In astrology, to get an understanding of the nature of a planet some astrologers analyze the name given to it. In mythology Ceres is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Demeter. She is the goddess of agriculture and when her daughter Proserpina was kidnapped by Pluto in an attempt to force her to marry him, Ceres became so distraught looking for her daughter that she neglected the Earth which became cold and most plants died. This was the first autumn and winter season, which came back every year even after Proserpina had been saved by Mercury because she had eaten a pomegranate that made her Pluto's wife forever, and he demanded she return to him once a year. These myths, including the fact that Ceres is the roundest object in the asteroid belt (it resembles the Moon) signify that in astrology the placement of Ceres in a birth chart is said to show what the native needs to feel loved and nurtured. The planet is also associated with the reproductive issues of an adult woman, as well as pregnancy and other major transitions in a woman's life, including the nine months of gestation time, family bonds and relationships. But the Ceres archetype is not only a mother. For some astrologers Ceres is the ruling planet of Virgo, and it fix also with the archetype of a Virgin goddess in anthropology, It reflects independent women who are often unmarried (According to astrology, Ceres is a single goddess who chose to become a mother without a husband or partner). As we can see, Ceres is very connected with the Moon, and with the emotional status. While the moon represents our ideal of "motherhood", Ceres would represent how our real and nature motherhood should be. Ceres, as the Goddess who has control over nature's resources and cycles, may be known also in astrology as the planet of the Environment. Going back to mythology, an early environmental villain is the figure of Erysichthon, the tearer up of the earth, who cut down trees in a grove sacred to Ceres-Demeter, for which he was punished by the goddess with fearful hunger. In this sense Ceres became an emerging archetypal in the social response of becoming aware of the recent Climate Change, and is entering our collective consciousness as a need to take care of our natural and irreplaceable resources in the 21st Century.
Just like the biological agriculture, also sinking the roots in the past, represents a leap towards a future of search of the natural taste and wholesome and the quality, of ecological responsibility and knowledge. Several environmentally-based web sites use Ceres as an acronym to portray their nurturing, protective mandate. To corroborate how Ceres is emerging into our subconscious as an environmental principle, visit for example www.ceres.org (the Network for Change), www.ceres.org.au (the Center for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) or, www.ceres.ca.gov (the California Environmental Resources Evaluation System). As an indicator for environmental or community activism, Ceres would represent for some astrologers the wave of the future. The status of Ceres is unknown at the moment in astrology. The possibility exists that it isn't involved with any sign, but it has been strongly suggested as the ruler of Virgo or Taurus. For some modern astrologers it is the ruling planet of Virgo and co-ruler of the 6th house with Mercury, and for a few others the ruling planet of Taurus and the 2nd house with Venus. In any event, it can almost definitely be attributed to the Earth element. As in all cases of newer discoveries, for some, like Vedic astrologers, it will never be used.