Auntie Moon

A Little Background

You may not know that Ceres is no longer classified as an asteroid, but as a dwarf planet. Her mythology fits nicely with the sign of The Virgin, so she is being heralded as a possible co-ruler of Virgo. Ceres is the goddess of the grain, agriculture, crops, and motherly relationships. In our charts, she represents nurturing, our relationship with mom, food, and clothing.

You may recognize Ceres more easily by her Greek name, Demeter. She was the mother of Persephone whom Pluto abducted to the underworld. Persephone’s return heralded spring and the re-blossoming of the Earth.

Ceres was discovered in 1801, classified as a planet, reclassified as an asteroid, and reclassified yet again as a dwarf planet in 2006. It’s interesting to note that on March 6th, day after the Full Moon, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Ceres in the early morning. There’s a big HELLO!

Recently, a bright spot appeared emanating from Ceres. Shortly afterwards, another one appeared. No one knows what these bright spots are, only that they are unique in our solar system. Nothing else compares.

The Ritual ~ Welcoming Ceres

This short ritual is designed to formally welcome Ceres and to discover two bright spots that you can be proud of in your life. For this ritual you will need:

• A bowl ~ silver if you have one
• Another small bowl containing a handful of oats or grains (flour, oatmeal, barley, cornmeal ~ any kind will do)
• 2 Candles to represent the two bright spots on Ceres
• Matches or a lighter
• Your two favorite pieces of clothing, whether they match or not. They might be a hat, dress, pants, underwear, socks, shoes ~ it doesn’t matter. Just really love the ones you choose.

Before beginning the ritual, gather your materials, dim the lights, and sit quietly for a moment. You can put your two pieces of clothing on or drape them over a chair near your workspace. Consider for a moment how these two garments make you feel, how you shine when you wear them. What do these two garments really represent? Sophistication, earthiness, approachability, your sense of humor? When you have decided what each item represents, it is time to light your candles.

1. As you light your first candle, say:

 _________, you represent my ______________________.
I welcome you. You are a shining part of who I am.
I am proud of my _________________ and will nurture it for all to see.

(Example: Sweater, you represent the warmth I bring to my relationships.
I welcome you. You are a shining part of who I am.
I am proud of my warmth in relationships and will nurture it for all to see.
Add descriptions to your item if you like: “Soft and comforting sweater”)

2. Take a pinch of the grain and drop it into the larger bowl.

3. As you light your second candle, say something about your second item:

 _________, you represent my ______________________.
I welcome you. You are a shining part of who I am .
I am proud of my _________________ and will nurture it for all to see.

(Example: Hat, you represent my sense of humor.)

4. Take a pinch of the grain and drop it into the larger bowl. You can even sprinkle some of the grain around your table if you’d like.

5. Add the remaining grain to the larger bowl, setting the small bowl aside. You may wish to say something in gratitude.

I promise to nurture you always, for you bring me great joy.
I am grateful for the bounty you have given me.
You are two bright shining parts of me that I am proud for everyone to see.

Make your prayer or moment of thanks personal.
Commit it to memory so that every time you wear your special garments
you can recall how they serve you and how happy they make you.

6. Snuff your candles or let them burn down naturally.

7. Tomorrow, place your grains outside and cover them with a bit of soil so that they will nurture Mother Earth. Ceres will thank you.

Happy Full Moon in Virgo.

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Do you make Moon Water? Here are some great ways to put it into service:
7 Ways to Use Virgo Moon Water