The Asteroid Report

Chiron and the Asteroids

Astrological Report for Elisabeth Ashley

by Viniita Hutchinson

prepared by:
Cheshire Rose Books
10227 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Fair Oaks, CA  95628
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Your Chart Data

Name: Elisabeth Ashley
Date: Aug 30, 1939
Time: 03:30:00 AM EST +05:00
Place: Ocala,FL
082W08'00" 29N11'00"

Text Copyright 1995 Vinita Hutchinson

Program Copyright 1985-1998 Matrix Software, Inc.

407 N. State St., Big Rapids, MI 49307 616-796-2483

Introduction

Astrology is an ancient science and art that has been in use for centuries. The planets are named after the Mediterranean gods of ancient Rome and Greece. This illustrates the awareness possessed by our ancestors of the synchronicity between the activation of life's archetypal energies and the movements of heavenly bodies that seem to measure the timing of these events.

The last few centuries have been an exciting time for astrologers. We have witnessed the discovery of the outer planets and watched them conform to the synchronistic meaning ascribed to them by their names, joining and expanding the pantheon of deities that dance through the horoscopes of people and political events. Astrologers have become comfortable with the extended astrological family that now includes Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, and these have been utilized in western astrology for most of the twentieth century. Since the dust has settled from these cosmic discoveries, astrologers have had some time to study the action of some other newly discovered heavenly bodies - namely Chiron and the asteroids.

The asteroids lie in a belt that orbits between Mars and Jupiter. It is now known that this belt is comprised of thousands of asteroids, but the first four were discovered many years in advance of the rest. These four asteroids were named after four major Olympic goddesses, which happened to redress the gender imbalance among the primarily male planetary deities that populate the horoscope. Thus it was that Ceres, Juno, Vesta, and Pallas Athena came along at the time of the birth of the women's movement in the nineteenth century. Astrologers do work with the myriad of other asteroids as well, but these four, with their associations to four of the most important goddesses, are the "standard" ones in use.

Chiron was discovered in 1977, and was named after the wise Greek centaur who tasted immortality. Chiron lies between Saturn and Uranus and occasionally passes within the orbit of Saturn. At first thought to be a comet or asteroid it is now considered a "planetoid" or small planet-like body.

The astrological portraits of the asteroids and Chiron have emerged through the observations of fascinated astrologers over the last century. This report informs you of their symbolic meaning and gives you insight into how they operate in your own horoscope.

Chiron & the Asteroids in Your Chart

Chiron

The astronomical body, Chiron (once thought to be a comet or asteroid, now considered a "planetoid" or small planet-like body) is named after the ancient Greek, centaur demi-god who was horse from the waist down and human from the waist up. Chiron's orbit, unlike that of the asteroids, lies between Saturn and Uranus, and is irregular in that it occasionally crosses inside the orbit of Saturn. This astronomical characteristic is symbolic of Chiron's reputation for being somewhat of a maverick.

Chiron was no ordinary run-of-the-mill centaur at the mercy of instincts and appetites. He displayed such self-mastery and was so wise and gifted in both the arts of healing and the arts of war and statesmanship, that he found himself mentor to hero's and kings and their sons. His service was of such value that he was granted immortality by the gods. Chance would have it that he was accidentally wounded in the foot by one of his own poisoned arrows, carelessly tossed by one of his fosterlings (Heracles). Since by this time he was immortal, the result of this mishap was that Chiron was condemned by fate to suffer eternally the agonies of a poisoned wound that could not be healed. In order to obtain release from his endless suffering, the wise old centaur decided to relinquish the mantle of immortality that had been bestowed upon him. He gave it, instead, to Prometheus (who needed it to be freed from the punishment he suffered for mocking the gods and stealing their fire). In this way, Chiron embraced death and found release from his suffering.

