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The Asteroid Report

Chiron and the Asteroids

Astrological Report for Bob Dylan

by Viniita Hutchinson

Your Chart Data

      Name:        Bob Dylan
      Date:          May 24, 1941
      Time:          09:05:00 PM CST +06:00
      Place:         Duluth,MN
                        092W06'23" 46N47'00"

Planet	Sign	Position	House	House Cusps
Sun	Gemini	03°Ge31'	06th	01 20°Sg19'
Moon	Taurus	21°Ta30'	05th	02 28°Cp46'
Mercury	Gemini	23°Ge03'	07th	03 12°Pi40'
Venus	Gemini	12°Ge59'	06th	04 17°Ar51'
Mars	Pisces	05°Pi59'	02nd	05 13°Ta05'
Jupiter	Taurus	29°Ta40'	05th	06 02°Ge42'
Saturn	Taurus	20°Ta05'	05th	07 20°Ge19'
Uranus	Taurus	26°Ta38'	05th	08 28°Ca46'
Neptune	Virgo	24°Vi57' R	09th	09 12°Vi40'
Pluto	Leo	02°Le22'	08th	10 17°Li51'
Midheaven	Libra	17°Li51'	10th	11 13°Sc05'
Ascendant	Sagittarius	20°Sg19'	01st	12 02°Sg42'
Chiron	Cancer	27°Ca51'	07th
Ceres	Capricorn	07°Cp08' R	01st
Pallas	Sagittarius	02°Sg07' R	11th
Juno	Leo	28°Le49'	08th
Vesta	Leo	24°Le26'	08th

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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 7th House

Chiron in the seventh 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 issues of intimate relationships, marriage, and partnership. You or your partner's experience of woundedness could have a powerful influence on your intimate relationship. The healing journey, or encounters with mentor figures could have an equally strong impact on the partnership. Projections, transference's, and defense mechanisms can add salt to the wound until you learn how to handle these psychological habits. This can be achieved through gradually deepening your understanding that one's partner - indeed everything "other" in Creation - is a reflection of oneself, and that your experience of your partner is a teaching that can tell you something about yourself. Scandal suffered because of a relationship, or the burden born because of an ill or wounded partner are examples of other scenarios this Chiron placement can portray. When one partner is a mentor or healer figure who relates to the other as someone eternally in need of help, or who relates more to his or her clients/apprentices than to the other partner is another expression of this placement that can give rise to painful conflict. At any rate, the experience of intimate partnership can be fraught with a sense of deep wounding. 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.

Jupiter Sextile Chiron Orb: 01°49'

Chiron forms a harmonious aspect with Jupiter. You can instill faith and optimism in those who suffer from loss of hope or spiritual crisis. You could play a healing or advisory role in issues involving foreign countries or cultural exchange. As a result of your own efforts to heal the wounds bound up with your spiritual/religious life or belief system, you are able to help others - through mentoring or healing activity - to find a sense of inner spiritual authority and personal meaning of life that is self-empowering. You are able to integrate your own experience of wounding with a positive life outlook.

Uranus Sextile Chiron Orb: 01°13'

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.

Neptune Sextile Chiron Orb: 02°54'

Chiron forms a harmonious aspect with Neptune. Your capacity for compassion, sensitivity, and transcendent experience is a great resource that helps you to heal painful wounds (your own, or those of others). These wounds are likely to involve issues arising from a poor sense of personal boundaries, feelings of victim-hood or helplessness, escapism via spiritual or substance abuses, or difficulty distinguishing ordinary from non-ordinary states of mind. A non-acceptance of human failings and the sufferings and evils of the world, and a desire to regress to a womb-like state can play a part in these problems. You may have a healing influence upon others via your artistic or musical gifts, your spiritual sensibility, or your compassion and psychic sensitivity. Your artistic expressions may touch the wounds of others, deal with healing themes, or be utilized in therapeutic settings. Dream therapy, dream journaling or visualization techniques may also be a part of your healing kit.

