Astrologer: Roderick Kidston
Cleveland, Ohio
The Iris Asteroids Report Rainbow Messenger of the Gods and Goddesses
Introduction
Ever since the beginning of the 19th Century, astronomers have been aware of the existence of asteroids, but astrologers have only been using them as part of the horoscope since 1973. And even so, only a small number of astrologers actually use the asteroids when reading charts for people. This is in large part because the asteroids (or dwarf planets, as some are recently re-defined astronomically) are not well understood, except for the first four to be discovered: Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta. But now, the Iris Report aims to change all that! Here you will find interpretations for twelve major dwarf planets and asteroids, and their impact in the natal chart. They add balance, detail and depth of meaning to astrological interpretation.
Most of the dwarf planets and asteroids found in the Iris Report are named for classical goddesses rather than gods, and this is partly in order to balance the excess of masculine energy that a purely planetary astrology reveals. Most of you will know that the ten 'planetary' factors used in standard astrological interpretation are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Many astrologers also include the planetoid Chiron to this list of ten, making eleven. But if the Sun and Moon are considered primal masculine and feminine energies respectively, then out of the remaining nine god symbols listed, there is only one goddess, Venus. This hardly represents the yin-yang balance of either physical Nature or what is taught about the spiritual realms.
(The issue of the 'demotion' of Pluto to dwarf planet status does not have any real impact on the philosophical issues being discussed here, or the current 'promotion' of Ceres from asteroid to dwarf planet status, and the possible elevations of Pallas, Vesta and Hygiea. The power of the divine archetypes standing behind astrological symbols is more significant than what is or is not defined astronomically as a planet, dwarf planet or asteroid.)
The other reason for choosing certain asteroids or dwarf planets over others is that several of the early heavenly bodies discovered show a resonance with the way that the culture was evolving at the time, which in turn reflects the ongoing evolution of consciousness in the material realm of the Earth. The dwarf planet and asteroids Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, Astraea, Iris and Hygiea are all especially relevant in this regard.
The other asteroids selected for the Iris report are Diana and Apollo (additional lunar and solar symbols that show the primal life energies working in a larger social context); Proserpina; and symbols of the two great gods not represented by planets in the solar system: Bacchus and Hephaistos. These all together complete a kind of balanced listing of archetypal energies which astrologers can use to make sense of a horoscope.
One of the ways of deciding which asteroids are useful is found by considering the concept of the energy dyad. The Sun-Moon dyad of archetypal masculine and feminine energy is very well known to astrologers, as is the desire and love dyad symbolized by Venus and Mars. But other possibilities are proposed in the table below:
Yang symbol Yin symbol
----------- ----------
SUN: archetypal masculine/yang MOON: archetypal feminine/yin
life energy, spirit life energy, soul
MERCURY: masculine/yang intelligence, IRIS: feminine/yin intelligence,
"left brain", data collecting, "right brain", intuitive
and analytical mind and synthesizing mind
MARS: masculine desire, dynamic VENUS: feminine desire, receptive
activity, outward acting pleasure activity, inward drawn pleasure
JUPITER: Sky Father, male CERES: Earth Mother, female
protector and nurturer, nurturer and protector,
promoter of ethics/abundance promoter of ethics/abundance
SATURN: masculine energy of VESTA: feminine energy of
tradition, structure, and tradition, structure, and
material good order material good order
CHIRON: masculine energy of healing- HYGIEA: feminine energy of healing-
transformation and purification transformation and purification
URANUS: masculine change agent PALLAS: feminine change agent
and consciousness raiser and consciousness raiser
NEPTUNE: masculine passivity and PROSERPINA: feminine passivity and
sublime/altered states sublime/altered states
PLUTO: masculine energy of primal JUNO: feminine energy of primal
power and transformation power and transformation
HEPHAISTOS: masculine principle of ASTRAEA: feminine principle of
work, order, integration and work, order, integration and
disintegration disintegration
APOLLO: additional solar symbol, DIANA: additional lunar symbol,
creative maturity emotional maturity
BACCHUS: masculine symbol BLACK MOON LILITH: feminine symbol
of dark primal passions, of dark primal passions,
escapism and individualism, escapism and individualism,
and inspirational power and inspirational power
With this table you find a balanced grouping of archetypal divine energies which have significant astrological influence. The Iris Report gives you the opportunity, for the first time, to add twelve asteroids to the major factors usually considered in the chart - the Sun and Moon, the planets, Chiron and Lilith - and thereby get a much more complete picture of how the astral energies were constellated at the time of birth for the chart you are reading, whether it is your own or someone else's.
Of course, the balance suggested by these dyads, or pairings, does not mean that the yin and yang symbols are identical - Venus and Mars are hardly the same, after all! But there is a sense in which the two planets or asteroids involved represent divine archetypes whose energies complement each other, and work something like the positive and negative charges of an electrical current. One end of the archetypal 'pole' is outgoing and active, or 'masculine'. The other end of the archetypal pole is incoming and receptive, or 'feminine'.
In each of the twelve mini-chapters that follow, a particular asteroid (or dwarf planet, depending on the new astronomical definitions!) is given the focus of attention and related to all the other major elements of the horoscope, including those two important angles the Ascendant and Midheaven, and also the Nodes of the Moon. They are listed not in any order of importance, but according to the order in which they were discovered, from Ceres first to Hephaistos last.
So - let Iris, the rainbow messenger of the goddesses, add her many colors to your chart and complete the work of Mercury, the messenger of the gods.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For the benefit of astrologers and students of astrology, information used
to produce this report is given below:
Sun 21 Leo 53 Ceres 20 Gem 24
Moon 3 Leo 11 Pallas 20 Ari 29
Mercury 3 Leo 17 Juno 1 Can 02
Venus 29 Can 33 Vesta 29 Leo 27
Mars 23 Can 13 True Lilith 9 Pis 01
Jupiter 22 Can 02 Astraea 4 Vir 32
Saturn 28 Pis 43 Iris 22 Can 01
Uranus 18 Vir 14 Hygiea 12 Lib 00
Neptune 19 Sco 27 Proserpina 0 Cap 23
Pluto 17 Vir 18 Diana 17 Cap 48
True Node 20 Tau 46 Apollo 6 Can 27
Asc. 20 Tau 05 Bacchus 22 Sag 33
MC 29 Cap 02 Hephaistos 27 Tau 07
Chiron 25 Pis 20
Tropical Equal Daylight Savings Time observed
GMT: 03:59:00 Time Zone: 5 hours West
Lat. and Long. of birth: 41 N 29 58 81 W 41 44
Aspects interpreted:
Conjunction: 5 Deg 00 Min Sextile : 3 Deg 00 Min
Opposition : 5 Deg 00 Min SemiSquare : 2 Deg 00 Min
Square : 4 Deg 00 Min Sesequiquadrate: 2 Deg 00 Min
Trine : 4 Deg 00
Chapter 1: Ceres
Ceres, lady of loving-kindness
Ceres symbolizes the fertility and abundance of the corn goddess, an aspect of the great Earth Mother. Ceres was the Roman deity; Demeter the earlier Greek goddess of grain and fertility in the classical tradition. With the new astronomical definitions of the various bodies in the solar system, Ceres the former asteroid is now considered to be a 'dwarf planet'. In astrology, the divine archetype Ceres bestows the blessing of loving-kindness. She distils her energy gently in the horoscope, and does not make a fuss.
