Asteroids in astrology
Encyclopedia
Asteroids in astrology are used by some astrologers in a similar way to the planet
s. Asteroids are planetoids that orbit the Sun
between Mars
and Jupiter
, and are not to be confused with Centaurs
or Trans-Neptunian Objects. The asteroids are relatively new to astrology
, having only been discovered in the 19th century. However, some of them (especially the largest of them), are believed by some astrologers to influence human affairs. Still though, they are often ignored within mainstream systems of astrology, especially in more traditional astrology systems like Vedic astrology or Hellenistic astrology
. Their use has become significant to a few Western astrologers
yet still only a minority of astrologers use the asteroids in chart
interpretation.
, Pallas Athene
, Juno
and Vesta
(in order of chronology) were counted as planets between 1808–1845, when the smaller asteroids began to be discovered. Astronomically the status of Ceres has changed again. In a proposed Resolution in 2006, it was suggested as one of the 12 planets in our Solar System, but in the end was re-classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union. Many astrologers believe that astronomical labels don't hold much weight in their practice as through history man's definitions and labels have changed, but the astrological significations of what are considered "astrological planets" (including the Sun, Moon and, for modern astronomers, Pluto) have not changed.
Ceres was the first asteroid discovered and is the largest asteroid of all, taking up about 1/3 of the entire mass of the asteroid belt . In astrology, to get an understanding of the nature of a planet the astrologers analyze the name given to it. In mythology Ceres was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Demeter
. She was the goddess of agriculture & when her daughter Persephone
was kidnapped by Pluto
in an attempt to force her to marry him, Demeter became so distraught looking for her daughter that she neglected the Earth which became cold and most plants died. This was the first autumn and winter season, which came back every year even after Persephone had been saved by Hermes because she had eaten a pomegranate that made her Pluto's wife forever, and he demanded she return to him once a year. These myths, including the fact that Ceres is the roundest asteroid (it resembles the Moon) signify that in astrology the placement of Ceres in a birth chart is said to show what the native needs to feel loved and nurtured.
Often simply known as "Pallas," this is the second asteroid discovered and the third in size. There are many Pallas
es in mythology. Some sources say Pallas
was Triton
's daughter and Athena
's playmate who was killed and Athena mourned her by changing her name to Pallas & making a wooden statue of her, which Zeus dropped to the Land of Troy where a temple was built in its honor. Others say that Pallas was an old god who combined with Athena. In these respects, Pallas can be interpreted as an indicator of effort. Other astrologers interpret it as an indicator of wisdom, intelligence, healing (perhaps through effort) as the titan named Pallas was a god of these things. This asteroid, like Vesta, is also sometimes called an influencer of Virgo.
This asteroid was the 3rd to be discovered and is 9th in size ranking (1 Ceres, 2 Pallas, 4 Vesta, 10 Hygiea, 511 Davida, 704 Interamnia, 65 Cybele, 52 Europa are considerably bigger and heavier). In mythology Juno
is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Hera
. Hera was a very important goddess in both Greek and Roman culture. She was a wife of Zeus and hailed as the Queen of Gods and Zeus' main concubine (at least the myths imply that this was what she thought herself). She was the goddess of marriages, unions, and was also associated with finance and found cows and peacocks to be sacred. She was also very jealous and aggressive, especially when Zeus was involved with another woman; she would often kill the children Zeus and the other women or goddesses would create together, including attempts to kill Hercules & Dionysus—or the woman herself. For these reasons, Juno is used in astrology as an indicator of what a native requires to feel satisfied in love or romance, or what is one needs in order to feel their marriage is successful and satisfying. Because of Juno's association with relationships, money, cows and jealousy, it also appears to have an influence of the sign Taurus
.
