WHY ANDROMEDA?

Andromeda (known to cosmologists as "M31") is a spiral galaxy embedded in the Andromeda constellation.  It's the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way and lies some 2.5 million light years from earth.  On a clear Autumn night you can just see it with the naked eye as a fuzzy patch of light.   The Andromeda galaxy measures 220,000 light years across, and contains a trillion stars.

Out in deep space, vast, silent and mysterious, Andromeda is symbolic of the human urge for knowledge, growth and fulfilment.  It speaks of adventure, expansiveness and infinite potential.  It invites us to explore hitherto unknown or neglected aspects of ourselves, to shine a light in the shadows and push back boundaries. 

In short, to reach for the stars...

In Greco-Roman mythology, Andromeda is the beautiful maiden sacrificed by her father Cepheus to pacify Poseidon, the god of the sea.  Chained to a rock and at the mercy of a sea monster, Andromeda is rescued at the last moment by the hero Perseus, whom she later marries, and with whom she founds the great Mycenaean dynasty.  After her death Andromeda is honoured by being placed in the sky as the constellation which bears her name.

The myth of Andromeda is a metaphor for the safekeeping of psyche - the soul.  A rescue of essential inner qualities in the face of outward pressure and hostility.  Calling upon the inner hero figure to overcome adversity and to move towards integration, creativity and growth.