Ceres helps you to see the world through kindly eyes, and to enjoy what is natural and simple and good. With her help, you grow in compassion for others, and gain in empathic understanding. She promotes generosity of spirit, and helps you to help other living beings: people, animals, and the natural world. Her position shows something about how you find ways to look after other people, and seek to bring out the best in them. Ceres nurtures and educates, in the best sense of those words. And on a larger worldly scale, she promotes the good of ordinary people, helps humankind to build democracy, and fosters respect and care for the environment as a whole. Her darker side tends to smother love and games involving manipulation or rejection. However, her more noble urge prompts everyone towards leading a good life, which facilitates the correction or elimination of such unattractive qualities.
Ceres in Gemini:
Your urge to look after people takes butterfly wings in airy Gemini, making you a wonderful person to talk to about anything, since you listen avidly and respond generously with a stream of suggestions, from good to bad and everything in between. You have something of the idealist in you, and are open to most new ideas, especially those offering practical help to you and your loved ones. You can become passionate about educational causes and about building community. Ceres bestows a practical cast to your intelligence and helps to ground Gemini flights of fancy in more sensible and achievable terms. You can be a formidable speaker and debater, especially for 'good' causes, and can have a real knack for relating to young people on their own level.
Ceres in 2nd house:
When Ceres is in the domain of values and worldly goods, you direct much energy into providing practical support for yourself and your family. At your best you think abundance, but need to beware of the trap of 'poverty mentality' and not get caught up in the quest for more and more. You can be passively lucky with money sometimes, but will do best when you have a practical strategy for getting on in the world, as Ceres tends to reward practical efforts. When clear about your direction and engaged in your work, you are a very capable provider, generous to all comers, including yourself! But be as careful of prodigality as of withholding, and remember that love matters more than money.
Ceres Sextile Sun, Orb: 1 deg. 29 min.
Your capacity to support and help as many people as possible is a source of strength and personal enrichment. You find it easy to juggle a variety of commitments and tasks, and convey to others an aura of health and vigor. Working with the simple and natural, or to enhance the common good, draws out the best in you and offers rewards on all levels.
Ceres Sextile Pallas, Orb: 0 deg. 04 min.
You have the ability to give care and support by engaging with new and unusual ideas and pushing the boundaries with wider social relationships. There can be a maverick or revolutionary quality to you, and you ardently support intellectual and social freedoms. You love to keep up to date, and will often be ahead of the pack, creating new trends.
Ceres Square Uranus, Orb: 2 deg. 10 min.
You know very well how valuable a little craziness can be: someone's got to stir the pot and make things move. But not everyone appreciates your reforming zeal or full-on individualism, so you need to get smart about when to move and when to retreat. Parental issues can also cloud your judgment, and you may need to work on your mother image.
Ceres Square Pluto, Orb: 3 deg. 06 min.
You tend to be very anxious about themes of life and death, especially whilst young, and can have many worries about the parent-child bond. Any encounters with power abuses leave a strong impact, and galvanize later responses. Beware of becoming what you hate, and use your righteous anger for genuine good, not just for what you think is good.
Ceres Opposition Bacchus, Orb: 2 deg. 09 min.
You have a strong drive to help other people, but this can take on an addictive or compulsive quality if you overdo the generosity, either in fact or by appearance. This can lead people to suspect your motives or accuse you of intrusiveness or manipulation. Be clear about your motives and strategies, both to yourself and others, and all is well.
Chapter 2: Pallas
Pallas, lady of consciousness-raising
Pallas was a title of the great Greek goddess Athena, warrior, strategist and wisdom seeker. Her Roman counterpart was Minerva. The asteroid (perhaps eventually to be classified as dwarf planet) Pallas brings gifts of understanding, insight and skillfulness, and helps you to take things to a higher level than you might have thought possible. The energies of Pallas often seem to appear suddenly in the horoscope, and she can present in a surprising, even shocking, way. These upheavals are necessary sometimes in order to shake you out of your complacency and get you moving.
Pallas helps you to see much more clearly, and although this can involve pain, it is for the best in the long run. Illusions are stripped away and you comprehend at a deep level the lessons brought by this asteroid. You grow in intellectual dexterity and sometimes manual dexterity as well, and learn how to approach issues more strategically. Just as Pallas improves the linkages in your brain, so she also helps you to create better linkages in the world at large. Pallas can prompt you to respond very coldly, too, so you need to be careful of her chilly intellectualism and its snare of retreat into airy, abstract absolutes. But Pallas also promotes equality and cooperation, and helps you to help others in clear-sighted and astute ways. She assists you to act more fairly towards people, and to fight for fairness in turn. Pallas is a true raiser of the level of consciousness, and ultimately she helps you to think and act in much better, more skilful ways than you might ever have imagined possible.
Pallas in Aries:
You have an ardor to understand how the world works, or at least those parts of it that engage your interest. Your curiosity can be aroused quickly, but it can also move quickly to a new focus, so you need to be careful to complete whatever you've started. There is a pioneering quality to your nature which begins with your intellectual openness to new ideas and possibilities. Inventions and gadgets can appeal to you, and you are often ahead of the pack with trends. You can get a bit too full-on with your enthusiasms, though, and need to watch out that your attempts to engage other people aren't interpreted as bullying. You are a zealous champion, especially of ideas, but need to invoke the Pallas gift of strategy in order to stay focused, and to keep mindful of the sensitivities of others.
Pallas in 12th house:
You have a strong underlying idealism and desire to penetrate the mysteries of life, weaving seamlessly the quest for wisdom with the search for spiritual meaning. This is very noble both in theory and practice, but the challenge is to get the theory right in the first place, and to have an effective practice for realizing it. You can get confused and become your own worst enemy if you aren't clear about what you truly think and feel, and what that means for your life path and vision quest. Inner restlessness or anxiety can also bedevil you and undermine your achievements. Develop good stress management techniques, and keep your feet on the ground whilst your head spins in the clouds.
Pallas Trine Sun, Orb: 1 deg. 24 min.
Your drive for mental stimulus and change, and at best your quest for wisdom, are sources of strength and achievement. You can bring a visionary quality into everything you do, and act as a catalyst for change and development, even maybe enlightenment, in the lives of all the people you are able to reach and inspire.
