The Iris Asteroids Report

Rainbow Messenger of the Gods and Goddesses

 

for

 

Britney Spears

December 2, 1981

1:30 AM

McComb, Mississippi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awakenings Inc.

POB 10672,Prescott,AZ 86304-0672

(928)925-0373  awake@cableone.net

www.awakeastrology.com  astrorelocation.com

 

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         10 Sag 02               Ceres        27 Lib 15

Moon        12 Aqu 23               Pallas        5 Lib 56

Mercury      5 Sag 25               Juno          3 Sag 55

Venus       25 Cap 07               Vesta         1 Sag 52

Mars        23 Vir 17               True Lilith  23 Sag 50

Jupiter      1 Sco 01               Astraea       3 Ari 44

Saturn      19 Lib 16               Iris         29 Vir 58

Uranus       0 Sag 59               Hygiea        8 Leo 13

Neptune     24 Sag 02               Proserpina    2 Leo 44

Pluto       25 Lib 58               Diana         8 Lib 19

True Node   23 Can 10               Apollo        7 Lib 44

Asc.         2 Lib 41               Bacchus       5 Sag 13

MC           2 Can 51               Hephaistos   18 Aqu 41

Chiron      19 Tau 23

 

Tropical  Koch  Standard time observed

GMT: 07:30:00  Time Zone: 6 hours West

Lat. and Long. of birth: 31 N 14 37   90 W 27 11

 

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 Libra:

 

Peace and harmony are important words in your vocabulary, and conflict at the very least unbalances you, and at worst can almost hurt. This is not to say you can't fight if you must, but it is always a last resort, and leaves you feeling slightly dirty. You don't like diplomacy to fail. Dialogue and compromise are other watchwords for you, and at your best your negotiation skills are second to none. You can dither around of course, weighing all sides of an idea or argument several times, but you eventually find a conclusion. Your ability to play with ideas, and to mediate between people and their positions, is the great gift you offer others in support of their growth. Just beware you don't lose yourself by being sometimes too helpful and obliging.

 

Ceres in 1st house:

 

With Ceres in the house of personality, it is important to you to project a protective and nurturing quality into the world. You can take on leadership and responsibility in such an unassuming, born-to-help way that people don't even realize you're leading: they just want you to look after them! You have a knack for helping other people to 'find themselves', at least once you've found yourself, and that self has a good deal of the good mother or father in it. Unless Mars is rampant, you will appear gentle, but also strong and stable. People turn to you for guidance and comfort, and you will lead your life in such a way that you develop the skills needed to be a generous mentor and counselor.

 

Ceres Conjunct Jupiter,  Orb: 3 deg. 46 min.

 

Blending Ceres and Jupiter combines the yin and yang principles of protection, nurture and abundance, making you warm-hearted and idealistic. Right beliefs and right conduct are potent drivers in your life, and you look for the biggest and best in all circumstances. Your main challenge is not to overdo everything and waste your gifts.

 

Ceres Conjunct Pluto,  Orb: 1 deg. 17 min.

 

Themes of life and loss run deep in your psyche, and you devote much energy to understanding the cycles of creation and destruction and renewal. You are sensitive to abuses of power and can become a crusader against them in your own way, however small. You were born to change lives through love, beginning with your own.

 

Ceres Square Venus,  Orb: 2 deg. 08 min.

 

Your love of beauty and comfort motivate you to achieve a good life, but the tendency to over indulgence can undo all your good work before you realize what is happening. You also need to guard against laziness or complacency. Moderation and self discipline are the keys to success: take the middle path and you will succeed beautifully.

 

 

 

 

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 Libra:

 

The Pallas drive for clarity and fairness finds easy expression in Libra, the sign of balance. Your main challenge is confusion and procrastination: because you are so busy weighing issues carefully and thoroughly, you can become very reluctant to commit. Once you do commit, you tend to be an ardent and persuasive advocate, with excellent reasons for your position or advice. Just be careful that your advice remains just that, advice, and not commands. You can surprise others, and even yourself, with your forcefulness at times. This emerges especially when issues of justice or fairness are at stake, and you can be a ruthless negotiator. But you are so charming, you get away with it. Your aesthetic instinct is strong, and beauty is a vital tonic for your restless mind.

 

Pallas in 1st house:

 

With Pallas in the house of personality, you present to the world as a true individualist, perhaps a little crazy at times, but certainly an original. Your mind is busy, and how you think, and what you think about, color the way you come across to people. They sometimes respond a bit extremely to you, but then your own responses often run to the extreme as well. Idealistic almost to a fault, you sometimes seem lost in a world of your own, and you don't always seem too willing to share that world with others either, except perhaps in words. How you communicate has a crucial bearing on how well you succeed, socially and professionally: be clear and fair, as well as high-minded and unique.

