Introduction:
The Asteroid Goddesses
The Discovery of the Asteroids
The asteroids are small planet-like bodies that orbit the Sun in a belt that lies mostly between Mars and Jupiter. They first dawned on human consciousness in the early 1800s. The first four asteroids to be sighted were given the names of four of the great goddesses of classical antiquity: Ceres (discovered in 1801), Pallas Athene (discovered in 1802), Juno (discovered in 1804) and Vesta (discovered in 1807).
Many more asteroids were soon discovered, so that by the end of the 19th century, over a thousand were known. The first asteroid ephemeris (a table listing planetary positions) was made available to astrologers in 1973 by Eleanor Bach, and it covered only the original four. Today astrologers have computer software that tracks the placements of over five thousand.
What the Asteroids Mean for the World
Astrologers have often observed the tendency for the sighting and naming of new bodies in the solar system to come at the same time in history as the activation of new centers of consciousness in the collective human psyche. Overall, the rapid discovery of so many new celestial bodies in such a short time mirrors the modern acceleration of human brain potential, and the recent exponential growth of information that has yielded so many thousands of new facts.
As to uncovering a more particular meaning for the asteroids, the names that become attached to newly discovered bodies always seem to be significant. Though many asteroids were given the names of gods, people, places, concepts and things, over three-quarters of the first thousand to be discovered were named after goddesses from various mythological traditions.
The naming of so many asteroids after female deities paralleled an awakening of a feminine-defined principle in women, men and society. Around 1973, when the first astrological asteroid ephemeris was published and astrologers began extensive consideration of asteroids, the women's movement emerged, and new aspects of feminine expression began to awaken in human consciousness. Women became imbued with the seed possibilities of feminine creativity and intelligence that expanded and transcended the traditional roles of wife and mother. This period also marked the rediscovery of women's ancient history, the growth of women's culture in creative and professional areas, and the rebirth of the Goddess in women's spirituality. The lives of men and that of society in general have also been affected by the activation and growing influence of a right-brain, feminine-polarity, holistic way of perceiving the world.
In the symbolic language of astrology, the goddess asteroids provided new archetypes that specifically addressed the current psychological and social issues that arose from this activation of the feminine principle. Only two of the usual planets, the Moon and Venus, represent feminine archetypes, and these are of the mother and the wife. Until the asteroids, astrology had to fit all other women's experiences into masculine- defined archetypes. What was needed was a set of symbols by which to describe the other avenues of feminine expression that exist today. During the years since 1972 when astrologers have observed the significance of asteroids in birth charts, they have uncovered a wealth of information that adds insight and understanding above and beyond that gained from the usual ten planets.
Astrology's Use of Asteroids
Clearly, it is impossible to include all the thousands of asteroids in a birth chart and then make sense of them. To select asteroids to look at, some astrologers note only the asteroids that are very closely conjunct important points in the chart such as the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Midheaven or a particular planet that is being considered. Alternatively, they look for asteroid names that suggest people, places or themes in a person's life, and then see where these asteroids fall in the chart. Using these approaches, astrologers such as Zipporah Dobyns, Jacob Schwartz, J. Lee Lehman, Nona Gwyn Press and Batya Stark, Demetra George, have come up with an amazing number of startling (and often amusing) synchronicities. Playing the asteroid name game is great fun, and it gives yet another comforting manifestation of the interconnectedness of all things.
Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta
Among the thousands of asteroids known, Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta have a special place. While these are not necessarily the largest asteroids, they were the first to be discovered, and as such they have imprinted themselves on human consciousness in a major way.
They also complete the female pantheon of goddesses, rounding out the system of symbols begun in the usual ten planets. Of the six great goddesses of Olympus, only Aphrodite (Venus) and Artemis (the Moon) are represented in the conventional astrological symbol system. The other four great goddesses of Graeco-Roman mythology, Demeter (Ceres), Athene (Pallas), Hera (Juno) and Hestia (Vesta), were missing from astrology until they were re-invoked by their discovery in the early 1800s.