Astrologically, Chiron's placement in the horoscope indicates one's experience of the wound that does not heal, (or the wound that does not seem to heal, because although an important lesson may be learned through dealing with it, the wound seems to spiral around with another lesson on a deeper level). Chiron represents one's experience of woundedness and the nature of the wound. Second, by coming to terms with suffering through an acceptance of one's mortality, one arrives at a greater state of wholeness or healing. Third, Chiron shows how one comes into one's own as an elder or mentor who can provide healing and guidance to others. Thus Chiron also astrologically indicates the ways and means with which you can guide others, as well as the kind of mentoring and healing you seek for yourself.

Chiron in Cancer

With Chiron in Cancer, mentoring and the healing process are associated with need for nurturance, empathy, emotional bonding, and sensitivity. This applies to both the kind of mentoring you seek for yourself, and the kind that you are eventually able to extend to others. You may feel wounded or inadequate in these traditionally maternal areas of life, or experience an insoluble conflict in regards to these things. Painful experiences to do with the home, family security, or mother-child relationships (with the biological mother or with other nurturing figures) can evoke your philosophical side and awaken a true sense of wisdom as you struggle to come to terms with the ongoing suffering and the healing sought.

Chiron in 12th House

Chiron in the twelfth house indicates that the wounding/healing experience (as described by Chiron's sign placement) plays itself out through the sphere of life that has to do with hidden, unconscious or transcendent experiences. For you, the path to healing may lie in accessing and expunging secret, subliminal, or unconscious issues that constitute festering wounds. There may be a sense of "karmic fatedness" associated with your encounters with certain mentor or healer figures; spiritual mentors could have a very healing or wounding influence upon you. You could have a gift for, or benefit from, esoteric healing work with the subtle energy body, but you should exercise discrimination and trust your own intuitions when it comes to seeking help from those in the healing profession. Don't allow yourself to "give your power away;" ultimately you heal yourself. There may be painful suffering related to inappropriate or excessive sacrifices, guilt or persecution complexes, a desire to escape from the world, spiritual or substance abuses, or difficulty in distinguishing ordinary from non-ordinary states of mind due to an overactive imagination. Any dysfunctional defense mechanisms you use to deal with the painful issue can cause you further difficulties. Eventually you learn how to integrate and learn from these experiences in such a way that you cyclically reap deeper and deeper healing and wisdom from them.

Moon Trine Chiron Orb: 06°33'

Chiron forms a harmonious aspect with the Moon. The Chiron archetype is complemented by your emotional and instinctive responses. Other people feel nurtured by your counsel, and healed by your nurturance. There is a healing touch to your natural caring way of responding to any event, person, or stimulus. You are extremely sensitive to the suffering of humanity, and to the astral or emotional energies of others. You have an instinctive sympathy towards the wounded animal in others (especially wounds arising from relationships to mother or other anima figures).

Mars Opposite Chiron Orb: 06°52'

Chiron forms a challenging aspect with Mars. The centaur and the warrior butt heads! You may suffer due to opinions that it is unmanly for men to engage themselves in healing, therapeutic or counseling endeavors. Or perhaps you struggle with feelings of lack of confidence or fear of confrontation when it comes to fulfilling a calling you feel to teach or mentor. The ability to cope with confrontation and aggression, as well as to assert yourself and express your drive and your anger in effective ways is, for you, experienced as a painful or wounding issue in some way. You may have been exposed, in early life, to an ongoing atmosphere of subtle or overt abuse and intimidation that prevented you from learning the positive skills of self-assertion and healthy anger. You may fear your own capacity for anger, or believe that all anger is destructive. This can lead to a suppression of anger that builds up and does start to feel threatening. As a result you may, consciously or unconsciously, lapse into passive-aggressive behavior patterns or indulge in backhanded competitive efforts to wreak vengeance on those with whom you are angry. Direct honest expression of your anger can be the most frightening and threatening challenge in the world, yet you long to learn how to be able to handle yourself in such a way. When you do, you find the effects incredibly healing. The trick is to learn to see that the need for healing and the need for confrontation are not incompatible, and that by learning to embrace both these needs you find the solution to these old patterns of conflict.