 

Pallas Conjunct Asc.,  Orb: 3 deg. 15 min.

 

You have a way of projecting the Pallas qualities of clear thinking and innovation into your personal style. People see you as different, original, perhaps a little crazy, but also as smart, genuine and able to move with the times. Your quest for understanding can take you a long way, and you are seldom satisfied with easy answers.

 

Pallas Conjunct Diana,  Orb: 2 deg. 23 min.

 

Your strong drive to 'be yourself' can power tremendous achievements once you have a sensible focus for the energy, but you may end up projecting such an air of aloofness and self-containment that people don't know how to take you. Maybe you want to be alone, but it can also be lonely at the top. Be clear about goals and keep the game fair.

 

Pallas Conjunct Apollo,  Orb: 1 deg. 48 min.

 

The cold clear light of reason and intellect fires your creativity with a brilliant intensity. You aren't best pleased when your talents are ignored or despised though, so find ways of directing all this potential into areas people understand and appreciate. Don't be so quirky and one-off that people think you are right off. Find the balance of the middle ground.

 

Pallas Sextile Mercury,  Orb: 0 deg. 31 min.

 

Your intellectual acumen is sharply honed, and you draw strength and success from your ability to think clearly and argue persuasively. You embrace new ideas and concepts, and can be quite the clever change agent in your part of the paddock. People look to you for insight and inspiration: there is something of the teacher in you regardless of your job.

 

Pallas Sextile Juno,  Orb: 2 deg. 01 min.

 

Your intelligence and visionary qualities empower you as a leader, especially of anything involving innovation and change, or the mobilization of resources. You draw strength from your acumen and certainty, and have the ability to negotiate your way around power plays. Fairness, honesty, clarity and inclusiveness will carry the day for you.

 

Pallas Sextile Hygiea,  Orb: 2 deg. 18 min.

 

You have the ability to draw strength and achieve success from your willingness to flow with the processes of change and learn the lessons of life quickly and with good grace. There is a cool calm quality to your approach which can be very healing for others to be around, and you make a reassuring guide for the perplexed conservatives of the world.

 

Pallas Sextile Bacchus,  Orb: 0 deg. 43 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 MC,  Orb: 3 deg. 05 min.

 

Although you know your ideals have integrity and you believe in the value of change, you may not always be able to convince others of these things without some sort of fight. Family conflicts may get in the way, too, and you need to use all your clear headedness and powers of persuasion to maintain balance and calm, and simply to play fair to all.

 

Pallas Opposition Astraea,  Orb: 2 deg. 11 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.

 

Pallas Sesquiquadrate Chiron, Orb: 1 deg. 33 min.

 

You may truly have the best idea since sliced bread, but you need to be mindful of your audience or you mightn't sell it to anyone. There is something different about you, that could strike others as a bit odd, rather than endearingly eccentric. So - use your smarts to stand back, analyze, and maximize your capacity for brilliant communication.

 

 

 

 

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 Sagittarius:

 

For you, the path to empowerment is through your willingness to open to life in all its variety and complexity, and to be a brave explorer in some way, however small. You also need freedom as much as you need air, and will deal quite ruthlessly if necessary with anyone who tries to impose constraints on your activities. You are strongly idealistic, and need to be wary of the perversion of this quality, fanaticism. Just because something works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone else. Grant the same freedoms to others you demand for yourself. You also flourish best where you are able to enjoy the stimulus of your mind, and can be a very enlivening companion for those whose minds engage with yours. You value life's journey and find ways to make the most of it.

 

Juno in 3rd house:

 

You find power in the resources of your mind, which are truly formidable once you have realized what you can do with them. At first this may present something of a challenge, and either school or family influences, or both, may have been problematic in making room for your full self expression. But you can't remain stuck in the past unless you want to stagnate there, and your whole-of-life education is ultimately up to you. It is important to find smart, interesting people you can exchange ideas with, and maybe to live in a neighborhood with a happening vibe. The more you think and learn and experience, the deeper and richer your ideas become, and you can make a truly valuable contribution.

 

Juno Conjunct Mercury,  Orb: 1 deg. 30 min.

 

You get a sense of power and security from being able to think about and analyze things clearly. Be careful of a tendency to think your ideas are the best or only ones, because information exchanges flourish best in freedom. You don't want mental constraints yourself, so make room for the ways of others, even if they seem, or are, quite wrong!

 

Juno Conjunct Uranus,  Orb: 2 deg. 57 min.

 

The concept of the true original turns you on. You tend to go looking for it, but the truth is you live it as well. You may be just a tad too different for really staid folk, but you don't worry about their limited world view. Your vision is much larger, and you find power through your ability to connect to the future and ride the wave of new trends.

 

Juno Conjunct Vesta,  Orb: 2 deg. 03 min.

