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The Iris Asteroids Report

Rainbow Messenger of the Gods and Goddesses

for

Annie

The Iris Asteroids Report

Rainbow Messenger of the Gods and Goddesses

Introduction

Ever since the beginning of the 19th Century, astronomers have been aware of the existence of asteroids, but astrologers have only been using them as part of the horoscope since 1973. And even so, only a small number of astrologers actually use the asteroids when reading charts for people.

This is in large part because the asteroids (or dwarf planets, as some are recently re-defined astronomically) are not well understood, except for the first four to be discovered: Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta. But now, the Iris Report aims to change all that! Here you will find interpretations for twelve major dwarf planets and asteroids, and their impact in the natal chart. They add balance, detail and depth of meaning to astrological interpretation.

Most of the dwarf planets and asteroids found in the Iris Report are named for classical goddesses rather than gods, and this is partly in order to balance the excess of masculine energy that a purely planetary astrology reveals.

Most of you will know that the ten ‘planetary’ factors used in standard astrological interpretation are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Many astrologers also include the planetoid Chiron to this list of ten, making eleven. But if the Sun and Moon are considered primal masculine and feminine energies respectively, then out of the remaining nine god symbols listed, there is only one goddess, Venus. This hardly represents the yin-yang balance of either physical Nature or what is taught about the spiritual realms.

(The issue of the ‘demotion’ of Pluto to dwarf planet status does not have any real impact on the philosophical issues being discussed here, or the current ‘promotion’ of Ceres from asteroid to dwarf planet status, and the possible elevations of Pallas, Vesta and Hygiea. The power of the divine archetypes standing behind astrological symbols is more significant than what is or is not defined astronomically as a planet, dwarf planet or asteroid.)

The other reason for choosing certain asteroids or dwarf planets over others is that several of the early heavenly bodies discovered show a resonance with the way that the culture was evolving at the time, which in turn reflects the ongoing evolution of consciousness in the material realm of the Earth. The dwarf planet and asteroids Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, Astraea, Iris and Hygiea are all especially relevant in this regard.

The other asteroids selected for the Iris report are Diana and Apollo (additional lunar and solar symbols that show the primal life energies working in a larger social context); Proserpina; and symbols of the two great gods not represented by planets in the solar system: Bacchus and Hephaistos. These all together complete a kind of balanced listing of archetypal energies which astrologers can use to make sense of a horoscope.

One of the ways of deciding which asteroids are useful is found by considering the concept of the energy dyad. The Sun-Moon dyad of archetypal masculine and feminine energy is very well known to astrologers, as is the desire and love dyad symbolized by Venus and Mars. But other possibilities are proposed in the table below:

Yang symbol Yin symbol

———– ———-

SUN: archetypal masculine/yang MOON: archetypal feminine/yin

life energy, spirit life energy, soul

MERCURY: masculine/yang intelligence, IRIS: feminine/yin intelligence,

“left brain”, data collecting, “right brain”, intuitive

and analytical mind and synthesizing mind

MARS: masculine desire, dynamic VENUS: feminine desire, receptive

activity, outward acting pleasure activity, inward drawn pleasure

JUPITER: Sky Father, male CERES: Earth Mother, female

protector and nurturer, nurturer and protector,

promoter of ethics/abundance promoter of ethics/abundance

SATURN: masculine energy of VESTA: feminine energy of

tradition, structure, and tradition, structure, and

material good order material good order

CHIRON: masculine energy of healing- HYGIEA: feminine energy of healing-

transformation and purification transformation and purification

URANUS: masculine change agent PALLAS: feminine change agent

and consciousness raiser and consciousness raiser

NEPTUNE: masculine passivity and PROSERPINA: feminine passivity and

sublime/altered states sublime/altered states

PLUTO: masculine energy of primal JUNO: feminine energy of primal

power and transformation power and transformation

HEPHAISTOS: masculine principle of ASTRAEA: feminine principle of

work, order, integration and work, order, integration and

disintegration disintegration

APOLLO: additional solar symbol, DIANA: additional lunar symbol,

creative maturity emotional maturity

BACCHUS: masculine symbol BLACK MOON LILITH: feminine symbol

of dark primal passions, of dark primal passions,

escapism and individualism, escapism and individualism,

and inspirational power and inspirational power

With this table you find a balanced grouping of archetypal divine energies which have significant astrological influence. The Iris Report gives you the opportunity, for the first time, to add twelve asteroids to the major factors usually considered in the chart – the Sun and Moon, the planets, Chiron and Lilith – and thereby get a much more complete picture of how the astral energies were constellated at the time of birth for the chart you are reading, whether it is your own or someone else’s.

Of course, the balance suggested by these dyads, or pairings, does not mean that the yin and yang symbols are identical – Venus and Mars are hardly the same, after all! But there is a sense in which the two planets or asteroids involved represent divine archetypes whose energies complement each other, and work something like the positive and negative charges of an electrical current. One end of the archetypal ‘pole’ is outgoing and active, or ‘masculine’. The other end of the archetypal pole is incoming and receptive, or ‘feminine’.

In each of the twelve mini-chapters that follow, a particular asteroid (or dwarf planet, depending on the new astronomical definitions!) is given the focus of attention and related to all the other major elements of the horoscope, including those two important angles the Ascendant and Midheaven, and also the Nodes of the Moon. They are listed not in any order of importance, but according to the order in which they were discovered, from Ceres first to Hephaistos last.

So – let Iris, the rainbow messenger of the goddesses, add her many colors to your chart and complete the work of Mercury, the messenger of the gods.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For the benefit of astrologers and students of astrology, information used

to produce this report is given below:

Aspects interpreted:

Conjunction: 5 Deg 00 Min Sextile : 3 Deg 00 Min

Opposition : 5 Deg 00 Min SemiSquare : 2 Deg 00 Min

Square : 4 Deg 00 Min Sesequiquadrate: 2 Deg 00 Min

Trine : 4 Deg 00

Chapter 1: Ceres

Ceres, lady of loving-kindness

Ceres symbolizes the fertility and abundance of the corn goddess, an aspect of the great Earth Mother. Ceres was the Roman deity; Demeter the earlier Greek goddess of grain and fertility in the classical tradition. With the new astronomical definitions of the various bodies in the solar system, Ceres the former asteroid is now considered to be a ‘dwarf planet’. In astrology, the divine archetype Ceres bestows the blessing of loving-kindness. She distils her energy gently in the horoscope, and does not make a fuss.

Ceres helps you to see the world through kindly eyes, and to enjoy what is natural and simple and good. With her help, you grow in compassion for others, and gain in empathic understanding. She promotes generosity of spirit, and helps you to help other living beings: people, animals, and the natural world. Her position shows something about how you find ways to look after other people, and seek to bring out the best in them.