Uranus Sextile Chiron Orb: 04°38'

Chiron forms a harmonious aspect with Uranus. The wounded healer finds a friend in the forward thinking rebel who is a proponent of change. You may address wounds (both your own and those of others) that have to do with issues of modern technology, computer science, or the subtle electro-magnetic energy fields of the human body. Iridology, Reiki, acupuncture, and cranio-sacral therapy are some examples of the kinds of subtle-energy healing techniques that you may have a knack for. Perhaps you are interested in the therapeutic use of the test innovations in modern technology. Through dealing with the wounds caused by experiences with reformative movements or collectives that fall painfully short of their ideals, you come to learn on a profound level that the only change that leads to freedom is a deep internal change. This involves one's own thought patterns, for they are the root of the behavioral and emotional habits that unnecessarily limit you. The wisdom you have gained from this kind of healing journey enables you to mentor others who struggle with similar issues.

Ceres

Ceres is the expression of the Earth Goddess archetype that has been worshipped in many forms by various cultures. This archetype has always been associated with mother earth, harvests, a transformational journey to and from the underworld, rites of passage, and the birth or resurrection of a fertility deity.

The myth of Demeter (da mater or "earth mother") and the sudden abduction of her dearly loved daughter Persephone by the lord of the underworld contains the same universal symbolism as other Earth Goddess myths. These myths may appear, at first, to be early explanations for the changing of the seasons. They are actually wise, rich, symbolic teachings on such profound themes as loss and renewal, death and rebirth, and the endless transformation that constitutes the very laws of creation to which this universe and everything in it adheres.

On a more personal level, the Ceres myth deals with the severance of the bonds of love and/or attachment. When we experience love as we have known it being taken from us, we can feel as if we have been cast into a realm of eternal darkness, never to return to the world of the living again. We may then be unable to let go of the past, reliving it again and again in our minds - protesting and resisting the present, and demanding that it somehow hand over to us the treasure that has been snatched away.

Yet as with Demeter, who chose to forgo her divinity and wander in the world of humans, after which she was reunited annually with her transformed daughter, it is only when we can give up notions of eternal paradise and immortality that we can relinquish old attachments. Only when we have been humbled by and have accepted those mysterious cyclic forces beyond ourselves that we can be restored to a state of plentitude and abundance in the here and now. Then we can truly understand how our cup must be emptied in order to be filled afresh.

Ceres in the birth chart thus describes what one really cares about, and the way one nurtures others (and needs to be nurtured oneself) in a parental kind of way. It also indicates where one may tend to cling, the kind of separations that can be traumatic, and what one may be required to give up (or share with others) in order to grow. It can also indicate the ways in which we seek for something that seems to be missing, something we didn't get enough of, as well as the ways that can help us mourn such a loss. As with Demeter and Persephone, Ceres can also indicate the kind of experience that constitutes a rite of passage - the most profound transformation: the death and rebirth of the self.

Ceres in Leo

With Ceres in Leo, nurturance is conveyed in a benevolent, regal way - the "Queen Mum." There is a protective, lordly nature that seems to instill confidence in others: "Never fear," it says, "I am here; I will provide!" You associate nurturance with the fostering of creativity, and the pride and confidence that comes through the encouragement of self-expression. Lack of this kind of nurturance at an early age can result in lack of confidence and inferiority or superiority complexes. This lack could be a source of grief, through which you learn how to provide this kind of nurturance for yourself and, thus, for others. You may nurture others through your own creativity or through inspiring them to express theirs. Your own creativity may express themes of separation and reunion, or may center around a noble, heroic, figure. Loss of creativity, the father, providing parent, or other animus figures could be a source of grief, and could serve as transformative experiences for you, ones that initiate you into the lessons of loss and return, death and rebirth, and simply letting go.

Ceres in 1st House

Ceres in the first house grants a natural look when it comes to appearance and manner of dress. You nourish others, literally or metaphorically. Others may see you as an embodiment or servant of the great goddess, or at least, as a mother figure wise in the ways of Womanhood, for you come across as someone who has undergone female rites of passage and who knows how to guide others through such territory. If you are male, you are likely to have a natural respect for the Feminine, which could grant you a pagan reputation of some kind. The issue of identity is very important to you, for through it you give to others; if it is threatened or lost, you are likely to undergo profound transformations as a result. This could involve the rediscovery of the feminine within yourself.