Pallas Trine Bacchus, Orb: 2 deg. 05 min.
You are very in tune at your best, and can receive the most wonderful flashes of inspiration to guide your works. Although you go your own way, people don't tend to mind and instead admire your independence and zaniness. Life's a bit of a roller coaster ride, but that's how you like it, and you'll find drama if drama doesn't find you.
Pallas Square Mars, Orb: 2 deg. 45 min.
With Pallas offering the brains, and Mars backing up with brawn, you are one tough customer when it suits you. The challenge is to use your strength of will both wisely and well, and not to get caught up in egoistic conflicts or any kind of unfairness. You can also react to things a bit too hastily, and need to pause and look before you leap.
Pallas Square Jupiter, Orb: 1 deg. 33 min.
People who think big can do big things, but they can also blow it. Can this be anything to do with you? You'd hate to think so, because you mean so well, but sometimes the way to hell is paved with good intentions. Be clear about the usefulness of your grand vision, the details, and check in to make sure anyone else involved wants it too!
Pallas Square Iris, Orb: 1 deg. 32 min.
Linkages of Pallas and Iris bestow strong intellectual abilities, but when there is dynamic tension between them, you may find it difficult to direct these consistently into comfortable channels. Getting worked up solves nothing: cool down, detach, and calmly look at options. Get systematic, but allow your intuition a guiding hand as well.
Pallas Square Diana, Orb: 2 deg. 41 min.
Your strong drive to 'be yourself' can make you very successful, especially in fields that deploy your strategic savvy. But you may end up projecting such an air of aloofness and self-containment that people are intimidated by you. Perhaps you do want to be alone, but it can also get lonely at the top. Be clear about your goals and keep the game fair.
Pallas Sesquiquadrate Astraea, Orb: 0 deg. 57 min.
You are acutely sensitive to the signals of change even before they manifest in obvious ways, but may not always like what you sense is brewing. Life has a way of taking things apart on you, unless you seize the initiative and get in first. You need to calm down, accept there is a season for everything, and allow change to flow instead of explode.
Chapter 3: Juno
Juno, lady of personal power
Juno symbolizes the primal power of the original Great Mother Goddess, whom the Greeks called Hera. The goddess Hera's supreme position was lost when the sky and warrior gods of patriarchal tribes supplanted the deities of the old agricultural proto-civilization. Hera became the wife of Zeus and patroness of marriage, a much narrower remit of power. Her Roman counterpart was Juno, wife of Jupiter. Although most astrologers read the asteroid Juno primarily as a symbol of relationships and the passions and power struggles entangled in them, there is a much deeper significance to this asteroid in your chart.
Juno is above all about personal power, where you find it, and how you use or misuse it, or fail to use it at all. People often struggle to express their Juno energy, perhaps because the world still struggles collectively with what feminine energy really means. It is not simply about sugar and spice and all things nice. Juno is often not very 'nice' at all, and challenges you to wake up to what you want and find a skilful way of shaping your life path. Juno shines a light on inequalities and demands fairness, or - if she feels thwarted - retreats into angry sulking and defeat. Her most blunted and distorted energies manifest as arrogance and self-entitlement, or in envy and spite; but at her best she bestows a kind of truly royal authority, grounded in maturity and deep understanding.
Juno demands you take responsibility, first of all for yourself. She also teaches you lessons about your values and helps you to transform anything primitive, selfish or self-defeating into a mature and empowering way of being in the world. Juno's great gift is precisely this: empowerment. As a corollary, she can help you make money or gain material successes along the way. And she can give you great style and a powerful presence, too!
Juno in Cancer:
For you a sense of empowerment and accomplishment can arise from your ability to give and receive care and support. The influences of your childhood have a stronger than average impact on your personality development, and can be a source of challenge in order to grow - either to leave them behind if you're over-attached, or to recognize you have the power to break bad patterns. Defensiveness is one of your snares, but it is not always wise to hide inside your fortress. Most people are simply doing the best they can, and you can open your heart to trust in most circumstances. Power clashes with authority are possible, especially if you fought with your own parents; so don't become what you dislike, and recognize if any authoritarian tendencies are emerging in your own style.
Juno in 2nd house:
When Juno is in a money house, you can often have something of a Midas touch. But you can also be rather extravagant and spend what you earn as fast as you get it! For you, a sense of power comes from being able to handle resources well, and it is particularly important to have things you can call your own. This is doubly important if you are a woman, given that most cultures still have difficulty teaching women full autonomy. You do have connoisseur tendencies, and understand perfectly Oscar Wilde's famous line about how he was a man of simple tastes, easily satisfied with the best of everything! So get real about your values and desires so you can meet these 'simple' needs of yours.
Juno Sextile Vesta, Orb: 1 deg. 35 min.
You derive a sense of personal power and strength from your ability to ease yourself into the flow of getting work done. When you are at your best, there is an almost Zen quality to the way you go with the flow and 'It' works rather than your having to do the work by yourself. You are patient and practical, and provide a great sanity check for others.
Juno Square Saturn, Orb: 2 deg. 19 min.
A certain austerity of purpose in your makeup facilitates worldly achievement but makes you a little intimidating to some people. Learn to relax and don't come on too strong with the dogma. 'Rules is rules', but they are also made to be broken, and you of all people, with your practical savvy and strong work ethic, know where to cut loose and do well.
Juno Opposition Proserpina, Orb: 0 deg. 39 min.
There is a source of empowerment to be had from your willingness to go on some kind of inner journey that takes you from a state of innocence, even ignorance, to a much deeper understanding of how you work, and how the world works too. It can happen unwillingly but its challenges and conflicts teach you to be more alert, active and self-protecting.
Chapter 4: Vesta
Vesta, lady of focused service.
The asteroid Vesta constellates a very pure energy of dedication to a higher purpose. In worldly terms this often steps down to more ordinary, everyday realities: the willingness to work hard, the willingness to put personal preferences aside to deal with issues at hand or to assist others in need, and above all the ability to focus intently on something in order to get it done.
It is worth remembering that the Roman goddess Vesta was lady of the hearth, and the Latin word for hearth is 'focus'. Where you put your focus you are, in some sense, kindling a fire in a hearth and tending it, just like the Vestal Virgins looked after the sacred hearth whose fire symbolized the life of the whole collective. Vesta helps you to maintain your focus for as long as it takes to fulfill your obligations or to get the work done. With her help, you become less egoistic and more willing to put others ahead of yourself. But she also teaches you how to do this appropriately - turning into a doormat is hardly going to work well in the long run, either. You can become rather obsessed, too, where Vesta goes, and become righteous about issues with a moral dimension. You need to go a bit easily and honor difference whilst maintaining your own standards. Leading by example is better than grandstanding, and Vesta teaches you to work away quietly, without fuss, and achieve the sense of deep satisfaction that comes from recognizing and doing the right thing. You don't have to advertise this - virtue is its own reward!
