Tag: Sense of Self

Ceres in Aries – Feb. 22 – May 9, 2021

Ceres in Aries – Feb. 22 – May 9, 2021

On February 22, the dwarf planet Ceres will leave Pisces and enter into Aries until May 9. Ceres had been in Pisces a significant portion of 2020, due to her retrograde, but now she is moving into Aries and her focus (and ours) will shift dramatically around the things that nourish our souls.

While in Pisces, Ceres focuses on illness, loss, grief, and the cycle of death and rebirth. In the last year we have all experienced dealing with these themes.  During this period, you may have had to make significant sacrifices to continue to survive, or your survival may have been challenged by unforeseen circumstances. Ceres has been sitting at the last degree of Pisces (29˚) over the course of time that the winter storm Uri and the Polar Vortex ripped across the U.S.; many have suffered as this ‘critical’ degree was activated strongly by this dwarf planet.

Ceres (Demeter in Greek mythology) is the goddess of agriculture and the harvest; she also represents how we give and receive nurturing. The most well-known myth about this goddess is when Pluto (her brother) kidnapped her daughter (with her other brother Jupiter) Persephone and spirited her away to the Underworld.  Ceres’ grief was so terrible that she refused to allow the plants to grow, causing great famine.  Jupiter had to intervene with Pluto, and he agreed to return Persephone to her mother, but she had eaten food from the Underworld, so she had to return to Hades four months of the year (Winter).  During that time, things are dormant; nothing grows until Persephone returns to her mother in Spring and stays with her until the end of the harvest season. 

So now that you have a better picture of Ceres as the deeply devoted nurturer… how do you find her in your chart?  The symbol/glyph for this goddess is a scythe, but also looks a bit like a ‘?’ sitting on a ‘+’ in your chart.  Some astrological programs automatically add Ceres, Juno, Pallas Athena, and Vesta (the last four goddesses are classified as asteroids). Ceres was officially upgraded to a dwarf planet in 2006, along with Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea. Where she sits in your chart affects how you nurture others and how you need to be nurtured in return.

{Tip: If you go to Foxy Astrology (right under my blog posts on the homepage) you will see a link to create your birth chart. Once you enter your information and draft your chart, you can look under ‘settings’, select ‘planets/asteroids’, and check the box next to ‘Ceres’.

Now Ceres is leaving the soft, sensitive, mutability of Pisces for Aries, and the focus of our nurturing will shift. The first degree of Aries (0˚) is very important. Not only is this a critical degree, but it is the beginning of the zodiac and known as the Aries Point.  Aries rules the 1st house of the self; with Ceres moving into Aries, the focus will shift to fiery, passionate, and actionable energy. It is time to call back your energy and pursue the things that nurture and nourish your soul.

Chariklo in Aquarius – until February 2028

Chariklo in Aquarius – until February 2028

You might be asking yourself, “WTF is Chariklo!” Ok, so she’s a bit on the esoteric-side, but if you gotten this far…come closer, ahem, but not that close.  Chariklo is Chiron’s wife and she is all about the boundaries.

You know who Chiron is, right?  Besides the hubby of the most noble and giving soul in the universe, Chariklo — he is the wounded healer. Most astrologers treat him like a planet these days even though he is an asteroid, but not just any asteroid. Chiron is a centaur that represents that wound that you get to carry around with you for your entire incarnation on your current wheel of fortune.  Just wait until you hit 50/51 and you get to experience your first Chiron return.  Good times!

Chariklo recently entered into Aquarius where she will remain until early February of 2028.  As the 11th sign of the zodiac, Aquarius rules your social circle—yes, even all those ridiculous groups that you join on social media for no good reason. The 11th house also possesses a humanitarian aspect to things — especially in relationship to any projects that you may get involved with. 

There is a ginormous stellium (when three or more planets, celestial objects, etc., converge in a sign or house) that is growing in Aquarius with the Sun, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury Rx, and Pallas Athena.  That is a lot of energy in that 11th house, not to mention the Aquarius New Moon will be happening on 2/11.  Now Chariklo is in there for the long-haul (2/2028) so she is a little late to the party, but she is ready to get down with her bad self — literally just herself.

Even though Chariklo is classified as a centaur asteroid, technically she is a nymph. She holds space for her hubby, the wounded healer (Chiron), but she also represents the personal process of individuation.  She holds the “space” that you need to achieve a sense of “self” that is separate from the others so you can consciously co-exist in this world. If your mind is blown, fantastic!  You are in the right place.

So as Chariklo moves through Aquarius/11th house, this eight-year transit will be about establishing boundaries for yourself in relationship to the groups of which you are a part.  It is important that you can see beyond the boundaries of the current collective social structure. That is why being conscious about the groups you join or participate in is important. 

Time is the most precious commodity that we have; Chariklo can help you to make sure that you don’t waste another precious minute.  Chariklo will give you the grace to look beyond the boundaries of your existing social networks so that you can co-exist with your peeps, without losing your sense of self.

Look and see where Aquarius is in your chart; you can go to Foxy Astrology to get a free birth chart. See what house Aquarius rules in your chart.  That is the area of life where you might consider where your current relationship boundaries stand and if they need a bit of an overhaul.  This won’t happen overnight, but you might already be seeing some signs of where you need to establish, or reestablish, your sovereign space.