The use of the four Asteroids, PALLAS ATHENA, VESTA, CERES and JUNO is relatively new to Astrology. They are four female goddesses from Greco-Roman mythology and as a group they represent issues related to women and relationships. In Astrology the area of relationships and partnerships is attributed to Libra, which is why I assign them modern rulership of this sign. The old rulership of VENUS over Libra still has its application but the Asteroids lend more insight into the dynamics of human relationships.     JUNO is the goddess of commitment. She indicates what we perceive as balancing us in a relationship and whom we feel compatible with. She is the mirror quality of a relationship whereby we learn more about ourselves. In mythology she fell in love with Narcissus, who was only in love with his own image. This myth gives us the term ‘Narcissism’ and illustrates the way that JUNO teaches us to learn from our partnerships. JUNO tends to value commitment above all else and can lose herself in another person. Ultimately she teaches us to learn to value ourselves and form partnerships based on an equality of power and the giving of love.

CERES is the Goddess of the grain, she is the great mother and could even be equated to GAIA-the Earth herself. CERES represents that which nurtures, feeds, sustains and mothers us. In mythology she lost her daughter for 6 months a year to PLUTO’s seduction and retaliated by creating the barren seasons of fall and winter. Therefore she is also indicative of that which we mourn and also what we withhold from others, or feel is being withheld from us.

VESTA is the Goddess of the hearth and represents the ability to ‘keep the home fires burning.’ In ancient Greece she had a temple of worship, as did all of the major Gods and Goddesses. The temple of VESTA was attended by Vestal Virgins who essentially provided the light at the end of the tunnel for soldiers away at battle or on long journeys. She represents the ability to hold onto a dream, focus ones attention on a long-term goal and to ‘carry a torch.’ The Olympic torchbearer is a modern vestige of her domain, as is the sentiment represented by the Statue of Liberty.

PALLAS (also called Athena in Greek myth) is the Goddess of wisdom. She is indicative of our intuitive awareness, flashes of insight and original/genius solutions to problems. She is able to perceive the big picture and is therefore good at providing long-term vision and clarity. In the Greek myths she was consulted often by the Gods for information regarding the best way to attack a problem. She is clever and good at strategy.

According to Astrology four of the Signs are of a dual nature, they are Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius and Pisces. Libra however is actually of a quad nature, which is why I believe the Asteroids are appropriate, as it’s ruler. Gemini is the Twins and characteristically is a person who can have many different sides or personalities. Sagittarius is the Archer and its duality lies in the personality (Archer) being rooted to one spot while the mind (the Archers arrow) is constantly seeking a broader view and new targets. Pisces is the Fishes, swimming in opposite directions, one towards the heights of spirituality and idealism and the other towards escapism, debauchery and laziness. Libra is the Scales, the four sides of its nature represented by each of the two scales and the two things that are placed within them. The job that Libra performs is to rectify an inner and an outer reality (the two scales) against a standard (one of the objects) and a new piece of information (the other object). There are constant adjustments being made during this process, as is the case in all relationships. Also in this analogy the two scales can be seen as representing the two individuals in the relationship, the two objects being the content of each of the individuals experiences, beliefs and views in life. The standard would always be the person looking at the relationship from the I standpoint and the new piece of information would be provided by the you person.

The way this translates into Astrology is that the I person is indicated by JUNO (what we look to as a mirror of ourselves) and the you person is indicated by CERES (what nurtures us, and what can be withheld from us). The standard (the I persons beliefs and life experience) is represented by VESTA (long-range goals and dreams). And the new information is represented by PALLAS (flashes of insight, a broader perspective, wisdom). The way this plays out is that if I get into a relationship with you, it is because I see you as a mirror for parts of myself that I want to learn more about. I will then see you as holding certain things that I believe I need and that you can either give to me or withhold from me. I will then judge this according to my standard of goals and dreams. The way in which you relate and respond to me would provide me with the new piece of information which, if I pay attention to it can give me a flash of insight, a broader perspective and maybe even more wisdom. In this way we learn from all of our relationships, weather they are sexual, platonic, work related, long term or short term, sometimes this is pleasant and sometimes this is not. So, the Asteroids and their connection to one another can bring a lot of insight into the dynamics of personal relationships and individual growth.

The way this relates to the Libra person is that they are sitting there trying to figure all the various dynamics out, and then put them in harmony, hoping to preserve balance above all else. The Libra feels all these different forces acutely and hates it when they are pulling in different directions. So generally the Libra’s head is filled with a pile of various concerns, mostly regarding being fair and balancing their needs against those of other people. This is why they take such a long time to make decisions and it’s also why they are so good at arguing from many different viewpoints.

The ASTEROIDS relate strongly to relationship issues, so if you are interested in learning more about them and how they influence you personally you may want to have a Relationship Reading.