Vesta in Leo:
Dedication to a creative vision is one of the strong motivators in your life. You have a deep desire to do something that matters: it's not enough to appear in some way special (important as that is for Leo!) but also it needs to be useful and somehow serve a bigger purpose. If you contract into shallow egoism, you might simply turn yourself into your special project, but sooner or later that won't be enough, and you'll look for more to do. And that's when you'll really be able to show the world what you've got. Obviously any of the usual 'creative' fields are worthy of your energies: any of the arty careers; work involving caring for others, especially children; and anything technical/scientific that allows you scope to express a vision. Be generous, not narrow, and you'll prosper well.
Vesta in 4th house:
Those with strong fourth house energies understand all too perfectly the poignant line, 'ET go home.' For you, with Vesta in the hearth and home centre, a safe and happy home is the fundamental essential of life. If your early family experiences were challenging, you'll do your best to change that pattern around, because you don't want the next generation to suffer. You may even find ways to work from home, or turn the home base into work of some kind - farming, selling real estate, that sort of thing. A sense of family duty may weigh heavily on you, but it should only be taken on in a spirit of devotion, not resentment. Find other ways (and people) to help you out, if you cannot manage solo.
Vesta Trine Proserpina, Orb: 0 deg. 56 min.
Despite the contradictions, you grow in strength and capacity from blending energies that are very concrete and realistic on one side (Vesta) and very otherworldly on the other (Proserpina). You have a talent for grounding your imagination and disciplining any passivity tendencies, and can model this for other less assured and confident souls.
Vesta Square Hephaistos, Orb: 2 deg. 20 min.
You are a quietly intense person with tremendous dedication to anything or anyone that matters to you, but may need to beware of overdoing the service thing. Although you feel deeply, you also tend to repress your emotions, out of fear or guilt, and can take life much too seriously. Watch out for workaholic tendencies! And don't hide from life in work!
Chapter 5: Astraea
Astraea, lady of right judgment and integration
Astraea was a classical goddess of justice, whose symbol was the balanced scales. She presided over the moral sense of rightness and good order, and the poetic tradition relates that she was the last of the divinities to leave the world at the end of the Golden Age. Astraea was then translated into the heavens as the constellation Virgo. These elements of myth give you clues to the meaning of the asteroid Astraea in the horoscope. She is concerned with the integration and organization of things, bringing sometimes disparate elements together and finding the common links that join them up in the web of life. She helps you to focus on detail and understand the meaning of the fine print. She helps you to work both hard and well, and helps you to become more ordered and tidy in at least some aspects of your life.
Astraea can also help you to become quite high minded, whilst integrating into this spacious vision an ability to zero in and see all the small things that go together to make up the greater whole. She can stir up a compulsive quality, too, and stimulate an obsessive streak. This can cause a kind of splitting, which is another aspect of Astraea energy: the goddess who brings things together can also tear them apart. She does all this, ultimately, in the service of wholeness, and reveals those things it is time to clean up and get rid of, so that everything else can evolve into a more perfect form. Wherever Astraea goes, you are urged to get organized and get your act together - and become the best you can be!
Astraea in Virgo:
Astraea belongs in Virgo, because this is quite literally 'her' sign. Virgo is Astraea, and vice versa. So this gives a super Virgoan streak to your personality, no matter how little emphasized this sign may be by other planetary energies. You are a sensible, practical soul, good with detail, aware of how things fit together, not (too) pushy, maybe a bit too modest for your own good sometimes, inclined to worry, and hugely self critical. This can also spill over into being critical of others. Does this sound like a Virgo character reference? You betcha. So get organized, and in your own coolly efficient, unobtrusive way, you can conquer the world. Or whatever part of it you find interesting. You know that everything and everyone will come apart without you. Quiet achievers rock!
Astraea in 4th house:
Was your family home an organized and tidy house with a place for everyone and everything, or did chaos reign? Depending on what you thought of the good old days, you'll either replicate or repudiate them. You can turn your own home into the proverbial tightly run ship, or it could look like a bomb-struck flophouse. But all this is just the physical dressing: what is going on inside? Inside you? That's where the real organizing and integrating need to be done. You could be so afraid of fragmenting that you over control everything, or you could learn to relax and allow things to be. There is a place for everything in your soul, including the messy bits. Don't be too hard on yourself!
Astraea Sextile Apollo, Orb: 1 deg. 56 min.
Astraea and Apollo are both perfectionists who like balance and harmony, so put them together harmoniously and you've got huge creative potential. For all your perfectionism, you can usually get your inner critic onside, which means you believe in your potential and knuckle down to work patiently. Focused effort and brio take you a long way.
Astraea Opposition True Lilith, Orb: 4 deg. 29 min.
You are independent to the point some people might call wayward, and certainly don't tolerate fools well, let alone the world's whiners. There are probably issues around emotional intimacy at work here, and a recoiling from closeness. You don't trust easily, and run from any kind of power play. But don't play power games yourself!
Astraea Sesquiquadrate Diana, Orb: 1 deg. 44 min.
You go your own way, and are pretty indifferent if others don't like it. The connecting game is one you can take or leave, and you generally make linkages on your own terms, and only if there's wriggle room. Some people could find you cold, or hard to understand, but you are a great practical friend to have - as long as you want to help!
Chapter 6: Iris
Iris, lady of the intuitive mind and illumination
In Greek myth, there were two divine messengers: Hermes (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury), and Iris. Some traditions suggest that Iris was the messenger of the goddess Hera (whose Roman equivalent was Juno), whilst Mercury served Jupiter. However you play with the myths, there was a feminine energy associated with communication as well as a masculine one. And modern neuroscience tells us there are masculine and feminine aspects to the brain, too.
Few astrologers have learned yet how to honor the great goddess whose archetype stands behind the 'feminine' brain and style of communication. That is why this asteroid report is named in honor of Iris! The symbol of Iris was the rainbow, and the Iris energies of the horoscope seem to encompass all the colors of the spectrum, all kinds of light: ultimately, the light of pure consciousness.
Mercury shows how you think and communicate in a more systems oriented, data gathering and sorting way. His energy is yang and outward directed. Iris, however, has yin energy and is receptive. She shows how you receive ideas, how you listen, how you intuit and empathize, and how you deal holistically with all the information thrown at you by living in the world.
Iris helps you to understand things at a deep level, and to grow in wisdom. She adds color and depth to the Mercury energies of the chart, and shows another avenue of expression. She helps you to meditate. At her very best, Iris helps you to find true illumination. There is a vastness and sublime beauty to Iris energy. Wherever she sits in your horoscope can be magical, as she helps your consciousness to expand and evolve.