Ceres nurtures and educates, in the best sense of those words. And on a larger worldly scale, she promotes the good of ordinary people, helps humankind to build democracy, and fosters respect and care for the environment as a whole. Her darker side tends to smother love and games involving manipulation or rejection. However, her more noble urge prompts everyone towards leading a good life, which facilitates the correction or elimination of such unattractive qualities.

Ceres in Virgo:

Ceres is very comfortable in Virgo, her natural domain. You have an affinity with the natural world and could be a ‘greenie’, or drawn to holistic studies and health practices. You are basically a very practical person and a reliable source of advice for those close to you. Regardless of your work or worldly status, you tend to find yourself offering service in some way, and will consider serving others is a high moral value.

Since you operate with a quiet efficiency, your good efforts may not always be obvious, but you know you’ve done well, which matters more than any showiness. You are good at making connections and readily make sense of the chaos in the lives of others, especially at work. Just be sure you don’t always take second place, or get lost in the pushy throng!

Ceres in 6th house:

You are amongst the most genuinely helpful and useful people in the world, which is fine until your usefulness is taken for granted and exploited. You tend to have trouble saying no, and can be imposed upon by the more assertive, or even by a passive-aggressive sense of superiority that says if you want something done, only you can do it.

Your quiet efficiency is admirable, but you may need to learn how to delegate or outsource, and how to let go once in a while. All work and no play will make anyone dull! The secret is to find Mary Poppins’s spoonful of sugar, and make your job a game. You can help others do this too, so you’ll all be playing as an integrated team to achieve great things.

Ceres Square Vesta, Orb: 3 deg. 08 min.

From time to time you encounter significant challenges presented by clashes of duty. Which comes first, work or family? Can you have it all, and is it worth having anyway? What do you value most and why? As you un-knot these questions you will slay your doubts and get a clear focus, in turn allowing you to provide real support to others.

Ceres Square Bacchus, Orb: 0 deg. 38 min.

You have a strong drive to help other people, but this can take on an addictive or compulsive quality if you overdo the generosity, either in fact or by appearance. This can lead people to suspect your motives or accuse you of intrusiveness or manipulation. Be clear about your motives and strategies, both to yourself and others, and all is well.

Ceres Sesquiquadrate True Node, Orb: 1 deg. 20 min.

You have a very strong drive to support other people in loving and practical ways, but can get stretched on the rack of too much involvement with others versus too little investment in yourself. Finding balance is essential, but also a challenge. You need to face things honestly and follow Thoreau’s advice: ‘Simplify, simplify.’

Chapter 2: Pallas

Pallas, lady of consciousness-raising

Pallas was a title of the great Greek goddess Athena, warrior, strategist and wisdom seeker. Her Roman counterpart was Minerva. The asteroid (perhaps eventually to be classified as dwarf planet) Pallas brings gifts of understanding, insight and skillfulness, and helps you to take things to a higher level than you might have thought possible. The energies of Pallas often seem to appear suddenly in the horoscope, and she can present in a surprising, even shocking, way. These upheavals are necessary sometimes in order to shake you out of your complacency and get you moving.

Pallas helps you to see much more clearly, and although this can involve pain, it is for the best in the long run. Illusions are stripped away and you comprehend at a deep level the lessons brought by this asteroid. You grow in intellectual dexterity and sometimes manual dexterity as well, and learn how to approach issues more strategically.

Just as Pallas improves the linkages in your brain, so she also helps you to create better linkages in the world at large. Pallas can prompt you to respond very coldly, too, so you need to be careful of her chilly intellectualism and its snare of retreat into airy, abstract absolutes. But Pallas also promotes equality and cooperation, and helps you to help others in clear-sighted and astute ways. She assists you to act more fairly towards people, and to fight for fairness in turn.

Pallas is a true raiser of the level of consciousness, and ultimately she helps you to think and act in much better, more skilful ways than you might ever have imagined possible.

Pallas in Leo:

With Pallas in Leo you want to shake the world, or at least that part of it which constitutes your personal stage or soap-box. Convinced of the splendor and clarity of your ideas, you want to convince others as well, and if your ideas are genuinely good or creative, you’ll have no trouble finding an audience.

But Pallas is very good at pricking the balloon of narcissism, so if you are talking nonsense, sooner or later you’ll be made to face up to this sad fact – and you’ll be pretty good at pointing out the follies of others, too! You are a wonderful change agent when working for ‘the good’, and with sound reasons and processes to aid you. There is a dramatic touch to everything you do, and you are gifted in helping others to play, especially with new ideas and concepts.

Pallas in 5th house:

Your creativity is driven by a restless, questing preoccupation with the things of the mind, which can make you incredibly productive if you have a clear sense of what you are doing and who or what your audience is. It can also make you quirky and more than a little out of step. If you direct your energies into the right channels, though, you can indeed spend your life in the delights of the getting of wisdom, and in showing others how to play in this rather exalted sandbox too. Maybe you do something arty and a little mad. Or you could have very unusual children. Whatever you do, you do it with a certain pizzazz and style, and people have no difficulty distinguishing you from the herd.

Pallas Sextile Mercury, Orb: 2 deg. 45 min.

Your intellectual acumen is sharply honed, and you draw strength and success from your ability to think clearly and argue persuasively. You embrace new ideas and concepts, and can be quite the clever change agent in your part of the paddock. People look to you for insight and inspiration: there is something of the teacher in you regardless of your job.

Pallas Sextile Hephaistos, Orb: 1 deg. 22 min.

This is a very clever combination, and you draw strength from your ability to find innovative solutions to problems, especially anything practical. This in turn can aid your success in the material world. Your hand-eye coordination is usually very good, and you may be especially adept at handicrafts or anything requiring mechanical skill.

Pallas Sesquiquadrate Asc., Orb: 1 deg. 00 min.

Your drive to be seen as original, clever and visionary is all well and good, but can create discords in your dealings with particular people in your environment. Either they don’t understand you, or they understand you only too well. Cultivate the Pallas virtue of detachment to assess what you are doing and make sure you are playing fair and clear.

Pallas Sesquiquadrate MC, Orb: 0 deg. 42 min.

Although you know your ideals have integrity and you believe in the value of change, you may not always be able to convince others of these things without some sort of fight. Family conflicts may get in the way, too, and you need to use all your clear headedness and powers of persuasion to maintain balance and calm, and simply to play fair to all.

Chapter 3: Juno

Juno, lady of personal power

Juno symbolizes the primal power of the original Great Mother Goddess, whom the Greeks called Hera. The goddess Hera’s supreme position was lost when the sky and warrior gods of patriarchal tribes supplanted the deities of the old agricultural proto-civilization. Hera became the wife of Zeus and patroness of marriage, a much narrower remit of power. Her Roman counterpart was Juno, wife of Jupiter. Although most astrologers read the asteroid Juno primarily as a symbol of relationships and the passions and power struggles entangled in them, there is a much deeper significance to this asteroid in your chart.

Juno is above all about personal power, where you find it, and how you use or misuse it, or fail to use it at all. People often struggle to express their Juno energy, perhaps because the world still struggles collectively with what feminine energy really means. It is not simply about sugar and spice and all things nice.

