An astrology chart is a two-dimensional representation of the layout of the solar system when you took your first breath. The chart contains symbols for astronomical bodies and calculated points connecting those points to aspects of human psychology and consciousness energy.
This article will look at the point Juno, which represents duty and commitment, often best shown through the act and life of marriage. The location of Juno in your natal chart helps you understand how you prefer to commit to others and what area of life you feel your strongest sense of duty.
Most people do not know any other points in their chart outside of their Sun sign. Each major point in our solar system is represented in an astrological chart. Before the telescope, the chart consisted of points visible to the naked eye: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (the big 7). With telescopes, we added: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (to make up the big 10). Then we found Chiron, and a host of asteroids, beginning with but not limited to Juno, Pallas Athene, Ceres, and Vesta. We are going to look at all these points and many more in this ongoing monthly series.
Source: Wikimedia
Juno represents the duty and commitment. In Roman mythology, Juno is the protector of the state and the patron goddess of Rome. In art, she has a warlike appearance close to the Greek goddess Athena. She ruled many aspects of Roman life but is most closely associated with marriage, like her Greek counterpart Hera. She is the wife of Jupiter, and thus the co-ruler of the heavens.
As a professional astrologer, I see it as a point that can function as a co-ruler of the 9th House and the sign of Sagittarius (along with her husband, Jupiter). She is both an authority figure and the female representation of the beliefs that provide the foundation of society and the energy to make commitments to others in a way that reflects the nature of the sign she occupies in an individual’s chart.
When people consult with me about their natal chart, Juno is one of the points to look at carefully with regards to the individual’s attitude about commitment and duty as well as a key point to compare from one person’s chart to another, in terms of their relationship (romantic, friendship, family, or business). Juno is energy where people draw “hard lines” regarding their sense of duty.
I was born with my Juno in Scorpio in the 1st House of Identity. Since Scorpio represents deep, dark water and the transformative power of death/rebirth, trauma, and elimination, I learn about myself through committed relationships with others who are intense and powerful, especially emotionally powerful.
Not surprisingly, key people in my life have Scorpio Suns or Scorpio Moons, like my daughter’s mother. My own mother is also a Scorpio and I tend to find myself drawn into intense relationships with women who have some form of water sign dominance or prominence in their charts. This placement also makes me very loyal and committed to people because Scorpio is a fixed sign, so it does not let go easily.
My Juno is at 8 degrees 14 minutes of Scorpio. Juno is in the 1st Decan of Scorpio (each sign is divided by 10 degrees into Decans that shape the flavor of that point by degree position). The first decan of Scorpio is Scorpio/Scorpio, the second is Scorpio/Pisces, and the third is Scorpio/Cancer. I have a Scorpio/Scorpio Juno. In short, I am drawn to and will draw to me, intense relationships that will help me shape and transform my identity.
Marc Edmund Jones, working with Elsie Wheeler, determined special meanings for each degree of the Zodiac called the Sabian Symbols. My Juno is between the 8th and 9th degree, thus the 9th Sabian Symbol for Scorpio, which is interpreted as “a Christmas tree decorated”. The keyword assigned to this degree is SYMBOLIZATION, and the positive expression is “man’s achievement of complete self-satisfaction through simple sharing of his potentials with his fellows, and when negative, a desire to place people under obligation and to enjoy riches without payment in kind” (The Sabian Symbols, 188).
Finally, with an exact birth time, we can determine which house or “domicile” your Juno resides in. In the case of my chart, my Juno is my 1st House of Identity. The 1st, 5th, and 9th Houses are fire domiciles and relate to how we present ourselves (1st), what we do for fun (5th), and what we passionately want to master (9th). Having a water sign rule a fire house does complicate the energy, and Juno is a fire point, so the fiery nature is subdued by the water, tending to make me “quietly intense” in my relationships.
With my Juno in Scorpio in the 1st House, my “way of duty manifests through my intense and truth-seeking quest for and attraction to penetrating and emotionally transformative identity development.” (Astrology Unlocked, 266). Having commitments that test my identity and help me find out “who I am” is the best way for me to experience this energy and make the most of what it has to teach me. I take my relationships seriously and am easily drawn to people who are suffering and in need of help.
If you want to know about YOUR Juno, really know, then I encourage you to get your full chart cast. Join me next month when we take a look at Ceres.
