By Beth-Katherine Kaiman (Yakshi)
Copyright 1999. All Rights Reserved.
Part Three - Ok, now I want to come and play! Some teasers for you to view.
Astrology opens up our world of awareness of ourselves. When we start looking around at the universe for answers to our questions we are answering the call of the soul’s connection to everything and we begin to notice patterns within life. Patterns make up the whole of the universe, it’s up to us to learn what they are. In Astrology there is so much stuff we can get involved with that the trick is to learn to synthesize all the information into something useful before it becomes overwhelming. I think this is why so many astrologers stay with one system, because too much of a good thing is confusing to the brain. The trick is to be able to absorb information and to synthesize it into categories and compartments, that way you won’t get overwhelmed by the amount of information that the very presence of asteroids gives us. If one were really clever and understood the picture of what the asteroids presented in a person’s chart one could understand the makeup of the individual and the remedies needed just by looking at their chart. Asteroids add in tons of detail that is usually left up to the intuition which is good because the more jumping off points you have for your intuition the more information can be received. It’s like a web search, once you get going on a topic you find more and more stuff.
When I was 18 (1968) I first hand calculated my chart, the new age of Astrology was dawning. The minds that have pushed the envelope began their discoveries and made connections through the works of Leo, Jacobson and onto and through their own. The new age psychological connection to astrology started with Dane Rudyhar and exploded along with the new forms of therapy. Such a wealth of information has come through during the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s. Wonderful textbooks, carefully thought out premises and details that made the astrology of the 40′s, 50′s and early 60′s pale in comparison. The work of Carl Jung sparked a whole new world of astrological/psychological development, and is continued today with the work of James Hillman.
I found early on that the wealth of detail that Uranian Astrology gives seems to be the most accurate (and the math was easy for me). Even with this wealth of information and techniques at my fingertips I was still curious as to why no one even bothered looking at the asteroids as possible effectors in our astrological makeup. But like most thoughts that required mathematical calculations (no access to computers then) that were beyond my abilities I mused for a while on the premise and let the thought fly away hoping it would hit someone else who was better able to follow it through. And it did. Suddenly due to all the attention that was being placed on the discovery of Chiron and Bacchus it seemed as if the great astrological minds turned to areas of the exploded planet between Mars and Jupiter.
Ok How to Play
The addition of some 7,000 asteroids into your chart form is impossible and a bit crazy to do to yourself. Please don’t walk away from this feeling overwhelmed. One of the things that Martha Lang Wescott pointed out in her first book (Mechanics of the Future) was that the brain is a marvelous thing if you categorize things and take it slow. She states, “Brains are quite practical learning machines … they’re willing to do a great deal for us if we’re only considerate and clever enough to make the task attractive, if not, indeed, compelling. Part of being considerate means that we take our own learning strategies into account and represent new information to Brain in its preferred method. If you have a visual-learning Brain, the reading, graphs and tables will suffice. If your Brain wants to “hear” information instead of “see” it, you may need to read aloud and discuss it with someone else. If you Brain requires that you “practice” or ground each piece of information, then do that before you overwhelm it with additional data. Some Brains like to hear the abstract or theory first, then they’ll get into the practice and detail. Some Brains prefer to gather items before they think of the similarities as a theory. Some Brains require that information is rewritten “in your own words” before it will anchor new knowledge. If you will think back to something you know well or some block of information that you learned easily, and recall the circumstances and the strategies that you used, you’ll be able to identify how your brain likes to have new information presented to it, and you can model that learning pattern. The Brain is designed to process information; when it raises obstacles, it is simply challenging you to find a way around the hurdle; it is reminding you that you have not been considerate or clever enough to engage its cooperation. It may have a brief attention span, and be only willing to learn for twenty minutes at a time; it may get bored easily and require that you flip from chapter to chapter. Plan to accommodate it.”
I must reiterate that not all of the asteroids will be pertinent to your life, even though they are there. It’s the same with midpoint combinations, everyone has all of the combinations but not all the combinations are activated in a person’s life. Asteroids still have to be in either direct aspect or contained in a midpoint combination to a personal point in order to be activated in our lives. Clusters of asteroids on a personal point are very important. (Personal points are Ascendant, Midheaven, Sun, Moon, Aries Point, & Nodes.) When you look at a list of asteroid positions (and I recommend this as a first step rather than placing them in the chart, as I said close to 7,000 new points can be overwhelming to the eye and brain) check off the ones which equal the degrees of your personal points, then those of your major planets. Synthesize is the word we are looking for. Also look to the sign they are in and house as this is important. Another thought, I would connect the number of the asteroid with the name so as not to confuse them with names of moons and the Uranian Planets.