Juno is often not very ‘nice’ at all, and challenges you to wake up to what you want and find a skillful way of shaping your life path. Juno shines a light on inequalities and demands fairness, or – if she feels thwarted – retreats into angry sulking and defeat. Her most blunted and distorted energies manifest as arrogance and self-entitlement, or in envy and spite; but at her best she bestows a kind of truly royal authority, grounded in maturity and deep understanding.

Juno demands you take responsibility, first of all for yourself. She also teaches you lessons about your values and helps you to transform anything primitive, selfish or self-defeating into a mature and empowering way of being in the world. Juno’s great gift is precisely this: empowerment. As a corollary, she can help you make money or gain material successes along the way. And she can give you great style and a powerful presence, too!

Juno in Virgo:

Juno tends to drop a lot of her royal-ness in Virgo, and gets down to business. You know that lording it over people is not a good way to win friends and influence people, and since you also know that real power resides in exercising influence rather than in brute force, you are more than happy to go about things quietly, and give the flashy and vain enough rope with which to hang themselves. Then you can clean up the mess and take over, all very efficient and tidy.

There is certainly an iron fist in your soft velvet glove, but people don’t tend to mind because you rarely need to use the fist. Strategy wins for you every time. Empowerment comes from your ability to get the work done; just don’t become carping or critical or obsessive, and undo all that good work!

Juno in 6th house:

The power games you tend to encounter in the workplace are really a reflection of deeper issues around appropriate self assertion and self expression. You need to be very aware of who is doing what to whom, and why. Your urge to serve is admirable and ultimately a source of power, because your efficiency and capacity for achievement are huge. But any masochistic behaviors or the arrogant assumption of too many duties, because only you are good enough to get them done properly, will be self-defeating. Take it easy so it will all flow better. This will also help you on a physical level, as you are sensitive to the illnesses that can come from stress and overwork, or harboring anger and resentment.

Juno Conjunct Sun, Orb: 3 deg. 51 min.

In your heart you have a strong drive to be a person of power and significance in the world, or at least your patch of it. You have immense capacity as long as you harness the horses of your drives to a practical wagon built to take you somewhere. Empty vanity leads to the castle of nothing and nowhere. ‘Keep it real’, and nothing can stop you.

Juno Conjunct Uranus, Orb: 4 deg. 21 min.

The concept of the true original turns you on. You tend to go looking for it, but the truth is you live it as well. You may be just a tad too different for really staid folk, but you don’t worry about their limited world view. Your vision is much larger, and you find power through your ability to connect to the future and ride the wave of new trends.

Juno Opposition Moon, Orb: 0 deg. 47 min.

You may feel seriously challenged by the need to understand and master your emotional responses to life’s circumstances, but clinging onto narcissism, whether in the form of either vanity or self-pity, keeps you stuck. Let go! The longer you stay hung up on a hook, the worse the pain gets. Let go! Move on! The future is waiting for you.

Juno Opposition Chiron, Orb: 1 deg. 34 min.

You have an urge to heal – yourself, your community, the whole world – and this gives you a focus on the future and a willingness to take risks to create change. But you can become too evangelical, even messianic, for your own good, and fail to win friends and influence people. Pull back a bit, and help people to change at their pace, not yours!

Juno Opposition Asc., Orb: 4 deg. 10 min.

Okay, so you want to be a hot shot. That’s great if you have a clear and clean agenda, not so great if you just want to swan around looking special. You can be as special as you want as long as you have a true sense of what matters, how to get where you’re going, and treat others well along the way. Do as you would be done by, and you’re a winner.

Juno Square MC, Orb: 2 deg. 28 min.

You have a huge fund of ambition driving you to the top, and a real potential to get there. But you need to know what you want and have a realistic plan for achieving it. This is where it gets tricky, as conflicting obligations can get in the way, and you need to deal fairly with everyone and everything in your life if you want the best results.

Chapter 4: Vesta

Vesta, lady of focused service.

The asteroid Vesta constellates a very pure energy of dedication to a higher purpose. In worldly terms this often steps down to more ordinary, everyday realities: the willingness to work hard, the willingness to put personal preferences aside to deal with issues at hand or to assist others in need, and above all the ability to focus intently on something in order to get it done.

It is worth remembering that the Roman goddess Vesta was lady of the hearth, and the Latin word for hearth is ‘focus’. Where you put your focus you are, in some sense, kindling a fire in a hearth and tending it, just like the Vestal Virgins looked after the sacred hearth whose fire symbolized the life of the whole collective. Vesta helps you to maintain your focus for as long as it takes to fulfill your obligations or to get the work done. With her help, you become less egoistic and more willing to put others ahead of yourself. But she also teaches you how to do this appropriately – turning into a doormat is hardly going to work well in the long run, either. You can become rather obsessed, too, where Vesta goes, and become righteous about issues with a moral dimension. You need to go a bit easily and honor difference whilst maintaining your own standards. Leading by example is better than grandstanding, and Vesta teaches you to work away quietly, without fuss, and achieve the sense of deep satisfaction that comes from recognizing and doing the right thing. You don’t have to advertise this – virtue is its own reward!

Vesta in Sagittarius:

Quiet, efficient Vesta can take a while to get used to the expansive energies of Sagittarius. Vesta likes detail and concrete tasks; Sagittarius prefers the big picture and no restraint. Once you learn how to reconcile these two different energies you can be one of those rare people who see not only the wood, but also each of the trees in it. But until you’ve got that sorted out you can be a bit all over the place, totally focused on some little thing one minute, the next breaking out and using all your zealousness to demand absolute freedom. Perhaps the best solution is to find some line of work that opens up wide fields of opportunity, sown with idealism, whilst easing yourself into a corner where you can deal with the little things too. And as you know, the little things mean a lot.

Vesta in 8th house:

For you, Vesta’s sacred fire is burning in the hearth of the most secret fireplace of the birth chart. Now there’s a challenge! In some way your whole life becomes dedicated to a process of inner, and ultimately outer, transformation. This won’t always be easy, but you will understand very well that saying from Nietzsche: ‘What does not kill me makes me stronger.’ Inner strength is one of your great virtues, earned at some cost, usually in the relationship sphere, and over how things are shared. You need to learn how much to do for people without compromising yourself, and when to let go: you can be possessive! Understanding you can go it alone, safely, is important to your self-actualization.

Vesta Conjunct Mars, Orb: 2 deg. 46 min.

When Vesta discipline and Mars energy are yoked together like this, the results can be wondrous to behold. Once you get going, there is little you cannot achieve. There is something of the finely trained warrior in your makeup, and you may get a little impatient with less competent and focused people. Don’t come down too hard, even on yourself!

Vesta Conjunct Astraea, Orb: 1 deg. 53 min.