Pluto Conjunct Chiron Orb: 04°31'

Chiron is conjunct Pluto. The mentor/wounded healer archetype blends with the urge for powerful and transformative experience. You may embark upon a healing journey that involves a personal sense of wounding due to issues involving death, sexuality, power abuses, destructive urges, or intense and deeply buried emotions such as rage, jealousy, or possessiveness. There could be an inability to perceive the destructiveness in oneself or others, or a lack of trust in one's own instincts and gut feelings; in either case, one's self-preservation skills may be impaired or wounded in some way. You may be attracted to exciting but dangerous experiences that tempt fate - until you get burned enough to recognize that something's got to change. The pain from these types of wounds force a re-examination of one's life and leads to the healing process of self-transformation that does away with old worn-out patterns of self-destructive behavior. Once you have embarked upon your own healing journey, you can have a powerful healing influence on others who are struggling with issues of power abuses and powerful or destructive emotional, archetypal, or sexual energies. Your avenues of healing or counseling may involve work with shamanism, initiation experiences, depth psychology, or primal or archetypal energies.

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 Capricorn

With Ceres in Capricorn, nurturance is expressed in a fatherly manner - through the enforcement of healthy discipline, and through teaching others how to be responsible and to be able to plan, organize and execute their affairs through the confronting and surmounting of obstacles. You associate nurturance with learning how to practically achieve and be successful in your endeavors. Difficulties can arise however, if the feeling of being loved is dependent upon having to achieve or accomplish. Lack of this kind of practical nurturance at an early age, or perhaps the loss of a disciplining or father figure could be sources of grief that lead you to find ways to fulfill this need for yourself, and thus enabling you to nurture others in this manner. The loss of such a figure or the inability to accomplish an important goal could be a transformative experience that changes your life and constitutes an initiation 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.

Mars Sextile Ceres Orb: 01°09'

Ceres forms a harmonious aspect with Mars. Mother/daughter meets the masculine god of war! Your fighting spirit and warrior skills are enhanced by or complimented by your experience of mother-child bonds. You will fight for what you care about, like a parental crusader. You express a defensive attitude towards others who struggle with themes of loss and return, nurturing them by affirming their independence, boosting their sense of self-confidence, and encouraging them to stand on their own two feet. This ability comes from your own courage in dealing with life's inevitable losses.

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 Sagittarius

Pallas Athena in Sagittarius denotes perceptive or intuitive insight into matters of faith, the search for truth, and the "vision quest." You may possess a subtle grasp of and perhaps a creative approach towards philosophical issues, higher learning, and the expansion of mind. Difficulty may arise if this is expressed as a kind of crusade for your own belief system, and it may be important for you to utilize these skills in your career. The ability to see the universal picture can grant you a natural wisdom that lets you move beyond the narrow-mindedness and divisiveness of religious and cultural dogma. This may be put to use in defense of some cause or oppressed group - perhaps one that suffers due to religious or cultural persecution, or one that agitates for freedom of thought (see Pallas Athena's house position, below). You will fight for and defend whatever you believe in, campaigning perhaps for educational or philosophical freedom. Your skills in healing or conflict resolution lie in the creative ability to work with visions, visualization, positive thinking, faith, and universal and spiritual truth.

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.

Sun Opposite Pallas Orb: 01°24'

The asteroid Pallas Athena (the patron-goddess of wisdom, culture and the arts) forms a challenging aspect with the Sun (one's sense of identity and essential purpose). As a result, you may identify with one side of the resulting conflict between the two, and fight or deny the other side. This could be an internal or external conflict, or both. You may feel that assertive socio-political striving or that the cultural world of the arts or crafts are activities for the privileged only. Or you may expect the male animus or father figures in your life to live out this side of your nature for you, or to cause you trouble for doing so. You might feel threatened by androgynous types who don't seem to conform to the traditional gender role models that give you a sense of identity. On the other hand, you may be the one with the socio-cultural or artistic interests who experiences either self-doubt or resistance from strong animus or father figures who are uncomfortable with your activities. You may feel alienated from your one gender or uncomfortable with traditional male role models. It is important that you not consider cultural expression and positive self-image to be mutually exclusive. Tension will be lessened energy levels will increase as you find ways to meet both these needs.