 

In some way you are attuned to the deep transformative energies that affect the culture at large, and can be sensitive to power shifts that are bigger than anything in an individual life. The best approach is not to fret, but get on with the work in front of you and do the best you can. Little steps can take you far over time. Patience is a worthy virtue.

 

Juno Conjunct Bacchus,  Orb: 1 deg. 17 min.

 

Following your bliss means unleashing personal power in some area of your life, which will be indicated especially by the zodiac sign(s) and horoscope house(s) involved. You can find great strength in your ability to let your imagination have full play and open up to 'divine' inspiration. Just don't confuse that gift of grace with personal fantasy!

 

Juno Sextile Asc.,  Orb: 1 deg. 14 min.

 

You have the ability to bestow a sense of confidence and authority on everything you do and on all the relationships you have, as long as you've done the groundwork on yourself. You can fake it till you make it, but will succeed best if you are acting from a genuine motivation and with a clear sense of the values and methods that matter.

 

Juno Trine Astraea,  Orb: 0 deg. 11 min.

 

You draw strength and personal power from an almost sublime kind of efficiency. A mastery of detail and the ability to see how things fit together provide you with terrific practical skills you can direct into many areas of life and work. You also have a strong will-to-power, which you can channel very effectively when you have a worthy goal.

 

Juno Trine Proserpina,  Orb: 1 deg. 11 min.

 

For you, there is a source of empowerment deriving 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. You may slide into this, but will be protected in a process that teaches you true self mastery.

 

Juno SemiSquare Saturn, Orb: 0 deg. 21 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.

 

 

 

 

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 Sagittarius:

 

Quiet, efficient Vesta can take a while to get used to the expansive energies of Sagittarius. Vesta likes detail and concrete tasks; Sagittarius prefers the big picture and no restraint. Once you learn how to reconcile these two different energies you can be one of those rare people who see not only the wood, but also each of the trees in it. But until you've got that sorted out you can be a bit all over the place, totally focused on some little thing one minute, the next breaking out and using all your zealousness to demand absolute freedom. Perhaps the best solution is to find some line of work that opens up wide fields of opportunity, sown with idealism, whilst easing yourself into a corner where you can deal with the little things too. And as you know, the little things mean a lot.

 

Vesta in 2nd house:

 

Strong second house energies motivate people to seek security, and with Vesta in this part of your chart, it will be very important to you to have a safe place to be, and an even safer bank balance to draw on. You are an independent person, though, for all your quiet worries about the material side of life. You have no expectations anyone else will provide for you, and are more than capable of getting things done for yourself. In fact, you prefer to do it your way. You have a single minded purposefulness in pursuit of material well-being, and tend to be very high minded about your values - unless you've been seduced by the siren of money. Some of life's best things are free. Don't neglect them.

 

Vesta Conjunct Mercury,  Orb: 3 deg. 33 min.

 

Your mental energies are incredibly focused and you have a real talent for managing detail and undertaking research. Nothing escapes your eagle eye. There is a seriousness of purpose in the way you seek to convey and exchange information, and you tend to be quite practical. You believe in service ideals, so beware of the risks for exploitation.

 

Vesta Conjunct Uranus,  Orb: 0 deg. 54 min.

 

Life has an up'n'down quality for you. Do you seek freedom through structure and discipline, or slip into a conservative reactionary mode? You could do either or a mix, depending on circumstances. You need flexibility. Working with new technologies can be a good solution, or becoming some kind of freelancer. You must do your own thing!

 

Vesta Conjunct Bacchus,  Orb: 3 deg. 20 min.

 

This is a contradictory pairing of very different energies. Vesta is tame and worldly, Bacchus wild and otherworldly. You could be blessed with divine inspiration, and able in turn to make your visions concrete. Or you could shut down and become very resistant to anything outside 'the rules' of orderly material life. Watch out for a fanatical streak.

 

Vesta Sextile Asc.,  Orb: 0 deg. 49 min.

 

You will have a rather serious air about you, no matter how fun loving you really are, and will present as very competent and 'can-do' to the people you meet. You are usually able to contain tendencies to work too hard, and can actually model for others the skills required to attain the famous 'work-life balance' of modern management jargon.

 

Vesta Trine Astraea,  Orb: 1 deg. 52 min.

 

You find strength and purpose from linking the works of your life with bigger themes of getting things right and promoting better efficiencies. Your perfectionist streak is tamed a bit: it is more likely to be empowering than self-defeating, because people don't see you as a nag. You are able to allow things to be less than ideal, even messy, as well!

 

Vesta Trine Proserpina,  Orb: 0 deg. 51 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 Sextile Iris,  Orb: 1 deg. 54 min.

 

Your imaginative responses to the world are empowered with a sense of possibility. You are very good at 'getting' people and their thoughts, and more abstract information as well. There is much of the practical idealist in you, and you have a potential gift for working in concrete ways to make the ideal a reality in the everyday world.