When Vesta and Astraea conjoin there are shifts in the social fabric of the world, and your life will somehow link you with bigger themes of getting things right and promoting better efficiencies. You will have a perfectionist streak that can be very empowering, but also self-defeating. Allow things to be less than ideal, even messy, sometimes!

Vesta Conjunct Bacchus, Orb: 3 deg. 46 min.

This is a contradictory pairing of very different energies. Vesta is tame and worldly, Bacchus wild and otherworldly. You could be blessed with divine inspiration, and able in turn to make your visions concrete. Or you could shut down and become very resistant to anything outside ‘the rules’ of orderly material life. Watch out for a fanatical streak.

Vesta Trine Saturn, Orb: 1 deg. 24 min.

You possess a tensile inner strength that allows you to meet the challenges of life head on, and come up quietly victorious. At your best, you can attain some kind of mastery, of yourself or a craft or study, or all of these. Your patience, diligence and focus can be truly awesome. Just don’t become too pleased with yourself and intolerant of lesser mortals!

Vesta Trine Diana, Orb: 1 deg. 43 min.

There is an easy good sense, practicality and aura of maturity about you from early on in life. You have little use for childish things, but can generally convey this seriousness of purpose without appearing snooty or a killjoy. You function best when following your own drum beat, but can be very obliging to people or causes you consider worthy.

Chapter 5: Astraea

Astraea, lady of right judgment and integration

Astraea was a classical goddess of justice, whose symbol was the balanced scales. She presided over the moral sense of rightness and good order, and the poetic tradition relates that she was the last of the divinities to leave the world at the end of the Golden Age. Astraea was then translated into the heavens as the constellation Virgo. These elements of myth give you clues to the meaning of the asteroid Astraea in the horoscope. She is concerned with the integration and organization of things, bringing sometimes disparate elements together and finding the common links that join them up in the web of life. She helps you to focus on detail and understand the meaning of the fine print. She helps you to work both hard and well, and helps you to become more ordered and tidy in at least some aspects of your life.

Astraea can also help you to become quite high minded, whilst integrating into this spacious vision an ability to zero in and see all the small things that go together to make up the greater whole. She can stir up a compulsive quality, too, and stimulate an obsessive streak. This can cause a kind of splitting, which is another aspect of Astraea energy: the goddess who brings things together can also tear them apart. She does all this, ultimately, in the service of wholeness, and reveals those things it is time to clean up and get rid of, so that everything else can evolve into a more perfect form. Wherever Astraea goes, you are urged to get organized and get your act together – and become the best you can be!

Astraea in Sagittarius:

You are a visionary at best, with a spacious aerial view that takes in the whole world and sees in a glance every connection. At worst, your desire to take in everything means you have no focus and your energies are squandered in a scattergun way. There is a fervor to your nature which is perhaps best described by words like ‘spiritual’ or ‘religious’, though your object of worship may as easily be something sporting or worldly as divinely inspired. Your zest for life can be strongly attractive, but there are less energetic folk out there who may find you a bit full-on sometimes. Still and all, you’re too busy having fun to waste much time on them. You’ll take a risk if the payoff looks good, or just for the heck of it. You have a gift for stirring things up and making them happen.

Astraea in 8th house:

There is a funny little warrior streak in your nature, or at least something of the master strategist playing war games. This may be quite at odds with your public persona, and could either confuse or intrigue people and certainly make your more intimate relationships more, well, interesting, shall we say? Essentially, you are one of the change agents of life, and the life you will alter most profoundly is likely to be your own. You grow through a series of phoenix-like transformations, and can assist others to do the same. This is fine if the people around you want to change, but poses challenges if they aren’t ready. You can’t, or shouldn’t, impose anything. Lead by example, not force!

Astraea Conjunct Mars, Orb: 0 deg. 53 min.

This pairing stimulates a concentration of your dynamic energies and gives you the ability to get an enormous amount done. The main risk is becoming so focused on your sense of purpose and will-to-power that you lose sight of other issues or people. Allow your warrior streak to emerge chivalrously, and ‘fight for the right’.

Astraea Trine Saturn, Orb: 3 deg. 17 min.

You draw strength and comfort from your capacity for hard work and focused action, and ability to keep things real. There can be something almost heroic about your organizing ability or your way of powering through a mountain of work, but you are also able to make allowances for less efficient or resilient folk, and even help them carry their load.

Astraea Trine Asc., Orb: 3 deg. 26 min.

You have a gift for projecting all the Virgo virtues in your personal style, which means it is easy for you to present as sensible, organized, disciplined, efficient and focused on the well-being of others. You could be a bit modest for your own good at times, though, or allow your good nature to be imposed on. Judge situations with due care!

Astraea Trine Diana, Orb: 3 deg. 35 min.

You go your own way, and if others don’t like it, your attitude is, too bad. Neediness is not really a word in your vocabulary, unless there are strong contradictory influences. You can be happy to connect, but prefer to do it your way, and with some wriggle room. You like to help, but greedily clingy types will find you don’t hang round!

Chapter 6: Iris

Iris, lady of the intuitive mind and illumination

In Greek myth, there were two divine messengers: Hermes (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury), and Iris. Some traditions suggest that Iris was the messenger of the goddess Hera (whose Roman equivalent was Juno), whilst Mercury served Jupiter. However you play with the myths, there was a feminine energy associated with communication as well as a masculine one. And modern neuroscience tells us there are masculine and feminine aspects to the brain, too.

Few astrologers have learned yet how to honor the great goddess whose archetype stands behind the ‘feminine’ brain and style of communication. That is why this asteroid report is named in honor of Iris! The symbol of Iris was the rainbow, and the Iris energies of the horoscope seem to encompass all the colors of the spectrum, all kinds of light: ultimately, the light of pure consciousness.

Mercury shows how you think and communicate in a more systems oriented, data gathering and sorting way. His energy is yang and outward directed. Iris, however, has yin energy and is receptive. She shows how you receive ideas, how you listen, how you intuit and empathize, and how you deal holistically with all the information thrown at you by living in the world.

Iris helps you to understand things at a deep level, and to grow in wisdom. She adds color and depth to the Mercury energies of the chart, and shows another avenue of expression. She helps you to meditate. At her very best, Iris helps you to find true illumination. There is a vastness and sublime beauty to Iris energy. Wherever she sits in your horoscope can be magical, as she helps your consciousness to expand and evolve.

Iris in Libra:

Fair play and balance are concepts that keep recurring in your consciousness. There is something very spacious and accommodating about your mind, and you find it pretty easy to listen to people and really hear them, a gift that can win you lots of friends and gain you lots of influence. The usual Libra caveat applies here, though: don’t dither too much, even though you want to give due thought and weight to every idea and point of view. And you can’t please all the people all the time, either, so sooner or later you need to come to a few decisions! But you do have charm, a true blessing, and a gift of insight into people and their pain. You can be a good counselor, because whilst you are attentive and sensible, you’re also able to disentangle yourself from any excess emotionalism.

