In my previous article about Ceres, the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, I argued that Ceres fits very well as a ruler of Taurus. If Ceres does rule Taurus, then Scorpio is its sign of detriment. In this article I continue by describing why this is a good fit.
Taurus and Scorpio are opposites
Obviously, a planet that rules a sign will find its detriment in the sign opposing the one it rules, because of the opposite nature of the signs. Taurus is sensuality, while Scorpio is sexuality. Taurus represents slow, gradual pleasure while Scorpio represents orgasmic intensity. Taurus owns; Scorpio shares. Taurus maintains separateness; Scorpio merges. Taurus represents life; Scorpio represents death. Taurus rejects change while Scorpio attracts it. Clearly then, if Taurus is a pure expression of Ceres nature, expressed in the form of a zodiac sign, then Scorpio is its polar opposite and gives Ceres very little scope for her true expression.
Ceres in Scorpio financially
“What’s mine is mine; what’s yours is mine” might be the motto of Ceres in Scorpio. This placement of Ceres can be ultra possessive—with a little Watery boundarilessness thrown in. In Scorpio, Ceres can feel moved to share—then resent the results. A native with Ceres in Scorpio might feel that their own money must come from others, but resent the dependency and its other costs (some of which may be emotional). Another tendency for Ceres in Scorpio natives is to experience financial “deaths and rebirths.” This means that sometimes situations emerge which drain one’s whole, hard-earned financial reserve in one staggering blow, requiring a rising from the financial ashes. As Nietzsche put it, “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” and these natives need to learn to smell change coming and submit to it without a fight before disaster strikes. A habit of lingering in a state of pain for the sake of financial stability is too costly for these people, as resentment will lead to self-sabotage which will force a change that may seem beyond one’s control but actually was unconsciously self-created. Do not allow bitterness, resentment and hatred to nest in your heart. And stay away from financially lucrative arrangements that bear an intolerable emotional price tag.
A difficult placement for mothering
Ceres is the Earth Mother, also known as Mother Nature, one of two mother archetypes in the chart (the other being the Moon) and placement of Ceres in Scorpio can intensify the mother/child connection, leading to a hyper-bonded relationship that can feel codependent or entangled at times. This can manifest as a mother who possesses, overprotects or engulfs the child or delivers TMI (“too much information”) about her life as an adult. Things no child wants to know about a parent. If an individual with Ceres in Scorpio did experience this kind of mothering as a child, it may be difficult not to pass on this kind of parenting as an adult. If you have this placement, beware of smothering your child or oversharing adult experiences that your child is too young to understand.
Ceres in Scorpio is difficult but not impossible
It’s my firm belief that every planet in your chart is on a mission to bring something good into your life. A detriment position is hard on a planet because the sign opposite to its own sign gives the planet an extremely narrow scope of expression. Narrow but not impossible You might even argue that a planet’s detriment position constitutes a powerful life lesson and therefore yields richer human experience than a more “easy” placement. Certainly, a Ceres-in-Scorpio person can face many lessons about unattachment and self-reliance. What’s most difficult is that those lessons tend to come the hard way—by having the things you rely on most be wrenched away, just when you were feeling safe. At times it may even seem like an undeserved cosmic punishment.
Ceres in Scorpio can have a restlessness that’s counterintuitive for this Fixed planet in a Fixed sign—always pressing for satisfaction and satiation, but needing extremes in order for satisfaction to register—extreme wealth, extreme affection, extreme stability and safety—which means that relaxed enjoyment is hard to come by. More always seems to be needed and yet the wolf of fear remains at the door, perpetually howling.