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Part One:
Ceres, the Mother
Appropriately, the first asteroid to be discovered was named after the Olympian goddess who most exemplifies the mother - the first human being with whom most of us have contact, the first relationship that we encounter in life. Ceres, the Mother, deals with all sorts of mother-child issues. Of the four stages in a person's life, she signifies the Child.
The glyph or written symbol for Ceres takes the form of a scythe. Besides signifying the goddess of agriculture, this tool for harvesting suggests both the roundness of a breast and the themes of separation and death that run through the legend of Ceres. As the mother, she brings us into life, and, like the Christian Mary who grieves over her crucified Son, she also lets us go into death, thus starting another cycle. For this reason she is associated with the IC of the horoscope, the very bottom of the day cycle, where, in the system of astrological houses, life begins and ends.
The Myth of Ceres
Known to the Greeks as Demeter, Ceres was the goddess of agriculture who worked unceasingly to bring food and nourishment to the people of the earth. One of the great classical myths tells of her daughter Persephone's ravishment and abduction by Pluto, lord of the underworld. Grieving, Ceres wandered over the earth in search of her missing child. In her grief, depression and anger, she caused a famine, withholding production of all food until her daughter was returned.
Persephone meanwhile had eaten pomegranate seeds, a symbol of sexual awareness, thus giving Pluto a claim over her so that she could not be returned permanently to her mother. A compromise was reached whereby Persephone would spend part of each year in the underworld with Pluto caring for the souls of the dead, but each spring would be reunited with her mother in the upper world as she initiated the dead into the rites of rebirth. For over two thousand years, this drama was celebrated regularly in ancient Greece as the initiation rites of the Eleusinian mysteries.
Ceres Within Us
Ceres represents the part of our nature that longs to give birth and then to nourish and sustain the new life. She represents the essential bonding or lack thereof that occurs between mother and child. She is the impulse not just to nurture, but also to be nurtured by others through the giving and receiving of acceptance and unconditional love.
The story of Ceres and Persephone speaks to the complex mother-child relationship, emphasizing the interplay of closeness and separation, of nurturing and eventual letting-go as the child becomes an adult able to function on her or his own. Once the letting-go is accomplished, the child is free to reestablish the bond in a different key by becoming a friend to the parent and by producing grandchildren.
The Ceres myth also contains the themes of major physical or emotional loss, separation, abandonment, rejection, and estrangement that occur between parents and children, and later in life with other loved ones. One example of this is the anguish we face in cases of divorce or adoption when we need to share our children with their other parent. Ceres symbolizes attachment to whatever we have given birth to or created, and also the agony of losing it. If her myth is one of loss, however, it is also one of return, of death but also rebirth. Reminding us that loss makes way for new birth, Ceres can teach us the lesson of letting go.
A central part of Ceres bonding is the giving of food as an expression of love. In our early experiences as children, this food and love may be freely given. In other instances, however, it is conditionally awarded, withheld as a form of punishment, pushed upon us, or simply neglected. Then the self-love and self-worth of the child are undermined and underdeveloped, causing a host of psychological problems.
The mythological Ceres withheld food in the midst of her grief and depression. Correspondingly, one typical kind of Ceres wound is an obsessive relationship with food, including the whole range of eating disorders and food-related illnesses. Related to this, there can also be problems with a poor body image.
In her grief, Ceres became immobilized. Thus another Ceres problem manifests as being plunged into depths of depression or despair, making us incapable of daily functioning, work, and all other forms of productivity. To the extent that depression is associated with incomplete mourning, working through the stages of grief (shock, anger, bargaining, depression, and ultimately acceptance) can help to promote healing in times of loss.
An additional theme comes from Ceres's daughter Persephone being raped by Pluto, her mother's brother. This points to fears that parents may have in protecting their children from similar harm. Certain Ceres placements in the chart may also point to one's having oneself experienced incest or other sexual abuse as a child.
In a desire to keep their children safe, parents with strong Ceres placements can become overly controlling and restrictive. In order to establish their own identity, their children may then struggle against the parental attachment. This, in turn, can bring up the Ceres theme of loss of the child.
