In Asteroid Goddesses, Demetra George & Douglas Bloch's seminal work, the Asteroid Goddesses are identified as "agents of transformation" and "harbingers of a new mythology." In my previous article, the basic keywords for the four key Asteroid Goddesses were identified: Pallas Athene ("where you have a great genius, but doubt yourself," wise warrior, father/daughter issues); Vesta (devotion/service, workaholism, sister issues); Ceres (nurturing, bounty, fertility, mother/daughter issues); and Juno (marriage, possessiveness, intensity, partnership issues).

In this article, we will explore these meanings, and how they unfold in a natal chart. I often recommend using your own natal chart, and those of close friends and family members, as you know yourself, and those individuals so well. This can be an extremely useful tool to gain mastery of a new concept or application. Again, remember to note the sign and house placement, as well as the aspects the asteroids form to gather the shading and nuance of these archetypal influences.

Dimensions Added by Asteroids

In the natal chart I will use for this article (2/15/54, Newton, MA, 2:18 PM), the four major Asteroid Goddesses add new dimension and insights to this chart. It would be incomplete to interpret the Asteroid Goddesses outside of the themes of the entire chart, however, here they are telescopically examined.

Vesta: Top o' the Chart!

We find Vesta, whose glyph looks like a series of three nested V's, prominent in this chart. She is in Pisces, angular, in the critical 29th degree, within 4 degrees of the Aries midheaven. The Aries midheaven is part of an exact fire grand trine, which includes Mars in 3 Sag in the 5th house, and Moon in 2 Leo in the 1st house. Hence, the watery and intuitive Vesta rides the wave of the fire grand trine.

In this placement, Vesta is expressing a life purpose, career or place in the world that is both intuitive, healing, as well as a critical artistic incarnation, fueled by an easy fiery passion for individuality, freedom, fun, charismatic self-expression and new ventures. The person depicted by this chart is, indeed, a professional psychic/healer who was a promoter and producer of the arts for more than twenty years. Currently, she is self-employed (Aries midheaven) and travels frequently (Mars in Sag).

The angular Vesta is powerful and adds flame to the fiery grand trine, as well as pointing to the tendency for workaholism, and a blurring of boundaries relating to work and self. Previously, she worked as an arts administrator working 60-80 hours a week; we see here the Vestal tendency for perfectionism and overdoing. Her current status as a self- employed individual, based at home, creates a propensity for working all the time and at odd hours, not having a clear cut sense of when one is working and when not. The Aries midheaven, however, gives the native a strong sense of fulfilling one's own desires; therefore, may offset some of the boundary issues.

The combination of the Pisces energies with the Aries energies, point to a mission, which includes sacrifice, service, compassion, and selflessness, together with a powerful independent pioneering spirit. The 29 critical degree of Vesta indicates a fervent need to fulfill some spiritual purpose with, perhaps, only one more incarnation to accomplish this: this may be an indicator of the significant spiritual times in which we live.

In Asteroid Goddesses, George and Bloch add additional psychological themes of Vesta. These may range from focus, commitment and sacrifice toward the accomplishment of a goal; to sexual expression which runs the gamut from alternative and variances to abstinence; from fear of intimacy and avoidance of relationship to sublimation of sexual energies, as well as the potential for a highly attuned capacity for the occult.

Pallas Atheane: Beginning a New Cycle

In this chart, Pallas Athena, whose glyph resembles a diamond, is placed in 0 degrees of Virgo in the 2nd house of values, very close to the cusp of the 3rd house of mental agility. Only recently a friend observed how this individual had developed significant financial prowess that revealed itself through real estate negotiations, mastering of credit, and troubleshooting, although this individual had never seen herself in this light.

As you'll notice, this chart is lacking in the element of earth, therefore any earthy influence (Vesta in Virgo) fills the gap, breathing critical practical abilities into the psychic blueprint of this chart.

Pallas/Pluto

As any astrologer will tell you, 0 degrees, as the portal to a new sign, provides a new shift in energetic focus. Pallas Athena in 0 Virgo, then, would indicate that the native is beginning a new cycle in critical, detailed financial and intellectual analysis, where she might have "a great genius, but may doubt herself." She could even use this developing prowess to fight injustice on behalf of self and others.
Remember Atheane is a warrior.

In this individual's chart, Pallas is in close proximity to the 3rd house of education and Pallas may endow an individual with the trait of magical thinking. Manifestation is something this individual has mastered and shares through teaching the technique to a wide variety of students.

In Asteroid Goddesses, Bloch and George add these prospective psychological themes for Pallas: androgyny, wisdom and intelligence; social justice and political activism; valor and healing abilities; gender issues or sexual confusion; father/daughter issues; sexual alienation; conflicts between love and creativity; as well as the gifts of prophecy, magical will and creative visualization.

End of Part l: In Part II, our next installment, we will further delve into the meanings of Juno, Ceres and Chiron in this natal chart interpretation.

More about the Asteroid Goddesses and their interpretation:

By Demetra George: Asteroid Goddesses (also by Douglas Bloch)
*Asteroid Goddess Report Writer- Astrolabe (also by Douglas Bloch)