Iris in Cancer:
You are very good at 'getting' the group-think, which puts you in a great position to work at anything requiring such a holistic understanding - a wide choice in the information age, from teaching to advertising to politics to arts to sports to almost anything at all! The main thing holding you back is shyness. It's not that you don't necessarily believe in yourself, but you understand perfectly the old axiom about how it is better to keep quiet and seem a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt. You have to be quite sure you are right, and then you are more than all right about putting ideas forward. There's something of the counselor in you, too. People just have a way of trusting you and opening up. This can be a burden, but you're good at boundaries, setting them tactfully.
Iris in 3rd house:
Unless there are strong counter-balancing influences at work, you probably found school and study not only easy, but a source of deep pleasure, and the whole idea of lifelong learning makes perfect sense to you. That said, you may not always learn in the most conventional ways, and can respond to stimuli that others miss entirely. You are genuinely open-minded, which is mostly great, but can mean you take in or accept too much, and probably need to learn how to exercise discernment now and then. You'll be an asset to any people or group who need someone to act as a go-between, or to ginger up interest in an issue. You act with integrity, the best advertising tool going!
Iris Conjunct Mars, Orb: 1 deg. 12 min.
You have a tremendous fund of energy available for communicating with people, and tend to approach the world with a noticeable enthusiasm, even ardor. The main problem here is in getting too carried away: a little moderation serves you best. At your best you can defuse conflicts, but you'll also get into a row if you're rubbed the wrong way.
Iris Conjunct Jupiter, Orb: 0 deg. 01 min.
There is a great spaciousness of mind promoted by the pairing of Iris-Jupiter, which makes you very noble and idealistic at your best, and a little too noble (read 'grandiose') if you get carried away by style over substance. Don't sit on your laurels, but use your power to think big in order to do big, and do good, too. Then you can preen with pride!
Iris Trine Neptune, Orb: 2 deg. 34 min.
There is a lovely, gentle, mystical streak in your nature. When this is working well it can help you to attain heights of sublime experience, but if it goes feral you can also get caught up in no end of fantasies and confusion. You can draw strength and success from your sensitivity, but must have good boundaries too. Stay open, but with discernment!
Iris Trine Chiron, Orb: 3 deg. 18 min.
If it's quirky, slightly off-beat, maybe risky, and fun, you're there. You find strength and pleasure in anything a bit different, but you are also aware of where the pain is, and can be very good at dealing with people in distress or trouble. You have an instinct for the sources of suffering, and can help people out of their holes and into a new space.
Iris Sextile True Node, Orb: 1 deg. 16 min.
In order to live happily, a major theme for you is achieving a balance between creating channels of open and mutual communication, and having time and space for inner reflection and possible illumination. You have a gift for being with people, but also need time and space for you. Don't sacrifice everything on the altar of sympathetic service.
Iris Sextile Asc., Orb: 1 deg. 56 min.
You draw strength and achieve success from your way of projecting the Iris qualities of receptivity and awareness into your personal style. A strong intuitive grasp of what people are thinking and feeling enables you to respond to your environment very sensitively, and aids you in building greater social harmony - a benefit to all.
Iris Opposition Diana, Orb: 4 deg. 14 min.
You go your own way, with a strong independent streak and a coolly analytical mind. When you want to be strategic, few can match you, and your ability to deploy a tactical response makes you a great ally and a wily adversary. Just watch out you don't become a bit too chilly and remote: this can antagonize people and spoil your successes.
Chapter 7: Hygiea
Hygiea, lady of purification and healing
Hygiea is named for the classical goddess of health and well-being, whose name also yields the English word hygiene. This brings a sense of cleansing and purification to the symbolism for the asteroid Hygiea, as well as meanings associated with health issues, sickness, cure, and the moral and physical wholeness that are implicit in ideas of good health or good order. Wherever Hygiea goes in the horoscope, she has a way of cleaning up things, bringing them into a very pure, even ideal, state of being.
Hygiea intensifies any other planetary energy with which she links, and assists it to express in a cleaner, stronger, truer form. Sometimes this poses real challenges and problems, making circumstances appear worse before they get better. Then Hygiea seems to act like the force behind a fever, which can rise to dangerous heights before it breaks, and the healing occurs. It's all about getting the poison out first, so that wholeness can be restored, or aided to form. The poison is more often metaphorical than literal, of course. Hygiea always helps you to scrub up, or purge. She's a catalyst for action as well as a force for intensifying and purifying other energies. However testing a time you have whilst she's busy, you're always left in much better shape when she has finished with you!
Hygiea in Libra:
A strong awareness of the power dynamics which operate in relationships has a way of taking you over from time to time. You are very sensitive to harmony, or the lack of it, and like even less than usual being around people who get on your nerves. This can sometimes take you to one of two extremes: either you try extra hard with people and become very popular, or you retreat into a rather splendid isolation. However you slice and dice it, you probably need to direct some healing energy into how you play the relating game, because you could be giving up too much in order to be everyone's friend, or missing out on the action. And people could be missing out on you, too! Physically, you might want to keep a weather eye on glandular function and endocrine balance.
Hygiea in 5th house:
For you, inner healing and wholeness come most of all from a free flowing exercise of your remarkable creative powers. You were born to strut your stuff, somehow or other, no matter how modest and unassuming the rest of your horoscope may be. It seems to be easier for you to connect with the muses of inspiration than it is for most people, whether you express your creative energies through arts or crafts, science or technology, or just keeping the home fires burning. You also have a real knack for bringing out the creative best in others, and a remarkable number of major therapists share Hygiea in the fifth house with you. Put your heart into everything, and look after your physical heart, too.
Hygiea Sesquiquadrate Hephaistos, Orb: 0 deg. 07 min.
'Still waters run deep' only begins to describe you. There's a lot going on behind your strong front, and probably quite a bit of hurt smarting amidst the other passions. Believe in yourself instead of stewing; trust in your talents and really use them to show the world what you've got. Hiding your light under a bushel does no good - least of all for you!
Chapter 8: Proserpina
Proserpina, lady of transitions, other-worldly realms, and sacrifice
The asteroid Proserpina is named in honor of the goddess of the dead, consort of Pluto, she who was known as Persephone to the Greeks. As a goddess archetype, Proserpina constellates an energy that is often hard to fathom at first, because in the poetic myths Proserpina/Persephone seems to have little personality of her own. As the innocent maiden, abducted by Pluto/Hades into the underworld, she was scarcely distinguishable from her fertility goddess mother Ceres/Demeter. As Pluto's wife and queen of the underworld, though, she receives the souls of the dead and as such, is also a guide to other realms and levels of being, and the deepest places of the psyche. The asteroid Proserpina seems to manifest as an energy of innocence and ignorance that learns a very great deal by (often hard) experience. She shows where you tend to take the line of least resistance, to be passive or helpless, and teaches you the consequences of such unaware or unassertive responses. She points to what you learn through the various transitions of life, which may or may not be painful, but which always entail a letting go of what has ceased to be viable, and carry therefore some sense of sacrifice. She shows you altered states of being, can help you to open up to all the stimuli of life, assists you to adapt and change in response to your environment, and even helps you to cultivate psychic perception.