This asteroid is second largest in size, fourth to be discovered of which it is the fastest to travel the zodiac and the last asteroid to be counted as a planet. In mythology Vesta
the virgin goddess, the Roman version of Hestia, though she was of higher importance to the Romans, was regarded as one of the most important goddesses of all, though ironically she never was depicted in any visual art (in Greece, some vases with her image however have been found), or at least none of it has ever been found. She was the goddess of hearth, when a baby was born she was the goddess they would ask to bless it and protect the home. In every city & home in Rome there was a sacred fire made to Vesta that was protected & not allowed to go out. Astrologers use Vesta to determine what it is that that you are devoted to and how your sexuality will develop. Vesta, having been a protective virgin goddess is said by some to be an influencer of the sign Virgo
, this is accepted by many in the astrological community, but many prefer to instead of calling the influence an outright rulership an "affinity" or simply do not support this claim. It also seems to bear influence over Scorpio
.
). The first four gained popularity as full-fledged planets, but the rapid development of telescopes led to new asteroids being frequently discovered in what is now known as the main-belt. Some astronomers grouped the first 10 asteroids along-side the first four asteroids as planets until the reclassification that was decided upon after the discovery of Hygiea, the 10th known asteroid.
This asteroid was the 10th discovered and is fourth in size ranking. In mythology Hygeia was the feminine part and the consort of Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine and a mythological healer strongly connected to the Solar cult of Apollo. It seems that Hygiea rules the health practices and is integrated into medical astrology, but in her negative side has something to bring in cases of depression & anxiety of a higher level than usual. The status of Hygiea
is practically unknown at the moment in western astrology.
Chiron is considered the most significant of the "centaur" asteroids. Known as "the wounded healer", it has associations to traumas and wounds or inadequacies which are incurable, but may be worked with, on their own terms, and transformed into one's greatest strengths. Some astrologers believe it should be recognized as the ruler of the sign Virgo
.http://www.aplaceinspace.net/Pages/JMRadVirgo.html
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s. Asteroids are planetoids that orbit the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
between Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, and are not to be confused with Centaurs
Centaur (planetoid)
Centaurs are an unstable orbital class of minor planets that behave with characteristics of both asteroids and comets. They are named after the mythological race of beings, centaurs, which were a mixture of horse and human...
or Trans-Neptunian Objects. The asteroids are relatively new to astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, having only been discovered in the 19th century. However, some of them (especially the largest of them), are believed by some astrologers to influence human affairs. Still though, they are often ignored within mainstream systems of astrology, especially in more traditional astrology systems like Vedic astrology or Hellenistic astrology
Hellenistic astrology
Hellenistic astrology is a tradition of horoscopic astrology that was developed and practiced in Hellenistic Egypt and the Mediterranean, whose texts were written in Greek , mainly around the late 2nd or early 1st century B.C.E...
. Their use has become significant to a few Western astrologers
Western astrology
Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. Western astrology is historically based on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos , which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic and ultimately Babylonian traditions....
yet still only a minority of astrologers use the asteroids in chart
Horoscope
In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
interpretation.
The Former Planets
Ceres1 Ceres
Ceres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801...
, Pallas Athene
2 Pallas
Pallas, formally designated 2 Pallas, is the second asteroid to have been discovered , and one of the largest. It is estimated to constitute 7% of the mass of the asteroid belt, and its diameter of 530–565 km is comparable to, or slightly larger than, that of 4 Vesta. It is however 20%...
, Juno
3 Juno
Juno , formal designation 3 Juno in the Minor Planet Center catalogue system, was the third asteroid to be discovered and is one of the larger main-belt asteroids, being one of the two largest stony asteroids, along with 15 Eunomia. Juno is estimated to contain 1% of the total mass of the asteroid...
and Vesta
4 Vesta
Vesta, formally designated 4 Vesta, is one of the largest asteroids, with a mean diameter of about . It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807, and is named after the Roman virgin goddess of home and hearth, Vesta....
(in order of chronology) were counted as planets between 1808–1845, when the smaller asteroids began to be discovered. Astronomically the status of Ceres has changed again. In a proposed Resolution in 2006, it was suggested as one of the 12 planets in our Solar System, but in the end was re-classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union. Many astrologers believe that astronomical labels don't hold much weight in their practice as through history man's definitions and labels have changed, but the astrological significations of what are considered "astrological planets" (including the Sun, Moon and, for modern astronomers, Pluto) have not changed.