Iris in 7th house:

Unless there are strong contradictory influences at work, you are very comfortable when dealing with people, and many would even say you had a natural talent for creating and nurturing relationships. Since communication is the vital element in all good connections between people, your ability to listen and receive people and their ideas and feelings, and provide by instinct the right response, enables you to become a sought after negotiator, networker, partner and friend. You often have a sixth sense about what is going on with anyone you are dealing with, or any situation you encounter. Just don’t allow your goodwill to be exploited – and accept that your impressions can be wrong sometimes!

Iris Conjunct Mercury, Orb: 1 deg. 57 min.

A lovely balance of ‘right brain’ and ‘left brain’ thinking is available to you, and you have the potential to work with ideas and concepts in a very whole and integrated way. You have a fine blend of active and receptive intellectual abilities, and this can facilitate tremendous worldly achievement, once you’ve decided on the right direction!

Iris Trine Hephaistos, Orb: 3 deg. 21 min.

You are one of life’s problem solvers, and the inventive streak in your personality can take you far, whether in a professional or personal sense. You aren’t afraid of hard work, either, and prefer in fact to be busy. Yet in all this you keep a human touch as well, understanding foibles rather than turning into a briskly efficient robot. Way to go!

Iris Sextile Bacchus, Orb: 0 deg. 13 min.

There’s poetry in your soul, receptivity to beauty, and a yearning for transcendence which can take you to ecstatic heights, but this also lays you open to disillusionment if you chase the wrong rainbow. You can get away with rose colored glasses better than most, but will be more truly fulfilled if you ground your dreams in some reality!

Iris Opposition Saturn, Orb: 2 deg. 34 min.

You tend to take life very seriously, and may sometimes give the impression that you’re more caught up in the blacks of existence than the grays or whites. You do well in areas demanding some intellectual rigor, and a commitment to understanding things steadily and whole. Structure is useful to you, and gives you a boundary for self protection.

Iris Opposition Diana, Orb: 2 deg. 16 min.

You go your own way, with a strong independent streak and a coolly analytical mind. When you want to be strategic, few can match you, and your ability to deploy a tactical response makes you a great ally and a wily adversary. Just watch out you don’t become a bit too chilly and remote: this can antagonize people and spoil your successes.

Iris SemiSquare Venus, Orb: 0 deg. 01 min.

A challenging link between Iris and Venus can stimulate you to great achievements, spurring as it does the desire to live a good life to the maximum, in all respects. Over attachment, or attachment to the wrong things, are the most likely ways for this energy to distort, so clarify your values and strive for harmony – which may mean, simplify!

Chapter 7: Hygiea

Hygiea, lady of purification and healing

Hygiea is named for the classical goddess of health and well-being, whose name also yields the English word hygiene. This brings a sense of cleansing and purification to the symbolism for the asteroid Hygiea, as well as meanings associated with health issues, sickness, cure, and the moral and physical wholeness that are implicit in ideas of good health or good order. Wherever Hygiea goes in the horoscope, she has a way of cleaning up things, bringing them into a very pure, even ideal, state of being.

Hygiea intensifies any other planetary energy with which she links, and assists it to express in a cleaner, stronger, truer form. Sometimes this poses real challenges and problems, making circumstances appear worse before they get better. Then Hygiea seems to act like the force behind a fever, which can rise to dangerous heights before it breaks, and the healing occurs. It’s all about getting the poison out first, so that wholeness can be restored, or aided to form. The poison is more often metaphorical than literal, of course. Hygiea always helps you to scrub up, or purge. She’s a catalyst for action as well as a force for intensifying and purifying other energies. However testing a time you have whilst she’s busy, you’re always left in much better shape when she has finished with you!

Hygiea in Capricorn:

You like the idea of order, and are very good at keeping things clean and tidy on many levels. Although you could be as house-proud as a manic Virgo, your real interest is probably in how to keep the social order nicely ordered. This could make you something of a revolutionary in your fashion, if you think your patch of turf needs a good re-organizing. Because you understand the rules of society so well, you know exactly when and how to break them, either to do a minor fix without causing intolerable disruption, or to cause just as much havoc as you judge necessary. You’ll tilt at the windmills of authority if it suits you, but don’t like to be challenged yourself. But if you never bend the knee, your own knees could give you trouble. Or other bone or skin diseases.

Hygiea in 10th house:

You may not be able to heal the whole world, but you can do your best with the patch you play in. Whilst you may feel a vocation to heal in the conventional sense (nurse, doctor, naturopath, therapist), there are many other ways of bringing a cleansing energy into your work and your life path. At the top of your horoscope, Hygiea bestows a certain steel and sternness, a chaste desire to get things right and to be seen as upright, honorable and high achieving. This can take you far, but can also create periodic crises of confidence or power struggles with other ambitious folk. You can be quite concerned with body image, too, and your talk about healthy living for all applies firstly to you.

Hygiea Conjunct MC, Orb: 3 deg. 43 min.

The ability to bring a healing or cleansing touch to situations can take you a long way both personally and professionally. The trick is to know what will be most healing to a given set of circumstances, and not to fall victim to the delusion you alone know best. Listen well and think before acting so you can work your power in the world for good.

Hygiea Trine Proserpina, Orb: 3 deg. 56 min.

Much as you might like to take the line of least resistance or delay growing up, you find strength and a sense of reward from your willingness to face whatever life throws at you. If life throws you lemons, you’ll transform them into lemonade, and the healing process involved is one which allows you to grow into a fine maturity and confidence.

Hygiea Square Asc., Orb: 2 deg. 01 min.

You have that elusive quality called ‘presence’, which means people tend to notice you. But if your aims aren’t clear they may be noticing you in the wrong way, either projecting their own stuff onto you, or seeing that you aren’t acting for your highest good. Be clear and clean about everything. Power games will only backfire on you.

Hygiea SemiSquare Neptune, Orb: 1 deg. 46 min.

Your sensitivity is acute, and at your best you understand anything and anyone; but at your worst, you wallow in confusion and fantasy. You need to cultivate the power discernment so you can reach the heavenly heights instead of sinking into the depths. Avoid illicit substances; you can become addicted more easily than many other folk.

Chapter 8: Proserpina

Proserpina, lady of transitions, other-worldly realms, and sacrifice

The asteroid Proserpina is named in honor of the goddess of the dead, consort of Pluto, she who was known as Persephone to the Greeks. As a goddess archetype, Proserpina constellates an energy that is often hard to fathom at first, because in the poetic myths Proserpina/Persephone seems to have little personality of her own. As the innocent maiden, abducted by Pluto/Hades into the underworld, she was scarcely distinguishable from her fertility goddess mother Ceres/Demeter. As Pluto’s wife and queen of the underworld, though, she receives the souls of the dead and as such, is also a guide to other realms and levels of being, and the deepest places of the psyche. The asteroid Proserpina seems to manifest as an energy of innocence and ignorance that learns a very great deal by (often hard) experience. She shows where you tend to take the line of least resistance, to be passive or helpless, and teaches you the consequences of such unaware or unassertive responses. She points to what you learn through the various transitions of life, which may or may not be painful, but which always entail a letting go of what has ceased to be viable, and carry therefore some sense of sacrifice. She shows you altered states of being, can help you to open up to all the stimuli of life, assists you to adapt and change in response to your environment, and even helps you to cultivate psychic perception.