Jupiter Trine Ceres Orb: 00°05'

Ceres forms a harmonious aspect with Jupiter. The urges for expansion and adventure, and the quest for meaning are complimented by the way the Demeter-Persephone myth touches your life. You nurture the philosopher in others, encourage them in their quests and explorations, and help them find faith and optimism in life's journey. These nurturing activities might be carried out through teaching, travelling, or cultural exchanges. Your own philosophical attitude about life's losses and difficult rites of passage serves to comfort others who are grappling with these issues.

Saturn Square Ceres Orb: 06°05'

Ceres forms a challenging aspect with Saturn. The longing for nurturing bonds encounters the longing for achievement in such a way that these two aspects of yourself seem to be at odds with each other. The need to care for others may conflict with the need to be the breadwinner or pursue a career. There could be a need to achieve in order to gain recognition from parental figures who withheld emotional affection. Or perhaps you feel emotionally threatened by intimate relationships and you respond by severing ties, or avoiding closeness altogether. Such types of conflict may have their roots in your experience (or lack of experience) of the formation and severance of strong emotional ties, especially ties with maternal or disciplining figures. The answer to this conflict lies in learning to see that both the need for nurturing ties and the need for practical achievements can and do co-exist, both within yourself and within those who seem to oppose you (who may carry your unconscious projections of the denied need). Once you can do this, your no-nonsense wisdom in coping with the practical realities of life can be a great source of comfort to others who are struggling with life's losses and difficult rites of passage.

Pluto Conjunct Ceres Orb: 05°05'

Your Ceres is conjunct Pluto. The Demeter-Persephone asteroid unites with the Lord-of-the-Underworld planet, and this lends the whole Ceres myth an extra impact on your chart. You associate nurturance with powerful instincts and energies, and the encouragement of one's ability to handle power and undergo transformative experiences. Your instinctive grasp of the deep inner forces at work in life is strongly colored by your experience of the formation and severance of strong emotional ties with maternal, shamanic, transformational or occult figures. Any such experience will foster in you a psychological depth that grants you the ability to assist others who struggle with themes of loss and return. Your almost occult grasp of the laws governing death and rebirth enables you to nurture others on a soul level.

Pallas

As with goddess-myths associated with the other asteroids, the myths that pertain to the warrior goddess Pallas Athena reflect socio-historic upheavals as well as archetypal themes. One of the most interesting aspects of Athena's myth, as it has evolved, is the changing nature of her birth. In her earliest form she was said to have been born of Lake Triton in Libya, home of the legendary amazons. Her worship was brought to the Greek islands much later by the Libyans themselves as they emigrated across the Mediterranean sea. The story of her birth reflected this migration, for she was then said to be born of Metis - a sea goddess. Further evolution of her myth reflects the encounter of the goddess worshipping peoples with the patriarchal people invading Greece from the north: Metis (whose name means Wise Counsel), pregnant with Athena, was devoured by the invaders' god, Zeus, who later gave birth to a fully grown and fully armored Pallas Athena from his head. Later versions of this myth omit altogether any mention of Metis, and depict Athena as having been conceived without a woman's involvement.

Later myth also portrays Athena as bringing about the destruction of both Pallas and Medusa in what appears to be sociological evidence of the attempt to destroy goddess worship. (Pallas, Athena, and Medusa were the three faces of the Libyan version of the triple goddess.) In one of these myths Zeus tricks Athena into killing her Amazonian sister Pallas during a friendly competition. Another myth relates how Athena helped King Perseus to cut off Medusa's head by giving him a mirror to use so he could avoid her deadly gaze. Yet, as much as these myths might have been used as evidence of the wise Athena's denunciation of the Feminine, they also contain symbolism that indicates how Athena preserved the goddess trinity. For, upon the death of Pallas, the grieving Athena placed her sister's name before her own. As for her attitude towards Medusa, she bore Medusa's image upon her breastplate and distributed her blood to healers as a regenerative medicine. The symbolic importance of the mirror in the Perseus-Medusa conflict also hints at Athena's wisdom and gift as a mediator in teaching how to reconcile opposites by seeing in oneself the disowned qualities that are projected onto opponents.