 

 

 

 

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 Aries:

 

No matter how quiet the rest of your chart may be, Astraea in Aries kindles a little fire in your belly which can build, with the right tending, to a steady blaze. There is a pioneering streak in you, an urge to do something new or different, or at least interesting. You're not keen on feeling bored, and will bang around and make things happen if it all starts getting too smooth and predictable. You are good at detail, in your fashion. Dotting an 'i' or crossing a 't' is possibly your idea of hell, but you are skilled in getting to the essence of things, making the necessary points, and moving on. Impatience tends to be one of your vices, but enthusiasm is a vividly apparent virtue. Your zest for the whole of life, all of it, warts and all, carries you far. You never say die - tomorrow is another day!

 

Astraea in 7th house:

 

You bring gifts of attentiveness and the capacity to make connections to the whole theatre of human relationships. The desire to reach out and connect is strong in you, and when at your best you can make a real difference to the lives of the people around you because of the extra little something you bring to relating. Because you tend to notice details about people you have a knack for saying and doing the right thing at the right time, which is a great way to win friends and influence folks. But sometimes this can go wrong, too, and anxiety can make you clumsy or critical or withholding, so the connecting threads fray. Lighten up and let things be. Pay gentle attention and go with the flow!

 

Astraea Trine Mercury,  Orb: 1 deg. 41 min.

 

You draw strength and success from your wonderful ability to concentrate the powers of your conscious mind, and can achieve much from your ability to work with detail and undertake research. There is a strong perfectionist streak in you which can make you critical, but you usually know how to balance fine judgment with tact.

 

Astraea Trine Uranus,  Orb: 2 deg. 46 min.

 

Although your life may sometimes feel like a roller coaster ride, no matter how hard you try to keep it gentle, if you are being totally honest you'll admit you kind of like it like that. You're wired for change! You have a flair for doing things differently, finding new angles, and connecting things up like no one has ever done before.

 

Astraea Trine Proserpina,  Orb: 1 deg. 01 min.

 

Going deep is as natural to you as breathing. Okay, so sometimes you go to hell and back, but you do come back because you have a gift for organizing things around the centre of your being. You're a survivor, and can come up with practical strategies to help others to become survivors in turn. They trust you, because they know you know what's real.

 

Astraea Trine Bacchus,  Orb: 1 deg. 28 min.

 

When practicality and divine madness meet, you'll either be divinely inspired or run a mile from any of that spooky stuff. Given the harmonies in this meeting, you will find that happiness comes from getting the details right and making the right connections. Your intuition is a pretty good guide: so just do it, rather than merely dreaming it!

 

Astraea Opposition Asc.,  Orb: 1 deg. 04 min.

 

Many Virgo qualities can appear in your personal style, usually the virtues, but also the vices too if you aren't well centered. By all means be sensible, organized, disciplined, efficient and focused on the well-being of others. Just watch out for a tendency to flip into less skilful behaviors: worrying, uptightness, and an overly critical attitude!

 

Astraea Square MC,  Orb: 0 deg. 53 min.

 

You want to achieve integration and wholeness in your life, especially on your career path. Service with a capital 'S' is the name of the game: but it must not be servility, or manipulation. Honor yourself and your gifts, so others honor you in turn. Don't allow shyness to hold you back: be realistic, and that may mean taking pride in your skills!

 

Astraea Opposition Iris,  Orb: 3 deg. 46 min.

 

As long as you don't get blocked by self-doubt and self-criticism, there can be something quite amazing about your capacity to absorb and understand complex information in a deep, thorough way. Your inner critic is the stumbling block. But if you take up a proper meditation practice you could really fly - maybe all the way over Iris's rainbow.

 

Astraea Opposition Diana,  Orb: 4 deg. 35 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!

 

Astraea Opposition Apollo,  Orb: 3 deg. 59 min.

 

You have a strong dynamic for creative work that is both practical and pleasing, but your equally strong perfectionist streak can get in the way, big time. Don't waste your talents by giving in to fear, generated by an inner critic carping away. Believe in yourself and work patiently. You don't need magic or outside aid, just focused effort and brio.

 

Astraea SemiSquare Chiron, Orb: 0 deg. 39 min.

 

You have a different take on the world and its ways, which arises from being very clued in, but you may not always find it easy to share your vision with others. You're probably a bit far ahead of the pack, and need to learn how to step down and see things from the bog ordinary viewpoint instead of your own quirky angle. Take it easy.

 

Astraea SemiSquare Hephaistos, Orb: 0 deg. 03 min.

 

Astraea and Hephaistos are both workers, and when they connect dynamically, there is a driven quality to all you do. Your powers of concentration are phenomenal, but you can get over anxious about what others think of your efforts. Just get on with it quietly and remember the journey matters more than the destination. Good work is its own reward.

