Rhamnousia Inn
CHAPTER 143
Rhamnousia Inn
The story for the new moon time:
Sep 2 – Sep 16
MOON DETAILS
New Moon
11°04′ Virgo
Sep 2, 2024
9:55 PM EST
REFLECTION DATES
No need to think back.
You will simply feel it; you will simply know it
— in your body.
9 MINUTE READ
You stand at the mouth of Main Street.
It passes through the heart of Hemlock Grove like the life line running down the center of your palm. You can still feel it, pulsing and tingling, from the ancient glove covered in glyphs. It’s become one with your hand, and now there is no distinction between it and your skin.
Still, you can feel the eyes of passersby, looking you up and down, trying not to stare.
In the woods, you hadn’t once thought about how you looked — unshowered, a black crow perched on your shoulder, hair a wild tangle of knots. But now, here, surrounded by all these people…
You pat your head and feel the crunch of matted locks. You look warily at the bird you call Andra. She cocks her head and smiles through black eyes, but you don’t smile back. You shoo her away and off she flies, landing on the cornice of the tallest building in town; its name is carved in pale limestone: The Rhamnousia Inn.
You roll your shoulders back and do your best impression of someone who doesn’t give a fuck as you walk down the red-brick sidewalk. Gas-lit flames burn in black lamps as you pass a bustling restaurant. Its patio filled with diners laughing, sipping wine, and twirling pasta under the starlit sky. Thankfully, they’re too consumed with what’s in front of them to notice you.
Three doors down, you stop under a black and white awning. It’s sloped at the top with scalloped edges, protecting the entrance to the inn.
You scrape your boots on the mat, hoping to leave any trace of the woods’ red dirt behind, but you can’t hide it completely. There are red streaks on your pants from where you fell and later, where you brushed the dirt off your hands. Plus, your hair is coated in the stuff.
A bell chimes as you open the door and step inside a small foyer. Two leather armchairs face a dark walnut check-in counter where foil-wrapped chocolates lie at the base of a golden statue. You walk towards it and look closely at the winged woman holding something in her hands. You are trying to determine what exactly it is when a man pops up from behind the desk, Welcome! I see you’re admiring Nemesis.
Nemesis? Your voice cracks. You haven’t spoken to another person in weeks.
The goddess of fortune.
You stand up straight, I thought nemesis meant enemy.
Ah! Only recently. The man walks from behind the counter and points toward the black and white photos hanging on the wall. One shows the building back when the awning was just black. A horse and buggy is parked out front, decades before the street was paved in asphalt. That was taken in 1820, the man said, seemingly undisturbed by your appearance or your smell. The Dawn of the Asphalt Age wouldn’t arrive for another fifty years. And over here —
He draws your attention to a smaller photo that seems to have been taken in the very woods from which you came. In the picture, a group of people — men and women — are standing in a circle around a fire. Their hands are raised in the air, flames rising with them, and a small gold plaque at the bottom of the frame reads: Feast of Rhamnousia, 1833.
Rhamnousia is another name for Nemesis, the man explained. People used to worship her.
He went on to describe her sanctuary in the Greek city of Rhamnous, how Nemesis technically means “to give what is due,” and while the goddess’ name is now associated with the nasty things she gave to those who very likely deserved it, people have mostly forgotten that she also gave many gifts. She is a goddess of fortune — good and bad — thus why the Romans put her face on their coins, he said, flipping an ancient coin in the air before quickly tucking it in his pocket.
You turn back towards the statue, What is she holding?
Ah! The adamantine bridles! He walks giddily towards the winged, golden woman and points to the bridle, explaining how through the distribution of fortune, Nemesis reigns in the worst of us.
Or so it’s believed, you qualify his statement, and he simply smiles, a twinkle in his eye as he returns to the service-side of the counter.
So what brings you here today? I assume it wasn’t for the history lesson.
I’d like a room, but — you reach into your pockets and just as expected, come up empty.
The man smiles again, Not to worry. Fortune is on your side! He reaches for one of the golden keys hiding inside a drawer and slides it across the counter. Room 306. It’s all yours.
But I —
You wouldn’t want to offend the goddess by denying what she’s chosen to give, would you?
Never.
You play along and accept the key, turn on your heel and begin your ascent up the marble staircase.