Pallas Athena signifies wisdom and creative problem solving in which a holistic view of conflicting or opposite elements (the Masculine and the Feminine) is required. This sense of fairness is backed up by a willingness to defend or fight for the underdog. Thus Pallas Athena is also associated with fighting for causes. She represents the application of practical skill and creative intelligence in order to best be of service. She was the goddess of war (defense, originally) as well as the goddess of wisdom and culture - patroness of the civilized arts such as pottery, sculpture, weaving, architecture, and animal husbandry. Pallas Athena can also represent the denial of one's own gender in an effort to cope with situations that require the skills of the opposite gender in order to survive, as well as the struggle to rediscover and reconnect with essential qualities of one's own sex. Androgynous conditions and healing through feminine wisdom, energy balancing or conflict resolution are also expressions of the Pallas Athena archetype.

Pallas in Gemini

Pallas Athena in Gemini denotes perceptive insight or intuitional skill when it comes to communication and teaching. You may be particularly inventive or subtle in the use of gesture, words, speech or writing, and it may be important for you to utilize your skills in the communication of knowledge and ideas in your career. You might also employ these abilities in order to defend or fight for some social, political, or minority cause (see Pallas Athena's house position, below) - making speeches or inspiring others through your writings. You may write as a way of making a cultural contribution, or perhaps your thoughts, speech, or writing revolve around issues dealing with sexual identity or the balancing of the Feminine and Masculine. You have a deeply intuitive and wise grasp of knowledge, and may feel it a mission to pass it on - through creative writing, story-telling, or teaching. Skills in healing or conflict resolution lie in the creative use of word, thought, and perception: mantras, affirmations, and positive thinking; as well as in therapies aimed at the functions of speech, the nervous system, or manual dexterity.

Pallas in 11th House

With Pallas Athena in the eleventh house you like to put your creative energy and practical wisdom behind alternative collective ideals. You are gifted at working with organizations and can help make humanitarian visions a reality through tackling the practical work that needs to be done, something you do with great skill and ingenuity. It is important for you that such ideals and visions be grounded in reality through practical manifestations that can be of actual use to humanity. If this is the case, you'll back a cause all the way. Your creativity may express socio-politico concerns, or be used to support such concerns. The creative intellect is stimulated and inspired through involvement with groups, co-ops, alternatives, and organizations that share your interests, goals, and ideals. Difficulty can arise if Pallas Athena's energy is expressed as an "alternatives" crusade in which certain ideals are all that matters.

Venus Sextile Pallas Orb: 04°28'

The asteroid Pallas Athena forms a harmonious aspect with Venus. The goddess of wisdom and culture meets the goddess of love and they strike up a great friendship! You have an appreciation for the arts, and may have a fine sense of beauty and aesthetic harmony. Your idea of the feminine can encompass assertive and confident worldly or creative accomplishment together with the more sensual, soft female qualities.You may support such issues as women's rights or women's efforts to heal their sexuality.

Saturn Sextile Pallas Orb: 01°13'

The asteroid Pallas Athena forms a harmonious aspect with Saturn. Your interest in artistic or political cultural expression and your urge to manifest concrete practical goals can nourish each other, if you care to apply them to the task. You are able to take a balanced approach towards the integration of career/breadwinner activities with issues of creative expression and socio-cultural involvement. Your organizational ability and your sense of duty and responsibility can be put to use in the support of some favorite cause.