 

 

 

 

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 Virgo:

 

Cool. Calm. Collected. You're something to watch, but usually go about your business so quietly and efficiently that you may not draw notice. That's fine by you, as you don't want fuss, and can blush easily in front of an audience anyway. You want results, and will do whatever it takes to get them, and you know it usually takes hard slog and quiet persistence. This you can do in spades. Not only are you a fantastic worker, you're one clever cookie too. At your best, you're a master of detail and have a recall that could put a high-speed computer to shame. But you're also a worrier, a critic, and can go into a dark obsessive mode, and any or all of these tendencies can spoil the harvest that is rightfully yours. Go a bit easier on yourself, and remember to stop and smell the roses.

 

Iris in 12th house:

 

There is a very subtle energy at work here which attunes you to colors and music and rhythms that most folks never see or hear or sense. You have a remarkable capacity for empathy and intuitive understanding, but can become a bit fearful or confused or imposed on if you don't have the realities of all levels of life securely grasped and grounded. Don't let your imagination or compassion run away with you - the Buddhists have things to say about 'idiot compassion' that could be very helpful if you're taking too many sob stories to heart. But there is something quite psychic here, and if you work correctly, you can find an extraordinary depth of insight and awareness into the immensities of Life.

 

Iris Conjunct Asc.,  Orb: 2 deg. 43 min.

 

You have a way of projecting the Iris qualities of receptivity and awareness into your personal style. A strong intuitive grasp of people and circumstances enables you to respond to your environment very sensitively, and forge excellent relationships in the process. You like to connect with people, and social harmony matters to you.

 

Iris Sextile Uranus,  Orb: 1 deg. 01 min.

 

You want freedom, especially freedom of the mind, and will get antsy if you don't have the space and autonomy you need. But with this easy link, you won't be constrained or restrained for long. You are many steps ahead of the pack, and your unique vision of what is possible can help you to lead others forward into the future, too.

 

Iris Sextile Proserpina,  Orb: 2 deg. 46 min.

 

There is an emotional suppleness available to you, which helps you to face dark challenges and negotiate your way out of tight corners. You understand about wisdom born of pain, and don't take fright at the bigger challenges of life. Because you learn quickly where things are at, you are able to stay centered and go with the flow.

 

Iris Square MC,  Orb: 2 deg. 53 min.

 

You are quite sure you can deploy your communication skills to achieve worldly success. This assessment is perfectly correct if you are willing to pause and reflect on your environment and the maelstrom of clashing agendas. Don't get caught in crossfire, or add to it. Use your savvy to pour oil on troubled waters and keep people sweet.

 

 

 

 

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 Leo:

 

No matter how quiet or modest the rest of your chart is, Hygiea in Leo gives you a little star performer streak. You need to strut some kind of stage at least some of the time, and become deeply wounded by lack of appreciation. Your heart is normally strong, both literally and metaphorically, but if you cut off from people out of sorrow or anger then your well-being, either emotionally or physically, can be at real risk. Your great creative drive needs proper expression, and you can produce fine new things for the benefit of the wider world. Be careful what you think and feel, because your thoughts and emotions have wings that carry far. Focus on the gold, in yourself and others, and cultivate the joy of life. Be as bright a star as you can - but make room for other stars, too!

 

Hygiea in 11th house:

 

Your connection to 'the group' is very strong, whether it's the neighborhood gang while growing up, your peers (anywhere anytime), or the larger social milieu you enter as an adult, and which has a tendency to change and evolve along with your own change and evolution. You probably feel that healing and wholeness isn't altogether possible on your own, that it needs some kind of group input or recognition and validation. But don't lose yourself through over-identification with other people and bigger agendas, any more than you should swing the other way and project your own agenda onto the group as a whole. As always with Hygiea, seek balance and here, healthy circulation, both metaphorically and literally. You need to limber up on a regular basis.

 

Hygiea Trine Sun,  Orb: 1 deg. 49 min.

 

You gain a sense of strength and confidence from your ability to heal the promptings of your heart, catalyzing creative achievement and enhancing your sense of self. Your drive to find and express joy is not mere pleasure seeking, but a kind of spiritual quest that empowers you. Don't squander your gifts on ego tripping, though - go for true gold!

 

Hygiea Trine Mercury,  Orb: 2 deg. 48 min.

 

Your clear mind is a source of strength, fostering talents that can take you a long way in the world. Astute and driven, you're very aware of what is going on, and can use your insights both for purposes of healing (on many levels), and for merely personal agendas if you close in on yourself. Be open: use your gifts for communication in beneficial ways.

 

Hygiea Trine Bacchus,  Orb: 3 deg. 01 min.