Mars Square Pallas Orb: 03°52'

The asteroid Pallas Athena forms a challenging aspect with Mars. Your male assertive energies collide head-on with issues of culture, the arts, or social activism. You may feel, or be made to feel, that it is unmanly for men to express themselves in creative or artistic endeavors. Or perhaps you struggle with lack of confidence or fear of confrontation when it comes to expressing your creative mind or political views. The pursuit of more traditionally male activities may put you into conflict with sensitive issues of socio-cultural concern. Or perhaps your socio-political views leave you feeling uncomfortable about your more masculine characteristics, like anger or aggressive behavior. Either way, there may be some issue over the expression of one's masculine qualities. It is important for you to understand that both the need for cultural/creative expression achievement and the need for a healthy masculine assertiveness are legitimate. If either need is denied or suppressed, it will tend to pop up in negative forms that continue to irritate you until you find ways to make room for both in your life.

Jupiter Opposite Pallas Orb: 02°26'

The asteroid Pallas Athena forms a challenging aspect with Jupiter. The need for creative or cultural expression runs afoul of belief systems (or vise versa). Political activity or artistic or mental/creative achievement may be inhibited by a belief system that has become dogmatic or rigid in its views about the freedom of human expression. Or they may languish as a result of an overemphasis on achievement or the pursuit of profit and gain. Perhaps an interest in ceaseless travel, freedom, or adventure has, to your own detriment, resulted in a neglect of your creative potential or an indifference to cultural-political issues. Your own cultural leanings could place you in conflict with the prevailing faith or belief system of the times, or perhaps your philosophical views are offensive to those of other cultural or gender groups. How can you make space in your life for both a cultural expression (political or artistic) and a personal faith, philosophy or quest that are not antagonistic to one another? This is the challenge; if you ignore it, chances are you'll lose a lot of energy siding with one of these archetypes in a war against the other (whether internally, or externally with others).

Uranus Opposite Pallas Orb: 05°29'

The asteroid Pallas Athena forms a challenging aspect with Uranus. The cultural protectress-patroness of the arts meets the freedom fighter, and lines are drawn in the sand! The need for creative or cultural expression conflicts with the urge for freedom and change. Humanitarian activities or collective enterprises may conflict with one's involvement in mental or artistic pursuits. Revolutionary ideals and rebellious tendencies could be a little over-zealous, with a contempt for creative or cultural concerns which are viewed as the province of the privileged. Or, conversely, socially or culturally "correct" attitudes could be suffocating, though trendy, and create trouble for the individualist who sees things differently. Identification with unconventional gender roles could create chaotic stress or confusion. The nervous system can suffer from excessive mental activity or from the stress of conflicts like those listed here. The answer lies in accepting both the need for artistic/cultural expression and the need for change and individual freedom. This will alleviate the tendency to unconsciously deny one of these needs and then "see the enemy out there."

Pluto Trine Pallas Orb: 00°16'

The asteroid Pallas Athena forms a harmonious aspect with Pluto. Your wise and instinctive grasp of the deep inner forces at work in life grants you a psychological depth and a sense of self-empowerment that can benefit your artistic or socio-cultural endeavors. You may support groups that are experiencing or recovering from abuse of some kind. You are able to balance the need for outward mental/creative and socio-cultural expression with the more inner need for regenerative healing, self-transformation and self-empowerment.

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 Leo

With Juno in Leo, the qualities you seek in a committed relationship are warmth, spontaneity, and a love of fun and creativity. Someone who makes you feel like royalty, or who shines like royalty for you - something to keep the romance alive. You appreciate a partner who is benevolent and protective, with strong leadership skills. The need for admiration, attention and appreciation is a key issue. It could be that, in spite of your best efforts, you yourself experience a sense of inadequacy 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 loving attention and appreciation for each other, otherwise selfishness or childish attention-getting behavior can result.