I also strongly recommend that you read the books by Demetra George (Asteroid Goddesses) and Barbara Hand Clow (Chiron: Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner & Outer Planets). They are very important in developing your understanding and definition of the changes that are going on in all of our inner selves
I have gone through some intense periods of working with the asteroids and then times of working at my day job (hahahhahaha). In those intense times in Astrology I found that the addition of asteroids to the mix brought back a wealth of detail about myself that only I knew about, and something I didn’t realize until I saw it. First thing to do is to either have a chart run of the asteroids for you or else go to Jonathan Dunn’s website and input your data to see which ‘roids connect to your planets. I would first start out with the conjunctions and then the major aspects, gradually adding in as many as are aspecting. Then I would get a hold of some of the great books available (see part two) or else go to the mythological encyclopedias that are online (see references below) and look up the myths (if the asteroids are part of the mythos community) and try to apply them to your life.
When transits hit your chart that’s when the fun really begins. I usually run through the list to see if any of my natals are hit or important midpoints are triggered (that is when my day job doesn’t interfere). Then I check to see if my solar arc Sun is triggered or if any planets in midpoint combinations are triggered. I also look to my progressed Moon, especially the Moon because that is where the experiences you are going through are located. Also if you are under any important transits or progressions check to see if they are triggered or aspected by the ‘roids. Martha Lang Wescott’s great newsletter (TOOT) has a run of the current asteroid positions along with a detailed analysis of some of the important combinations that are in aspect that month. The newsletter also goes into one asteroid a month in detail using a chart(s) as examples. A wonderful and totally recommended resource for asteroid research.
My suggestion if you are interested in starting this journey of discovery is to create a data base of the knowledge of the asteroids for yourself. I have started one of my own which I will share with you. Keeping in mind the diversity of interests on this list I tried to gather together asteroids with the names and types of interests that might appeal to you for experimenting in your charts. For those in the health profession here are the asteroids that are most commonly associated, also keep in mind if you are doing the chart of someone under the care of a health professional to check to see if the NAME of that professional is close to a personal name asteroid and add that to the mix.
Different types of Asteroids -
A suggested manual of where to start using them in your charts
Figuring out what all the asteroids mean is half the fun, It’s like a giant puzzle, fitting all the pieces together to see what’s in store for us and the search is just beginning. With all the mythological beings mentioned in the Greek and Roman myths I am sure that all of them are represented (of course I may be wrong on that). All astrologers are used to the game of figuring out the symbolism of a myth and how it relates to a person’s life and boy what fun it is going to be to play with all the names and myths now. (I could kick myself now for weaseling my way out of writing a paper on mythology in the 9th grade.) As I said it all depends on what you are involved with. Remember it’s a whole new world to play in, you are in the position of being the ones who work out the test cases to see. Oh and get into the habit of thinking the ID number of the asteroid as well as the name, it will make it easier in the long run for you to remember. They are numbered as they were found and some ephemerides just go by the number.
Categories of the Asteroids
Mythological Beings, Personal Names, Countries & Professions. So far the list of asteroids connected to Health professions are (thanks to Mark Pottenger for this list):
Hygeia: 10 Hygiea (note vowel order)
Aesculapia: 1027
Askalaphus: 4946
Asclepius: 4581
Here are some other asteroids to check for health/disease associations (not a complete scan):