Juno

Juno (whose Greek name is Hera) is an ancient Queen of Heaven Goddess dating from that matriarchal period when the sovereign Deity was female and reigned alone, presiding over the mysteries of birth, motherhood, and the various phases of reproduction. Mythology relates how she was seduced by Zeus, married him out of a sense of honor, endured a marriage characterized by power struggles over issues of fidelity and bearing a line of descent, as well as how she went into retreat occasionally in order to renew and center herself. Her myth parallels the history of social upheaval in the lands where she was worshipped. Northern invaders struggled to impose traditions of patrilineal descent and the worship of their chief god, Zeus, upon the indigenous matriarchal cultures of Mycenaean Greece and Crete. Over a period of hundreds of years of cultural conflict, the two divinities were forced to share the altar. Thus, in addition to her authority over matters pertaining to childbirth and motherhood, Juno has come to be associated with issues of socially acknowledged relationship, legal marriage, marital fulfillment through commitment and fidelity, and the struggle for equality within a relationship. She represents, also, the kind of power struggles that involve controlling the partner through control over offspring, or through the withholding of sex or emotional intimacy. Juno can also represent committed relationships entered into out of a sense of duty, guilt, or for social reasons.

Juno represents both the need for relationship and the refusal to accept inequality within the context of a relationship. She represents the struggle to balance the need for intimacy with the opposing need for freedom - needs which both partners have, although one of these needs may be projected onto the partner. She can also represent the need to take marriage as a sacred trust, a way that leads to spiritual fulfillment through the reconciliation of the opposites in a state of union.

On another level, Juno can represent the way in which one feels rendered powerless by conflict in spite of sincere effort and irreproachable conduct on one's own part. The harder one tries, the more inadequate one's efforts seem to be, for there is a tendency to cling to old methods when circumstances have changed and a whole new paradigm is needed before the way clear can be seen. This frustration can sometimes lead to self-depreciation and loss of faith in oneself. Juno thus symbolizes the transition state between old and new ways of being, where the old fails to meet the needs of the times and the new is not yet manifest. She describes the need for a kind of spiritual self-rejuvenation that is needed in order to see oneself through times of utter disintegration into the future that awaits. Juno in the horoscope thus represents the ways in which we need to renew ourselves, and where our ability to adjust to changing circumstances is most tested.

Since marriage proved to be this goddess' testing ground, Juno in the horoscope also indicates the qualities associated with one's marriage partner and the ways in which one handles intimacy/freedom needs as well as the jealousy and insecurity that often accompany this balancing act. Juno's position describes the nature of any control issues, the ways in which such power struggles get enacted, and the type of sacred cows that need to be relinquished so that the path to marital fulfillment can unfold. Juno's placement in your chart can refer not only to your mate (or the way that you perceive your mate), but to the relationship and to your own behavior in a committed relationship as well.

Juno in Aquarius

With Juno in Aquarius, you may seek a relationship with someone who marches to the beat of a different drummer. You and/or your partner may need a relationship with plenty of scope for individuality, originality, and the freedom to pursue the process of individuation and explore alternative lifestyles. The relationship can feel very restricting if these needs to live one's own life are not met. The need to work for revolutionary changes and humanitarian ideals could be a central issue in the relationship. It could be that, in spite of your best efforts, you yourself experience a sense of inadequacy or powerlessness when it comes to such matters, or that your partner is doing all the expressing in this regard (or vice versa). This could be a source of difficulty when it comes to intimate relations. Intimacy/freedom needs, childbearing, fidelity, and power issues need to be handled with inventiveness and experimentation. Otherwise you or your partner may become unreliable or rebellious.

Juno in 7th House

Juno in the seventh house indicates that, once committed, your relationship is more important than anything else. Either you or your partner will put a lot of energy into making the relationship work, and the desire that this be a shared concern may be of utmost importance. If not married, you may be very committed to other forms of responsible relationships in which cooperation is a concern (a business partnership, for example, or therapeutic work). The qualities described by Juno's sign position (above) indicates the manner in which you can best deal with these issues.

Uranus Square Juno Orb: 03°32'

Juno forms a challenging aspect with Uranus. The rebel meets the liberated partner! The need for intimacy and the need for freedom just can't seem to make room for each other. Perhaps you feel that committed relationships hinder your process of individuation, or cramp your exciting style of life. Or perhaps you use your relationship as an excuse for not marching to the tune of your own drummer. You may feel that your need for constant change and excitement makes it impossible for you to experience lasting ties with another person on an equal one-to-one basis. Humanitarian activities or collective enterprises may conflict with partnership commitments. Rather than pitting these two needs against one another - siding with one, and denying/projecting the other out onto people around you (especially partners), you'll find it more fulfilling, though possibly hard work, to try to find ways to meet both. Then your relationships and your sense of freedom and excitement can enliven and enrich each other.

