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Interpreting the Asteroids
in the Natal Chart:
by Aspect, Transit, Solar Return and Progression

Part III: Vesta

by Cathy H. Burroughs

Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved

In the last installment, we explored the meanings of the asteroids by sign, house and conjunction in a particular individual's chart (2/15/54; Newton, MA; 2:18 pm). Now we will go further, looking at the aspect relationships to the rest of the chart. We will start with Vesta.

Vesta: Rulership, Sign and House in this chart

Remember that Vesta (keywords:devotion/service, workaholism and sister issues) was worshipped by the Greeks as the Goddess of the Hearth, the keeper of both the sacred fires, and the home fires. In Roman times, Vesta became associated with the chaste vestal virgins, solely devoted to keeping the temple fires burning, sublimating their natural and personal expression.

Because of this lineage, you may note some definite c
orrespondences with the sign of Virgo. Additionally, others see resonances to the sign of Scorpio, through her varied sexual (possibly due to sublimation or confusion) and occult expressions. According to Demetra George and Douglas Block in the central work on the subject, Asteroid Goddesses, Vesta rules and impacts the following areas:

* personal integration or daily routines
* maintaining health and spiritual balance
* sexual expression, as well as "complexes"
* spiritual and devotional service
* spiritual scholarly pursuits
* one's work patterns
* one's sense of purpose or dharma
* groups that share a common purpose
* heritage, preservation & conservation
* safety & security

In the chart of the U.S. Homeland Security's Water Security Project, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Projection Agency (start date: May 18m 2003; 8:30 am; Washington, DC), we see the powerful Aries warrior Pallas Athena, opposing the fastidious Vesta in the precise sign of Virgo in the 4th house of home. This perfectly depicts an aggressive warrior protection stance presented to the global arena (10th house), combined with a detailed and careful analysis of our underground water systems, to preserve security at home, and in our homes, as it affects our inner sense of security (4th house).

In the sampe chart we have chosen for this series (2/15/54; 2:18 pm; Newton, MA), Vesta is in the sign of Pisces, blending the mystical realm with that of reality; visionary principals with practical application. Vesta in the 10th house demonstrates a spiritual purpose with the discipline and focus, once one realizes one's path, to work assiduously.

Aspects to Vesta: Top o' the Chart!

With Vesta on the midheaven within 3 degrees, throughout the career of the native whose chart we are focusing on, this individual frequently veered toward overwork, often teetering on the brink of workaholism. With the inconjunct to Neptune in the 4th, over time, she seems to have found greater balance between personal life and professional life, allowing the Neptunian aspects of both her Libra in Neptune and her Pisces Vesta to guide her spiritually and to be in "flow." George and Bloch provide the example of Pope John I who had a powerful Scorpionic Vesta in the 10th house, conjoined Mercury in Scorpio.

We have already determined that Vesta 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.

Additionally, on closer observation, Vesta makes the following aspects to the rest of the chart:
· Inconjunct or Quincunx to Pluto in the 2nd in Leo
· Inconjunct or Quincunx to Pallas Athena in Virgo in the 2nd
· Inconjunct or Quincunx to Neptune in Libra in the 4
· Out of sign trine to Mars in Sag in the 5th; Out of sign trine to Moon in Leo in the 1st
· Trine to the South Node in the 12th, Uranus in Cancer in the 12th and Asc in Cancer
· Sextile to the North Node and Chiron in Capricorn, to name a few.

Now let's take Aspect by Aspect to see how this affects the expression of the chart:

*Inconjunct or Quincunx to Pluto in the 2nd in Leo and Inconjunct or Quincunx to Pallas Athena in Virgo in the 2nd
(An inconjunct or quincunx is 150 degrees and points to a tendency for alienation or a disconnect. Some kind of effort to understand each point of view of the two sides of the quincunx is required beyond the comfort zone to find a way to connect or a means of integrating these energies which do not fundamentally have any affinity for each other).

In this placement, Vesta is angular, conjunct the midheaven, and expressing a life purpose, career or place in the world that is either intuitive, healing, artistic or visionary. Additionally, the 29th degree marks a critical incarnation, fueled by an the easy passion of the fire grand trine for individuality, freedom, fun, charismatic self-expression and new ventures.

The inconjunct to Pluto in the 2nd in Leo points to issues regarding prosperity and an adjustment or lessons that need to be learned associated with charismatic expression of selfhood; focus on accruing power, impact and financial fortune in the native's field with a desire to approach her work purely intuitively, spiritually, selflessly without ego or ambition.

An example that may be given if of someone who in previous incarnations may have taken vows of poverty and therefore, is fundamentally unable to integrate generating prosperity through spiritual practice and service. The conjunction to the midheaven in Aries would offset this, however and add a good healthy dose of self expression and getting one's needs met through one's career and independent social standing as an innovator or entrepreneur.

The other inconjunct is to Pallas Athena in 0 degrees Virgo in the 2nd. This demonstrates that this individual relies on her intuitive and artistic guidance to fulfill her career direction with adjustments and lessons needing to be learned about integrating practical, technical skills where she may have much untapped ability, but doesn't always realize this or feel confident in one's ability..

