Asteroids as Archetypes of the Goddess          In Search of the Feminine   I believe there's a depth of wisdom which awaits us as we seek knowledge and awareness of our connection with the feminine.  But where do we begin?    In my own journey toward understanding the feminine, I had to  come into contact with a woman who personified all the principles of the feminine and stood firmly in her power as a woman, before I realized that there was something fundamentally missing in my own understanding of, and connection to my feminine power and wisdom.   I was sharing a house in Santa Barbara, California, at the time with my friend, Sharon Rose, who lovingly and by her own example, became my informal teacher, helping me touch on the deeper aspects  of my relationship to myself as a woman.  While in a perfect world, we would receive this knowledge from our mother, it doesn't always work this way, and I believe it's important for us, and well worth the effort, to find our own role models, and hopefully establish a relationship with a hands-on mentor.      Asteroid Placements in our Natal Astrology Chart  There are many paths which help connect us with understanding the feminine psyche, one of which is our natal astrology chart, which contains four major Asteroids, expressions of, and archetypes of the Goddess.   The four main asteroids, (mostly positioned between Mars and Jupiter in the sky), are the ones which are most commonly placed in  the natal astrological chart, but actually there are many more minor asteroids.  Prior to the asteroids being discovered in the early 1800's, the expression of the feminine psyche was connected solely with the attributes associated with the Moon and Venus.    Over the last 40 years, and in conjunction with the emerging feminist movement of that time, many authors have brought our attention to the vast repertoire of qualities and functions associated with the four main asteroids, Ceres, Pallas Athena, Vesta and Juno.   It has been my experience that, as with our relationship to the 'elements' (fire, earth, air and water), that we are more attuned with, and likely to express the energies associated with two of the asteroids quite freely.  While we are likely to develop a working knowledge and familiarity with a third asteroid, we may not express these qualities as much on an ongoing basis.  It seems to be a common experience that we have less connection or contact with the expression of one of the archetypes, so that we place it on the back burner either knowingly or unconsciously until such time, perhaps later in our lives, we dust it off and begin to become more familiar with the qualities associated with it, or at the very least, begin to accept and understand its place in the expression of the feminine psyche.   It's pretty much acknowledged that women have a great ability to multi task, and seem to be comfortable and confident for the most part, in handling a myriad of details at the same time.  If you've ever wondered where this ability came from, just check out the diverse roles attributed to these Goddesses!  Each asteroid Goddess is connected with a set of attributes and functions, as follows:    Ceres  -  Archetype of the Great Mother, was originally named Demeter by the ancient Greeks.    Ceres, best known as the Great Mother, is associated with strong maternal instincts, and the ability to give love, care, nurturing, and nursing to others and to share with, accept and protect those under her care.     Also known as the Goddess of Fertility, she presides over the functions associated with female cycles:  menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth.     As the Goddess of Agriculture she is associated with the planting, growing and harvesting of food.  Astrologically, the position of Ceres and its aspects to other planets in the chart help us understand the following:  our relationship to the feminine, particularly our maternal instincts, our capacity to love, accept, care for and nurture ourselves and others, to honor our feelings and our needs, to willingly share what its ours with others, our relationship to food and to our body, our capacity to let go of our attachments, and to process loss and grief.   This astrologer believes this archetype is associated with the elements of earth and water in the chart.    Pallas Athene - Archetype of the Warrior Queen, was originally known as Athene by the ancient Greeks.     Invincible in battle, Pallas Athene is perhaps best known for her courage and warrior like qualities, along with her superior skills in strategy.  However Pallas Athene is associated with several other roles, including the Goddess of Wisdom and Justice and Protector of the State, Patroness of the Arts, Artisans, and the Healing Arts, and she is connected with political activism.    Pallas Athene symbolizes the qualities of Creative Intelligence: intuition and perception. More than any of the other Goddesses, Pallas seeks her place amongst men in powerful professional roles and expects to be treated as an equal.      