Juno in 8th House

Juno in the eighth house indicates that transformative experiences are most likely to come to you through the avenue of a committed relationship. Your partner, the relationship, or the way you behave in a relationship is likely to be emotionally and sexually intense, with a need to share about issues of trust and power in order for things to be healthy. The sharing of resources (financial and material) and energies (emotional and sexual) will be important concerns in the relationship. The qualities described by Juno's sign position (above) indicates the manner in which you can best deal with these issues.

Sun Square Juno Orb: 04°41'

Juno forms a challenging aspect with the Sun. The need for intimacy and a mutually supportive relationship combines inharmoniously with one's sense of self-essence or self-identity. You may feel that the effort you put into making a relationship work takes all your energy and doesn't permit you to express your own creative self-purpose. Or perhaps you feel that if you try to fulfill your own personal expression you will not be able to partake in a relationship of equality and mutual support, either because you don't want to divert some energy into supporting another, or because you don't think you can find someone who would support your own struggle for self-fulfillment. The challenge is to learn to see both the need to do one's own thing and the need for compromise in relationship as important, and to find ways to meet both these needs, rather than repressing or projecting one of them out onto others.

Jupiter Square Juno Orb: 00°51'

Juno forms a challenging aspect with Jupiter. Your enthusiasm for Life and your search for meaning in it are caught up with the whole issue of committed relationships. These two aspects of yourself have trouble acknowledging each other. Perhaps an interest in ceaseless travel and adventure or in a particular belief system makes the formation of committed partnerships impossible - a perceived threat to freedom. Teaching, traveling, or cultural exchanges may be involved. Or perhaps one partner ignores their own truth as a result of trying to live according to the other person's ideals or belief system. Whatever the reason, the challenge is to learn to see that both the need for intimacy and equality in a relationship and the need for one's own growth and exploration are legitimate. You'll need to find ways to fulfill both. Relationships will become healthier as you do so.

Uranus Square Juno Orb: 02°12'

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 Leo

Vesta in Leo indicates that creativity and leadership help you focus and center yourself. These are the avenues through which you get in touch with yourself when moving inward. Moving outward, they are the means through which you commit your focused energies with dedication, zeal, and even sacrifice (described further by Vesta's house position, below). Children may be associated with issues of sacrifice; one may dedicate oneself to children's concerns, or one may feel compelled to choose to not have children. Romance is important when it comes to sexuality, for through it you experience the spiritually fulfilling aspects of sex. On the other hand, you might renounce human love for your creative goals, or both love and creativity for spiritual goals. You may feel obliged to shine for others, to act as a beacon of courage and light. It is possible that, through one-pointedness, you focus so much on these pursuits that the means becomes an end in itself and you lose sight of the goal they are meant to serve. If this happens, you can become a little over aware of all the admiration you do or don't receive, and end up feeling disoriented and out of touch with yourself. You might then feel tempted to renounce your creativity and sparkle. An attitude of reverence and responsible dedication towards love and creativity, anchored in your sense of inner spiritual presence, can renew the sense of fulfilling dedication to your goals.

Vesta in 8th House

Vesta in the eighth house indicates that sacrificial dedication and intense focus are centered around the in-depth and transformational aspects of life - such intense experiences as birth, death, and sexual or mystical union. The longing to become renewed or transformed through the union with the energies of the "not-self," or others, includes the material resources of others as well, so that the sharing or inheritance of the wealth of others can also be issues in which you tend to experience sacrifice or dedication. This sense of sacrifice could be expressed either as denying yourself these things for the sake of some other goal (which may be spiritual or religious in nature), or as an intense one-pointed focus on these very things themselves. Sexual passion can be sublimated into mystical passion. At any rate, your focus is passionately intense, and if at times this proves a little much for others, such difficulties will help you learn to engage positively in powerful interactions with others. 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 Square Vesta Orb: 02°55'

Your Vesta is conjunct the Moon. Your emotional and instinctive responses are inseparable from your feelings of devoted commitment and your longing to sacrifice yourself whole-hearted to something. You may dedicate yourself to mothering, home, and family, making these things the focus of your world. Or you may focus your energies on such issues as emotional health and the healing of the inner child. On the other hand, you might experience a sense of sacrifice around these very things themselves, perhaps renouncing emotional or family ties for the sake of some cherished (possibly religious) goal or ideal. The mother or other anima figures may be experienced as possessing an intensely dedicated or sacrificing nature; there can be a merging of the mother archetype with the priestess archetype. You have an instinctive emotional response to those who struggle with sexual/spiritual issues, and can be a sympathetic and nurturing presence.

