Asteroid Goddesses
in the natal chart of
Beyonce Knowles
by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch
with Patricia White
Asteroid Positions
Planet Sign Longitude Declination
O Ceres is
in h Virgo 17` 24' 16" +11` 59' 00"
P Pallas is
in g Leo 23` 55' 08" - 1` 49' 00"
{ Juno is
in x Scorpio 5` 14' 11" - 4` 02' 00"
} Vesta is
in z Libra 15` 00' 21" - 1` 13' 00"
Other Positions
Planet Sign Longitude Declination
q Sun is
in h Virgo 11` 40' 38" + 7` 11' 00"
w Moon is
in x Scorpio 17` 11' 29" -12` 13' 00"
e Mercury is
in z Libra 2` 04' 45" - 1` 01' 00"
r Venus is
in z Libra 19` 51' 19" - 7` 51' 00"
t Mars is
in g Leo 1` 25' 13" +20` 48' 00"
y Jupiter is
in z Libra 12` 19' 35" - 3` 50' 00"
u Saturn is
in z Libra 9` 00' 58" - 1` 31' 00"
i Uranus is
in x Scorpio 26` 27' 38" -19` 11' 00"
o Neptune is
in c Sagittarius 22` 05' 12" -21` 53' 00"
p Pluto is in z Libra 22` 38' 52" + 6` 42' 00"
l N. Node is
in f Cancer 29` 28' 23" +20` 16' 00"
$ Chiron is
in s Taurus 22` 50' 05" +16` 05' 00"
Software
Copyright © 1998 Astrolabe, Inc.
Text Copyright ©
1998 Demetra George and Douglas Bloch.
All rights
reserved.
Planetary Aspects
q Sun is A Conjunct O Ceres The orb is 5` 44'
w Moon is G Sextile O Ceres The orb is 0` 13'
r Venus is G Sextile P Pallas The orb is 4` 04'
r Venus is A Conjunct } Vesta The orb is 4` 51'
t Mars is Z Semisquare O Ceres The
orb is 0` 59'
t Mars is D Square { Juno The orb is 3` 49'
y Jupiter is A Conjunct } Vesta The orb is 2` 41'
u Saturn is Z Semisquare P Pallas The
orb is 0` 06'
u Saturn is A Conjunct } Vesta The orb is 5` 59'
i Uranus is D Square P Pallas The orb is 2` 32'
o Neptune is D Square O Ceres The orb is 4` 41'
o Neptune is F Trine P Pallas The orb is 1` 50'
o Neptune is Z Semisquare { Juno The
orb is 1` 51'
p Pluto is G Sextile P Pallas The orb is 1` 16'
l N. Node is D Square { Juno The orb is 5` 46'
O Ceres is F Trine $ Chiron The orb is 5` 26'
P Pallas is D Square $ Chiron The orb is 1` 05'
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
(as well as myself) 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.
The
Mandala of the Asteroid Goddesses
Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta represent four very basic feminine archetypes
which amplify and particularize the more general energies of the Moon and
Venus. Their relation to the regular planets and to each other becomes clear in
a mandala.
The large circle in the
mandala represents the Moon, the fundamental feminine principle that contains
all the potential expressions of the feminine nature. Behind the Moon resides
the Sun, the embodiment of the fundamental masculine principle. The union of
the masculine and feminine, of the Sun God and Moon Goddess, give rise to what
mystics have described as Oneness.
In the center of the
mandala is Venus. As the essence of the feminine nature in her activated form,
Venus embodies the feminine creative, magnetic, sexual, reproductive, vital
life force. Venus is surrounded by Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta. Each of the
four in its unique way uses the creative sexual energy of Venus to express the
various functions and activities of the feminine principle as it operates in
both women and men.
Note that these asteroids
are placed at the four cardinal directions of the mandala. These correspond to
the four "angles" of the astrological chart: the Ascendant and
Descendant to the left and right along the horizon, and the MC (Medium Coeli or
Midheaven) and IC (Imum Coeli or Lowest Heaven), at the top and bottom of the
vertical meridian line. The basic symbolism of these four great goddesses is as
follows:
OCeres, the archetypal
Mother and the Goddess of Agriculture, gives birth to the world of physical
form, bearing children and providing food for their survival. As the Mother
archetype, she stands for the principle of unconditional love and nurturing
support in both women and men. In the above mandala she is placed at the IC,
the very bottom of the horoscope wheel, which in astrology is related to the
foundation, the roots, and the family.