Proserpina is a tricky energy to deal with, though, because she is so hard to know in essence. You need to be still, and quietly open, to access Proserpina and work with her successfully. Ignore her altogether and you may find yourself plunging into situations you never expected or wanted; honor her and she will help you to find a way through the dark, a guide for your soul who aids your inner journey and ultimately, as a result, your path to individuation in the outer world.

Proserpina in Taurus:

You aren’t too keen on life’s uncertainties and will have a strong drive to find and keep material touchstones that reassure you all is well in the garden. Your vision is grounded in what is solidly real; you may be a bit wary of ‘all that spooky stuff’. But if someone or something convinces you that there are other levels of reality than the 3D you know and love, you can be quite a brave explorer of the inner or higher realms, or wherever they are. You’ll find out! But if you try to avoid the ordinary and the material, perhaps out of lofty disdain for such ‘lower things’, then life will teach you the necessary lessons about honoring and managing things of form. Over time you could become quite keen on playing with ideas about what reality is: you’re driven to ground an ideal vision.

Proserpina in 1st house:

Do you know where you’re going? Do you like whatever life is throwing you? You may be at a loss (at least early on) to offer clear, substantial answers to such existential questions. In your youth, in fact, you may be quite uncertain who you are or what you want, but life will direct your efforts to the right ends. Proserpina’s sign will give you clues as to how to find yourself, and what kinds of wrong choices help you ultimately to choose wisely and well. There’s a chameleon quality to your style, an ability to adapt to circumstances. Use this for safety and growth rather than manipulation! You may find it easier to use clear structures in your dealings – they’re safe containers for uncertainty.

Proserpina Conjunct True Node, Orb: 3 deg. 18 min.

The desire for experience is strong in you, but initially you may have trouble defining quite what kinds of experience you’re looking for. This can lead you down some blind alleys, but eventually you’ll find the high road to happiness. You are good at learning from your mistakes but can sometimes get prematurely confident about where you are.

Proserpina Conjunct True Lilith, Orb: 2 deg. 26 min.

Both Proserpina and Lilith show aspects of wounding, and when they come together you are potentially hypersensitive about the possibilities of being exploited in some way. This can make you independent to the point of avoiding engagement with life. Not all people or situations are bad: learn to make sensible choices, and temper caution with trust.

Proserpina Trine Venus, Orb: 3 deg. 47 min.

Your sensitivity is a source of comfort and strength in many ways: you win friends and influence through your responsiveness and charm. But you mustn’t let your sympathies spill over too much lest even with your savvy, you get taken for a ride. You also need to watch out for the problems that follow those who try to be all things to all people.

Proserpina Trine MC, Orb: 0 deg. 12 min.

It’s quite possible your career will take several interesting twists and turns, because you are likely to be one of those people who can do several different things, and it becomes a challenge to make up your mind about choices. You’re good at catching up if you loiter and lose time, but will do best if you link some practical planning with your dreams.

Proserpina SemiSquare Hephaistos, Orb: 0 deg. 27 min.

Your passions probably have a way of throwing you into turmoil now and then (okay, maybe most of the time) but you do rather like peak experiences, don’t you? Vanilla doesn’t quite do. Accept responsibility and if you really want it quiet, scale things back a bit. An ordinary life requires effort and talent as well. How are you using your gifts?

Chapter 9: Diana

Diana, lady of emotional maturity

Diana was the classical goddess associated with the moon, a virginal hunter who was expert with the bow and arrow. She preferred to keep aloof from the company of most of the other gods and goddesses, living in wild mountain fastnesses with her retinue of maidens.

Diana took an interest in the affairs of ordinary mortals primarily when women were giving birth, and she cared for the young of all creatures. But she could be fierce, even lethal, if her rights were impinged upon, or if she were slighted. Her arrows never missed their target.

The asteroid Diana has not been used a lot by astrologers, which is a pity as she seems to show a different quality of emotional response from that traditionally associated with the Moon. Where Diana goes in your chart you are not inclined to the sort of overt, even child-like sensitivity and vulnerability that the Moon tends to indicate, but to a more restrained, independent and even sometimes avoidant response to the stimuli of life. Diana energy is more austere, but she does not show a lack of sensitivity as such. Indeed, she can be almost hypersensitive in her way, which is to acknowledge feelings and immediately put boundaries in place to contain and protect them, so that Diana can sometimes seem cold or hard where in fact she is simply looking after herself. Of course, she can help you to be tough if circumstances demand it! She can also point to intense fear responses, which in turn stimulate the ‘fight or flight’ reflex, which in turn makes you either combative or prone to head for the hills. Ultimately the position of Diana in your chart tells you a lot about how you develop emotional maturity, although she can also say something about the distortions and setbacks of this process, too. She shows where you are able to rely on yourself rather than depending on others, and also points to ways in which you will help other people – as long as it suits you!

Diana is not needy, except for space and for the opportunity, quietly, to nurture the inner needs of the soul. She helps you to figure out what you want, but without all the emotional baggage associated with Lunar attachment. Detached, disinterested and dispassionate, Diana energy helps you to engage with life on your own terms, as a fully fledged adult. With Diana, you put away childish things and come into a richer fullness of being.

Diana in Aries:

There is something very swift about the way you process your emotional responses. Even if your Moon is in a gentle sign, you have a tough streak that enables you to cut a path through the world on your own terms, and you can be a cool negotiator either in a crisis, or when looking after Number One. Though you can be quick to anger, you as quickly move on; but heaven help those who have aroused your ire. They could be wondering what happened long after you’ve darted off, chasing another goal (or quarry). There is something of the hunter in you, but you can lose interest in your pursuits more rapidly than always serves your good. Apply some discipline and consistency instead, and you can do great things. Your goals matter more than perhaps you let on. Stay focused!

Diana in 1st house:

You’re an independent critter and definitely go your own way in the world. Some people admire this intensely, but it can alienate others, too. How much you care about such reactions will depend on the rest of your chart – you might be quite okay with living in a rather aloof and often solo way. Sometimes people may be more intimidated by your assertive streak, which can get downright militant. You have definite opinions and if somebody else doesn’t like them, well, tell someone who cares. There’s a major journey to selfhood going on here, and essentially you are your own best project. You’ll defend to the death your right to do your own thing – and the rights of others in this regard, too.

Diana Conjunct Saturn, Orb: 0 deg. 18 min.