Astrologically, the position of Pallas Athene and its aspects to other planets in the chart, help us understand the following: our capacity to draw upon and direct our masculine oriented energies, to stand firmly with courage and conviction for what is just, our capacity to access the intuitive and perceptive aspects of the mind and direct them with great focus into channels which also serve as good mediums for sharing our wisdom and unique perspective.   This astrologer believes this archetype is associated with the elements of fire and air in the chart.    Vesta - Archetype of the Priestess and Keeper of the Hearth Fire, was originally named Hestia by the ancient Greeks.   As Goddess of the Hearth fire, Vesta had a shrine placed at the center of every household and at the central public hearth of every city, symbolizing her role as guardian of home and community and keeper of the sacred flame.  The hearth fire was directly connected with offering food, warmth and hospitality to guests and strangers but being of great importance to ancient cultures, it also represented survival.   In her role as Priestess, Vesta represents the role of chastity, celibacy, and the desire to dedicate service and devotion in the temple, to perform duties which symbolize the importance of the sacred aspects of life. Her inward focus was thereby connected with becoming self-contained, one pointed and centered as she embraced her duties with commitment and unwavering devotion.   While in the matriarchal Greek culture priestesses engaged in sexual ceremonies at holidays which honored the Goddess, this was forbidden during the reign of the patriarchal Romans.  In Roman culture, young maidens who were admitted to the temple at an early age, were required to take vows of celibacy, and should they dishonor this vow, were put to death in a slow and agonizing manner.   It is believed that because of the disparity between the two cultures with regard to what is acceptable sexual behavior for those actively involved in roles or lifestyles with a religious and spiritual focus, that Vesta is now also associated with confusion around the role of and expression of one's sexuality.    Astrologically, the position of Vesta and its aspects to other planets in the chart help us understand the following:  how we experience the connection between our spirituality and sexuality, the desire to direct our attention inward by creating time for reflection and to connect with the sacred, the ability to gather inner attention and focus, bringing about a quiet self-determination which is directed toward a goal or a path with steady commitment, our willingness to open our homes to give food and shelter to others, to take on service oriented roles which allow us to serve to those in need.   This astrologer believes this archetype is associated with the elements of earth and water in the chart.      Juno -  Archetype of the Divine Consort, was originally named Hera by the ancient Greeks.    Juno as the Goddess of marriage, presides over, and protects the vows associated with marriage and honors all aspects of the 'dharmic' role of the wife to her husband and family. In ancient times this position was given special honor because of the wife's role in producing a heir, thereby contributing directly to strengthening and securing the family lineage and continuity.  Women blessed with Juno's protection were described to be beautiful, poised and vibrant and secure in their role within society.     Juno is connected with all forms of committed relationships and partnership in which an agreement is entered into.  She also personifies the gracious hostess, and as such, is connected with understanding social protocol, cultivating manners, refinement and expressing appropriate behavior.  She is also associated with having an eye for beauty, fashion, and adornment.   In mythology, Hera (her name in Greek culture) was married to Zeus, the most powerful of all the Olympian Gods, who was also a great philanderer, causing her much humiliation because of his endless affairs.  She did not sit by and take this in her stride however, but fought back with a vengeance.  As the myth goes, she was prone to take out her revenge not on Zeus himself, but on the women with whom he had slept with.  Though Hera had tremendous power because of her marriage to Zeus, she was not emotionally fulfilled.  Astrologically, the position of Juno and its aspects to other planets in the chart help us understand the following:  a deep desire for emotional fulfillment within a committed relationship, a preference for working one-on-one with others so as to create an intimate bond, a desire to be special and significant to another, a desire to sacrifice our own goals, and live through our partner, who in turn provides for us, our receptivity in understanding social protocol and developing manners, our interest in fashion, beauty and objects of adornment, our mistrust of other women, and their intentions, and a love of intrigue and drama.  This astrologer believes this archetype is associated with the elements of earth and air.