Ceres1 CeresCeres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801...
Ceres was the first asteroid discovered and is the largest asteroid of all, taking up about 1/3 of the entire mass of the asteroid belt . In astrology, to get an understanding of the nature of a planet the astrologers analyze the name given to it. In mythology Ceres was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess DemeterDemeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
. She was the goddess of agriculture & when her daughter Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
was kidnapped by Pluto
Pluto (mythology)
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Pluto was a name for the ruler of the underworld; the god was also known as Hades, a name for the underworld itself...
in an attempt to force her to marry him, Demeter became so distraught looking for her daughter that she neglected the Earth which became cold and most plants died. This was the first autumn and winter season, which came back every year even after Persephone had been saved by Hermes because she had eaten a pomegranate that made her Pluto's wife forever, and he demanded she return to him once a year. These myths, including the fact that Ceres is the roundest asteroid (it resembles the Moon) signify that in astrology the placement of Ceres in a birth chart is said to show what the native needs to feel loved and nurtured.
Pallas Athene2 PallasPallas, formally designated 2 Pallas, is the second asteroid to have been discovered , and one of the largest. It is estimated to constitute 7% of the mass of the asteroid belt, and its diameter of 530–565 km is comparable to, or slightly larger than, that of 4 Vesta. It is however 20%...
Often simply known as "Pallas," this is the second asteroid discovered and the third in size. There are many PallasPALLAS
This article is about the research group. See Pallas for other uses of this word.PALLAS stands for Parallel Applications, Libraries, Languages, Algorithms, and Systems. It is a research group in of the at , led by...
es in mythology. Some sources say Pallas
PALLAS
This article is about the research group. See Pallas for other uses of this word.PALLAS stands for Parallel Applications, Libraries, Languages, Algorithms, and Systems. It is a research group in of the at , led by...
was Triton
Triton (mythology)
Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...
's daughter and Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
's playmate who was killed and Athena mourned her by changing her name to Pallas & making a wooden statue of her, which Zeus dropped to the Land of Troy where a temple was built in its honor. Others say that Pallas was an old god who combined with Athena. In these respects, Pallas can be interpreted as an indicator of effort. Other astrologers interpret it as an indicator of wisdom, intelligence, healing (perhaps through effort) as the titan named Pallas was a god of these things. This asteroid, like Vesta, is also sometimes called an influencer of Virgo.
Juno3 JunoJuno , formal designation 3 Juno in the Minor Planet Center catalogue system, was the third asteroid to be discovered and is one of the larger main-belt asteroids, being one of the two largest stony asteroids, along with 15 Eunomia. Juno is estimated to contain 1% of the total mass of the asteroid...
This asteroid was the 3rd to be discovered and is 9th in size ranking (1 Ceres, 2 Pallas, 4 Vesta, 10 Hygiea, 511 Davida, 704 Interamnia, 65 Cybele, 52 Europa are considerably bigger and heavier). In mythology JunoJuno (mythology)
Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
. Hera was a very important goddess in both Greek and Roman culture. She was a wife of Zeus and hailed as the Queen of Gods and Zeus' main concubine (at least the myths imply that this was what she thought herself). She was the goddess of marriages, unions, and was also associated with finance and found cows and peacocks to be sacred. She was also very jealous and aggressive, especially when Zeus was involved with another woman; she would often kill the children Zeus and the other women or goddesses would create together, including attempts to kill Hercules & Dionysus—or the woman herself. For these reasons, Juno is used in astrology as an indicator of what a native requires to feel satisfied in love or romance, or what is one needs in order to feel their marriage is successful and satisfying. Because of Juno's association with relationships, money, cows and jealousy, it also appears to have an influence of the sign Taurus
Taurus (astrology)
Taurus is the second astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 30th and 59th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between April 21 to May 21 each year...
.
Vesta4 VestaVesta, formally designated 4 Vesta, is one of the largest asteroids, with a mean diameter of about . It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807, and is named after the Roman virgin goddess of home and hearth, Vesta....