You have a spine of stainless steel (possibly even titanium) which keeps you upright and functional through even the harshest of life’s challenges. And you do tend to thrive on tough challenges. Just don’t become so austere that you forget what ordinary human qualities are. Use your understanding of suffering to help others, don’t scorn them.

Diana Trine Bacchus, Orb: 2 deg. 03 min.

You play with paradoxes: finding happiness in freedom and often solitude, and craving the freedom to pursue happiness unburdened by the demands of others, yet also needing in some way an audience. You’ve a dramatic streak and can play many roles with great conviction. But you’ll be most fulfilled when you find a middle path of balance.

Diana Opposition Mercury, Orb: 4 deg. 13 min.

Sure, you’re clever as (pick any simile you like), but you can undo the benefits that should be yours if you give way to absolutism. Your ideas may not be the only good ones around, so make room for difference and compromise. Use the authority imparted by your intelligence and insight to lead gently by example, not by sarcastic force.

Diana Sesquiquadrate Jupiter, Orb: 1 deg. 03 min.

There’s something of the entrepreneur in you, or at least the operator, and you can have an innate sense of what the public wants. But while you’re wheeling and dealing, keep mindful of ethics, because you’ll come unstuck if you make ego-driven compromises. You need to take the high road, but don’t be openly scornful of those trudging below!

Chapter 10: Apollo

Apollo, lord of creative maturity

In classical mythology, Apollo was the god of the sun, whose patronage extended over harmony, the arts and healing. He was not the literal, physical sun, however, and the asteroid named in honor of this god has a slightly different quality from the Sun energy with which traditional astrology is familiar – just as the energy of Diana is rather markedly different from that of the Moon.

Although work is still in progress on understanding the influence of Apollo – as with all the asteroids! – he seems to take the creative, personality-making energy traditionally associated with the Sun and then place and develop it in a wider social context. If the Sun is about ‘Me’ and my life force in pure potential, then Apollo shows ‘Me’ how to become more fully and completely and socially myself – or rather yourself, as the case may be, since this report is about you, the reader! For this reason Apollo is described here as the lord of creative maturity. He has a sway over the process of full individuation that allows your innate gifts to shine their light into the world. Apollo shows another aspect of your talents and potentials, but he also shows possible areas of downfall, if more primitive egoistic urges get in the way of the maturation process.

It is all too easy to become proud wherever Apollo goes in the chart, and to become excessively perfectionist and demanding. But all these distortions are unfortunate ways of misusing his wonderful capacities for creation. At his best, Apollo gives clear sightedness, and this includes clarity of insight into who you really are and what you are best able to do in order to make the best of yourself in the world at large. Don’t allow vanity or lazy self-entitlement to trip you up. Be honest about where you are and what you want, and do the best you can to be the best you can. That’s what Apollo’s drive for (true) excellence is all about!

The asteroid Apollo also has a rather strange orbit and appears to spend much longer in some signs of the zodiac than others. Appropriately enough, he is much more often and longest in Leo, the traditional sign of the Sun. If you have Apollo in the signs from Sagittarius through to Taurus, this is a relatively more rare placement.

Apollo in Virgo:

There’s a good many Apollo in Virgo folk in the world, but unless there are lots of extroverted influences at work to heat up your cool, you don’t really mind the sense of being part of a crowd. That’s not to say you always get lost in a group, or have no personality. You just don’t need to make too much fuss. You quite like the group thing, usually, or at least you like the idea of connecting up the group, joining dots, making links, creating networks. You’re a practical critter, and can be a good organizer and manager of resources (maybe behind the scenes). There can be a healing focus in your life as well, or a strong environmental awareness. But you’re no armchair idealist: you believe in action, and can get quite vigorous and ‘out there’ when your dander’s up.

Apollo in 6th house:

In our narcissistic, image driven culture, work is often under-valued, but that is not a mistake you make. You know how important the worker bees are to the hive, and you’re a damn fine worker yourself, however you direct your talents. You can be an interesting worker as well as an interested one, often ahead of the pack, a great organizer and able to spot new techniques to improve performance and output. There can be a conservative streak in your nature, probably because you really do value all resources (especially the material), and want them managed well. You also like, and look for, good connections and systems. Integration is your middle name, and you have potential as a healer, too.

Apollo Conjunct Pluto, Orb: 0 deg. 47 min.

There’s a phoenix theme running through your life, perhaps at odd moments rather than consistently, but nevertheless you learn and grow and express yourself best in the light of deeply transforming processes. Things may not always be simple, but they’re always interesting. A dramatic streak means you tend to prefer exotic flavors to plain vanilla.

Apollo Sextile Neptune, Orb: 2 deg. 18 min.

Your creative energies flow easily into the mystical and strange, and as long as you can maintain some clarity and commonsense this empowers a remarkable imaginative capacity, and gives you a basis for achievement. You dream great dreams, but need to come down to earth occasionally! An arty or spiritual focus tends to work best for you.

Apollo Square Hephaistos, Orb: 3 deg. 51 min.

There is really only one thing standing in the way of harnessing your creativity in very practical ways, and that is seething in self-pity or resentment if you feel that your ideas aren’t being received. Do the work for its own sake, and be sensible about what work is actually required. It isn’t just about you. What do others want or need from you?

Chapter 11: Bacchus

Bacchus, lord of altered states and divine inspiration

In Roman mythology, Bacchus was the god of the vine and wine, equivalent to the Greek Dionysos. The cult of Dionysos was ancient and mysterious. He was a strange and subtle god, other-worldly, now kind, now cruel, connected with altered states (including those induced by drugs, from alcohol to hallucinogens), the deity presiding over peak experiences from ecstasy to agony. He was close to nature, wild and free, and his worship had many anarchic as well as transcendental elements. Eventually his archetype and worship became so important to the Greek collective psyche that he was elevated to the Council of Twelve, the great gods and goddesses who presided over the government of Mount Olympus. Unlike other (male) gods, Dionysos was surrounded by women, and mortal women were his most significant votaries. There is an inter-sex, almost androgynous or transgender quality to this divine archetype.

The asteroid Bacchus constellates all these contradictions and mysteries in the horoscope. A good deal of the Bacchus/Dionysos archetype is also apparent in the planet Neptune, and where this asteroid differs and adds value to the chart is in the way it focuses the area of life where you are most open to inspiration and where you are most eager for pleasure and escape from the everyday. Neptune has a collective energy, but Bacchus is more directly personal. Bacchus tells you a lot about where and how you play, what excites you and inspires you to do better, to go further, and to push things not only to the limit but even past it. The consequences, if any, you will deal with later, if you must. Where Bacchus goes you have a little taste of freedom, a little glimpse of heaven or – if you play foolishly or choose badly – you get a harrowing vision of hell. You need to be careful with Bacchus energy. When he is good he is very, very good; and when he is bad he is horrid. Or to quote another old proverb: ‘Take what you want, the Good Lord says – and pay for it.’

