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Astrology is deeply woven into Western culture, from the familiar question 'What’s your sign?' to the horoscopes written by devoted followers. It’s ubiquitous. In fact, a significant 70% of Americans claim to believe in astrology in some form. Despite its widespread popularity, astrology remains a pseudoscience, despite having roots that stretch back thousands of years. Civilizations from all corners of the globe turned to the stars to explain earthly events, believing that finding patterns in the heavens could enhance our understanding of ourselves, the world, and even predict the future.
Long before the rise of modern science, ancient Greek Hellenistic astrology included the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Along with them were the twelve Zodiac signs, each represented by a constellation in the sky. These are the same twelve signs we recognize today: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
It’s not an absurd claim, but our knowledge of the cosmos has grown tremendously since the Greeks mapped the stars millennia ago. Logically, the discovery of additional planets, comets, asteroids, and planetary motions might seem to contradict astrology. However, astrologers have managed to incorporate nearly every astronomical revelation into natal charts, assigning new meanings to these discoveries.
Here are ten cosmic revelations that have found their way into your daily horoscope long after the birth of astrology itself.
10. Supermoon
Though not physical bodies or placements, supermoons have found their place in astrology since Johannes Kepler's discovery of elliptical orbits in 1605. With astrology’s origins dating back to the third millennium BC, this lunar occurrence is rather modern in comparison.
Kepler’s first law tells us that all celestial bodies, including the Moon, orbit in ellipses, not perfect circles. This means the Moon’s distance from Earth changes. When it is farthest away, it’s called the apogee. When it’s closest, it’s referred to as the perigee.
The perigee, more commonly known as a supermoon, refers to an “extra bright” or supercharged full moon. In astrology, full moons typically signify endings, clarity, enlightenment, and emotional release. A supermoon, however, intensifies these qualities, amplifying the attributes of the sign it aligns with.
9. Black Moon Lilith
While the supermoon grabs attention on Instagram Reels and in popular magazines, the apogee of the moon, also known as Black Moon Lilith, tends to receive much less focus.
What makes the inclusion of this placement in modern astrology intriguing is not just its relatively recent astronomical discovery, but its name as well. Unlike most celestial bodies, which are named after figures from Greek or Roman mythology, this one draws its name from Abrahamic mythology.
In Jewish mythology, Lilith was the first wife of Adam. Created equally by God from the same earth, Lilith refused to submit to Adam, which led to her expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In astrology, she represents the parts of ourselves that have been cast aside or shamed.
The Black Moon Lilith placement embodies the 'dark feminine.' It offers a newer perspective through which one can view their personality.
8. Ceres
The asteroid Ceres is one of four major asteroids discovered in the 1800s. Specifically, Ceres was identified in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi. Piazzi and his colleagues named the asteroid after the goddess Ceres, noting that 'the symbol of Saturn... represents a scythe, so the symbol of Ceres... may be a sickle, as Ceres is the goddess of corn and agriculture.'
Even though NASA reclassified Ceres as a dwarf planet in 2006, astrologers ensured that it remained an important part of their charts, despite its relatively recent discovery.
In contemporary astrology, Ceres represents the qualities attributed to the goddess, primarily focusing on how one nurtures themselves and others. This includes themes like motherhood, life transitions, nourishment, and overall well-being.
7. Pallas
The asteroid Pallas was the second to be discovered in the 1800s. Wilhelm Olbers, the astronomer who discovered it, named it Pallas Athena. The name 'Pallas' is associated with the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, who adopted the name after defeating a giant of the same name, according to one version of the myth.
In astrology, the asteroid symbolizes the attributes that Athena would govern: wisdom, justice, ambition, and innate talent.
Given this pattern, it seems probable that if Olbers had selected a different name for his discovery, our connection to this asteroid might have influenced our personalities in a much different way since its discovery in 1802.
6. Juno
The asteroid Juno was the third asteroid to be discovered within the asteroid belt. It was identified in 1804 by Karl Ludwig Harding, following the discoveries of Ceres and Pallas.
Named after Juno, the wife of Jupiter in Roman mythology, this asteroid represents a protector, particularly focused on women's lives. She governed marriage and fidelity, akin to her Greek counterpart, Hera.
In astrology, the asteroid Juno is linked to the same qualities as its namesake. For over 220 years, it has been believed to govern women's lives, marriage, and unions. While ancient Hellenistic astrologers had correspondences for these themes through other planets, Juno, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, has since overshadowed them.