PPallas Athene, the
daughter of Zeus, is the Goddess of Wisdom who generates mental and artistic
creations from her mind. Sprung from the head of her father, she represents the
principle of creative intelligence. Her place in the mandala is at the MC, the
"head" of the chart, the uppermost point, which symbolizes one's
ambitions and one's visible, socially useful accomplishments.
{Juno, or Hera, was the
wife of Zeus. As such, she is the Goddess of Marriage who fosters and sustains
union with a partner. More generally, she symbolizes the principle of
relatedness and commitment to another over time. In the mandala, she is placed
at the Descendant, which in the horoscope wheel is the point that signifies
reaching out from the Self to another in order to complete oneself in a
one-to-one relationship.
}Vesta, or Hestia, was
Zeus's elder sister who never married. In mythology she became the protectress
of the hearth and the sacred altar flame. The archetypal Temple Priestess, she
is a virgin in the original sense of being whole and complete in oneself. In
the system of goddess symbols, she represents the principle of spiritual focus
and of devotion to following one's calling. Placed in the mandala at the
Ascendant, Vesta corresponds to the Self.
These asteroids represent
the primary relationships of a woman's life: that of mother, daughter, wife and
sister. The fertile sexual energy of Venus is used by Ceres to birth children
of the body, by Pallas to birth children of the mind, by Juno to build
relationships with others, and by Vesta to deepen a relationship with the Self
or with the Divine.
The
Asteroid Goddesses in the Charts of Men
Just as the planets named after male gods pertain to the lives of women, these
asteroids named for female goddesses are also important in the lives of men.
The recognition and honoring of one's contrasexual side completes and strengthens
the personality, embracing the unintegrated energies that are often sources of
trouble.
OCeres expands on the
Moon's symbolism by further illuminating the relationship of a man to his mother
and also to women and other nurturing figures in his adult life. In addition,
Ceres signifies a man's own tender, caregiving side and the ways in which this
part of his nature can find expression. Typical manifestations of Ceres
energies in a man are teaching and mentoring, pediatrics and pedagogy, farming
and gardening, cooking and nutrition, medicine and therapy, ecology and
environmental protection, and, of course, his part in helping his own children
thrive and grow.
PPallas, for a man as
well as a woman, can symbolize his capacity for strategy, his quest for clarity
and truth, his sense of justice, the acquisition of skill and ingenuity in
useful arts, and the ability to channel life energy for healing. Just as she
can in women, Pallas can signify either a man's rejection of the feminine
within himself, or the drive to integrate the opposite sexual polarity into his
psyche. The placement of Pallas can also suggest how a man perceives the
strong, independent women in his life. This usually has to do with his sense of
his own competence.
{Juno can signify a
man's style of dealing with marriage and other forms of partnership, including,
in some cases, business partnerships. Her placement determines how the struggle
between the self and the other plays out, and whether the partnerships a man
enters into are likely to be equal or unequal. Juno may also show the sort of
wife a man is likely to pick, and his attitude toward married women in general.
This asteroid has to do with the man in his procreative role as husband and
father, and, by extension, in any joint venture for the production of a new
entity. Just as she does for a woman, Juno may also show how a man deals with
the infidelity of a partner.
}Vesta signifies a
man's relationship to himself as a complete being, apart from relationships
with others. Her placement can suggest to a man how he can best become still,
look within, and tend to Deity or his inner spirit. Just as she does in women,
Vesta can also signify a man's urge to conserve and preserve the home, the
state, the culture and its institutions.
The
Asteroids as Developmental Stages
When you combine the above basic symbolism of the first four asteroids with the
order in which they were discovered, the four great goddess asteroids form yet
another self-contained symbol system, one that defines four stages of human,
and most particularly feminine, lives:
OCeres, the first
asteroid to be discovered, governs the first stage of life, when the person's
primary focus is the mother. This is the stage of the Child.
PPallas, the second to
be discovered, suggests the time of life when the child starts looking toward
the father to be initiated into the rules of the world outside the home. This
period starts when many girls become tomboys and dream of their future careers.
It continues into the period when young people are out in the world studying or
working or pursuing a career but are not yet parents. In a woman's life this
pre-reproductive stage is that of the Maiden.
{Juno, the third
asteroid to be discovered, was the archetypal wife on Olympus and was also a
protectress of childbirth. She suggests the one stage of a person's life that
is commonly devoted to marriage and reproduction. In a woman, this is the stage
of the Matron.
}Vesta, the
last-discovered of the four, represents the final stage of life when a woman's
focus commonly turns away from child-bearing and child-rearing, and she turns
toward cultivating herself as a separate individual, apart from her family
relationships. In women, this post-reproductive period is the stage of the
Crone. This supplements the pre-reproductive or self-contained Virgin symbolism
already mentioned in connection with Vesta.