As you climb, you consider the idea that there is some divine being doling out rewards and punishments like Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. Coal for the naughty; delights for the nice. You think of all the good, kind people who are suffering, and all the nasty people who are rolling in luxury. Then your mind wanders to notions of karma and past lives and ancestral trauma, and the possibility that the goddess is working according to a sense of retribution that is far larger and more complex than any of us could begin to comprehend, and you hear a voice inside your mind. It whispers the reminder, Despite appearances, nasty people are always suffering most, for they cannot feel the love of the world inside their chests.
You shake off the mysterious voice and decide that for now, you won’t try to answer the question of whether you deserve it or not. You’ll simply accept this gift.
You reach the third floor and follow the railing. It curves down a hallway of doors. Each a different color.
You pass blue, black, red, and green before arriving at a yellow door. Door 306.
You turn the key and open the door and see long velvet curtains falling across a window. A cotton canopy hangs between four wooden bedposts. Each is carved to create the impression of a blooming vine climbing towards the ceiling, and the lamp on the desk is shaded by Tiffany glass — a garden of ladybugs and leaves.
You remove your shoes and notice the red dirt that’s accumulated inside like sand from the beach. You peel off your socks, tuck the red-stained cloth inside your boots, and wiggle your toes. They feel free.
You open a closet — empty save for a metal safe, a plush white robe, and a row of gold hangers. You hang your coat as far from the clean robe as possible and make your way to the bathroom.
The marble tile covering the floors and walls shines even with the light off. When you switch it on, the whole room seems to radiate — bathing you in a soft white glow. But of course, the light alone is not enough.
You turn on the shower and let the water run cold then hot. You let it rinse away every speck of dirt from your body as suds bubble on the bar of soap in your hand. You massage shampoo into your scalp, stripping your hair of every particle it doesn’t naturally possess, and you stand under the soothing beat of water falling on your skin. Sighs roll off your body as you relax, turn off the water, and wrap a warm clean towel around your shoulders.
When you’re finished drying, you snuggle into the robe from the closet. You’re about to crawl into the bounty of blankets covering the bed when you hear a tap at the window. At first you ignore it. You keep walking, but then, you hear it again. Tap, tap, tap.
You pull open the curtains to see Andra sitting on the windowsill, tapping her beak against the glass. You slide open the window and the moment the crack is wide enough, she swoops into the room and hops around the various objects — the chairs, the table, the desk — before landing on the nightstand.
Did you think you’d gotten rid of me? She asked silently. Her voice crackling in your mind like a thought that is clearly not your own.
You smile and scratch her feathered cheek before pulling down the covers. Your body delights in the sensation of cool sheets and a soft mattress. You can’t remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep. A really good night’s sleep.
And tonight, as the moon turns new, this is yet another gift that you are given.
You lie, swaddled in plenty. Relishing in the gifts given by the earth and all her creatures — divine and/or otherwise.
Andra turns off the light, and your eyes shut. You sink into the world of dreams — as clean as the day you were born.
As wild as your weeks-long walk in the woods.
As wholly at home as humanly possible, held in the hands of the angels who walk the earth.
They whisper in your ear: Your harvest is here.
☆
To be continued…
Star Summary
This Virgo new moon marks the start of Harvest Season. It takes us through September 16, leading to a Harvest Full Moon Eclipse on September 17.
The asteroids Nemesis, Gaea, and Angel are conjunct the moon, and you are held, protected, given what you deserve. Whatever that means.
This is not the fulfillment of a fleeting desire.
This is laying a foundation stone for the building of something permanent.
What’s given now — you get to keep.
Whatever fears you may have about what others think are washed away in the cleansing light of being accepted in your wildest form.
Wild as in pure, untamed.
You are fresh, clean, delivered to the world as you truly are. The blessing is so great, you might need a nice long nap before the full moon rises!
See it in the stars:
Moon, Sun, Gaea, Angel, and Nemesis conjunct in Virgo (Vesta nearby): A glorious reboot that’s fully aligned with the power of the earth. Gifts arrive as if Heaven-sent. Fortunes are bestowed.
Venus, South Node, Lilith, and Juno conjunct in Libra: You are one with your wildest self. What was rejected in the past is now embraced. Energy flows freely from your past self to your present, guiding you into a more balanced future.
Fun Fact: Room 306 was simply the number I heard while seeing the story in my mind and typing. Curious, I then looked to see what asteroid is numbered 306. It’s the asteroid Unitas, Latin for “United.” In my chart, it’s smack dab on my rising. Where is it for you? Need help with this? Check out the new Astro Guide.
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