 

At your best, you do the balance thing well. But there is such a flow of inspiring energy here your challenge is to find what balance means: not too strict and proper, not too loose and wild. Somewhere in the middle is just right, like Goldilocks. Don't overdo or you'll burn out, but don't stifle either. No matter what, you'll always allow a little magic in.

 

Hygiea Sextile Diana,  Orb: 0 deg. 06 min.

 

It is very easy for you to go your own way and let the devil take whoever may be hanging about. You like traveling solo, and doing your own thing; it just feels right, and brings out your best. But you do need to make allowances for the needs and wishes of others, at least occasionally. This teaches you a deeper emotional maturity, and kindness.

 

Hygiea Sextile Apollo,  Orb: 0 deg. 30 min.

 

There is an easy flow of healing energy here, which doesn't just have to be about clinics and medicines. It is more about your ability to help people and situations work through disharmony and meld into wholeness. Your gifts of creative self expression are strong and enable you to succeed splendidly. Just find the right focus and method.

 

Hygiea Opposition Moon,  Orb: 4 deg. 10 min.

 

Your emotional intensity can get the better of you sometimes, and you may find it necessary to step back and 'chill' as they say. Getting caught up in power games around feelings is also unwise, as it clouds your judgment and effectiveness. You will thrive best with periodic cleanouts both literal and metaphorical. Don't clog up on any level.

 

Hygiea SemiSquare Mars, Orb: 0 deg. 03 min.

 

There's a warrior streak in your nature but it needs healing on some level, whether to bring it out (the mouse who roars) or tone it down (angry lion becomes pussy-cat). You tend to run to extremes: too much fire, or too little. Get the balance right, and perhaps start by getting physical. You need exercise. Don't seethe inwardly: do, actively!

 

Hygiea Sesquiquadrate Neptune, Orb: 0 deg. 49 min.

 

Your sensitivity is acute, and at your best you understand anything and anyone; but at your worst, you wallow in confusion and fantasy. You need to cultivate the power discernment so you can reach the heavenly heights instead of sinking into the depths. Avoid illicit substances; you can become addicted more easily than many other folk.

 

Hygiea Sesquiquadrate True Lilith, Orb: 0 deg. 36 min.

 

Sometimes light has to be shone in dark corners, and there's probably some unresolved anger or hurt lurking behind your mask of fierce independence. Nursing dark feelings won't serve you in the long run. It's better to deal squarely with the issues and even allow any necessary healing crises to move things along. Don't stonewall and seethe.

 

 

 

 

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 Leo:

 

Once you have passed through the usual fogs of youthful innocence and ignorance (which you may be tempted to prolong) you can unleash a superb creative capacity. You don't have to be all arty; creation is done on many levels. But whatever you do will have an indefinable 'something', probably because in getting to the place where you are able to give and show all, you went through what felt a bit like hell, and bring a tremendous depth of experience to your creations. Your ethical sense is strong, and you probably have a strong commitment to cherishing Life in general, and children in particular. The tinsel lures of drama don't always excite you: 'simple is best' is likely to be your motto. But if you inflate instead with narcissism, you'll learn simplicity the hard way.

 

Proserpina in 10th house:

 

There is a strong spiritual streak in your makeup, though you may give it another name, and it prompts you to seek a special (if unusual) place in the sun. Once you've overcome the challenges faced by an idealist who has to reckon with the hard old world as it really is, you'll discover a deep wellspring of inner moral authority that allows you to gain and exercise as much outer worldly authority as you want. But you're good at keeping people guessing: you've a chameleon quality, and what people see is definitely not always what they get. You may look as though you're doing one thing, yet all the while you're up to something else. Quietly but firmly, you run your own race and do your own thing.

 

Proserpina Trine Mercury,  Orb: 2 deg. 42 min.

 

There's a mine of talent for you in your subtle mind, especially if you can harness your vivid imagination in a practical way. The main risk here is letting things ride: when you can do things so easily, there is a temptation to cruise rather than put the effort in. The rewards will be much greater if you focus rather than drift, and stay level headed, too!

 

Proserpina Trine Uranus,  Orb: 1 deg. 45 min.

 

It's very easy for you to do your own thing, and many of your successes and happinesses in life come from exercising independence of spirit. You can do really well by pushing the boundaries a bit, and for the most part overcome any Oppo to your quirkiness. In you, people find eccentricity endearing rather than threatening.

 

Proserpina Sextile Asc.,  Orb: 0 deg. 03 min.

 

You tend to present to the world as a very adaptable and obliging person, and mostly that's how you want it, as you like to be helpful, and you like to be liked. Just don't overdo the useful Santa's elf thing - you are so good at it, it comes naturally - because otherwise people could take advantage of your amiable nature. Be kind, but firm!

 

Proserpina Trine Bacchus,  Orb: 2 deg. 29 min.

