The Asteroids

The Asteroids

The asteroids orbit the Sun and they are solar system bodies.

They are smaller than the planets and their paths lie mainly between Mars and Jupiter.

They are found in what is called “The Asteroid belt” which is a space between the personal planets (Sun to Mars) and the social planets (Jupiter and Saturn).

Bode’s Law states that there will be a planet found in the space between Mars and Jupiter.

The earlier astronomers looked for it, and that is how Ceres the biggest and was the first asteroid to be discovered.

The Big Four Asteroids

The four largest asteroids are Ceres, Juno, Vesta and Pallas Athene.

The big four asteroids were discovered first because they are so large, and they could be seen with the early telescopes.

These are the main asteroids and they are the ones you will learn about here.

In 2006 Ceres, was reclassified as a dwarf planet (just like Pluto) due to its mass.

This special status conferred onto Ceres has brought Ceres into many astrologer’s main practices and you will often see it in printed charts.

The Asteroid Belt

The main asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter and contains millions of varying sized objects some as large as the planet Pluto and some the size of a potato.

There are three areas where asteroids are found.

The main belt is where most of the astrology asteroids lie, and the Greeks and the Trojans which are groups that lie equally before and after on Jupiter’s orbit path at a sextile.

Asteroids and the Feminine

All the asteroids are named after Goddesses.

They are mostly female.

Female goddess asteroids balance out the male dominated planets such as Sun, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Chiron in a chart.

Female Family

The four main asteroids are all named after the females in a family.

In the myth of Jupiter, we see the asteroid names.

Ceres was Jupiter’s mother, Vesta was his sister, Juno was Jupiter’s wife and Pallas Athene was his daughter.

Asteroid Names

There are hundreds of asteroids and many of them have names which can be used in chart interpretation.

You may discover that there is an asteroid with your name and if so, it may have a special meaning for you in your chart.

The name an asteroid has reflects its meaning.

Many asteroids were named after Greek and Roman myths and the asteroid with the corresponding name has the meaning of the myth.

Asteroid Orbits

Generally, the asteroids take around four to five years to orbit the Sun.

Their paths lie between Mars, which has a two year orbit, and Jupiter, with its twelve year orbit, although some asteroid orbits are longer.

Ceres

Ceres was the first asteroid to be discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi on January 1, 1801 in Palermo, Sicily.

Ceres Keywords:

• Mother and Earth mother.
• Physical nurturing, food, cooking, nutrition and eating disorders.
• The parent/child relationship, parental kidnapping and custody battles.
• Food production in general.
• The nurturing principle and where and how you feel nurtured.
• Love and comfort.
• Infertility and barrenness.
• Fear of abundance.
• Cereals and the harvest.

Body Parts  

Uterus and upper intestine.

Pallas Athene

Discovered in 1802.

Pallas Athene Keywords:

• The father/daughter relationship and your relationship with your father.
• Mental nurturing.
• Your ability to weave, see patterns and link ideas.
• Your survival instinct.
• The arts.
• Creative intelligence.
• Intelligence, cerebral.
• Creative intuition and defense.

Body Parts  

The kidneys and the immune system.

Juno

Juno is the third asteroid and was discovered in 1804.

Juno Keywords:

• Wife, marriage, commitment and your soul mate.
• Beauty, fashion and flowers.
• Relationship renewal and committed partnerships.
• Betrayal, denial, and inequality.
• Wife issues and powerlessness.

Body Parts

Female genitals.

Vesta

Vesta was the fourth asteroid to be discovered in 1807. Vesta is the second largest asteroid after Ceres.

Vesta Keywords:

• Sister, virgin, goddess, chastity, pure, and perfect.
• Keeper of the hearth. Sorority.
• Locks and keys.
• Investments and insurance.
• Self-renewal.
• Dedication, devotion, and self-sacrifice.
• Promiscuity, segregation, apartheid, and denial.
• Fear of intimacy.

Body Parts  

The hymen.

Starzclass

Aspiring Astrologer Activity: Asteroids

In your astrology journal do the following:

• On your birth chart, note the sign and house positions of the big four asteroids Ceres, Juno, Vesta and Pallas Athene.
• List any asteroid conjunctions to other planets.
• Find out if there is an asteroid named after you, and if so, get the position and draw this special asteroid in your chart.

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