Proserpina is a tricky energy to deal with, though, because she is so hard to know in essence. You need to be still, and quietly open, to access Proserpina and work with her successfully. Ignore her altogether and you may find yourself plunging into situations you never expected or wanted; honor her and she will help you to find a way through the dark, a guide for your soul who aids your inner journey and ultimately, as a result, your path to individuation in the outer world.
Proserpina in Capricorn:
Wanting to figure out where you fit is one thing - everyone needs to know that - but fretting about it is only counter-productive. Fear has a way of attracting what it fears, and you are none too thrilled about the prospect of being unsuccessful, cash-strapped and stuck in a dead end where nobody respects you. So instead of worrying yourself sick and missing opportunities through excessive caution (read timidity), get practical, focused, formulate a plan, and do what needs to be done. Respect authority by all means, but be sure it really is authoritative: bowing to the authoritarian is another pitfall for you. So is the temptation to be authoritarian when you do finally make it, and you will, even if you have to go to hell and back to get there. Remember always: do as you'd be done by.
Proserpina in 8th house:
For you, Proserpina's symbolic journey to hell and back takes place in the transformative space in the horoscope where everything is shared, especially in close relationships. This does not mean you are doomed! Indeed, you have the potential to rise from this purified and glorified like the phoenix, but such splendid new wings are not won easily. By facing your own demons without flinching, you learn to see the demons in others as the bogus phantoms they really are. Then, pfft! - they're gone. You do have to learn some discernment in picking partners, though, and may have to be careful whom you trust. But you could be a natural therapist, and help other people with their transformations, too.
Proserpina Square Saturn, Orb: 1 deg. 40 min.
No doubt you learned early on some fairly tough lessons about the sadder aspects of life, but if that causes you to shut down in self defense and avoid participating, then life will become much more restricted and unfulfilling than it needs to be. Be centered, sure, but in a practical way. Use your common sense to find ways through and over fear.
Chapter 9: Diana
Diana, lady of emotional maturity
Diana was the classical goddess associated with the moon, a virginal hunter who was expert with the bow and arrow. She preferred to keep aloof from the company of most of the other gods and goddesses, living in wild mountain fastnesses with her retinue of maidens.
Diana took an interest in the affairs of ordinary mortals primarily when women were giving birth, and she cared for the young of all creatures. But she could be fierce, even lethal, if her rights were impinged upon, or if she were slighted. Her arrows never missed their target.
The asteroid Diana has not been used a lot by astrologers, which is a pity as she seems to show a different quality of emotional response from that traditionally associated with the Moon. Where Diana goes in your chart you are not inclined to the sort of overt, even child-like sensitivity and vulnerability that the Moon tends to indicate, but to a more restrained, independent and even sometimes avoidant response to the stimuli of life. Diana energy is more austere, but she does not show a lack of sensitivity as such. Indeed, she can be almost hypersensitive in her way, which is to acknowledge feelings and immediately put boundaries in place to contain and protect them, so that Diana can sometimes seem cold or hard where in fact she is simply looking after herself. Of course, she can help you to be tough if circumstances demand it! She can also point to intense fear responses, which in turn stimulate the 'fight or flight' reflex, which in turn makes you either combative or prone to head for the hills. Ultimately the position of Diana in your chart tells you a lot about how you develop emotional maturity, although she can also say something about the distortions and setbacks of this process, too. She shows where you are able to rely on yourself rather than depending on others, and also points to ways in which you will help other people - as long as it suits you!
Diana is not needy, except for space and for the opportunity, quietly, to nurture the inner needs of the soul. She helps you to figure out what you want, but without all the emotional baggage associated with Lunar attachment. Detached, disinterested and dispassionate, Diana energy helps you to engage with life on your own terms, as a fully fledged adult. With Diana, you put away childish things and come into a richer fullness of being.
Diana in Capricorn:
Diana tends to appear as rather austere and uncompromising, which can take on quite a forbidding air in Capricorn. There's something formidable about you, and people probably mind their manners when you're around. But actually, you're busy hiding a deep wellspring of sensitivity, one you don't want too many people knowing anything about. You are tremendously aware of your environment and the people in it, tune easily into the 'vibes' around you, and at your best have quite a knack for working with all this data, too. Practical intuition and a strong political instinct can take you far in the world, as long as you remember to brush off the frosty front occasionally. You're very patient, never give up on primary goals, and can be simply ferocious if you're ever cornered!
Diana in 8th house:
The whole interpersonal sphere is a playground for learning, and although it is a truism to say that relationships are our greatest teachers, this old saw is especially true of you. It's the business of sharing that can get tricky, and issues around vulnerability, or even a kind of dark charisma that can turn relationships into something quite odd and obsessive. You learn sooner or later the consequences of poor choices, which may mean you'll prefer to fly solo. But there is actually a potential for you to do it all better in a pair (or in a group, as the case may be), but this is likely to work out best when you're older and wiser. You need to deal effectively with power, a skill which comes with age and experience.
Diana Trine Uranus, Orb: 0 deg. 27 min.
You see the world in an unusual way, your mind taking twists and turns that surprise more conventional folk. You're good at using humor to de-fuse tricky situations, and rather like pulling rabbits out of the hat if problems present themselves. You have quite a chilled approach to life: 'failure is an opportunity to start again more intelligently.'
Diana Trine Pluto, Orb: 0 deg. 30 min.
You find it quite easy to 'see in the dark', at least metaphorically, and are a natural psychologist. You can also be a natural detective as well. Not much escapes your eagle eye, and you have an easy grasp of the darker aspects of life as well. Such powerful gifts need to be used wisely, but this is something you also understand and strive to fulfill.
Diana Sextile Neptune, Orb: 1 deg. 40 min.
It is quite easy for you to cultivate your mystical streak in a practical and sensible way, since you understand by instinct that all true mysticism is actually quite practical. Such paradoxes may elude less grounded folk, but you have the ability to teach, too, if you choose to do so. But you may prefer to chase your own dreams your own way.
Diana Trine True Node, Orb: 2 deg. 58 min.
The flow of connection is one you can take or leave - certainly you 'do' relationships on your own terms. Your desires are probably rather austere and more cerebral or spiritual than physical. It's relatively easy for you to let go of things, but may sometimes be harder to get stuck into them. You're just not that into much, except your independence!
Diana Trine Asc., Orb: 2 deg. 17 min.
