Much is being said and bandied around about this figure by scholars and non-scholars alike that indeed something must be said that once and for all impresses the right conception about this figure in the minds of mankind. It must be robustly said and categorically declared that Cassandra was the most important figure in the history of Troy and that more attention needs to be focussed on her than has hitherto been the case.

Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam as we all know, and was blessed with the gift of prophecy. The prevailing belief is that she was given this gift by Apollo and that after rejecting his advances was then cursed by this same Apollo such that her prophecies would never be believed by her compatriots.

Before continuing with this article, it must be realised that the events in Troy actually took place and recent archeological excavations of this city testify to this fact. The events were therefore not myths but living history. It is one of the worst tragedies to befall any nation and it actually symbolises what happens when warnings from spiritual heights are ignored. The consequences of this negligence to listen to these warnings through the person of Cassandra were disastrous in the extreme.

Cassandra therefore represented a saving grace for the people of Troy. She represented one who was sent to them as a gift and an opportunity to help them avoid destruction. The gift of prophecy was not given to her for nothing. It was given so that she could warn these people in time to change their ways and avoid complete earthly and spiritual destruction. It is only in this light that one could begin to understand Cassandra and the events of that time.

The people of Troy had reached a critical stage in their level of spiritual development. They had reached a stage where they were ready for further spiritual advancement and knowledge. Cassandra therefore was sent to them from the spiritual heights to be that vessel who could lead them onwards to further knowledge. It was therefore left to them whether they accepted her teachings and her ways or reject it. Accepting Cassandra would have led to peace and happiness but rejecting her would lead to complete destruction, and this is exactly what happened.

If these people had listened to Cassandra, then all the sufferings would have been averted and even Helen of Argos would long ago have been returned to her rightful husband, Menelaus. In spite of her warnings to Paris and others Helen was not returned and disaster followed.

The birth of Cassandra in the land of Troy became a judgement for them. It was either-or for the people. It was either they decided for the Light which Cassandra represented or destruction if she was rejected. What happened in Troy should be a lesson for the whole of mankind and should never be forgotten. The lesson to be learnt is what the consequences can be if we do not listen to spiritual warnings and do not heed the Word of God. It shows that the Justice of God is rather different from what we imagine it to be and that God can be stricter than we can ever imagine.

The beliefs about ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’ having sexual relations with men is all myth and not at all possible. This is probably how the people of that time understood their natural environment and their attempts to explain away what they did not understand. From this lack of understanding also came the myth that Apollo approached Cassandra to marry him and when he was rejected placed a curse on her that her prophecies not be believed. This is rather fantastic and again represents what came out of the thinking of those people thousands of years ago.

In the first place Apollo could grant the gift of prophecy on Cassandra only by acting as the mediator for this gift since all gifts and talents come from God. Secondly, Apollo had no power to interfere with the free will of men to determine what to or not to believe. If he did this, he would be breaking one of the fundamental laws of Creation which stipulates absolute freedom in spiritual decisions for all human beings. Thirdly, Apollo is one of the deathless elemental beings whose sole aim in their existence is to uphold the Will of God and this arbitrary action can never be ascribed to him. He is utterly incapable of disobeying the Laws of God.

Cassandra was misunderstood because she stood well above the people in her spiritual being and nature in spite of the fact that she worked among them, healed and helped many of them. We also must never underestimate the effect of the darkness in all of this. The darkness is always lurking and always trying the prevent the establishment of Light of earth. It knew what Cassandra represented and did its utmost to thwart her efforts, finding willing instruments everywhere among the people to hurt and harm her, making her earthly life very difficult indeed, often becoming nightmarish.

It is also often said that Cassandra was mistress to Agamemnon. Nothing could be further from the truth! While it is true that she was forced to go with Agamemnon after Troy was sacked, she certainly never became his mistress. They had mutual respect for each other and that was all. She even warned him about the treachery of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus and that they were planning to kill him. Many poets who came after the events in Troy while attempting to make the stories more interesting, or for commercial purposes distorted the nature of this figure, bringing her down into the dust, thereby attempting to eliminate the magnetic lustre of this character. This must never be. Cassandra must be restored in the minds of men to the lofty heights she rightfully belongs.

Let us learn the spiritual lessons of the past and even of the present. Let us try and see spiritual lessons for ourselves in all our daily experiences, then the effects of the Divine Judgement which have already overtaken us might be a little bit less painful.