Arranging the asteroids in
this way gives further clues to their meaning. Naturally, however, a woman may
embody the symbolism of any of these asteroids at any time in her life.
These life stages pertain
to a woman's life in particular, something that has until recently been largely
neglected. They of course have their analogies in the lives of men, but in a
slightly modified form, since reproduction does not tend to be so central to
men's lives and many men can reproduce well into old age. Like women, men
typically have a Ceres stage in which their primary attachment is to their
mother, a Pallas stage where they are initiated by the father into the outside
world, a Juno stage when they are husbands and fathers working to sustain a
family, and a Vesta stage when they are free to retire and cultivate their
inner lives.
How to
Use This Report
You could think of your birth chart as a play. The planets and asteroids are
the actors, harmonizing with, clashing against, or ignoring one another,
depending on the aspects that they do or do not make with the other points in
the chart. The sign of the zodiac that the asteroid or planet is in shows where
the actor is "coming from": whether he or she is at home or in
foreign territory, and his or her style of operation.
Since you have not given a
time of birth, it is not possible to know what houses your asteroids fall into.
The Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant, Imum Coeli, rising sign and houses are
all derived from the time of day at which a person was born, and thus cannot be
included in the calculations for an untimed birth. Most astrologers, when faced
with an untimed birth, use the position of the Sun as the starting point for
the twelve divisions in the chart wheel. These divisions are then called
"solar houses." Solar houses do not have the same personal
significance as real houses, and so delineations for them are omitted here.
Because your birth time is
not given, your chart has been calculated for noon on the day of your birth.
This gives approximate positions for your planets. All your planets except the
Moon will be accurate within a degree, but the Moon at your actual birth moment
could be up to seven-and-a-half degrees earlier or later in the zodiac than the
Moon position given in our calculations.
Look at the listing at the
beginning of this report. If you see a Moon position between 0 and 7 1/2
degrees of a sign, or between 22 1/2 and the end of 29 degrees, remember that
the Moon might have actually been in the adjacent sign when you were born.
Also, you should take aspects to your Moon with a grain of salt, since,
depending on how close to noon you were actually born, there may or may not be
an aspect in effect.
To get a more accurate
astrological report, you may be able to get your birth time from your birth
certificate, obtainable from the Bureau of Vital Records in the state where you
were born.
When
You're Reading This Report
When you read about the sign placement of each asteroid, try not to draw any
conclusions about that asteroid until you read about the aspects that that
asteroid makes. For example, if you had Ceres in Cancer conjunct the planet
Uranus, Ceres's Cancerian need for emotional security would be offset by
Uranus's desire for freedom and change. Both indications may apply, but in
different areas of life, or you may feel an ongoing sense of contradiction and
tension between the two. Conversely, if several indications reinforce each
other, their manifestation in your life will most likely be strong and obvious.
An
Important Note about Aspects
The authors do not consider the "hard" aspects (squares, oppositions,
semisquares and sesquiquadrates) and other traditionally difficult aspects
(like quincunxes and sometimes semisextiles) as uniformly bad. Neither do they
consider the so-called "soft" or "easy" aspects (trine and
sextile) as always good. Practicing astrology from a mythic and psychological
point of view, they find that the nature of the two archetypal principles being
connected is more important than the nature of the aspect. Regardless of the
type of aspect being made, most people experience the entire range of
interactions between two planets (or between a planet and an asteroid).
We believe that people grow
by integrating opposing polarities in the psyche (represented by the opposition
aspect) and by resolving inner conflicts (represented by the square). We do not
wish to give you the limiting suggestion that the issues depicted by difficult
aspects are impossible to resolve, or give you a false sense of security that
the so-called good aspects require no awareness and effort on your part. You
will therefore find that the interpretations in this report cover a wide range
of both positive and negative possibilities for each aspect.
Aspects do, however, differ
in strength. Major aspects (particularly the conjunction and opposition)
and aspects involving the Sun or Moon tend to speak louder than others. To help
you spot the more important aspects in your chart, you'll see notations ranging
from "Very strong influence" to "Slight influence."
You can get an even more
precise idea of the strength of an aspect by looking at the aspect table at the
beginning of this report. The values in the "The orb is" column show
how far the aspect is from being exact. If you see an aspect with an orb of
zero (that is, less than one degree), you can mentally "bump up" the
aspect's rating a notch (for example, from "Strong" to "Very
strong"). Conversely, if you see an orb greater than eight degrees, you
can consider the aspect's importance diminished.
With this said, let us now
explore the role that each of these four asteroid goddesses plays in your
astrological chart.
