ERATO
Erato, asteroid 62 (the 62nd asteroid to be discovered, on September 14, 1860), is
approximately 64 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 5.5 years. Erato
was named after the Greek muse of love poetry. J. Lee Lehman associates this asteroid
with the inspiration of love, as distinct from its consummation. Jacob Schwartz gives
the astrological significance of Erato as “emotional inspiration, lyric and love poetry.”Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Ultimate Asteroid Book.West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1988.
Room, Adrian. Dictionary of Astronomical Names.London: Routledge, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.ERLEWINE, MICHAEL
Astrologer Michael Erlewine founded Matrix Software, the most active center for
astrological programming and research in North America, in 1977. The center
includes the prestigious Heart Center Library, the largest nonprofit astrological library
that is open to the public on a year-round basis.
Erlewine is active in a variety of areas, including astrology, Feng-shui, Tibetan
Buddhism, music and film reviews, and producing digital videos.
Erlewine has been a practicing astrologer for over 40 years, with an interna-
tional reputation in the field. Aside from nine years of counseling experience and
years of teaching, he has made many original contributions to astrology including
Local Space (astro-locality technique), Interface Nodes, deep-space astrology, and
pioneering contributions in heliocentric astrology. Erlewine was the first astrologer to
offer astrological computer programs to the general public (1977). His astrological
books include The Sun Is Shining, Astrophysical Directions, Manual of Computer Pro-
gramming for Astrologers,and Interface Nodes.He also served as the editor of the
Astro*Talk Bulletin, Matrix Journal(a technical research journal for astrologers), and
the ongoing Astro Index Encyclopediaproject. He has won a number of awards from the
astrological community including: Professional Astrologers, Inc. (PAI), the American
Federation of Astrologers, and the UAC Regulus Award.
Erlewine is also very active in Tibetan Buddhism (serving on a number of
boards) and directing the Heart Center Karma Thegsum Choling, a main center in
North America for the translation, transcription, and publication of texts and teach-
ings of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
A former musician (he led a band in the 1960s called the Prime Movers, with
Iggy Pop as its drummer), Erlewine founded and created All Media Guide (publishers
of, among others, All Music Guideand All Movie Guide)—perhaps the largest database
of music and film ratings and reviews on the planet. AMG has more than 14 books and
many CD-ROMs published. Erlewine has worked for a wide variety of online networks
and other electronic formats (such as CompuServe, E-World, AOL, and MSN).Erato
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