It is easy for you to project an air of authority into the world, and to wear descriptions like, 'having gravitas.' You probably grow up faster than the average, and take on responsibilities readily and (usually) cheerfully. Not that you necessarily present as cheerful, since you're a serious soul, but a good and useful one who helps others.
Diana Opposition Jupiter, Orb: 4 deg. 14 min.
There's something of the entrepreneur in you, or at least the operator, and you can have an innate sense of what the public wants. But while you're wheeling and dealing, keep mindful of ethics, because you'll come unstuck if you make ego-driven compromises. You need to take the high road, but don't be openly scornful of those trudging below!
Chapter 10: Apollo
Apollo, lord of creative maturity
In classical mythology, Apollo was the god of the sun, whose patronage extended over harmony, the arts and healing. He was not the literal, physical sun, however, and the asteroid named in honor of this god has a slightly different quality from the Sun energy with which traditional astrology is familiar - just as the energy of Diana is rather markedly different from that of the Moon.
Although work is still in progress on understanding the influence of Apollo - as with all the asteroids! - he seems to take the creative, personality-making energy traditionally associated with the Sun and then place and develop it in a wider social context. If the Sun is about 'Me' and my life force in pure potential, then Apollo shows 'Me' how to become more fully and completely and socially myself - or rather yourself, as the case may be, since this report is about you, the reader! For this reason Apollo is described here as the lord of creative maturity. He has a sway over the process of full individuation that allows your innate gifts to shine their light into the world. Apollo shows another aspect of your talents and potentials, but he also shows possible areas of downfall, if more primitive egoistic urges get in the way of the maturation process.
It is all too easy to become proud wherever Apollo goes in the chart, and to become excessively perfectionist and demanding. But all these distortions are unfortunate ways of misusing his wonderful capacities for creation. At his best, Apollo gives clear sightedness, and this includes clarity of insight into who you really are and what you are best able to do in order to make the best of yourself in the world at large. Don't allow vanity or lazy self-entitlement to trip you up. Be honest about where you are and what you want, and do the best you can to be the best you can. That's what Apollo's drive for (true) excellence is all about!
The asteroid Apollo also has a rather strange orbit and appears to spend much longer in some signs of the zodiac than others. Appropriately enough, he is much more often and longest in Leo, the traditional sign of the Sun. If you have Apollo in the signs from Sagittarius through to Taurus, this is a relatively more rare placement.
Apollo in Cancer:
Sorry if it punctures your ego, but there are lots of Apollo in Cancer people running around in the world. You're a varied lot, but what you tend to have in common is some fundamental regard for 'family'. Your own definition of family could be quite broad, not necessarily just the nuclear grouping, and indeed you could have a very strong regard for the connectedness of the whole human family, or of all living things. You tend to be quite receptive (though other factors could mask or limit this predisposition) and there is often a yin or 'feminine' quality to how you present and relate to people. Emotions can get the better of you, but you're pretty good at putting up the necessary barriers to hide or protect your soft center. This makes you formidable when you want to go and get something!
Apollo in 2nd house:
You are very values driven, a somewhat slippery concept these days, since there seem to be as many ideas about values as there are people. But you know what your values are, and if others don't, too bad for them. Compromise is something you do only if necessary. You are fundamentally very practical, a good thing to be, since you are also acutely security conscious and have almost a terror of poverty or indebtedness. Sometimes you can seem to have a Midas touch, or at least the ability to accumulate resources. Just beware of a tendency to want too much: meeting need is one thing, gratifying greed another. There's also a physical theme in your life, and a need to look after your body.
Apollo Trine True Lilith, Orb: 2 deg. 34 min.
You find it easier than many people to find creative resolutions to paradoxes, as you live with a free-flowing push-pull energy that enables you to express your creativity through sympathy for dark emotions, whilst taming some of your crazier urges. You bring light to dark places whilst also allowing a little darkness to make the light more interesting.
Apollo SemiSquare Sun, Orb: 0 deg. 26 min.
Dynamic linkages between the two solar archetypes certainly impel a drive to be and have the best. This can stimulate noble achievements, but it can also make you arrogant and inclined towards showing off. You can also get lazy and become satisfied with appearances. But if you do periodic reality checks, you can achieve your dreams.
Apollo Sesquiquadrate Neptune, Orb: 2 deg. 00 min.
If you can link your mystical, visionary qualities to a practical and consistent spiritual practice, you can manifest an extraordinary creative capacity. But you can be tempted to take short-cuts, or wallow in confused fantasies, or just laze about expecting the universe to provide for you. Get real, take responsibility, and you can turn dreams into reality.
Apollo SemiSquare True Node, Orb: 0 deg. 42 min.
You are driven by equal but opposite forces of great intensity: to have a full creative engagement with the world the on one hand, and to renounce it all in an ecstasy of spiritual questing on the other. Perhaps if you seek balance instead of polarizing you might get somewhere. Spiritualize the material, and make the spiritual concrete.
Apollo SemiSquare Asc., Orb: 1 deg. 22 min.
You can certainly make a splash whenever you dive into the social swim: there's something about you people notice and remember. But do be careful about what you are projecting, and make sure it has substance as well as style. Otherwise you might find you're being remembered for the wrong reasons. A little modesty goes a long way!
Chapter 11: Bacchus
Bacchus, lord of altered states and divine inspiration
In Roman mythology, Bacchus was the god of the vine and wine, equivalent to the Greek Dionysos. The cult of Dionysos was ancient and mysterious. He was a strange and subtle god, other-worldly, now kind, now cruel, connected with altered states (including those induced by drugs, from alcohol to hallucinogens), the deity presiding over peak experiences from ecstasy to agony. He was close to nature, wild and free, and his worship had many anarchic as well as transcendental elements. Eventually his archetype and worship became so important to the Greek collective psyche that he was elevated to the Council of Twelve, the great gods and goddesses who presided over the government of Mount Olympus. Unlike other (male) gods, Dionysos was surrounded by women, and mortal women were his most significant votaries. There is an inter-sex, almost androgynous or transgender quality to this divine archetype.
The asteroid Bacchus constellates all these contradictions and mysteries in the horoscope. A good deal of the Bacchus/Dionysos archetype is also apparent in the planet Neptune, and where this asteroid differs and adds value to the chart is in the way it focuses the area of life where you are most open to inspiration and where you are most eager for pleasure and escape from the everyday. Neptune has a collective energy, but Bacchus is more directly personal. Bacchus tells you a lot about where and how you play, what excites you and inspires you to do better, to go further, and to push things not only to the limit but even past it. The consequences, if any, you will deal with later, if you must. Where Bacchus goes you have a little taste of freedom, a little glimpse of heaven or - if you play foolishly or choose badly - you get a harrowing vision of hell. You need to be careful with Bacchus energy. When he is good he is very, very good; and when he is bad he is horrid. Or to quote another old proverb: 'Take what you want, the Good Lord says - and pay for it.'
