be because they fit in our arms like a baby? Is it that magical purr or the mystery in their incredible all seeing eyes? What ever it is we can trace this fasciation back many 1000’s of years.

It was thought historically that the Egyptians first domesticated cats some 4,000 years ago. However, French archaeologists have found evidence that our close relationship with cats may have begun even earlier.

Carefully interred remains of a human and a cat were found buried with seashells, polished stones, and other decorative artifacts in a 9,500-year-old grave site on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This find, from a Neolithic village, predates the Egyptians by 4,000 years or more. The deliberate interment of this animal with a human makes a strong case that cats had a special place in the daily lives and in the afterlives of residents of the village where the remains were found. This particular cat was only eight months old at the time of its death, suggesting that it may have been killed to be buried with its human.

Wild cats were probably drawn to early human settlements, where grain stores attracted rats and mice. Cats were later used specifically to control these pests. This practice gave wild cats a plentiful supply of fresh food, and so began a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and cats.

Some experts believe that the Egyptians may have tamed and bred felines to produce a distinct species by the twentieth or nineteenth century b.c. Cats are frequently represented in Egyptian mythology in the form of the feline goddesses Bastet, Sekhmet, and other deities.

It is not a huge stretch of the imagination to gaze into our ancient rear view mirror and reflect that down through the ages what the ancients new of astrological archetypes could be used to help them better understand the cats who shared such an important role in their life.

Today, even though there are those that follow the stars closely, we don’t necessarily need to use astrology to chart our daily life or that of our cats, but we may be interested in the twelve sun signs of the modern zodiac and their corresponding personality traits, as they apply to us today, and our interactions with our cats, and the very special relationship we have with them.

Astrology is much more than reading those daily newspaper horoscopes. It can be used as a healing science, especially when we explore homeopathy as a healing modality.

Understanding your cats specific traits is quite necessary to homeopathy and becomes like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to develop its strength. We develop this muscle through observation and by staying in the moment with our cats and truly seeing them rather than just looking at them.

For hundreds of years, we’ve known that the seasons result from changes in the distance and angle of the sun’s rays relative to the Earth, and that the phases of the moon affect the tides, the planting of crops, even the success of the fisherman. It isn’t a big leap to suppose these variables affect all living things, including our cats.

The only way we can assist our cat companions in healing and cleansing their own bodies is to look for clues to appropriate natural remedies or methods of healing. The more aware we become of these feline traits and actions, the better equipped we’ll be as their guardians.