The asteroid Bacchus has an eccentric orbit and spends more time in some signs of the zodiac than others. His longest sojourn is in Sagittarius; if you have Bacchus in the signs from Pisces through Aries to Virgo, this is a less common placement.

Bacchus in Sagittarius:

Free-spirited Bacchus is most often and longest in this most free-spirited sign of the zodiac, so there are lots of you folk running around in the world, doing your own thing, trying not to upset anyone, but not worrying unduly if you do. Stuff happens. Your ideas and ideals can be so broad and deep as to defy any simple categorization, which is fine by you. If others don’t get where you’re at, that’s their problem. Living in the moment, you are swept along by the fiery spirit of Life itself, and you bring your gifts of insight and passion to whatever moves you, whenever and wherever you find it. When you’re done, you move on. Communication is important to you, and you tend either to be very good at it, or rather blocked. If misunderstandings arise, try to be dispassionate and see where, not if, you are part of the problem. Then you can participate in a win-win resolution.

Bacchus in 9th house:

You are a seeker, which sounds very noble, and it can manifest in a very fine way if you look for the right things in the right places. But if your search becomes contaminated by egoism and fantasy, the results can be less pretty. Inspired and inspiring journeys clear a way forward for you, and these could be very literal, or more metaphorical. You may find ‘god’ (or at least some sort of peak experience) in a foreign land, or even in one of the higher realms of consciousness, or your might just watch a lot of television and read voraciously. Pursuing spiritual aspirations can be the best possible thing to do, as long as they are truly spiritual, and not some sort of me-first fiction dressed up in stolen robes!

Bacchus Trine Saturn, Orb: 2 deg. 21 min.

You find it fairly easy to sort out the difference between sublime inspiration and plain delusion. There is a strength for you in bringing a visionary, imaginative impulse into ordinary works and the daily grind – indeed, it becomes less of a grind this way. You want work to be fun, but can make fun into work – so you profit from your pleasures!

Bacchus Sextile Mercury, Orb: 2 deg. 10 min.

You take tremendous pleasure in the mind and its mysteries, and can achieve a great deal in the world when you learn to translate your visions into ordinary language and make an effort to participate in the everyday. It is tempting to remain up in the clouds, but you work out early on that it’s more fun to bring imagination into daily life and talk.

Bacchus Opposition Hephaistos, Orb: 3 deg. 34 min.

When there is tension between the force of divine inspiration and the force of hard work and craft, the energies unleashed are mighty, but not always immediately well directed. That spoils what could be superb results. Try starting with an inspired channel for consistent practical activity, and then see what creative powers are made manifest!

Bacchus Sesquiquadrate True Node, Orb: 0 deg. 42 min.

You are rather torn between a desire to have fun all the time, splashing about in the rock-pools of relating and giving form to dreams, and a more serious, grown-up desire to put away childish things and advance on a higher spiritual path. Perhaps if you look for the balance here, you can turn the quest into a game, and play all your way to heaven?

Bacchus Sesquiquadrate True Lilith, Orb: 1 deg. 34 min.

Your drive for freedom can drive you almost wild at times. Seemingly titanic forces can surge up from somewhere within (or maybe without), and you’ve no need for acid when you can go on trips with these energies. You must be authentic, you must have respect, or you can turn in sudden anger. People do best to realize that you are a truly free spirit.

Chapter 12: Hephaistos

Hephaistos, lord of inner fire, talent, craft and work

The asteroid Hephaistos is named in honor of the ancient god of fire and the forge, the master craftsman and divine blacksmith. In the proto-civilizations of the early Bronze Age, those who worked with the wonders of fire and metal seemed to be magicians, and were thought to possess special powers. But the god Hephaistos had a sad, strange story. He stands for aspects of the masculine that are not only amongst the most worthy (he is a hard worker and consummate artisan) but also the most unfortunate, because Hephaistos was crippled and ugly, so the other gods and goddesses wanted little to do with him. But they could not ignore him, because he was too clever and too skilful, and he was one of the great gods who sat on the Council of Twelve governors. As we know in human life, too, those who are truly gifted always find a way to the top, and this is something the asteroid Hephaistos can point to in your horoscope. He also shows where you may feel very unworthy and self-doubting, and so make an extra effort. He reveals many of your deepest passions and dearest desires, but also shows some of your greatest sufferings, because other people do not necessarily understand you or want your company or input. He shows where and how you work, where and how you are perhaps most skilful. But above all, the divine blacksmith hammers your soul on his forge in order to make you better than you are already. This process of soul making, of what used to be called ‘character building’, can be hard and painful, but it is very necessary.

Hephaistos knocks you into shape. Once you understand what he is doing, it can actually be fun to cooperate, and turn the work into a game. Mary Poppins, arguably the first super-nanny, knew a thing or two about the secret purposes of the Hephaistos archetype. With his help, you can take the base metal of your nature and transform it into gold, or at least move from childhood to adulthood.

The asteroid Hephaistos also has an even more eccentric orbit than Apollo, and spends very little time in some signs of the zodiac. He is most often in Taurus, and the nearby signs of Aries, Gemini and Cancer. If your Hephaistos is in the signs from Leo to Pisces, this is a much rarer placement.

Hephaistos in Gemini:

Hephaistos spends quite a lot of time in Gemini, so you are linked to a broader collective process about learning truly effective communication. For you, soul making is bound up with learning how to give and receive ideas and information, without either holding back or demanding more than your share of the oxygen. You may find a challenge in speaking your mind, either saying too little through under-confidence or a failure to prepare, or banging on for too long and alienating people. At your best, you can be very bright, and if you really work on your ideas and the best way to communicate them, you can discover a real talent for speaking or writing. You could be a natural psychologist and work through deep issues (talking therapy!) or a gifted inventor with something new to offer the world. All you need is a platform – and a properly grounded self-belief – and away you go.

Hephaistos in 3rd house:

The soul making process indicated by the sign your Hephaistos occupies is channeled into the area of life that develops and tests your communication skills. There can be challenges in how you get your message across, but for the most part you find ways and means, because you are a clever cookie and not easily daunted. Nevertheless, there tends to be a sad cast to your mind, and you have a deep awareness of the wellsprings of human suffering. You can also become intensely passionate about anything you know or believe, and this can lead you into conflict with other people if they dare to disagree with you. Learn to allow for difference – it enriches the world and makes life interesting!

Hephaistos Trine Mercury, Orb: 1 deg. 24 min.

It is easy for you to direct your strong imagination into practical channels, and you have the potential to achieve a good deal by skilful application of your capacity for systems thinking as well. You like things to be organized and have a healthy streak of common sense, so people tend to rely on you for help and advice, and trust your judgment.

Hephaistos SemiSquare True Lilith, Orb: 1 deg. 59 min.

Tense alignments between Hephaistos and Lilith constellate a wounded energy around being under-valued and misunderstood, so this is a challenging combination to live out. You need to cultivate a fundamental, practical self-belief, and this duo will teach you great canniness and skill in finding an appropriate way to maximize your potential.

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