Here is an old blog post where I questioned the rulership of Libra and Virgo. Sitting side by side it seems apt that the two possible candidates are also closely connected in the Persephone Myth. Namely Ceres and Eris.
I always thought Chiron fitted very well with the 6th house and Virgo and his partner Lilith very well for Libra and the 7th (partners and open enemies!) And thought maybe they should co-rule. They certainly resonate. I came to realize however that they were just a messengers. Lilith and Chiron are both quite similar in some respects, in that they are quite wayward and force you to think outside the box.
But an asteroid and a hypothetical moon do not carry the weight and stability that is required to rule a sign. They are the court jesters to the Monarchs. Some would considered the fool wiser than the King, but he is shamanic. Shamans don’t get to govern in a Saturnian world.
The Persephone Constellations
The constellations of Libra & Virgo which neighbours Scorpio is where we find the whole Persephone Myth. The actors are the new dwarf planets: Eris as Persephone, Ceres as Demeter (her mother) Pluto as Hades.
Now Eris you may feel is miscast as Persephone, but we really have no other option since Persephone and Proserpina are busy in Rep theatre playing themselves as mere asteroids. So Eris the understudy gets the chance to play the biggy. Queen Of the Underworld herself.
The play is set in the constellations of Scorpio, Libra and Virgo. Scorpio of course being the underworld. Virgo with her sheath of corn being the fertile earth. Libra is the chariot used as transportation between these worlds.
As an interesting sidenote, Libra didnt exist as as constellation in its own right until the Romans. Before that Scorpio was a 60 deg sign stretching across the terrane of Libra and Scorpio. The scales were once known as the claws of the Scorpion.
Rulership Of Virgo & Libra
So I am proposing then that Ceres rules Virgo, Eris (As Persephone) rules Libra and Pluto continues it’s rulership over Scorpio. Only time will tell if these new actors can deliver in these roles. Pluto is already proven. Cere’s seems to fit the bill as Demeter, Persephones mother. Though it put’s a whole new slant on supposedly barren Virgo.
With Eris? there is a bigger question mark. Can the Goddess of Strife and discord really cut it as Queen Of the Underworld? Can she successfully bridge these two opposing worlds and bring harmony here as Libra’s representative?
Quite a few Astrologers have made a good case for Persephone for Libra. But Eris is just too new. Assigning Goddess rulership to two more signs brings up the ruling Goddess to God ratio from 4 to 8. Which is good news for those who feel that the Moon and Venus need some help representing women’s changing role in the 21st century.
This is quite a big project. I guess the starting point will be examining the Persephone Myth itself and how it fit’s in around the mythology of the constellations. There are quite a few versions of it, and it’s rich symbolism can be interpreted in many ways too.
Then I have to look at how Persephone really functions within that myth and how Eris can take on her role. Maybe she will put her own spin on it and bring Persephone up to date. Persephone on the other hand could perhaps tame Eris’s impulsiveness and get her to compromise. Well that’s quite Libran for a start….