This asteroid is second largest in size, fourth to be discovered of which it is the fastest to travel the zodiac and the last asteroid to be counted as a planet. In mythology VestaVesta (mythology)
Vesta was the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family in Roman religion. Vesta's presence was symbolized by the sacred fire that burned at her hearth and temples...
the virgin goddess, the Roman version of Hestia, though she was of higher importance to the Romans, was regarded as one of the most important goddesses of all, though ironically she never was depicted in any visual art (in Greece, some vases with her image however have been found), or at least none of it has ever been found. She was the goddess of hearth, when a baby was born she was the goddess they would ask to bless it and protect the home. In every city & home in Rome there was a sacred fire made to Vesta that was protected & not allowed to go out. Astrologers use Vesta to determine what it is that that you are devoted to and how your sexuality will develop. Vesta, having been a protective virgin goddess is said by some to be an influencer of the sign Virgo
Virgo (astrology)
Virgo is the sixth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 150th and 179th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between August 23 to September 22 each year...
, this is accepted by many in the astrological community, but many prefer to instead of calling the influence an outright rulership an "affinity" or simply do not support this claim. It also seems to bear influence over Scorpio
Scorpio (astrology)
|Infobox align="right" style="border:3px solid white;"||style="text-align: center;"|Scorpio is the eighth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 210th and 239th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between 24 October and...
.
Other Asteroids
After the first four asteroids were discovered, there wouldn't be another discovered for 38 years (Astraea5 Astraea
5 Astraea is a large main-belt asteroid. Its surface is highly reflective and its composition is probably a mixture of nickel-iron with magnesium- and iron-silicates....
). The first four gained popularity as full-fledged planets, but the rapid development of telescopes led to new asteroids being frequently discovered in what is now known as the main-belt. Some astronomers grouped the first 10 asteroids along-side the first four asteroids as planets until the reclassification that was decided upon after the discovery of Hygiea, the 10th known asteroid.
Hygiea10 Hygiea10 Hygiea is an asteroid located in the asteroid belt. With somewhat oblong diameters of 350–500 km, and a mass estimated to be 2.9% of the total mass of the belt, it is the fourth largest asteroid by volume and mass...
This asteroid was the 10th discovered and is fourth in size ranking. In mythology Hygeia was the feminine part and the consort of Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine and a mythological healer strongly connected to the Solar cult of Apollo. It seems that Hygiea rules the health practices and is integrated into medical astrology, but in her negative side has something to bring in cases of depression & anxiety of a higher level than usual. The status of Hygiea10 Hygiea
10 Hygiea is an asteroid located in the asteroid belt. With somewhat oblong diameters of 350–500 km, and a mass estimated to be 2.9% of the total mass of the belt, it is the fourth largest asteroid by volume and mass...
is practically unknown at the moment in western astrology.
Chiron2060 Chiron2060 Chiron is a minor planet in the outer Solar System. Discovered in 1977 by Charles T. Kowal , it was the first-known member of a new class of objects now known as centaurs, with an orbit between Saturn and Uranus.Although it was initially classified as an asteroid, it was later found to...
Chiron is considered the most significant of the "centaur" asteroids. Known as "the wounded healer", it has associations to traumas and wounds or inadequacies which are incurable, but may be worked with, on their own terms, and transformed into one's greatest strengths. Some astrologers believe it should be recognized as the ruler of the sign VirgoVirgo (astrology)
Virgo is the sixth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 150th and 179th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between August 23 to September 22 each year...
.http://www.aplaceinspace.net/Pages/JMRadVirgo.html
Resources
- http://media-darling.com/astrology/planets/index.html
- http://www.magick.net/magyan/asteroids.htm
- http://www.alwaysastrology.com/asteroids.html
- http://www.lunarplanner.com/asteroids.html
- http://www.astrograph.com/learning-astrology/planets.php
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/stacydavidoff/Asteroids.html&date=2009-10-25+22:20:50
- http://www.indigoray.net/symbolsexplained.html
- http://www.astroprofile.com/planets.htm