Vesta

The asteroid Vesta (Latin) is named after the ancient Greek goddess Hestia, first born of the Olympian deities and last released by her father Cronos (father Time), who at one point swallowed all his offspring. Thus she denotes the beginning and the end - alpha and omega - and serves as a reminder of the source from which all things originate and to which all must return. She represents the preservation of sacredness and the state of connection to formless Essence. As such, she is the only Olympic deity not worshipped anthropomorphically; she is symbolized only by the altar and its sacred flame. Thus she also represents any sacred space - be it temple, sweat lodge, or meditation corner - that acts as a container in which we may center ourselves, and feel the presence of Spirit. In ancient times Vesta was worshipped both in the city center as the flaming altar, and in every home as the central hearth whose embers were literally passed on down through the generations from mother to daughter when the daughter married and established her own hearth. In this manner Vesta came to represent the perpetuation of the spark of life, and of civilization and one's ancestral and cultural roots.

In early matriarchal societies, priestesses honoring Hestia maintained a connection to this spiritual essence (represented by a sacred flame that they tended night and day). They offered themselves in sacred sexual union in order to teach the divine aspect of sexuality and the need to remain aware of the sacred while engaged in physical life. The priestesses remained unmarried and committed to none but themselves and their worship. Their sons (conceived anonymously during ceremonial summer solstice rites) served as year-kings when there was no royal heir. These customs were finally abolished when patrilineal traditions were enforced and the priestesses were compelled by the Roman king to serve as keepers of the new (patriarchal) civilization and to observe vows of celibacy. To break these vows entailed a cruel death penalty. In exchange for the relinquishment of their sexuality, matrilineal customs, and true spiritual function, the priestesses (Vestal Virgins) were granted freedom from paternal control.

Vesta's sacred flame represents, in the yogic tradition, the kundalinii force which, when properly awakened and channeled, leads to spiritual development. Thus, astrologically, Vesta has come to represent both spirituality and consecrated (or desecrated) sexuality. This can include a wide range of sexual expressions such as abstinence, renunciation and celibacy, the celebration of spiritually honored sexuality, sexual idealism, and the sacred whore. Astrologically, Vesta stands for that which provides us with inner sustenance; the way in which we are pulled back to our core or inner self; and the struggle between this and the demands of the outer world. Vesta represents the way in which we long to bless others with the fruits of the spiritual resources we have found within ourselves, but it is also the need to retreat and preserve our inner sanctuary against any disrespectful intrusion. Vesta is associated with dedication, focus, and commitment. She represents those things that helps us focus, the way in which we dedicate ourselves with heart and soul, and that for which we are ready (or compelled) to make a sacrifice. The things indicated by Vesta's position in your chart may be things that you feel compelled to give up or sacrifice, often out of a sense of spiritual compulsion. Yet they can also be the very things that evoke your dedication - leading to a sense of deep inner fulfillment when you are willing to make some sacrifices on their behalf. Keep this paradox in mind as you read on, for Vesta can express itself one way or the other - or both!

Vesta in Taurus

When Vesta is in Taurus, working with the physical body or work on practical projects that yield tangible results helps you to focus and center yourself. This is the avenue through which you get in touch with yourself when moving inward; moving outward, it is the means through which you can commit your focused energies with dedication, zeal, and even sacrifice. You have tremendous physical energy and strong physical desires which you may deny out of a sense of religious or spiritual obligation. (Yet through the affirmation of your natural sensuality you can experience the mystical aspect of sex, and come to understand spirituality in a way that erases the dichotomy between spirituality and sexuality. Conversely, an obsession with your own sexual needs could make you insensitive to your partner and hinder you from experiencing this kind of spiritual union.) You can be a real workhorse. It is possible that, through one-pointedness, you focus so much on work and unswerving duty that the means becomes an end in itself and you lose sight of the goal they are meant to serve (described further by Vesta's house position, below). If this happens, your disciplines or work habits become rigid and inflexible and you end up feeling out of touch with yourself. By constantly re-anchoring your physical drive and work energy in your sense of inner spiritual presence, you can renew the sense of fulfilling dedication to your goals.