16 Psyche (soul)
40 Harmonia
134 Sophrosyne (Plato’s virtue: healthy mind)
208 Lacrimosa (sounds like)
446 Aeternitas (eternity)
451 Patientia (patient as well as patience?)
1104 Syringa (sounds like)
1962 Dunant (red cross)
2060 Chiron (wounded healer)
2239 Paracelsus (Dr.)
2878 Panacea (goddess of health)
3063 Makhaon (Dr.)
4086 Podalirius (Dr.)
5050 Doctorwatson
5168 Jenner (vaccine)
5188 Paine (sounds like)
5239 Reiki
5422 Hodgkin (disease)
5464 Weller (sounds like)
5708 Melancholia (sounds like)
5841 Stone (symptom)
5870 Baltimore (Dr.)
5891 Gehrig (disease)
5905 Johnson (med company)
5938 Keller (overcome handicaps)
5945 Roachapproach (sounds like)
6401 Roentgen (disc. x-rays)
6581 Sobers (sounds like)
6686 Hernius (sounds like)
6776 Dix (1800s mental health reform)
6817 Pest (sounds like)
6826 Lavoisier (chemistry, hygiene)
7000 Curie (radium, radiation)
7116 Mentall (sounds like)
7711 Rip (R.I.P.)
7919 Prime (sounds like)
8858 Cornus (sounds like)
9142 Rhesus (experimental animals & blood factor)
9669 Symmetria (some studies link symmetry & health)
9969 Braille (assoc. blindness)
10392 Brace (prosthesis)
Telephus (sympathetic healing – Reiki?)
In Emma Donath’s book, “Asteroids in Midpoints,” I found the following: Ceres is involved in the growth of cysts. I would also like to recommend that you read Demetra George’s book Asteroid Goddesses. Ceres, and the other three “feminist” asteroids, is not just for women’s issues, there are lots of health indicators. For example “Ceres also governs food complexes, as indicated by Ceres’ refusal to eat; withdrawal of support; and work stoppages, as she halted food production as a means of control.”
The Nine Muses
The Nine Muses became a theme for me after visiting Roxanne Muise’s site. I was curious as to their placement in my chart and found that Thalia is conjunct my SUN, that explains the quirky funny poems that float through my brain.
Here are the names and numbers of the Muse Asteroids (again thanks to Mark Pottenger of ACS):
Jacob (Schwartz’s Encyclopedia) lists under muses in the index:
18 Melpomene (tragedy)
22 Kalliope (heroic poetry)
23 Thalia (comedy)
27 Euterpe (music & lyric poetry)
30 Urania (astronomy)
33 Polyhymnia (singing & rhetoric)
56 Melete (one of 3 ancient muses)
57 Mnemosyne (mother of 9 muses)
62 Erato (lyric poetry)
81 Terpsichore (choral song & dance)
84 Klio (history)
600 Musa (Greek goddess; a muse of Zeus & Mnemosyne)
646 Kastalia (fountain consecrated to Apollo & muses)
P.S. on Hermes: it was observed 1937 October 28 – 30 during a very close approach to earth, then lost (Schmadel 2nd p. 674).
Professions:
Astronomica
Urania (for astrologers)
Arachne (for web builders)
Circe for healers as well as the Sirens
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Here are some examples of asteroids in interpretation from the A-Urania List.
I have started my own database on the ‘roids (as Martha calls them), and sent a note to A-Urania list trying to start the ball rolling on Ceres. I noted that in the myth Ceres, the Greek name for Demeter, was the mother of Persophine – therefore it’s an indicator of the maternal energy. This came right back from another member: “My own Ceres is conjunct Zeus in the fire sign Leo. I get quite a bit of ribbing from my other astro friends about burning my food (especially rice!) Linda”.
Recently the space probe Deep Space 1 passed by Asteroid (9969) Braille in order to ‘read’ it but were unable to get pictures of it – a lot of us on the A-Urania list were laughing at the humor of them not being able to read Braille maybe they should have used a probe instead of a camera.
An email from bsilverscott on the A-Urania List:
“Thanks. Dr, K. I hadn’t thought of using the asteroid Bach as a correlate to the rememdies. Hmmm, Flora…. (asteroid).”
Meanwhile, has anyone checked out the asteroid which means “stargazer” in Russian? Zvezdotchet #6465. Also, anyone work with Curie (to represent dangerous or revolutionary substances)? How about #2815, Soma? Any reiki practitioners on lists have a dramatically configured #5239, Reiki? I’m wondering if Soma can be used in tandem with Bacchus when delineating new pharmaceutical compounds in the lab. For those of you who are recovering (we prefer the term “ex”) English majors and remember your Aldous Huxley novels, was “soma” a euphoric drug (or more like a valium compound) in ISLANDIA? If Soma was in BRAVE NEW WORLD then what was the name of the drug in ISLANDIA? Talk about your Mercury-Hades-Bacchus-Sphinx sentences!”