 

You can derive a sense of strength and satisfaction from giving free rein to some rather wild, even anarchic energies, which makes you one of those free-spirited people who tend to inspire others rather than repel them. Your big secret is that you aren't quite the crazy drop-out you might seem, but one clever cookie doing your thing your way.

 

Proserpina Square Jupiter,  Orb: 1 deg. 43 min.

 

Oh yes, you think and dream big. Especially dream big. But you mustn't leave it all to luck or 'the universe', because drifting will only cause you to miss opportunities and squander the good that does come along. Get real about the effort required to put your great plans into action, and you can go a seriously long way. Don't dream it - do it!

 

 

 

 

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 Libra:

 

There's a strong friendship theme running through your life, and you place a high value on good connections. Whilst you most definitely like people, you can be rather choosy about your company, and disappointed idealism can turn you into a fairly aloof loner rather than a social animal. There's an often uncompromising streak in your nature, a strong awareness of your inner warrior potential, and you'll live by the motto 'the best defense is attack' if need be. But you'd prefer peace and understanding to all-out war, and discord can be almost physically painful. You are a true idealist and communitarian at your best, but would much rather be useful than merely decorative. Function matters as much as form: you pull your weight in society, and expect others to pull theirs, too.

 

Diana in 1st house:

 

You're an independent critter and definitely go your own way in the world. Some people admire this intensely, but it can alienate others, too. How much you care about such reactions will depend on the rest of your chart - you might be quite okay with living in a rather aloof and often solo way. Sometimes people may be more intimidated by your assertive streak, which can get downright militant. You have definite opinions and if somebody else doesn't like them, well, tell someone who cares. There's a major journey to selfhood going on here, and essentially you are your own best project. You'll defend to the death your right to do your own thing - and the rights of others in this regard, too.

 

Diana Conjunct Apollo,  Orb: 0 deg. 36 min.

 

Diana and Apollo together harness both emotional and creative maturity to the same chariot - which is your own self-development. You have a tremendous capacity to grow into a very full and rich expression of all your potentials. Just don't squander this gift by becoming too proud. That will alienate the people whose support and respect you want.

 

Diana Sextile Sun,  Orb: 1 deg. 43 min.

 

You find strength and satisfaction from cultivating your independence and individualism, which may become so marked they carry descriptors such as 'rugged'. There is a warrior quality to you, a vigor and purposefulness, but your sense of honor also earns you respect. You organize life so you aren't beholden, and can achieve strong success.

 

Diana Sextile Mercury,  Orb: 2 deg. 54 min.

 

Cultivating strength of mind is something that gives you strength, period. You find it easy to think clearly and dispassionately about things, and are great to have around in a crisis. You learn easily, and not just in the bookish sense: any kind of information is noted, and you don't usually repeat mistakes. Just don't get too entangled in your high standards!

 

 

 

 

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 Libra:

 

There's an idealistic streak in your makeup, a desire - mostly - for all things bright and beautiful, peace on earth and goodwill to all men (and women). Of course you can send all this sky high, and when the balance of Apollo in Libra is disturbed, the results can be highly disturbing. Forget about fair play, peace, harmony and all that sissy stuff! What about ME (you)? It can be quite shocking to discover you aren't always poised and intelligent and ultra respectful of others. It can be even more shocking for other people if they see your shadow side. But when you soar, you can be one with the angels, gentle, patient, a born diplomat and mediator. At your best, you bring balance into your own life and into all the lives you touch, by dedication to a true middle way of being and doing.

 

Apollo in 1st house:

 

You can have a very strong personal presence, and the ability to be noticed is something you find reassuring and validating. Unless there are strong countervailing influences elsewhere, you want to be seen and admired; and even with an otherwise modest horoscope, you at least want respect. If necessary you can become quite combative on your own behalf, or could channel this power of assertion into fighting for a cause, or for people who matter to you. If a new road needs to be hoed, you'll hoe it: you aren't afraid to go into new territory. This pioneering streak can make you seem very brave, but you also need to watch out for a selfish streak. Do unto others as you would be done by!

 

Apollo Sextile Sun,  Orb: 2 deg. 19 min.

 

You find greater than usual pleasure from untrammeled self expression, and feel most fulfilled when your creative energies are working at full throttle. When it all flows, you easily hone your skills and accomplish much, but there is a risk here of being satisfied with even easier appearances. Keep this in check, and you can go far.

 

Apollo Sextile Mercury,  Orb: 2 deg. 18 min.

 

At times your mental processes are so precise and express with such facility that it may seem you are a cross between a super computer and a poet. You enjoy learning, and find a kind of aesthetic pleasure in knowledge - and its display! There's something of the peacock in you as well, which is fine when you are genuinely drawing on your talents.

 

Apollo Sextile Bacchus,  Orb: 2 deg. 31 min.

