On January 3, 2004 pop star Britney Spears surprised her many fans by secretly marrying a childhood friend in a Las Vegas chapel. Even more surprising, before the first surprise could make headline news
In practice, falling in love and making a commitment are two distinct phenomena. Sometimes they are sequential, and sometimes they have nothing to do with each other, but they are obviously not the same thing. Until the modern era, many marriages were arranged affairs, and perhaps the couple did fall in love after being
together awhile.
In today's world, the order tends to be reversed; couples fall in love and then decide whether or not to get married. Although marriage is considered a sacred state of union, the divorce rate now exceeds 50 percent, and many more marriages are disrupted by extra-marital love affairs. At the very least, we can say that marriage is akin to a business partnership, with both parties pledging loyalty to each other and sharing responsibilities, but it may or may not have anything to do with romantic love. Before marriage, it's common for people to experience serial affairs, any one of which could last a night or several months, or even several years without actually "tying the knot".
Astrologically, Venus is traditionally considered to be the ruler of love and marriage. But if they are two different states of being, wouldn't it be prudent to have two different archetypes? The deployment of the four major asteroids in the horoscope balances out the under-represented feminine archetypes, with each asteroid signifying specific facets of relationship. Juno in particular is about the committed relationship between two individuals, generally a man and a woman. Venus is better defined as the love goddess, the ruler of the attraction between the sexes. She inspires people to make love, but is not interested in the business side of relationship, or getting married to have children. Venus inspires an appreciation for beauty and sex; Juno inspires the creation of a stable partnership, a long-term, committed relationship. Juno is strongly associated with Libra and the seventh house.
Introduction: Juno and Venus
To the Romans, Juno had a variety of roles and functions, among them being protector of the Roman people, protector of women and children, and adviser to the people, especially concerning who and when to marry. In this role as advisor, she was known as Juno Moneta. According to the legend, around 390 BC a flock of geese in Juno's sanctuary squawked an alarm that saved the Romans from a barbarian invasion. A temple was built on the spot to honor Juno Moneta, and about a century later the first Roman mint was built across the street. The first coins had Juno Moneta on the face, and were naturally called "moneta", from which the term "money" is derived.
The deeper significance of this connection is how marriage and money go together. When two people decide to make a commitment, they learn to share responsibilities in a synergistic way that helps accrue assets. One partner may work to earn capital, while the other manages the home-front, or both may work. Either way, over time the joint assets begin to grow as a team effort. In this sense, Juno is about building security through shared experiences. Two people who are able to work harmoniously over time can create a lot of wealth, while two people who are only marginally happy together will suffer financially.
When two people are married and they each resent the other, the astrologer can expect financial disaster. This can take place during the marriage, or when the divorce comes and they fight over what has been earned. Money squabbles are generally not about money, but disagreements over shared responsibilities and the degree of emotional commitment. Here we have the underlying reason that Juno is also strongly associated with Scorpio and the eighth house.
Adding Juno to the horoscope makes relationship analysis much easier and clearer. Some astrologers are reluctant to add four more symbols to the chart for fear of cluttering it up with unnecessary details. However, consider what an astrologer must go through when a client asks about relationships, which is generally a top priority. Many books have been written on the subject, with a lengthy list of factors used to comprehend the relationship potential.
In her book Astrology and Money, author Beverly Flynn notes the strong connection between money and the asteroid Juno. The Juno archetype and name comes from Roman mythology, where Juno was the wife of Jupiter, the King of the Gods, and patron of the Roman Empire.
The entire hodgepodge of relationship flags is complex and confusing, and only the very experienced astrologer can make any headway in sorting out the most important variables.
When a client wants to know if he or she will have a sexual affair, look to the love planets Venus and Mars. When the client is more interested in a serious, committed relationship, it's much easier to just look at Juno.
The list includes analyzing Venus and Mars, the seventh house, the Moon, the fourth house, the Sun/Moon midpoint, the Part of Marriage, the composite chart, the bi-wheel comparing two charts, the progressed planetary indicators, major transits to natal and/or progressed planets and angles, the fifth house, and on and on....
more on Juno - Juno in signs and Juno in aspect to the outer planets
Asteroid Reports
Officially titled Asteroid Goddesses in the Natal Chart, this 45-page comprehensive report is written by asteroid experts Demetra George and Douglas Bloch. In these pages, the four primary asteroids are fully explained, both in their general signficances as a feminine archetypes, and the meaning of each in your natal chart. Cost is $25.
email wolfstar@neptunecafe.com to order your report or to discuss how it can be bundled with a personal reading.
Introduction to Asteroids
In traditional astrology only two planets are feminine, and the rest are masculine. The Moon and Venus describe the only socially acceptable roles that women were allowed to play over the past few thousand years, while men had the Sun, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as archetypal role models. Of course nowadays women are no longer confined to being a mother (the Moon) or mate (Venus), and are actively participating as co-creators of the 21st century global culture.
When a client wants to know if he or she will have a sexual affair, look to the love planets Venus and Mars. When the client is more interested in a serious, committed relationship, it's much easier to just look at Juno. Here's an illustration to show how it works:
around the world, she got divorced. The entire marriage lasted 55 hours. What was she thinking? Her comments on the subject have been evasive and vague, but she did say "I do believe in the sanctity of marriage, I totally do. But I was in Vegas and it took me over and things got out of hand."
