The Asteroid Goddesses: Juno

Some of you may know Juno as the jealous and vindictive wife of Jupiter and mother of Mars. In Greek mythology, she was known as Hera and was regaled as the Queen of the Gods. Older myths align her as the Triple Moon Goddess representing the three stages of a woman’s life: Maidenhood, Motherhood, and Sage.

The Story of Juno

Like so many myths where women are given the short shrift, Juno was villainized as the wrathful wife of Jupiter. Truth be told, Jupiter had quite the lascivious appetite and had numerous sexual liaisons with other women, the majority of them by force. What woman wouldn’t be incensed to be married to a raping lothario?

To the Greeks, Hera (the Roman Juno) and Zeus (The Roman Jupiter) were brother and sister. One day, Zeus conjures up a storm and shapeshifs into a cuckoo bird, landing in his sister’s lap for warmth and protection. As she comforts the wet bird, he changes back into Zeus and rapes her. What’s a poor Goddess to do but marry her rapist brother? Ever after, the marriage was filled with strife and contention. Even though he continued to rape and fornicate, his sister/wife remained loyal.

If we go back even further into Juno/Hera’s history, we find her as a sovereign nation princess. Raised by the seasons, she peacefully reigned alone. In fact, her temple at Olympia predates Zeus’s.  But when her territory was overtaken, the invaders had to find a place for her. So they married her to their own god, Zeus.  And even though she’s been immortalized as the contentious and jealous bride to the God of the Gods, if we scratch just a little beneath the surface, we see an arranged marriage where one of the partners had to subvert her power and give up her freedom while her husband gallivanted from one liaison to the next. History would look a lot different if women had been the ones recording it.

Juno in the natal chart

In our charts, Juno points to what we need in a committed relationship in order to be content. When we don’t get it, we can succumb to manipulating behavior, jealousy, power issues, betrayal and downright unhappiness.

Demetra George has written masterfully on Juno. These bulleted descriptions for Vesta through the signs are taken from her book Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine.

  • Juno in Aries need independence and freedom in relationships. Anger is a release mechanism for the frustrated need for autonomy.
  • Juno in Taurus need stability, dependability and groundedness in relationships. Nagging and complaining can result when these qualities are missing.
  • Juno in Gemini indicates the need to have verbal stimulation with their partner and the capacity to discuss day to day plans. A lack of communication results in anxiety and inner mental agitation. 
  • Juno in Cancer desires emotional connection and nurturing in relationships. Moodiness, withdrawal and clinging arise when these needs aren’t met.
  • Juno in Leo needs admiration and excitement. They want to be adored! They also want to take pride in their parter. Selfish behaviors and attention seeking often arise when they are taken for granted or ignored.
  • Juno in Virgo desires to work on a relationship so that both partners are better people for it. Without this, criticism and fault-finding occur.
  • Juno in Libra wants equality and fairness in a relationship. Decisions are jointly made and the partner shows respect for ideas and desires. Without this, competition arises and cooperation evaporates.
  • Juno in Scorpio craves deep emotional connection, a solid bond and sexual intimacy. When this is missing, there can be jealousy, manipulation, control and sexual withdrawal.
  • Juno in Sagittarius requires intellectual stimulation with their partner and an adventure buddy. Without a unified vision, the relationship dissolves its cohesiveness. 
  • Juno in Capricorn seek assurance of a long term commitment and prefers the security of traditional forms of partnering such as marriage. If thwarted, they withdraw emotionally.
  • Juno in Aquarius requires freedom to be an individual and a life apart from the relationship. If denied this freedom, they can become noncommittal, unreliable and erratic.
  • Juno in Pisces holds high ideals and puts their faith. commitment, and reverence in relationship. Disillusionment, withdrawal, escapism, martyrdom and victimization result when their idealistic expectations are not met. 

Finding Juno in your chart

If you don’t know where Juno is located in your chart, you can find it by following these instructions.

  1. Go to astro.com
  2. Click on Horoscopes, located to the left of the top banner
  3. Click on Extended Chart Selection
  4. Enter your birth data
  5. Next, find the section “Additional Objects” (bottomish/left)
  6. Select Juno

When you update your chart, you’ll now see the asteroid Juno.

Painting:  Ann Elliot as Juno, by James Watson