Vesta in 10th House

Vesta in the tenth house indicates that sacrificial dedication and intense focus are invested in your career and/or social standing. Your sense of unswerving commitment, along with a willingness to embrace discipline and hardship, bears fruit in your vocation. Your work may involve addressing issues of conflict between spirituality and sexuality, or the desecration of sexuality (as in abuse, prostitution, etc.) and its consequences. Your sexual drive may be sacrificed to your vocation, or perhaps you serve some kind of priestly role in your profession. The sense of sacrifice you experience in regard to vocational matters could be expressed either as an intense dedication to these very things themselves, or as a sacrifice or denial of them for the sake of some other goal (which may be spiritual or religious in nature). Careful consideration of these activities or issues will help you understand how to best manage your sense of commitment and remain centered in your self.

Moon Sextile Vesta Orb: 02°04'

Your Vesta forms a harmonious aspect with the Moon. You may channel your sense of commitment to a cherished goal and your capacity for self-sacrifice into such things as nurturing, mothering, or domestic endeavors. Or you may focus your energies on such issues as emotional health and the healing of the inner child. You are able to balance your sense of dedication to your goals with your need for emotional fulfillment. You can honor your sexual and spiritual needs in a way that supports your emotional well being. Anima or mother figures may be supportive of you in these ways.

Sun Trine Vesta Orb: 02°38'

Your Vesta forms a harmonious aspect with the Sun. You are able to balance the need for intense concentration and work with the need for fun and games, and taking time for yourself. Perhaps you dedicate yourself to or make sacrifices for the sake of creativity, children, self-expression, or the dramatic arts. Your approach to spirituality is one that affirms your inner essence and helps you find your spiritual authority from within. Your awareness of the sacredness of the self and of life energies may extend to your sexual energies as well.

Venus Trine Vesta Orb: 04°25'

Your Vesta forms a harmonious aspect with Venus. The capacity for dedication and self-sacrifice is enhanced by your sense of pleasure and beauty. You are able to integrate your intense focus on your commitments with the need for pleasure and some healthy self-pampering. You can infuse your intimate relationships with a sense of the sacred, and experience ecstasy through the sensual and the sexual. Your ability to concentrate and focus your energies can be used to support your artistic or aesthetic activities.

Pluto Square Vesta Orb: 06°40'

Your Vesta forms a challenging aspect with Pluto. The priestess meets the power-monger and it's an awkward situation. The need to deal with issues of use/abuse of power, transformation, or sexuality may conflict with the need for dedicated focus or commitment, or with one's need for spiritual expression. You may object to certain spiritual lifestyles because you find them destructive, abusive, or sexually oppressive. Unconscious psychological conflict may result in sexual difficulties. The challenge posed by this astrological configuration is to make space in your life for both healthy spiritual/sexual expression and for self-transformation and self-empowerment. This will take conscious effort; reluctance or inability to do so will probably result in unconscious projections that sabotage human relations until you start to see your way through.

This sums up your report for Chiron and the asteroids in your chart. An astrological chart is like a blueprint of the human psyche, with its great and dramatic cast of archetypes. And each human psyche is like a unique, one-of-a-kind carpet woven from many beautiful threads of many different colors. Chiron and the asteroids are five of those threads.

This report has described each of those five threads by house and sign, and has even described what happens when one of those threads is intertwined with other single threads (the other planets). And this does give you some kind of overall picture. But the best way to understand the pattern that all the threads make in their weaving of the whole unique carpet, is to consult an astrologer skilled in chart interpretation. The astrologer can make a big difference in helping you piece together the puzzle of your chart so that, in the end, you can see the beautiful carpet where once, perhaps, all you saw was a tangle of threads. Hopefully, this report will help you to understand some of the magical threads that are woven into your life.