5. Vesta
Vesta, the second-largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt, was the fourth to be discovered, following Ceres, Pallas, and Juno in the early nineteenth century. Wilhelm Olbers, the same astronomer who discovered Pallas, allowed his colleague Carl Friedrich Gauss, a mathematician, to name the asteroid. Gauss chose Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth.
Gauss selected the name out of tradition. Since the previous asteroids (or, at the time, dwarf planets) were named after Roman deities, it was only fitting for this one to follow suit.
Since its discovery, astrologers have associated aspects of our lives and personalities with Vesta. Just as the goddess Vesta rules over the hearth, symbolizing warmth in the home, the asteroid represents what lights you up. It embodies devotion to yourself, your sexuality, and your sexual and creative potential.
4. Chiron
Chiron is one of the most recognized comets in our solar system, though calling it a 'comet' isn't entirely accurate. This icy object is better classified as a 'centaur,' a term used by astronomers for bodies that share the composition of comets but are as large as asteroids.
Chiron, known as the wisest of all centaurs, was the mentor to famous Greek heroes such as Jason, Hercules, Asklepios, and Achilles. He was skilled in medicine, music, prophecy, and hunting, having been raised by Apollo and Artemis. Chiron was the offspring of the god Cronus and the sea nymph Philyra.
In astrology, Chiron is referred to as 'the wounded healer.' This signifies that Chiron's placement in your chart indicates the area in life where you may face challenges but also where you will eventually be able to help others. For instance, overcoming addiction might enable you to assist others struggling with the same issue.
Astrologers believe Chiron to be 'as significant as your sun, moon, or rising sign,' as one source claims. This is an intriguing statement, especially since Chiron's existence wasn't known until it was discovered in 1977…
3. Pluto
One astrology site describes Pluto as a dwarf planet with 'subtle' energy, 'but its results will hit you like a ton of bricks.' This powerhouse was discovered less than a century ago, in 1930, by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.
Its discovery made waves, quickly spreading across Europe, though it still lacked a name. One morning, a young British girl, Venetia Burney, was having breakfast with her grandparents when she proposed the name 'Pluto.' In later years, she recalled, 'For some reason, I, after a short pause, said, ‘Why not call it Pluto?’ I had read various children's books about Greek and Roman legends, and I knew about the solar system and the names of the other planets. So, I figured this was a name no one had used yet.'
This mysterious, powerful planet, named after the god of the underworld, received its astrological attributes from an eleven-year-old girl. These traits, which can 'hit you like a ton of bricks,' encompass themes of death, rebirth, obsession, vice, transformation, secrets, and the hidden realms of life.
What if she had chosen a different name? Our birth charts would certainly look very different.
2. Neptune
In 1846, Johann Gottfried Galle discovered a massive, mysterious object beyond the known planets of the solar system, marking the arrival of the seventh planet. This ocean-blue body was named Neptune, after the Roman god of the sea, continuing the tradition of naming planets after gods and deities.
Astrologers followed suit by attributing to Neptune the same qualities as its namesake deity. In a natal chart, Neptune governs the 'watery' realms of life: dreams, illusions, creativity (such as music and poetry), trance states, delusion, the obscured, rose-tinted perceptions, and enlightenment.
It’s said that Neptune rules over entire generations, shifting through each Zodiac sign every 14 years. How people of earlier generations defined themselves before Neptune’s discovery in 1846 remains an unanswered enigma.
1. Uranus
In line with the tradition of gods presiding over the skies (as seen with Venus, Mars, and Jupiter), new planets brought with them new gods to influence our birth charts. For millennia, astrology was centered on the major celestial bodies visible to the naked eye: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
As technology advanced, humanity discovered more massive bodies in the solar system, expanding our understanding of its vast nature.
In 1781, German astronomer and musician William Herschel observed a small, slow-moving body in the constellation Gemini. After further study, he identified it as a planet, marking the first new planet discovered since ancient times. Continuing the tradition of naming celestial bodies after mythological figures, Herschel named the new planet Uranus, after the Greek embodiment of the heavens. Uranus, born of Gaea, was the grandfather of the Titans, who later gave rise to the Olympian gods, including Zeus, or Jupiter in Roman mythology.
In astrology, Uranus governs rebellion, disruption, breakthroughs, unconventional action, social change, and revolution. Its energy is intense, even though its transit through the Zodiac is slow. One can’t help but wonder how astrologers might have attributed such powerful energy if Herschel had not turned his telescope to the right place or if he had named it after the King of England as he originally planned.