In looking for the planetary indicators that might suggest this wild event, the traditional astrologer would be baffled. For partnership issues, most astrologers consider the seventh house and Libra, Venus, and planets in or ruling the seventh house. In a woman's chart, the Sun or Mars might also be considered. Britney has Libra Rising, the sign often associated with marriage. She also has a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Libra, but none of these placements were activated by any major transit. Nor was the seventh house activated by any major transits. Nor was her Sun or Mars
The ruler of the seventh house is Mars, and by secondary progression Mars was conjunct her Libra Ascendant. Now here we have a significant relationship indicator, but this Mars was already two years past the conjunction when it would - by traditional methods - be most likely to create a marriage. Venus, also traditionally associated with marriage, is nowhere to be found. None of the outer planets were making hits to her natal Venus, and by secondary progression Venus was at seven degrees Aquarius, where it made zero contacts to anything else in her chart.
In looking for the planetary indicators that might suggest this wild event, the traditional astrologer would be baffled. For partnership issues, most astro-logers consider the seventh house and Libra, Venus, and planets in or ruling the seventh house. In a woman's chart, the Sun or Mars might also be considered. Britney has Libra Rising, the sign often associated with marriage. She also has a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Libra, but none of these placements were activated by any major transit. Nor was the seventh house activated by any major transits. Nor was her Sun or Mars.
The picture becomes much clearer when considering Juno, the marriage asteroid. Juno, as one of the four major asteroids, is generally associated with the making and breaking of committed partnerships. In Britney Spears' horoscope Juno is located at 3 degrees Sagittarius (3º55' to be exact) where it's sandwiched between a Mercury-Uranus conjunction. Astrologers generally describe Mercury-Uranus contacts as provoking impulsive or eccentric behavior. Juno influenced by Mercury-Uranus would naturally make spontaneous or unusual choices about marriage.
It's worth noting that Britney has Venus in Capricorn square Saturn, which is a highly controlled, business-first style, and tends to be cautious about intimacy, and even sexually repressed until much later in life. Another common expression is that one learns how to use sexuality (or one's power of attraction) to get ahead in life. From her earliest years, Britney's career was managed by her mother. Until her break-out performance at the MTV Awards in October 2002, Britney promoted her virginity and purity as the latest fashion. From this perspective, the astrologer can see that Britney's Saturn and Uranus represent two completely different tendencies, which is the difference between being the model of protocol and the archetypal raunchy rebel. Britney has now played out both sides of her psyche.
The independent, devil-may-care side emerged suddenly when transiting Uranus squared her natal Uranus at the beginning of 2004. Since Juno is attached to her natal Uranus, her rebellion took the form of a quickie marriage and divorce. By transit, Juno was within a degree of her Neptune when she married, and although her friends say she was not drunk when she was at the ceremony, Neptune does evoke the fantasy of marriage. What would it be like? The marriage was annulled two days later when transiting Juno was just past the conjunction. The allure, the magic, or whatever drug had inspired her to do it, had worn off.
More on Juno - in the signs and in aspect to the outer planets
In this case, Juno is by far the best, most accurate indicator for not only marriage, but also the marriage and divorce. So, adding up the Juno hits we get Juno by transit, a major outer planet transit to natal Juno, Juno by progression, and a major progression to Juno -- this is all the astrologer needs to know.
Britney married again in 2004. On this occasion she and her partner, dancer Kevin Federline, signaled ahead of time that marriage plans were in the works.
Still, the exact date remained a secret, and the two surprised everyone with an earlier than anticipated wedding on September 19, 2004. Perhaps by this time it would surprise no one that transiting Uranus was at 3º55' Pisces, where it formed an exact, to-the-minute square to Britney's natal Juno. Another pronounced outer planet transit at the time was transiting Neptune closely conjunct her fifth house Moon. In traditional astrology, this measurement points to hopes of becoming pregnant, since the fifth house is children. This judgment is underscored by her progressed Juno, which was nearing an exact octile (semi-square or 45º aspect) to her natal Ceres, the asteroid associated with childbirth and parenting.
Juno is particularly telling when comparing two horoscopes for compatibility. Keven Federline (born March 21, 1978) has Juno at 26º Capricorn, where it forms a favorable conjunction with Britney's Venus, the ruler of her chart. The Juno-Venus connection between two people is the best of all possible worlds, combining love and marriage. Kevin's Aries Sun is favorably trine to Britney's Juno, another solid connection. However, his Chiron forms a hard aspect to her Juno, an inconjunction (150º aspect, also known as the quincunx). This link can be summarized as being wounded or hurt in marriage. Also, Britney's Saturn-Pluto conjunction squares Kevin's Juno, which is an oppressive influence. She dominates their relationship from beginning to end.
By secondary progression, Mars was at 3º 49' Libra, only the smallest fraction of a degree (0º06') from being precisely sextile her natal Juno. Here we have the timer, the best measurement of when such tomfoolery would take place. Also by secondary progression, her progressed Moon and Juno were conjunct each other, and aligned with her natal Sun.
Juno figured priominently when Britney shaved her head in February 2007. read more
is a professional astrologer and freelance writer living in Bend, Oregon. He writes the weekly NewsScope blog and is the resident astrologer at NeptuneCafe. For more information, please contact him at wolfstar@NC.com
What's Juno doing in your chart? For personal readings, emphasizing Juno and other asteroids, visit reading
Don't miss
Part Two of this Juno study -Juno by sign and in aspect to the outer planets. Plus, Juno in celebrities' charts and how Juno influenced their marriages
Juno by Sign
Juno in Aries - needs plenty of freedom and independence in relationships; cooperation is more difficult for this placement, though a friendly competitiveness or shared interest in physical activities may keep the partnership fresh and dynamic. Under stress, fighting comes too easily, and taking on the significant other, or the pair taking on external challenges is a perpetual theme. Examples: David Kelly, Norah Jones, Kate Hudson, Rudolph Giuliani, Sheryl Crow, Drew Barrymore.
When a client wants to know if he or she will have a sexual affair, look to the love planets Venus and Mars. When the client is more interested in a serious, committed relationship, it's much easier to just look at Juno. Here's an illustration to show how it works:
