Midas is asteroid #1981 and also known as 1973 EA. Midas was discovered by Charles Thomas Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory. Midas belongs to the type V and the group Apollo.

Midas is named after the half-mythological king Midas (Μίδας). He decided once that he wanted to become as wise as Silēnós (Σιληνός), who was the foster-father and teacher of the half-god Dionysos (Διόνυσος). Midas decided that he would have achieved this as soon as he managed to capture Silēnós (Σιληνός). Midas managed this. Dionysos missed his foster-father after a while and searched him. Dionysos found his foster-father to be a captive of Midas, so Dionysos asked Midas to release Silēnós. Midas made a deal with Dionysos, who had to fulfill a wish in return. Midas knew that Dionysos has divine power. Midas wished that everything, what he touches, turns into gold. Dionysos granted this wish. Midas could from then on turn everything into gold. Even food and water. Midas had no way to pause this. So he was parched soon and suffered from thirst. Midas understood that he would die this way. Everybody knew that divine power isn’t a Hollywood-style fake and illusion, but real power. So nobody expected that such a curse could be taken back. To lift a real curse is much more difficult. So Midas asked Dionysos for an advice. Dionysos had foreseen that Midas would understand that he had Dionysos for a curse and hence left a way out. Dionysos told Midas to bath in the river Paktolos (Πακτωλός), which is nowadays the river Sart Çayı in Turkey. Paktolos is a river god, son of Tethys (Τηθύς) and Okeanos (Ὀκεανός), and able to transfer the curse to himself. Midas bathed in Paktolos, got rid of the curse, and the river brought gold dust downstream since then. Downstream lived Croesus, who thus became a very rich king. A historical king by the way.

According to the Magi Astrology Society or Magi School of Astrology, Midas shows a kind of magical power, which enables people with a prominent Midas in the natal chart, to become rich. For other astrologers is Midas simply representing greed and this is so obvious from Midas’ tale that Midas as the representative of greed needs no further explanation. I neither have such a magical power nor do I think that I’m greedy. So I shouldn’t have a prominent natal Midas. Is a trine with Jupiter a prominent position? I must unfortunately say that I count a trine with Jupiter definitely as a prominent position and this is what my natal chart shows. So my natal Midas is in a prominent position, but I’m definitely not rich. So the Magi Astrology Society must be wrong here. Am I greedy? I still don’t think so. I’d rather say that I’m as generous as my situation allows. Maybe the harmonious aspect is to blame for this and a hard aspect would show greed instead? Maybe a prominent Midas simply shows a tendency to crazy decisions.