On a transpersonal level, Ceres as the Mother of the World moves us to care about the homeless and hungry, and also about the destruction of the earth's resources. She urges us to take compassionate action to provide for fundamental human needs, and to care for the body of the earth which supports and sustains us.
Ceres not only gave birth to the living, but in her aspect as Persephone she received the souls of the dead back into her womb to prepare them for rebirth. Thus Ceres can also express as a vocation for either midwifery or hospice work, facilitating the transition from death to life and back again on either the physical or the psychological level.
Ceres embodies the great truth of transformation, that from death comes new life. This comes not just from the Persephone part of her story, but also from the nature of food, which always requires the taking of plant or animal life in order to sustain our own lives.
Ceres also teaches the wisdom that over-attachment and possessiveness can eventually bring loss, whereas sharing and letting go lead ultimately to reunion.
Ceres in Your Chart
Ceres's Zodiacal Sign
The zodiacal sign of Ceres shows the particular quality of nurturing that you experienced as a child. This sets the stage for how you presently nurture the child within yourself, and ultimately determines how you nurture others. The sign position of Ceres can alert you to possible problems with nurturing, and can direct you to the kinds of experience that you need to feel unconditionally loved and accepted.
These indications may be reinforced or contradicted by other factors in the chart such as aspects and (if you have given an accurate birth time) houses. Therefore, to get a rounded picture, be sure to read through the whole section on each asteroid.
Ceres in Capricorn
When you were born, Ceres was traveling through the sign Capricorn. As a child, you identified being nurtured with having structure and security. Having your parents teach you how to be responsible, organize your time, and carry out plans that would lead to the accomplishment of specific goals were the things that made you feel safe and loved.
If these needs were not met in an optimal manner, you may have felt that limitations were placed on the love you received. Nurturing may have been conditionally given, being based on how you performed or what you accomplished. Hence, you may have reacted (and may still be reacting) to this conditional love by feeling that you are undeserving of unconditional acceptance and unlovable unless you achieve. You may have compensated in later life by using outer achievements to impress others and gain their recognition.
As an adult, you still desire to have a need for structure and security met by whomever you turn to for nurturing - whether it be a parent, partner or other loved one. You can nurture yourself and the child within you by not only giving yourself orderly surroundings, but also by learning to love yourself despite your imperfections. Then you can feel nurtured by your tangible accomplishments, but still base your self- love on who you are and not what you do. When you nurture children or other loved ones, you do this most naturally by teaching them to be responsible for themselves, and by giving them practical tools that they can use to succeed in the outer world. Insofar as you can learn to love yourself, you will be able to give them all the love they need.
The House that Ceres Occupies
Assuming that the birth time that you have given is accurate within an hour or so, the houses of the horoscope give more particular information about the way the asteroids and planets operate in your chart.
Besides the Fourth House, which shows your earliest upbringing, the house that Ceres falls into shows where or in what department of life you may most directly feel the need for mothering and nurturing. The house that Ceres is in also suggests the areas in which you are likely to feel your profoundest losses. In addition, it can give a key as to what kinds of experiences will either foster feelings of self-love, or feelings of self-criticism and rejection.
Ceres in the Third House
With Ceres moving through the Third House at the hour of your birth, you tend to nurture loved ones by exposing them to mental stimulation and a variety of ideas. This can be accomplished through teaching, writing, speaking or other forms of communication. For yourself, you may find that writing or keeping a journal nourishes you on a deep level.
It's possible that at least some of your earlier nurturing was done by a sister, brother or neighbor, or that you took on the role of parenting your siblings. In both earlier and later life, it is important for you to feel emotionally connected to your friends, siblings and associates. You may accomplish this through creating networks that link all of you together. You may also participate in organizational activities that bring people together in your neighborhood or community.
You may have felt an especially keen sense of loss when leaving your brothers and sisters, changing schools, moving away from your neighborhood or otherwise leaving familiar faces and surroundings. When faced with such separations, it helps to remember that in the myth of Ceres, loss is part of a cycle of loss and then return. Sometimes, the same person or place is later returned to you; but if this doesn't happen, once you have gracefully let go, something comparable takes its place. In this way your life is renewed and refreshed.
