As the mind-blowing images from the James Webb Space Telescope demonstrate, we live in a mysterious universe full of points unknown — planets, stars, and other planetary bodies.
Over the past couple of hundred years, as our knowledge of the cosmos has expanded, numerous “new” planetary bodies have been incorporated into astrology, notably the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
Yet, it’s an ever-growing group of planetary bodies, known as asteroids, that can shed even more dramatic light on a natal chart. There are roughly one million known asteroids; as the telescope images suggest, there may be countless others out there.
This week I’m going to do a quick dive into working with some of the more common asteroids and how to learn more about this fascinating branch of astrology.
Divine Connections… or Not
Asteroids are often named for deities. In the past it was common to follow traditional astronomy/astrology traditions and name asteroids after Greek deities. More recently naming conventions have expanded to include mythological traditions from around the world.
Other asteroids are named after more quotidian things, like the asteroid Beer, for example. People can also pay to name an asteroid, which is why you find variations on given names in extended asteroid lists, such as — to take my name as an example — Sophia, Sophiakorner, Sophiaswartz, Sophiacai, and Sophiexeon, all of which are listed in the extended asteroid section under “S” on www.astro.com.
(As it happens, the asteroid Sophia, which is my real name, in my natal chart is in Aquarius in the ninth house of religion and higher knowledge, including astrology.)
Astrologers vary in their approach to asteroids; some use only certain ones or many, while others don’t use them at all. I’m aware of about 50 asteroids commonly used in natal charts. There are another 23,279 (as of this writing) that astro.com offers in its natal chart calculations under the extended chart calculations page.
Why Asteroids?
You may be wondering why you would want to add even more information to a natal chart, which can be overwhelming enough as it is with just the seven traditional planets and three outer planets. Why add even more complexity?
I can sympathize with this question, since I tend to take a minimalist approach to interpreting birth charts. However, since being introduced to asteroids years ago through Demetra George’s seminal book on the subject, Asteroid Goddesses, I’ve incorporated them into my own astrological practice.
I’ve found that many people deeply resonate with the mythology of asteroids that figure prominently in their charts. Often, they will see a reflection of the archetypal mythology playing out in their own lives. It can be helpful, even healing, to understand events in our lives as being connected to myth.
Start With the Big Four
Demetra George’s book dramatically expanded the archetypal cast of characters available in a natal chart, particularly on the feminine side, introducing the asteroids Ceres, Pallas Athene, Juno, and Vesta into the pantheon. Along with Chiron, once thought to be an asteroid but now classified as both a minor planet and a comet, these four asteroids are probably the most commonly used and provide great insight into a natal chart. (I will get to Chiron on its own in a later post.)
The following summaries are drawn primarily from George’s book, which remains an evergreen and deeply inspiring source, even decades after its publication.
Ceres, known as Demeter in Greek myth, is the earth mother who famously lost her daughter Persephone (also an asteroid) when she was kidnapped by Hades to become queen of the underworld. Anguished over the loss of her daughter, Ceres stopped the earth from producing food until she was reunited with Persephone. When Ceres is prominent in a natal chart there are often themes of motherhood and nurturing, often expressed through food.
Pallas Athene, known to most of us as Athena, and the goddess for which Athens was named, is the warrior queen divinity. Born from the head of her father, Jupiter (Zeus), Pallas Athene never married or had children. She was known for her wisdom, her skill in the healing arts and as an artist, as well as her strategic acumen in battle and politics. A prominent Pallas Athene shows someone with a strong strategic and creative drive who is often ambitious and a leader.
Juno, known also as Hera, was the queen of the gods, the wife and consort of Jupiter. Juno famously endured the indignities of Jupiter’s many affairs but also had a powerful cult of her own; some sources suggest she was originally worshipped on her own as a powerful goddess before rival religious factions forced the merger between her and Zeus. Her significations include sexuality and the blood mysteries of female reproduction and childbearing, as well as partnership and where power resides in an intimate relationship. A prominent Juno can indicate someone whose life embodies being a consort of some type.
Vesta, also known as Hestia, is the keeper of the sacred flame. The firstborn of the Olympians, Vesta never married and dedicated herself to the temple, along with her fellow vestal virgins, where they tended to the divine fire and engaged in sacred sexual rites. Thus, Vesta symbolizes concentrating our energies to tend to what is sacred for us. Often there is a connection to sexuality in some way, either as a sacred practice or a controlling force, when Vesta is emphasized in a natal chart.
George also notes several important additional asteroids, grouping them in pairs:
The Lovers: Eros and Psyche
The Warriors: Lilith and Toro
The Empaths: Sappho and Amor
The Liberators: Pandora and Icarus
The Protectors: Diana and Hidalgo
The Knowledge Holders: Urania and Chiron
Other asteroids to look out for are Eris, the sister of the war god Ares and a signifier of feminine retribution; Hygeia, the goddess of health and cleanliness; Makemake, the fertility goddess of Easter Island; and Haumea, the Hawaiian earth mother goddess.
What to Look For
I always pull up a chart with the four asteroids listed above, plus Chiron, after I’ve spent some time with the traditional and outer planets. I look at the positions of these asteroids and note if any fall anywhere in the all important first whole sign house. If so, they are an important component of the personality and life of the chart native. For example, having Ceres in the first house can indicate a nurturing personality, or even someone known as a baker or farmer.
Next, I look to see if any of these five — or any of the 50 others listed in my astrology software (Astro Gold) — are forming close aspects (within 3 degrees) of any of the personal planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Special consideration goes to any asteroids making a tight aspect to the ruler of the Ascendant, the planet which steers the chart native’s life.
Harsh aspects (conjunction, square, and opposition) will bring the asteroids and their significations into sharp relief, often as problems or obstacles. Harmonious aspects, on the other hand (sextiles and trines), often show interests or skills, areas where the meanings of the asteroids enrich our lives. Aspects of the asteroids to Jupiter, Saturn, and the outer planets can be important, especially if configured to a personal planet as well, but they are often generational and shared by many of the same age and therefore not always as particular to individual lives.
Wherever they’re located by sign and house, the asteroids can be scarily insightful. Demetra George herself recently pointed out in her email newsletter that Liz Cheney has Vesta prominently placed with her sun in Leo in the fourth house of home, family, and father. She’s carrying the torch, so to speak, of her father and his politics (and she’s also clearly under a tense spotlight as transiting Saturn and Uranus oppose and square her Vesta-Sun configuration currently).
Finally, I often look up a person’s name or the names of their family members, if I know them, on the extended asteroid calculator on astro.com. You would be amazed to know how many people, who may be somewhat skeptical about astrology, are completely blown away when an asteroid bearing their name (or their partner’s name or their cat’s name) shows up prominently in their chart. What can I say? Astrology is truly amazing.
Astro-seek.com has an asteroid calculator that calculates a chart with Ceres, Pallas Athene, Juno, Vesta, Eros, Sappho, Psyche, Eris, Pholus, Sedna, Chariklo, Haumea, Makemake, and Hygeia. For additional asteroids, see the Extended Chart Selection section of astro.com.