>From Martha Lang Wescott on the A-Urania list
“1. Transits can “come” to us through people and situations or by osmosis (so that we enact them). We’ve all had the experience of a Neptune transit where one second you recognize that another person is “playing make believe,” and a few minutes later we feel confused or drift into escapist mode. Philosophically, we are both the chicken AND the egg on one level (and, on another, we are neither!).
2. Configurations manifest on a repetitive cycle even within a 24-hour period. At least as often as every 45 minutes we “experience” (whether in thought, deed or reaction) patterns that are, for instance, on our Daily Angles. As you know, this problem was one I was trying to address with Time Dials and the use of techniques like Daily Angles and Return Charts…. expecting the angle’s essence to “name” the role one would play in an “event.”
3. That this problem exists and is monumental seems appropriate in that trying to name everything that is going on in our brains at a given second would be all but impossible. We tend to experience and integrate things in a thousand ways; a pattern reaches into all the parts of our understanding. While angles will often help you determine the outward manifestation, I agree that a great deal more work could and should be done… and shared. ”
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Asteroids in my chart – quickest thing for me to share with you right now.
My ASC is Pisces which is known for psychic ability, compassion, empathy, intuitive ability and space cadetness to some. All the labels that have been put onto the sign it’s up to the astrologer to memorize them or experience them to put them into the data banks. The question is which quality of Pisces is predominant? Well, an astrologer would say, that depends on the level of advancement of the soul who is expressing the sign of Pisces. Another would say it depends on the decanent of the sign (first ten degrees are Pisces, next ten are Cancer, next ten are Scorpio). It all boils down to intuition when you are doing a chart. Also depends on the house where Pisces lives or the planet or where the ruling planet is by sign or quality. I also have the asteroids Circe#34 and Telephus#5264, which definitely changes the picture of a space cadet. Circe is known as the powerful witch who lived on the island of Aeaea who was visited by the Argonauts & Odysses. (Charlie Manson, Jim Jones and Ma shall Applewhite (Heaven’s Gate Cult) all had Circe conjunct their Sun.). Telephus is connected through myth to sympathetic magic and all I can say is well that certainly blows my cover of being”normal”.
Circe, other than conjunct the SUN, is also strong in performers charts, ranging from actors, musicians and dancers. It shows the ability to enthrall one’s audience.
My Nemisis equals the degree of my ex-husbands Sun, HA! Also Nemisis is sitting right in my SU/MO midpoint along with Saturn, my marriage to him didn’t have a chance! However we do have a daughter whose Mercury is conjunct my Saturn.
Bacchus is opposite Uranus, conjunct Venus. MLW says Bacchus “= excess; addiction; attempts to manage feelings, people & situations through substitution or avoidance, contact with orchards, pine & fir trees and vineyards.” While I don’t drink my ex-husband loves his wine, excess to the max and his Mars is right at this point. For the past 14 years I have lived in Northern California’s Wine Country. With Uranus opposite Venus I found that when romance (and marriage) didn’t go the way I wanted it to I tended to abruptly sever relations and then stuff myself with chocolate ice cream (love that Godiva).
Astronomia = 0′ Aries in my chart and when I was 10 my greatest desire was to be an Astronomer.
When my progressed Moon = 20″ Aries, I took the name Yakshi to bring myself into fruition (Yakshi is the hindu nature spirit whose job it is to kick trees into blooming and thus bearing fruit). I just looked over my list of ‘roids and found Yazhi at 20′ Aries!
Klytaemnestra = 4″ Cancer the point of my Uranus – I couldn’t find this name in any of the online encyclopedias – anyone know about this greek name?
Sisyphus = Mars – the uphill climb, over and over and over and over again. Could describe the process of learning to play a musical instrument or editing this article.
Oh and one last but not least important one. I have an altar to Ganesha and was totally amused to find the ‘roid Ganesa sitting on the cusp of my 7th house of partners, my partner! I sing and chant & ask to Ganesha for help and things are brought to me. When I was about to become homeless last year (a long story) on the last day of having to move a house was found for me in Clearlake, right on the lake, away from the madness of the highway I had lived on for six years. What really amused me was the fact that the house is located behind a store that imports clothing from India, but the best part was their sandwich board sign in the shape of an elephant with the trunk pointing down the driveway to my new house!
One last note. Remember, just because we have new information at our fingertips doesn’t mean the old rules of astrology don’t stand. There are still nine major planets in synchronous orbits around the SUN and they are still the indicators of major patterns within our beings, all this other stuff is just icing on the cake.