The Aspects that Ceres Makes
The aspects that Ceres makes with other planets and asteroids show how her nurturing energies interact with the concerns of the other gods and goddesses in your chart. If her aspects reinforce the themes suggested by her sign and house, these themes are bound to be obvious in your life. If the aspects in some way contradict the themes of the sign and house, they may give rise to interesting tensions that take some creativity and practice to resolve. If an asteroid makes an aspect with the Sun or Moon, her importance for you is greatly magnified.
Ceres square Saturn. Moderate influence.
Ceres's capacity to nurture and protect combines with Saturn's urge to create structure, limit and form.
When it works optimally, this aspect shows that your primary caregivers provided a stable, orderly and structured environment for you. They strove to impart the virtues of discipline and self-responsibility, so that as an adult you are responsible, loyal and dedicated to members of your own family. Your nurturing relationships will then be characterized by respect, depth and enduring bonds.
On the other hand, since Saturn rules the concept of limits and scarcity, you may have experienced a lack of love and validation from your primary caregivers. Excessive punishment, rigidity or harsh discipline may have been administered. In your home setting you may have felt restricted and confined. Your caregivers may have been absent, or cold, or have demanded certain behaviors or expected you to live up to high standards in exchange for their approval. The result is that you may still feel that in order to be loved you have to perform.
Whatever the details, you did not feel unconditionally loved. Because you didn't get what you needed, it may be difficult for you to offer and express emotional support to your own loved ones. To break the pattern of feeling deprived and resentful, you may have to let go of blaming your parents and learn to give yourself the love you that were previously denied.
In other cases, your parents may have been overly responsible, doing everything for you and not allowing you to discover your own strength. In this case, as an adult the most nurturing thing you can do for yourself is to learn to be strong your own. This means developing self-discipline and independence.
Another scenario is that you may have had to take on the responsibility of parenting your siblings, or even your parents in some cases, if they were physically or emotionally debilitated. In your current role as provider, also, you may feel overly obligated and constrained by the responsibilities of caring for your children or elderly parents. Although taking responsibility can be a source of satisfaction and self- development and a way to express love, it should not be allowed to fill up your whole field of view. You may have to discipline your self to take time off to give yourself the nurture and pleasure that you need.
Ceres semisquare Neptune. Slight influence.
Ceres's capacity to nurture and protect combines with Neptune's urge to transcend the finite self and merge with a greater whole.
A combination of Ceres and Neptune like this can indicate a sensitizing of the nurturing impulse to create a depth of compassion and empathy for all beings.
The unconditional love you experience through your connection to Spirit inspires you to give selflessly to others. You may be involved in work to alleviate suffering in the world. Your psychic sensitivity to the emotions of others fits you well to serve as a healer and helper, or to nourish others through artistic creations.
Your primary caregivers may have been spiritual, artistic, psychic or involved in healing pursuits, and this may reflect in your own style of caregiving later in life. Alternatively, one or both of your parents may have had emotional problems, played the role of martyr, been involved in substance abuse, or had difficulty in coping with the material world. To the extent that you took on the pain of your parents, you may be struggling with the same issues yourself.
You may have been raised in an environment where the chaos of the family system made it difficult to distinguish between fantasy and reality. You may have idealized one or both parents and may therefore have unrealistic expectations of the type of nurturing that you can receive from others. When your needs are not met, you may feel disillusioned and let down. Your resulting emotional neediness may predispose you to seek nurturing by playing the victim. Or, unable to bear your emotional pain and isolation, you may seek refuge in some form of escapism such as drugs, alcohol or overeating.
To resolve such Ceres-Neptune challenges, you ultimately need to find your nourishment through Spirit, through experiencing the oneness that connects all beings. You can fulfill your innate longing for wholeness by ministering to the wounds of others, but you must guard against indiscriminately trying to rescue people in the hopes of fixing or rehabilitating them. Truly to help others, you must first find nourishment for yourself by contacting the Spirit within.
