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  [email protected]

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:

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