Ceres--The New Woman in the Cosmos (worth a revisit)

Ceres, Wikipedia
If we require a marker to usher in the Divine Feminine/Divine Masculine Age, then the demotion of Pluto along with the promotion of Ceres (Demeter) by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 could act as that marker. 

Because of its location in the Kuiper Belt and other attributes, the union demoted Pluto to planetoid or asteroid, often referred to as Plutonoid. Since the asteroid Ceres, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter met the new planet requirements of the union, Ceres was promoted to dwarf planet status. And in fact, Neil F. Michelson and Rique Potteneger give Ceres planet status in The American Ephemeris where you'll also find a description of Pluto's demotion. Ceres is listed between Mars and Jupiter in the charts.

Now, as an astrologer, I must get up to speed with Ceres so that I can include this new planet and its attributes in upcoming readings. Previously, like other astrologers, I treated Ceres as an asteroid while including it in readings I gave for women and female children. And while I'm thrilled to have another planet that could be considered feminine, if you practice archetypal astrology (most astrologers do), I believe that it doesn't matter what we label Pluto because it is still a powerful mass of energy that has proven its weight as far as transformation it brings to individual lives and the world.

Ceres, dwarf planet, Wikipedia
As an astrologer I will continue to include Pluto transits in my work as I have endured some pretty powerful transits from Pluto that have transformed my life. And it's funny in a way that I would write this post at the age of 50 since in my 20s and 30s I related to Persephone (Ceres/Demeter's daughter), who was abducted by Pluto and whisked down the the underworld. Ceres/Demeter threw the earth into a long winter as she grieved for the loss of her daughter or I guess we could say the loss of innocence. I encourage anyone reading this post to pick up the Greek myths about Persephone, Demeter, and Hades (Pluto). I get the Greek and Roman names for the gods confused.

The basic story with Pluto, as many of you have experienced firsthand, is that we feel like the planet abducts our souls and buries us alive in some cases, or at least it feels that way as we plunge into darkness. Yet, this darkness derives from our own subconscious and ultimately if we face these shadows, we liberate ourselves, even if the process takes around three years. Now, in the myth of Persephone, she spent half her life below the earth surface and half her life above it, as was Pluto's promise to Demeter. This reminds us of the season of winter verses summer. And just like winter is the best time to do our subconscious work because we're plunged into seasonal darkness anyway, summer which I find Demeter represents gives us a time of integrating our wisdom into our mundane activities. We harvest through our wisdom during the lighter months.

Pluto, Wikipedia
So let's return to Ceres ushering in the Divine Feminine. What does this imply for non-archetypal astrology, (what I practice)? Ceres or Demeter as I like to refer to her, represents the harvest and the return of the warmer months. While the asteroid Juno represents the hearth and home (another feminine aspect), Ceres represents nature more and that which we grow upon the earth to nourish us. We also recognize Demeter as the mother of Persephone as well as, a mother's grief when losing a child, especially losing a child suddenly and unexpectedly.

So in a woman's chart, Ceres represents careers that serve the greater good as well as, motherhood. The planet (remember Ceres was promoted from asteroid to planet), also represents people who grow and harvest food. The Celestial Guide 2015 lists Ceres as an asteroid represented by the Earth Signs Taurus and Virgo--"They deal with food, possibly as a vocation, and they provide nourishment to either sustain health or express love and compassion." Hmmm, that sounds a lot like a combination of the Moon and Venus.

In a man's chart, Ceres represents his ability to nurture others, especially children, as well as, to grow and harvest food. Ceres could also represent a stay-at-home dad or a man who teaches or works with children in some way. I would even add that Ceres represents a man who works with abused children while returning them to the light, as a metaphor. Ceres can also represent a man who teaches elementary or preschool children.

What if the promotion of Ceres which coincided with the demotion of Pluto holds some symbolic meaning? As we transform Earth and enter a new age which many call the Divine Feminine Age, Pluto represents the old autocratic way of doing business and governing the masses whereas, Ceres reminds us how to love and nourish ourselves, the Earth, and each other. And how can we keep describing the transformational process representing by Pluto without mentioning Ceres' new role? How long is it going to take practicing astrologers to transform the old story told by astrology of the Patriarchal Age? And why are we still referring to the planets as gods instead of masses of energy that represent different aspects of our psyche? Personally, I'm ready to move onto the next age of astrology. Hey, I loved the Greek and Roman myths as a child, but I find it silly to say that the planets represent gods from myths. No wonder astronomers want nothing to do with astrology.

It's strange or synchronicity that I'm writing this post while Ceres transits in Aquarius. The planet will turn retrograde on June 2, and it will transit to 25 degrees Capricorn on September 15 (harvest time). While Ceres will not connect with Pluto (too far in degrees), I doubt it's a coincidence that the planet transits in the same sign as Pluto this summer. Will we see more women transforming the business world and more men opting out of the corporate ladder lifestyle to stay at home with the children? What will transpire in the food industry during Ceres Aquarius transit which continues until January 29, 2016? I think we'll see some revolutions with the food industry led by women and men who care about true nourishment and healing the earth. Along with Pluto transforming big business, this is a real possibility. We shall see. (This post was originally written in April 2015 and re-posted a year later).

In the meantime, I ask you to consider Ceres as a planet with true impact on our lives. Let's stop treating Ceres as an asteroid and see how we can direct our clients with this new energy. We require more planets with feminine attributes (such as nurturing), when we only had the Moon and Venus to work with previously. How can we talk about the Divine Feminine and still work with ancient masculine energies? Face it, we have talked about this new age until we're blue in the face, but we're still acting like we're living in the old age. The challenge now is catching up so we're on the right page of the proverbial book and even that page is about to turn. We're looking at a wild ride up ahead.

If you would like an astrology reading with Ceres as well as Pluto, sign up through the contact form. Also check out Astrologer Patricia on YouTube. It's time to shake up the astrological world, would you like to join me?  


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