*Inconjunct or Quincunx to Neptune in Libra in the 4th
Here Neptune softens the natural alienation between these elements. As Vesta is the natural ruler of Pisces, so it bridges the schism. Here the individual may need to make adjustments concerning her career and her personal homelife; her desire to go it alone (conjunct Aries on the midheaven), with her affinity to develop partnerships, close ties with both family and the significant others, with her natural capacity to work collaboratively.

This three series of quincunxes demonstrate a need to combine spiritual mission with practical financial planning, technical skill; valuing prosperity, at the same time, not to neglect homelife, family, partnership and the benefits from working collaboratively. This will require some ongoing effort on the part of the native.

*Out of sign trine to Mars in Sag in the 5th; Out of sign trine to Moon in Leo in the 1st: forming a grand trine with the Midheaven in Aries
(a trine is a natural, harmonious flow between like elements or 120 degrees, that is easy and effortless and generally most beneficial. A grand trine is when three points in the chart all trine, forming a triangle that is extremely beneficial and may bring great benefit.)

As we mentioned in Part I of this series, the angular Vesta is powerful and adds watery intuition and compassion to the fiery grand trine. It points to a natural, beneficial flow between attaining one's independent purpose, through fiery, fun, theatrical and adventurous means, coupled with spiritual devotion and mysticism.

The 29th degree of Pisces Vesta indicates a pressure to complete a spiritual objective, combined with a new 3-degree fiery cycle of fun, ease, adventure, personal accomplishment and acknowledgement. This integrates old world wisdom (29th degree of Pisces) into a lifetime of youthful, childlike insouciance and play (early degrees of fire signs), naturally, easily, with beneficial rewards.

*Trine to the South Node in the 12th, Uranus in Cancer in the 12th and Asc in Cancer
This natural flow between the psychic and multidimensional 12th house south node may point to an easy carry over of spiritual gifts from previous incarnations. These may have been lifetimes spent in spiritual practice outside of day-to-day life, such as a monastery, nunnery or priest or priestess hood.

This probably indicates that she has easy access to the work she does, as well as the intuitive energies that flow through her body from past incarnational experiences. Her projection of herself in society and in day to day life with be watery, nurturing (Cancer) and elusive (Pisces), as both personal angels (midheaven and ascendant have an easy ethereal watery flow.

*Sextile to the North Node and Chiron in Capricorn
(A sextile is an opportunity that once activated through effort will flow easily. It is marked by a 60-degree angle. Here we are using a 5-degree orb.)

This is an encouraging aspect which indicates as she expresses her Vesta in Pisces midheaven and makes efforts to work with others (7th house -students, clients, collaborators, family members and partners) as a teacher, healer or mystic (Chiron), that this will congruently address her personal relationship wounds (Chiron), as well as allowing her to move toward her soul destiny of facilitating healing for others (North Node in Capricorn on the 7th house cusp).

This is meant to provide a sampling, rather than a complete roster of Aspects, giving a flavor of how these energies might be interpreted.

By Transit

Currently, the individual on whose chart we are focusing is having a potent transit to the 10th house of career and life purpose with Venus in Rulership in Taurus, in close concert with Vesta in Taurus. This indicates that she is establishing herself in the world as an "expert" in manifestation, is valued by others for this, and has demonstrated a mastery of 2nd house issues (as both Venus and Taurus, naturally rule the 2nd house) of prosperity thinking and effective money management, as well.

The transiting Taurus Venus and Vesta have recently sextiled her natal Venus in Pisces (the sign of her natal Vesta). This indicates that she now easily sees the opportunities to work in both the spiritual and practical realms and has resolved any discomfort on the soul level justifying earthly comfort and prosperity (Taurus, 2nd house) with success (Vesta midheaven, natally; Pluto Pallas conjunction in the 2nd natally) and spirituality (Vesta in Pisces and Venus in Pisces).

This Taurus transit with Venus and Vesta to the 10th may also indicate she is beginning to establish a body of work, or something tangible to show for her efforts (Taurus) and is demonstrating considerable success (Venus and Vesta in the 10th, by transit) at this time.

Vesta/ North Node/Chiron: Fulfilling the Life Purpose

We may find encouraging, given the psychological themes for Vesta mentioned in Asteroid Goddesses, that the native is, indeed, in line with her life purpose. As we have noted, she may have sublimated desires for partnership and close family ties with a complete focus on work,career and life purpose for a significant period in her life. This is very much in keeping with her Chiron and North Node in Capricorn in the 7th.

That Vestal period of focus and commitment on career could have, in fact, provided healing for her and her relationship sector, building more healthy parental foundations and connections to others, as she developed authority and respect in her field. This is in alignment to her North Node/Chiron conjunction in the 7th in Capricorn which sextiles her natal Vesta.

In other word, the planets, natally and by transit, are working in concert toward propelling this individual toward her ultimate purpose on the soul level and that she has taken the actions required to fulfill the expression of her destiny.

In our next installments, we will further delve into the meanings of the aspects and current transits to the remaining three key Asteroid Goddess (Juno, Ceres and Pallas Athena), and how they impact this natal chart.

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

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