Description

As the only Olympian god or goddess to become human for a time (as Doso, nursemaid of Demophon), Ceres is intimate with human suffering. Much of our suffering results from an imbalanced or incomplete relationship with our emotions which are burdened by thoughtforms that keep us looping in the past and projecting the past onto the future, alternating us between the double-edged sword of Fear and Hope. Ceres did emerge from her trials of loss, victimization and separation with her daughter, Persephone, a fuller, humbler and more generous version of Herself than before Her ordeal (initiation) began. Compelled by compassion, Ceres founded the Eleusinian Mystery Rites to instruct us how to ‘die before we die.’ Ceres is therefore the goddess of Initiation, making Her uniquely qualified to support us through our species-wide Initiation/Invitation to surrender to rather than bypass our Emotional Intelligence and access the deeper wisdom/soul currents that root us in Belonging and are charged with our greatest gifts: for ourselves and our world.

Moreover, whereas Saturn has become associated with linear time, Ceres helps us restore an accurate relationship with right timing as the goddess of cyclical Time. Cycles are a durable testament to the marriage of Kairos and Kronos, and with one foot in the heavens of Olympus and the other firmly rooted on the Earth, Ceres supports communion of the Mysterious & the Mundane.

Ceres is also related to health and especially our relationship with food (nourishment). And as we will see, Ceres had a relationship with the city of Rome in ancient times.

Read on below to discover the topics of the six gifted astrologers who will be our guides as we walk through the multivalent energy of Ceres!

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Your Presenters

(presenter bios available here)

June 14, 2025

Jason Holley: Ceres: Down to Earth, Body, Deep Time

To meet Ceres is to enter cyclical time, and in our time the pre-requisite seems to be coming down. As the goddess brought herself down in her most famous story: down to Earth, Body, Time. Under the rays of Ceres, attention moves beneath the rarefied heights of language to deeper, slower, older stratiographies of sensation, memory, dreaming. The way there is often dark, as when initiates entered the cave and telesterion at Eleusis. The way is also sensuous — smells, tastes, textures, sounds; in the dark or with eyes closed, these senses invite a downward, inward turn where layers of experience untouched become able to be experienced and met.

In this time together we will explore the descent through the felt sense and some storytelling and imagery from the ancient tradition
as well as modern lives.

 

Julija Simas: Ceres in the Mundane World

Discovered in 1801, Ceres was the first asteroid identified and has been classified as a dwarf planet since 2006, placing it in the same category as Pluto. Both share certain similarities, including their eccentric orbits and associations with the underworld, life’s initiations, and the cycles of life and death. However, with a much shorter orbit, Ceres has a more immediate influence, governing essential matters such as food production, vital resources and survival.

In this session, we will explore Ceres’ role in major global events, companies and world leaders.

 

Gray Crawford: The Mysteries of Ceres

Ceres is the “dwarf planet” queen of the asteroid belt whose astrological meaning resonates with the mythology of her namesake Demeter. In Greek myth Demeter brought both the gift of grain and the mysteries to humanity, nurturing both our material and spiritual capacities and relationships. We will explore the astrological meaning of Ceres and how her significations in natal charts connect with the mythology and mysteries of Demeter. We will also examine her 23 year cycle and how during our solar return years of 23, 46, and 69 she returns to the same phasal relationship with the Sun and close to the same degree that she has in our natal chart.

 

June 15, 2025

Christina Rodenbeck: Holy Mother, Holy Father

Ceres has been closely connected to the city of Rome since ancient times, so perhaps it’s no surprise to find that the vicars of Rome, the Popes, tend to have a strongly marked Ceres in their charts. What does this mean? Listen and find out.

 

Faye Blake: Ceres, Epigenetics and Health

Ceres is the ‘green‘ goddess who takes care of the environment – both inside and outside our bodies. Since she is between Mars (the first seedlings) and Jupiter (growth), she represents soil and knowledge of nutrients. She understands the environments in which not only plants and animals can flourish, but also where we can thrive. This talk discusses how Ceres in your horoscope can help define healing environments, and shows that ‘bad’ genes don’t define your health, you do! Faye will also touch on the role of Ceres in the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

Sol Jonassen: Ceres and Eating Disorders

Eating disorders can have complex and varying causes, so in astrology we need to be mindful to not reduce it into one-size fits all. However Ceres’ association to nurturance, safety, control and the loss of innocence often ends up being one of the prime astrological signatures in the charts of those who suffer from ED. In this lecture, Sol will explore some of these dynamics.

 

We hope you consider joining us!

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