The asteroid Bacchus has an eccentric orbit and spends more time in some signs of the zodiac than others. His longest sojourn is in Sagittarius; if you have Bacchus in the signs from Pisces through Aries to Virgo, this is a less common placement.
Bacchus in Sagittarius:
Free-spirited Bacchus is most often and longest in this most free-spirited sign of the zodiac, so there are lots of you folk running around in the world, doing your own thing, trying not to upset anyone, but not worrying unduly if you do. Stuff happens. Your ideas and ideals can be so broad and deep as to defy any simple categorization, which is fine by you. If others don't get where you're at, that's their problem. Living in the moment, you are swept along by the fiery spirit of Life itself, and you bring your gifts of insight and passion to whatever moves you, whenever and wherever you find it. When you're done, you move on. Communication is important to you, and you tend either to be very good at it, or rather blocked. If misunderstandings arise, try to be dispassionate and see where, not if, you are part of the problem. Then you can participate in a win-win resolution.
Bacchus in 8th house:
So, you're looking for happiness via sex and money? Oh boy, have you put in a tall order or what? If you want to have fun with this stuff, you have to get very serious first. Forget about faking, for starters; keep fantasy in its proper place; and remember that complete sharing, whether financial or sexual, is a profoundly transformative experience and you'd better get your partner(s) right. Otherwise the changes you experience could be highly unpleasant. Ultimately this is about transformation, quite possibly transforming those fantasies incapable of satisfaction into mere fleeting daydreams. You have a lot to learn about desire, a difficult process, but it can yield great rewards when you do the work.
Bacchus Trine Sun, Orb: 0 deg. 40 min.
A rather wild imagination fuels an approach to life that is free, flexible, playful and entirely your own. You just want to have fun, whatever that means and wherever it takes you. But you don't come across as crazy so much as inspired, because you know how to ground your visions in the everyday, and are willing to work to achieve your dreams.
Bacchus Square Chiron, Orb: 2 deg. 46 min.
The whole idea of crashing through the pain barrier and reaching a new high of achievement is a big turn-on for you, but you don't have to confine it to running or even make such a big deal of it. But your maverick streak does take a bit of taming, and sometimes things have to get as tough as they do, in order to set your course aright.
Chapter 12: Hephaistos
Hephaistos, lord of inner fire, talent, craft and work
The asteroid Hephaistos is named in honor of the ancient god of fire and the forge, the master craftsman and divine blacksmith. In the proto-civilizations of the early Bronze Age, those who worked with the wonders of fire and metal seemed to be magicians, and were thought to possess special powers. But the god Hephaistos had a sad, strange story. He stands for aspects of the masculine that are not only amongst the most worthy (he is a hard worker and consummate artisan) but also the most unfortunate, because Hephaistos was crippled and ugly, so the other gods and goddesses wanted little to do with him. But they could not ignore him, because he was too clever and too skilful, and he was one of the great gods who sat on the Council of Twelve governors. As we know in human life, too, those who are truly gifted always find a way to the top, and this is something the asteroid Hephaistos can point to in your horoscope. He also shows where you may feel very unworthy and self-doubting, and so make an extra effort. He reveals many of your deepest passions and dearest desires, but also shows some of your greatest sufferings, because other people do not necessarily understand you or want your company or input. He shows where and how you work, where and how you are perhaps most skilful. But above all, the divine blacksmith hammers your soul on his forge in order to make you better than you are already. This process of soul making, of what used to be called 'character building', can be hard and painful, but it is very necessary.
Hephaistos knocks you into shape. Once you understand what he is doing, it can actually be fun to cooperate, and turn the work into a game. Mary Poppins, arguably the first super-nanny, knew a thing or two about the secret purposes of the Hephaistos archetype. With his help, you can take the base metal of your nature and transform it into gold, or at least move from childhood to adulthood.
The asteroid Hephaistos also has an even more eccentric orbit than Apollo, and spends very little time in some signs of the zodiac. He is most often in Taurus, and the nearby signs of Aries, Gemini and Cancer. If your Hephaistos is in the signs from Leo to Pisces, this is a much rarer placement.
Hephaistos in Taurus:
When Hephaistos is in Taurus you join hands, as it were, with by far the majority of the human race. Along with the masses, you are learning a large collective lesson around the use and management of the world's material resources. But soul making is a deeply personal effort, even when you are part of a bigger process, and perhaps the major lesson here is about how each individual yearning contributes to greater collective expressions of need and, alas, greed as well. Regardless of what else is going on in your chart, you have some obligation to understand and master your desire nature, and to develop a skilful approach to what you do with the basics: money, sex and power. If Hephaistos is strongly placed, your aesthetic sensitivity is also heightened, and a certain earthiness and physical vigor. You will be very talented in some way, and should develop your gift(s).
Hephaistos in 1st house:
The soul making process indicated by the sign your Hephaistos occupies is channeled into the area of life concerned with developing a strong sense of personal identity, and projecting that effectively out into the world. You may begin life with some problems around self image, and feel a little different or out of step. This can make you either shy, or determined to flaunt your quirks. But lurking deeper down is the desire to be somebody, even a super person. Work skillfully with this urge and you really can turn into someone substantial, with tremendous presence once your personality is well integrated. Don't allow any form of shallow egoism to get the better of you.
Hephaistos Sextile Venus, Orb: 2 deg. 26 min.
For you, the deepest satisfaction in life, and the surest source of strength, is to enjoy whatever is beautiful. You can direct this aestheticism into very practical outlets, but really you are most interested in an ideal partnership. Though it is easiest to love those who are physically appealing, ultimately you learn to treasure the beauty of the soul.
Hephaistos Sextile Saturn, Orb: 1 deg. 36 min.
It is very easy for you to work away at a steady pace, with a sense of calm dedication and a focus on the technical requirements necessary to do everything well. You find pleasure in material accomplishment, and a sense of validation. Given the likely quality of your best efforts, you should readily gain recognition and respect for your skills and efforts.
Hephaistos Sextile Chiron, Orb: 1 deg. 47 min.
You have a deep admiration for the hero archetype, and the ability to go far beyond ordinary endurance or achievement. In some field or other you will do your best to live out this high standard in your own life. You may have some inner healing work to do first, but take up the challenge with courage and dogged persistence.
Hephaistos Trine MC, Orb: 1 deg. 55 min.
You find a sense of strength and achievement from devoting a large fund of your inner creative energy to your vocation. You have the physical and moral stamina to keep going long after less vigorous or resilient souls have wilted and retired, and when you harness your practical skills to a practical goal, there's little or nothing you can't achieve.
New Age Jewelry
by cosmic artist
David Weitzman
contact-terms-privacy
skyviewzone©2000-2008skyviewzone©2000-2008