Conclusion:
Taking
This Report Further
Now that you have read all about your asteroids, you may wonder which of the
four goddess archetypes predominates in your nature. Having just immersed
yourself in the symbolism of these four great goddesses, you most likely have a
feeling for which of the mythical themes has touched you the most deeply.
But what does your chart
say about this? Looking back at the lists of chart positions and aspects at the
beginning of this report can give you some idea of which asteroid has the
strongest position in your chart. The astrological information contained the
houses, Ascendant and Midheaven will be missing because these cannot be
calculated when your birth time is unknown, but you will still be able to get
an idea of what asteroids have the most meaning for you. Roughly in order of
importance, the main factors that give a planet or asteroid strength are:
1. Being in aspect to the Sun or Moon. If there is a tie,
you can consider the aspect with the smallest orb to be the strongest. In order
of importance, the aspects are the conjunction, opposition, square, trine and
sextile. The "minor" aspects such as the quincunx, semisextile,
semisquare and sesquiquadrate are only considered if they are very close (say,
within an orb of 2 degrees). 2. Having
the closest aspect of any of the four asteroids. Run your eyes down the
"Orb" column and find the smallest orb value. You might think of this
as a sort of keynote aspect in your chart, especially if it is a major aspect
such as the conjunction, opposition, square or trine. 3. Having the most aspects. This means that the
asteroid is well-integrated into your chart and influences many functions in
your life. If it is involved in a pattern of planets such as a cluster of
conjunctions, a T- square, grand cross, or grand trine, this group of planets
and asteroids will form a more or less self-contained complex that describes a
recurring theme in your life.
After all these
considerations, do you feel that you are primarily a Ceres nurturer, a Pallas
career person, a Juno partner, or a Vesta keeper-of-the-flame? We hope that
these four great goddesses of antiquity have given you some new and useful
perspectives on the major themes in your life.
If you would like to learn
more about these goddesses and what they represent in your birth chart, we
recommend the books Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George, and Astrology
for Yourself by Douglas Bloch and
Demetra George. These are available at bookstores or through the authors.
The
Authors of This Report
This report comprises over forty years of combined research by the authors.
During this time, we have been amazed at the power of the goddess archetypes to
give understanding and meaning to people's lives. With the release of the Asteroid
Goddesses computer report, this information is being made available to many
more individuals. As part of our continuing research, we would like to hear
your stories about how the themes symbolized by the asteroid goddesses in your
birth chart have manifested in your life. Please write, call, or email us at
the addresses that follow.
Demetra George, a practitioner of astrology for thirty years, teaches
internationally and leads pilgrimages to sacred sites in the Mediterranean. Her
pioneering work synthesizes ancient history, cross-cultural mythology and
archetypal psychology with contemporary astrology. In order to further her
studies in mythology she is currently pursuing graduate studies in Classics at
the University of Oregon.
Demetra
George is the author of four books. Asteroid Goddesses (San Diego: ACS
Publications, 1986; co- authored with Douglas Bloch) is considered a seminal
textbook on the subject. It is rich with additional meanings for the four
first- discovered asteroids, as well as having some interesting perspectives on
lesser-known asteroids. Other books by Demetra George include Astrology for
Yourself (Wingbow Press, 1987, co-authored with Douglas Bloch), a basic
text on astrology in workbook format; Finding Our Way Through the Dark
(ACS, 1994); and Mysteries of the Dark Moon (Harper, 1992).
Demetra
George can be reached at
dgeorge@orednet.org or at P.O.
Box 5431, Eugene, OR 97405, or telephoned at (541) 345-5680.
Douglas
Bloch, M.A., has practiced as an
astrological writer, counselor and teacher since 1973. He is a member of the
Oregon Astrological Association and the AFAN astrology network, and has hosted
a call-in radio talk show in the Portland, Oregon, area. | His own books
include Words That Heal (Pallas Communications, 1989); Listening to
Your Inner Voice (Hazelden, 1991); I Am With You Always (Pallas
Communications, 1992); Positive Self-Talk for Children (Bantam, 1993),
and When Going through Hell . . . Don't Stop: A Survivor's Guide to
Overcoming Clinical Depression and Anxiety (Pallas Communications, 1998).
With Demetra George he has co-authored the books Asteroid Goddesses and Astrology
for Yourself.
Douglas
Bloch can be reached at
dbloch@teleport.com or 4226 NE
23rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97211, or telephoned at (503) 284-2848.
Patricia White is vice-president and one of the five founders of
Astrolabe, Inc., a leading publisher of astrological software. She has served
as publications director of the National Council for Geocosmic Research, and as
editor of its Journal. She can be emailed at pat@alabe.com.