 

There is an easy flow of creative energy here, a richly complex one that allows you to play with formal ways of doing whatever you do, whilst also allowing a little wildness and passion into the process. The main risk is becoming some kind of pleasure junkie, and neglecting other works, or spoiling the worth of what you do by cutting corners.

 

 

 

 

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 3rd house:

 

Inspired communication is the name of the game here, and when it's 'game on' you never know quite what might happen if you're part of the play! Some of the world's most gifted communicators have had Bacchus in the House of the Mind, and you would be more than happy to add your name to such illustrious company. Make a decent effort of it, and you just might do it, too! Take a vast imagination, the potential to channel divine inspiration directly, add a little mental discipline, and you can bake a mighty fine communications cake. If you get bored or give up too soon you can sabotage your works, of course. Quit doodling around and you can reach a big audience - which is what you want, isn't it?!

 

Bacchus Conjunct Sun,  Orb: 4 deg. 50 min.

 

You can take flight into imaginal (and imaginary) realms of a splendor almost beyond anyone's conception - except that of another seeker like yourself. The challenge is to bring the sublime visions down to earth, without losing anything in the translation because ego has got in the way. Keep it real about what you can concretely achieve.

 

Bacchus Conjunct Mercury,  Orb: 0 deg. 13 min.

 

Your mind is a very flexible and subtle thing, not so much a mechanical instrument (like the usual modern computer metaphors) as a shimmering interplay of light and music. It can be hard to make your visions concrete, though, and you need to find some earthy ways to simplify whatever you communicate, lest you baffle and confuse everyone.

 

Bacchus Conjunct Uranus,  Orb: 4 deg. 14 min.

 

They broke the mold when they made you, or at least, that's what you want to think about yourself. The last thing you want is to be 'normal', white bread, vanilla, standard issue. And you do know how to bring a new definition to the term 'original creation'. Just don't get so crazy about being unique and avant-garde that you end up seeming plain crazy!

 

Bacchus Sextile Asc.,  Orb: 2 deg. 32 min.

 

There's a playfulness to your nature, and something of the actor about you, a desire to experiment with identity and try on different ways of being in the world. Or you could be a mystic or a poet or an artist or, or - just about anything or anyone! Just make sure you keep a sense of your core identity whilst you spin the dials and ring the changes!

 

Bacchus SemiSquare Saturn, Orb: 0 deg. 56 min.

 

This can be a push-pull energy exchange: imaginatively wild one minute; severe, even repressive, the next. Extremes of restraint or revelry won't take you far in the long run, just keep you see-sawing. But if you can link your gift for inspired thought to a little elbow grease and practical effort, you can ease the tensions and do great things.

 

 

 

 

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 Aquarius:

 

Your soul is forged through a process of intellectual testing, especially the sometimes tricky challenge of translating what can be doctrinaire theory into workable and ethical practice. You also find lessons around the whole group action thing, and your capacity to cooperate with others (and engender cooperation) and work for change. You are very much your own person, though, so finding the right group can be a test as well, since not everybody knows how to take you. There's something quirky about your style, and you are certainly avant-garde intellectually, maybe way ahead of your time. At your best you have brilliant insights into what makes the world tick, especially large groups, and this can be your way back to a collective process in which you become a leader of the pack.

 

Hephaistos in 5th house:

 

The soul making process indicated by the sign your Hephaistos occupies is channeled into your drive for self expression and ability to create and play. You have a vivid imagination, which can work up a strong personal vision. At best, you can take your vision and share it with the world in an inspiring way, developing a certain appeal, and even sexiness, as a performer. There's something indefinable about you that people notice. Once you come into your personal power you can be a real force to be reckoned with, and if you take the world stage (or at least your community soapbox) you can really make a mark. As long as there's substance to back up your style, you're a winner.

 

Hephaistos Trine Saturn,  Orb: 0 deg. 35 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 Square Chiron,  Orb: 0 deg. 42 min.

 

You have a strong drive to manifest some aspects of the hero archetype, particularly the ability to go far beyond ordinary endurance or achievement. But this can set you up for unnecessarily harsh challenges if you don't set realistic goals for yourself, and heal inner hurts first. Frenetically 'showing them' as overcompensation doesn't finally work.

 

Hephaistos Sesquiquadrate Asc., Orb: 1 deg. 00 min.

 

Self criticism can be helpful if it checks a runaway ego, but it's a burden if you give way too much to lack of self esteem and self denigration. You may need to get a little less hard on yourself. Look for practical works to do so you can present a capable image, and stop fretting about superficialities. Your skills are worthy of real self confidence.

 

Hephaistos Sesquiquadrate MC, Orb: 0 deg. 50 min.

 

You've a strong drive to achieve, not so much from vanity as from fear, as you worry about whether or not you are worthy of respect, even of affection. It would help your progress to work on your self esteem so you believe more simply in the power that derives from the integrity of your skills. A little practical effort, and you're a winner.