Mercury Sextile Vesta Orb: 01°23'

Your Vesta forms a harmonious aspect with Mercury. The need for commitment to a cherished goal and your capacity for self-sacrifice combine with your intellectual and communicative abilities in a natural, easy manner. You have great powers of mental concentration. You may be highly dedicated to your writing, educational, or communicative activities in a way that grants you inner fulfillment. You are able to communicate well about spiritual matters and/or sexual issues.

Jupiter Square Vesta Orb: 05°14'

Your Vesta forms a challenging aspect with Jupiter. One's personal quest for meaning, or one's need for philosophical exploration or adventure may be inhibited by a spiritual or sexual belief system that has become dogmatic or limited in its views about higher studies and the pursuit of knowledge. Or the quest for meaning may languish as a result of an overemphasis on achievement or the pursuit of profit and gain. Perhaps an interest in ceaseless travel, freedom, or adventure has, to your own detriment, resulted in a neglect of your need for commitment to a cherished goal and your capacity for self-sacrifice, or has had a negative effect on your sexual or spiritual life. Your own spiritual leanings could place you in conflict with the prevailing faith or belief system of the times, or perhaps your philosophical views create a split between sacredness and sexuality that causes difficulties for you. Spiritual or sexual conflicts could be related to excesses such as over-eating or fanaticism. By trying to balance the need for ongoing growth, adventure, and questing with the need for dedication and commitment to a cherished goal, you can avoid the natural tendency to unconsciously repress or project one of them out onto others. The same thing applies for the apparent dichotomy between faith/belief system and the need for spiritual and sexual self-empowerment.

Saturn Square Vesta Orb: 04°21'

Your Vesta forms a challenging aspect with Saturn. The practical realist meet the high priestess-keeper of the eternal flame, and things are uncomfortable, to say the least. The need for a healthy spiritual/sexual life may conflict with the need to be the breadwinner or to pursue a career. Duty, obligation, workaholism, pressure to excel, or stern authority figures may thwart one's spiritual or sexual expression or one's desire to dedicate oneself passionately to what one really cares about. Or perhaps irresponsibility or lack of discipline prevent you from achieving some cherished goal. There could be conflict between a material worldview and the need for the sense of the sacred. Your pursuit of spiritual or sexual fulfillment could pit you against "the authorities" (inner or outer). The challenge is to learn to see that both the need for sacred fire (spiritual and/or sexual) and the need for authority, discipline, healthy boundaries, and responsibility can and do co-exist within yourself. Then you can start to find ways to meet both needs; this will alleviate the frustration that eventually leads to conflict when one of the needs is denied or projected onto others.

Uranus Square Vesta Orb: 02°12'

Your Vesta forms a challenging aspect with Uranus. The whole idea of dedication and sacrifice clashes with the urge for freedom, experimentation, and change. An overemphasis on the need for constant change and excitement may thwart the urge for dedication and commitment. On the other hand, the capacity for passionate commitment may inhibit your need for freedom and change. Revolutionary ideals and rebellious tendencies may tend toward fanaticism and end up oppressing the need for spiritual or sexual self-empowerment. Abstract idealism may lead to a denigration of the physical world, and a "good-bad" split between the spiritual and the physical-sexual aspects of self. Identification with unconventional sexual mores may create stress or nervous tension. You'll probably need to accept the fact that you have two different needs: your Vesta needs and your need for change and freedom. And although one of these may seem to be a thorn in your side at the moment, the irritation is a signal that's trying to call attention to this one-sided stance you have unconsciously adopted in favor of one need over the other.

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.